MLS coach of year? We discuss

Three soccer brains are clearly better than one. So Richard Farley, Noah Davis and I huddled up virtually to sort out our ProSoccerTalk picks for Major League Soccer awards.

We started with Coach of the Year:

Steve Davis:?All right guys, the other day on a radio show I just kind of prattled something off the top of my head about D.C. United?s Ben Olsen being the obvious choice. But I find life without a backspace key brings out the stupid in me. Not that Olsen is a bad choice; first playoff berth for United since 2007? No Dwayne De Rosario at the end? And he?s the league?s youngest coach?

But I talked about it like there was no choice to be made. Which really is quite stupid. (It was too early; no more radio interviews without morning coffee for me!)

So, who wants to make the case for ? can I get a Frank Yallop? ?

Richard Farley: I?ll gladly do so, since I was the PST guy that fell in love with San Jose at the beginning of the season. If Frank?s still driving, I?m still riding.

For Coach of the Year, I look for what a guy did with the talent he had, but I want to be able to point to specific examples (just in case a Steve Davis of the world asked me to go on record). By this standard, Yallop?s got the best case.

At the beginning of the season, few were picking San Jose to make the playoffs. The West was tough, and their talent just didn?t look up to snuff. Early on, though, it was apparent that he had fused the parts together to create a greater sum. In a year in which they were supposed to be gone by November, San Jose cruised to the Supporters?

Shield, Yallop?s setup getting career years out of almost all of his regular starting XI. You could say all the stars aligned for him, but that?s a lot of stars and a very straight line. It?s far more plausible that Yallop?s done an incredible job.

If he needs more support, look at San Jose?s late match effectively.

Not only does that speak to the changes Yallop makes in-game (San Jose is regularly a completely different team come full time), but it also tells of the mentality he?s helped instill in the team.

Noah Davis: I?ll see your Yallop ? the Goonies can?t win?all?the post-season awards ? and raise you my midseason pick, Mr. Martin Rennie. Getting that Whitecaps team to the promised land of the playoffs, even if it is simply to lose to the Galaxy, ain?t no thang. That roster, being kind here, is not that good. Sure, Jay DeMerit is the best on-field leader in MLS but someone has to put the pieces on the field. While I didn?t love all the moves they made up in the Great White North, they made enough to eek into the post-season. Now it?s time for the real test.

Steve Davis: Hmmm. I think Noah has already run out of provisions in his NY bunker. Somebody rush the man over some Slim Jims and a mineral water. Stat!

Rennie helped erect that crane and wrecking ball they took to a team that was doing pretty well. They ?rebuilt? the roster to within an inch of its life.? I like the guy personally, but I just don?t think the final product in 2012 speaks well of him.

Richard Farley: Crane and wrecking ball? Is that an allusion to Merritt Paulson and John Spencer? Very clever, Mr. Davis.

Steve Davis: So, you are advocating John Spencer then? ?I kid, I kid! Anybody else we need to consider before moving on to Rookie of the Year?

Richard Farley: I?d be curious to hear your guys? thoughts on Chicago?s Frank Klopas [pictured].

Steve Davis: Meh.

Noah Davis: I?m with Steve. Too late to throw my lot in with Yallop?

Steve Davis: Got you down, Noah. So I?m out-voted. Democracy rules. Thomas freakin? Jefferson got nothing on us.

Our Pick: San Jose?s FRANK YALLOP

Source: http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/29/prosoccertalks-award-conversations-major-league-soccer-coach-of-the-year/related

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Oh, Snap! Case-Mate Blends An iPhone Case With A Snap Bracelet

CaseMate, along with every other case maker out there, is launching a new wave of products alongside the iPhone 5, for both the new phone and the iPhone 4/4S. In (what I can only assume is) an attempt to differentiate creatively, CaseMate has blended a normal rubber case with a snap bracelet. You know, the kind from when you were a kid that you won at some sort of school fair for not sinking your English teacher in the dunk tank. Oh, snap. At face value (as in, looking at it from the front), the Snap looks like your typical iPhone case. It seems to be made of silicone and slips on the iPhone. On the back, however, there’s a slab of extra rubber with a button on one side. When you press the button, the rubber snaps out into a multi-directional kickstand. Just check out the video: It’s a cute take on a kickstand case, if nothing more. The case comes in five different color flavors and is available for the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4/4S. Grab it at CaseMate for $35.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/lfVY9U1q3dw/

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How to Save and Spend Your Money on Healthy Food Exercise ...

?Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.

- Isaiah 55:2

Each one of us has some unique purpose in life, and God has given us three tools to use to fulfill that destiny ? a soul, a mind, and a body. Each one of these entities can only be as healthy as its nourishment. If you do not nourish your soul with meditation, your mind with education and your body with nutrition, you will not be able to continue progressing through this awesome journey of growth and development that we call Life. Avoid meditation and your soul will never be at peace. Avoid reading and learning and opportunities in school or at work will pass you by. Finally, avoid eating healthy foods and your body will become full of disease.

As the above verse is more figurative than literal, it does hold true for all investments in yourself. You must invest time into your soul and mind, and yes ? money into eating healthy, nourishing foods.

We must begin to take grocery shopping seriously and choose products that will be better for us in the long term over products that are impulsive purchases. And to be honest, grocery stores make these choices very easy! Conveniently, they put all of the healthy fruits and vegetables together, fish is in another section, while your meats are in another, and aisle 12 is concentrated with cookies, chips and soda. It?s like going to a car lot where all of the high-class new cars are in the showroom, and the used rusty cars are piled together in the back of the lot. We all deserve, and should choose to stay in the showroom.

The argument that I hear when I have made this suggestion to others is that ?healthy food is too expensive.? Well, let?s find the truth:

Contrary to popular belief, it can actually cost more to eat badly. In fact, a new government report finds that nutritious foods ? such as grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy ? typically cost less than items high in saturated fat and added sugars. ? USA Today

In addition, healthier foods cause you to feel full quicker, so you eat less food. And?you will save money in the long run because unlike the person who chooses unhealthy foods, you will not have to put money towards doctor?s visits and medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and other chronic diseases. According to Consumer Reports, 46 percent of Americans take on average 4.1 prescription medications. As far as costs, this averages out to be $723 per year (US 2007 Census). Being sick can also cause you to miss work and lose money that way.

How to Change

Change begins in the grocery store. What you don?t have in your house, you simply won?t eat! Here are a few things you can do to save money on healthier foods:

• Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Frozen fruits and vegetables are cheap and don?t spoil. This is the most simple and effective change you can make in your shopping habits.
• Buy your fresh fruits and fish before you buy any other foods. Make it a habit to allow your healthy food options take the first portion of your budget.
• Choose fresh foods that are in season ? they will be cheaper.
• Only buy whole wheat grains, including pastas, rice and breads. These foods fill you up quick, so you will eat less, which will also help you lose weight.
• Don?t buy soda? Ever.
• Look up recipes and plan your meals and shopping list ahead of time. Site like DrGourmet.com, CookingLight.com, and MayoClinic.com can help you plan.

Be willing to make some changes in your lifestyle. It may be challenging at first, but soon enough you will ask yourself ?how did I ever eat that!?

Source: http://exercisemenu.com/save-spend-money-healthy-food/

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Rise in prescription drug deaths highlights issue of chronic pain ...

In 2008, deaths from prescription drugs were more than double the number of accidental overdose deaths from heroin. Photo: Justin McManus

The recent National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre report raising alarm about increasing numbers of deaths from prescription opioids, reflects a much bigger issue: the millions of Australians whose lives are severely affected by chronic pain.

At least one in five Australians, including children, lives with chronic pain; among people aged over 65, it?s one in three. The report?s revelation there were more than 500 opioid-related deaths in a year ? the majority from prescription drugs such as oxycodone ? is indeed tragic. In 2008 deaths from prescription drugs were more than double the number of accidental overdose deaths from heroin. But the number of young people whose lives are ruined because of chronic pain is devastating on an even bigger scale.

Opioid drugs such as oxycodone play a valuable role in treating acute pain, especially after surgery or trauma. However, they may not be suitable for the treatment of long-term chronic pain from a disease or injury.

Among the vast majority of people with chronic pain, other measures such as cognitive behavioural therapy, exercise, physio or occupational therapy and meditation, can actually be more effective in managing, if not eliminating the pain.

However, such programs are not covered by Medicare or health insurance so are available to relatively few people who could benefit from them. Plus waiting times at pain clinics may range from six month to two years.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the federal government are pushing for a nationwide electronic system that would allow pharmacists, doctors and state health authorities to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of addictive drugs.

But it is not helpful to call for further restrictions on prescribing opioids. A more rational and strategic approach to managing pain in a holistic and enlightened manner, is by far the best way to tackle this problem.

We need to transform the way doctors, and their patients, think about pain. The experience of pain is subjective, and is influenced by physical, psychological and environmental factors. I have lived with chronic pain from osteoarthritis since my 30s, which forced me to retire from my work and sports I loved, such as tennis, golf and sailing. I have had two hip replacements and a shoulder replacement, but continue to live with pain from arthritis in my spine and other joints. I manage it with non-opioid medication, hydro and physiotherapy but now have difficulty walking and even swimming. I have used opioids including oxycodone for post-surgical pain but as a pharmacist I knew I could not continue this long term.

Pain is the most common symptom reported by people visiting a GP. Pain-relieving medications are the most frequently requested over-the-counter medication in pharmacies.

About 20 per cent of suicides are linked to physical problems, often associated with chronic pain. The most common reasons for people of working age to drop out of the workforce are back problems and arthritis ? both associated with severe, debilitating chronic pain.

The National Pain Strategy, developed by more than 150 healthcare professionals and consumers at a 2010 national summit, recommended chronic pain be recognised as a priority health issue and constitute a disease in its own right. Yet it remains one of the most neglected areas of healthcare.

While committing the resources needed for a strategic national campaign, similar to those for chronic heart disease and cancer, may be a bridge too far for government in the fiscal climate, one option could be a ?Better Outcomes in Pain Management? program. It could be treated nationally through Medicare as we do for mental health.

We would need to provide education and training for health professionals in multi-disciplinary pain management, and introduce strict guidelines on prescribing and managing opioids, including a timeframe for ceasing the drugs.

We should provide better access to integrated approaches to pain management including medical, psychological and physical therapies such as massage and acupuncture appropriately, paid for by Medicare (again, as we do for mental health.)

We need to develop community education and support networks for people living with pain, such as those run by not-for-profit bodies such as the Australian Pain Management Association, with its Pain Link helpline, and Chronic Pain Australia.

The Mackay Pain Support Group in north Queensland is an example where this community approach is working well.

Patients need to be referred seamlessly from primary care through to a specialist pain clinic followed up by ongoing support in the community. Telehealth could help ensure better access to pain management services in regional areas and indigenous communities, which are among the most vulnerable.

The alarm over opioid deaths needs to be considered as part of a much bigger problem requiring a strategic, humane approach to addressing chronic pain in our community.

Lesley Brydon is CEO of the non-profit Painaustralia.

Article source: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/rise-in-prescription-drug-deaths-highlights-issue-of-chronic-pain-20121029-28fkb.html

Source: http://www.mhhub.com/archives/24675

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Search Engine Marketing Makes Your Small Business a Success ...

By Guest Blogger on October 29, 2012

This is a guest post by Michelle from www.crazypayday.co.uk.

With the internet market increasing in size each day there are numerous new businesses appearing and posing potential threats to existing small firms. The Internet offers the largest platform for all business owners to promote their brands worldwide and search engine marketing (SEM) plays a significant role in it.? Therefore is very important for business owners to create an online presence by promoting their brand and attracting good traffic towards their website. Incorporating Search engine marketing in marketing strategies is the most efficient method to gain an online presence for your brand in the e-commerce world.

SEM is basically a marketing strategy that helps the online business owners to increase the usability and visibility of their website and attract a good amount of visitors towards their website. There are different techniques that are used in the search engine marketing process that include the following;-

keyword selection:

In this marketing strategy the business owners employ techniques to associate the website with relevant and specific keywords. This is considered the first step of the marketing strategy where different keywords that are used for the website are analysed and the one that is most relevant and unique is targeted to increase the traffic of the website.

Website saturation:

In this method the presence of the website on the search engine is determined. This is achieved by checking the

• site saturation- the number of website pages that are indexed by the crawlers

• site popularity- the number of backlinks associated to the website

key performance indicators (KPI):

Here you need to identify the most important KPIs for your site and frequently monitor them. These indicators usually include the number of site visits, number of visits made from organic keyword traffic, number of visits made from paid keyword traffic and many more.

PPC advertising:

Pay per click advertising has become one of the most important marketing strategies that help with improving the ranking of the site on the search engines. Successful and top companies provide advertising space on their website associated to relevant keywords. All the advertisers need to do is to pay them for the number of clicks that are made on the advertising. Through this method potential customers visit your site and most of them turn into return customers.

Paid inclusion in search engines:

Here a particular amount is paid to the search engine providers for the inclusion of your website advertising into their search results. This allows your advertisement to be displayed on the top of the search results which can help you in attracting good traffic for your site.

If you find any difficulty in the above mentioned process and need further guidance then you can contact the experts from digital media agency who can help you out.

About the Author:

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www.crazypayday.co.uk offers easiest and fastest loans for bad debt for people who require fast cash for any purpose.? My name is Michelle.? I am a tech writer from UK.? I am into Finance.? Catch me @financeport.

---

About The Author

Guest Blogger

This post was written by a guest blogger. The author bio can be found in the post above. If you'd like to write a post for Communication and Business Thoughts for Creative Entrepreneurs, check out this page.
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Source: http://n0elle.com/2012/10/search-engine-marketing-makes-your-small-business-a-success/

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Early autism intervention improves brain responses to social cues

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2012) ? An autism intervention program that emphasizes social interactions and is designed for children as young as 12 months has been found to improve cognitive skills and brain responses to faces, considered a building block for social skills. The researchers say that the study, which was completed at the University of Washington, is the first to demonstrate that an intensive behavioral intervention can change brain function in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders.

"So much of a toddler's learning involves social interaction, and early intervention that promotes attention to people and social cues may pay dividends in promoting the normal development of the brain and behavior," said Geraldine Dawson, lead author and chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks.

"For the first time, parents and practitioners have evidence that early intervention can result in an improved course of both brain and behavioral development in young children," she said.

Dawson began the study while she was the director of the UW Autism Center. The study was published online Oct. 26 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Forty-eight children, aged 18 to 30 months and diagnosed with autism, either participated in routine community-based interventions or the Early Start Denver Model, which emphasizes interpersonal exchanges and shared participation in activities. The model was developed by Dawson and co-author Sally Rogers, a professor at the UC Davis MIND Institute.

Participants received one of the interventions for about 20 hours each week over a period of two years. For the children randomly assigned to the ESDM group, treatment took place two hours, twice a day, five days a week, by trained interventionists who came to the child's home. The children got an extra boost from their parents, who were trained to use ESDM strategies during routine exchanges with their child.

A previous study found that the ESDM intervention improved IQ, language, and adaptive skills and the researchers wanted to know if the approach also led to brain changes.

After two years of treatment, the brain function of the participants -- now about four to five years old -- was measured with electroencephalography while the youngsters viewed social stimuli, such as faces, and nonsocial stimuli, such as toys.

"Humans are experts at processing faces, but the brains of children with autism have delays in the ability respond to faces," said co-author Sara Webb, a UW research associate professor. If the brain can quickly identify a face, she said, then it can build on this to also quickly decide whether the face is of a man or a woman, happy or sad, and familiar or not.

Children in both intervention groups showed similar brain responses to faces as did children in a control group who did not have autism, suggesting that "the high level of intervention in both groups allowed the children with autism to catch up to the children in the control group," Webb said. "That's fantastic news."

Looking at a higher level of brain processing, the researchers studied whether the treatments changed brain measures of attention and cognitive engagement when seeing faces compared with a nonsocial stimulus. Eleven of 15 -- or 73 percent -- of children in the ESDM group showed greater attention to faces than to toys. In contrast, the EEGs of only five of the 14 recipients of the community intervention, or 36 percent, showed similar activation.

"The ESDM intervention resulted in greater attention and cognition brain activity to social stimuli, and these brain function patterns are more similar to the typical developing group of children," Webb said.

She stressed not only the importance of receiving intensive early intervention for autism, but that the intervention should focus on enhancing social attention, reciprocal interactions and engagement with a social partner.

Other study authors at UW are Emily Jones, Kaitlin Venema, Rachel Lowy, Susan Faja, Dana Kamara, Michale Murias, Jessica Greenson, Jamie Winter and Milani Smith, as well as Kristen Merkle of Vanderbilt University.

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and an Autism Speaks postdoctoral fellowship awarded to Jones.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Washington. The original article was written by Molly McElroy.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Sally J. Rogers, Annette Estes, Catherine Lord, Laurie Vismara, Jamie Winter, Annette Fitzpatrick, Mengye Guo, Geraldine Dawson. Effects of a Brief Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)?Based Parent Intervention on Toddlers at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2012; 51 (10): 1052 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2012.08.003

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/child_development/~3/fOXmi66uxVg/121029131823.htm

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In Vietnam, US relies on pirate site to network

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (AP) ? It's a wildly popular website laden with unlicensed songs and Hollywood movies, a prime exhibit of the digital piracy that is strangling the music industry in Asia and eroding legitimate online sales around the world.

But a few clicks inside the free-to-download bonanza that has pushed Vietnam's Zing.vn into the globe's top 550 websites reveals a surprising presence: the American government, which maintains a bustling social media account on the site.

Washington is a vocal proponent of intellectual property rights in Vietnam as it is around the world, and a site like Zing would be shut down in the United States. But with space with for public diplomacy limited in Communist Vietnam, the embassy's uses its "Zingme" account to reach out to young people in Vietnam as it seeks to build closer ties with its former enemy.

The embassy presence shows just how mainstream pirate sites have become in Vietnam, where the government does nothing to stop them operating. But it also raises questions whether Washington is legitimizing a renowned pirate site that record labels, singers and industry groups say ignores requests that it take down infringing material.

Those have become pressing since Coca-Cola and Samsung pulled their advertising from the site earlier this month because of piracy concerns following questions by The Associated Press. The move challenged Zing's business model and was praised by recording industry groups. Samsung said last week it was also closing its Zingme account for the same reason.

The embassy said it recognized the concerns for U.S. copyright interests posed by Zing but that it believed that "contact with users of this website" could reduce traffic or infringing activity on it. The mission sometimes uses its Zingme page to post about copyright infringement.

Its statement noted that the site had removed, at its request, the link to infringing material that appears on other Zingme pages as a matter of course. It also noted to its lack of options in a country where the Communist government controls the media, saying "there were few spaces for public discourse and intermittent access to Facebook", referring to a block the government sometimes puts on the American social networking site.

But not everyone thinks engaging with Zing is the right thing to do.

"Here we are as an American company trying to set things right with one of the biggest pirates in Vietnam but the U.S. embassy is essentially showing its support by being on its site," said Mimi Nguyen, an American who has been trying fruitlessly to get Zing to take down some 10,000 songs owned by her family's business for a year.

"It is really sad to find out the embassy is using their platform."

The Recording Industry Association of America, which praised the decision by Samsung and Coke to withdrawn from Zing and has labeled Zing a "notorious" pirate site, said it was neither endorsing nor criticizing the embassy's decision to maintain the site.

Neil Turkewitz, a senior vice president at the association, said he imagined the embassy had tried to balance the ability to target a tech-savvy demographic with anti-piracy messages against the appearance of a connection between it and the site.

"My guess is that it wasn't an easy decision," he said.

The recording industry around the world is struggling to make money from online distribution models, and illegal downloading remains rampant. Artists and producers in much of Asia are feeling the pinch especially hard because governments have failed to pass or enforce anti-piracy laws. Licensed CDs, films and downloads can cost the equivalent of a day's salary, making it even harder to wean people off pirated products.

In Vietnam, inaction by a government that sees no political upside in cracking down on what many see as a victimless crimes has pushed the industry to the point of collapse. Zing is seen as the No.1 enemy by those who speak out against its effective stranglehold over the country's music industry.

"Zing is destroying the industry and they know it," said record producer Quoc Trung, who is leading a campaign against online piracy. "We need people to pay for music, not just click on it. It is now or never."

Zing, which declined repeated requests for comment on this article and a previous one, has used free download to become the sixth-most visited site in Vietnam, and the second most popular Vietnamese music download site. Around 15 percent of its visitors are from overseas. It is not the only infringing website in Vietnam by far, but it is the most visited.

Sites that offer pirated content alongside other internet services like Zing exist elsewhere around the world and are among the most reprehensible, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

"They want to appear as legitimate actors, and have functions unrelated to piracy, yet operate network services that include features that intentionally and effectively induce infringement," it said in a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative in August asking the government to use all the tools at its disposal to ensure Zing and others are not permitted to undermine legitimate online markets.

"These services deliberately gain market share by providing access to infringing materials, launching music services without any form of licensing, and have demonstrated continued resolve to engage in conduct based upon misappropriation."

Zingme closely resembles Facebook, which recently overtook the Vietnamese site in subscriber numbers, according to one research group. Facebook is sometimes blocked by the government because of fears it could be used to mobilize dissent against its one-party rule. Zingme is never blocked, and is more popular with younger, less educated Vietnamese. Companies and institutions often have accounts on both. The embassy has more than 18,000 friends on Zingme, compared to 12,000 on Facebook.

Many in the industry have no choice but to work with Zing even as it distributes their music and films for free. Not having your music on the site means getting an audience for live concerts, or attracting commercial sponsorship, is almost impossible, industry executives said. But a few are pushing back, among them established singer Le Quyen, who is suing Zing and eight other infringing websites.

"I'm sure that Zing is aware that what they do is wrong, but they are afraid that other singers will put pressure on them if I win the case," she said before one of her near-weekly concerts at a venue owned by her husband here. "That's why they keep avoiding my demands. Their tactic is to drag the case on until their opponent gets tired and gives up."

Some in the industry predict Zing and other websites will embrace a more legitimate model, rather like Baidu in neighboring China, which after years of complaints from international and local record labels about pirated content signed a licensing deal with its former critics last year. Major Western record labels eager to sell music in the 13th most populous country in the world have been in early talks with Zing and other sites, but there is no deal on the horizon.

For now, the sites are not taking down their unlicensed content because doing so would mean that users would flock to that of a rival, and new ones are cropping all the time. Those offering unlimited downloads of Hollywood movies for a monthly subscription as low as $2 are amassing large audiences, and could be looking to leveraging their popularity to become legitimate providers.

"In Vietnam, you build an audience first, and then you negotiate," said Phung Tien Cong, a manager at MVCorp, which is trying to establish a pay-for-song business in collaboration with Zing, other websites and license holders.

_______

Brummitt can be reached at https://twitter.com/cjbrummitt.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2012-10-29-Vietnam-US-Digital%20Piracy/id-f996ef56e7564abcbf891036a5cf22c4

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