U.S. will continue supporting Syrian people: foreign ambassador to U.N.

Mursi opponents supporters clash on eve of referendum

Marrakech International Film Festival : Films in competition

The storytelling represented by our selection of films reflects as much the audience's experience as it stands today as the filmmakers' perspective on our society's foundations. We become privileged observers of a dynamic and creative process, that examines humanity and the world around us, here to serve up personal, powerful, bold, and courageous works. Marrakech is honoured and delighted to host this showcase. 

These filmmakers bring their talents to the Festival, some established and some on the verge of discovery. More than 80 films representing 21 nationalities will be screened during the event. As in each of the past 11 editions, the focus of the official competition, made up of 15 films, is Discovery. Many of them are debut or sophomore films. The "Coup de Coeur" competition features today's Moroccan filmmaking, reaching maturity; the out of competition films present the essence of filmmakers reaching out to their audiences; and the Cinécoles short film competition reveals tomorrow's Moroccan filmmakers. 

We are proud to give a hearty welcome to John Boorman, Emir Kusturica, Benoit Jacquot, Zhang Yimou, Jeon Soo-il, James Gray, Jonathan Demme, Brillante Ma. Mendoza, Claude Lelouch, Matteo Garrone, Jillali Ferhati, Darren Aronofsky and all the other filmmakers invited to take part in the festival's rich and diverse programme. These are all artists who capture the impossible on camera, who have given and who continue to give - so much to see, to discover, to love, and to desire. 

Thus, the Marrakech International Film Festival truly is a vital part of cinematic creation. 


Bruno Barde 
Artistic Director of the Marrakech International Film Festival 

A HIJACKING (KAPRINGEN) 
Denmark - 2nd film 
by Tobias Lindholm starring Søren Malling and Pilou Asbæk 


THE ATTACK 
Lebanon, France and Belgium 
by Ziad Doueiri starring Ali Suliman and Karim Saleh 


CAMION 
Canada 
by Rafaël Ouellet starring Stéphane Breton, Julien Poulin and Patrice Dubois 


FATAL (KASHIGGOT) 
South Korea - 1st film 
by Lee Don-ku starring Nam Yeon-woo and Kim Hee-seong 


FLOWER BUDS (POUPATA) 
Czech Republic - 1st film 
by Zdenek Jirasky starring Vladimír Javorsky, Malgorzata Pikus… 


GONE FISHING (DÍAS DE PESCA) 
Argentina 
by Carlos Sorín starring Alejandro Awada and Victoria Almeida 


HORSES OF GOD (YA KHAYL ALLAH) 
Morocco, France and Belgium 
by Nabil Ayouch starring Abdelhakim Rachid, Abdelilah Rachid, Hamza Souidek, Ahmed El Idrissi Amrani 


I.D. 
India - 2nd film 
by Kamal K. M. starring Geetanjali Thapa 



LITTLE LION (COMME UN LION) 
France - 1st film 
by Samuel Collardey starring Mitri Attal, Jean-François Stévenin and Marc Barbé 


MUSHROOMING (SEENELKÄIK) 
Estonia - 1st film 
by Toomas Hussar starring Raivo E. Tamm, Juhan Ulfsak and Elina Reinold 


OH BOY! 
Germany - 1st film 
by Jan Ole Gerster starring Tom Schilling and Friederike Kempter 


TABOOR 
Iran - 2nd film 
by Vahid Vakilifar starring Mohammad Rabbanipour 


TOUCH OF THE LIGHT (NI GUANG FEI HSIANG) 
Taiwan - 1st film - OPENING FILM 
by Chang Jung-Chi starring Sandrine Pinna and Huang Yu-hsiang 


UNA NOCHE 
United States, United Kingdom and Cuba - 1st film 
by Lucy Mulloy starring Dariel Arrechaga, Analilín de la Rúa de la Torre and Javier Núñez Florián 


ZÉRO 
Morocco 
by Nour-Eddine Lakhmari starring Younès Bouab, Mohamed Majd, Zineb Samara, Sonia Okacha, Saïd Bey, Malika Hamadoui and Ouidad Elma

festivalmarrakech

Hindi Mood for Marrakech

Indian cinema is celebrating its centenary next year and the Marrakech International Film Festival will be the first to celebrate with a special tribute paid to Hindi cinema. For its 12th edition, the Festival will welcome the largest Indian delegation ever assembled at an international festival, and screen a great number of Hindi films throughout the week, including every night at the open-air screenings on the famous Jemaa El Fna Square, with some of Bollywood’s greatest stars and filmmakers presenting their films to Moroccan audiences who are long-time Bollywood fans. 

The delegation, led by veteran star Amitabh Bachchan, will be honored during a tribute ceremony on Saturday, December 1st .

TRIBUTE TO YASH CHOPRA

Following the sudden death of director and producer Yash Chopra, the Marrakech International Film Festival will also pay tribute to this icon of Indian cinema, whose films include such classics as DEEWAAR (1975) - film that revealed actor Shah Rukh Khan; SILSILA (1981); LAMHE (1991); and more recently VEER-ZAARA (2004). In the words of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Yash Chopra "entertained many generations with his rare creativity and established the popularity of Indian cinema internationally." 

During this tribute to Indian cinema, the Festival will screen Yash Chopra's last film, JAB TAK HAI JAAN staring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, in the presence of Shah Rukh Khan. 

festivalmarrakech

Migraine Overview

What is Migraine?

Migraine is a disorder characterized by repeated attacks of severe headache. A migraine headache causes throbbing or pulsating pain, usually on only one side of the head. These headaches are often associated with nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound; they generally last between four hours and three days. Migraine headaches, which are often misdiagnosed as sinus or tension headaches, are severe enough to interfere with sleep, work, and other everyday activities. They may occur as often as several times per week or as rarely as once or twice a year.

About 30 million Americans suffer from migraine. It is most common among people age 25 to 55, though it can affect children and teens as well. Migraine is about three times more prevalent in women than men; roughly one in five women and one in 16 men suffer from migraine.

Types of Migraine

Common Migraine

Also called a migraine without aura, common migraine is the most prevalent type of migraine, and it accounts for about 80 percent of patients. Auras are not associated with headaches in this type of migraine. Fatigue, mood changes, anxiety, and mental fuzziness are among the symptoms frequently experienced.

Classic Migraine

Also called migraine with aura, classic migraine occurs in about one-fifth of migraine sufferers. Visual or other sensory symptoms called auras most often occur before a headache but can also appear during or after a headache. Most commonly, sufferers see auras that are flashing lights, zigzag lines, or blind spots. Auras can also include feelings of numbness or tingling, speaking difficulty, ringing in the ears, smelling a strange odor, or having an odd taste in the mouth.

Menstrual Migraine

This type of migraine is related to fluctuating levels in estrogen during a woman’s menstrual cycle. Around 60 to 70 percent of female migraine sufferers report a relationship between their migraine headaches and menstruation.

Abdominal Migraine

Abdominal migraine is an episode of moderate to severe abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting that can last up to 72 hours. It is typically seen in children, especially those with a family history of migraine. Children who suffer from abdominal migraines usually suffer from classic migraine headaches as adults.

Retinal Migraine

Also known as ocular migraine, retinal migraine involves temporary partial or total loss of vision in one eye that can last an hour or less and is not always accompanied by headache.

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7 Ways to Flu-Proof Your Home

It happens all the time: one family member gets the flu, and before you know it everyone else has it, too. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu germs can spread even before symptoms appear, and you can infect others up to a week after you first become sick. But by practicing a few simple rules at home, you can help keep your family well and prevent the flu from spreading. Here's what to do:

1. Get vaccinated

Health experts say it's the single most important thing you can do to prevent the flu. There are two types of seasonal flu vaccine—the flu shot, which is approved for people six months and older, including those who have chronic health conditions; and the nasal spray vaccine, which is approved for healthy people ages 2 to 49 and women under 50 who are not pregnant. Schedule your family's vaccinations in the fall, preferably in October or November.

2. Cover coughs and sneezes

Flu germs are believed to spread through droplets from the mouth and nose. Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze and throw it away afterward; if there's no tissue handy, cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow. Help your kids practice, too.

Experts say flu germs can live up to two hours or longer on hard surfaces. That's why it's so easy to pick up flu germs without knowing it—you touch an infected door knob or light switch, then rub your eyes or bite your nails, and boom!—you're infected. Learning to keep your hands away from your face can be tough, especially for children, but remind them (and yourself) often.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

4. Wash your hands often

Use soap and warm water and scrub for a good 20 seconds, or long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. Stock up on alcohol-based hand sanitizers for areas where sinks aren't available. Remind kids to wash up each time they use the bathroom, before they eat, and after they come home from school or a play date. Remember to set a good example, too.

5. Limit contact

If someone in your family does get sick, they should stay home to prevent the flu from spreading. Try to limit close contact as much as you can— change sleeping arrangements, if possible, and avoid sharing washcloths, towels, dishes, toys, and utensils.

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Morocco Is on the Path to Change

Hicham Ben Abdallah el Alaoui is a consulting professor at Stanford University's Center for Democracy Development and the Rule of Law, and is the president of the Moulay Hicham Foundation. He is a cousin of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and third in line for the throne.

The Arab monarchies have survived the turmoil in the Middle East for several reasons. First, the monarchic institution remains deeply linked to national identity in many of these countries because of anticolonial struggle and the historical importance of the institution itself. Second, monarchies have traditionally arbitrated conflicts between different groups and classes, acting as benevolent caretakers of society. They have also allowed other institutions, like parliaments, to represent the people, thus staying above the political fray.

Like Jordan, Morocco is trying to satisfy its citizens by liberalizing instead of democraticizing.

These factors have earned Arab monarchs a respite from the wave that swept away regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and possibly Yemen, but the respite will not last forever.

In the Gulf, enormous oil revenue has permitted monarchies to initiate new welfare and development programs to deflect public pressure. Geopolitics matter too: it has become clear that Saudi Arabia will not permit the crisis in Bahrain to truly threaten the existence of its monarchy. Likewise, at the international level, the United States and the European Union have little desire to encourage any more instability in this economically vital area.

The issue of monarchical survival has become inextricably entangled with the dynamics of Sunni-Shiite sectarian tension, which pits Iran against the Arab Gulf kingdoms. This discourse has grown hegemonic: not just the monarchies but also oppositionists have internalized these fears, blunting the demand for political reform.

Morocco and Jordan — the two oil-poor monarchies — are trying to satisfy their citizens by liberalizing instead of democratizing. They have turned to controlled political openings cloaked in the language of freedom but intended to perpetuate the status quo. Limited constitutional reforms, tolerance of more opposition and new parliamentary elections are welcome steps, but such measures do not devolve power away from the palace.

And such policies cannot indefinitely quiet the restive middle classes, who are no longer satisfied with constrained pluralism and demand genuine participation. What they desire is not revolution but reformation toward constitutional monarchy, a new system of governance that embodies the spirit of democracy while retaining the historical role of monarchism in these societies. The path to change may be uneven, and sometimes even chaotic, but it has begun.

Newyorktimes

Vampire on the loose in Serbia?

ZAROZJE, Serbia (AP) — Get your garlic, crosses and stakes ready: a bloodsucking vampire is on the loose.

Or so say villagers in the tiny western Serbian hamlet of Zarozje, nestled between lush green mountain slopes and spooky thick forests. They say rumors that a legendary vampire ghost has awakened are spreading fear — and a potential tourist opportunity — through the remote village.

A local council warned villagers to put garlic in their pockets and place wooden crosses in their rooms to ward off vampires, although it appeared designed more to attract visitors to the impoverished region bordering Bosnia.

Many of the villagers are aware that Sava Savanovic, Serbia's most famous vampire, is a fairy tale. Still, they say, better to take it seriously than risk succumbing to the vampire's fangs.

"The story of Sava Savanovic is a legend, but strange things did occur in these parts back in the old days," said 55-year-old housewife Milka Prokic, holding a string of garlic in one hand and a large wooden stake in another, as an appropriately moody mist rose above the surrounding hills. "We have inherited this legend from our ancestors, and we keep it alive for the younger generations."

Vampire legends have played a prominent part in the Balkans for centuries — most prominently Dracula from Romania's Transylvania region. In the 18th century, the legends sometimes triggered mass hysteria and even public executions of those accused of being vampires.

Sava Savanovic, described by the Zarozje villagers as Serbia's first vampire, reputedly drank the blood of those who came to the small shack in the dense oak tree forest to mill their grain on the clear mountain Rogatica river.

The wooden mill collapsed a few months ago — allegedly angering the vampire, who is now looking for a new place to hang his cape.

Some locals claim they can hear steps cracking dry forest leaves and strange sounds coming from the rocky mountain peaks where the vampire was purportedly killed with a sharp stake that pierced his heart — but managed to survive in spirit as a butterfly.

"One should always remain calm, it's important not to frighten him, you shouldn't make fun of him," said villager Mico Matic, 56, whose house is not far from the collapsed mill.

"He is just one of the neighbors, you do your best to be on friendly terms with him," he said with a wry smile, displaying garlic from both of his trouser pockets.

Some locals say it's easy for strangers to laugh at them, but they truly believe.

"Five people have recently died one after another in our small community, one hanging himself," said Miodrag Vujetic, a local municipal council member. "This is not by accident."

Vujetic, however, said that "whatever is true about Sava," locals should use the legend to promote tourism.

"If Romanians could profit on the Dracula legend with the tourists visiting Transylvania, why can't we do the same with Sava?"

Richard Sugg, a lecturer in Renaissance Studies at the U.K.'s University of Durham and an expert on the vampire legends, said the fear could be very real. Stress can bring on nightmares, which makes people's feelings of dread even worse.

"The tourists think it is fun — and the Serbian locals think it's terrifying," he said.

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Groupon and Deal Sites See Skepticism Replacing Promise

Monnee Tong, a 29-year-old librarian in San Diego, bought two deals from Groupon (GRPN) in the past year — one for teeth cleaning and one for eyelash extensions. Before she could even redeem the vouchers for either of them, Tong got refunds for both services. The problem? Awful customer service when she tried to book the appointments.

"Both places I spoke to made it seem like I was inconveniencing them for calling or emailing and asking for one," Tong said. The esthetician who offered the eyelash extension responded over email to an appointment request a couple of months ago, with a curt note saying she wasn't taking new clients until October.

"I am done with Groupon and any other organization like it," Tong said. "I would rather pay the money to get better service and be treated like an actual customer instead of a nuisance. It's not worth it."

Tong's sentiment reflects a broader disenchantment with deal sites like Groupon. Plenty of pundits have declared the daily deals craze come and gone. And speculation this week around whether Groupon CEO Andrew Mason may be on his way out -- talk that has been halted for now -- only fueled the doubts about the best-known name in the business.

Multiple Challenges

Groupon's name recognition aside, it's getting sizable competition for what appears to be a more and more difficult-to-please user base. Other deal sites include Living Social, Google Offers (GOOG), Amazon Local (AMZN), Bloomspot and Gilt City. In the past year, the number of daily deal sites in the U.S. rose by almost 8% (142 sites), according to Daily Deal Media, which tracks the industry. Meanwhile, globally, 560 daily deal sites closed over the same period.

U.S. growth is mostly coming from companies who are applying different business models to their deal offerings, says Boyan Josic, CEO of Daily Deal Media. "Wherever there is uncertainty, there lies opportunity. And there is no question that the deal industry is going through uncertain times," he said.

The overall business model itself is a key component of that uncertainty, if not skepticism in places, with some vendors complaining it's a bad deal for them.

In September, Raymond James surveyed merchants that used Groupon's daily deals services during the fall and found that 39% of them said they weren't likely to run another Groupon promotion over the next couple of years. A high commission rate and low rate of repeat customers gained through the promotion were the main reasons. The survey indicated that 66% of merchants were either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the number of new customers that a Groupon promotion brought in. But only 39% were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the customers -- that is, many businesses viewed these customers as lower spending and with lower repeat rates.  The survey also found that 32% of the businesses said they lost money on promotions offered, and 39% said the Groupon offer was less effective than other marketing tactics.

Indeed, growth has slowed in the core daily deals segment for Groupon, says Aaron Kessler, an analyst with Raymond James.  "Third-party" revenue (mostly deals offered by merchants through Groupon) declined nearly 16% to $423.6 million in the third quarter, from $502.9 million in the second quarter. Meanwhile, direct revenue -- from goods Groupon sells directly -- has increased.)

Groupon's stock recently traded at $4, more than 80% lower than where it began trading after its IPO last November. Shares enjoyed a brief bump recently following news that Tiger Global Management, an $8 billion hedge fund, took a 9.9% stake in the company. (Tiger Global also has stakes in Facebook (FB) and Yahoo! (YHOO), the publisher of this website.)

Seller Fatigue

Some consumers might see a 52% discount on dinner at a local Malaysian restaurant and wonder: How good can this place be if they need to slash prices so much to pull diners through the door?

In other words, extreme discounts leave consumers questioning the "long run value of the advertised product or service," wrote Rafi Mohammed, a pricing strategy consultant, in a Harvard Business Review article. They also make it less likely that customers return to the same merchant to pay full price, he said.

Mohammed also noted that drastic discounts attract the "wrong customers." Super-bargain hunters often decide to buy the rock-climbing class simply because of the low price and have no intention of coming back to pay full price. Indeed, in Raymond James' survey, 67% of merchants found that Groupon customers' spending habits are "lower" than their typical customers.

And for the all-important holiday shopping period, small businesses aren't pinning hopes of a sales boost on daily deal offerings. A Manta survey of small businesses cited in a USA Today article this week found that the majority (82%) of businesses have not, and will not, run promotions with Groupon or other daily deal sites this year. And just 3% of respondents said these types of promotion sites have brought them repeat business.

Branching Out

Perhaps aware that daily deals on yoga classes and laser-hair removal won't be its bread and butter much longer, Groupon is moving beyond the 40%-off-a-romantic-Italian-dinner-for-two type of offerings it's known for, and trying to become more of a traditional online marketplace. In its third-quarter earnings report, Groupon touted "rapid growth" in Groupon Goods, a retail marketplace selling things like toys, apparel, cameras and jewelry that was launched a year ago. Groupon subscribers have no doubt been noticing the email offers.

Last summer the company opened its first concept store in Singapore, and this month it opened one in Hong Kong. And in an attempt to get in on the holiday shopping frenzy, Groupon just launched its first holiday and toy catalogs, along with free shipping and free returns (when purchases meet certain restrictions).

LivingSocial's latest move signals a similar strategy. Last week the deals site -- and Groupon's main competitor -- began featuring items in its holiday gifts channel from e-commerce site Fab.com.

For now Groupon Goods is a more reliable revenue stream, and it's certainly a focus going into the holiday season. Yipit, a daily deal aggregator and research site, is expecting holiday deals for daily deal sites to reach $150 million in sales, compared with $20 million in sales in 2010. Groupon said the Goods channel notched $500 million in revenue shortly after its one-year anniversary.

"While the industry has grown from last year, there is quite a bit more of an emphasis on gifts this year," says Unaiz Kabani, data product manager at Yipit. "Groupon Goods has already become a major segment for the company, less than a year after it was launched," he says. "You'll definitely continue to see more of this."

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Little progress in U.S. "fiscal cliff" talks

HATFIELD, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - With barely a month left before the "fiscal cliff," Republicans and Democrats remained far apart on Friday in talks to avoid the across-the-board tax hikes and spending cuts that threaten to throw the country back into recession.

While President Barack Obama visited a Pennsylvania toy factory to muster public support for tax hikes on the rich, portraying Republicans as scrooges at Christmas time, his primary adversary in negotiations, Republican House Speaker John Boehner, continued to describe the situation as a stalemate.

The argument will resume on Sunday when Boehner, along with Obama's Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, and others, take to weekly political talk shows and pick up further steam next week with a possible confrontation in the House of Representatives between Democrats and Republicans over the timing of a vote on tax hikes.

Lawmakers are nervously eyeing the markets as the deadline approaches, with gyrations likely to intensify pressure to bring the drama to a close.

The markets, in turn watching the politicians, fell as Boehner spoke, but recovered afterward. It was a repeat of the pattern earlier in the week when the speaker offered a similarly gloomy assessment.

The latest round of high-stakes gamesmanship focuses on whether to extend the temporary tax cuts that originated under former President George W. Bush beyond their December 31 expiration date for all taxpayers, as Republicans want, or just for those with incomes under $250,000, as Obama and his fellow Democrats want.

After five days of increasingly confrontational exchanges, the work week drew to a close with an announcement by Democrats of a long-shot effort next week to force an early tax-hike vote in the Republican-controlled U.S. House to break the deadlock.

MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would undertake the rarely successful effort unless Boehner agreed by Tuesday to bring a bill to the floor allowing taxes on the wealthy to rise, something Boehner is highly unlikely to do until he is ready.

"The clock is ticking," Pelosi said at a news conference. "The year is ending. It's really important with tax legislation for it to happen now. We're calling upon the Republican leadership in the House to bring this legislation to the floor next week."

While Boehner offered no immediate response to Pelosi's threat, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state, recently elected by Republicans to be the fourth-ranking party leader in the House, told Fox News in an interview not to expect any tax vote next week.

Amid the competing statements from the two sides, there were some actual, albeit modest, signs of potential movement.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell threw Republican proposals into the mix for reform of Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors, which has exploded in cost in recent years and is a major contributor to the country's soaring deficit.

McConnell of Kentucky told the Wall Street Journal in an interview that Republicans would agree to more revenue - although not higher tax rates - if Democrats agreed to such changes as raising the eligibility age for Medicare and slowing cost-of-living increases in the Social Security retirement program.

Rodgers, in her Fox News interview, declined to completely rule out a much-discussed potential compromise in which Republicans would accept some increase in tax rates on the rich, but not to the level desired by Obama.

'A LUMP OF COAL'

More House Republicans - although still just a handful -expressed flexibility beyond that of their party leaders about considering an increase in tax rates for the wealthy, as long as they are accompanied by significant spending cuts.

Most House Republicans refuse to back higher rates, preferring to raise revenue through tax reform.

Obama, speaking in Pennsylvania, said he was encouraged by the shifting views of some Republicans, and urged House approval of a bill that has already cleared the Democratic-controlled Senate that would lock in the middle-class tax cuts and raise the rates for the rich.

"If we can get a few House Republicans on board, we can pass the bill. ... I'm ready to sign it," Obama said.

But neither he nor the other principals in the debate budged from their basic positions.

Instead, Obama turned up the pressure on Friday, hitting the road to drum up support for his drive to raise taxes on the wealthy and warning Americans that Republicans were offering them "a lump of coal" for Christmas.

In a visit to the Pennsylvania toy factory, Obama portrayed congressional Republicans as scrooges who risked sending the country over the fiscal cliff rather than strike a deal to avert the tax increases and spending cuts that begin in January unless Congress intervenes.

"We already all agree, we say, on making sure middle-class taxes don't go up. So let's get that done. Let's go ahead and take the fear out for the vast majority of American families so they don't have to worry," Obama said at the Rodon Group factory, which makes K'NEX building toy systems as well as Tinkertoys and consumer products.

In Washington, Boehner said Obama's plan to raise taxes on the rich was the wrong approach.

"There is a stalemate. Let's not kid ourselves," the Ohio Republican said. "Right now we are almost nowhere."

(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Thomas Ferraro, Kim Dixon, Edward Krudy; Writing by John Whitesides; Editing by Fred Barbash and Todd Eastham)

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Facebook Cover Photos Are Disappearing

In the scope of a couple of days, several people -- includingMashable staffers -- have seen their Facebook cover photos disappear without explanation. The issue appears to be a move byFacebook to aggressively crack down on images that are considered promotional.

[More from Mashable: 500,000 Facebook Users Chase Fake $1 Million From Powerball ‘Winner’]

I first encountered the issue yesterday when Facebook ostensibly removed a promotional still from the TV series Doctor Who that I used as a cover photo. When I attempted to upload another image, I saw this message:

Pick a unique photo from your life to feature at the top of your timeline. Note: This space is not meant for banner ads or other promotions. Please don’t use content that is commercial, promotional, copyright-infringing or already in use on other people’s covers.

[More from Mashable: This Facebook App Gives Annoying Friends a ‘Time Out’]

Since we published the original article about the incident, several readers have come forward, reporting the same thing happened to them in the comments. In addition, three other Mashable staffers reported Facebook removing their cover photos in the last 24 hours.

When asked if there was some kind of crackdown going on, a Facebook spokesperson told Mashablevia email that Facebook's policies regarding photos and cover photos haven't changed. Facebook'sterms of service specifies that a cover photo should be a "unique image that represents your Page."

SEE ALSO: How We Judge People by Their Facebook Cover Photos

The exact reason why Facebook removed each cover is a mystery, since the user is not informed, except by the glaring empty space where the photo used to be. It could be due to a copyright violation or that the photo was deemed to "promotional." Although Facebook removes the photo from the cover position, it doesn't actually delete the photo itself.

"Facebook is in business to make money," says Lou Kerner, a former social media analyst and founder of the Social Internet Fund. "The great thing about that is most ways they're going to make money is by letting people do what they want -- as long as it doesn't break the law. For the most part, if they act in the user's best interest, they act in their own best interests."

While I speculated Facebook was removing cover photos to prevent the site from becoming too tacky, one of Mashable's commenters suggested Facebook was looking to preserve its business model. After all, if brands recruit "ambassadors" by encouraging -- or paying -- them upload promotional cover photos, that would detract from Facebook's own tools that are meant to help brands engage with their fans on the service.

Disney, for example, offers fans of its franchises images to download that are specifically formatted for Facebook Timeline. If this is indeed a crackdown, that practice could cease.

"That seems more heavy-handed than Facebook generally acts," says Kerner. "That sounds very egregious to me in terms of how they want brands and people to interact. I don't see how Facebook benefits by not allowing a brand's fans to engage with the brand like that."

How widespread is the practice? It's hard to say from the evidence so far, but based on Twitterreactions over the last day, it's definitely been happening regularly. Although some users say the removed photos were their own, the pattern that seems to be emerging is that the photos are either promotional or violate copyright:

McScum@McScumms

Apparently, facebook deleted my cover pic. Guess having the movie poster for The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly tripped their spidey senses.

30 Nov 12

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Kristina Kirkaldy@KristinaLeanneK

just wanted to have a nice holiday cover photo on Facebook, they remove it because it was #copyright#isweareverythingiscopyrightthesedays

29 Nov 12

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