Friday, November 30, 2012

What Online Payday Loans Can Provide You | Finance on &#8230 ...

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Are you presently in desperate necessity of some funds till the next income? When you addressed sure, then this payday advance might be for you. Nonetheless, well before committing to a payday advance, it is important that you are aware of what one particular is about. This post is going to give you the information you have to know before signing on for a payday advance.

If you have applied for a payday advance and possess not observed rear from them yet with the acceptance, will not wait around for a response. A hold off in acceptance online grow older typically signifies that they can not. This implies you have to be searching for the next means to fix your momentary monetary crisis.

Compile a summary of each financial debt you have when acquiring a payday advance. Including your health-related charges, unpaid bills, home loan repayments, and much more. With this collection, you are able to decide your month-to-month expenditures. Compare them to your month-to-month cash flow. This can help you make sure that you make the best possible choice for paying back your debt.

While confronting a paycheck loan company, bear in mind how snugly governed these are. Rates are generally legitimately capped at diverse level?s state by state. Understand what commitments they already have and what personal privileges that you have being a consumer. Get the contact information for regulating authorities offices helpful.

When investing in your first payday advance, ask for a low cost. Most payday advance offices give a cost or level low cost for initially-time debtors. In the event the spot you need to use from does not give a low cost, phone around. If you find a price reduction someplace else, the financing spot, you need to check out will most likely match it to acquire your company.

Online payday loans can be quite a life-saver for many individuals who have an unexpected emergency or even a crisis. However the cash is needed easily, make time to assessment shop prior to taking out the loan. The charges, interest, and also other expenses related to payday cash loans differs extensively all over this market and there are offers available.

Because lenders made it so easy to acquire a payday advance, many people utilize them if they are not in a crisis or crisis scenario. This will result in individuals to come to be comfy paying the high interest rates and once a crisis comes up, these are in a unpleasant situation because they are already overextended.

One essential suggestion for everyone looking to get a payday advance is just not to accept the 1st offer you get. Online payday loans usually are not the same even though they generally have unpleasant rates of interest, there are a few that are better than other people. See what kinds of provides you can get after which select the best one particular.

Many people have no other option but to use payday cash loans once they require funds easily. These loans can be quite a large help when cash is needed speedy, so using them may not be bad. Do your homework and find the most affordable firm to acquire funds from prior to signing any forms.

Invest some time shopping around prior to deciding to commit to one particular loan company. There is a ton of different payday advance firms, each will have different rates of interest, and various conditions because of their loans. Through taking serious amounts of look at a number of firms, you can save a lot of your hard-gained funds.

If you obtain a payday advance, it is rather vital that you go through any discover produce that, comes along with the loan arrangement. Frequently you will come across things you don?t comprehend, or had been unaware of. This will force you to pick a different payday advance loan company. This way, you won?t be caught not aware.

Now you have a greater notion of what you could anticipate from your payday advance. Ponder over it very carefully and try to technique it from your quiet point of view. When you think that a payday advance is made for you, make use of the ideas in the following paragraphs to assist you to get around the method easily.

Excerpt from:
What Online Payday Loans Can Provide You | Finance on ?

Source: http://cashwoe.com/?p=10034

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News Corpse ? Bill O'Reilly Says That ?Christianity Is Not A Religion?:

The War on Christmas is in full swing, folks. And the latest battle occurred last night on The O?Reilly Factor.

O?Reilly brought on David Silverman, President of American Atheists, to set up a manufactured debate over the place of Christmas in society, particularly when sponsored by agencies of the government. In the heated exchange, O?Reilly frequently bellowed at his guest whom he called a ?fascist? at one point. But the segment?s most surreal moment came when O?Reilly sought to make the argument that public displays of faith on government property are permissible because?

Bill O'Reilly

Yikes! That?s a rather astonishing declaration. I wonder if Christians know that what they are practicing is philosophical, not religious. Among the repercussions of this revelation is that Christianity would not be protected by the First Amendment which prohibits Congress from ?respecting the establishment of religion.? The Constitution says nothing about philosophies.

Just to be clear, Here is the definition of each from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

re?li?gion noun \ri-?li-j?n\
(1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.

phi?los?o?phy noun \f?-?l?-s(?-)f?\
(1) : all learning exclusive of technical precepts and practical arts (2) : the sciences and liberal arts exclusive of medicine, law, and theology.

It seems to me that Christianity fits squarely in the definition of religion with its worship of God and devotion to faith. Philosophy, on the other hand, explicitly excludes Christianity as a theology.

O?Reilly has said some idiotic things on this subject. Like when he wrote in his auto-bloviography ?Next time you meet an atheist, tell him or her that you know [me]. Then ask him or her if they still don?t believe there?s a God.? But this makes no sense at all. It is an insult to his audience who are not likely to be pleased that their religion has been downgraded. They will surely chafe at their savior being lumped in with the likes of Aristotle, Confucius, Nietzsche, and Sartre, none of whom walked on water or rose from the dead (that we know of). And if supporting the Constitution?s principles of equality and free expression make you fascist, then there are tens of millions of American fascists. Don?t anybody tell O?Reilly or he?ll start a war on the Constitution.

Source: http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=8561

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Self Improvement | Daily Positive Affirmations for Success - Mullins ...

Posted On: Tue, November 27th, 2012 | Comments: 0 | Views 8 | Word Count: 606

What is success?

Human living, ever since evolution has transformed into complex societies through centuries, thereby making the human mind still more complex. Career, earnings and success are part of human living. No human life is possible without an effort to earn a living. This is where success comes to play a big role in our lives. Success is the abstract and objective result of an effort or purpose to accomplish or attain a sustainable living through a plan of human action. Success is a relative term and it varies from person to person in wealth, fame and social status etc.??

What are affirmations?

Affirmations are assertive statements to the subconscious mind to influence speech, behavior, attitude, actions and reactions. They help build up will power. This will power is achieved through self discipline and by nurturing sustainable actions. Positive mindset which is the most powerful life strategy is the basis to attain the required will power. Applying the law of attraction influence mental vibrations for creating positive thoughts and positive vision to achieve the set goals. If you think positively that you can achieve something - you can do it and this is an affirmation to set your path right. All positive adjectives or words or statements are affirmations to your ?self? to trigger the subconscious mind to plunge into positive actions. Success stories are also affirmations to serve as a beacon light to show the direction and help guide you on the path to success.

Why are affirmations required for success?

Human mind never ceases to function as long the human body is alive and it keeps reacting to every physical and mental feeling. It is here that self affirmations help condition the subconscious mind to develop positive perceptions of your ?self?. These self affirmations not only keep all harmful thinking and behavior not to get registered in the mind but they also help undo any damage caused by negative scripts or perceptions. Positive attributes namely, your best qualities, abilities, drive, dynamism and decision making are some of the important affirmations for success and to keep you always strong and steadfast.

How to use affirmations for success?

Successes are an essential aspect of our lives for achieving well being and earn a respectable living. There is no short cut to success. It comes with hard work, commitment, vision and direction. Affirmations truly motivate the morale in you and lead you to success, step by step. You think about your strengths and weakness and while doing so you have to be truly honest, as any falsehood in them would only weaken your self-confidence. Pretence cannot pull any wool over others eyes not to see your weaknesses. Then you have to draw a map of direction duly prioritizing the list of things to work on to reach the goal. Write down all positive attributes and keep a self check on them. You have to maintain a cool temperament in public relations and avoid sending wrong signals to adjudge you as a negative character. The best way to behave in public life is to wear a smile on your face even when encountering an adversary.

Conclusion:

?Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.?? Abraham Lincoln

If you are determined to achieve a set goal, no potholes or bottlenecks can stop you. All you have to do is to find ways to overcome them. Disillusionment or discouragement should never enter even in the subconscious mind. And, when they are forced on you, use all your positive affirmations and get rejuvenated. After all ?Success is nothing but getting up one more time after you fall?. ?

Keywords:?Laws Of Attraction,the Laws Of Attraction,daily Affirmation,affirmations,affirmations For Success,the Law Of Attraction,

Source: http://www.freearticlesinc.com/view_article-id-82429-at-Daily-Positive-Affirmations-for-Success.html

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Well being Dangers Of Asbestos | Voooz.com

Asbestos is a kind of mineral fiber that used to be utilized in several goods for the goal of producing them more resistant to the extremes of heat and cold. For a lot of years asbestos was use?

Mesothelioma and asbestosis are the long phrase outcome of prior exposure to asbestos. You have undoubtedly heard of asbestos, and are most likely aware of its dangers. But many people are not aware as to precisely what it is and exactly where it can still be located in the surroundings in which we reside.

Asbestos is a variety of mineral fiber that used to be utilized in numerous items for the goal of producing them more resistant to the extremes of heat and cold. For many years asbestos was employed extensively by the developing market, before it was identified that this material releases particles which create mesothelioma ? an aggressive form of lung cancer ? when they are inhaled. Asbestos is no longer employed, for this cause.

There is also active controversy that some sectors of the developing market continued to exposure their workers to asbestos, with the attendant risks of asbestosis and mesothelioma long following the constructing industry was in possession of compelling evidence of the dangers of asbestos use.

One problem numerous folks might not realise is that asbestos use was not restricted to commercial buildings ? it was commonly used in the creating of houses, and yours could be 1 of them. The fibers of asbestos are in some roofs and tiles constructed up with asbestos cement. They also can be discovered in paintings and substances to cover holes in walls or ceilings. Some old hot water pipes may be covered with asbestos also. Ask a qualified to take a look to your residence in order to ascertain if you and your loved ones are in risk.

Undoubtedly, if you are considering demolishing any walls, or renovating or remodelling your property, it is crucial that you have an asbestos expert decide whether or not there is asbestos present in your house. Indeed, it is illegal to demolish or otherwise interfere with any structure containing with asbestos. It is needed to have the asbestos professionally removed by individuals who know precisely what precautions to take to eliminate asbestos containing structures, and how to safely dispose of the asbestos so as not to lead to any inadvertent exposure to asbestos, which could effectively cause the improvement of mesothelioma some years later.

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Source: http://voooz.com/2012/11/29/well-being-dangers-of-asbestos/

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Miami-Dade mayor tells election advisory group county should have ?best electoral process in the nation?

Members of a group examining Miami-Dade elections peppered a county attorney and the elections supervisor with questions Wednesday morning as they began their review of state and local laws and practices, to eventually suggest improvements.

They were particularly interested in how Miami-Dade verifies voter signatures on absentee ballots, where the county can set up early-voting sites and how to speed up the voter check-in process at precincts on Election Day.

County Mayor Carlos Gimenez convened the election advisory group after the presidential election earlier this month was marked by long lines and a surge of absentee ballots that took several days to count. The group met for the first time Wednesday at the county elections headquarters in Doral.

Gimenez welcomed the 13 group members, who then listened to presentations by Elections Supervisor Penelope Townsley and the assistant county attorney in charge of elections, Oren Rosenthal.

Townsley, whose department runs about 20 elections a year, outlined absentee, early and Election Day voting preparations and procedures, showing off the department?s master computer file that keeps track of tasks and deadlines and a web video that explains to voters how their absentee ballots are tracked.

?We?re very proud of the policies and procedures that we have in place,? she said. ?However, we do realize that there?s opportunity for improvement.?

Townsley went over challenges that affected the Nov. 6 general election, including a 10-12 page ballot that required the department to issue emergency procurements so its vendors could outfit absentee-ballot machines to accommodate that many pages. The machines prepare ballots to be mailed and sort and open ballots received, though trained elections employees are in charge of verifying voter signatures.

Signature-verification software exists, but the department has not bought it because it has not found software it considers accurate enough, Townsley said.

The department also had to redesign absentee-ballot envelopes to fit the lengthy ballot.

Though Miami-Dade had enlisted 150 temporary workers to assist with ballot counting, Townsley said only 60 of them showed up to work. The others said the elections work was too short, or that they feared working would result in their becoming ineligible for unemployment benefits.

Another problem: The department was overwhelmed with voter calls about absentee ballots, receiving on average 2,000 calls a day and more than 7,500 on Election Day.

And for the first time this year, state law required counties to count absentee ballots continuously, beginning on Election Day and until the count was complete, requiring round-the-clock shifts for workers and the canvassing board that has the ultimate say on rejecting invalid voter signatures.

The elections department has not yet submitted its ?after-action report,? a post-mortem detailing how things went during the election.

Several of the questions raised by advisory group members would require changes to state law. For example, Florida limits early-voting sites to elections offices, city halls and permanent libraries ? though the county could spend more money to open more of those sites.

State law also requires counties to identify early-voting sites 30 days in advance, which essentially prohibits opening last-minute sites due to overwhelming voter interest.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/28/3116005/group-to-begin-reviewing-miami.html

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The Web Is A Great Place To Discover More About Home Businesses

Achieving success at a home-based business is not everyone?s fortune, but don?t let that prevent you from giving it a try. At this time you simply need a computer to create, for a really low cost, a business that you can manage from home. It won?t take much at all. You need a small dose of determination to do the research, and a high-speed, low-cost internet access. A computer-based business has a global reach with unlimited consumers, whereas a traditional business is confined to local custom and has pricey set-up expenses. Everyone in the world with internet access is a potential client.

Click here if you?d like more information.

There are many ways to get your toes wet if you?re really considering a business on the Internet. To make a start you certainly don?t need to be an IT nerd, but being familiar with using a laptop or computer would be useful. Quite often, generating an income online has nothing to do with your technical skills, but with how much you know about the things you like doing. A good example of a web business for folks who are very good at writing would be doing copy writing. Content is often in demand, so a writer could also work on a freelance basis, obtaining writing jobs from individuals who are no good at it. All you need to do is look for those individuals who have a need, such as content, and supply it for them. Write down a few samples of your work and then do a bit of promoting, and you will be in business.

Online auction web sites are another avenue from which a large number of people are making good money. You can acquire items at wholesale value and sell them at full price, or you may already have products suitable for selling online. Getting your product offers looked at by customers is taken care of for you by places like eBay and other online auction sites. Your job is firstly to figure out a price and list your product, then wait for the sales. Once the buyer makes the purchase, you will receive the payment and then complete the purchase by sending the purchaser their merchandise.

Life is getting a lot easier in lots of ways through the advances in technology. The advent of the pc has put ownership of a business within the reach of ordinary folks. The Internet has everything you need to start a business. It offers access to products you can sell as well as information that shows you how to do it. If you could identify a business model that appeals to you and apply it to your own start-up business, that would be great.

Instead of a fulltime business you could just be after another income stream, which the Internet caters for handsomely. Spend a little time on your computer seeking information on starting an online business, and you will find lots of it. Get started on your research and you could soon begin making some cash.

Source: http://emelyblevins.getcoldfeet.com/2012/11/25/the-web-is-a-great-place-to-discover-more-about-home-businesses/

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Source: http://leswiley.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/the-web-is-a-great-place-to-discover-more-about-home-businesses.html

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Source: http://salvatorefranklin.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/the-web-is-a-great-place-to-discover-more-about-home-businesses.html

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Source: http://mcclure716.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/the-web-is-a-great-place-to-discover-more-about-home-businesses.html

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Typical Elements Of An Online Hosting Package | My Six Strings Blog

Netfirms often is the main provider of web hosting, e mail hosting, web site title lookup and application, e-commerce internet site hosting, e-marketing products and services and also expertise choices. Their buyers comprise of small-scale companies, people, established corporations, and even enormous business that desires hosting products and services along with responsible blog tackle subscription. Netfirms internet hosting handles around 1.two million web pages because of their web hosting expert services in procuring on line accomplishment everyday. Judging via the stage of high-quality and dependability and likewise the rely on proven with the customers more than the company done them among the top and most desired enterprises for world wide web internet hosting within the world.

Domain identify research can unquestionably be described as a challenging point to carry out. With a great number of web page names to uncover and to choose from, acquiring a great domain name could truly clearly become a tricky issue to undertake. The good news is Netfirms domains subscription not to mention cheap price ranges designed facts pretty painless to manage. Their domain identify search quest is hassle-free and it can help in delivering direction in domain identify subscription process. Netfirms presently deliver the domain title registration including domain identify hunt on these extensions as an illustration .com, .net, .org, .biz, .details, .co, .ca, .asia, .me, .info

Netfirms offer you web internet hosting solutions to persons, into an agency that could be building or for the get started with up online business organisation. And it is extremely inexpensive, trusted and satisfies each of the standards and specifications for hosting. People have a very impressive offer of choices in relation to making a choice on that?s likely to control their webpage. Netfirms has expanded to get a web site which offers consumer gratification and hosts about one million internet sites, weblogs and e-commerce retailers. Netfirms User interface presents complete strength to its end users. It?s always especially easy to use and its purposes in addition to functions happen to be meant to satisfy most of the requirements of a client. So it can make it effortless for visitors to handle a small number of different domains, domain forwarding, sub domains, title servers, A-records, locking, transfers and several other capabilities. For people who need to have any improve for his or her domain, internet hosting, or everything else they?ve got ordered from Netfirms, they provide benefit. The crew of professional personnel in specialist allows for fast help. Visitors can reach them via electronic mail, Live Chat, or phone twenty-four hours a day. So if any error is formed like registering the domain identify wrongly, just easily speak to them in two days for the procurement. Netfirms are ready to terminate it and sign-up the correct domain.

Web Hosting Corporations can give you optimum information for Prime InternetSite Needs Fatcow Web Hosting Service Provide Clients.Make sure you check-out the website for additional info!

Related posts:

  1. What To Contemplate When Selecting An Online Hosting Supplier
  2. Price Range Web Hosting Strengths And Disadvantages: Notable Elements For Deciding Upon Internet Hosting Online Businesses
  3. Internet Hosting Supplier Bluehost Com Domain Hosting Php Hosting Low-Cost Internet Hosting E Commerce Web Hosti
  4. Methods To Registration Web Hosting
  5. Web Hosting Evaluations A Wonderful Strategy To Analyze A Hosting Company

Source: http://mysixstringsblog.com/typical-elements-of-an-online-hosting-package/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=typical-elements-of-an-online-hosting-package

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Synergizing Offline and Online Marketing Strategies | Business 2 ...

The pace in which Internet speed and access has increased combined with the rise of social media have made businesses start shifting their marketing focus towards online channels. However, traditional ?offline? marketing strategies remain useful even today. They have an established presence in the minds of people, having worked for decades to great effect.

Traditional Marketing Strategies for Your Website

Here are five such offline methods that can still be leveraged for the good of your website?s visibility and profitability.

1.????? Traditional Advertising (Print/Radio/TV Ads)

Despite the growing mind share of the Internet, there is still a great majority that accesses information and enjoys entertainment from traditional media, such as print, radio and television. Even Google, one of the biggest companies that built itself purely online, ran an ad on two of Canada?s major newspapers which made the news on Mashable and Yahoo.

Considering the expenses of having to run ads on print, radio or TV, you have to make sure that the product or service you want to advertise has demonstrated itself to be profitable and of a high quality. You might also want to start in a local area to keep spending at a minimum while also having a targeted ad campaign.

2.????? Flyers, Brochures, and Business Cards

As an extension of print ads, you can make use of flyers, brochures, and business cards to disseminate bits of information about your business. Flyers need to be distributed in large public areas where there is plenty of human traffic, but it also pays to know which locations your target audience mostly congregates.

Brochures are complementary materials that can be packed with more information regarding your business. Business cards are a convenient way to form a connection with potential customers, clients and partners through the contact details provided, and they also build up an image of professionalism.

3.????? Local Chamber of Commerce

Such organizations can help bring together heads of businesses from various industries to discuss possible collaborative efforts. Thus, they are very valuable resources for networking companies that might be lacking in certain areas. If you believe your business has a weak point that needs addressing, such as lack of printing capabilities, you can look to your local chamber of commerce to build an affiliation with a printing company that also provides refills and remanufactured ink cartridges.

If nothing else, you can also learn from the seminars where industry experts and entrepreneurs give useful talks about their successful strategies and other work-related concerns.

4.????? Mobile Advertising

Offline marketing can also ?travel? just like online marketing. You can have a car magnet or a sticker advertising your business placed on you and your employees? cars, getting good mileage out of your marketing efforts through increased exposure in your neighborhood. If you can afford it, place your ads on public transportation vehicles like buses, trains, and taxis.

Mobilize your customers to be part of your marketing strategy by offering shirts, hats or any similar clothing merchandise with your company logo and URL.

5.????? Direct Mail

Running a well-planned direct mail campaign has been proven to be effective. It makes an immediate impact as it gives customers the convenience of getting to know more about your business and your products while in the comfort of their own homes.

Collect physical addresses of your customers using a subscription method you can package into your products. You are capitalizing on their interest in what you?re offering. You can also spend on targeted mailing lists that fall in line with your target audience to reach potential customers.

Connecting Online and Offline Marketing

With these offline strategies in play, you then have to bridge the gap between them and your online endeavors to truly realize their joint potential.?

  • Promotion through Social Media

Social media is one of the driving forces in today?s world, spreading information at an unparalleled speed and influencing the current generation in the process. Make it work for your offline marketing strategy by promoting events through your business? social media pages, such as fund-raising concerts, appearances at trade shows and other similar gatherings. Give your online ?fans? and ?followers? an incentive for showing up by providing them exclusive promos and discounts.

You also want to get people to know about your existence in social media, and you can do this by simply including the social media addresses (along with your official website) on all of your offline marketing materials.

Educate your employees on how to be social media savvy in order to help them convert leads into customers, if you?re still pursuing the old method of buying leads. They can do their research on your target audience by checking what they Share, Like, Retweet, etc., which are all valuable in getting them to make a purchase.

Quick Response codes are basically barcodes that smartphone users with QR code readers can scan to receive information. You can use them to drum up interest about your products, as they have this innate air of intrigue to them. They get your customers to take action and interact with your brand, especially when coupled with compelling copy.

  • Establishing a Unified Brand

It is of utmost importance to make your business? identity uniform throughout all of your marketing campaigns. You do not want to confuse customers by presenting one logo/slogan/tone for your online marketing and a different one for your offline marketing. Consistency is the key to imprinting your brand on people?s minds.

This also means putting your website?s URL, as well as your social media accounts? URL, on each and every promotional offline material you have as stated earlier.

Tracking Your Offline Campaign Online

There are plenty of analytics tools that can be used to measure how well websites are performing on a number of factors. You can also use them to see if your offline marketing is working by setting up unique tracking URLs and placing them in your traditional marketing materials.

Integrate these URLs with your QR codes for maximum tracking efficiency. Doing this lets you distinguish changes in your website?s traffic, conversion rates and more, whether they?re a result of your online strategy or your offline strategy instead.

Offline marketing is a great avenue to explore to bolster your business? overall campaign. By running it in conjunction with a solid online marketing strategy, you get to cover much more ground. The result is an increase in your brand recognition which, in turn, can lead to more sales. Just be prepared to put in double the effort and expenses to keep both online and offline campaigns balanced.

Source: http://www.business2community.com/marketing/synergizing-offline-and-online-marketing-strategies-0341682

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Florida Officials Seek to Ban Cell Phone Use in Cars and Public Meetings - Reason (blog)

Florida Officials Seek to Ban Cell Phone Use in Cars and Public Meetings
Reason (blog)
The presence of mobile phones at government meetings, on the other hand, was first addressed in the battle over the sick-leave initiative at the Orange County Commission. The proposed ballot referendum would have required businesses with more than 15 ...

Link To Original Article

Source: http://www.phoneforums.org/news/412298-florida-officials-seek-ban-cell-phone-use-cars-public-meetings-reason-blog.html

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Cyber Monday Online Sales Could Break Record


(Adds details on eBay, Amazon sales, analyst comments, byline)
By Alistair Barr
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Cyber Monday's online sales got off to a brisk start, sending e-commerce retailers' shares higher and suggesting strong growth from earlier in the holiday shopping season would continue through December.
Sales on eBay Inc's online marketplace were particularly strong and Amazon.com Inc continued its rapid holiday shopping season growth, according to early Cyber Monday data released by e-commerce firm ChannelAdvisor.
EBay's shares climbed about 5 percent to $51.50, a new multi-year high, in afternoon trading. Amazon's shares gained 1 percent to $242.26.
Cyber Monday has been the biggest online shopping day in recent years, as workers return to offices and use computers to make holiday purchases. ComScore expects online sales to hit a record of about $1.5 billion by day's end.
Online sales rose 24.1 percent as of noon EST on Monday, compared with the same period a year ago, according to International Business Machines Corp, which tracks transaction data from 500 U.S. retail websites. In 2011, the early Cyber Monday year-over-year growth was 15 percent, IBM said.
Strong online sales growth on Thanksgiving Day and "Black Friday" sparked concern that shoppers were just buying earlier, threatening revenue later in the season. [ID: nL1E8MO1DY]
"So far that is not the case," said Jay Henderson, the strategy director for IBM Smarter Commerce. "Extending the shopping season has really just fueled additional online spending rather than cannibalizing days later in the season."
ChannelAdvisor said client sales - or sales generated by third-party merchants using the company's software and services - soared 57 percent on eBay.com early on Monday, compared with the same period in 2011.
The sales growth rate was five times higher than during the same period last year, said ChannelAdvisor, which helps merchants sell more online.
"The early eBay numbers are impressive," said R.J. Hottovy, an equity analyst at Morningstar. "They put together an effective marketing plan across several channels this holiday season - online, television and print."
EBay has been trying to move away from its online auction roots, emphasizing new items selling at fixed prices to better compete with Amazon.
"The numbers suggest they're having success reintroducing consumers to the 'new eBay,'" Hottovy said.
Client sales on Amazon.com were up 52 percent during the first part of Cyber Monday, ChannelAdvisor also reported.
"Amazon continues to look impressive to us since it is building on top large numbers," said Scott Tilghman, an analyst at Caris & Company. (Reporting By Alistair Barr; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/cyber-monday-online-sales_n_2193412.html

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Google Drops Pricing On Cloud Storage 20%, Adds New Features In Advance Of Rival Amazon?s First Big Cloud Summit

Google Compute Engine-1Google has dropped cloud storage pricing 20 percent, has added a set of new features, and is expanding its availability in Europe -- all in advance of rival Amazon Web Service's (AWS) first major event this week in Las Vegas.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/f4VP3FKrlw4/

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3 Steps to a More Secure Password - Legal Productivity

Password Security TipsYour email, social media, bank accounts, credit cards, online stores and so much more are all protected by passwords. Secure, hard-to-hack passwords help to keep your digital life safe from hacking eyes. Here are 3 steps to ramp up your password security.

1. Use a unique email address for passwords only ? Forget your password? No problem, simply enter your email address and the site will send you instructions to reset your password. Of course, if a hacker knows your email address from your website, social networks or information gathering sites, they attack that address and use it to easily access your other password protected sites. Instead create a unique, secure email address for password recovery only.

2. Provide extended answers to security questions ? Another way to retrieve your password is to answer a series of questions, like the city of your birth, your mother?s maiden name (NEVER give this out), or your first pet. This, of course, is easy to crack for people that know you or have access to your history. Instead, give descriptive, but memorable answers. Like ?Chocolate Max? for your dark brown Terrier, or ?Hot and Steamy Rio? for your city of birth. Or choose one unique word or phrase and add it to all of your answers, like ?The Beatles Max?, or ?The Beatles Rio?.

3. A phrase is better than an alpha-numeric password ? The most common passwords are ?password? and ?123456?. You won?t of course, use those, but even that @w3s0me password that you created is not so awesome. Software tools can crack them. Instead, use a phrase, like ?Awes0me Ch33zeburger?.

Bonus tip: Use a unique password for each site, even if it?s the same phrase followed by a unique identifier for each login. This will lessen the damage should one password be compromised.

RELATED POSTS:
App Of The Week: 1Password ? Secure Logins On Your Computer, IPhone And IPad
3 Vital Questions About Facebook App Security
Privacy Settings? Focus On Your Online Discourse

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Source: http://www.legalproductivity.com/cloud/secure-password/

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Monday, November 26, 2012

Syrian rebels report capture of air base near Damascus

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Sunday they had captured a helicopter base 15 km (10 miles) east of Damascus after an overnight battle, the second military facility on the outskirts of the capital to fall to President Bashar al-Assad's opponents this month.

An Internet video which activists said was filmed at the Marj al-Sultan base showed rebel fighters carrying AK-47 rifles touring the facility. An anti-aircraft gun could be seen positioned on top of an empty bunker and a rebel commander was shown next to a helicopter.

"With God's help, the Marj al-Sultan airbase in eastern Ghouta has been liberated," the commander said in the video. Eastern Ghouta, a mix of agricultural land and built-up urban areas, has been a rebel stronghold for months.

Activists said two helicopters were destroyed in the attack as well as a radar station, and that 15 personnel were taken prisoner.

With severe restrictions by Syrian authorities on non-state media, independent verification was not possible.

Footage from Saturday evening showed rebels firing rocket-propelled grenades at the base, and what appeared to be a helicopter engulfed in flames.

Last week rebels briefly captured an air defense base near the southern Damascus district of Hajar al-Aswad, seizing weapons and equipment before pulling out to avoid retaliation from Assad's air force.

(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-capture-air-east-damascus-102801375.html

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Managing the occupational health impact of back pain | Article ...

With back pain cited as the reason for 48% of long-term absences by manual workers, Occupational Health magazine explains why this is such a crucial area for health professionals to focus on.?

  • Caring for low back pain This article examines the effect that this condition has on a manual worker's ability to perform his or her job, and the role the occupational health nurse can play in the positive outcome of the condition through assessment, education, communication, collaborative working and rehabilitation into the workplace.?

Also

Case study: back pain and assessing fitness for work A case study that considers the impact of a lumbar disc prolapse on a professional horse rider in relation to his fitness to work.?

Safety at work for manual workers?Use this model contract clause when drafting an employee's contract or employment particulars.?

Cutting health risks through manual handling training Although manual handling cannot be designed out of some occupations, training people in good technique can help protect them from strain and reduce risk of back pain or other injury.?

Source: http://www.xperthr.co.uk/article/114741/managing-the-occupational-health-impact-of-back-pain.aspx

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NATO missiles not for Syria no-fly zone: Turkish military

ANKARA (Reuters) - NATO surface-to-air missiles due to be stationed near Turkey's border with Syria will only be used to protect Turkish territory and not to establish a no-fly zone within Syria, the Turkish military said on Monday.

Turkey riled Syria, Russia and Iran by requesting the NATO surface-to-air Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, last Wednesday after weeks of talks on how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) border as the conflict in Syria deepens.

Syria, which called the move "provocative", and its allies including Russia and Iran oppose any development that they perceive could be a first step towards implementing a no-fly zone.

"The deployment of the air and missile defense system is only to counter an air or missile threat originating in Syria and is a measure entirely aimed at defense," the Turkish military said in a statement.

"That it will be used to form a no-fly zone or for an offensive operation is out of the question," it said.

Syrian rebels, despite seizing swathes of land, are almost defenseless against Syria's air force and have called for an internationally enforced no-fly zone, a measure that helped Libyan rebels overthrow Muammar Gaddafi last year.

On Monday, Syrian jets bombed the rebels' headquarters near the border, opposition activists in the area said.

Most foreign governments are loath to impose a no-fly zone for fear of getting dragged into the 20-month-old conflict.

A joint Turkish-NATO team will start work on Tuesday assessing where to station the missiles, how many would be needed and the number of foreign troops that would be sent to operate them, the statement said.

Within NATO, only the United States, the Netherlands and Germany possess Patriot missiles. The Netherlands has sent Patriots to Turkey twice before during both Gulf wars in 1991 and 2003.

Turkey is reluctant to be drawn into the fighting, but the proximity of Syrian bombing raids to its border is straining its nerves. It has repeatedly scrambled fighter jets along the frontier and responded in kind to stray Syrian shells that have crossed into its territory.

Turkey - a major backer of Syria's opposition - is worried about its neighbor's chemical weapons, the refugee crisis on its border, and what it says is Syrian support for Kurdish militants on its own soil.

(Writing by Jonathon Burch; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Hugh Lawson)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nato-missiles-not-syria-no-fly-zone-turkish-105509519.html

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

How to Manage Social Media Campaigns |@BloggingTips

manage-social-media-campaign

Social Media has been growing like anything these days. More and more people, marketers and businesses are moving towards social media to promote their business online.

Ever since this emergence of social media, there has been a great demand for managing social media campaigns by those who rely on social media to promote their businesses online.

For a social media campaign to be successful, you need to track it in real-time. Further, you should be able to optimize it for search engines to get maximum output from your campaign.

I was browsing over the internet when I found this WPROMOTE which has been there as a trusted social media campaign manager for more than 3,000 happy customers which includes some esteemed names of ?Toyota and Ford.

  1. Messaging Optimization :- It makes sure that your every promotional message reaches your audience to maximize user engagement and ROI.
  2. Social Media Profile Creation and Optimization :- WPROMOTE creates your social media profiles and optimize it in such a way that you appear to be a business giant in whatever field you are. The first impression matters a lot right?
  3. Social Media Promotion :- They promote your brand on social platforms in every?possible?way. Be it hosting contests, giveaways, photo or video?submissions, community messaging and much more. This will help you to reach out a much larger audience?affecting?your business positively.
  4. Facebook and Google+ For SEO :- Every blogger who knows a little about SEO would know the importance of a +1 for their post or article. WPROMOTE will help you gain high rankings in search engines by fully utilizing the likes and shares offered by social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
  5. Low PPC Costs and High Conversions :- High quality social endorsements will help you gain high?click through?rates, higher conversions and low PPC costs.
  6. Monitoring and Reporting?:- Now you can track and monitor each and every thing about your social media campaign. So there is nothing which will not appear before your eyes and you can really witness your business growing.

For those who wish to expand on social media must give WPROMOTE a look. Its worth it.

CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME BLOGGING TIPS:

Source: http://makemoneyonlinefastplans.com/manage-social-media-campaigns/

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Is Obamacare on table for 'fiscal cliff' talks?

Hose Speaker John Boehner says it should be, but with a Democratic president and Senate, the reality could be that Republicans will only be able to chip away at the edges of Obamacare.

By Peter Grier,?Staff writer / November 23, 2012

President Obama acknowledges House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio while speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington earlier this month.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Enlarge

Will Obamacare be targeted for possible budget cuts during upcoming talks in Washington aimed at averting a fiscal crisis in January? Speaker of the House John Boehner insists that it should be. In an opinion piece he wrote for The Cincinnati Enquirer earlier this week he called the president?s signature Affordable Care Act a massive, expensive, and unworkable government program.

Skip to next paragraph Peter Grier

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

Recent posts

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?That?s why I?ve been clear that the law has to stay on the table as both parties discuss ways to solve our nation?s massive debt challenge,? he said.

Democrats, unsurprisingly, see things otherwise. The Huffington Post?s Sam Stein quotes an administration official saying this is something President Obama opposes. A top Senate Democratic aid calls the idea ?absolutely? a nonstarter, according to Mr. Stein.

The reality is that aspects of Mr. Obama?s health reforms likely will be discussed when negotiations over the so-called ?fiscal cliff? heat up. But another reality is that Obamacare is now the law of the land, and isn?t going to be repealed or changed in any major way as a result of a final fiscal deal.

That last point is in conflict with Boehner?s expressed wishes. The part about negotiating cuts in the law was only a few lines in his recent opinion piece. Overall he said that he and the GOP leadership would continue to try and repeal the entire law. ?As was the case before the election, Obamacare has to go,? he wrote.

Well, good luck with that. With a Democratic president and Senate still in place, the best House Republicans can hope for is to chip away the law?s rough edges. As respected Washington health-care policy consultant Bob Laszewski wrote on his blog following the election, the Affordable Care Act?s fate is now settled.

?It will be implemented,? wrote Mr. Laszewski. ?It will also have to be changed but not until after it is implemented and the required changes become obvious and unavoidable. We can all debate what those things will be ... but it doesn?t matter what we think will happen ? time will tell.?

As to what aspects of the law might be tweaked in exchange for GOP acceptance of increased tax revenues from the rich, the most obvious are the subsidies intended to help lower income Americans purchase health insurance when the law takes full effect at the beginning of 2014.

As the law now stands, those with incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty level could qualify for at least some aid. But as senior editorial writer Conn Carroll points out Friday in the Washington Examiner, the original version of the Affordable Care Act passed by the Senate Finance Committee was less generous.

?Republicans think they can get Obama to go back to those levels of Obamacare spending,? writes Carroll.

Other obvious targets include various boards and oversight panels that the law would authorize. Among these, the Affordable Care Act sets aside $10 billion for a Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The CMMI is supposed to test methods of saving money in big government health-care entitlement programs.

The GOP thinks this is a waste and wants to reduce the group?s funding, writes congressional reporter Sahil Kapur of Talking Points Memo.

?Top Republicans have floated the idea before in previous debt reduction talks and, with the fiscal cliff negotiations coming up, will hope to reduce the funding for CMMI,? writes Kapur.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/DT1V9bbdn6k/Is-Obamacare-on-table-for-fiscal-cliff-talks

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Book Review: The $100 Startup: The rise of the roaming entrepreneur

This week, we?re pleased to kick-off our first book review for The Fetch Blog. Thanks Elise Bialylew for this gem?

If you?ve been dreaming of launching that new business and living the location independent lifestyle, The $100 Startup by New York Times bestselling author Chris Guillebeau is your perfect companion. Chris is an impressive entrepreneur who has spent the past five years writing about his quest to visit every country in the world before he turns 35. His popular blog, The Art of Non Conformity, has become a successful six-figure online business and a vortex for freedom-seeking, conscious, community lovers from across the globe.

The $100 Startup is like a Lonely Planet guidebook for entrepreneurialism. With a collection of inspiring stories and specific roadmaps, it guides the reader in navigating a path from idea to business execution on a shoestring budget. Chris discusses the key to ?the quest for personal freedom [as being] through the pursuit of value for others,? emphasising the need for convergence between matching your passion with something that someone else would pay for.

He flirtatiously warns his readers that ?There is no rehab program for being addicted to freedom. Once you?ve seen what it?s like on the other side, good luck trying to follow someone else?s rules ever again.?

Throughout the book there are diverse stories of micro-entrepreneurs who have found their way to success through different routes. Whether choosing to leave a soul suffocating corporate job or being made redundant, each story is inspiring in its trajectory. A particularly inspiring interview describes Brett Kelly, a man who was struggling to financially support his family and noticed an opportunity in the market place. He realised that there was no existing manual for the Apple Mac Evernote program and within a few months developed one himself. He published it as an ebook and made $120,000 on its sales which led to a phone call from the CEO of Evernote offering him a lucrative position in the company. The book emphasises the importance of paying attention to opportunities that exist in our rapidly changing environment and bringing ideas into action to allow serendipity to amplify one?s possibilities.

The book is in many ways the manifestation of a movement, evidenced by the annual World Domination Summit (WDS) hosted by Chris Guillebeau?s in his hometown, Portland. It is a conference founded by Chris and aimed at those who are interested in living ?remarkable lives in a conventional world?. This year the keynote speakers ranged from Jonathan Fields, writer-entrepreneur, to Scott Harrison founder of Charity Water. In its second year, WDS sold out within hours of its online ticket sales with waiting lists already in place for next years event in July 2013.

Committed to contributing to the world and sharing the business lessons he has learned, Chris motivates people from all over the globe to action their ideas and embrace mistakes as a necessary part of the learning.

This year at WDS, after receiving an anonymous donation of $100,000, Chris decided to generously ?invest? in each attendee by giving us one hundred dollars and inviting us to spend it how we wished. Leaving the conference with a free copy of the $100 Startup and a one hundred dollar bill in my hand, I reflected on his gesture as both an ingenius marketing strategy and a brilliant way of conveying his underlying message:

There are no excuses for not starting. Take action now.

About our Ambassador //?Elise Bialylew is a multi-passionate, curiosity driven, doctor, writer, documentary filmmaker, dancer, humanitarian, philanthropist, connector and the founder of Mindful in May. Follow her on Twitter @meditatecreate.

Source: http://blog.thefetch.com/2012/11/25/book-review-the-100-startup-the-rise-of-the-roaming-entrepreneur/

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Saturday, November 24, 2012

Congo fires army chief after rebel seizure of Goma

Congolese flees the eastern Congolese town of Sake , 27kms west of Goma, Friday Nov. 23 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as platoons of rebels were making their way across the hills from Sake to the next major town of Minova, where the Congolese army was believed to be regrouping. The militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese flees the eastern Congolese town of Sake , 27kms west of Goma, Friday Nov. 23 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as platoons of rebels were making their way across the hills from Sake to the next major town of Minova, where the Congolese army was believed to be regrouping. The militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese cross the deserted market as they flee after Congolese soldiers and rebel fighters battled for hours over the eastern Congolese town of Sake, 27 kilometers (17 miles) west of Goma, Thursday Nov. 22, 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as the militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

The body of a Congolese army soldier is seen in a ditch on the road to Rushuru in Buhumba some 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Goma, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. M23 Rebel spokesman Lt. Col. Vianney Kazarama vowed Thursday that the fighters would press forward toward seizing the strategic eastern town of Bukavu, which would mark the biggest gain in rebel territory in nearly a decade if it were to fall. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese flee after Congolese soldiers and rebel fighters battled for hours over the eastern Congolese town of Sake, 27 kilometers (17 miles) west of Goma, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Thousands fled the M23 controlled town as the militants seeking to overthrow the government vowed to push forward despite mounting international pressure. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Congolese M23 rebel soldiers are seen on the road to Rushuru near Buhumba some 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Goma, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Rebel spokesman Lt. Col. Vianney Kazarama vowed Thursday that the fighters would press forward toward seizing the strategic eastern town of Bukavu, which would mark the biggest gain in rebel territory in nearly a decade if it were to fall. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

(AP) ? Congo's president has suspended the army's chief of staff, following the publication of a United Nations report which reveals that Gen. Gabriel Amisi oversaw a criminal network selling arms to rebels in the country's troubled east.

The firing of the general indicates that Congo is finally getting tough on its notoriously dysfunctional and internally divided army. It comes as an eight-month-old rebel group, made up of soldiers who defected from the army, pushed beyond Goma, the bustling regional capital of eastern Congo, which fell to the fighters earlier this week.

On Friday, M23 rebels patrolled the town of Sake, the next town on the road south from Goma. They manned checkpoints, drank vodka in local bars and let the corpses of Congolese soldiers rot in the streets. One of the soldier's bodies bore an execution-style bullet wound to the temple.

The rebellion is led by soldiers who defected from the Congolese army. Before their recent defection, their commanders benefited from a privileged relationship with Congo's government, despite mounting evidence of their complicity in grave abuses. The leader of the M23 is believed to be Gen. Bosco Ntaganda, who is wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.

Tens of thousands of civilians could be seen fleeing along a 10-kilometer (6-mile) stretch of the road to Goma, carrying mattresses and cooking pots on their heads, as well as live chickens, goats, and babies bundled on their backs. The town of Sake was nearly deserted. A lone father returned to his empty house. He had fled on Thursday when the shooting erupted, but lost track of his four children in the scramble to get out of town. The youngest are just 2 and 4 years old, he said.

"We heard shots from the hills," said Timothe Mashamba. "We fled, but now I have returned. I lost my four children when we fled and haven't found them. I am waiting for them here. I can't leave. They won't know where to find me."

The president of neighboring Uganda was acting as a go-between for the two sides, and on Friday, one of the leaders of M23, Bishop Jean-Marie Runiga was in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, for talks, said deputy rebel spokesman Amani Kabasha. Earlier in the week, both Congolese President Joseph Kabila, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who is accused of arming the rebels, met in Uganda for an attempted mediation.

The two presidents agreed on certain principles and were now discussing them with M23, said the rebel spokesman.

"They (Kagame, Kabila) took decisions in Kampala and now they want to talk to Bishop Runiga about them. Joseph Kabila said in his communique that he would talk to us, and that is what we want," said the rebel spokesman.

Congo's troubled east has been plagued by decades of violence, and the latest rebellion is a reincarnation of a previous conflict. The rebel group that took Goma dubs itself the M23, a reference to the March 23, 2009 peace deal that paved the way for fighters from a now-defunct rebel group to join the army. Charging that the peace accord was not implemented, soldiers defected from the Congo army in April to form the M23. Both the M23 and the previous rebel group, known as the CNDP, are widely believed to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, which has fought two wars against its much-larger neighbor.

Numerous reports by the United Nations Group of Experts have shown the extent of Rwandan infiltration in the rebel groups based in Congo, as well as in Congo's armed forces, but it wasn't until the release of the most recent findings that Congo took decisive action.

A statement released by the Office of Congo's' President Joseph Kabila said that the U.N. report published on Nov. 21 made clear that Amisi's behavior was contrary to the rules of military behavior. "The President of the Republic has decided to suspend him immediately of all his functions, while an investigation is ongoing," the statement said.

___

Associated Press writers Rukmini Callimachi in Dakar, Senegal and Saleh Mwanamilongo in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-11-23-Congo-Fighting/id-541564070a344c0bb738bab83b9a8437

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Health Insurance Exchanges May Be Too Small to Succeed ...

Dana P. Goldman is the director of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California. Michael Chernew and Anupam Jena are professors of health care policy at Harvard University.

With the re-election of President Obama, the Affordable Care Act is back on track for being carried out in 2014. Central to its success will be the creation of health-insurance exchanges in each state. Beneficiaries will be able to go a Web site and shop for health insurance, with the government subsidizing the premiums of those whose qualify. By encouraging competition among insurers in an open marketplace, the health care law aims to wring some savings out of the insurance industry to keep premiums affordable.

Certainly, it is hard to be against competition. Economic theory is clear about its indispensable benefits. But not all health care markets are composed of rational, well-informed buyers and sellers engaged in commerce. Some have a limited number of service providers; in others, patients are not well informed about the services they are buying; and in still others, the quality of the service offerings vary from provider to provider. So the question is: What effect does insurer competition have in a marketplace with so many imperfections?

The evidence is mixed, but some of it points to a counterintuitive result: more competition among insurers may lead to higher reimbursements and health care spending, particularly when the provider market ? physicians, hospitals, pharmaceuticals and medical device suppliers ? is not very competitive.

In imperfect health care markets, competition can be counterproductive. The larger an insurer?s share of the market, the more aggressively it can negotiate prices with providers, hospitals and drug manufacturers. Smaller hospitals and provider groups, known as ?price takers? by economists, either accept the big insurer?s reimbursement rates or forgo the opportunity to offer competing services. The monopsony power of a single or a few large insurers can thus lead to lower prices. For example, Glenn Melnick and Vivian Wu have shown that hospital prices in markets with the most powerful insurers are 12 percent lower than in more competitive insurance markets.

So health insurance exchanges are probably welcome news for hospitals, physicians, and pharmaceutical and medical device companies throughout the United States. If health insurance exchanges divide up the market among many insurers, thereby diluting their power, reimbursement rates may actually increase, which could lead to higher premiums for consumers.

Ultimately, economic theory predicts that the effect of insurance exchanges on insurance premiums will depend on two offsetting factors. On one hand, smaller, less-consolidated insurance companies may have less bargaining power with large hospitals, physician groups and pharmaceutical companies, which traditionally command substantial market power. Reimbursements to these parties, as well as costs to insurers, may rise in a fractionated market, and if so, these costs would be passed on to consumers as higher premiums. On the other hand, exchanges may inject competition into the marketplace, reducing premiums as even the smallest insurer can market its plans, forcing larger insurers to lower their premiums to remain competitive. Which theoretical effect will dominate in reality is an open empirical question with important policy implications.

There is some evidence on how insurer market power affects premiums. Leemore Dafny, Mark Duggan, and Subramaniam Ramanarayanan have found that greater concentration resulting from an insurance merger is associated with a modest increase in premiums ? suggesting that concentration may not help consumers so much ? although they did report a reduction in physician earnings on average. Over all, however, the evidence is limited and mixed.

A simple analysis of the nationwide growth in premiums over the last decade is illustrative. Using 2001-10 data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, we examined the relationship between insurer market power (defined as the market share of the two largest companies) and changes in premiums. We found that concentration of insurer power ? hence less competition ? was not significantly associated with higher premiums, as can be seen in the chart below.

Hawaii is a good example. Kaiser Permanente and Blue Cross Blue Shield together controlled more than 90 percent of the insurance market in 2001. In this highly concentrated market, the average premium rose only 72 percent over the decade, compared to an overall increase of 135 percent nationwide. By contrast, Virginia had one of the most competitive markets in 2001, with its two largest insurers controlling only 25 percent of the market, yet premiums in the state increased nearly 140 percent over the period.

Greater competition in the insurance industry ? either through health insurance exchanges or other measures ? may not lower insurance premiums. Weakening insurers? bargaining power could instead translate into higher costs for all of us in the form of higher premiums.

In financial markets, we ask if banks are too big to fail. When it comes to health care, perhaps we should ask if insurers are too small to succeed.

Source: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/health-insurance-exchanges-may-be-too-small-to-succeed/

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Drake & Chris Brown Escape Legal Woes As Club Brawl - Perez Hilton

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Well isn't that convenient!

While Drake's busy actively ignoring Chris Brown, and while Chris is actively gettin' it with Rihanna, the NYPD have been trying to wrap their head around a justified conclusion to the WiP club brawl.

But womp womp!

Thanks to blurry security footage and "inconclusive" interrogation results, absolutely no criminal charges will be filed against either rapper nor any member of their entourages.

So no? no justice for the innocent bystanders who were hit with flying bottles that night. Maybe these clubs should be forced to invest in state-of-the-art security cameras?

[Image via Adrianna M. Barraza/FayesVision/WENN.]

Tags: brawl, charges, chris brown, club, drake, fight, legal, nypd, rihanna, wip

Source: http://perezhilton.com/2012-11-23-drake-chris-brown-wip-club-fight-investigation-closed

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NHL Lockout 2012: Regular-Season Games Canceled Through Dec. 14, All-Star Game

-- More than a third of the NHL regular season and two of its marquee events have now been called off.

The league announced its latest round of cancellations on Friday ? Day 69 of its labor lockout. All games through Dec. 14 were wiped out, and this time All-Star Weekend, scheduled for Jan. 26-27 in Columbus, Ohio, was lost, too. The New Year's Day outdoor Winter Classic already was scratched.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said losing the All-Star festivities is "extremely disappointing."

"We feel badly for NHL fans and particularly those in Columbus, and we intend to work closely with the Blue Jackets organization to return the NHL All-Star events to Columbus and their fans as quickly as possible," Daly said in a statement Friday.

The Blue Jackets said fans holding tickets to the game, the skills competition, and other events during that weekend could receive refunds.

Brian Jack, a 35-year-old IT director who grew up in Pittsburgh, moved to Columbus 17 years ago and converted from a Penguins fan to a Blue Jackets supporter after the expansion team hit the ice.

"We knew the All-Star Game, the longer it went, was probably going to be one of the first special events they cancelled," said Jack, a season-ticket holder for all of the Blue Jackets' 12 seasons.

"You knew it was coming, but I hoped that they would get together and fix it (labor problems) up. For season-ticket holders who have watched the Blue Jackets struggle for a number of years with the product on the ice, the All-Star game was supposed to be a bright spot. Now that's gone."

A lockout in the 1994-95 season shortened that campaign to 48 games. A similar scenario could play out this time if the sides can find some common ground. Or the whole season could be lost, as it was in 2004-05.

The new cancellations come as little surprise. Owners and players had an unproductive negotiating session on Wednesday that produced no movement to break an impasse over splitting more than $3 billion in revenue and also player contracts.

"All players felt that this week would lead to something," Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "However as of today unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case. It's very disappointing."

Daly said he spoke to union officials on Friday, advising them about the cancellations, but at this point no face-to-face talks are scheduled. The possibility exists that Daly will speak to union special counsel Steve Fehr by telephone this weekend, but even that isn't certain.

The sides had stayed apart for eight days before reconvening on Monday night and then again on Wednesday when the union presented a comprehensive proposal the NHL requested. Players' association executive director Donald Fehr said Wednesday that the sides were closer financially than the NHL has claimed. The further cancellations Friday will cause significantly greater losses for the league.

"On Wednesday, the players presented a comprehensive proposal, once again moving in the owners' direction in order to get the game back on the ice," Donald Fehr said in a new statement. "The gap that remains on the core economic issues is $182 million. On Wednesday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league is losing $18-20 million per day during the lockout, therefore two more weeks of cancelled games far exceeds the current economic gap.

"It makes the NHL's announcement of further game cancellations, including the 2013 All-Star Weekend, all the more unnecessary, and disappointing for all hockey fans ? especially those in Columbus. The players remain ready to negotiate but we require a willing negotiating partner."

The union made its offer that was based on a framework the NHL had given, which included a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue and a $393 million in deferred payments for the players, who earned 57 percent of revenues in the collective bargaining agreement that expired in September. The NHL offered only $211 million to the players in a proposed deal that took into account that a full 82-game schedule would be played this season.

Players previously had proposed they receive a guaranteed amount of income each year.

Management wants a seven-year deal, which the union says is too long because fewer than half the current players will be active by the last season.

___

AP Sports Writers Rusty Miller and Larry Lage contributed to this report.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/23/nhl-lockout-2012-all-star-game-cancelations_n_2180954.html

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