Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Personal Finance Topic #271 - Social Security... | Gather


by Jeff S.

Member since:
August 16, 2008

Reprint of?34 Social Security Secrets You Need to Know Now from Making Sense by Paul Solman

I have followed Prof. Kotlikoff of Boston University, a noted economist, for many years, and he is one of the most credible economists in financial planning and retirement planning arena. ?I hope you find his advice thorough and practical.

34 Social Security Secrets You Need to Know Now

Here are three suggestions from his list:

  1. If you are already collecting your retirement benefit and are at or over full retirement age, you can tell Social Security you want to suspend further benefits and then ask them to restart your benefits at a later date, say age 70.
  2. If you aren't now collecting and wait until 70 to collect your retirement benefit, your retirement benefit starting at 70 can be as much as 76 percent higher than your age-62 retirement benefit, adjusted for inflation.
  3. If you're married, you or your spouse, but not both, can receive spousal benefits after reaching full retirement age while deferring taking your retirement benefits and, thereby, letting them grow.

Read 31 other secrets in his article.

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Source: http://berfpangs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981506863

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UW Credit Union to build on Northport Drive [July 26, 2012]

Business Report

UW Credit Union to build on Northport Drive

7/26/12

The city?s north side will soon see construction of a new UW Credit Union where Brennan?s used to be on Northport Drive. When it opens next year, it will be the credit union?s 13th location in Dane County and 22nd location in the state.

Chris Farley Foundation takes final bow

7/26/12

Tom Farley announced the immediate shutdown of the Chris Farley Foundation, which he founded in memory of his late brother, actor and comedian Chris Farley. Farley is leaving the area to become executive director of marketing and communications at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, and will be unable to continue work on the foundation, which was founded in 1998.

Steinhafels receives approval for east side store

7/26/12

Steinhafels has once again received approval from the city to pursue the construction of an east side store. The furniture company first received approval in 2009 but has been waiting for the economy to improve before building. In the interim, Steinhafels has been leasing retail space in East Towne Mall. The company now hopes to break ground in spring 2013 on the proposed East Springs Drive store, which would employ about 85 people.

Forest Products Laboratory opens pilot plant

7/26/12

The Forest Products Laboratory opened a $1.7 million nanocellulose pilot plant at 1 Gifford Pinchot Drive in Madison. It will support a growing market for wood products by using nanotechnology to produce cost-effective products stronger than Kevlar but lighter in weight than carbon fiber or fiberglass.

Veolia ES Solid Waste likely to be sold

7/26/12

Pending regulatory approvals, Milwaukee-based Veolia ES Solid Waste, one of the largest solid waste companies in the country, will likely be sold to Star Atlantic Waste Holdings II for $1.91 billion. The deal is expected to be completed this fall.

Source: http://ibmadison.com/businessreport?businessreport_id=2600

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Monday, July 30, 2012

Costa Rica Resorts Among the Best in Central and South America ...


Costa Rica Resorts Among the Best in Central and South America

Costa Rica Resorts Among the Best in Central and South America

For the 17th year running, Travel + Leisure Magazine has released its World?s Best Awards, a list of hotels, destinations, and companies that represent the very best in travel.
In the category of hotels, T+L asked its readers to vote on the hotels they love the most, and, of course, Costa Rica hotels were voted among the best in Central and South America.
The voting categories this year remained the same ? rooms, location, service, food and value ? but the results also showcase the hotels and destinations that are important in travel now.
Ranking in the first position with a score of 96.36 is Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens, located in La Fortuna de San Carlos.

Nayara Hotel is not only the best in Central and South America according to T+L readers, but it was also voted number 6 among the best hotels in the whole world. This is the first time a Costa Rican hotel makes it into the top 10 of the World?s Best Awards.

Tucked away in the outskirts of Arenal Volcano, Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens was described as a real oasis.

?The resort has views of the volcano, surrounded by a rainforest that bursts with Costa Rica?s trademark bright colors, whether it?s tropical flowers or vibrant creatures (like a blood red dragonfly). With a focus on romance and seclusion, the 50 casitas include private outdoor Jacuzzis and sheer curtains surrounding the four-poster beds.? says T+L magazine.
Four Seasons Resort at Peninsula de Papagayo ranked 4th with a score of 91.83, moving up one spot in comparison with last year.

Travel + Leisure readers highlight the hotel?s pampering service and hospitality, charming locations, simple-but-luxurious designs, and wide variety of activities which include horseback riding, bird-watching expeditions, trips to coffee plantations, and much more.

With a score of 88.67, Los Sue?os Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort in Playa Herradura took the 6th position, moving up 3 spots in comparison with last year.

Set on a 1,100 acre rainforest overlooking the Pacific, T+L magazine describes Los Sue?os as an ideal place for golfers, sportfishers, and families looking for an American-style service. The magazine praises the hotel?s pool which was described as ?a fantasy pool system of canals, bridges, islands, and swim-up bars, surrounded by lavish gardens, plentiful chaises, and attentive waiter service.?

Los Sue?os also has a kid?s club that offers numerous activities such as hiking on the beach, handcrafts, educational eco tours, miniature golf, pizza making, decorating cookies, water balloon wars, pi?ata parties and others, which last year earned the hotel a spot among the World?s Best Family Hotels list.

Making a debut on the list at number 8 with a score of 86.67 is Hotel Kioro, also located in La Fortuna, Arenal.

The hotel has 27 acres of undulating land, surrounded by two streams (La Palma and Kioro) with crystalline waters that begin to flow in the Arenal Volcano National Park. Travel + Leisure magazine calls it ?a cluster of apparently characterless condos contain 53 surprisingly tasteful rooms, decorated with a mix of rattan furniture, terracotta floors, contemporary tropical fabrics, and colorful artwork (all outshone by breathtaking volcano views from the floor-to-ceiling windows). The magazine also regards the hotel?s restaurant as having some of the most amazing views in the property.

Finally, Westin Resort & Spa in Playa Conchal, Guanacaste, ranked 10th on the list. The resort was also featured on the Word?s Best Family Hotels last year.

?Spread over 2,400 verdant, landscaped acres, this resort is practically its own seaside village. The grounds include an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones II?designed golf course; tropical gardens; three pools (one adults-only, one kids-only, one huge and lagoon-like); tennis courts; a spa; and a secluded, white crushed-shell beach,? says Travel + Leisure magazine.
The magazine also highlights the hotel?s dining options, as guests can choose from eight restaurants and four bars, making dining experience at Westin quite interesting.
Westin also made a debut on the Word?s Best Awards list this year.

The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica


Related articles:

  1. Central Institute For Fiscal Studies Says Central America Fared Well In Crisis
  2. Starbucks to Expand in Central America With Costa Rica Location
  3. Costa Rican companies among the most successful in Central America

Source: http://thecostaricanews.com/costa-rica-resorts-among-the-best-in-central-and-south-america/12913

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Poop Strong: Cancer patient whose costs exceeded insurance cap ...

Arijit, 31, is graduate student in Arizona who was diagnosed about a year and a half ago with stage IV colon cancer. He endured multiple surgeries, and grueling rounds of chemotherapy. Then, in February, 2012, the cost of his treatment exceeded the lifetime limit on his graduate student health plan, which is managed by Aetna. His coverage was terminated. His cancer was not.

He launched what we cancer patients sometimes refer to as an internet lemonade stand: a site called Poop Strong (a light-hearted parody of "Livestrong"). At poopstrong.org, he invited well-wishers to make a donation or buy schwag, with all proceeds going to his healthcare.

But, big news today, as his pal Kirk Caron tells Boing Boing,

In the six months between when he was dropped and when he'll be picked up by another student health plan, he's been looking at well over $100K in medical bills for his treatments. In addition to updates about his own condition and the state of Poop Strong, Arijit's been tweeting (naturally) about the state of health insurance, and recently, Aetna got involved. The conversation (as Twitter convos tend to do) sort of spirals out from the main thread between Arijit and Aetna.

That's an understatement! Arjit ended up debating directly with the CEO of Aetna, Mark Bertolini. The tl;dr: Aetna, and Mr. Bertolini, agreed in the end to cover the full extent of bills that accrued since Arjit was dropped from insurance (about $118,000).

"The system is broken," said Bertolini. "I really am trying to fix it."

Arjit is redirecting all of the donations he received the University of Arizona Cancer Center Patient Assistance Fund and The Wellness Community (Arizona), to directly assist other people with cancer who cannot pay for the life-saving medical treatments they need.

I spoke with Arjit today, and will be publishing a transcript/audio of our conversation soon. He's a really cool guy, and he has some insights from this experience that I think everyone should hear. It looks like Arjit is covered, for now, but the system is still broken. The debate over health care costs has become a political football?but for people like me and Arjit and everyone else in America who isn't in the 1%, health care costs are literally a matter of life and death. No one should suffer or die because they can't afford medical treatment. It really is that simple.

Arjit's friend Jen Wang created a Storify of the twitter exchange between Arjit, Aetna's PR reps, and Aetna's CEO. You can read this below.

(Images courtesy Poop Strong / Arjit)

Where not otherwise specified, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. Boing Boing is a trademark of Happy Mutants LLC in the United States and other countries.

Source: http://boingboing.net/2012/07/28/poop-strong-young-cancer-pati.html

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The Best Online Cell Phone Tracker |

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://www.clickmyarticle.com/?p=41388

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EBook On Making Money Online | Book Writing | eBooks ...

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Project Description:

I'm looking to have an ebook written in the area of making money at home (work from home niche). The goal is to provide approximately 100-150 different ways someone looking to work from home can actively find work. For instance, "Freelancer.com" a bit about the site, how it works, costs associated with joining, areas for working etc.
"Avon" what is it, how it works, costs associated with joining.

There will need to be some research done with the ebook to ensure the information is accurate.
You will be responsible for finding these outlets, sourcing the information and writing about them in a neat, consise way. I will need this asap, and cost will be a factor.

Please send me samples of previous ebooks you've written as well as expected date of completion and any additional information you would need to get started.

Hoping to award this ASAP.

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Source: http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Research-Ghostwriting/EBook-Making-Money-Online.html

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Friday, July 27, 2012

How To Make Money with Clickbank for REAL | A Real Online ...

If your already making Thousands a month with Clickbank, then you probably don?t need to read this!

The following post is based on the business model that I (and thousands of others) use to make some serious commissions with Clickbank. Now this post will be a little longer than normal, but I want to make it detailed, especially for any new readers we have joining us.

This online business model really works and has been proven too over and over again by not only myself, but also by new & experienced internet marketers alike.

The Hit & Run Marketing Business Model Doesn?t Work

This Hit & Run business model is the most common method that new affiliate marketers try, and the reason for this is because its the same method that?s been shown to them in all the sh*tty eBooks they buy.

What dose the Hit & Run business model look like:

  • Firstly, you select an information product from Clickbank?
  • Then you send traffic to the vendors landing page using PPC / PPV,
  • This equals sales, and commissions for you!

Now I?m pretty sure that you?ve heard the stories of affiliate marketers who spend $10,000 a day to make $20,000? And this dose sound good, the problem is that there are not too many new or struggling affiliate marketers who could afford to do this. And another HUGE problem with this method, is that these guys are leaving serious money behind on the table.

You see, spending this sort of money advertising, only to see a particular customer once, is a massive, massive, massive mistake.

Just imagine one of your big high street stores were spending this sort of cash on advertising, only to be getting single sales from it and never seen that customer again! They?d go bust in 6 to 12 months for sure. There?s no repeat custom here or there?s even No Potential for repeat custom.

This business model is also very unstable, because if you stop spending money on advertising, then your sales will stop. Also one quick slap or policy change from Google (or the other search engines) and you could be cut off and banned for good. I?ve known guys who were making upwards of $5,000 a day using Google?s PPC only to have their accounts closed, due to policy changes, and with this their earning dropped to zero?

Real Businesses (Online & Offline) Are Built On Repeat Customers

clickbank business model logo

?

The unfortunate thing about internet marketing is that most people see it as a game, or don?t treat it as a Real Business. That?s a big mistake, it?s a real legitimate business and it?s long term success for YOU and me is built on repeat customers. Take your local restaurant for example, if they only ever got one time customers, they?d run out fairly quick.

?A Real Clickbank Affiliate Business Model ? That Works!

My Clickbank business model is a little more complex, but that?s why it works, and every hour of every day it working to ensure my (and soon to be YOURS) future success and financial freedom.

The basic steps look like this:

  1. You choose a series of Clickbank?products in a particular niche to promote
  2. You create a Free eBook or Report about your chosen niche to give away
  3. You create a simple squeeze page to capture your leads details in exchange for your Free eBook or Report
  4. Concentrate on sending traffic to this squeeze page
  5. ?You setup your email auto responder with the related products you chose in step 1
  6. Sit back & let the auto responder help fill your Clickbank account with some tasty commissions

Did you notice the main difference between my business model above, and the Hit & Run model?

I?m sure you did, but for those of you that didn?t:

What your actually doing here in the real working method is building up a customer base for yourself by capturing leads, and not spending your hard earned cash to give that lead to someone else.

Just by creating a simple squeeze page and offering a Free eBook or Report about your chosen niche, your capturing your visitors Name & Email in return for the info. And with this customer base that your building for yourself, you can market or recommend products to that visitor for weeks, months if not years to follow. This is a much more powerful method, and has the potential to create Long Term Success for YOU.

As the old saying goes ?The Money Is In The List?

I?m pretty sure that you?ve heard this saying before, but its so very true, that I thought it worth repeating again.

For example if if take a look at any of the really successful affiliate marketers like the guys over at Affilorama. They have built up huge mailing lists across their affiliate marketing & niche sites, and because of this fact, they never again have to spend a dollar on advertising (unless they want too).

In fact, at a recent seminar, one of the team referred to their email lists as their personal ATM machines. And whenever they want an injection of cash, they simply hit the Send button?

He stated and showed proof of their email lists, totaling over 100,000 names & emails. And said that these particular email lists were worth over $1 million a year to them in additional revenue. Simply because they can do a once off auto responder series of messages based on related niche products. It?s kinda cool when you think about.

So for those of you who are planning to become a big earner as an affiliate marketer or even a blogger, then you 100% absolutely need to start building your email lists now. As this will become your future customer base, otherwise you may just become another Hit & Run internet marketer.

Don?t waste your time, money & effort building up someone else?s email list, or waste any of the traffic that your currently getting, and start building your own list today!

The Real Clickbank Affiliate Business Model

chossing clickbank products

?

Step 1 ? Choosing Your Series Of Clickbank Products To Promote

Step 1 in the plan is deciding what niche your going to target, and ideally it should be a niche or area that you have some knowledge in and are maybe even passionate about.

The reason why I say ?passionate about?, is because you?ll find it much easier to write about and promote thing that you actually care about. Now this is not essential, but it dose make the whole process a lot easier and more enjoyable.

When you enter the Clickbank marketplace, you?ll find literally thousands of products on almost any niche you can think of. And their all there ready and waiting for you to promote them and make some money in the process.

Clickbank makes it very easy for you to sort and search through their listing of available products. You can search them by Category, Keywords, Commission Rates, Popularity, Current Sales etc?

Golden Tip: Before deciding to promote any particular product, I highly recommend that you either purchase a copy for yourself to make sure its decent, or contact the vendor and ask for a review copy. Remember if you decide that the product if not worth promoting, then simply refund it and get your money back, as all Clickbank sales are backed by a 60 day money back guarantee.

Step 2 ? Creating Your Free eBook or Free Report

One of the most proven and successful ways to getting people to opt in to your email list is to Give them something for FREE.

And this is where your free eBook or free Report comes into play. Just send some time compiling and writing this eBook or Report and make it valuable with good information. As this is a major factor in the key to your success.

If you don?t feel comfortable yourself writing it or feel you don?t know enough about the niche. Then you can always use a freelancing site and outsource it and have someone write it for you. Or if you don?t like freelance sites, just give me a shout and I?ll have one of my professional writers price it for you.

Step 3 ? Create Your Squeeze Page Where You Offer Your Free eBook or Report

squeeze page sample 1squeeze page sample 2A the samples above show a squeeze page is a simple landing page that has one function and one function only, and that?s to capture a visitors details in exchange for something. If you find that on your website or blog that you has a lot of information, and don?t have of want to splash your opt in boxes all over the place, then a simple squeeze page will help you skyrocket your opt in rate.

And if like myself you use WordPress or are planning to start using WordPress, then there is absolutely nothing easier or quicker than using Squeeze Theme by the guys at Unique Blog Designs. The beauty and simplicity of Squeeze Theme means you can create and launch lead capturing squeeze pages in minutes, and the theme is completely powered by WordPress, need I say more.

The mean reason why I like squeeze theme is due to its ease of use:

  1. Firstly you simply select the theme you want to run with
  2. Add some text or information
  3. You can even add a picture or video if you wish
  4. insert your AWeber email code
  5. and that?s it your done?

Gone are the days of having to pay expensive web developers time and time again to create these professional, lead capturing squeeze pages.

Step 4 ? Start Sending Traffic To Your New Squeeze Page

Now once you have your squeeze page created, the next step is to start sending traffic to it. And of course there are many different Paid and Free ways to do this. If your looking for instant traffic and a few dollars to spare, you can easily use a small (or large, depends on your budget) Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign through Google Adwords.

And for those of you who don?t want to start paying for your traffic just yet, you can roll with all the free methods of traffic generation:

Forum posting

Social media networks

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Blog commenting

and so on? (I?ll write a more detailed post on this shortly and stick the link here)

Once you get the traffic flowing to your new Squeeze Theme page, just watch how quick your email list (customer base) will grow, trust me.

Step 5 ? Capturing That Lead

This is the heart and soul of the business model, getting that lead. After all this will be your customer base for years to come.

I don?t know if you?ve ever noticed, but there are some guys out there who have come up with some great little ways of seriously increasing your lead capture rate and hence the amount of subscriber you have. I mean I?ve seen competitions for iPads, iPhones, Cash and even a Car once. Crazy I know but you can bet your bottom dollar that these guys seriously benefited of running the competitions.

If you remember from above, the guy from Affilorama showed that their list of 100,000 subscribers was worth a cool million a year. So even if they ran these competitions and only pulled in 10% of what the Affilorama guys did, that a tidy $100,000 a year in additional funds. That?s worth the price of an iPad I think. Anyway the point here, is to try and think outside the box as well when it comes to capturing leads, because it certainly won?t hurt.

aweber trial logo

AWeber Full Access Trial

Once you?ve captured your lead using your AWeber auto responder, you new lead will begin to receive emails from your email auto responder account. And you can easily control and manage this from within your control panel account.

Click for a full review & in depth look at AWeber Email Marketing service.

You?ve one simple aim with these email campaigns and that?s:

  • To build a relationship with your subscribers,
  • To promote your website or blog,
  • And of course recommend products and services to them that will help them.

When it comes to actually setting up your auto responder, you?ll find that?s its extremely simple to do and if your using AWeber, all you have to do it hit the ?Create Follow Up Message? button.

Once you do this you simply type the message that you would like to send out to your leads, and select the number of days between your messages.

If your new to auto responders, here?s a little guide that has worked wonders for me:

Message 1 ? Set to send straight away when new subscriber opt?s in ? Make it a nice welcome message, don?t try to sell or market anything

Message 2 ? Set to send 3 days after last message ? Offer a little tip about your chosen niche and include a link back to your website or blog

Message 3 ? Send about 4 ? 5 days after last message ? Again offer a related tip and link back to your site.

Message 4 ? Send about 4 ? 5 days after previous message ? Tell them about a great product you?ve been using or have come across and either link to the Clickbank offer page or The Best Way in my opinion is to link back to your site, to a pre-sell or a review page on that particular product. And from here you can have your Clickbank affiliate links. This is the soft sell approach and is far more effective?

Above is just a quick start guide, as you become more use to it, you can figure out what works best for you. Tweak it, Test it & Tweak it again?.

Another huge benefit to AWeber is that they also allow you to have an unlimited number of auto responders set up on your one account (which is pretty cool). This means that if you have 1 website or 1000 websites, you?ll only need the 1 AWeber account to manage them all.

You can add as many messages to your auto responder as you wish, and set the intervals between the delivery time of each message to whatever you want, 1 day, 10 days 30 days, it completely up to you.

I personally have some niche websites out there that have over 100 messages attached to them that will run for over a year. And every time you get a new subscriber they immediately start at your first message.

This is called a sales funnel, you build up the relationship first (the trust), and then market some products later down the line. This gives you the potential to make several sales to the one customer over a period of time, rather than just 1 sale and never see that customer again.

You?ll find that this setup will work much better than the Hit & Run business model, with a lot more earning potential for YOU! Research has shown that customers won?t buy from you initially but instead they are much more likely to purchase from you or through your affiliate links over multiple emails.

This is the beauty of the email auto responder, so what are you waiting for, my advice, start building your customer base TODAY!

The sooner you set it up, the sooner the commissions will come in?

?Step 7 ? Watch The Sales Roll In

clickbank salesOf course till step is optional, however it is probably one of my favorite steps ;)

The above Make Money with Clickbank for REAL business model works, and works well. It dose take more work than the first Hit & Run model, but the rewards far exceed the effort involved in creating the sales funnel.

And remember, once you set it up once, that?s it, it done. Its out there forever and you never have to touch it again (unless you want to add to it or tweak it). So I hope your enjoyed this little post, and I wish you all the success in the world.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or simply leave a comment below,

Until next time,

Dave.

Resources: Sign Up With Clickbank | AWeber Trial | Squeeze Theme

P.s. This real business model can be applied to all affiliate programs and networks, as the principals remain the same :)

?

Source: http://theinternetincomeacademy.com/how-to-make-money-with-clickbank-for-real.html

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Abigail's Alcove: The Need for Recreation

Here is what I'm doing tonight for the first time since 1996, taking a fencing lesson! My husband is actually coming home from work early so that can drive to another town to start fencing. I can't think of a more romantic gesture for a Mom in the middle of a colic battle with our youngest child. He is amazing!

The budget is tight in the Benjamin household and I am an extreme couch potato. Sports has never really been my "thing." However, fencing is not a post-baby gym workout for me. Fencing is one of the coolest activities ever invented.

Here's what I learning this month--Recreation is vital to a spiritual warrior. My bff St. Teresa of Avila made it mandatory for her Carmelite convents--and remember these are the girls who wore horse blankets for habits! Fluff wasn't exactly on their daily schedule.

Here's what I've finally started to discover in my fifth year of nursing colicky babies. Recreation is not "blowing off steam" after a hard day of mothering. Recreation isn't date night. Recreation isn't "Me Time". Recreation isn't selfish.

Not really sure what a holy "recreation time" looks like, other than a small but important part of my week where I get to shrug off the demands of my vocation and do something that I enjoyed purely for fun as a young girl. My husband has found fishing recently. ?He comes back from his fishing trips with an extra sparkle in his eye. I hope I get the same lift from my Fencing Class tonight! But I know if it isn't Fencing, my recreation time will be something else.

God doesn't want me to have fun in every moment (gotta to get those spiritual muscles in shape somehow) but He does want me to have a reliable bit of spiritually healthy fun in some moments.

Source: http://abigails-alcove.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-need-for-recreation.html

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Los Angeles: DUI/DWI ? Five of the Most Common Defenses for DUI ...

There
are times when a police officer may have reason to believe that someone might have committed a crime; a strong
enough reason to detain or arrest them, but not enough to be sure.

No related posts.

This entry was posted in Lawyer Blogs, Legal Advice from Lawyers and tagged DUI/DWI by John J. Sheehan. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://safeguardfreedom.com/blog/?p=6950

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

China's hawks gaining sway in South China sea dispute

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has adopted a more aggressive stance in recent weeks on territorial disputes in the South China Sea as hard-line officials and commentators call on Beijing to take a tougher line with rival claimants.

China's supreme policymaking body, the Politburo Standing Committee, is made up entirely of civilians, but outspoken People's Liberation Army (PLA) officers, intelligence advisers and maritime agency chiefs are arguing that Beijing should be more forceful in asserting its sovereignty over the sea and the oil and natural gas believed to lie under the sea-bed.

Most of them blame the United States' so-called strategic "pivot" to Asia for emboldening neighboring countries, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, to challenge China's claims.

"China now faces a whole pack of aggressive neighbors headed by Vietnam and the Philippines and also a set of menacing challengers headed by the United States, forming their encirclement from outside the region," wrote Xu Zhirong, a deputy chief captain with China Marine Surveillance, in the June edition of China Eye, a publication of the Hong Kong-based China Energy Fund Committee.

"And, such a band of eager lackeys is exactly what the U.S. needs for its strategic return to Asia," he wrote.

Most Chinese and foreign security policy analysts believe China wants to avoid military conflict across sea lanes that carry an annual $5 trillion in ship-borne trade, particularly if it raises the prospect of U.S. intervention.

However, they say Beijing is increasingly determined to block any unified effort from rival claimants to negotiate over disputes, preferring instead to isolate much smaller and weaker states in direct talks.

There was evidence of this harder line at an annual foreign ministers' meeting of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc earlier this month where diplomats said China's influence behind the scenes led to an unprecedented breakdown in the grouping's traditional preference for maintaining an appearance of harmony and unity.

The meeting in Phnom Penh ended in disarray without progress on a proposed code of conduct that was aimed at minimizing the risk of conflict in the South China Sea or issuing a concluding communique.

China's close ally Cambodia, the meeting's host, blocked every attempt to include tensions in the South China Sea on the agenda, said the diplomats from other member nations.

THE GARRISON

On the military front, China's powerful Central Military Commission has approved the formal establishment of a military garrison for the South China Sea.

The move, announced this week, is essentially a further assertion of China's sovereignty claims after it last month raised the administrative status of the seas to the level of a city, which it calls Sansha.

The official Xinhua news agency said the Sansha garrison would be responsible for "national defense mobilization ... guarding the city and supporting local emergency rescue and disaster relief" and "carrying out military missions".

The city government is located on the 2.13-square km Yongxing Island, according to Xinhua, which contains a small military airport, a sea port, roads, a clinic, a post office and an observatory. This is in the Paracels, a group of islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.

A ship calls twice in a month from nearby Hainan province to serve its 613 residents.

Xu, a regular commentator on maritime security issues, is one of many analysts arguing that recent tensions are a direct result of the Obama administration's announcement late last year of a strategic shift which would eventually see 60 per cent of the U.S. navy's warships deployed to the Asia Pacific, up from the current 50 per cent.

The U.S. move is widely seen as a response to China's growing military power and increasingly assertive behavior in dealing with contested territory.

China's recent rows with the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal and Vietnam over oil exploration rights have heightened regional fears that tension in the South China Sea could lead to armed conflict.

One of China's most hawkish army officers, Major General Zhu Chenghu, an influential teacher and strategy researcher at Beijing's National Defence University, has dismissed the entitlement of these rivals to the disputed waters.

UNREASONABLE AND ILLEGAL

In a speech to the World Peace Forum in Beijing earlier this month, Zhu said it was "unreasonable and illegal" for the Philippines and Vietnam to claim territory that historically belonged to China.

He said there had been no disputes in the South China Sea before the 1970s when maps published by rival claimants also acknowledged it was Chinese territory.

"Relevant countries did not begin to lay claim to islands and sea waters in the area until the discovery of large amounts of oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea," he said, according to an extract of his speech published in the official Global Times newspaper last week.

Zhu also blamed U.S. "meddling" for prolonging the current tension.

The retired general is best known for his assertion in 2005 that China should use nuclear weapons against the United States if American forces intervened in a conflict over Taiwan.

He escaped any serious censure over what he stressed at the time were his personal views and has since become a regular member of high-level Chinese military delegations in security talks with U.S. counterparts.

Other officials calling for a tougher line include Cui Liru, president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, a Beijing think-tank closely linked to China's intelligence services, and Major General Luo Yuan, a retired army officer who is well known for his hard-line views and provocative media commentaries.

It is unclear how much sway these blunt speaking officials exercise over foreign and military policies or whether their views reflect official thinking.

But for the PLA, the persistent territorial disputes undermine a carefully-honed image as a force that will never allow foreign powers to encroach on Chinese territory as they did in the colonial period.

"The South China Sea situation is certainly highly frustrating for Chinese military officers," said Sun Yun, a Washington-based China security policy expert and a former analyst with the International Crisis Group in Beijing.

"If the PLA cannot even defend China's own territory at its doorstep, what capacity or legitimacy does it have to cruise around the world?"

NEW CHINA

Some top Chinese policy makers say neighboring countries should accept that an increasingly powerful China would seek to re-shape relationships that had been established earlier when it was weak.

Stephen Hadley, former President George W. Bush's national security advisor and now a consultant, said when he was on a visit to Beijing earlier this month a senior Chinese official had told him that China's views should be given more weight now that it had become stronger.

In a talk to the Atlantic Council think-tank in Washington last week, Hadley said he could see some merit to this view but he added it could be a "destructive" way of framing issues.

"This new China is going to be hard to manage," he said.

However, notwithstanding the recent assertiveness and the bellicose statements of military and security officials, some analysts note that policy-making in China is not entirely in the hands of hawks.

"Given that all the members of the Politburo Standing Committee are civilians, their perceptions of the South China Sea issue are clearly more comprehensive than the generals," said Sun, the Washington-based expert.

However, others warn against making distinctions between the views of China's military brass, civilian leaders and diplomats.

Dean Cheng, a China security expert at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, said Beijing was hardening its stance in the South China Sea and also in other maritime areas where it had disputes with Japan and South Korea.

"We have a broad set of hardliners, not just in uniform, but across the board," he said.

(Additional reporting by Paul Eckert in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-hawks-gaining-sway-south-china-sea-dispute-210711501.html

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Recreation programs coming up this summer

by susan on July 25, 2012

Post image for Recreation programs coming up this summer

Above: Spots are still available in upcoming sessions of the Southborough Recreation Department?s Kids Kamp (Photo courtesy of the Southborough Recreation Department)

There?s still plenty of fun to be had this summer, and the Southborough Recreation Department wants to make sure you have plenty of options to keep the kids entertained. From special programs like an Egyptian Dig and Engineering with LEGO, to sports clinics from baseball to volleyball, there?s something for everyone.

You can see a more detailed list of upcoming programs in this PDF, but here?s a summary:

Egyptian Dig ? Buried Treasure Digs ($140)
August 6 ? 10, 9:00 am ? 12:00 pm
Grades 1-5

Baseball Clinic ($155)
July 30 ? August 3, 9:00 am ? 12:30 pm
Grades 1-5

Engineering FUNdamentals With LEGO ($150)
July 30 ? August 3, 1:00 ? 4:00 pm
Ages 8-11

Kangaroo Clinic Field Hockey Skills Camp ($250)
July 31 ? August 3, 9:30 am ? 4:00 pm
Grades 7-12

American Red Cross Babysitting ($95)
August 27, 9:00 am ? 3:30 pm
Ages 11-15

Girls Advanced Camp ? Volleyball ($155)
August 6-10, 5:00 ? 8:00 pm
Grades 9-12

In addition, there are sessions remaining for youth tennis, golf, swimming, and the ever-popular half-day summer camps at Finn and Woodward. To register, visit the Southborough Recreation Department website (southboroughrecreation.com).

Source: http://www.mysouthborough.com/2012/07/25/recreation-programs-coming-up-this-summer/

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Apple blames rare miss on new iPhone anticipation, economy

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc results fell short of Wall Street's lofty expectations as a sagging European economy and a pause in iPhone sales ahead of a new version saw revenues slip from the previous quarter.

Shares fell more than 5 percent to $570.81 in late trade after the world's most valuable technology company - which beats expectations with near regularity - reported its second quarterly miss in less than a year.

Apple's suppliers also felt the pain. Shares of LG Display, Toshiba and Hon Hai sank between 5 and 7 percent.

The rare miss highlights how the Apple brand is becoming less resistant to the economic and product cycles that have plagued rivals.

"Clearly it was a disappointment," said Channing Smith, Co-Manager of Capital Advisors Growth Fund. "We expected a lot of consumers will probably delay their upgrade and their purchases until the iPhone 5 comes out. We saw a similar trend occur last year with the iPhone 4S."

Apple did post a 23 percent jump in revenue from the same quarter the previous year to $35 billion, but that was about $2 billion below Wall Street's average forecast.

Net income jumped 21 percent from a year earlier to $8.8 billion, or $9.32 a share, about 10 percent below expectations.

From the previous quarter, sales fell 22 percent in Asia-Pacific, outstripping a 3 percent to 6 percent drop in the Americas and Europe.

Apple, which Tim Cook has led since last August, divided the blame for the shortfall between muted consumer purchases in Western Europe and a pullback in demand as consumers wait for a new iPhone model that many expect will be launched in September or October.

From April to June, Apple shipped 26 million iPhones, well below the 28 million to 29 million that Wall Street analysts had predicted, even taking into account a pause in buying ahead of the iPhone 5. It was a far cry from the 35.1 million that moved in the March quarter.

The wait for a new iPhone caused Apple to miss quarterly expectations last fall. This year the phenomenon started early, which could mean that Apple's iPhone sales may also stall in the current quarter.

"Apple is in that rarest of all positions where the Street will punish them for anything less than an excess of success," CCS Insight analyst John Jackson said. "If there's a positive spin on the iPhone story, it is one of latent demand."

Apple, notorious for its conservative forecasts, estimated earnings for the September quarter of $7.65 a share on revenue of $34 billion, well below the average estimate of $10.23 a share on revenue of $38.03 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

ANTICIPATION BUILDS FOR NEW PHONE

The Silicon Valley giant has a lot riding on its next iPhone, the product that yields more than half its revenue and helps shore up overall margins.

Apple has seen Samsung Electronics -- now the world's largest seller of smartphones -- and other handset manufacturers using Google Inc's Android software chip away at its market share.

As consumers wait for the new iPhone, Samsung's Galaxy is expected to keep chalking up robust numbers. Analysts say profit from Samsung's mobile division is likely to have more than doubled from a year ago, with sales of around 50 million smartphones in the June quarter.

Fans are expecting Apple to launch a completely redesigned phone that has a bigger screen, rather than just add or change a few features as it did with the current model.

Less than stellar sales of the iPhone were partly offset by robust sales of the iPad, which accounts for well over half the world's tablet market. Sales came in at 17 million in the fiscal third quarter, above expectations.

"It really is the iPhone company. The iPad is not strong enough to beat numbers," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis. "The iPhone 5 is already the most hyped device and for it to exceed expectations is going to be really hard."

MISSING TEMPERED EXPECTATIONS

Executives acknowledged buyers were refraining from purchases because of "rumors and speculation" around the iPhone 5. They laid part of the blame on sputtering demand from European economies like Germany and France, while dismissing the impact of a Chinese slowdown.

China's economy grew at its slowest pace in three years in the second quarter. But Cook blamed the revenue shortfall in the region on changes in inventory as the company built up stocks of the iPhone 4S in the previous quarter, adding he saw nothing in the Chinese economy as having had an impact on sales.

iPhone sales had surged when Apple began selling its "Siri" voice-search-equipped iPhone 4S and China Telecom signed on as a second carrier, Cook said.

In addition, the latest iPad also hit Chinese store shelves late -- last Friday, months after it had debuted elsewhere around the world.

Apple sold 4 million Mac computers, which was about flat from the previous quarter but 2 percent higher than the year-ago period.

(Reporting By Poornima Gupta and Edwin Chan; Editing by Bernard Orr and Michael Urquhart)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/apple-blames-quarterly-miss-model-anticipation-economy-000342284--sector.html

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Stocks drop for a 3rd day as earnings slide

Wingszi Chang, left, of Getco Securities, and Michael Smyth of MND Partners trade on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, July 23, 2012 in New York. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 101.11 points to 12721.46. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

Wingszi Chang, left, of Getco Securities, and Michael Smyth of MND Partners trade on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday, July 23, 2012 in New York. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 101.11 points to 12721.46. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

NEW YORK (AP) ? A parade of grim news, from weak corporate earnings to a pullback at U.S. factories to spreading fault lines in Europe's debt crisis, sent investors fleeing stocks for a third straight day on Tuesday.

As if that weren't bad enough, Apple delivered a rare earnings disappointment after the closing bell, boding poorly for Wednesday's trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 104.14 points, or 0.8 percent, to 12,617.32. It was the third triple-digit point loss in a row for the blue chip index. The last time that happened was September, when fears were rife that the U.S. was on the brink of another recession.

Lower earnings forecasts from corporate bellwethers like United Parcel Service, combined with a weak report on manufacturing, fed fears of more disappointing results from Corporate America in the coming days.

"Our guess is we haven't seen the worst," said Carl Yingst, chief market analyst at Joseph Gunner, an investment bank.

Soon after he spoke came a bit of confirmation from a stock market star. After the close of trading, Apple reported the smallest increases in revenue and income in years, badly missing analysts' expectations. The stock fell $29.76, or 5 percent, to $571.19 in extended trading.

"It's a huge swing and a miss for a company that usually knocks the cover off the ball," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of Harris Private Bank. "The ill winds of global trade are enveloping everyone, even the high and mighty."

It was a fitting end to a bad day as investors around the world dumped stocks and fled to the relative safety of U.S. government debt. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell to another record low and the dollar hit a two-year high against the euro.

Stocks fell from the start of trading following news that UPS had cut its earnings forecast 4 percent for all of 2012 as global trade slows. UPS's stock fell $3.61, or 5 percent, to $74.34.

Also weighing on stocks, Spain's borrowing costs spiked as investors worried that country could become the latest in Europe to ask for a financial lifeline. Spain's banks have already received help from international lenders.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 fell 12.21 points to 1,338.31. The Nasdaq composite was off 27.16 points to 2,862.99.

Early in the day, DuPont reported that its net income fell 3 percent for the second quarter on slower business in Europe and Asia. The huge chemical maker also reported revenue that fell short of Wall Street's expectations. DuPont's stock lost 97 cents, or 2 percent, to $47.74.

Adding to the jitters was a report from Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond indicated that manufacturing in the central-Atlantic region is contracting. That followed reports of pullbacks in New York and Philadelphia.

In Europe, the yield on the 10-year Spanish government bond rose 0.10 percentage point to 7.53 percent, a dangerously high level. Investors also sold Italian government bonds, sending the yield on that country's 10-year bond up 0.32 percentage points to 6.54 percent.

Late Monday, Moody's Investors Service issued a warning about the credit rating for Germany. Moody's anticipates that strong countries like Germany will have to shoulder a heavy financial burden as they support weaker countries like Spain and Italy. The debts of those countries are considered far too big for current bailout funds to handle.

In cutting its outlook on Germany, Moody's also said there was an "increased likelihood" that Greece would leave Europe's monetary union.

"Things are only going to get worse," said Adrian Day, president of Adrian Day Investment Management. He added that he's not buying stocks, save for gold-related companies, because he expects them head lower as the European crisis deepens.

As they dump stocks, investors have been piling into U.S. government bonds. On Tuesday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.40 percent, matching the record low it reached Monday.

Investors have also been selling the euro. The euro fell to $1.20 on Tuesday, a two-year low against the dollar.

In corporate news, AT&T and Whirlpool both fell short of analyst estimates of earnings and revenue. AT&T fell 75 cents, or 2 percent, to $34.63. Whirlpool, the world's biggest appliance maker, dropped $5.06, or 7.5 percent, to $62.25.

So far this earnings season, nearly seven of ten companies that have reported earnings have beaten estimates, slightly higher than is usual, according to S&P Capital IQ, a research firm. But analysts had been lowering those expectations for months so the feat of surpassing them isn't so impressive.

Some other companies in the news:

? Cisco Systems fell the most of the 30 stocks in the Dow, or 6 percent, after the network equipment maker announced its latest round of staff cuts. Cisco dropped 95 cents to $15.12.

? DeVry plunged $6.76, or 25 percent, to $20.80, the biggest drop in the S&P 500 index. The for-profit education company said enrollment is falling, forcing it to cut 570 jobs. The company also projected that its profit for the latest quarter will come in well short of analyst estimates.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-07-24-US-Wall-Street/id-7b142d599edd4f53b0589f9aa2b0fb85

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'Rome alone' case: Boy jets to Italy without passport

By Daniel Strieff, NBC News

Updated at 8:21 a.m. ET: LONDON -- An 11-year-old boy flew alone from England to?Rome after boarding a commercial flight without a passport, boarding pass or cash, officials said Wednesday.

Several members of staff at Manchester International Airport and with discount air carrier Jet2.com have been suspended and an inquiry has been launched in the wake of the?incident during the height of the summer travel season,?officials told NBC News.


The boy is now back home with his family and the airport is treating it as "a very serious incident," an airport spokesperson told NBC?News?by telephone.

Punning on the popular "Home Alone" movies starring?Macaulay Culkin in the 1990s,?British newspapers are calling it the "Rome alone" incident.

The case of the stowaway boy comes as international travelers pour into Britain?just two days before the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London, less than 200 miles to the southeast.

"I treat security breaches very, very seriously indeed, so we are now reviewing urgently with Manchester Airport, and indeed the airline, exactly what happened,"?British Transport Secretary Justine Greening told the BBC.

Five security checks
The boy, who was named in local media reports as Liam Corcoran, managed to pass through five security checks by tagging along with another family before boarding the plane, according to reports.

The plane's captain was notified that his flight had an extra passenger after the aircraft was already in flight, the Manchester Evening News reported. Airplane staff kept the boy onboard after landing at Rome?s Fiumicino Airport and he stayed on the plane until it returned to Manchester later Tuesday.

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

"This extremely serious matter is now being urgently investigated by officials from the airport and airline. It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at security and the boarding gate. The boy went through full security screening so the safety of passengers and the aircraft was never compromised. We made preparations to ensure that his return to the U.K. was handled sensitively to avoid any distress," the airport said in a statement sent to NBC News.

The flight from Manchester to Rome is approximately 1,500 miles.

Fortress London: UK protects Olympics with biggest security plan since World War II

The boy did not pose a security risk because he passed through all of the proper security procedures, the airport spokesperson and the airline told NBC.

"We have launched a full investigation into what is a serious incident, and the staff involved have been suspended pending the outcome. The boy has been returned safely to his family," a spokesperson from Jet2.com said in a statement given to NBC News.

Full international coverage from NBCNews.com

'He seemed ... quite unfazed'
The boy had disappeared just after noon Tuesday during a trip with his mother to a?shopping center in Wythenshawe, on the south side of Manchester, before making his way to the airport, a Manchester police spokesperson told NBC News. Local reports said the boy wanted to run away from home.

"He was very talkative and seemed quite unfazed by it all. He was just sat there chatting away about how he'd been trying to run away from home," airplane passenger Sarah Swayne, 26, from Nantwich, England, told the Evening News.

More coverage on this story from NBC's British partner ITV News

"He seemed quite innocent really and I don't think it had sunk in how serious the situation was," she told the newspaper.

"When the plane touched down, he clearly didn't want to get off but he was taken down the steps before everyone else and met at the bottom by a group of staff who quickly whisked him away," another passenger, who did not provide a name, told the Evening News.

More world stories from NBC News:

Follow World News on NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/25/12945121-rome-alone-boy-11-slips-through-security-flies-from-uk-to-italy-without-passport?lite

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Thread: Shop Ply and Scrap Maple Bookcase - Family Woodworking

I need to re-model my office. I need to get the books outta there so I can change desks, etc. etc. Finally knocked together a bookcase out of some chi-ply and some scrap maple. It is sized to hold the avalanche of paperbacks, CD's, DVD's and hardbacks that have snow-drifted into a corner of the office. It is also sized to stand behind a door that is always open into the spare room/den. That way it can serve a purpose and not be seen at the same time .

I used 3/8" dados in the sides and rabbets on the shelf ends. This ply was so irregular this was a good way to "fake" a good fit. I still have a bit of the maple LOML found on the side of the road a few years ago. Milled it down and made the trim. The toe-kick base allows access to adjustable feet to level the tall skinny critter. It will fasten to the wall when leveled.

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I taped off the areas that would take glue with blue painter's tape and sprayed rattle-can poly on it. Pull the tape, apply the glue and clamp away. The bottom shelf is adjustable via shelf pins. Just goes to show you, if you need something quick-n-dirty, some cheap ply and leftovers can do the trick till you have time to build something nice.

Source: http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?28050-Shop-Ply-and-Scrap-Maple-Bookcase

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The Adorable Grill Is So Small You Can Carry It On Your Bike [Cooking]

You know what they say about BBQ gear: the best grill is the one you have with you. So forget about spending thousands of dollars on a miniature backyard furnace when Bodum's new FYRKAT grill is small enough to take with you wherever you go. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/XHJ8WKevx-I/this-adorable-grill-is-so-small-you-can-carry-it-on-your-bike

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Monday, July 23, 2012

Dwarkadelhi Blog ? The Best Home Improvements For Increasing ...

Previous Post: Home Improvement Ideas And Tips For Anyone &nbsp Next Post: Why We Need Normal Car Service?


Do not wait until December to start winterizing your home, and start in autumn, instead. Weatherstripping and other products that depend on adhesives will stick better while the air and surface temperatures are still warmer, and you need not wait until it?s frigid outside to perform tasks like insulating pipes in the crawlspace.

If you plan to renovate your whole house, start small by transforming one room or area of your home and see how it turns out. If it isn?t what you were hoping for, you still have time to hire help or learn how to better plan your entire renovation.

Adding halogen track lighting fixtures can add an especially elegant touch to kitchens in which food is focal. Track lighting can be adjusted to highlight distinctive architectural elements of the kitchen, illuminate fine china or floral displays, or draw visitors? eyes to the main serving area during intimate dinner parties.

Consider insulating your residence during your next home improvement project. Place weather-stripping on all your doors and windows. If you are able to minimize the amount of air getting into your home, your heating and cooling systems will run better. This means that you will save money on your energy bills.

Children tend to stick their fingers where they don?t belong and touch things they shouldn?t. Leaving your outlets uncovered leaves the chance of your child getting electric shock. You can buy small plastic covers from your local store for electric outlets to keep your child from reaching in and getting shocked.

When comparing quotes from contractors for home improvement, don?t just look at the dollar amount. There are many factors which should also be compared, like warranties, time lines, labor costs, and how often they are contracted to be on site. You want to balance the cost of the project with how much it will affect your life.

If you have hired an outside service to aid you a home improvement project - always inspect the finished work thoroughly - before paying the final installment for the services. By conducting this inspection, you have a better chance of getting discrepancies and deficiencies in the contracted work corrected. Once you have paid in full, it is much harder to get these issues remedied!

When it comes to home improvement, be aware that you should never pay more than 35% of the project cost up front as a down payment. This is to ensure that you do not lose your money if the contractor backs out. Always pay by some method of payment that can be tracked such as check, instead of cash. Finally, only pay for the complete job when the job is actually completed.

If you?re planning a major addition to your home, consider the cost of insurance before starting construction. Wood is always more expensive to insure because it is highly flammable. Steel and cement framed structures will cost less to insure because they are highly flame retardant. A conversation with your insurance agent before you begin to build could save you thousands.

If you?re thinking about doing home improvement work, get a home inspection first. If you?ve owned your home for at least a decade there may be some damage that could affect the safety of your home. Have a home inspector come through and check your entire house, then pay for any repairs before you spend all your money on improvements.

Consider attending free seminars on home improvement at your local home supply retailer to see how to complete a project safely and correctly. You can even get hands-on practice in areas like tile installation or brick laying. Check out the calendar to see which classes are coming up, or request a class that isn?t on the schedule.

Home improvement projects can easily go wrong if they are not managed correctly. In this article we have discussed some important tips to help you plan, manage, and complete your next home improvement project. Following these tips can make all the difference in the world, as you plan to improve your valuable investment.

Jasmin Iafrate is a specialist concerning handyman services manchester

Posted in Family & Home 15 hours, 45 minutes ago at 12:38 am. Add a comment

Source: http://blog.dwarkadelhi.com/?p=39752

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Mechanisms underlying blood disorders identified

ScienceDaily (July 23, 2012) ? A Finnish research team together with researchers from New York, USA, has uncovered a protein structure that regulates cell signalling and the formation of blood cells. The team's results, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, shed light on the mechanisms at play in haematological disorders and provide new opportunities for the design of disease-specific treatment.

The work was carried out with funding from the Academy of Finland, the Cancer Society of Finland, National Institutes of Health and the Sigrid Jus?lius Foundation.

Blood cell formation and activity is regulated by cytokines, small cell-signalling protein molecules, through a signal pathway mediated by Janus kinases (JAKs), a family of enzymes. Previous studies have shown that mutations in JAKs can cause severe haematological disorders as well as immunological diseases. These mutations are concentrated in the pseudokinase domain.

Leading laboratories and pharmaceutical companies around the world have long aimed at defining the structure of the pseudokinase domain of JAKs, as it has been found to be a veritable hotspot for pathogenic mutations causing haematological disorders. Led by Professor Olli Silvennoinen, the Finnish research team has now successfully determined the three-dimensional atomic-level structure of both the normal and the pathogenic pseudokinase domain.

Novel therapeutics

Professor Silvennoinen's team is the first to describe the structure of the pseudokinase domain of JAKs, laying bare the domain's enzymatic mechanisms at the atomic level. The team also managed to determine the structural change, caused by the JAK2 V617F mutation, which gives rise to common myeloproliferative diseases (MPDs), such as polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and myelofibrosis (MF). PV and ET are blood disorders characterised by an overproduction of red blood cells or platelets, whereas MF is a disorder that causes scar tissue to accumulate in the bone marrow. The team's research results can be put to good use in developing new, targeted therapeutics for these disorders.

The study now published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology builds on the long-standing expertise of Professor Silvennoinen's team in Janus kinases. In the early 1990s, while working in the US, Silvennoinen successfully cloned the JAK2 gene and demonstrated its activity in the signalling pathways of erythropoietin and interferon. In Finland, the Silvennoinen's work focused on the pseudokinase domain, determining and characterising its regulatory function.

The present study was carried out in close collaboration with New York University and Columbia University.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Suomen Akatemia (Academy of Finland).

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


Journal Reference:

  1. Rajintha M Bandaranayake, Daniela Ungureanu, Yibing Shan, David E Shaw, Olli Silvennoinen, Stevan R Hubbard. Crystal structures of the JAK2 pseudokinase domain and the pathogenic mutant V617F. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2348

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

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

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120723095055.htm

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