Saturday, March 31, 2012

Mark Block facing federal campaign finance investigation ...

As Scooby Doo would say, ?ruh roh?.?

Federal authorities have opened an investigation into two Wisconsin-based corporations founded and run by Mark Block, a veteran political operative who ran Herman Cain?s unsuccessful presidential campaign.

?They are very interested in Mark and these groups,? said a source familiar with the probe. ?It is not my sense, right now, that Cain is a target.?

Read more about Mark Block?s history of campaign finance law violations HERE.

Source: http://bloggingblue.com/2012/03/30/mark-block-facing-federal-campaign-finance-investigation/

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Tim Tebow apparel sales halted in Nike-Reebok feud

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tim-tebow-apparel-sales-halted-nike-reebok-feud-154431801--spt.html

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Senior independent living: Plan your post retirement living

Senior independent living: Plan your post retirement livingYou are here &raquo Home ? Home Family ? Senior independent living: Plan your post retirement living
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Susan Boyle musical a hit with fans and critics

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/susan-boyle-musical-hit-fans-critics-121838482.html

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Tax-Free Profits on All of Your Real Estate Deals? Yes You Can ...

Harness the power of real estate and alternative asset investing in on IRA to make tax-free or tax-deferred profits for the rest of your life!

After completing a successful real estate transaction, do you ever wish a chunk of the profits didn? t have to go back to the IRS for taxes? Do you ever dream about how many more real estate deals you could do or how many more properties you could buy if profits weren? T split with the government because of taxes?

Well dream no more. Realizing tax-free or tax-deferred profits on real estate and alternative asset investing is a reality. Government sponsored retirement plans and IRAs as seeking 401 (k) s allow you to invest in almost anything (including real estate), not just stocks, bonds and mutual funds. And all the benefits those plans provide, tax-deductions and tax-free profits, apply to whatever investment you choose, including real estate. The Power of Tax-Deferred and Tax-Free Profits? / b>

?The most powerful force on Earth is compounding interest.? ? Albert Einstein

One of an IRA?s greatest features is that It allows Americans to enjoy the true power of tax-deferred compounding interest. Compound interest is earned on interest OCCURS when a principal sum along with any accumulated interest on that sum. In other words, you are not earning interest only on your original investment sum, but also on the interest earned from the original sum.

Compound interest can occur with any investment you make, but the ?true? power compounding of interest is when you make an investment Obtained in a tax-deferred environment, like an IRA.

By taking advantage of an IRA?s tax-deferred status, you do not have to pay tax immediately on your earnings (like the sale of a property or rent collected). Thus, you are able to enjoy the power of compounding on ALL of your profit, not just what is left after taxes.

Now apply those benefits to your real estate or alternative asset investing. Tax-deferred profits on your real estate transactions Allows greater flexibility to make more investments, or to just sit back and watch your real estate investment grow in value, without worrying about taxes. Is This for Real?

Most investors do not know this opportunity exists because most IRA custodians Thurs not offer truly self-directed IRAs that allow Americans to invest in real estate and other non-traditional investments. ? / p> Often, when you ask a custodian / trustee, ?Can I invest in real estate with IRA at?? they will say, I?ve never heard of that ?or,? No, you can not do that. ?What they really mean is that you can not do this at their company because they only offer stocks, mutual funds, bonds , or CD products.

Only a truly self-directed IRA custodian like Equity Trust Company (www.trustetc.com) will allow you to invest in all forms of real estate or any other investments not prohibited by the Internal Revenue Service.

Is This Legal?

It sure is. For more than 33 years and through the management of $ 2 billion in IRA assets, Equity Trust has assisted clients in increasing their financial wealth by investing in a variety of opportunities from real estate and private placements to stocks and bonds in self-directed IRAs and small business retirement plans.

IRS Publication 590 (dealing with IRAs) states what investments are prohibited;. these investments include artwork, stamps, rugs, antiques, and gems All other investments, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, mortgages, and private placements, are perfectly acceptable as long as IRS rules governing retirement plans are followed (To view IRS Publication 590, please visit [http://www.trustetc.com/links/irspubs.html]).

Getting Started

? Is it hard to do? is a common question about investing in real estate with a self-directed IRA. It is really simple and is very similar to the way you currently invest in real estate. The following five steps demonstrate how easy it is trate to invest in real estate, or just about anything else, with a self-directed IRA.

1) Establish an account with a self-directed IRA custodian.
First, you must Establish an account with a self-directed IRA custodian and Equity Trust Company is your best option. For more information on why Equity Trust is the right choice for your self-directed IRA needs visit, http://www.trustetc.com.

Setting up of IRA account with Equity Trust usually takes only minutes to complete by filling out a simple application and sending (or faxing) it to our office.

2) fund your account.
Next you have to fund the account, and this is just as easy as opening a self-directed IRA account. There are two ways to fund your account.

? Contributions
You can contribute to your account through a check or wire transfer and contribution limits range from $ 4,000 -. $ 50,000 Depending On Which account you choose

? Transfer / Rollover

In most cases, if you have an existing retirement plan as seeking to IRA, 401k, or 403b these funds can be Transferred to a self-directed IRA Allowing you to make real estate IRA investments.

3) Investment Found:? You re set to go !
Now that you???ve Got your account established, funded and you???ve Identified a real estate investment, you are ready to make an investment.

Making a real estate investment with your IRA is straightforward if you remember a few simple rules. First, complete a Direction of Investment (DOI) DOI instructs the custodian Form. A where and how to remit funds from your IRA for your self-directed real estate purchase. information contained on the DOI includes the property address, cost, funding instructions (check / wire), etc. In addition to the DOI, the custodian will need accompanying investment documents to Ensure proper titling of the investment

4) Ensuring proper title.: You and your IRA are not the same.
One of the most common mistakes (and cause of delays) in real estate IRA investing is when the property is titled incorrectly. Frequently the IRA owner will incorrectly put their personal name on the title of the property.

Remember you and your IRA are two separate entities, and as such, the property needs to be titled in the name of your IRA and not you personally.

? The correct title for a real estate (or other asset) IRA investment is:

Equity Trust Company custodian FBO (for benefit of) YOUR NAME IRA

5) What happens after your IRA owns the property?
Now that your IRA has purchased the property you need to remember two things:

? Expenses: Any expenses associated with the property (maintenance, improvements, property taxes, condo association, general bills, etc.) must come from the IRA

.? Cash flow / profit: All net profits must return to the IRA, meaning all income (rent) and profits (selling of property) are deposited back into your IRA account tax-free

That is all?? there is to it, it ? ? s as simple as 1-2-3. Account in no time at all you can be investing in real estate and other alternative assets receiving tax-free or tax-deferred profits for the rest of your life.

Don? T delay in opening in. Every day that passes is one less day your investment can benefit from the Earth? S most powerful force (at least according to Einstein), compounding interest. id=?article-resource?> self-directed IRA investing, the plans and services available to you, and how to get started, please contact Equity Trust Company via http://www.trustetc.com or by phone at 1-877-693-8209 .

Jeffrey Desich is president of Equity Administrative Services and a Registered Principal with Mid Ohio Securities. Additionally, he is Actively involved in Real Estate and the Financial Services Industry. As an expert on real estate investing with self-directed retirement accounts, Jeff has written Numerous articles concerning self-directed IRAs and speaks extensively across the country, educating investors on the topic. With his knowledge and understanding of self-directed IRAs, Jeff has helped thousands of real estate investors create retirement plans for Themselves and their families. Jeff has been quoted in a number of financial publications, including CBS MarketWatch and Investor?s Business Daily, and is a guest lecturer at The Ohio State University ? s prestigious Max Fisher College of Business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Desich

Source: http://www.lovefinanceinfo.com/2012/03/tax-free-profits-on-all-of-your-real-estate-deals-yes-you-can/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tax-free-profits-on-all-of-your-real-estate-deals-yes-you-can

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US teen guilty of murdering 2 British tourists

A Florida teenager is facing a life sentence after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting deaths of two young British tourists last April, a case that generated blaring tabloid headlines in the U.K. press.

Shawn Tyson, 17, sat stone-faced as the jury's verdict was read and as two friends of the victims spoke angrily about the crime. The verdict came after two hours of deliberations. Because he is under 18, Tyson is ineligible for the death penalty and is facing a mandatory life sentence.

During the trial witnesses testified that Tyson shot James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, last April 16. The two men were vacationing in Sarasota and spent an evening drinking when they got lost and walked into a housing project where Tyson lived. Details of their deaths have gripped the British news media. Tabloids there have written stories saying the men were "slaughtered" in a Florida "ghetto."

In a statement, the families of Cooper and Kouzaris accused Tyson of being "evil," saying that they had been given "a life sentence when our sons were so brutally and needlessly taken from us. Ours is a life sentence, with no chance of parole from a broken heart, and a shattered soul."

Joe Hallett, a friend of the victims who sat through the entire trial, said the pair befriended people from different walks of life and would have tried with Tyson, as well.

"I have to try to make you understand the pain you brought to so many people," Hallett said to Tyson. "It was through your deadly action that you've taken us all on a journey to hell. Every night before you go to sleep, every morning you wake up, I want you to think of my friends who were murdered."

A prosecutor also read a statement from Cooper's parents and played a video at the request of his parents. The video, which portrayed the young man from the time he was born, was also played at his funeral.

Kouzaris was from Northampton and Cooper was from Hampton Lucy, Warwick. Both were considered fun-loving world travelers by friends -- but also smart and cautious. Authorities said both were drunk when they got lost and wandered just before 3 a.m. into the housing project where Tyson lived.

Witnesses testified that Tyson told them he saw two "crackers" -- his phrase for white people -- walking through the neighborhood and that he intended to rob them. The tourists said they didn't have any money and begged Tyson to let them go home. The men also told Tyson that they were lost.

"Since you ain't got no money, then I have something for your ass," Tyson recounted to a witness, then added that he shot the men several times.

The tourists' bodies were found shirtless on the street and their baggy pants were pulled down to their thighs. Both men still had their wallets and did in fact have money; Cooper also had a cellphone and camera in his pants pocket. Authorities later found that Kouzaris' blood alcohol level was 0.243 and Cooper's was 0.214 -- well past Florida's legal limit for intoxication when driving, which is 0.08.

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'An opportunity to rob and kill'
During closing arguments, Assistant State Attorney Ed Brodsky told the jury that the case was about "opportunities."

"For James Cooper and James Kouzaris, they had seized an opportunity to travel abroad," Brodsky said. "Shawn Tyson seized upon an opportunity to rob and kill two men."

In the end, Tyson was his own undoing. Several prosecution witnesses said Tyson told friends about the shootings in the hours after the killings, then asked friends to hide the murder weapon and bury bullets. A DNA expert said Tyson's skin cells were found on Cooper's jeans.

Tyson maintained to police that he was at home during the murders. But witnesses spotted him crawling into his window shortly after hearing gunshots.

Tyson did not testify. His attorneys called only one witness, a crime scene technician, and questioned him briefly. Defense attorneys also tried to discredit the witnesses by saying many of them had criminal records and cooperated with detectives to avoid jail time.

The defense also said no one saw Tyson shoot Cooper and Kouzaris.

Authorities say Tyson wasn't alone the night of the shooting; police have not charged the second suspect because they don't have enough evidence. That person is currently in prison on unrelated charges.

Paul Davis, another friend of the men who attended the trial, had another message for Tyson.

"You might think that being a man is about carrying a gun, but it isn't," Davis said. "The stupid thing about what you've done is that you've ended your own life."

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46885491/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Home Based Business Opportunity that could be best for an ...

heya allows you to get started your personal web-site design provider below its banner ad along with allegedly assist you to come up with a 50% commission payment on just about every purchase. Read this corporation diligently before you get included. Whilst their particular opportunity looks attracting plus the fee of gain access to is certainly minimum, claims pertaining to Vital Design Web pages are all around regarding the Internet. An individual 1 of the a lot of hunting for a compact Home Based Business Opportunity though not certain the direction to go? Do not worry! You are able to do this. Many people obtain aspect monitored whenever they search online and show off for any business opportunity. They start available searching for a tiny Home Based Business Opportunity nonetheless have taken in by way of the sporting lighting fixtures in addition to the assures of money making all kinds of cash. How are you affected following? These people fully grasp they?ve picked up caught up in a gimmick together with cancel the expect of getting a legitimate home based business. Owning your own modest business can be be extremely worthwhile. The item besides lets you take a step you care for, but also offers mobility plus overall flexibility throughout the time currently employed. This Company provides simple and easy and helpful resources to help digitize along with set up critical records, computer files plus records. Consumers and also people will surely have every private, money along with loved ones documents bobs of information and facts spot that is simple to find.

The previously significant threat of id theft having a potential of incredible personal loss and as well as personal credit score wrecking is increasing at a swift schedule day-to-day. These are dreadful hazards to you, all your family along with your fiscal security. Has created a fashionable new function coming from home business opportunity for you to definitely get entangled. The organization managed it once discovering that the your bed cleanup plus cleaning business would have been a experienced provider during Europe. The leaders intensive investigate exposed the simple fact that there was hundreds and hundreds of firms around European countries furnishing this service to be able to both equally the personal segment and even 1000s of multi-bed companies all the time. If you are thinking ?green,? pest great home based business opportunity for people. This business may be a professional of supervised safety plus examined solutions for either small enterprises plus homes.

Technological advancements utilizing supervised protection together with programs were able huge development opportunity in such a industry, and this clients are browsing for self-starters to become representatives within their ever-increasing networking. This kind of business is actually the decision for people that need to very own their particular business funding business. The Commercial Cash Training Set has created an application that enables likely business owners to study plus access the money-making marketplace of business oriented lender. Their own contractual agreements utilizing their business proprietors never possess a non-compete term, and your amount of experience, instruction, background, as well as credit profile usually are not critical factors. They are looking for individuals who are tricky workers and also have the wish to take up a taxation business, in both a good retail store locale as well as coming from home. Don?t let a home based business opportunity pass you by if you have young children at home.

Source: http://www.incremixed.info/?p=2365

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ShopAndroid Daily contest winners!

Android Central Contest Winners

If you're a registered member here at Android Central then you know our forums always have a contest happening. And if you're not registered, well -- now is as good a time as any. This week's winners are as posted after the break, and if you were chosen watch your email as we'll be following up shortly. Stay tuned for more upcoming contests folks. (And Transformer Prime winners will be announced later today.) Congrats to this week's winners!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/-xfNh-fpy9U/story01.htm

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Monday, March 19, 2012

IMPORTANT: Letter From Mr. Tim Cook of Apple Inc. Re: $100 Billions United States Dollars [Spam]

Dear One, More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kd3hqtMhUfk/important-letter-from-mr-tim-cook-re-100-billions-united-states-dollars

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Investing In A Suggested Stock Mutual Fund - Forex

What Exactly Is A Preferred Stock Mutual Fund?

A preferred stock mutual finance creates dividends, and has a cost with the possible to appreciate over time. Dividends are almost constantly paid before dividends for typical stocks are paid. A preferred stock mutual finance seriously has its pros, but therefore, is not moreover without its fair show of negatives.
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The Pros Of Preferred Stock Funds
Again, among the principal advantages of investing in a preferred stock mutual fund would be that its dividends are received before any different form of stock gets theirs. When hard occasions come upon companies, and/or liquidation comes into play, the issuing organization is needed to ensure their investors and bond holders get their revenue first. Should the firm choose to declare a moratorium on payment associated with the dividends, the unpaid amount will collect over time, and when the moratorium expires, the amount may be paid in full to the trader. As you can see, it really is rare that an owner will ever lose their earnings on investments. Dividend payments on stocks mutual money are fixed, which means that investors don?t have to bear the brunt of extreme modifications in costs. A preferred stock mutual finance might typical possess a higher yield, too. Those who are looking to acquire more from their investment must seriously consider getting behind 1.
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The Cons Of Preferred Stock Funds
While there are lots of appealing attributes of a preferred stock mutual fund, they are of course not ideal. This type of fund doesn?t typically possess a maturity date. Those that possess a date about 30 years into the future, and so people who are not into long-term investments might end up transferring on this opportunity. Also, without the maturity, there is not a specific date for investors to get their funds. The stocks are callable, meaning that the issuer may quickly purchase them back when they please. This might happen in case the high-rate fund quickly suffers an extreme drop in rates, and would lead to a reduction dollars on your part. If you decide to invested in preferred, fixed-rate stocks, you may end up being stuck with a low-rate investment on your hands, and for a lengthy time at that. Your investment moreover encounters less of the likelihood to grow due to the fact there is not any maturity rate ahead, or if there is, it will be many decades from today. what is crr

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Source: http://thefxreport.com/2012/03/19/investing-in-a-suggested-stock-mutual-fund/

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Albania Property Marketplace Ideas | Real Estate Blog

Albania real estate is gaining plenty of popularity as of late. The primary reason powering this involves its gorgeous places, assortment of terrains, and also very good climatic conditions. The growing trading markets are generally also a great reason for the charm in global real estate property.

Albania is actually a Mediterranean sea country full of charming sceneries over the Adriatric and Ionian shorelines. Nowadays, the real estate in Albania is attracting tremendous consideration coming from intercontinental traders, tourists in addition to significant investment corporations. Albania presents gorgeous sights and also sceneries, countless miles of pristine soft sandy coastlines, beautiful beaches, mountain tops, mansions, historic monuments as well as archeological areas. It is usually an essential vacation spot for Kosovans and Macedonians.

One more reason how come international investors are gaining interest in Albania real estate can be caused by the fact that it is one of many most rapidly expanding trading markets in European countries now. Should you be considering to relocate to Albania, you certainly will either require an apartment or perhaps house on lease or else you be forced to purchase a home. In line with the Albania real estate listings, good, large size Albania renting are generally accessible for roughly $1,200 on a monthly basis. However, if you are searching for a thing more special and high-class, you might need to commit something about $3,000. Even so, bear in mind even with shelling out $3000 every thirty days, you won?t obtain a house that appears beautiful externally. In Albania, it is considered that a wonderful looking property is usually an invitation to crooks. Thus, almost all houses seem unattractive and disagreeable from the external surfaces. Even so, how you can enhance the interior absolutely is determined by your individual selection and taste.

The Albania real estate prices are a lot bigger within the capital city if perhaps compared to the average wages of a person in a thirty day period. Almost all of the real estate in Albania capital city is listed about $300 and $Six hundred and fifty per sq. m.. Conversely, Albania rentals are obtainable at a cost which range between $200 and $Four hundred for any 2 bedroom apartment. 3 bed room flats usually are accessible for $Eight hundred, while you will need to spend $1200 for 4-room condos.

In contrast, Workplace rental prices in Albania range around Five Dollars & nineteen dollars per sq m on a monthly basis. Yet, they can possibly climb to $ 40 every thirty days in parts such as Tirane down-town. Albania rental rates for commercial real estate are quite comparable to these. Similarly, you may also buy lands with the rate of Five Dollars ? $ 10 for

every sq. m.. This specific price could go approximately one hundred regarding areas near fast-speed highway avenue which is under construction from Durres to Bourgas in Bulgaria, via Macedonia.

The fairly substantial rates of Albania real estate are generally due to the truth that over half of Albanian guys has a job elsewhere in locations such as Greece and Italy. They transmit part of their own incomes with their households home, who spend a major piece of this specific funds within the marketplace, thereby explaining the high costs in the land. Still, the real estate in Albania happens to be a very hot preference amongst the investors coming from foreign nations.

About The Company

Taylor White is an international real estate investor and leading the charge at International Real Estate Listings the worldwide leader Albania real estate listings, Albania real estate for sale, and Albania real estate. Albania real estate owners, agents, and developers are encouraged to create an account, upload an unlimited number of listings, write as much creative property details, include a You Tube property video, and it will be activated as a basic listing for 6 months, free.

Source: http://www.gosolarsweepstakes.com/albania-property-marketplace-ideas.html

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Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Job Description Of Professionals Of Web Design In Puget ...

Home ? Internet marketing

Written By: Rosalie Anderson?on?March 16, 2012 3 Comments

Someone who specializes in web design Puget Sound may not program something, but there are others skilled in programming. In fact, many of them are actually programmers of the Web. It just means that they do not work to simply check how the page looks. Part of their responsibility is making some designs through programming.

A very important task that this professional should do is making pages. To accomplish the tasks, they cooperate with the client, who dictates what he wants for the Website, like the needed functions that have to appear and how the layout should be.

To satisfy his client, he needs to be a person who is very knowledgeable on graphics and animation programs. He should also be able to effectively work using various media programs in case that his client would want sound or film embedded.

All of these skills are needed to satisfy not just the client, but also the user who will be accessing the domain. But it does not end there, as this specialist may need to create content, although in most cases, these are just edited and programmed.

It is also their task to be updated on industry trends. They should be able to find out expected services, the best graphics that people will enjoy, and tips on ranking high on search engines. This knowledge is then incorporated on a project if his client says so and for as long as it will do a lot of good for the domain.

The qualifications needed for this job may seem confusing, since there are certain professionals who have not graduated from college but have the skill in the craft. There are even those who have enrolled in art and design programs to add to their current knowledge. Still, some specialists have great knowledge of programming or designing.

In the end, the degree he graduated from does not really matter. What matters is their dedication and skill in web design Puget Sound. web design puget sound

Learn more here: web design puget sound

Tags: Internet marketing

Source: http://articles.buildabetterbusinessonline.com/the-job-description-of-professionals-of-web-design-in-puget-sound/

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Wander Lust: Tools available for Practitioners of Elder Care Can ...

Family members and other care givers for people with Alzheimer?s disease, varied severities of autism, Down syndrome, and other dementia related cognitive impairment conditions are well aware that the propensity to wander off or get lost can be a problem. Those practicing elder care in Las Vegas are no different. As a matter of fact, senior home care practitioners in Las Vegas might find that wandering is more of a problem for them and their care recipients based on the prevalence of stimulation in and around the city. A study conducted by the Alzheimer?s Association has shown that more than sixty percent of patients diagnosed with a form of dementia will likely wander at one point or another. This is a major problem that Project Lifesaver founder and CEO Gene Saunders decided he needed to address when he helped to establish the not for profit organization in Chesapeake, Virginia twelve years ago.

Saunders wanted to identify elderly dementia patients who were prone to wandering and becoming lost. Shortly after starting the program, requests came in from all around the nation. Two years later, Saunders retired and dedicated himself to Project Lifesaver full-time. As a result, the system has been put in place in over one thousand agencies in forty five states in the U.S., three Canadian provinces, and even a government agency in Australia. Elder care and senior home care agencies in Las Vegas will find Project Lifesaver to be an invaluable tool. The program has been shown to cut down search time and manpower cuts significantly. Typically, the average search for an Alzheimer?s patient who has wandered is around nine hours at a cost of fifteen hundred (1500) dollars an hour to the city, but with Project Lifesaver, elder care recipients are typically found within less than a half hour. The program has made it possible for the search to use a single two person team, rather than an entire search party of dozens of police, fire, rescue, elder care providers. It has the added bonus of being a rapport builder with the senior home care recipient?s community.

The program is designed to be set up through police and fire departments, as well as search and rescue agencies and VA hospitals. Some private care facilities are also trained on how to use the location equipment. Elder care and senior home care patients who are enrolled in the program wear a transmitter around their wrist (or their ankle) that is programmed with a unique radio frequency signal. If and when an elder care patient wanders off, the senior home care provider in Las Vegas can notify the local Project Lifesaver agency and the program?s highly trained emergency response team will immediately respond to the elder care recipient?s area. The bracelet uses an RF signalas opposed to GPS, so it can not be blocked and is therefore much more reliable.

This technology is able to give families and elder care providers in Las Vegas much more security and peace of mind. Elder care in Las Vegas is tricky enough, and with the tendency of Alzheimer?s patients to wander, this program truly can be a lifesaver.

Kris Leeds is a freelance writer for Visiting Angels, a leading elder care provider in Las Vegas. To know more about senior home care Las Vegas or elder care Las Vegas services, visit us on the web now!

Source: http://001yourtranslationservice.com/wordpress/2012/03/16/wander-lust-tools-available-for-practitioners-of-elder-care-can-make-a-world-of-difference/

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Saturday, March 17, 2012

Best Stock Photos

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Are you one of the million website owners who are looking for the best stock photos at an affordable price? You might probably be aware of how important pictures or images are in the world of online marketing as well as product promotion in the internet, and you know that the more appealing your pictures are, the more clients will be attracted on your site or product. So, if you are looking for the right images, you should be very careful with what you choose. This is because of the fact that there are numerous websites who are offering photos at prices that does not go well with what they offer. What I mean is that some are offering images that are not of high quality yet the price seems to be too much for it. Do not fall for ?easy? advertising as this could only cause the downfall of your website.

The best images that you should use should be in accordance with what your company is all about.

Say for example that if your site is all about plants and nature make sure that you include attractive scenery that will make your audience visit your site more often. However, do not include a lot of images in your site as two to three pictures will suffice to attract your clients. Some websites are offering free images yet these are not considered to be of high quality. What do we mean on being of ?high-quality?? It basically means that no matter how large your image is, it will not look pixilated and will still look good.

Your website, at a glance, can tell what you are offering through the images that you include on it. The first step that you should consider is to look for the best stock photos that will be posted on your site.

As you may see, majority of the images offered in stock photo sites have plain white background as this can make the picture show more clarity as well as for the purpose of easy editing. Pictures of food, plants, animals, travel, and people become more appealing to the audience. So make sure that you do not settle for anything less as you can still make use of high end photos without the need of paying a lot. You might not know it yet but your online business can greatly succeed with the help of the right images your place on your site.?

Source: http://leisure.ezinemark.com/best-stock-photos-7d34c492b0ef.html

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Friday, March 16, 2012

Delegate-rich Illinois the focus of GOP next week

CHICAGO (AP) ? After two Deep South losses, Mitt Romney is intensifying his campaign efforts in the economically challenged Midwest ? a friendly region for him ? in hopes of regaining his front-runner's momentum when Illinois holds its Republican presidential primary Tuesday.

But the race for Illinois and its cache of 54 delegates is tighter than might have been expected, thanks to Rick Santorum's recent rise in opinion polls here and elsewhere.

Romney is clearly mindful of the threat. He and his allies are pouring money into the state, near Michigan where he grew up and his father was governor. Romney won the Michigan primary on Feb. 28.

Logistically, he's also looking to take advantage of Santorum's failure to get the signatures needed to ensure he's on the ballot statewide in Illinois.

And Romney's on the attack.

"We are not going to be successful in replacing an economic lightweight if we nominate an economic lightweight," the former Massachusetts governor said Friday during an early morning stop in suburban Rosemont near Chicago. The criticism, focusing on the economy, which is the voters' No. 1 concern, was a one-two punch against both President Barack Obama and Republican Santorum. "I am an economic heavy weight, and I know how to fix this economy," Romney declared.

Democrat Obama was fundraising and campaigning in Illinois, too, on Friday and taking his own shots at the Republicans ? for negative campaigning.

Noting he was in "the land of Lincoln," Obama said the Republicans weren't exactly appealing to ? in the Civil War president's words ? "the better angels of our nature." He told his audience at a fundraiser in Chicago, his adopted hometown, "I'm thinking maybe some Lincoln will rub off on them while they're here."

In a wry reference to the heated Republican race, he said, "We've got some guests in Illinois this week. Apparently they have not wrapped up on the other side."

Romney, after Illinois, headed to campaign in Puerto Rico, where he's hoping to win Sunday's primary.

Santorum, himself just back from Puerto Rico, faces the same obstacles in Illinois that he has in previous contests ? a lack of money and campaign organization. But his message that he's the true conservative in the race could resonate strongly in the rural areas of the state. He was spending Friday and Saturday campaigning in some of Illinois' small towns, including Effingham.

Beyond this state, the former Pennsylvania senator is focused on Louisiana, where he hopes to continue winning in the conservative South on March 24.

In Missouri, en route to Illinois from his campaign swing in Puerto Rico, Santorum sounded confident. He said that, despite Romney's heavy advertising presence and organizational advantage, he could post his first primary victory in an upper Midwestern industrial state. He argued he offered a conservative vision for the country.

"We're being outspent 10-to-1 on television in Illinois, and I still think we have a chance to win Illinois," Santorum told a rally in Osage Beach, Mo. "Because without a vision the people will perish."

Illinois is the highest profile contest of the coming week, and it kicks off a two-week series of five contests before an April lull in the GOP nomination fight that could well stretch into summer. As Obama focuses on the general election, Romney is struggling to clinch the GOP nomination, even though he's well ahead in the fight for delegates to the August GOP national convention. He needs to win 1,144, and is on pace to secure that number by June.

Despite his delegate lead, Romney has recently won only peripheral contests in U.S. territories and he hasn't won a primary since winning six of 10 states on Super Tuesday some 10 days ago. So he's turning to Illinois to right his course in a state that's being seriously contested only by Santorum and him. The resumption of voting in the upper Midwestern states, with Wisconsin following close behind Illinois on April 3, could be pivotal for the GOP front-runner. Maryland and the District of Columbia also hold primaries on April 3, as the voting enters its fourth month.

Illinois was in the spotlight Friday, with Romney, Santorum and the man they hope to get the chance to challenge all appearing in the state.

In the GOP race here, it's all but down to two men, with recent polls in Illinois showing Romney leading Santorum by a small margin.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, badly damaged after losses in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday, campaigned in the Chicago area this week. But the former Georgia congressman was in Louisiana on Friday. Longshot Texas Rep. Ron Paul has campaigned little in Illinois, though he headlined a rally at the University of Illinois on Wednesday. Neither contender was advertising in the state.

In contrast, Romney and his allies are dominating Illinois' expensive TV airwaves. His campaign was airing about $1 million in TV ads this week, and a political action committee that supports him was spending $2.4 million on an ad aimed at undermining Santorum's appeal as a conservative. The ad notes Santorum's past support for earmark spending, raising the debt limit and allowing felons to obtain the right to vote.

Looking ahead in the upper Midwest, the pro-Romney group, Restore Our Future, also has begun airing ads criticizing Santorum in Wisconsin.

In Illinois, Santorum and a group that supports him ? Winning Our Future ? were spending only about one-fifth of the pro-Romney advertising. The pro-Santorum group was on the air in Louisiana, looking to counter an onslaught of negative ads by the pro-Romney group.

Romney's message is focused squarely on the economy in Illinois, where unemployment was 9.3 percent in February, the eighth-highest in the country.

"Romney will do well in the Chicago suburbs. Santorum will do well deep downstate," said Dan Curry, a Republican strategist and veteran of several statewide campaigns. "Illinois has its own unique nature that really matches the country."

While Chicago dominates Illinois politics, the Republican primary electorate is divided evenly between the GOP-heavy suburbs and the rural and southern reaches outside the metro area.

Santorum, who won primaries in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday, is banking on his appeal to rural conservatives, including the evangelical base in central and southern Illinois. Santorum, who also won the Tennessee primary on March 6, will include on his statewide tour Saturday a stop in Herrin, Ill., a town 100-miles closer to Memphis than it is to Chicago.

The 54 delegates at stake Tuesday are directly elected by voters, while 15 more will be named at the state party convention in June.

Romney has been the most aggressive cultivating the state, although the last time he set foot in the state was November when he held a fundraiser.

He has lined up Republican establishment figures. Sen. Mark Kirk, state Treasurer Dan Rutherford, Rep. Aaron Schock and state GOP chairman Pat Brady have endorsed Romney. The familiar names, who are on the ballot as Romney delegates, give Romney an edge in an election where voters actually select delegates.

Romney, who has flexed his campaign organization to narrow victories in Michigan and Ohio, has fielded a full slate of delegates in all 18 of Illinois' congressional districts.

Santorum has struggled to organize and was unable to field delegates in four Illinois districts, where a total of 10 delegates are at stake Tuesday.

___(equals)

Associated Press writers Brian Bakst and Robert Ray contributed to this story.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/delegate-rich-illinois-focus-gop-next-week-190010973.html

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Swiss bus crash kills 28, including 22 children

SIERRE, Switzerland (AP) ? A tour bus slammed into a tunnel wall in the Swiss Alps in a horrific accident that killed 22 schoolchildren and six adults returning to Belgium from a joyous ski vacation, police said Wednesday.

Another 24 students were hospitalized, police spokesman Jean-Marie Bornet told The Associated Press, after one of the deadliest highway accidents in Swiss history left the front of the bus mangled, trapping some people inside. The police chief described a "scene like a war."

The bus carrying 52 people, including students of around age 12 from two different Belgian schools, hit the wall of the Tunnel de Geronde shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday night on a highway near the southern town of Sierre, Switzerland, in an area of popular ski resorts.

Authorities were still identifying all the victims, said Didier Reynders, the Belgian foreign minister. It was unclear exactly how the accident happened, he said. "It is incomprehensible," Reynders said.

Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo called it "an extremely sad day for all of Belgium." He arrived in Sion on Wednesday afternoon, and the Belgian government was arranging planes to fly parents and relatives of the victims to the site.

Swiss media reported the injured were taken to hospitals in Sion, Visp, Lausanne and Bern. Belga news agency cited Belgian health minister Laurette Onkelinx as saying three children remain in a coma.

Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf also flew to Sion to pay her respects to the victims, survivors and rescue officials. The Swiss parliament held a minute of silence for the victims.

Widmer-Schlumpf assured Belgium her country would do everything in its power to support the injured and the families of the dead, her office said in a statement.

Police said the students spent the last few days at a ski camp and were on their way back to the Belgian provinces of Brabant, Flanders and Limbourg.

While they were there, students at one school kept a blog that brimmed with enthusiasm.

"Today was totally the best," one girl wrote. "The adventurous walk was tiring but mega-cool. We won first prize for cleanest room. Tomorrow it's going to be colder. Byyyeeee!"

On day five of the vacation, a teacher posted a note meant to reassure parents back at home. "For now we do not see much homesickness," the teacher wrote. "But from the reactions of the children we gather that they miss you a little bit."

The bus was carrying students from two towns ? Lommel, east of Antwerp, and Heverlee, near Leuven. In the tunnel, it veered, hit a curb, then rammed into a concrete wall, police said. The front of the bus was heavily damaged, making it difficult for people to get out. Some had to be freed by rescuers.

"The bus hit the barrier stones on the right side of the road. It then hit the tunnel wall head on in an emergency stop space," police said in a statement. "Because of the strong impact the bus was badly damaged and several passengers were trapped in the wreckage."

The police chief in the canton of Valais, Christian Varone, told a news conference that rescuers were greeted by what he called "a scene like a war."

"We have had a number of serious accidents in Valais but nothing like this, with so many young victims," he said.

Initial indications are that no other vehicles were involved in the crash, which occurred in a stretch of tunnel where the speed limit was 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour).

"We will examine everything to find out what happened," said Valais prosecutor Olivier Elsig.

The highway was closed in both directions to aid in the rescue. Some eight helicopters and a dozen ambulances took victims to hospitals. Dozens of firefighters and police, 15 doctors and three psychologists were called to the scene.

"There is this terrible fear and uncertainty," Andre Joseph Leonard, the archbishop of Belgium, who was in Heverlee by coincidence, told the AP. "There are about eight about whom we don't know what happened, leaving their parents in terrible fear."

A government spokesman said a crisis center has been set up and an emergency number provided for families.

The Alpine city of Sierre, near Sion, the capital of Valais, is a gateway to the Val d'Anniviers tourist region and is connected to the Crans-Montana ski resort by funicular railway.

On Wednesday, the peaks towering above valley that had drawn the students were wrapped in clear blue skies and balmy weather, lending a sense of imperturbability that sharply contrasted with the terrible scene that played out in the tunnel the evening before.

The 2.5-kilometer tunnel opened in 1999. German automobile club ADAC gave it the second-best of six ranking levels overall in 2005. Several individual aspects won top ranking, but the emergency management system was deemed "inadequate," the second-lowest level.

The Top Tours company, based in Aarschot, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Brussels, was in charge of the bus that crashed. A woman who answered the phone at the company's offices declined to comment, but Belgian Transport Minister Melchior Wathelet said it has a good safety record.

"The company has an excellent reputation. The drivers had arrived (in Switzerland) the night before and rested on the day before the departure. It seems that the rules regarding driving and rest time were respected," said Wathelet. He added the bus that crashed was relatively new.

Two other buses, carrying students from schools in the Belgian towns of Beersel and Haasrode, arrived safely back in Belgium on Tuesday, apparently without having seen the accident.

Dutch foreign ministry said 10 of the children on the bus were Dutch, but said it was not clear if any of them were among the dead.

The previous worst accident in a Swiss highway tunnel happened in 2001, when two trucks collided in the Gotthard tunnel, killing 11 people.

One of Europe's most tragic tunnel accidents happened in March 1999, when 39 people were killed after a truck caught fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy. The blaze burned for two days while firefighters tried to reach victims and vehicles trapped in the tunnel under Western Europe's highest peak.

At midday, the blog of the Sint Lambertusschool in Heverlee was still online, showing kids smiling and frolicking amid the snow.

"Things are super here in Saint-Luc. The skiing, the weather, the food. Its all not bad at all," one boy posted on Saturday. "Tomorrow I play in the Muppet Show. ... I'm now reading the book 'Why Dogs Have Wet Noses.' Very interesting! I miss you all."

______

Melvin reported from Brussels. Frank Jordans in Geneva, Raf Casert in Heverlee, Belgium, and Robert Wielaard in Brussels contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/swiss-bus-crash-kills-28-including-22-children-093145740.html

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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Reality ratings slip as dancers, idols lose their bite

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Are viewers tired of accepting reality shows' roses?

Monday night's worst-ever ratings for a "Bachelor" finale reflect a troubling trend for network execs: Viewers are no longer as loyal as they once were to aging reality tentpoles.

Before Monday's finale, "The Bachelor" averaged a 2.9 rating in the crucial 18-49 demographic - down 15 percent from last year's average at that point. And the ABC series has slid less than some other reality shows.

Even reality franchises that are still drawing big audiences seem to have fallen off the cultural grid, "American Idol" being the prime example. When was the last time Jon Stewart or Jay Leno made an "Idol" joke?

As the reality landscape has become increasingly niche-oriented, with cable competitors creating battles over fashion design, hair styling and rapping, the result has been that no single show seems to fire up the entire country the way "Idol," "Survivor" and other shows once did.

Gone are the days when catchphrases like "voted off the island" became late-night punchlines.

"Dancing With the Stars" inflamed extreme conservatives by choosing the transgendered Chaz Bono as a contestant last cycle, but the controversy didn't spark nearly as much outrage as when Bristol Palin made it into the final three in 2010.

CBS's "The Amazing Race," once a sure thing for best reality competition Emmy, is no longer a lock: Bravo's "Top Chef" took the trophy away from the older franchise in 2010.

Networks still love reality competitions as a cheap, reliable source of ratings. Older competitions "American Idol" and "Survivor" draw strong ratings in the shrinking TV ratings landscape. But the decade-old "Bachelor" and 7-year-old "Dancing With the Stars" are not.

What's the cause of decline? Overfamiliarity with the formulas and twists leave less room for surprise. An ousted bachelor returning to "The Bachelorette" now feels inevitable.

Meanwhile, the most successful reality show of the last decade, "American Idol," has been punished for its success with a rash of imitators.

The No. 1-rated show for the last eight seasons is down 28 percent on Wednesday nights and 25 percent on Thursdays. It still scores an enviable 6.7 and 6.2, respectively, on those nights. It is the second highest rated show on the air -- outstanding for a decade-old series.

But a glutted market for singing competitions seems to have taken its toll. NBC's "The Voice," which debuted last year, is the top-rated show this season. Fox's "X Factor," which aired in the fall, earned roughly half the typical ratings for "Idol."

And this summer ABC will debut "Duets," which will borrow inaugural "Idol" contestant Kelly Clarkson as its host.

Though it doesn't get "Idol" ratings, "Survivor" does seem to be immune from cancellation - it's still going strong after 12 years. CBS's reality competition helped spawn all the rest, but its ratings are also down.

The last go-round, "Survivor: South Pacific" averaged a 4.0 rating and was the 21st highest-ranked show overall, and the fourth-highest rated reality show.

"Survivor: One World," the current cycle, had a 3.2 and was the 43rd highest-rated show overall in its most recent ratings. It should be noted, however, that "Survivor" ratings climb with finales.

The fall cycle of "Dancing With the Stars," meanwhile, was down 22 percent for its first weekly airing - averaging a 3.6 - and 17 percent for its results show, which averaged a 3.3. The show returns Monday, and no one in its cast looks as likely as Palin or Bono to capture the national interest. (I admit to rooting for Jaleel White. But is there anything controversial about the former Steve Urkel?)

NBC's "The Voice," which debuted last year, provides hope that a new twist on the old formula - with the right cast and right execution - can pay off. So it isn't that it's impossible to create a new reality giant.

But it's hard to say how much mileage remains on the older ones. "Idol" managed last year to rebuild itself, adding new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez in place of Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell. But the addition of "X Factor" to the Fox schedule -- complete with two former "Idol" judges -- reduced its anticipation factor.

"The Bachelor," meanwhile, has cannibalized itself with not only "The Bachelorette" but "Bachelor Pad," which brings back previous contestants on both shows.

(Editing by Chris Michaud)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reality-ratings-slip-dancers-idols-lose-bite-150009570.html

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

After Endeavor Invests, Reid Hoffman Joins Globant?s Advisory Board; Is An IPO Next?

Screen shot 2012-03-13 at 6.30.46 AMOver nine years, Globant has been building one of the stronger and more reputable IT companies in South America. It's no easy feat to build innovative software products for a global audience, but Globant seems to have hit the right note with its combination of open source and proprietary software, which have allowed it to become one of the go-to IT outsourcing firms for multinational organizations. While the Argentinian software company has received plenty of attention from the West, it today received further validation from Silicon Valley, as it announced the addition of well-known serial entrepreneur, investor, and author Reid Hoffman to its Board of Advisors.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/zdNTPw4PmBM/

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New Leopard Frog Species Is Discovered in N.Y.C.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A new species of leopard frog, still unnamed, is known to exist only in the metropolitan area and was identified by its distinctive mating call and DNA testing.

Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=bfdeee65797ab2d048fe52b5768efa56

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