foreclosure help

Via David Dayen, at least one federal regulator wants to do something about the foreclosure crisis. Federal Deposit Insurance Commission Chair Sheila Bear has proposed implementing rigid standards for mortgage services in the financial reform regulatory rulemaking. She's advocating the idea of a claims commission for homeowners.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair wants a foreclosure claims commission set up, similar to the one established during the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico last year, to help homeowners victimized by improper foreclosures....

Lenders and servicers have restarted foreclosures from the robo-signing scandal and have begun refiling thousands of affidavits. Chase said it would mail out $2 million in refunds to those families.

But Bair wants to consider more in compensation and in new regulation.

"The mortgage servicing industry is fundamentally flawed and in desperate need of reform. It does not provide significant incentives to provide borrowers enough loss mitigation needs," Bair said.

She added that some servicers have become too big to succeed. Since 2000, the five largest servicers grew their market share from 32% to more than 60% today, Bair said, adding that these companies were either incapable of or reluctant to commit the resources necessary to implement effective loss mitigation practices.

As the 50 state attorneys general continue their investigation into the servicing industry, Iowa AG Tom Miller has said a fund to compensate borrowers victimized by robo-signers is on the table, but not necessarily pending.

It's good as far as it goes for those who've already been victimized by the mortgage servicing industry, but there's an immediate need to stop these unwarranted foreclosures and prevent their being further victims. Dday:

A nationwide compensation fund is fine, but in the end it’ll probably end up as just a payoff, the cost of doing business for the banks. You have to add to that real modifications with principal reductions, to reset the entire housing market and stabilize it. And you have to provide consequences for illegal behavior, which is in the background of virtually every foreclosure action over the past several years. Judge Arthur Schack is taking on foreclosure lawyers because they are lying in his court and breaking the law. The remedy for that is to throw those people in jail, and that needs to go all the way to the top. “I’m not going after lawyers, I’m out to do justice,” Judge Schack said. “We have something called due process of the law.” And there’s no justice without actual sanctions for criminal behavior. “We’re not Animal House,” concluded Judge Schack. “Some animals, like banks, are not more equal than others, to bring George Orwell into this.” It was Animal Farm, but have I mentioned that I love Judge Schack?

It's a start, and a good thing that someone in the administration is talking about doing something, anything on this issue. But it is just a start.

We were early to warn readers that Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who is heading the 50 state probe into mortgage abuses, was unlikely to take as tough a stand with banks as his early sabre-rattling suggested.

Now other close observers of the 50 state AG probe, like Marcy Wheeler of FireDogLake, have pointed out that expectations for this group were probably too high, given that some of the AGs had been opposed to the effort before, and they’d hobble the effort from the inside. But even though true, that observation still gives Miller more of an out than he deserves.

The fact is that Miller had decided, before any investigation was undertaken, that his group was not going to take any action that might allow investors to recover for losses. Why? Some of the parties in a position to recover would not be Americans. This came by e-mail before the December meeting at which Miller promised to “put people in jail” as well as obtain deep principal mods and compensation for defrauded homeowners:

The homeowners off to meet Tom Miller is a setup for a photo-op to imply buy-in. I was w/ a European documentary maker this weekend who spoke to Miller a few days ago and said Miller relayed the fraud isn’t so bad, everything will be worked out .. the standard line; he’s already made up his mind. He doesn’t want those European governments demanding their money back. The meeting is a photo-op setup because the too-big-to-fail crowd is scared of put-back liability and shorts; they’re working hard to make it appear they’re doing something to quiet everybody down.

So get this: so keen is a state attorney general to protect the wallets of big banks that he’s decided there wasn’t much fraud before doing any serious forensics. And his reason was to deny payouts to investors because they are foreign (China, are you taking notes?). But to prevent that outcome, he also has to throw US investors and wronged homeowners under the bus.

Welcome to equal protection under the law, circa 2011. No wonder gun sales are skyrocketing.

Thus Miller’s retreat is entirely predictable, and we can plot its trajectory. Following his “get tough with crime” mid-December declaration, Miller took criminal investigations off the table on January 4. From Bloomberg:

The five largest loan servicers, including Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., may be the first to settle with the 50 state attorneys general probing foreclosure practices, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said…..The group isn’t pursuing a criminal investigation, Miller said. “Our focus is to reform the servicing process and that’s inherently civil, not criminal,” he said.

One of our readers, who is a seasoned litigator, disagreed vehemently with Miller’s “this can only be a civil investigation” and provided examples of criminal prosecutions for analogous misconduct.

The latest step backwards by Miller is a softening in his stance and a refusal to reaffirm his earlier commitments. From Iowa CCI’s press release about its meeting yesterday with Miller:

Following their December 14th meeting with Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who is leading the 50-state investigation of the “foreclosure-gate” scandal, 200 members of Iowa CCI met with him again on Tuesday to continue the push for a settlement that will help millions of Americans stay in their homes. Iowa CCI is part of a coalition of community groups across the country fighting to end the foreclosure crisis.

“Tuesday’s meeting felt a lot different than the meeting in December,” said Iowa CCI Director Hugh Espey, “In our first meeting with Attorney General Miller we felt like we had a champion that was ready to go toe to toe with the big banks. We left this meeting wondering if the big banks had knocked the wind out of our state’s top law enforcer.”

“In many cases a loan modification is in everybody’s best interest – the homeowner, the investor, servicer and the national economy,” Miller had said in a statement following the December meeting. “… I know it’s worth our best efforts to save as many homes as we can.”

In Tuesday’s meeting The Attorney General was less forthcoming about the intended outcome of the settlement. He did not repeat previous commitments to aim for a settlement that would keep people in their homes, nor to press criminal charges against bank officials where evidence of fraud and criminal wrongdoing is found. The Financial Crisis Commission has recently referred several cases to the states for further criminal investigation.

As more aggressive AGs, like the ones in Arizona and Nevada, file suits against banks, perhaps their complacent peers like Miller will be embarrassed into acting. But until then, this “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” by top enforcement officials appears likely to remain the norm.

randyfrecker

ggtzzswwxydwnoifchm

achiquitaung

lizzerlovexx

duslersuskun

vibracall

giakso

gggeboyapcvotqs

jbismylife

lancashireuk

vonlubcke

lov3rspk

chibichic

h00sha

zozmpmqcaldpdrlftp

loserlummus

pau2dalina

joannadurugby

How Important Is SEO & online reputation management

When companies or men and women fall prey to unfair competitors, irate ex-employees or disgruntled users, then a SERM turns into vital in the financial survival of a small business.

Firms like SERMs are critical in preserving, and in some instances salvaging and restoring agencies or person's reputation and wonderful title.




On the internet searches are one particular on the to begin with issues that contemporary day consumes do prior to paying money using a small business or individual, and 1 unhealthy click can imply financial disaster for a home business, certainly in this ever increasing cyber economic climate. Reputation for these SERMs are boosting by leaps and bounds with all the realization it isn't prudent to try to conduct online business in this cyber age rather than possess a SERM on retainer in addition to your accountant along with your attorney.






Businesses are also appreciating the collateral advantage of having a Popularity Management agency on-board as an integral a part of their organization model, its wonderful promoting! Though securing a company's high-quality reputation and identify via the internet, it generates decent press and positive exposure that finally adds drastically to your bottom line of a company's stability sheet, making the companies to literally spend for alone in many circumstances.




This tends to be an exceptionally robust marketing position for firms as well as men and women, to understand that they're cleansing and guarding their reputations and cyber images, when at the same time operating an extremely valuable promoting initiative. From time to time corporations fully disregard their former advertising efforts internet and opt for the benefits of On line Popularity Management.




Possessing a SERM firm in your facet is with no a doubt the way to go in this cyber age. For further information and facts on online reputation management and corporate reputation management, Please visit us at http://removeripoffreports.net/

Making Money Marketing

Social media and blogging have become such an important part of small businesses, particularly those operated online. So we’ve put together another edition just to share some of the latest tips, tricks and tools for this incredibly important new approach to small business marketing sales and even management. Hope you enjoy.

How to

Making your WordPress blog more social. WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms available and making your blog more social with posts more easily shared on social networks is a great way to begin creating your own community around your brand. It’s a great example of how blogging and social media work together. Here are some simple plug-ins to get you started. Simple But Creative

Success Stories

Does social media really work? Need proof that use of social media is a truly effective marketing tool? This article looks at some real and measurable success from best selling author Timothy Ferriss. Ferriss has demonstrated the effectiveness of social media marketing on its most basic level in both the promotion of his first book The 4-Hour Workweek and more recently in promoting The 4-Hour Body, his latest book. Watch as even traditional media takes notice. Financial Times

Trends

Why Facebook might not be your best bet for social media marketing. A surprise contender seems to have surpassed Facebook for sheer volume of social referrals. Data suggests StumbleUpon has become a viable player along with other social media front runners and if you need further evidence of the increased impact this site is having you need only check the stats. Forbes

Tips for local social media marketing. Examples of local businesses using social media marketing are everywhere. If your business is not yet using them, well, you may be missing out. Check out this post from Phyllis Zimbler Miller with both examples of local social media marketing and ideas for what you could do to put your best social media foot forward. Miller Mosaic Social Media Marketing.

Three ways to boost your brand with social media. No matter what platform you use on social media, one of the key missions you must undertake is brand building. In simple terms, this means creating not only an awareness of your business product or service, but also a sense of what you stand for with a community who you hope will either become customers or create referrals for you. But how do you create this brand and what is the best way to start? BizSugar

Blogging

Why every small business owner needs one. Of course, blogs can certainly be small businesses in themselves, Jeannette Paladino, Writer-in-Chief of Write Speak Sell, argues these days your business really shouldn’t be without one. Jeannette helps businesses market themselves with social media and build brands online. Here’s why she thinks your business could benefit from blogging. Bloomberg BusinessWeek

So now you’ve got a business blog. But are you really getting the results that your want? If not, what steps could you take to improve your results? If you are already getting great results, what steps could you take to make those results even better. (Hey, there’s nothing wrong with improvement, no matter how well you’re doing.) Sometimes the simplest changes, say, the three steps suggested in this post, are all you need. webbed ink

Branding

Working on your online personality. When your social media account or blog becomes the main manifestation of your company, it can save a lot of huge marketing decisions and missteps (like spending money for TV ads or billboards that don’t adequately represent who your company is and what you represent) and replace them with lots of smaller mistakes that happen every time you sit down to create a post. Here are some keys to establishing an online personality that reflects your business in a better light every day. Technorati

10 tips to rock your blogging/social media world. Blogging is the original social media, before Facebook, Twitter or any of the rest. So, it’s not too surprising that some of the tips for improving your business blog have to do with making it interactive. Always keep your readers in mind and think about what they need…and what will make them want to come back for that next post. SearchEngineWatch

10 things wrong with your business blog. Conversely, there are a few things that will definitely hurt your blog, so don’t think just because your business has one everything is fine. It’s true that creating a blog is the first step to success in social media marketing and branding online. But remember that a bad blog will create a poor impression of your brand in the same way a good blog will create a good one. Make sure you don’t commit these deadly errors, or you will undo any positive impact your business blog might have.  Daily Dose

10 Ways to Market Your Awesome Start-Up

For aspiring entrepreneurs, taking a concept from inception to launch can happen faster an cheaper than ever before. You just launched a shiny new site, and your product has been thoroughly tested and debugged — and now you’re in the hot seat (either from investors, co-workers, or yourself) to ramp up your almost non-existent marketing efforts.

Here are 10 relatively lightweight efforts (in no particular order) that just might get you on the cover of your favorite magazine before you know it:

10. Network / Hustle / Get After It: Sure, social tools have facilitated your digital hustle, but there’s no substitute for making great connections in person. Leverage your network to get bloggers, writers, creatives, and fellow entrepreneurs to write about you, think about your work, or at least like you enough to help you out down the road.

9. Add yourself to CrunchBase, which is an publicly editable Wikipedia of tech companies, people and investors.

8. Add yourself to YouNoodle, which is a place to meet other likeminded individuals.

7. Apply and participate in University or city/org sponsored business plan competitions. Keep in mind what the real value is here, it’s not necessarily the 10 or 20k prize money… but the random collection of angel investors, press, and talented technologists/creatives that hang around these events (even on other teams).

6. Add yourself to StartupWeekend’s Startup Database

5. Get to know your local StartupDigest leaders/editors

4. Get to know any local startup aggregators, like Proudly Made In DC or We Are NY Tech

3. Sponsor and attend events like Tech Cocktail or your local BarCamp

2. Apply for incubator/accelerator programs… see #7 for a similar value proposition.

1. Be excellent and build awesome stuff that people talk about.

Are we missing something? Undoubtedly so… let us know below!

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Aaron Sorkin&#39;s Cable <b>News</b> Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO <b>...</b>

For the past few months, HBO has been talking to Aaron Sorkin about his long-gestating drama set behind the scenes at a nightly cable news show. However, with him busy on the awards circuit with his latest film, The Social Network, ...

Keith Olbermann: Possibly trading <b>news</b> for scripted TV gig with <b>...</b>

The dust has barely settled on Keith Olbermann's empty chair at MSNBC, but a few serious rumors are already swirling about the anchor's next move.

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Digital Photography Review

Phase One unveils IQ series digital backs: Phase One has released the IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 medium format digital camera backs with 80, 60.5 and 40 megapixel CCD sensors respectively. All three backs feature 3.2" multi-touch rear ...

web internet marketing

Over the holidays, I had some time to really dive into the LinkedIn B2B LeadGen Roundtable discussions. One started by Ann Thornley-Brown, President & CEO, Executive Oasis International, Toronto, caught my attention. She started the discussion in August, yet members continue to provide feedback.



Ann wanted to know how happy the group was with the lead generation results of their social media campaigns. “Are your efforts on LinkedIn and Twitter paying off?” she queried. “How many leads have you generated? How many specific pieces of business have you picked up? I know a lot of bright people who are really active on these sites and very few are seeing results. How about you?”



Her question, and too many of her 30-plus responses, illustrated the disconnection between the expectations of marketers who are out on the frontlines every day and marketing gurus proclaiming the wonders of social media. After all, if you Google ”Top 10 B2B Trends in 2011” you’ll see social media listed on every one of them.



Then why, if Ann’s discussion is any indication, are so many marketers dissatisfied with the results they’re getting from it?



I took this question to Sergio Balegno, Director of Research for company of InTouch. He authors MarketingSherpa’s Social Media & PR Benchmark Guides, is considered a foremost authority on social media strategy, is quoted by the media extensively and presents at institutions likeHarvard.



He’s also been in marketing for more than three decades, well before the internet was even on the scene. This gives him some not-so-typical long-term perspective in a world that demands instant gratification.



If anyone could provide insight to why this is going on, it’s Sergio. Here’s his take:



“I had a B2B communications firm from the mid-80s to 2000. When we got into the ‘90s we started hearing about the World Wide Web. I brought the concept to our customers: some adopted it very quickly the other half shrugged it off as a passing fad.



“Of course, today, the web is considered traditional media and social media is now that new ‘fad.’ The same thing is happening all over again, except at a much faster pace.



“You see, you have to look at the history of social media, it’s really short. Our first benchmark guide was published in 2009, which analyzed the use of social media in 2008. It was at the ‘all-hype’ stage then: there were no clear objectives or best practices beyond the soft objectives of building customer awareness. There weren’t the hard-and-fast lead generation and sales conversations that will be featured in our 2011 report, which I’m working on right now.



“What does surprise me is that of the 2,300 marketers we surveyed at the end of 2010, six percent - 138 - already felt they were producing measurable ROI. In just a couple of years, social media has rocketed to a place that took the internet a good decade to arrive at.



“A big part of the 2011 Social Marketing Benchmark Report will look at the monetization of social media. A solid quarter of marketers are at the mature, strategic stage of social media marketing. They have clear objectives and practices. Now they’re trying to go back to the budgeting committee to prove that it’s producing revenue.



“That’s where they’re stuck.They can’t get a grasp on how many leads social media is generating.



“A big section of the study is going to be about software and tools that can track someone from when they become a member of a social network to when they download a whitepaper and become a part of a standard CRM system.



“Essentially, we’re at critical mass: marketers need to prove social media’s value, and there is a need for CRM tools that can track that. Mzinga is one company leading the way with its OmniSocial platform, the study will review more.”



Considering Sergio’s response, marketers are expecting way too much too soon. Paradoxically, this in itself demonstrates the remarkable speed at which social media is being integrated into marketing initiatives.



We can’t yet calculate with the most exacting precision how many leads are generated from social media, but considering how quickly technology is evolving, the ability to do so will be here in no time. I expect if Ann poses her question again at the end of 2012, her responses will be far different.



What do you think?



Finally, Sergio gave me some penetrating insight at the end of our conversation: “After 30 years in marketing, I thought I had seen all of the changes that could possibly take place, and then social media changed everything again. Our brand is no longer what we say it is, it’s what our customers say it is.”



If you want to hear more from Sergio, be sure to sign up for MarketingSherpa's brand new Inbound Marketing Newsletter, which will announce when the 2011 Social Marketing Benchmark guide is released. The newsletter is published bi-weekly and explores the power of new marketing tools, including social media, to attract customers without advertising. Click here to see the inaugural edition. Click here to subscribe.

Originally published on the B2B Lead Generation Blog

Canadian Tech Conferences to Attend in 2011

We’ve rounded-up some Canadian tech-related conferences happening in 2011 that we thought you might like to attend.

“My first observation was the opportunity in Canada is far bigger than I expected — and I expected it to be huge. I think there’s just an enormous amount of upside in terms of businesses catching up with consumers, and unleashing a little more creativity on the web” – Google Canada, Country Director Chris O’Neill

Mesh Conference

When: May 25th – 26th 2011

Where: Toronto, Ontario

Mesh was founded by 5 esteemed individuals including ME Consulting’s Mark Evens and Mathew Ingram from GigaOm. This web conference is a venue for people to “connect, share and inspire” and its focus is on anything related to the web. Mesh looks at the way the web is “affecting the media, marketing, business and society as a whole”. As of today, Mesh has not announced its keynote speakers for this year but you can be sure it will be filled with workshops, panels and thought provoking conversations and presentations. We’ve heard nothing but good things about Mesh and it’ll likely be a worthwhile experience.

FITC Toronto 2011 – The Design & Technology Festival

When: May 2 – 4th 2011

Where: Toronto, Ontario

The FITC conference began as a Flash Festival, but over the last few years, it has evolved and branched out gradually adding more creative and technical presentations. FITC aims to “educate, challenge and inspire”and they’ve previously held 20 events over the last nine years in five countries. At the event, Flash, motion design, Flex and Air are the types of subjects you’ll learn about in the presentations. FITC prides itself on the quality of its handpicked speakers and additionally claims its “parties are legendary”. Sounds very intriguing.

CeC (Canada -e- connect)

When: February 2-4

Where: Toronto Ontario

The CeC conference was created by the Canadian tourism industry and mainly focuses on e-marketing within that industry. Any tourism business or organization can use this conference as a tool to learn more about using technology to market and gain sales. It also takes a look at opportunities, web trends and online successful campaigns. I’d go just for the speakers. They’ve grabbed three internet celebs to present this year; Amber Mac, Tara Hunt and Scott Stratten. If you’re in the tourism industry, I’d say this one is a must-go.

Confoo

When: March 9th-11th

Where: Montreal, Quebec

The Confoo conference held in Montreal, Quebec will be kicking off another coding conference in 2011. This conference won’t interest you unless you’re a coder interested on learning more about Java, .Net, PHP, Python and Ruby. But, if

you are a code-monkey you’ll likely have a lot to take away. Presenters will be walking the developers through programming solutions, security, content management systems, frameworks and databases. Confoo also promises a management portion that includes project management, referencing (SEO), web marketing analysis and social networking. Overall, this sounds like a great conference to attend if you rawk the code.

StartupCamp Montreal 7

When: January 20th, 2011

Where: Montreal, Quebec

Later this month, StartupCamp Montreal will be holding the seventh edition of its event for startup companies. If you’re involved in a startup, this conference will put you in contact with investors, fellow companies and can assist you in working out things like your business pitch. It will also feature speakers such as successful native-Canadian entrepeneur Perry Evans.

Mobile Camp Montreal

When: May 14th, 2011

Where: Montreal, Quebec

This year will be the first ever Mobile Camp Montreal and will focus on all things mobile. It’s still in its infancy although we spoke with the organizers this evening and they tell us they’re confident the event will be a success. “The idea is essentially to act as a central point for mobile enthusiasts, whether they’re into devices, apps, OS or marketing. We’ll have people come talk to us about which devices are the best, what to expect from 2011, where is mobile going, how to properly target the mobile market, how to advertise, how to track, etc etc” the event founder said via email. They’re looking for sponsorship and presenters if you’re inclined to help them pull it off.

This is not a complete list of Canadian conferences, just a few you should think about attending in this coming year. And if you know of a great tech conference in Canada, please give us a shout in the comments.

Source:http://removeripoffreports.net/

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: First &#39;Spider-Man&#39; Action Shots and More <b>...</b>

Darth Vader's other son from another mother [via GeekTyrant]-- A simple post on the official Tumblr for Rian Johnson's time travel movie 'Looper'

Brad Friedman and Desi Doyen: Green <b>News</b> Report: January 18, 2011 <b>...</b>

IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see links below): Scientists warn of a future "superstorm" in CA; Obama to discuss clean energy with Chinese premier's visit?; "Managed retreat" for California coastal town; ABC Reports On Fossil-Fueled Climate ...

Soap <b>News</b>: &#39;AMC&#39;s&#39; Debbi Morgan Has Lyme Disease and More

A few weeks ago we reported that 'All My Children's' award-winning actress Debbi Morgan would be taking some time off from the soap. This week.

foreclosure victims

Boehner’s spokesman raised the spectre of “groups similar to ACORN”, which no longer exists, as a recipient of this money. What it will actually go toward is legal services, defending borrowers who would otherwise have no way to afford access to the legal system.

And this is a state’s rights issue. This bill wouldn’t mandate legal services money; it would allow states to elect, if they so chose, to use their Hardest Hit Fund dollars in the manner to which they see fit. In the typical conservative game, state’s rights mean a lot except when that goes against their ideological goals. Plus, it doesn’t cost a dime, as the money is going to the states anyway. They should get to decide how to use it.

It’s unclear that this legislation is even necessary. Treasury only reverts back to TARP rules when talking about how legal aid services aren’t allowable as recipients, though it showed wide latitude in handing out money to whatever bank wanted a piece previously. But Geithner is insisting on it. His “enthusiastic support” of the House measure belies the fact that there’s no Republican co-sponsor in the Senate, and moving the bill on unanimous consent in the dwindling days of the lame duck session is dubious. If Geithner supports allowing states to decide if foreclosure victims can have access to justice, all he has to do is sign off on it as Treasury Secretary.

The funding problem for foreclosure legal defense is “part of the banks’ strategy,” says Bubba Grimsley, a leading foreclosure defense attorney. Foreclosure defense lawyers have been extremely successful in uncovering robo-signing and a host of other irregularities in the foreclosure process, but they have to be able to sustain themselves:

Exclusive: Huckabee Working With Scam Artist Notorious For Targeting Foreclosure Victims

Fox News personality and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) recently began appearing in television commercials calling for viewers to dial a 1-800 number to sign a repeal petition against health reform called “Repeal It Now.” The ad, a “project of Restore America’s Voice” (RAV), a political action committee run by Huckabee’s friend Ken Hoagland, also directs viewers to a website that solicits donations. “Well now, we’ll do our spanking on the Congress,” says a cheerful Huckabee before claiming that Americans will “rule” again if the petitioned is signed.

Huckabee, who has a history of using his ubiquitous media presence to fundraise for political groups benefiting himself and his family, is again associating with a shady political venture. ThinkProgress has learned that Huckabee is working with a firm notorious for defrauding families facing foreclosure with false promises and predatory fees.

According to disclosures filed with the FEC, RAV’s campaign is managed by a firm called the 949 Media Group. 949 has been paid tens of thousands of dollars to set up RAV’s website and Google search optimization, and receives a regular commission of $10,000 for related media work from RAV. ThinkProgress spoke to a representative from RAV, who told us that 949 is run by an individual named Derek Oberholtzer. According to the representative, Oberholtzer has worked with RAV since the PAC formed in October.

Oberholtzer is well known as a scam artist who has used a myriad of tricks to defraud people out of their money. In addition to 949 Media Group, he started a number of companies, including “Apply 2 Save” (A2S) and Giant Media Works. Consumer report websites are rife with complaints about Oberholtzer’s odious business practices. In one scheme, Oberholtzer paid for radio and other advertisements telling distressed homeowners to contact his company A2S to pay a flat $595 fee to receive assistance in renegotiating their loans or to block a bank foreclosure. The Federal Trade Commission has prosecuted Oberholtzer for deceptive practices. In numerous cases, Oberholtzer took the $595 payment, and never did anything to stop a foreclosure or even contact the mortgage company in question. In many instances he continued billing his customers further fees totaling nearly $1,000 without lifting a finger to actually renegotiate their mortgage or halt a foreclosure, as his “Apply 2 Save” company promised.

On message boards discussing mortgage fraud, story after story details A2S’s trickery. There are heartbreaking tales of families spending their last savings on a lifeline promised by Oberholtzer’s company — only to be defrauded and forced out of their homes.

After receiving over 150 complaints about Oberholtzer’s companies charging up-front fees of over $1,500 without delivering on any foreclosure assistance, the Idaho attorney general banned Oberholtzer from engaging in the home loan business in his state. “Apply 2 Save operated for less than a year, signed up hundreds of clients, and took in millions of dollars,” said Lawrence Wasden, Idaho’s attorney general. “Yet few consumers ever received the mortgage modification services they purchased.” After a successful lawsuit, Wasden was able to win $45,000 from A2S to distribute to Oberholtzer’s victims. In Maryland, Oberholtzer has been served an order to cease and desist after the state commissioner of financial regulation received multiple complaints about Apply 2 Save’s fraudulent scheme. Eventually, A2S was forced into bankruptcy and a wave of legal action in Idaho spurred Oberholtzer to move to California. Oberholtzer also agreed to pay $4 million to settle a civil suit filed by the Federal Trade Commission.

Once he was driven out of the business of defrauding already desperate people facing foreclosure, Oberholtzer became active in Republican politics. The “Repeal It Now” campaign set up by Restore America’s Voice and 949 Media Group claims endorsements from Huckabee, Joe “The Plumber” Wurzelbacher, and somehow from deceased president Ronald Reagan. Olberholtzer also owns inactive domains called electmichele.org (presumably for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), repeality.biz, electme2012.com, and ravpac.info. The “Repeal It Now” campaign Huckabee stars in does nothing to accurately discuss health reform or address the health care crisis. It only exists to rake in donations and spread right-wing hysteria.

As ThinkProgress has reported, there are a number of right-wing consultants who appear to orchestrate campaigns simply to enrich themselves. For example, one of the well-paid leaders of the Tea Party Patriots made a career before the Tea Party movement concocting pyramid schemes with herbal nutrient products and the Tea Party Express is run by an infamous Republican consulting firm known for starting front groups to funnel donations back to themselves. Similarly, people like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich seem to be willing to say or do anything to earn a quick buck. However, Huckabee’s central role in legitimizing fraudsters like Oberholtzer might be a new low, even for the radical right.

how to lose weight fast without a prescription

Giffords&#39; Eye Opening <b>News</b> - Political Punch

President Obama's dramatic news at last night's memorial service in Tucson that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' has just minutes before opened her left eye for the first time since the shooting has created some confusion in light of news from ...

Bad <b>News</b>, About Virgin Mi-Fi and Verizon Upgrades - NYTimes.com

Two announcements this week. Two big bummers. Two good things gone.

Rupert Murdoch&#39;s <b>News</b> Corp In Talks To Buy Daughter Liz&#39;s Shine <b>...</b>

UPDATE: That's the word from UK news media. It's just one of a number of options being considered by Shine, one of the UK's and America's biggest independent production companies -- it bought Ben Silverman's Reveille -- and thought to ...

online reputation management cheap online

The Apple iPhone 4 has almost no where to online reputation management competitor and is currently dominating the smartphone market. The worldwide success story of the device is most certainly well deserved, as the numerous reports of sold out stores, crowds of eager customers in front of stores on launch day and the huge global demand demonstrates this.
Why is the iPhone 4 such an appealing device?
The phone boasts loads of wonderful features which were enhanced buy cheap online reputation management no prescription compared to the earlier models of the series. Nearly all aspects of the phone's specifications were not just simply remodelled but completely revamped. The result is a completely new device and not just a renovated iPhone 3GS.
california telehealth / telemedicine project
Looks:
One of the main visual differences between the iPhone 4 and its earlier models that users will first notice is the aesthetic design. As the handset is only 9.3mm thick, it is officially the slimmest smartphone out there. Its rounded corners provide a somehow online reputation management more angular form than the earlier models. The revamped aesthetic design is the result of the production process where the device is being made from metal and strengthened glass, resulting in a smooth but durable appearance.

Bad <b>News</b>, About Virgin Mi-Fi and Verizon Upgrades - NYTimes.com

Two announcements this week. Two big bummers. Two good things gone.

Blagojevich defense wants Obama subpoenaed - Chicago Breaking <b>News</b>

Attorneys for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich today asked a federal judge to subpoena President Barack Obama to testify in Blagojevich's upcoming corruption trial on charges that include allegations Blagojevich sought to sell Obama's former ...

Black bag found may be tied to Giffords shooting, authorities say

Black bag found may be tied to Giffords shooting, authorities say, TUCSON - Authorities say they have found shooting suspect Jared Loughner's black bag and it contains ammunition and drug store purchases.

Making Money Through

He and several other high-ranking officials in the organization, including GM Jeff Ireland, seemingly traveled cross country because they felt a sense of urgency with talks between Harbaugh and the 49ers becoming serious.

The Dolphins are going to be a tough franchise to battle for the 49ers. They have some of the deepest pockets in the league. People can say whatever they want about the character of a man or what they might do. It's a lot different when a team is offering you more money than most see in a lifetime.

Even if the 49ers can compete with the Dolphins' offer, which was something to the tune of $7 million, Jed York can't compete in a bidding war with Ross, who is in the top 70 richest people in the world.

The 49ers could give Harbaugh the keys to the franchise. They can remind him he is a superstar in the Bay Area. They can feed him lines about the new stadium, where the franchise is headed, the talent, how much they need him, but he's likely to go with whoever pays him.

The sense of urgency has already allowed Harbaugh to see a salary he might not have even dreamed would come his way. Why wouldn't he just sit back and watch the price tag go up. His best bargaining chip right now is that he is a hot commodity.

Forcing teams to feel like they have to give more and more to reel him in is making them do just that. Nobody is backing off yet, and until teams stop throwing incentives at Harbaugh, he should make everyone believe he is highly interested in everyone.

Until teams start to pull back the reigns, the ball is 100 percent in Harbaugh's court. This will be a fun week for Harbaugh, and he shouldn't cut it short by prematurely signing any deals. The Dolphins looked past the fact they have yet to fire head coach Tony Sparano and throwing record money at him before he coaches one professional game. Other teams may come knocking, and even if they don't, Harbaugh is going to be living comfortably, as one of the league's wealthiest and most powerful coaches.

The Middle East’s largest online auction and buying site has decided auctions are so last decade.

From the beginning of 2011 sellers won’t get the option to sell their products in an auction. It’s fixed price, or none at all.

The decision comes as a shock to many as Souq.com, which opened its doors to the public in 2005 and has since launched in 5 countries in the region, has always been portrayed as the eBay of the Middle East. At least in terms of online auctions, not anymore.

“We (and most of our sellers) want to offer the best online shopping experience to users in the region, and this is one step along the way to support this goal.” said CEO and Founder of Souq.com Ronaldo Mouchawar in an email about the recent shift.

This change, as most in life, will have its supporters and detractors. The good thing is, it looks like a only slim minority might end up annoyed.

To illustrate the above, lets say you’re a painter and you work from home during your spare time. I’m one of those who believe art has no price, but since it’s good to have paint to create priceless masterpieces, putting the occasional price tag on your work isn’t entirely evil. The only problem with that is how do you put a price tag on art in the first place? Van Gough considered giving money for art is as important as being an artist yourself. That’s where auctions come in strong.

By putting up a painting to sell through an auction, the seller allows the highest bidder to give her as much it takes to win the auction, or otherwise ask to ‘Buy Now’ according to a price the seller sets. Will this shift be good for those who realistically don’t know how much their work is worth? I would say no.

On the flip-side regional retail stores tend to invest large amounts of money to put their products online on their own, and usually fail miserably. Many factors come into play, but the most obvious are a large user base and an easy to use website to buy from.

This encouraged Souq.com to build a platform for merchants and retail stores to offer their products on Souq through fixed prices (almost all the time), and through Souq Stores which are customizable online outlets for retailers such as UAE’s 
bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

bench craft company reviews bench craft company reviews

Transfer <b>news</b>: Arsenal to move for Gary Cahill or Per Mertesacker <b>...</b>

With Squillaci and Vermaelen injured, Wenger admits a centre-back is a January priority.

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Digital Photography Review

Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 samples gallery: Just posted: Olympus XZ-1 sample photos. While we were attending CES in Las Vegas, we were offered a full, production-standard version of the latest enthusiast compact from Olympus.

This Week&#39;s Health Industry <b>News</b> - NYTimes.com

An F.D.A. panel considers what to do about menthol flavoring in cigarettes.

Making Money Cash

The Florida Gators (7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play) actually were awarded a bowl bid with a hefty financial payout ($3,100,000) based on past performance.

No other explanation of why Florida is in the Outback Bowl really makes any sense.

Florida will be playing in Tampa against Penn State while South Carolina will face Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl (awarded to the SEC’s No. 5 finisher) and Mississippi State  (who beat Florida straight up and finished a game ahead overall) will play Michigan in the Gator Bowl (meant for the SEC’s No. 6 team).

Who cares that Florida was “less than Florida” this year.  We all know they’ll rebound, and it just seems more like a big game with them than without them.

 

Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl

Who Should be Playing:   Kentucky vs. Syracuse (SEC No. 8 vs. Big East No. 5)

Syracuse finished 2010 with at a better than expected 7-5 mark overall and went 4-3 in Big East play.  Regardless of how good this was it still puts the Orange a step below Pitt who finished (disappointingly) 7-5 overall and 5-2 in conference.

Regardless, Pitt has been shuffled southwards to the BBVA Compass Bowl (meant for the No. 5 Big East team) while the Orange will participate in the first-ever Pinstripe Bowl (hey, that’s played in New York isn’t it?) that is supposed to be awarded to the Big East’s No. 4 finisher.

Seriously? This is the question of the day? When people are still voicing serious and legitimate concerns about the rest of the economy? We're talking about a company with enough money in the bank to make a Goldman Sachs-sized investment in Facebook if it wanted to, more than triple the amount Dell had in the bank at the end of the last quarter, plus more than five times the amount HP had too, while we're at it.

Let's look at a number for a minute: Apple has 51 billion dollars in cash. That's 51,000,000,000 bucks. Or, approximately the amount of money it takes to fill a vault-slash-swimming-pool. Who has that kind of money these days and didn't get it via government bailout? Apple, that's who. What is its secret? It made that money the old-fashioned way, by selling new-fashioned things.

In a time when few companies are profitable and everyone's excited about a flat line since it isn't a downward curve, Apple is making money iHand over iFist. One could presume from this that analysts and others who watch CNBC professionally would be excited about a company with growth and profitability in the current climate. However, that's not the case.

Remember when Apple wasn't doing well? Those bygone days when people may have actually believed the name of the company was "Beleaguered Apple Computer?" Well, once Uncle Steve made his return in 1996, that started to turn around. Apple Computer started making things that start with "i," and in 2001 with the launch of the iPod, Apple was officially cool again. You know, unless you were an analyst on Wall Street, in which case Apple wasn't cool, it was just less lame than before. But seriously, have you seen what sort of stock prices Dell and HP have these days? Now those are tech companies.

I call shenanigans! Now, instead of being impressed with profitability, the question is "Oh sure, you're all profitable, but can you stay that way?" Apple hasn't proven that yet? Explain to me how making ANY money in a time of unprecedented financial volatility is something that gets played down. What will it take before Apple gets a fair shake? A brand new device that sells a million units in three months? Try two and a half. A new version of the same thing released a year later, how long did that take to sell a million? Three days.

Find and replace "Apple" with a non-tech company in some of these articles and see if it still makes as much sense. Just the iPhone product line by itself is bigger than Coca-Cola, but Apple still gets dismissed like this?

Someone needs to have a little heart-to-heart talk with some of these guys. Apparently they've all had their heads down in their BlackBerrys for so long that they don't realize it's cool these days to carry around something Designed In Cupertino. Clearly a lot of other people have figured it out -- what's stopping Wall Street from seeing the light?

free rental agreement forms

&#39;Breaking Dawn&#39; <b>News</b>: Producer Explains How They Plan to Tackle <b>...</b>

'Vampires doing kicks.' 'Soft porn.' 'A crime against our audience.' 'Newlywed tension.' Fear not, Twi-hards, your beloved movie franchise will not.

Star Wars Complete Saga Blu-ray <b>news</b>: release in September, 30 <b>...</b>

This might not be the 'most impressive' Star Wars announcement you were looking for. Not that it's a bad thing the complete saga will be.

Atlanta Hawks Off Day <b>News</b> and Notes - Peachtree Hoops

Opinions and Reactions to the Atlanta Hawks 110-87 victory over the Utah Jazz.

How to Making Money

The Weekly Standard blows the lid off another non-scandal -- and, in the process, all but begs House Republicans to conduct a wasteful and inane investigation:

HHS is Paying Google with Taxpayer Money to Alter 'Obamacare' Search Results (Updated)

The brazenness of the Obama administration never ceases to amaze. Try typing "Obamacare" into Google, and you'll find that the first entry is now the Obama administration's www.healthcare.gov. If you don't particularly like that result, you'll probably hate the fact that you're paying for it.

...

Using taxpayers' money to alter the results of search engines and to control the flow of information is disturbing on multiple levels. It's particularly disturbing when it's done to promote a massive expansion of government power, like Obamacare. And one wonders how – or if – it's even legal. 

Perhaps the new House of Representatives will want to ask the unelected Secretary Sebelius to explain how, or why, she thinks such use of taxpayers' money to promote a particular -- and highly unpopular -- political agenda is legally or substantively justifiable.

This is dumb, even for the Weekly Standard (though not too dumb to get Townhall in a lather.) 

"Obamacare" isn't a "political agenda," it's a government program, passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. The government has a natural and appropriate interest in making sure the public knows how a new government program works. The public, quite obviously, has such an interest as well.

Buying ads on Google isn't "control[ing] the flow of information," it's buying ads. It isn't a nefarious bribe to get Google to alter search results; it's how Google ads work. Here's the first example that popped into my head:

See what happened there? I typed "the weekly standard" into Google's search box, and Google put an ad for the Weekly Standard atop my search results. That's exactly what happened with the www.healthcare.gov ads in question. Here's a screenshot, from Politico's Ben Smith:

So, this is nothing more than the government buying ads, exactly -- exactly -- like The Weekly Standard does. Is that a scandal? Of course not. The government buys ads all the time. Like those military recruitment commercials you probably see a few hundred times a year. I haven't seen the Weekly Standard denounce that as an illegal use of taxpayer money to promote a political agenda by controlling the flow of information. Good thing, too: Such a complaint would be stupid.

Even the long fawning UK press is now saying what any startup who has tangled with the music industry has said all along: Spotify will not be able to launch its free any-song-you-want-to-hear-the-second-you-want-to-hear-it service in the US. The Telegraph is reporting that at the last minute the labels demanded too much upfront cash, killing a hard negotiated potential deal.

This is sad, but not a surprise. Despite all the reasons consumers would love it and labels should be empowering a rival for iTunes, the labels are in defensive mode and have never been rational when it comes to these things. My issues with how Spotify has handled this aside, I actually didn’t want to be right on this one. It’s a sad day for users.

But this will be the interesting thing to watch: Does Spotify just roll these we’re-definitely-launching-in-the-US assurances forward to 2011, the way the company has the last two years or does it pivot, and focus on building a profitable site for Europe and other less guarded pockets of the emerging world? In the Telegraph link above an unnamed source says the year of brutal negotiations has forced Spotify to “stop and think about whether it can afford the move to the US and indeed whether it is worth it,” while the article quotes a Spotify spokesman as saying the negotiations are “on-going.” Oh, Spotify.

Here’s my advice: Pivot. Spotify has spent two years, and undoubtedly plenty of money and focus, fighting what was always a Don Quixote like battle to make the US labels listen to reason. This is the same industry who sued their users. It was a valiant effort, but it didn’t work. We can argue why they should back Spotify all day long, but the last two years has proven that they are just not going to listen without Spotify having to make some major concessions.

I think Spotify should walk instead of making those concessions. No matter how hot of a startup you are, money and time are exhaustible commodities. Spotify should start directing them at challenges elsewhere until there is enough of a sea-change in the US music market that labels see reason. Giving into the labels’ demands isn’t the answer. Instead, Spotify should retreat, build in other countries, perfect its model, get to profitability, and then come back to this market when the labels are weaker and Spotify is stronger, boldly proving cynics like me flat wrong. Use your international headquarters as an advantage, not a liability.

Spotify board member Klaus Hommels told me in an interview late last year that he believed Spotify may be the venture industry’s last-ditch effort to build an online music company. (Other than Pandora, of course, the online music company with nine-lives that finally won the right to exist.) He told the labels in negotiations that if they opted instead to drain Spotify’s venture cash and leave it for dead the way they have to so many others, they may never get another hot upstart to back. And that would resign them to an Apple dominated world.

He may be right. So why not play the long game, instead of the short one?

(Note: Don’t worry, I’ve put two dollars in the TechCrunch Pivot/Swear Jar.)

surface encounters surface encounters

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters surface encounters rock tops

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters surface encounters

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters surface encounters noblesville

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters macomb
surface encounters michigan

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters rock tops
surface encounters noblesville

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters macomb mi
surface encounters rock tops

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters macomb
surface encounters macomb

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters noblesville
surface encounters

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters michigan
surface encounters macomb mi
surface encounters macomb mi

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters macomb
surface encounters macomb

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters noblesville
surface encounters rock tops

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters rock tops
surface encounters noblesville

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters
surface encounters macomb

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters rock tops

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters macomb
surface encounters macomb mi

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters macomb mi
surface encounters macomb mi

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters
surface encounters macomb mi

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters michigan
surface encounters michigan

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters rock tops
surface encounters macomb mi

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters rock tops
surface encounters

Bad <b>news</b>: Obama&#39;s Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal « Hot Air

Bad news: Obama's Hawaiian vacation rental was illegal.

Climate <b>News</b> Snooze? - NYTimes.com

Coverage of human-driven climate change implodes. And so?

ABC <b>News</b>: Michele Bachmann Considering Presidential Bid : Roll Call

Tea party darling isn t ruling out 2012 challenge to President Barack Obama.

surface encounters