personal financeonline personal finance

penis enlargement

Least Shocking <b>News</b> of the Day: Amy Fisher to Star in Quartet of <b>...</b>

This is shocking but true: Amy Fisher is officially a porn star. She has four adult movies in the works, starting with The Making of Amy Fisher: Porn Star.

Transfer <b>news</b> England goalkeeper David James agrees to sign for <b>...</b>

England keeper goes from World Cup finals to the Championship.

Where all the <b>news</b> is good <b>news</b> - Canada - Macleans.ca

ZoomNB, a free monthly dedicated to reporting good news only.

internet marketing course

Least Shocking <b>News</b> of the Day: Amy Fisher to Star in Quartet of <b>...</b>

This is shocking but true: Amy Fisher is officially a porn star. She has four adult movies in the works, starting with The Making of Amy Fisher: Porn Star.

Transfer <b>news</b> England goalkeeper David James agrees to sign for <b>...</b>

England keeper goes from World Cup finals to the Championship.

Where all the <b>news</b> is good <b>news</b> - Canada - Macleans.ca

ZoomNB, a free monthly dedicated to reporting good news only.

big white booty

foreclosure homes

RealtyTrac, as reported on Housing Wire, gave a gloomy update on the US housing market. RealtyTrac does granular collection of data on foreclosures, capturing every filing. One of the shortcomings of this approach is that processes vary by state (as in some state require more court filings over the course of a foreclosure than others). In addition, homes can go in and out of foreclosure (an owner gets the first notice, contacts the servicer and works out a catch-up plan, and later falls behind again). So the commentary of RealtyTrac and other market participants is essential in interpreting the data.

The key takeaway:

James Saccacio, CEO of RealtyTrac, said at the current pace, more than 3m properties will receive a foreclosure filing by the end of the year, and lenders will repossess more than 1m of them. According to a report from the Toronto-based Capital Economics, the weight of the shadow inventory may contribute to a double dip in the housing market. The report found that for every home currently on the market, two homes are waiting to be sold.

“The roller coaster pattern of foreclosure activity over the past 12 months demonstrates that while the foreclosure problem is being managed on the surface, a massive number of distressed properties and underwater loans continues to sit just below the surface, threatening the fragile stability of the housing market,” Saccacio said.

Yves here. The scary part here is this estimate of market overhang refers only to foreclosed and distressed property. There is another category of hidden inventory, people who would like to sell but aren’t even listing their houses. These would include people who want to relocate, aging individuals who’d like to downsize and had hoped to be able to liberate some equity.

More detail from HousingWire:

Foreclosure filings decreased 3% in June after another 3% drop in April. It’s the third straight month of declines. Foreclosure filings were down 7% from June 2009. Despite the recent downward swing, June marked the 16th straight month of more than 300,000 filings.

For the second quarter of 2010, foreclosures dropped 4% from Q110 and remained 1% above Q209. As default and auction notices fell, REOs increased 5% from the last quarter and 38% from Q209. It’s the most REOs measured in a quarter since RealtyTrac began publishing the reports in January 2005.

“The second quarter was a tale of two trends,” Saccacio said. “The pace of properties entering foreclosure slowed as lenders pre-empted or delayed foreclosure proceedings on delinquent properties with more aggressive short sale and loan modification initiatives. Meanwhile the pace of properties completing the foreclosure process through bank repossession quickened as lenders cleared out a backlog of distressed inventory delayed by foreclosure prevention efforts in 2009.”

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

This graph shows the Notices of Default (NOD) by year through 2009, and for the first half of 2010, in California from DataQuick.

Although the pace of filings has slowed, it is still very high by historical standards.

From DataQuick: California Mortgage Defaults Hit Three-Year Low; Foreclosures Rise

The number of California homes pushed into the formal foreclosure process between April and June dropped for the fifth consecutive quarter to the lowest level in three years. The declines were greatest in the most affordable areas, where foreclosure activity continues to fall from extremely high levels over the past two years, a real estate information service reported.

A total of 70,051 Notices of Default ("NODs") were filed at county recorder offices during the April-to-June period. That was down 13.6 percent from 81,054 for the prior quarter, and down 43.8 percent from 124,562 in second-quarter 2009, according to San Diego-based MDA DataQuick.

Last quarter's total was the lowest since second-quarter 2007, when 53,943 NODs were recorded. The peak was in first-quarter 2009 when 135,431 homeowners received foreclosure notices.

"Obviously, motivated sellers and accommodating lenders have played a part in bringing the default filings down, especially when it comes to short sales. Public policy has also been a factor. We also need to remember that prices have come up off bottom over the past year. If they continue to rise, fewer homeowners will find themselves under water, which is a significant factor in letting a home go," said John Walsh, DataQuick president.
...
The number of Trustees Deeds (TDs) recorded, which reflect the number of houses or condo units lost at the end of the foreclosure process, totaled 47,669 during the second quarter. That was up 11.2 percent from 42,857 for the prior quarter, and up 4.4 percent from 45,667 for second-quarter 2009. The all-time peak was 79,511 in third- quarter 2008.

As I've noted before, in terms of new NOD filings the peak was probably in 2009. A few key points:

Because of the number of homes in the foreclosure pipeline, the number of distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) will probably increase throughout 2010 - even as NODs decline.

As prices fall later this year, we might see another pick up in NODs.

Although NODs will decline in 2010 from 2009, the number will still be very high. The number of filings in the first half alone is at the peak of the previous housing bust.

penis enlargement

App review: BBC <b>News</b> on iPad &amp; iPhone | Econsultancy

Despite concerns expressed by commercial rivals, the BBC's first iPhone and iPad apps were released last week, with BBC News the first release.

Football Spy transfer <b>news</b> video: The latest on moves for Sol <b>...</b>

Sol Campbell, Javier Mascherano, Mario Balotelli and Manuel Almunia feature on today's Football Spy Show.

EU launches antitrust probes of IBM | Business Tech - CNET <b>News</b>

The two investigations by the European Commission surround alleged abuse of the company's dominant market position in the mainframe market. Read this blog post by Sam Diaz on Business Tech.

internet marketing course

App review: BBC <b>News</b> on iPad &amp; iPhone | Econsultancy

Despite concerns expressed by commercial rivals, the BBC's first iPhone and iPad apps were released last week, with BBC News the first release.

Football Spy transfer <b>news</b> video: The latest on moves for Sol <b>...</b>

Sol Campbell, Javier Mascherano, Mario Balotelli and Manuel Almunia feature on today's Football Spy Show.

EU launches antitrust probes of IBM | Business Tech - CNET <b>News</b>

The two investigations by the European Commission surround alleged abuse of the company's dominant market position in the mainframe market. Read this blog post by Sam Diaz on Business Tech.

big white booty

web internet marketing

The SmartScreen team just informed me that we’ve reached an amazing milestone – Internet Explorer 8 has blocked 1 billion attempts to download malware!

Socially engineering attacks like malware are a growing threat on the internet and are one of the most common risks to people’s safety online. We introduced malware protection in Internet Explorer 8 as part of the SmartScreen Filter and have talked about it on the Windows Experience Blog a couple of times over the last year.

Here are a couple of quick facts about Internet Explorer and malware as we hit this 1 billion blocks milestone:

• NSS Labs have recognized the Internet Explorer 8 SmartScreen Filter as a leader in protection against Socially Engineered Malware in their August 2009 and March 2010 reports which compared Internet Explorer 8 to Chrome, Firefox and others.


• Our malware block rates continue to improve because we continue to improve the SmartScreen service back-end. For example, in August 2009 we had blocked about 70 million attempts to download malware or about 18 million blocks per month. At the time, according to Net Applications, about 15% of the internet population used Internet Explorer 8. In the last two months, we’ve blocked 100 million attempts to download malware. Last month, according to Net Applications, nearly 26% of the internet population uses Internet Explorer 8. There are 1.7 times more users on Internet Explorer 8 than August 2009 but we’re blocking 5 times more malware month on month.

1 billion malware blocks is an amazing milestone and an example of two things. First socially engineered attacks like malware continue to be a real threat for users on the web. Second, to help keep you safe online your browser needs to continually enhance and improve its service. We have got better and better at blocking malware through the SmartScreen Filter because we have continued to invest in our back end service since we released IE8 in March 2009. It’s this investment that has kept us at the top of the socially engineering malware charts according to NSS Labs and has helped our customers stay safe online.

If you haven’t already upgraded to Internet Explorer 8, now would be a great time to do so at www.microsoft.com/ie . If you’ve already upgraded, you can check that SmartScreen Filter is enabled by going to the Safety Menu and clicking on SmartScreen Filter. If the menu gives you the option to “Turn Off SmartScreen Filter”, the SmartScreen Filter is switched on.

 

James Pratt, Senior Product Manager

Internet Explorer Business and Marketing Team

Old Spice’s marketing gimmick—a macho guy played with a wink by Isaiah Mustafa—has reached a crescendo on TV and the Web. Tricia Romano on the evolution of black male sex symbols.

From the moment the Old Spice commercial featuring Isaiah Mustafa aired in February America swooned. Who, we wanted to know, was this dashing, tall, dark and handsome figure with impossible abs, a gleaming smile, and a twinkle in his eyes? (Oh, yes, and riding on a horse. One mustn't forget the horse).

Mustafa quickly became a household face—if not name—as the original commercial eventually racked up 13 million views on YouTube.

He's hot enough to make celebrity lesbian Ellen DeGeneres giggle like a school girl when he visited her set, causing her to beg him to recite his Old Spice lines.

Old Spice Guy Hangs Up His Towel

And this week, on the heels of its second installment in the series (featuring Mustafa swan diving into a jacuzzi and landing on a motorcycle), the company invited people to ask questions of "Old Spice Man" on Twitter which Mustafa answered in 30-second clips on YouTube. The result was an instant viral success—the Old Spice YouTube channel was ranked No. 1 on the website. (At least one person wasn’t impressed: Sockington the cat—who has resisted using his popularity for commercial purposes—threw up his paw: “HELLO @OLDSPICE much interest at your viral marketing campaign at sockington hq/litterbox I AM A CAT WITH 68 TIMES MORE FOLLOWERS discuss.”

Sockington’s dissent aside, the success of the Old Spice commercials hinges not only on the clever, almost absurdist imagery and writing, but on Mustafa and his inherent sex appeal.

The Root argued this week in an essay called, "Why The Old Spice Guy Is Good For Black America" that "the success of the Old Spice Guy ... might actually be a sign that being a black man in America is getting slightly easier." Cord Jefferson points out that not so long ago, the black man's role in advertising was as a scary figure to contrast against the white so-called gentlemen; or more recently, as a subservient figure.

I'll go one further than Jefferson: The Old Spice Guy isn't just good for Black America, Mustafa's place in the pop culture pantheon is good for all of America.

As Farai Chideya, former NPR journalist and host of forthcoming radio show, Pop and Politics Radio, explained to me, "You have certain black actors who could sell things, but they usually did them in these nonsexual ways, like Bill Cosby and Jello. Then you had people who were sexual like Billy Dee Williams, who pitched a brand for a black audience," she said. "This is something new where it's for a mainstream, general mixed-race audience."

Caption: Mustafa filmed video responses to some of his lucky Twitter followers, including actress Alyssa Milano.

The choice of a black man as the desired sex object for a national advertising spot aimed at mainstream America, which is to say white America, is particularly perfect right now. It's hard to say whether Mustafa and Old Spice would have paired up 10 or 20 years ago, unless he was a famous star athlete like O.J. Simpson. One could argue that having a handsome black president has softened a lot of people’s ideas of what’s attractive and sexy—Obama’s shaky polls notwithstanding.

Interestingly, Old Spice had another black spokesman before Mustafa: Terry Crews. The hyperactive ad series featured the ex-NFL linebacker topless and yelling in an intense (and funny) way. Chideya says of Crews: "He's not as handsome as Isaiah, but he's also really funny in a way that's more within the black vernacular." Of Mustafa, she says, "This guy is no doubt black, but he's someone who is the modern, urbane, living-in-a-post-racial-Fort Greene kind of a guy."

While Obama braves the fast-moving political tide (we love him, we are irritated and disappointed with him, we loathe him, we love him again), here is this other stunningly handsome, funny black man on our TV, transcending color lines, with—it should be noted—a Muslim name.

how to lose weight fast

Novoflex releases Nikon G to Canon EOS mount adapters: Digital <b>...</b>

Novoflex releases Nikon G to Canon EOS mount adapters: Novoflex has announced the EOS/NIK-NT lens adapter for using Nikon F mount lenses without aperture rings on Canon EOS bodies. The -NT version differs from the existing EOS/NIK ...

Going Global: George Stephanopoulos And ABC <b>News</b> Execs Discuss New <b>...</b>

Earlier this week, ABC News launched a new iPad application that adds a twist to the way most apps present the news: a third dimension. Fire up the app and you're immediately faced with a nifty-looking globe that's covered in headlines ...

Fox <b>News</b> Audience Just 1.38% Black

Fox News may be the undisputed ratings champion in cable news, but not among black viewers. The New York Times' Brian Stelter tweeted that, according to Nielsen Media Research, Fox News has averaged just 29000 black viewers in primetime ...

1 internet marketing

The SmartScreen team just informed me that we’ve reached an amazing milestone – Internet Explorer 8 has blocked 1 billion attempts to download malware!

Socially engineering attacks like malware are a growing threat on the internet and are one of the most common risks to people’s safety online. We introduced malware protection in Internet Explorer 8 as part of the SmartScreen Filter and have talked about it on the Windows Experience Blog a couple of times over the last year.

Here are a couple of quick facts about Internet Explorer and malware as we hit this 1 billion blocks milestone:

• NSS Labs have recognized the Internet Explorer 8 SmartScreen Filter as a leader in protection against Socially Engineered Malware in their August 2009 and March 2010 reports which compared Internet Explorer 8 to Chrome, Firefox and others.


• Our malware block rates continue to improve because we continue to improve the SmartScreen service back-end. For example, in August 2009 we had blocked about 70 million attempts to download malware or about 18 million blocks per month. At the time, according to Net Applications, about 15% of the internet population used Internet Explorer 8. In the last two months, we’ve blocked 100 million attempts to download malware. Last month, according to Net Applications, nearly 26% of the internet population uses Internet Explorer 8. There are 1.7 times more users on Internet Explorer 8 than August 2009 but we’re blocking 5 times more malware month on month.

1 billion malware blocks is an amazing milestone and an example of two things. First socially engineered attacks like malware continue to be a real threat for users on the web. Second, to help keep you safe online your browser needs to continually enhance and improve its service. We have got better and better at blocking malware through the SmartScreen Filter because we have continued to invest in our back end service since we released IE8 in March 2009. It’s this investment that has kept us at the top of the socially engineering malware charts according to NSS Labs and has helped our customers stay safe online.

If you haven’t already upgraded to Internet Explorer 8, now would be a great time to do so at www.microsoft.com/ie . If you’ve already upgraded, you can check that SmartScreen Filter is enabled by going to the Safety Menu and clicking on SmartScreen Filter. If the menu gives you the option to “Turn Off SmartScreen Filter”, the SmartScreen Filter is switched on.

 

James Pratt, Senior Product Manager

Internet Explorer Business and Marketing Team

The big idea

Harbinger Capital Partners took a majority stake in LightSquared back in March. At that time Harbinger laid out an ambitious proposal that uses the spectrum holdings of two satellite companies as a means to break into the U.S. wireless market. I covered them here:

The planned network would launch before the third quarter of 2011 and cover 9 million people, with trials set initially for Denver and Phoenix. The next milestone is that 100 million people have to be covered by the end of 2012, 145 million by the end of 2013 and at least 260 million people in the United States by the end of 2015. Harbinger said in its statements to the FCC that all major markets will be installed by the end of the second quarter of 2013.

In an interview today, Frank Boulben, chief marketing officer of LightSquared, said the company would meet those dates, and that so far LightSquared has been negotiating leases with the “main tower companies” in the U.S. for space for some of the 40,000 base stations the company, or rather NSN, plans to deploy.

The nitty gritty details

Harbinger is taking advantage of a ruling made in 2003 by the Federal Communications Commission that allows satellite firms to also offer terrestrial wireless services as long as they provided dual-mode devices and the terrestrial aspect of the network is “ancillary.” Seeing the demand for wireless Internet rising, satellite companies and their private equity backers flocked to the space, banking on the fact that the satellite companies owned a chunk of the airwaves that are so essential for providing mobile broadband service.

However, mobile broadband via satellite is a slow, clunky affair that requires large, temperamental devices and delivers speeds of less than 1 Mbps down. Broad adoption, which is what LightSquared will need, requires terrestrial networks to deliver faster service and modern devices on that network that appeal to consumers. Boulben notes that LightSquared will be able to offer partners three options for coverage: satellite-only, terrestrial-only or a combination of the two.

All told, LightSquared has access to 59 MHz of spectrum through its own holdings, a lease agreement with Inmarsat and some other purchases. But only 13 MHz of the 59 MHz of that spectrum will be available for terrestrial-only services. That’s not a large amount for what will likely be the most popular type of service that LightSquared’s reseller partners will want. Boulben says the company plans to deploy its spectrum for LTE in 5×5 MHz chunks (with 5 MHz allocated to the downlink and 5 to the uplink). The breakdown for the spectrum holdings are 46MHz in the so-called L band at 1.6 Ghz, 8 MHz at 1.4 GHz band and 5 MHz at the 1.6 GHz block that’s not in the L-band. Those last two are where the terrestrial-only networks could be deployed.

The issue with the combined network boils down to the device and network speeds. Having a dual-mode device has historically meant big compromises on style and battery life. Plus, satellites can’t offer fast speeds like the LTE network could. Beurbon said that new chips inside devices, to be detailed later this year, make the combined satellite and terrestrial devices less clunky. He also says that a new, larger satellite SkyTerra is launching will help reduce the need for big antennas and battery-draining radios inside handsets or broadband dongles.

The money side of things

The release out today from LightSquared notes that the company has so far received $2.9 billion in assets from Harbinger Capital Partners to make its LTE network a reality and says that it has raised up to $1.75 billion in debt and equity. However, it hasn’t raised the full $1.75 billion yet — merely an initial round. Boulben did not disclose the investors, nor the amount raised so far but said the round was oversubscribed. Given the hype about the looming spectrum shortage and the complexities of spectrum rules and network deployments, I’m not surprised that LightSquared could find investors who see only the increase and demand, but may not understand all of the complexities associated with the spectrum or the requirements of a cellular network. But the key is whether or not LightSquared can get its network operating and generating revenue in time to repay them and also pay NSN. LightSquared did not disclose when it’s initial debt repayment would be due.

The history of satellite companies is littered with bankruptcies and near-bankruptcies, and financing the costs of building out a terrestrial and satellite network aren’t trivial. The debt and equity raised will fund both NSN’s contract as well as the satellite requirements. So while this is an essential first step for LightSquared, the news today is somewhat less exciting than it appears if we’re keeping our eye on the goal of building a nationwide wholesale LTE network.

We have a rebranding of an existing company with a few new faces on the executive team, notably a CEO from Orange and an SVP for engineering and operations from Clearwire, an undisclosed amount of new money into a venture that has already swallowed billions and a contract with a reputable vendor to build out an LTE network at a cost of $7 billion. At this point, the Nokia Siemens Networks adds the most credibility to this whole effort. I hope it gets paid.

Related GigaOM Pro content (sub req’d):
Everybody Hertz: The Looming Spectrum Crisis

Today&#39;s SAG National Board Plenary <b>News</b> – Deadline.com

President Howard said, “This is a positive step toward uniting SAG and AFTRA and good news for our members. The creation of a single performers' union is overdue, and I'm pleased to be working with Roberta Reardon, who's been such a ...

Tech <b>News</b> Sites Tout Misleading BitTorrent Piracy Study | TorrentFreak

Unfortunately, the results of these type of studies are pushed by anti-piracy outfits and taken for granted by outsiders, even by respected news outlets on the Internet such as Ars Technica and ZDNet. In this case their reporters were ...

Colorado <b>News</b>: The Week In Review (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

It's been a wild week for Colorado politics, as major developments the three most-watched statewide primaries have changed the face of the races and brought national attention to Colorado. We've recapped some of the week's biggest ...

how to lose weight fast

personal finance programs

Job opportunities?  What job opportunities.  You have one of the highest, if not the highest, unemployment rates in America. 

Look, it doesn't matter how beautiful a place might be, politics and culture can ruin it.

I've lived in Fresno and Monterey California.  Fresno isn't much, but Monterey was nice.  I've traveled and visited just about every place between San Diego to Oreville and I've panned for gold along the 49er highway.  I've visited every major park.  I've hiked it, I've camped it, sailed it, and I've swimmed it. 

California is truely a beautiful place, but it's politics and culture remind me of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  The silly, job-killing, anti-business, social experiementation sort of cr*p that goes on there borders on the inane--or more accurately the insane.

California is perhaps the most intolerant state I've lived in--and I attended the University of Alabama when Governor Wallace stood in the door--but I had no problems with black students living in my dorm (I'm not from Alabama).  As far as I was concerned, they were just students trying to make a better life for themselves like me.

On the other hand, Conservatives in California are considered lower than pond scum.  See if students will allow a conservative to speak at Berkely or other liberal bastions without protests and interruptions--fat chance.  Despite professing a love of freedom of speech and diversity, most Californians find conservative speech and philosophy repugnant.  They do not want to hear an opposing argument.

For those of you who are not familiar with how intolerant Californian are please visit www.zombietime.com.  I can confirm that the lunatics on display pictured in those protests are in fact typical of liberal protesters. 

Did I mention that the politics there are about as corrupt as it gets?  I'll concede that Boston (lived there) is worse as a city and Illinois is worse as a state, but California is in the bottom 2.5 percent.

Can you name me another state that is 16 billion dollars in debt and wants to spend tax dollars on electronic license plates to advertise while your car is stopped at a red light.  Simultaneously, California is begging the federal government (i.e., everyone else in America) to bail them out?  Never mind that I may not agree with the product or the political position being advertised on the license plate, it will be making the state money.  These people are freaking nuts.

There is something in the water in California that somehow turns an otherwise wonderful place into a toxic political landfill.

Lest you think I've lived a protected life, I've lived in 13 states. I've visited all of the states.  I've lived in Canada.  I've lived in El Salvador (2 years) at the height of the civil war there.  I've lived in Vietnam for a year as a Marine platoon commander.  I've lived in Okinawa and mainland Japan.  And I've traveled extensively around the world in both the military and for business and pleasure.

While California is at the top of my list of beautiful places, it's at the bottom of my list for places to live.  There is more to quality of life than landscape.  Actually, I would prefer to go back to El Salvador than live in California.

When I returned from Vietnam in 1969, I landed in San Francisco on my way to my new assignment.  In those days, we were required to wear our uniforms.  All I wanted to do was to have a drink at the Top of the Mark where my parents once enjoyed a special occasion and my first decent dinner in over a year.  The reception I received from those ever so tolerant San Franciscans was in the form of a constant stream of expletives and intimidation.  My first night back in the US, I got into two fights in which I got my ass kicked being out numbered both times.  I never did get the drink or the dinner.

Right, welcome back for serving your country in a war that the politicians started.  Not much has changed.  They still loath the military while enjoying the freedoms the military guarantees them.

I do not support giving a single tax dollar to California to bail them out of the mess they made for themselves.  You screwed California up--you fix it yourself.

And to answer the rest of your question, while the culture, art, topography, climate, and sports may not be to your liking, I think Alaska and Hawaii (I've lived in both states) beats California hands down.  Alaska is breathtakingly beautiful if unforgiving.  Hawaii has better weather, beaches, sailing, swiming, topography, sports, and despite the fact that Hawaii is a left leaning state, the people are friendlier as well.  Actually, Florida is much better place to live too (born there).

Finally, I survived a major earthquake in El Salvador in October 1986.  It was a horrific event that I will never forget.  Thousands died.  My wife and I were lucky.  Even if California were perfect in every other respect, I would not live in an earthquake zone.  Unless you've survied a major earthquake, you don't know what it's like.

I'm now retired in Florida and enjoying my glass of wine each afternoon watching the sun set in the now oil clogged Gulf of Mexico.  It's still better than California. 

« Previous |

Main

| Next »

President Obama Signs Iranian Sanctions Bill into Law

July 01, 2010 7:22 PM

ABC News’ Yunji de Nies and Sunlen Miller Report:

President Barack Obama signed a new sanctions bill against Iran aimed at “striking at the heart” of that country’s ability to develop nuclear weapons.  It’s a move the President says he did not seek, but one the Iranian government brought on themselves.

“Since taking office, I have made it clear that the United States was prepared to begin a new chapter of engagement with the Islamic Republic of Iran.  We offered the Iranian government a clear choice.  It could fulfill its international obligations and realize greater security, deeper economic and political integration with the world, and a better future for all Iranians.  Or, it could continue to flout its responsibilities and face even more pressure and isolation,” he said, “To date, Iran has chosen the path of defiance.”

Because of those choices, Mr. Obama says the United States and the international community will continue to increase their efforts to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of Tehran. The new sanctions passed by Congress, entitled the ” Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act” limit fuel imports and the ability of foreign banks to do business with the Islamic Republic.

“It makes it harder for the Revolutionary Guards and banks that support Iran’s nuclear programs and terrorism to engage in international finance.  It says to companies seeking procurement contracts with the United States government—if you want to do business with us, you first have to certify that you’re not doing prohibited business with Iran,” the President said.

Even as he increases the pressure on their government, Mr. Obama sought to reassure the Iranian people that “the United States stands with the Iranian people as they seek to exercise their universal rights.  This legislation imposes sanctions on individuals who commit serious human rights abuses.  And it exempts from our trade embargo technologies that allow the Iranian people to access information and communicate freely.”

The President said this is not an irreversible course, and the Iranian government can still choose a path of peace.

“The door to diplomacy is still open.  Iran can prove that its intentions are peaceful,” the President said, “And it remains our hope that they choose this path, even as we are clear-eyed about the difficult challenges ahead.”

- Yunji de Nies and Sunlen Miller

July 1, 2010

| Permalink
| Share
| User Comments (17)

penis enlargement

Cenk Uygur: Why Does Fox <b>News</b> Have More Power Than Any Progressive <b>...</b>

Is there anyone Obama won't fire or throw under the bus if Fox asks him to? What if they ask Obama to fire himself? Would he do it? Or would he just fire Biden and say he met them halfway?

Tina Dupuy: Of Junk Food and Junk <b>News</b>

Watch your average for-profit 24-hour station for one hour. It's all high-fructose hyperbole all the time.

Website users give BBC <b>News</b> redesign grief (and anger, and <b>...</b>

Josh Halliday: The BBC News website aims to engage with its users – who are leaving thousands of complaints – as its new look beds in.

internet marketing course

Cenk Uygur: Why Does Fox <b>News</b> Have More Power Than Any Progressive <b>...</b>

Is there anyone Obama won't fire or throw under the bus if Fox asks him to? What if they ask Obama to fire himself? Would he do it? Or would he just fire Biden and say he met them halfway?

Tina Dupuy: Of Junk Food and Junk <b>News</b>

Watch your average for-profit 24-hour station for one hour. It's all high-fructose hyperbole all the time.

Website users give BBC <b>News</b> redesign grief (and anger, and <b>...</b>

Josh Halliday: The BBC News website aims to engage with its users – who are leaving thousands of complaints – as its new look beds in.

big white booty

budgeting personal finances

In 2006, recent Harvard grad Alexa von Tobel was headed for a job at Morgan Stanley. But though she would soon be managing the bank’s investments, she realized she didn’t know the first thing about her own finances. Most financial guides seemed to be written for middle-aged readers with millions in assets, rather than recent college grads. "I was reading every book I could find, but none of them spoke to me," she says. So she came up with the idea for LearnVest, an online personal-finance resource for young women like her, and ended up writing an 80-page business plan.

After two years at Morgan Stanley, von Tobel entered Harvard Business School in 2008. But upon winning a business plan competition held by Astia, a non-profit that supports women entrepreneurs, she took a five-year leave of absence and invested $75,000 of her Wall Street earnings to start LearnVest in November. She quickly enlisted advisors, including Betsy Morgan, the former CEO of the Huffington Post, and Catherine Levene, the former COO of DailyCandy, to help develop the site’s content and technology. In January 2009, she secured $1.1 million in seed funding from executives at Goldman Sachs.

LearnVest’s site launched a year later and has since signed up more than 100,000 members. It offers online budgeting calculators, video chats with certified financial planners on the company’s staff, and free e-mail tutorials on topics such as opening an IRA. The company earns revenue from advertising and by referring its users to companies such as TD Ameritrade. In April, after just four weeks of fundraising, von Tobel closed a $4.5 million investment round led by Accel Partners, which has also invested in Facebook and Etsy. (Incidentally, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg lived in the same dorm as von Tobel at Harvard.)

Von Tobel likens LearnVest to an online version of The Suze Orman Show, but with the goal of reinforcing positive finance habits early on. “Suze Orman helps 45-year-old women get out of debt,” she says. “Why not reach 20-year-olds to keep them from getting into debt?”

Here’s a timeline of this presentation:

• The question


• The expenses side: What would you cut first in order to survive?


• The income side: How could you double your income next month?

In order to derive any benefit, you’ll need to really adopt the mindset implied in the question. Don’t focus on whether it’s possible, but instead on what would realistically be the first expenses to go and the first steps to replacing the income.

Once you’ve made a list for both sides of the question, you’ll want to review it for any areas that seem realistic, even at your current full income. For example, your first steps may include selling an extra car, canceling an expensive cable package, and slashing your grocery budget in half. In this situation, you’ve likely brainstormed areas of your budget where you aren’t spending as optimally as you may like. You may choose to go ahead and try some of those options out, or at least take steps to narrow the gap between your life at 100% income and your life at 50% income levels.

The same process is important when attempting to make the income back as quickly as possible. Realistic options could include enrolling in a course (applying for aid if needed), launching a side business, and/or picking up new clients or leads. Nearly every time I brainstorm options for doubling my business income, I unearth something I hadn’t thought of before. Acting on these new ideas has helped me tremendously in generating new income (even if it doesn’t immediately double it)!

The next time you’re feeling a bit complacent in your finances, try exploring this simple question. What would be the first expenses you’d cut in order to survive on only half your income? What would be the first steps you’d take if you had to earn it back? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results of this experiment!

online stock trading

Panasonic officially announces DMC-LX5 premium compact: Digital <b>...</b>

Panasonic officially announces DMC-LX5 premium compact: Panasonic has officially unveiled the DMC-LX5, successor to the popular LX3. The latest model features a revised sensor, longer zoom range and improved control layout without ...

Shepard Smith Unloads On Fox <b>News</b>, White House Over Shirley <b>...</b>

Shep Smith laid into his own network Wednesday, calling out Fox News for its role in hyping the Shirley Sherrod story based on an edited videotape (h/t Mediaite). Smith's critique began when he cut into Wednesday's briefing by White ...

Google Tells FTC Enforcing “Hot <b>News</b>” Would Create a Hot Mess

The media industry may be in upheaval as a result of the web, but having the government step in isn't the right response, Google has told the Federal Trade Commission. The search company's comments are a response to the FTC's proposed ...

personal finance and budgeting

In 2006, recent Harvard grad Alexa von Tobel was headed for a job at Morgan Stanley. But though she would soon be managing the bank’s investments, she realized she didn’t know the first thing about her own finances. Most financial guides seemed to be written for middle-aged readers with millions in assets, rather than recent college grads. "I was reading every book I could find, but none of them spoke to me," she says. So she came up with the idea for LearnVest, an online personal-finance resource for young women like her, and ended up writing an 80-page business plan.

After two years at Morgan Stanley, von Tobel entered Harvard Business School in 2008. But upon winning a business plan competition held by Astia, a non-profit that supports women entrepreneurs, she took a five-year leave of absence and invested $75,000 of her Wall Street earnings to start LearnVest in November. She quickly enlisted advisors, including Betsy Morgan, the former CEO of the Huffington Post, and Catherine Levene, the former COO of DailyCandy, to help develop the site’s content and technology. In January 2009, she secured $1.1 million in seed funding from executives at Goldman Sachs.

LearnVest’s site launched a year later and has since signed up more than 100,000 members. It offers online budgeting calculators, video chats with certified financial planners on the company’s staff, and free e-mail tutorials on topics such as opening an IRA. The company earns revenue from advertising and by referring its users to companies such as TD Ameritrade. In April, after just four weeks of fundraising, von Tobel closed a $4.5 million investment round led by Accel Partners, which has also invested in Facebook and Etsy. (Incidentally, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg lived in the same dorm as von Tobel at Harvard.)

Von Tobel likens LearnVest to an online version of The Suze Orman Show, but with the goal of reinforcing positive finance habits early on. “Suze Orman helps 45-year-old women get out of debt,” she says. “Why not reach 20-year-olds to keep them from getting into debt?”

What a fantastic basic concept.

Hitler lost the second world war because he attacked Russia too soon. udervise ve vood all be speeking Deutsch now.

We employed the alternative massively effective budgetting tool.

Be a self employed Engineer for 15 years with take home pay of £50K a year and spend it all (and more besides, because ‘I want one of those NOW’) because ‘my jobs safe’.

Watch as the banks destroy the worlds finances.

Suddenly realise that over 90% of British industry is ultimately owned by Japanese investment banks, who suddenly have no money to fulfill their legal obligations to complete legislation driven improvment projects.

Watch as my £50K a year take home falls to ZERO.

Start a brand new business with Kleeneze (sorry not available in the USA) Which although it’s building really well is , after all, a business and needs time.

Suddenly HAVE to live on £18K a year GROSS.

Best Motivation for re-inventing your budget that anyone can have LOL.

We used to spend about £1,000 a month on groceries, now we spend around £300 a month, AND we eat more healthily.

Fortunately the finance on my car ended a month after our income disappeared saving us £375 a month.

We’ve sold my wifes’ car (THAT hurt) it was a really nice car, but it was costing us £489 a month in finance.

We’ve moved to a cheaper house saving us £400 a month in rent.

We’ve cancelled everything that wasn’t absolutely essential - including SKY and the TV license (It’s true, you don’t die if you turn the telly off!)

We still have creditors who we’re negotiating reduced payments and frozen interest with, but basically we are starting again from scratch.

We won’t fall into the credit trap again

Certainly not in the next six years or more ‘cos no-one in their right mind will give us credit now anyway!!

The one thing that keeps coming back to me though is

WHY aren’t our schools teaching kids how to budget? It’s a thousand times more important than even the basics.

Who cares if you can’t spell budgit if you can make one and stick to it.

It CAN’T be one of the things that are left to parents because nobody ever taught us!

Back to subject,

Your article is brilliant and if it helps one person (which I’m sure it already has) to get out or stay out of debt then you’ve done a service to humanity.

Keep it up &

we’ll see you

OVER the top

internet marketing course

We all require money to live, and while learning about personal finance might not be the most interesting topic for many of us, it is essential. For those that want to get the most out of life learning and understanding personal finance skill is extremely important.

Learn to Save
Many of us are never taught in school how to save, but it is an extremely powerful tool. By saving now, you can plan for the future, live more comfortably, purchase large priced items or do the things that you always wanted. Saving requires discipline, as well as a strategy making it easier for you to sock away hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year.

Learn How to Budget Your Money
Creating a budget is also essential. It is extremely important that each of us knows where our money comes from and how it is spent. Believe it or not, millions have no idea how much money they spend each month or what they spend it on. Many of us are thousands of dollars a year off the mark. If you want to be successful at personal finance, you should learn about budgeting and understand how to effectively use it.

Learn How to Build Credit
Credit is essential in our society. Almost everything we do (buy a home, car, get a job, purchase insurance) all revolves whether we have good credit or bad credit. Credit can either help you or hurt you; building good credit can open up many doors and remove barriers in your life. While building credit can take time and require you to be disciplined and responsible, learning the facets of building good credit is priceless.

Learn How to Invest
Saving money isn't enough; you must understand how to make your savings work hard for you. The difference between saving 40K and $200K over 30 years is the difference between putting money in your mattress or investing money in the stock market. Learning how to invest is essential to achieving your personal finance goals.

For those looking to have a fulfilling life with the fiscal freedom to purchase the things that are needed, as well as the things that you always dreamed about, learning and understanding the above topics on personal finance is essential.





penis enlargement

Project Milo back on Xbox 360 <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our Xbox 360 news of Project Milo back on. ... Latest Features. Milo & Kate Interview . Milo & Kate Hands On . Milo & Kate Interview . Latest Videos. E3: Project Natal - Milo demo 2 June, 2009. Latest News ...

Hyperlocal <b>News</b> Site Fwix Debuts Local Trend Search

Fwix, a news site that offers a stream of hyperlocal, realtime news by location, is launching a new portal today that aims to give anyone a real time view of what's happening in a location. You can access the new search portal here.

AMERICAblog <b>News</b>: BP fakes another oil spill photo, this time of <b>...</b>

News and opinion about US politics from a liberal perspective.

how to lose weight fast

personal finance money management

Wesabe, one of the first personal finance management tools I wrote about when WalletPop was but a young blog, announced today that after July 31 it would no longer operate the accounts tab of the website. In an announcement posted to Wesabe.com Marc Hedlund, CEO of Wesabe, cited the inability to maintain customer support and security on a shoestring budget.



Hedlund, who was known to contact users directly from time to time to help solve support problems, was able to share one bit of good news; the Wesabe Groups section of the website will remain open indefinitely. The "Groups tab," Hedlund explains, is cheaper to host, and it is a great resource to users who have relied on the community to help them make big financial decisions and offer financial advice specific to their situation.



In addition to the "Groups" section of Wesabe, the website was best known for its Data Bill of Rights, which assured users that, "your data belongs to you" and offered the ability for users to upload transaction data from their bank without linking accounts directly to Wesabe. Part of the Data Bill of Rights at Wesabe was the fact that the company did not use a third party solution to manage accounts and security. Instead, Wesabe built its own tool, which likely played a part in the cost of keeping data secure.



What does the closure of Wesabe, which was free, mean for the personal finance management space as a whole? Will you still be able to manage your money online for free next year, in five years?



The good news is that yes, there will still be tools which don't charge users a monthly fee to manage their money, but expect to see a greater focus on ads and tie-in products in these offerings. Ultimately, the personal finance management space will fall into three categories; free with ads, set monthly fee, or at your bank.

Aaron Patzer, the founder of Mint.com (2008), sold his company to Intuit for $170 million and has been ensconced as Vice President and General Manager of Intuit Personal Finance Group. But he hasn't forgotten his entrepreneurial roots. He's using that stack of cash from Intuit to make some angel investments of his own, including a stake in Jack Abraham's Milo.com, which is on this year's list. And he's also an informal advisor to Anapata's Ooshma Garg.

When he appeared on the 30 Under 30 list in 2008, Etsy founder Rob Kalin had just hired a professional CEO and given up day-to-day management responsibilities. But last December, Kalin retook the reins. Etsy has thrived since--the company is profitable and has been posting double-digit monthly sales gains. In his spare time, Kalin is working on a second company, Parachutes.org, an online education start-up.

Chaim Indig and Evan Roberts, the founders of Phreesia (2008), closed a $16 million Series D investment from Ascension Health Ventures in May. Phreesia, a self-service patient check-in company that makes electronic tablets for use in doctors' offices, will use the investment to expand its nationwide presence.

Involver founders Rahim Fazal and Noah Horton (2008), have added Facebook, the White House, and Sony Music to their client list. Involver, which helps companies and organizations build their video presence across social networking platforms, now supports more than 80,000 brands.

It's been a big year for Ben Lerer and Adam Rich and their company Thrillist (2009). Early in 2010, Lerer and his father Ken, co-founder of The Huffington Post, launched the New York City-based angel fund Lerer Media Ventures. And in the spring, Thrillist made its first acquisition, expanding into the e-commerce space with the purchase of Jack Threads, a flash-sale site for men's streetwear that works similarly to Gilt.com. With the deal, Thrillist diversifies its business, which was heavily dependent on advertising revenue, while Jack Threads will get its name in front of Thrillist's nearly 2 million e-mail subscribers.  "We have the e-mail list and they have the vendor relationships," Lerer says. "The case we made is that it would be just so much easier for them if they didn't have to worry about building the audience."

Box.net's (2008) Aaron Levie and Dylan Smith grew their company more than 535 percent in 2009 and tripled revenue in the first half of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.  Box.net allows users to share, store, and access any type of digital file from anywhere at anytime, and now has more than 4 million users, ranging from SMBs to giants like Volvo, Audi and Coca Cola. The company launched one of the first customized business applications for the iPad, developed mobile applications for the iPhone and Blackberry, and also integrated with other mobile productivity applications. Last April, the founders landed $15M in Series C financing, led by Scale Venture Partners, bringing Box.net's total venture funding to $29.5M.  Levie and Smith plan to invest aggressively in R&D and will add a significant number of employees.

Ben Kaufman (2007) sold Mophie in August of 2007 and began developing Kluster, a platform designed for group decision making and measuring influence. It's Kluster that drives Quirky, the social product development company that Kaufman launched in June 2009.  Quirky develops one new product a week and shares the revenue with the influencers who helped develop each product. Since launch, Quirky has collaboratively developed 46 new products, hit threshold on 16 (the trigger that sends a product into production) and raised $6 million dollars in series A financing led by RRE (also an investor in Venmo, on this year's list.)

internet marketing course

In these tough economic times, many people are stepping up to be heroes of the Internet with financial advice ranging from "invest in gold!" to "don't invest in gold!" Whether you're looking to save more and living frugally or find a job during a recession, these are the best places to look for the most sound advice available on the Internet pertaining to personal finance.

The Simple Dollar
The Simple Dollar provides book reviews, lists, and commentary about handling finances, saving money, and all around spending in a more intelligent way. A great thing to look out for on this site is 31 Days to Fix Your Finances, which is a step-by-step (day-by-day) guide to getting organized in your spending in one month. A great resources for people in debt and those looking to become more frugal, The Simple Dollar is a well-rounded site with a lot of sound, down-to-Earth advice.

Get Rich Slowly
Another great blog, Get Rich Slowly covers savings, investment, and all around money management. Get Rich Slowly is a long-running blog with a lot of great advice about getting out of debt and transforming your life into a frugal, yet enjoyable, experience. Get Rich Slowly has some of the best advice I've read about investing, and the author is very wise in articles, which shows clearly in much of the writing.

Blogging Away Debt
Blogging Away Debt is a couple's journey towards paying off over $37,000 of credit card debt, accumulated after some poor choices and trying to failing in a venture to start a business. They decided something needed to change, and started this blog as a place to collect a lot of advice. With many loyal readers who've got some great input to add, the comments section of this site is not to be ignored. One of the best indebted blogs on the Internet.

Dual Income No Kids
Dual Income No Kids is a blog about personal finance for couples. It covers investing, savings, and making extra money if you should need it. Targeted specifically at couples without children, there are some great tips and insights to be found here. Pay attention specifically to their resources section, which is advice they've found valuable in their ventures and is unpaid.

The Financial Blogger
The Financial Blogger is a website dedicated mostly to financial planning. It includes some advice about choosing banks accounts, alternative income, and others, but the most advice to be found is on financial planning. Additionally, there are some attitude-preserving ramblings which are very entertaining, yet informative. It's a great site for browsing archives on a rainy day.

Living Off Dividends
A very inspiring blog. Living Off Dividends is a one-man blog devoted to talking about passive income. There is, again, some sound advice to be found, and I find that reading the personal stories of the author motivates me to increase my passive income and build a large empire online. If you can't find the motivation to do things, give this website a shot, for it's filled with inspiration.

Frugal for Life
Frugal for Life is a blog about being frugal. It's about living well on what you've got. It targets ordinary people (like you!) who want to live a good, healthy life, but who don't have a lot of money to do it with. A great, recent post on Frugal for Life is Why I Live Frugally (http://frugalforlife.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-i-live-frugally.html), which explains the choices made and the experiences leading up to said choices. It's also very inspirational and makes me want to spend less on things and put more away into savings.

My Dollar Plan
About investing, personal finance, and taxes, My Dollar Plan is an informative blog with some opinion and experience mixed in. A very well-written and inspiring post is 29 Steps I Took to Leave the Workforce at Age 29 (http://www.mydollarplan.com/29-steps-i-took-to-leave-the-workforce-at-age-29/), which I have been following for the last couple months.

Master Your Card
Master Your Card is, "The best credit card blog online," which focuses on, well, credit cards. It also talks about debt reduction, savings, and living frugally, along with some opinion polls for readers. A wealth of information and good tips to living a better life, Master Your Card is not a blog to be ignored.

Budgets Are Sexy
Last but not least is Budgets Are Sexy. A young, 20-something runs this blog with an attitude about sorting out personal finance. Check out the millionaire to-do list, the author's budget, and the best advice pages. They're where most of the great finds lie. Keep a look out for opinion-based posts, as they're highly entertaining, and actually pretty motivating at the same time.

That sums it up for the best 10 money blogs online. I encourage everybody to check them all out, as they each have a separate quality which makes them great. If I've missed any, or you have anything to add, leave a comment at the bottom of the page.


penis enlargement

Robin Hood 702 Strikes Again « Liveshots

On a blistering hot Friday morning in Las Vegas, Nevada, an unusual crew strolls out the VIP.

The Taiwanese <b>News</b> Animates the iPhone 4 Antenna Saga (With Very <b>...</b>

The same Taiwanese outlet that does those Sims-style animations to better illustrate the news has done it again for Steve Jobs and the iPhone 4 antenna saga. No spoilers, but there's a very special guest this time. [Thanks Michael!]

The American Spectator : <b>News</b> Quiz #3

In this contest, readers are again asked to identify the bogus news item. All four items are "reported" in similar style, from The American Spectator News Service (some minor details have been slightly altered). ...

how to lose weight fast

foreclosure statistics

4 Comments

• 
  
  
  

  Note: the video is not showing on iPad.
  
  Any chance of an alternative format (I assume the one on the page is in Flash)?
  
  Thx.

  
  

  Posted by readerOfTeaLeaves | July 9th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

  
  
  






• 
  
  
  

  Parents, Education, & Symptoms

  
  

  Parents have got to get in the game, if they want to continue participating. The education system is an abject failure. It has to be replaced, and the tool is there to do it. Parents do not require permission from government or multinational corporations. Uncontrolled multinational growth is a function of community failure.

  
  

  Of course the multinationals want nations, states, communities and individuals competing against each other; their controlling interests naturally breed on control. Of course they pay the economists to argue that competition is the be all and end all. On the one hand parents are competing in a system designed to ensure they lose, and on the other they attempt to give their own children a comparative advantage over other kids, locking failure in for the community.

  
  

  The best thing parents can do is build strong, independent communities, so all kids can be successful. In net, parents are isolating their children into a competition with the multinationals, while their own governments are offering them a near-term profit to dissolve their families, paid for by the multinationals, which the governments are competing for, by giving them your money, your property, your taxes, and your ideas. And what makes it all work is parents competing to get in their cars and go shopping to feed the multinationals.

  
  

  Economies are self-correcting. Multinationals cannot change their behavior. They destroy their own food chain, new families, by economic design. The multinationals are writing the laws, to which parents are subjected, and to which the multinationals are exempted, in a political system paid for by the parents. If the community is simply an extension of the State, the system may only liquidate. A constitution is designed to protect the State from itself. Only a community can protect liberty, and liberty is the path to the future.

  
  

  Much of America is a victim of its own success. The multinationals have grown alongside strong communities. GDP measures consumption cost. It in no way measures investment or profit. The multinationals are simply a looking glass, and what parents see is what they want to see. Politicians tell parents whatever they want to hear, largely that the problem is government or corporate.

  
  

  Yes. The more you shop, the longer it will take for the machine to target you, but the machine has caught up to everyone now. An American flag does not make a multinational American. Because some communities choose to be fat, dumb, and lazy in no way limits other communities. Liberty is not subject to majority vote. If a majority jumps off a bridge, will you?

  
  

  Anything is fixable, if the right people are in charge. In this case, the parents have to take charge of the economy. There is always a reservoir of goodwill for children somewhere. When you have ruled everything else out, what remains, no matter how improbable, is the solution. Not so ironically, Barack Obama was a community organizer.

  
  

  So long as those cleats hold onto the bank, and you have a good strong rope of small businesses, we’ll pick that $500T load.

  
  

  Right now, your problem is RICO organization of multinationals through every level of government to preempt participation by small family businesses, to backfill the economy.

  
  

  Posted by kevinearick | July 10th, 2010 at 4:26 pm

  
  
  






• 
  
  
  

  @readerOfTeaLeaves Unfortunately the video we embedded is from GRIT’s site, and they put it up in flash, so there’s not much we can do. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

  
  

  Posted by Bryce | July 12th, 2010 at 10:57 am

  
  
  






• 
  
  
  

  Thanks Bryce. I came back and viewed it on a ‘not-an-iPad’, but appreciate your explanation.

  
  

  Posted by readerOfTeaLeaves | July 12th, 2010 at 5:41 pm

  
  
  

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

4 Comments

• 
  
  
  

  Note: the video is not showing on iPad.
  
  Any chance of an alternative format (I assume the one on the page is in Flash)?
  
  Thx.

  
  

  Posted by readerOfTeaLeaves | July 9th, 2010 at 11:03 pm

  
  
  






• 
  
  
  

  Parents, Education, & Symptoms

  
  

  Parents have got to get in the game, if they want to continue participating. The education system is an abject failure. It has to be replaced, and the tool is there to do it. Parents do not require permission from government or multinational corporations. Uncontrolled multinational growth is a function of community failure.

  
  

  Of course the multinationals want nations, states, communities and individuals competing against each other; their controlling interests naturally breed on control. Of course they pay the economists to argue that competition is the be all and end all. On the one hand parents are competing in a system designed to ensure they lose, and on the other they attempt to give their own children a comparative advantage over other kids, locking failure in for the community.

  
  

  The best thing parents can do is build strong, independent communities, so all kids can be successful. In net, parents are isolating their children into a competition with the multinationals, while their own governments are offering them a near-term profit to dissolve their families, paid for by the multinationals, which the governments are competing for, by giving them your money, your property, your taxes, and your ideas. And what makes it all work is parents competing to get in their cars and go shopping to feed the multinationals.

  
  

  Economies are self-correcting. Multinationals cannot change their behavior. They destroy their own food chain, new families, by economic design. The multinationals are writing the laws, to which parents are subjected, and to which the multinationals are exempted, in a political system paid for by the parents. If the community is simply an extension of the State, the system may only liquidate. A constitution is designed to protect the State from itself. Only a community can protect liberty, and liberty is the path to the future.

  
  

  Much of America is a victim of its own success. The multinationals have grown alongside strong communities. GDP measures consumption cost. It in no way measures investment or profit. The multinationals are simply a looking glass, and what parents see is what they want to see. Politicians tell parents whatever they want to hear, largely that the problem is government or corporate.

  
  

  Yes. The more you shop, the longer it will take for the machine to target you, but the machine has caught up to everyone now. An American flag does not make a multinational American. Because some communities choose to be fat, dumb, and lazy in no way limits other communities. Liberty is not subject to majority vote. If a majority jumps off a bridge, will you?

  
  

  Anything is fixable, if the right people are in charge. In this case, the parents have to take charge of the economy. There is always a reservoir of goodwill for children somewhere. When you have ruled everything else out, what remains, no matter how improbable, is the solution. Not so ironically, Barack Obama was a community organizer.

  
  

  So long as those cleats hold onto the bank, and you have a good strong rope of small businesses, we’ll pick that $500T load.

  
  

  Right now, your problem is RICO organization of multinationals through every level of government to preempt participation by small family businesses, to backfill the economy.

  
  

  Posted by kevinearick | July 10th, 2010 at 4:26 pm

  
  
  






• 
  
  
  

  @readerOfTeaLeaves Unfortunately the video we embedded is from GRIT’s site, and they put it up in flash, so there’s not much we can do. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

  
  

  Posted by Bryce | July 12th, 2010 at 10:57 am

  
  
  






• 
  
  
  

  Thanks Bryce. I came back and viewed it on a ‘not-an-iPad’, but appreciate your explanation.

  
  

  Posted by readerOfTeaLeaves | July 12th, 2010 at 5:41 pm

  
  
  

Leave a Comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

distractive

AVP console patches &quot;scrapped&quot; <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

I really believe that a decent patch would attract and encourage more people to play, even buy it at the reduced price it is now. Of course the worst thing is, this news comes less than a week after the latest map-pack was released. ...

Lebanon arrests another telecom worker for spying - Arab <b>News</b>

At no time will Arab News attempt to alter the core meaning of a comment. 3. Reject the message, edit the message when the moderators judge it to be a personal attack, defamatory (or potentially defamatory), abusive, incite hatred or ...

An Obama Administration Job for Sen. Specter? - Political Punch

Sources tell ABC News that Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Penn., has informed the White House that he would like to consider remaining in public service after his senate term ends at the end of this session, and White House officials are keeping ...

web site promotion internet marketing

online stock trading online stock trading

WiiWare gets kung fu and air combat Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net

Read our Wii news of WiiWare gets kung fu and air combat.

Internet Firms Accused Of Using &#39;Fake <b>News</b>&#39; Scam

An Internet marketer uses "fake news articles and fake blogs" to direct browsers to its page, then bills people's credits cards without permission, a class action claims in Jackson County Court. The class claims that Pacific Web Works ...

Probably Bad <b>News</b>: Kids Meal Toy Fail - FAIL Blog: Epic Fail Funny <b>...</b>

Actually, this was reported multiple times over. The Mexican newspaper El Universal Mexico ran the story, and the Los Angeles TV station Univision (channel 34) also ran it – both of them as truth. El Universal even “quoted” CAP News. ...

Buying Investments Online

Roundup, deals, VC

RevenueLoan Pushes New Funding Model, Tippr Expands in Group Buying, Microsoft and Google Lure Startups, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Gregory T. Huang 6/8/10

OK, things have started to pick up in terms of deals news around the Northwest. This week was headlined by the activities of a trio of well-known characters in the Seattle tech scene.

—Xconomy had an exclusive in-depth interview with entrepreneur Andy Sack about his new company, RevenueLoan, which has raised $6 million from Voyager Capital, Summit Capital, and Founder’s Co-op. The idea is to make “revenue-based” investments in mostly tech startups. That means instead of taking an equity stake in a company, RevenueLoan will get paid a percentage of the company’s future revenues up to a certain multiplier of its investment (typically 3-5x). I first wrote about this investment model, and how it could shake up the VC ecosystem, last fall.

—Seattle-based BigDoor Media, the Internet startup run by Keith Smith and Jeff Malek, raised $5 million in Series B funding led by Boulder, CO-based Foundry Group. BigDoor has developed a software platform that lets Web publishers add videogame-like mechanics to their sites—things like reward points, leader boards, and virtual goods and currencies—with the goal of boosting traffic and revenues. It’s all part of an increasing trend towards “gamification” of the Web, as led by companies like Zynga and Foursquare.

—Seattle-based Tippr.com, the online group-buying site led by Martin Tobias, acquired Chitown Deals, based in Chicago, for an undisclosed amount. Tippr is now active in 10 cities around the U.S. including Chicago, the hometown of deal-of-the-day giant Groupon. Tippr rolled out its website in February, after acquiring the patent portfolio of Mercata, a former dot-com backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital.

—Not exactly deals per se, but it’s interesting to note that Microsoft and Google are appealing to tech startups and developers in new ways. Bing Maps is providing a software development kit for startups to build location-based applications on top of its maps. Meanwhile, the Google Apps Marketplace added another Seattle-area company’s software to its list of offerings. Napera Networks, which makes network management and security software for businesses, earned that distincition from Google.

Gregory T. Huang is Xconomy's National IT Editor and the Editor of Xconomy Boston. You can e-mail him at gthuang@xconomy.com, call 206-624-2249, or follow him at twitter.com/gthuang.

Roundup, deals, VC

RevenueLoan Pushes New Funding Model, Tippr Expands in Group Buying, Microsoft and Google Lure Startups, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Gregory T. Huang 6/8/10

OK, things have started to pick up in terms of deals news around the Northwest. This week was headlined by the activities of a trio of well-known characters in the Seattle tech scene.

—Xconomy had an exclusive in-depth interview with entrepreneur Andy Sack about his new company, RevenueLoan, which has raised $6 million from Voyager Capital, Summit Capital, and Founder’s Co-op. The idea is to make “revenue-based” investments in mostly tech startups. That means instead of taking an equity stake in a company, RevenueLoan will get paid a percentage of the company’s future revenues up to a certain multiplier of its investment (typically 3-5x). I first wrote about this investment model, and how it could shake up the VC ecosystem, last fall.

—Seattle-based BigDoor Media, the Internet startup run by Keith Smith and Jeff Malek, raised $5 million in Series B funding led by Boulder, CO-based Foundry Group. BigDoor has developed a software platform that lets Web publishers add videogame-like mechanics to their sites—things like reward points, leader boards, and virtual goods and currencies—with the goal of boosting traffic and revenues. It’s all part of an increasing trend towards “gamification” of the Web, as led by companies like Zynga and Foursquare.

—Seattle-based Tippr.com, the online group-buying site led by Martin Tobias, acquired Chitown Deals, based in Chicago, for an undisclosed amount. Tippr is now active in 10 cities around the U.S. including Chicago, the hometown of deal-of-the-day giant Groupon. Tippr rolled out its website in February, after acquiring the patent portfolio of Mercata, a former dot-com backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital.

—Not exactly deals per se, but it’s interesting to note that Microsoft and Google are appealing to tech startups and developers in new ways. Bing Maps is providing a software development kit for startups to build location-based applications on top of its maps. Meanwhile, the Google Apps Marketplace added another Seattle-area company’s software to its list of offerings. Napera Networks, which makes network management and security software for businesses, earned that distincition from Google.

Gregory T. Huang is Xconomy's National IT Editor and the Editor of Xconomy Boston. You can e-mail him at gthuang@xconomy.com, call 206-624-2249, or follow him at twitter.com/gthuang.

Mike Fuljenz Mike Fuljenz

foreclosure law

I have not contributed much to the Moderate Voice during 2010 while I actively posted numerous submissions during 2009. This is due to a variety of factors that some TMV contributors and readers might understand and others may simply dismiss as just worthless excuses.

Throughout 2010, I have continued to read TMV once a day, sometimes dropping by twice as it adds new posts far more frequently than all other major Internet blogs. I really enjoy the many excellent contributions of current bloggers and editors. I constantly tell friends and acquaintances to read TMV as a great alternative to the generally biased, ignorant, and worthless crap incessantly emanating from most other Internet sources. The new commentary system also works well and the reader comments are really worth digesting.

Over the past 6 months, I have started a number of posts and abandoned them because other TMV contributors have written similar and much better articles, printing them as I still labor to finish mine while scrambling on a few part-time contract assignments that might generate some measly income. I am not a journalist so I do not possess that talent or drive to write frequently or even that well.

I have spent most of my life writing but 90% of my work has been dedicated to business and legal memoranda, contract drafting, creating business plans, making governmental applications and responses to regulatory, tax and zoning issues, legal briefs and court filings, and a variety of complex business and legal correspondences on many subjects. I could churn out those “babies” quite rapidly when the prospect of continuing or future financial compensation was involved. My pro bono assistance to some home owners with mortgage and foreclosure issues has not generated any referrals.

Internet blogging is not my strong suit. Some friends and acquaintances have recommended that I also try writing some novels, but decent character and plot development appears to be beyond my abilities. Two longer literary works lay around incomplete and garbled in various computer files. Besides, there have been published millions of literary works by far better writers, all of which can be found all over the Internet and in our bookstores and libraries. One can easily choke on all the cooking books out there today. Its disappointing to realize that my limited past contributions have been pretty useless even when cross-posted on other well-known blogs. I appear to be a prolific “writer” who in reality simply can’t write.

For the second time during my family’s 5-year residence in Arizona, we are being forced to move due to our landlord’s impending foreclosure. Fortunately Federal Public Law 111-22, effective 5/20/09, requires that all tenants receive 90-day’s notice to leave their rented premises from any owner, bank or trustee involved in a mortgage foreclosure, whether they are on a lease or on a month-to-month tenancy. We’re trying to get out of our current digs in less than half that time because the condominium complex is half empty and is no longer being well maintained.

I have nothing against our landlords but they were and are so under water financially with respect to their mortgages and current property values, they really have no sane alternatives. Legally, I can push the envelope to stay put over a longer period of time but our 11-year-old son starts the 6th Grade in Mid August, so what’s the point in fighting to stay in a place that we need to eventually leave? Of course there are additional financial burdens and logistic problems with moving. But in this depressed economy, those are probably not worth complaining about.

I am now on the free-fall toward personal oblivion that occurs to each of us who pass 50 years on this planet. I did not anticipate being in such a miserable financial state a decade ago.

When I complained about the national and global economic mess destroying so many lives in all age groups, two lucky arrogant imbeciles told me that my current plight and those of most individuals are solely our own faults and that we should not look to blame big business, casino banks and financial institutions, “laissez-faire” government, and the complete unleashing of sociopaths during the past 30 years. We should instead blame godless liberals, illegal immigrants, gays, and other lazy minorities for some of the nation’s ills. Overall they told me that I am a whiny socialist who cannot accept my divinely-assigned lot in life.

Naturally I slugged both of these commentators in the stomach and face and yelled a few choice profanities. I really felt better for a few days. I’m a small person and they were much larger individuals, so they fortunately felt nothing physically. I don’t worry about any civil lawsuits for assault though I would enjoy the ruckus I could cause in any Arizona courtroom, not being licensed here. However, writing on TMV, I cannot recommend others engaging in such wacko and uninhibited behavior.

Fortunately my spouse is working full-time and her income covers most all our basic living expenses. She also has a small 401K plan and health insurance for herself and our son. It’s not easy living on net income of around $2,000 a month but it can be done.

I have gone without any meaningful or affordable health insurance for many years. What I have purchased in the past has only been for catastrophic coverage with huge annual deductibles. It’s hard enough financially covering occasional physician visits and medications that fall well below the annual deductible. Others tell me that I am lucky to be generally healthy at my advanced age (50) and that I only require only 2 inexpensive pills to control my high blood pressure.

If I really get sick, I’ll do it on the public dole so the rest of you insured people pick up the tab because I won’t and can’t. Otherwise the U.S. medical industrial complex will simply refuse to assist me unless I come up with money up front. Well we all have to go sometime and my death panel is the quintessential American Capitalist system based upon ability to pay. Since I am not wealthy and not making a lot of money now, I’m really not worth anything to our society. Healthcare reform did not really tackle our bloated, wasteful health system that principally caters to wealthy hypochondriacs.

Over the past year, my small group of wary and sometimes frightened business clients has produced only sporadic work in any given month. Various marketing efforts to other shrinking or stagnating local small enterprises have not proven fruitful. The Phoenix prosperity since 2000 was principally based upon “growth” and when that stopped, so did the overall economy. Endless “job” searches, networking socials, or contract work applications in response to Internet research on various companies, job boards, Craigslist and other sources, have not garnered anything but a few dead-end interviews.

To state the obvious, I join many Americans in an overall sour mood towards our long-mismanaged economy. I have no interest commiserating with a bunch of out-of-work independent contractors and consultants who are as clueless as I am about what to do next. Most of the people inside companies with the authority to make contracts, buy things and services, hire people, and make decisions are no where to be found near any networking groups. I believe our weak economy is actually in the short-term “eye” of the proverbial hurricane, with a lot more permanent danger, wreckage, excitement and disaster coming over the next 2 to 10 years.

Our country has degenerated into a perverted crony capitalist system dominated by a corrupt oligarchy propped up by an Ivy League “meritocracy” that exists on paper only. Those people born into the right families, with the right schooling, networks, friends, and luck are successful financially in the American economy – even if they are wholly ignorant and incompetent. All those anecdotal “evidence” on a few success stories are merely ruses to keep Americans believing in worthless myths about our bankrupt “capitalist” system.

Our oligarchs, business and political leaders are continuously rewarded themselves for greater and greater failures merely because they are on top of our warped and bankrupt economic system. Other successful players in the U.S. economy have chosen crime, gambling and other unregulated activities. I am trying to discover my inner sociopath as I see most successful businesses today being based upon screwing others as quickly as possible, and then disappearing and starting the next short-term scam. Of course, this is only possible in our completely “unregulated” free-enterprise system. Anyone who believes that our economic and political systems are the best in the world is a complete moron.

Our society and economy no longer value or reward those who try to provide worthwhile goods and services to others. Because those with the power in government and our private sector to determine and influence national economic and political decisions are so out of touch with reality, greedy, narcissistic and sociopathic; I hold little hope for this country or even this planet’s long-term future. Our country and people cannot come up with a rationale set of priorities, and balance between competing interests. Some readers may argue with these basic premises, but most facts stubbornly point to my dismal conclusions.

Certainly the lack of any meaningful progress on any domestic or international issues, plus the continuing massive oil gush in the Gulf does not make me a “Happy Camper” during 2010 I have watched this country become consumed by various intellectual cancers: Ignorance, fear, anger, selfishness, extreme political, social and religious polarization, the rise of extremist views, and the overall sense that we as a nation can no longer accomplish anything except yell endless and mindless rants at each other.

TMV has a group of writers and editors that vainly try to speak rationally and sensibly, but compared to the 24/7 din or our superficial media and national obsessions with celebrities and useless new electronic gadgets, does anything matter any more?

To say the least, I’m in a deep funk and depression – all of which is my own damn fault according to some experts. I used to climb out by focusing on bigger issues than those plaguing me, or on other people rather than contemplating myself. Those tactics have not been working for me anymore. I’m not too sure what to do with the few decades I have left on this planet.

I have no interest in doing volunteer work – the ruse of the American right to get Americans to work for free. There are no valuable connections to be made in such work, nor will it ever turn into even modestly paid work at some future date. That’s simply not a viable option when one needs to make some money to survive. Those who propose such pointless alternatives to solve massive national unemployment and under-employment also deserve to be punched in the face.

Now our nation’s arrogant oligarchs and cluelss pundits are preaching miserly governmental fiscal policies as their “recession” has ended. When will the private sector ever grow again – only if it gets more tax cuts and subsidies? It has become more important to constantly worship and serve the gods of our bond and equity markets over the real lives of tens of millions of Americans and their families. What kind of convoluted and short-sighted thought process came up with such stupidity?

My views on all types of political, social and economic issues have been radicalized over the past 10 years and particularly during the past 6 months. This country might need an updated 1789 French Revolution “cleansing” of its powerful political and wealthy economic classes. However, they have successful convinced the masses to get angry at all the other small and powerless groups in the country, based upon all types of useless distinctions, but that has successfully deflected where the real anger should be directed.

The only thing that matters in the U.S. today is the huge and obscene disparity in wealth and income between the top 10% and the rest of the country. Until that is radically altered by any means possible, nothing will improve. I no longer consider myself to be a “moderate.” Thus my frequent contributions to TMV might be counter-productive and unwanted by the editorial staff.

I think there no longer exists any rational middle or center left in this country. The choices we face are simply incompatible and cancel each other out completely. This extreme polarization will necessitate a long-needed political and economic split of this country into many post-empire self-sustaining pieces. Our 18th Century Constitution and similar mindsets of many Americans are hopelessly outdated for the 21st Century realities.

I hope the end of the American experiment comes sooner rather than later. The baby boomers and my nameless generation currently in power deserve to reap what we have sown during our destructive, greedy, narcissistic short-sighted and worthless lifetimes. Great empires commit suicide from within and our country is rapidly moving towards such a complete collapse. I am really having trouble giving a damn anymore about this country or anyone living in it.

Marc Pascal, fed up and still ranting in Phoenix, AZ

Last week I mentioned the potential law change in California: Under California law, purchase money loans are non-recourse. However once a homeowner refinances, the entire mortgage is recourse ... that is probably going to change ...

Note: This bill, if passed, will take effect June 1, 2011. Here is the proposed bill (ht pastafarian)

From David Streitfeld at the NY Times: Battles in California Over Mortgages

Lenders in California rarely chase foreclosed borrowers for deficiency judgments. Pursuing such cases in court can be an arduous process, and few of those in foreclosure have the assets or incomes to make it worthwhile.

But the threat of such action can come in handy for lenders, servicers and collection agencies. By raising the possibility of a court fight, they can negotiate favorable terms when agreeing to loan modifications and workouts, surrenders of deeds and sales for less than the full amount owed, also known as short sales.

“Using the threat of a deficiency, full-recourse lenders often prevail upon distressed borrowers to sign new, unsecured obligations in exchange for their assent to a proposed short sale or surrender of a deed,” said William A. Markham, a lawyer with Maldonado & Markham in San Diego. “This practice will nearly vanish overnight if the new measure becomes law.”

There is much more in the article. Of course the bankers are fighting to make this apply only to new loans after June 2011. The realtors are fighting to make it apply to current loans ...

penis enlargement patch