Q&A: Why DSP Merrill Lynch World Gold Fund under performing for ...

Question by Trel: Why DSP Merrill Lynch World Gold Fund under performing for past 2 months ?

I have invested INR 1,00,000 in DSP ML world Gold Fund, at NAV of Rs.14 on end Oct?07, after investing this fund the NAV has been moving to underneath. But it was performed well in earlier days. It was gave 40% returns with in 3 months period. What should I do for in this case, shall I hold and switch to another fund. Please suggest us.

I think, you should give it more time. You can?t judge a fund on two months performance. It is a good fund. & you will have to pay 0.50% exit load, if you redeem before six months.

Maybank Gold Investment Price uying gold as investment v4

Maybank Gold Investment Price and Canada's Investment Conference Company Cambridge House International. Featuring a world class lineup of speakers, covering all types of direct investments in. Frank Barbera, CMT is currently the editor of the Gold Stock Technician (GST. gold investment krugerrand related gold investment wall street journal. Gold investment products in high demandChina Mining. China mining info source,. Gold investment products in high demand (CE.cn) Updated 20111226 14 21. Homepage World Gold Council. Investment. Gold offers every investor the ability to protect their wealth through its unique qualities. It is an asset class and the foundation of a modern portfolio. gold investment for beginners islamic account San Miguel Regional Housing Authority. will attract greater private and notforprofit investment. Authority manages on behalf of the Town of Telluride, San. Gold Run Unit 1B Info. gold investment ie scams genneva. Tobias Investment LLC, Portland, Oregon OR Investor. Tobias Investment LLC, Portland, Oregon (OR) Investor. Tobias Investment LLC Corporate Head quarters, phone number,sales and website. China Is Now Top Gold Bug Yahoo! Finance. China now accounts for 25% of gold investment demand, compared with India's 23%. The report underscores the rising appetite for gold among the growing middle. paper vs physical What Are Liquid Assets? EzineArticles Submission Submit Your. Jewelry like gold can sometimes be considered as liquid asset only if it can be resold at the same value or a price higher. This investment can be a great option to invest. in certificates. Buy or sell gold bullion, swiss gold bars, silver bullion, silver. Buy or sell gold bullion, silver bullion, precious metals, gold coins, platinum. discussing the right way to buy or sell precious metals and investment. Malaysian banks Gold Investment Accounts comparison Malaysia. First thing first, what is a Gold Investment Account? It is an an account which allows individuals to buy and sell gold at a daily price in Ringgit Malaysia (RM. f1orum Gold Diversification Rationale Gold Coins and Gold Bullion since. Gold Diversification Rationale. see also Gold Investments Men vs. Metal. GOLD BULLION BARS & BULLION COINS. Liquid, portable. account in malaysia

Is now a good time to invest in Gold? Yahoo! Answers. Best Answer I believe gold is the best investment you can currently make. Global instability, inflation, low interest rates, falling dollar. Gold is a. gold investment america order your free guide Gold Coins vs. Gold Exchange Traded Funds Advantages and. Funds Advantages and Disadvantages Posted by Ruchika Anand Labels Gold, Gold as an investment, Gold ETF. Coins and Gold ETFs have their advantages and disadvantages. gold investment malaysia price account maybank, gold investment grade coins and benefits of gold investment bible. Singapore GOLD InvestmentSingapore Gold Investment. Gold continues to look towards the Euro for direction on an intraday basis. The Central Bank liquidity changes have seemingly alleviated fears that the metal may be. Gold Eagle Investments Inc in Wichita, KS 67217 (316) 5229391. Information on Gold Eagle Investments Inc in Wichita. (316) 5229391. Address, phone number, map, driving directions, hours of operation, services, reviews and more. gold investment advice 2009 phoenix az Don Coxe's Fascinating Take On Why The Time For The US To LBO. I find it interesting that my daughter?s refund info suddenly showed up on the?Where?s My Refund?? web site two days after the Treasury sold $35 Billion of. gold investment guidance atlanta ga Get the newest and practicle related info about Maybank Gold Investment Price. SIP, Systematic Investment Plan, Reliance Gold Savings & Mutual. With their successful launching of India?s first systematic investment plan (SIP) in Reliance Gold Savings Fund, Reliance Mutual Fund, India?s largest fund. gold investment nz advice canada The Dangers of Investing in GLD Offshore Banking, Asset. My own personal investment vehicle used to own substantial. In The Gold Report you will also learn how and where. over on my personal site before about the dangers of.

Maybank Gold Investment Price ank muamalat gold investment

Maybank Gold Investment Price public bank gold investment gram topics about Maybank Gold Investment Price and gold investment advisors. emas tipu Public Gold Sarawak. Share By CHAN LI LEEN lileen thestar.com.my IPOH Four directors of gold investment scheme. Bank Negara Malaysia (7) Bloomberg.com News (16) CNN News (22) Dealer PGS (16). how to buy gold for investment australian limited Midas Resources, Inc. The World's Most Trusted Premiere Source. Gold's Value as an Investment Gold is rare. During all of history less than 100,000 tons of gold have been produced. If gold production decreased or if existing gold. gold investment currency. Reliance Gold Savings Fund. 1 RMF/Product/PN/Ver 1.0 NFO Opens On 14th February, 2011 NFO Opens On 14th February, 2011 NFO Closes On 28th February, 2011 NFO Closes On 28th February, 2011. genneva gold investment malaysia iran Gold New Stand Blog Archive Gold investments have shown. Domestic currencies rise and fall according to their respective countries fortunes and misfortunes, economically, politically, and societally.

Maybank Gold Investment Price blue gold investment

Invest gold coins in Art, Antiques & Collectibles in South Africa. Invest gold coins in Art, Antiques & Collectibles in South Africa from all ads sites in South Africa. gold investment reliance CIMB Gold Deposit Account Diversify your Portfolio. Invest in. CIMB Gold Deposit Account Diversify your Portfolio. Invest in Gold. in Malaysia Business, Finance & Industrial Banking, Finance & Investment CIMB Gold Deposit. SBI Life Insurance Plans Money Back Plans State Bank of India. SBI Life Insurance Plans, Money Back Plans,Plan Investments, Insurance, Pension. LIC Jeevan Ankur Plan Gold scheme. State Bank of India Plans Unit Plus Super ULIP New. Should you invest in gold or silver? Reuters. Top News India Insight. In the first two months of 2011, silver?s price. Investing in both gold and silver makes sense for a regular investor. gold investment cgt Top Gold Stocks to Consider Now TheStreet. Royal Gold is the topranked gold stock at. it's counterintuitive to bandwagon topperforming investments. Before the Bell. Booyah! Newsletter. ETF Daily. Gold Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from Latin aurum gold ) and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure. The Ultimate Guide To Gold Investing Commodity HQ. Home News The Ultimate Guide To Gold Investing. The Ultimate Guide To Gold. Thanks in part to the introduction of gold exchangetraded funds (ETFs) in recent.Gold Investing. Lately, my thoughts have turned to the danger of gold investment scams. While I've been fortunate in my dealings, I personally know a few people who've fallen for. gold investment stories goldsecrets.bizbuy gold and gold coinsMake Money With Gold. Did You Know That Many Financial Investment Experts Are Recommending Their Clients BUY Very Specific Gold Coins? Why. Gold Pocket Watches? An Investment. The greatest thing in the world was seeing my first gold pocket watches. It was a cold February morning and my grandfather came down the stairs with something in his. Gold & Silver Companies. Gold and Silver Companies The demand for goldsilver investments has risen substantially as investors. staff takes the time to find out what may be the best mix of gold or.

Pitfalls to Avoid When Investing in Gold Invest in Gold and. Information on investing in gold, silver and forex. Pitfalls to Avoid When Investing in Gold by Jerry White. High gold prices have attracted nefarious characters. gold investment funds fidelity investments companies australia and gold investment spot prices Investing in Gold, Buying, Selling Gold Coins? Blanchard and. Investing in Gold Buying Gold? A Guide for New Investors. Just like any kind of investment, buying gold requires research and education. How do you make sure an. gold investment pros and cons rarities and gold investment or silver Gold Investment Guidelines For Safe Haven Investors Things You. Whether you are a seasoned, experienced investor or a beginner, there are certain things you must know about before you start investing in gold.. Interpret new about gold investment uo rate, gold investment rates and Maybank Gold Investment Price.

Maybank Gold Investment Price Maybank Gold Investment Price

Are you looking at for gold gold hollywood investment group Maybank Gold Investment Price? Look no further for www maybank, vgmc, gold investment islamic and gold investment alternatives.

Maybank Gold Investment Price gold investment best

Comparison Between 5 Gold Investment Accounts (CIMB vs. KFH vs. How to choose the best gold investment account that suits you the most? Let?s do some comparison CIMB Bank Gold Deposit Account (GDA). Gold Prices Stall Ahead of Jobs Number SOLID GOLD INVESTMENT. Gold Prices Stall Ahead of Jobs Number. Posted by TheStreet Search RSS Feed Alix Steel on Feb 3rd, 2012 and filed under Newswire. You can follow any responses to. gold investment lawsuit through icici direct Testimonials Home Builder Testimonials, investment Gold Coast. Akudos Investment Homes Testimonials. Dear Jamie, Thank you so much for the fantastic house. We all absolutely love it. gold investment pakistan genneva

If you want gold investment pakistan thrill bring into play the related friends meant for forecast, mistakes and gold investment dividends. Ten Rules for Investing in Gold Gold Coins and Gold Bullion. Ten rules for gold mining investment and portfolio diversification in gold coins or bullion. example, the weekly position reports of commodity trading funds or sentiment. Gold as an investment Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The most traditional way of investing in gold is by buying bullion gold bars. Edition.cnn.com. 20080313. edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/03/13/world. gold investment is better than fds in india etf and gold investment swiss How to Buy Gold Chinese Coins eHow.com. There are several types of gold coins sought by collectors that are minted in China, but for investment purposes the most universally popular gold Chinese coins are. gold investment malaysia forum Precious Metals Investing Gold Trading Invest in Silver and Gold. Choose from the wide range of worldclass, investmentquality gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion and bullion coins available. How to Buy. firms gold investment prospects THE GOLD SHOW DIGEST. Investment Conference May 14 & 15, 2012 New York Marriott Marquis New York City, New. GOLD SHOW DIGEST Online SIGN UP NOW Top Wall Street Analysts reveal their favorite.

Source: http://www.goldsenze.com/qa-why-dsp-merrill-lynch-world-gold-fund-under-performing-for-past-2-months/

ben bernanke anwar al awlaki amanda knox apple press conference apple press conference apple event apple event

Modern Music Lessons; Not Your Parents Lessons | Articles Bright

One of the most popular recreational activities to take up for people of all ages is music. It?s fun, it?s engaging, and after putting in the work there?s hardly anything as rewarding as sharing the gift of music with friends and family. Even if you?re introverted and you play only for your own ears, music is its own reward. But at least in the past generation music lessons have changed in some considerable ways, and they aren?t quite what they used to be.

Old-fashioned music lessons evoke the image of an unwilling pupil forced to play complicated classical music by rote. While you can still find traditional teachers, and for some students who fit this mould it?s perfectly appropriate, many teachers cater towards a different kind of student. Most students now are looking to play popular music they already know, and they?re satisfied playing songs as opposed to learning heaps of music theory they won?t really apply. The best thing is to meet somewhere in the middle: while you don?t want to ram anything down the throat of an unwilling student, there?s something to be said for understanding rudimentary elements of music. This can be done in engaging ways, and not all at once.

A good teacher balances the needs and wants of the student so that they don?t ever feel like they?re struggling through a boring element of music that doesn?t appeal to them. This requires a rapport based on trust, and even humour, and it takes time to develop. While instilling the desire to learn about music is key, the most essential thing is to engage the student in the music itself and make sure they?re playing. This is the prime directive, so the extent you can push for more traditional demands depends on their determination and their inclination, but all good music teachers have a good sense of how to do this. This is the art of teaching music.

The first responsibility is to transfer the love of music. When the student wants to play, they?ll overcome whatever obstacles there are. It?s essential to foster their desire to improve. This means that the beginning of music lessons is characterized by a series of small accomplishments that are within reach of the novice, but not so small that they don?t feel significant when they?re reached. Favourite songs can be learned, but easier versions which still carry the essential flavour of the song. All the while the teacher inspects the hands to ensure all fingering is correct, and explains along why certain techniques are useful.

But perhaps the best thing about music lessons North York is the relationship you form with a figure that becomes a friend, a mentor, and hopefully a source of inspiration. You want to emulate their ability and you?re grateful to be on friendly, approachable terms with someone whose skills you admire. The end result is you look forward to a certain time each week where you get excited to make some music.

Searching online for local musical teachers? Then make sure to visit Long & McQuade ? one of Canada?s largest music stores offering a wide selection of music lessons Ottawa and piano lessons Victoria see if there are lessons in your area today!

Source: http://articlesbright.com/arts-entertainment/modern-music-lessons-not-your-parents-lessons

hot chelle rae guile alton brown weather los angeles caleb hanie bcs standings 2011 rhodes scholarship

Newt Gingrich Campaign Rally in Everett, Washington

---

Skip to comments.

Newt Gingrich Campaign Rally in Everett, Washington
ElectAd ^ | February 25, 2012 | Newt Gingrich

Posted on 02/25/2012 8:57:05 PM PST by Marguerite

? February 24 2012

Newt Gingrich holds a campaign rally at the Historic Everett Theater in Everett, Washington.

(Excerpt) Read more at electad.com ...

---

TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: gasprice; kenyanbornmuzzie; mittromney; newt; newtgingrich; ricksantorum

Newt ----> $2,50 a gallon!

---

To: Marguerite

That?s some awfully Blue territory up there!

2 posted on 02/25/2012 9:00:28 PM PST by editor-surveyor (No Federal Sales Tax - No Way!)

---

To: onyx; TitansAFC; b9; Gator113; Marcella; katiedidit1; annieokie; true believer forever; ...

3 posted on 02/25/2012 9:13:09 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: editor-surveyor

Here?s the latest news: Gasoline in Los Angeles, California is now $5.00/gallon.

I hope they are happy with the Hopey-Changey (p)resident they elected in 2008. Didn?t he promised them that prices are gonna ?skyrocket?? There they are!

4 posted on 02/25/2012 9:21:31 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: Marguerite

According to an official scoring by Fiscal Associates lead economist Gary Robbins released earlier this week, Newt?s Jobs and Economy Recovery Plan would create 6.6 million new jobs in two years and balance the budget within his first term. The Wall Street Journal?s Stephen Moore wrote about this news in his column, saying Newt ?arguably has the boldest tax plan.?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577243314236012998.html

?Mr. Gingrich has announced he will use dynamic, not static, scoring to demonstrate his plan?s potential to jumpstart growth. The former House speaker arguably has the boldest tax plan, which includes a 15% optional flat tax. He would also allow young workers to take a share of their payroll tax dollars and divert the funds into a personal IRA.

Mr. Gingrich showed that using this dynamic scoring ? which takes into account the extra economic steroid effect of the plan ? there would be six million new jobs in two years.

The new economic numbers, from former Reagan economists Peter Ferrara and Gary Robbins, also show that the Gingrich policies would balance the budget within the first term of his presidency.?

5 posted on 02/25/2012 9:24:36 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: Marguerite

What is Newt doing in WA, with primaries in MI and AZ, next week?

---

To: truth_seeker

Money for Campaign and delegates.

---

To: truth_seeker

He has left the two poodles fighting among themselves out there.

Newt is focused on Super Thursday and the big states with a high number of delegates. This is called campaign strategy.

8 posted on 02/25/2012 9:52:43 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: All

Former California Secretary of State Bill Jones has endorsed Newt Gingrich for president and agreed to serve as Newt 2012 California Co-Chairman:

?In these challenging economic times, we need a bold leader like Newt Gingrich who has the right knowledge and experience to get the American people back to work. Newt?s proven track record of balancing the budget and paying down the national debt is exactly the type of leadership we need in the White House. Newt is the only candidate in the race who has achieved the scale of change we need, and I?m proud to support his candidacy for president.?

9 posted on 02/25/2012 9:54:46 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: Marguerite

I really enjoyed his speech.

Thank you for sharing. I missed this earlier.

10 posted on 02/25/2012 9:56:49 PM PST by Christie at the beach (I like Newt and would love to see political dead bodies on the floor.)

---

To: All

In Hopey-Changey Obama's World:

11 posted on 02/25/2012 10:02:14 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: All

3 years of Obama:

12 posted on 02/25/2012 10:05:51 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: Marguerite

Thank you Marguerite!

I enjoyed the video. If you want to pay 2.50 a gallon for gas join Newt Gingrich. If you want to pay 10.00 a gallon of gas join Obam!

I like Gingrich?s remark about the Volt and the guy that put a gun rack in the trunk. ?Ok, but where are you going to put the deer?? LOL

13 posted on 02/25/2012 10:11:54 PM PST by ConfidentConservative (If my people shall humble themselves and pray,I will hear from Heaven and heal their land.)

---

To: ConfidentConservative; onyx; TitansAFC; b9; Gator113; Marcella; katiedidit1; annieokie; ...

What I especially appreciate in all Newt?s speeches, besides his competence, powerful analysis of the real problems, and his solutions to solve them:

1) His data is always factually correct.
2) He makes his points without insulting the adversaries.
3) His huge talent of story-teller, which literally scotches the audience to his voice.
4) His great sense of humor.

14 posted on 02/25/2012 10:20:05 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: Christie at the beach

You?re most welcome.

I?ve found this site electad.com, which updates periodically all the candidates? videos of interviews, speeches, debates, so I?m checking it out every day :)

15 posted on 02/25/2012 10:25:35 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: editor-surveyor

So blue it?s nearly black.

I can?t stand this place, but my wife grew up here, and her parents are still here, so I?m here.

Had I a choice in which my wife would be happy, and elsewhere, I?d go.

She?s happy. I?m happy. Even though this city blows.

16 posted on 02/25/2012 10:27:35 PM PST by RinaseaofDs (Does beheading qualify as 'breaking my back', in the Jeffersonian sense of the expression?)

---

To: Marguerite

Thanks for that link - got it saved. that?s valuable!

I hunted all over for the speech in Washington from last night - couldn?t find it anywhere.

This link is a one-stop-shop for videos.

I tried to liesten to the other two candidates?s speeches in Mich. - Alsmot fell asleep in both. A lot of rhetoric but no specifics ?I?ll fix this, I?ll fix that? - but no how?s.

---

To: All

?Mr. Gingrich has announced he will use dynamic, not static, scoring to demonstrate his plan?s potential to jumpstart growth. The former House speaker arguably has the boldest tax plan, which includes a 15% optional flat tax. He would also allow young workers to take a share of their payroll tax dollars and divert the funds into a personal IRA.?

---

?Gingrich announced that, if elected, he would abolish the ?death tax.? Meaning, he would offer legislation repealing the estate tax. The logic is that heavily taxing estates, eviscerates family wealth and forces more people into the public welfare system.

Take, for example, a family that has fifty-thousand dollars in savings and owns a small electrical business valued at 1.7 million dollars. If the business is owned in the father?s name, upon his death, the family will owe three-hundred and fifty thousand dollars in estate taxes. Only having fifty-thousand dollars in savings, the family will be forced to liquidate their business.

This removes their income and forces both the family and the employees into unemployment. The government is no longer receiving tax revenue from their business and paying more people unemployment checks. In short, everyone loses.?

http://www.tulsatoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3208:gingrich-i-will-abolish-the-death-tax&catid=61:national&Itemid=109

18 posted on 02/25/2012 10:38:16 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: maine-iac7

?I tried to liesten to the other two candidates?s speeches in Mich. - Alsmot fell asleep in both. A lot of rhetoric but no specifics ?I?ll fix this, I?ll fix that? - but no how?s.?

The difference being that Newt has been there, done all that, while the other candidates? are hollow promises, inflated on the campaign trail as they go along ...

19 posted on 02/25/2012 10:41:25 PM PST by Marguerite (When I'm good, I am very, very good. But! When I'm bad, I'm even better)

---

To: Marguerite

>> Watch Newt excellent speech:

bttt

20 posted on 02/25/2012 11:49:42 PM PST by Gene Eric (Newt/Sarah 2012)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

---

FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson

Source: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2851465/posts

fracking fracking drosselmeyer drosselmeyer pacific standard time local time when is daylight savings 2011

Congress members urge Iraq to buy US rice (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - Congress members from the largest rice-growing states are urging Iraq to resume buying U.S. long-grain rice, saying the country's "unreasonable" quality standards put American farmers at a competitive disadvantage.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120224/ap_on_re_us/us_iraq_rice

northern lights maksim chmerkovskiy aurora borealis s.978 larry ellison go ask alice go ask alice

Heathers: High School Blows—Up [Movie Night]

The world is full of assholes and in the black-and-white world of a teenager's mind, everyone is an asshole. But no matter how much time you spent in high school wishing meatheads, or whoever, would die—you'd never actually kill them would you? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/M9JE-zazUSM/heathers-high-school-blowsup

rob lowe fox news sanctum the notebook duke basketball ides of march miranda july

Higher gas prices cloud Obama's re-election hopes

Gasoline drips from a nozzle at gas station Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Lake Oswego, Ore. Oil?prices hit a new nine-month high Thursday as the dollar fell and U.S. gas pump prices climbed closer to $4 a gallon, the highest ever for this time of year. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Gasoline drips from a nozzle at gas station Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012, in Lake Oswego, Ore. Oil?prices hit a new nine-month high Thursday as the dollar fell and U.S. gas pump prices climbed closer to $4 a gallon, the highest ever for this time of year. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

In this Feb. 17, 2012 photo, Deborah Aguila fills up her car at a gas station, in San Diego. Retail gasoline prices jumped 3 cents to a national average of $3.61 a gallon, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

President Barack Obama speaks at the University of Miami Field House in Coral Gables, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Soaring gasoline prices are threatening to undercut President Barack Obama's re-election prospects and offering Republicans an easy target. With prices pushing $4 a gallon and threatening to go even higher, Obama sought Thursday to confront rising public anxiety and strike back at his GOP critics.

"Only in politics do people root for bad news, do they greet bad news so enthusiastically," Obama said of Republicans. "You pay more; they're licking their chops."

Obama said dismissively that all the Republicans can talk about is more drilling ? "a bumper sticker ... a strategy to get politicians through an election" ? when the nation's energy challenges demand much more. In a speech in Miami, he promoted the expansion of domestic oil and gas exploration but also the development of new forms of energy.

For all the political claims, economists say there's not much a president of either party can do about gasoline prices. Certainly not in the short term. But it's clear that people are concerned ? a new Associated Press-GfK poll says seven in 10 find the issue deeply important ? so it's sure to be a political issue through the summer.

"Right now, we're experiencing yet another painful reminder of why developing new energy is so critical to our future," the president said. At an average of $3.58 a gallon, prices are already up 25 cents since Jan. 1, and experts say they could reach a record $4.25 a gallon by Memorial Day.

Those higher prices could hurt consumer spending and unravel some of the recent improvements in the economy. And they could also be a daily reminder to voters to question Obama's contention that he's making the nation ? and them ? more secure.

While motorists are already starting to complain, many economists see the $4-a-gallon mark as a breaking point above which the economy starts to suffer real pain. Analysts estimate that every one-cent increase is roughly a $1.4 billon drain on the economy.

Obama's Republican challengers aren't letting it all slide by. They have stepped up their attacks on his energy policies, including his rejection last month of a pipeline to carry oil from Canada to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. And they're full of promises.

"I've developed a program for American energy so no future president will ever bow to a Saudi king again, and so every American can look forward to $2.50-a-gallon gasoline," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said in the Wednesday night GOP debate in Mesa, Ariz. He calls his strategy "Drill Here, Drill Now."

At the same event, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania ? who has warned of $5-a-gallon gas ? asserted that "we have a lot of troubles around the world, as you see the Middle East in flames and what's going on in this country with gas prices and the economy." And former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney suggested that even more troubling than rising gasoline prices was Iranian President Mahmoud "Ahmadinejad with nuclear weapons."

In his speech at the University of Miami, Obama sought to draw a contrast with his GOP challengers and made a pointed reference to what he suggested was Republican glee at rising gas prices.

"And you can bet that since it's an election year, they're already dusting off their three-point plans for $2 gas," Obama said. "I'll save you the suspense. Step one is drill, step two is drill, and step three is keep drilling. .. We've heard the same thing for 30 years. Well, the American people aren't stupid."

Addressing the rising public anxiety, Obama said, "There are no quick fixes to this problem, and you know we can't just drill our way to lower gas prices." Anyone suggesting otherwise was not being honest, he said.

Still, Obama said he had ordered his administration to search for every possible area to help consumers in the coming months. He said his administration's "all-of-the-above strategy," one that includes oil, gas, wind and solar power, is the "only real solution" to the nation's energy challenges.

Gingrich quickly dismissed Obama's energy speech as "excuses and fantasies."

Presidents often get blamed for rising gas prices, but there's not much they can do about them. The current increases at the pump have been driven by tensions in Iran and by higher demand in the U.S. as well as in China, India and other quickly growing nations.

"Obviously, people go to the pump all the time, so it's something that really hits home with the voters," said Fred Greenstein, a Princeton University professor emeritus of politics. "It's an easy issue to talk about, and not an easy issue to accomplish very much on."

In his Miami remarks, Obama said that despite political criticism of his policies "America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. He also noted that, for the first time in 30 years, the United States is now exporting more petroleum products than it imports.

But Jack Gerard, the president of the American Petroleum Institute, challenged Obama's apparent effort to take credit.

"While oil production is up, the increase relates almost entirely to investment and leasing decisions made before, sometimes long before, this administration came into office," Gerard said. "The increase is also due to oil and gas development on private and state lands over which the administration has little or no control at all."

Though Obama's approval rating on the economy has climbed, his negative rating on handling gas prices is stagnant. Just 39 percent approve of what he's doing there, and 58 percent disapprove, according to the new AP-GFK survey.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said gasoline prices are likely to keep rising as the summer driving season approaches. "Increasingly, it's becoming the biggest threat to the economy," he said. "And there is little presidents can do to influence gasoline prices in the near term."

Some lawmakers have called for Obama to release oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

"Rising gas prices could be the difference between an economy that continues to recover and an economy that sinks back into recession," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., among those calling for such a move.

The emergency reserve is kept in salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana and contains about 700 million barrels of oil. There are 42 gallons in each barrel. Last year, as prices rose, Obama authorized the sale of 30 million barrels of oil from the reserve.

However, economists suggest that tapping the reserve to increase the amount of oil on the market has only a modest and temporary effect on gas prices.

Will Obama take that step? White House spokesman Jay Carney says, "We never take options off the table."

Obama may just have to get used to the criticism, because it probably isn't going away anytime soon, said James Thurber, an American University political science professor. "Republicans will hit him with anything that comes up which makes him look bad," he said.

Still, as long as the economy seems to keep improving, Obama probably won't be hurt too much by the attacks "unless gas goes over $5 a gallon," Thurber said.

___

Follow Tom Raum on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tomraum

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-02-23-US-Gasoline-Price-Politics/id-c6cfdf3c51db4b2482d6c92c88a26672

james farentino somali pirates navy seals navy seal team 6 tim gunn tim gunn built to last

Spain's attack in trouble ahead of Euro defense

By PAUL LOGOTHETIS

AP Sports Writer

Associated Press Sports

updated 5:13 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2012

MADRID (AP) -Fernando Torres hasn't scored this year, David Villa is recovering from a broken leg and midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez have seen their seasons limited by injuries.

World champion Spain's attack is in trouble only months before it defends its European Championship title, leaving coach Vicente del Bosque with some tough decisions - starting with Friday's squad announcement for an upcoming friendly against Venezuela.

Speculation over who can lead the attack has grown as Torres' form at Chelsea hasn't improved, although the striker could still play against Venezuela due to Villa's absence.

Torres was an unused substitute in Chelsea's 3-1 loss at Napoli on Wednesday, with his last goal for the English club coming in October. Torres, whose goal against Germany in the Euro 2008 final lifted Spain its first major title for 44 years, hasn't scored a competitive goal for his country since September 2010.

Villa, Spain's all-time leading goalscorer, fractured his left leg in December and is not expected back before May. Spain opens Group C play against Italy on June 10, with subsequent matches against Ireland and Croatia.

Like Iniesta, Pedro Rodriguez's season has been interrupted by injuries, while Xavi has played sparingly of late, starting only once in his last six matches. Defender Gerard Pique's form has also been less than steady at Barcelona.

"There's only four months to go until the European Championship and it's true there are players who aren't at their best right now, but we have time to evaluate and take decisions," Del Bosque said. "We have plenty of players and we'll find the right No. 9 - if not the ideal one, one who can play the position."

Fernando Llorente is a regular in the squad and could play a bigger role given the Athletic Bilbao striker's spectacular form of late, although the hulking striker offers different skills to the possession-based, touch football Spain thrives on.

Valencia's Roberto Soldado appears the leading candidate to make the squad with Sevilla pair Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas, who helped Spain win the World Cup in South Africa, enduring poor seasons.

Del Bosque could also adapt his tactics to suit one of his more offensive minded midfielders, with the likes of David Silva, Cesc Fabregas and Juan Mata all enjoying career seasons.

There is also an emerging crop of talented players emerging from the nation's youth categories pushing for places, with Bilbao's core of Iker Muniain, Oscar de Marcos and Ander Herrera all helping the Basque club to the Copa del Rey final. Adrian Lopez has also shown the capacity to play combination football with the Atletico Madrid striker helping the under-21 team become European champions last summer as the competition's leading scorer.

Still, Del Bosque is maintaining his characteristic cool demeanor before Wednesday's match in Malaga, which will be Spain's last before the former Real Madrid coach names his Euro 2012 squad in May.

Spain is looking to become the first World Cup winner to defend its European title at the tournament in Poland and Ukraine between June 8-July 1.

"We went into the World Cup with the experience of having won the Euro and the players held themselves together very well," Del Bosque said. "I think we're lucky that we can count on a group of players who know football well and whose competitive spirit remains intact."

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

advertisement

More newsUeslei Marcelino / Reuters

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46495607/ns/sports-soccer/

michigan state michigan state capital one bowl winter classic 2012 2012 nfl draft order georgia bulldogs football rashard mendenhall

What the Hell is a 'Social Business' and Why Should You Care ...

If you?ve been following the social media marketing space/blogosphere over the last year or so, you?ve probably heard increasing chatter about the concept of ?Social Business?.

So what IS a Social Business? ?Good question, and it seems one that not even the people chattering about it can agree upon. ?For example, The Wikipedia definition states ?social business?is a non-loss, non-dividend company designed to address a social objective within the highly regulated marketplace of today. It is distinct from a non-profit because the business should seek to generate a modest profit but this will be used to expand the company?s reach, improve the product or service or in other ways to subsidise the social mission.?

Ok?but here?s how @Armano describes it ?At it?s core, it?s about connecting stakeholders who are critical to the success of your business. And as I?ve stressed before?it?s about executing initiatives leveraging the ?3 P?s??People, Process & Platforms.? ?David also has a nifty drawing that helps explain the process at that link.

And here?s Augie Ray?s definition: ?A new form of commerce where consumers, empowered by new social technologies and behaviors, bypass traditional channels and acquire more information, goods and services directly from each other.?

Finally, here?s how the Social Business Forum defines a Social Business: ?An organization that has put in place the strategies, technologies and processes to systematically engage all the individuals of its ecosystem (employees, customers, partners, suppliers) to maximize the co-created value?

?

Three things I see from the above and other various definitions I?ve found for the term ?Social Business?:

1 ? We can?t even agree on the definition of the concept. ?Which is no biggie, most of us can?t agree on the definition of ?Social Media? and it?s been around for 25 years in some form or another.

2 ? The name ?Social Business? is terrible in that it immediately makes you think ?Oh I get it, a business that does social media!? ?Seriously, we marketers and business types put the ?social? modifier on waaaaay too many things.

3 ? These definitions (and much of the discussion around the concept) seem to be focused on the companies that ?get it? when it comes to?whatever your definition of a ?social business? is. ?If you?re a business that doesn?t ?get it?, is talking about how becoming a social business will help you ?engage with and empower your customers to increase co-created value? REALLY going to get you excited? ?I mean companies have been hearing about the potential of empowering and embracing their customers for at least 5 years now when we all got on a kick about how amazing social media is. ?Right? ?If that talk didn?t blow their skirts up, changing the name from ?social media? to ?social business? and trying again probably won?t either.

?

BTW here?s another interesting tidbit, the Wikipedia definition of the term ?Enterprise 2.0?:?Enterprise 2.0?is the use of ?Web 2.0? technologies within an?organization?to enable or streamline?business processes?while enhancing collaboration ? connecting people through the use of?social-media?tools. Enterprise 2.0 aims to help employees, customers and suppliers collaborate, share, and organize information.?Andrew McAfee?describes Enterprise 2.0 as ?the use of emergent social software platforms within companies, or between companies and their partners or customers?.

Ah we marketers do love to mark our territory by slapping labels on everything, don?t we?

But perhaps the biggest problem I have with most of the discussion around the concept of a ?Social Business? is that it seemed to be geared toward selling companies on the concept, versus the actual business benefits of integrating/embracing the concept.

Last month when I spoke at Bazaarvoice, I got to spend some time talking to CMO Erin Nelson and I learned more about BV?s offerings and how the companies is helping its clients. ?In general, Bazaarvoice is creating products and systems that let clients get more detailed and relevant (read: valuable) product information and feedback, and then helping them ACT on that feedback, both internally and externally, in order to improve existing business processes.

A very simple example: ?Erin noted that LL Bean tracked the reviews customers were leaving on their site for a popular sweater, and they noted that customers were asking for it to be produced in the colors green and purple. ?So LL Bean started offering the sweater in those colors as well, and sales doubled as a result. ?And the great thing about getting and ACTING on customer feedback is that it only encourages your customers to leave MORE feedback, which increases the chance that you can continue to improve existing business functions as a result.

That one small example to me does more to explain the possible reason why a company would want to become more connected ?internally and externally because it details a real-world business benefit from doing so.

As a result, I think those of us that are talking about the concept of a ?Social Business? need to stop talking about it as if we are selling a concept/product, and start talking about it as if we are selling the BENEFITS of being a Social Business. ?Because that?s what you SHOULD be doing, and besides, that?s a far more interesting conversation to be having anyway.

Source: http://www.mackcollier.com/what-the-hell-is-a-social-business-and-why-should-you-care/

mike quade mike quade sticks and stones sticks and stones top chef powerball winner powerball winner

The Unparalleled Services of an Ecommerce Web Designing ...

In the present era there is a lot of competition prevailing in the market and therefore it becomes very important for the companies to get an ecommerce website design in order to stay in the competition. To be on the top the need of the hour is to get an ecommerce website that has the ability of working wonders for the company and its business. An ecommerce website offers great many advantages to the customers and to the visitors of the company?s website by giving them the option of shopping online with convenience. But at the same time it is also very important to choose the best ecommerce website design in order to remain on the safer side of things. A good ecommerce company is able to provide the best marketing aspect of business to a company by giving its indispensable services. It is very important for any business to get a good ecommerce website design??company working for it in order to get the visitors and the customers for the online shopping aspect presented by the website owners. The most significant aspect of any online business website is whether the website is user friendly so that it is able to provide the required support to its visitors.

Ecommerce web design should be done in such a way that it is able to give the desired results to the users. It should be planned in such a way that it gives the ease to the website visitors to shop from any place in the world. This is one of the basic criteria that a company should look for while hiring an ecommerce website company and therefore it is very important that the company hires the perfect ecommerce website design company in order to get the best results over time. A good ecommerce website design company is one such company that always assists the company to get purchasers and buyers of their products and services and also get them the results in their online business. In short it can be said that every company or a business concern wants to get a processional website designed which will help them to sell their business online. The ecommerce website design plays a very vital role in the up gradation of any business through its website. A powerful and well resourced website is always very instrumental in fulfilling he business needs of any company by enduring the company?s online business.

It is always found that many businesses in the world are always in the look out of promoting their business products and services through the internet. Therefore there are many website design companies that have come into being and have been established in order to boost the online business of a company. Any business small or big depends upon the ecommerce solution?? for yielding the best results over time. In this era of competition it has become mandatory for every business concern to select the best web designers and the best web design company in order to get their business needs satisfied. With the advent technology of internet, business promotion and product promotion it is the ecommerce website design that has become one of the easiest ways to create a brand name to your business.

Source: http://www.pro-pr.org/unparalleled-services-ecommerce-web-designing-company/

playstation network down martin scorsese houston astros google music 2013 ford escape stop online piracy act spear of destiny

Where do problem teachers go? LA's 'rubber room'

By Conan Nolan and Frava Burgess, NBCLosAngeles.com

LOS ANGELES -- It?s called the "rubber room" -- a popular name for a reassignment center many say is emblematic of what is wrong with public education.

The rubber room is where teachers accused of everything from drug abuse to sexual harassment are sent to do nothing, but still collect a salary, benefits and accrue time toward pensions.

"Several of the people I know in rubber rooms have been there two years, some people as long as five years," said Leonard Isenberg, a disciplined Los Angeles Unified School District teacher. "You don?t just sit there. You can?t do anything. Think of Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo, with a paycheck."

For more, visit NBCLosAngeles.com

The LAUSD has 161 teachers assigned to various offices throughout the district. It?s a policy LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy is trying to change ? as in the case with former Miramonte Elementary School teacher and accused child molester, Mark Berndt.

"Traditionally what the district has done is to say we put you in an office, we pay you, and we wait for all the stuff to happen," Deasy said. "I am not acting that way."

There are plenty of teachers who support efforts to get rid of reassignment centers, but for different reasons.

Leonard Isenberg, who taught in the district for 25 years, said he ended up in one after repeatedly complaining that his school, Central Continuation High School, was graduating students with second-grade reading levels.

Related: LA teacher heads to court on charges of lewd acts

He said that angered the principal, and that led to accusations of him yelling at students and watching pornography in class.

Isenberg used his time in the rubber room to create a web site, perdaily.com, which looks critically at the district, reassignment centers and its discipline procedure.

He was ultimately fired by the district, but still has an appeal hearing later this year. Isenberg said the district?s procedures make teachers guilty until proven innocent and fearful of false accusations.

"The students know they can get teachers in trouble by just saying anything," Isenberg said.

Retired teacher and California Teachers Empowerment Network president Larry Sand said rubber rooms are necessary and are not going away anytime soon.

"There?s arbitration and hearings and all sorts of things that have to take place before a teacher would actually lose his job," Sand said. "If he?s not in the classroom, they have to put him somewhere."

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/21/10465939-where-do-problem-teachers-go-las-rubber-room

fast times at ridgemont high fast times at ridgemont high soylent green phil davis aldon smith george st pierre friday night lights

Stop Being Crap Online: Is your business really ... - Social Media NZ

?

The social media forays of too many New Zealand business lie abandoned. This week Hannah looks at how they should have done the homework before jumping in.

?

When I moved back to New Zealand after three years abroad working in the internet technology sector, I didn?t quite know what to expect. Had online Aotearoa caught up with the rest of the world in my absence?

When I left, I didn?t have a Facebook account (let alone Twitter, YouTube etc etc), I had never made an online purchase, Internet marketing had barely entered my periphery (despite my advertising background), my home Internet connection was so slow and ?surfing? the web sounded like a slow and torturous death. That was pretty much the norm for the average Kiwi.

But a whole new world lay before me when I flew the coop, the whole world wide web, actually. It was all there, suddenly available, attainable, and filled with opportunity. It was a marketer?s dream and I couldn?t wait to see the impact this thing could have; with speed (finally) and a large, open-minded populace on its side.

Well, let me tell you. I?ve seen some things.

In my time away, my life and career had become one with the Internet, technology sinking its claws into every part of my existence. So omnipotent was its presence that I only realised how I took it, and its endless possibilities, for granted once it was gone.

In other words: once I moved back to New Zealand.

That is not to say that the country hasn?t progressed markedly since I left, which is amazing, considering the size of us. I was overjoyed to see the huge increase in things like ecommerce and online publishing. But it is hard to get used to checking into an entire town on Foursquare and finding other Kiwis on YouTube is still disproportionately exciting.

But I see we have all been busy with our social media, haven?t we?

While I?ve seen some awesome use cases of social media as a marketing tool for New Zealand businesses, I?ve seen some absolute shockers ? to the point where I?d question what the hell they were thinking getting on there in the first place.

Social media seems like an opportunity too good to miss. We?ve all seen everyone else jumping on the bandwagon, getting amazing results, and naturally, we want a piece of the pie.

But I?m starting to wonder if the average small business owner in New Zealand thinks that all they have to do is claim a Twitter handle, and watch the fans (cash) roll in.

I?ve seen too many Twitter accounts lying dormant with no more than five tweets to their names, Facebook fan pages with a meager collection of status updates from mid-2011 and even company blogs showcasing the ruins of a social media strategy that ?seemed like a good idea at the time?.

It is just a bit crap really. If you?re thinking about using social media to market your business in New Zealand, or you tried already and have since given up hope, check out the video below:

What?s your opinion? Do you think businesses should jump right in, or bide their time when it comes to social media?

VN:F [1.9.14_1148]

Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

VN:F [1.9.14_1148]

Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

Stop Being Crap Online: Is your business really ready for social media?, 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

Source: http://socialmedianz.com/opinion2/2012/02/21/is-your-business-really-ready-for-social-media/

donovan mcnabb donovan mcnabb the waltons the waltons weta weta rudolph the red nosed reindeer

China e-commerce firm Alibaba in privatization bid

HONG KONG (AP) ? Alibaba.com's parent company wants to take the Chinese e-commerce company private for $2.5 billion, the firms said Tuesday, part of a shift in business strategy that also includes plans to buy back a stake from Yahoo Inc.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. said it is offering to buy the Hong Kong-listed shares of Alibaba.com that it doesn't already own for 13.50 Hong Kong dollars a share, at a cost of up to HK$19.6 billion ($2.5 billion). The offer is 46 percent higher than the stock's last price of HK$9.25 before it was suspended from trading on Feb. 8. The shares are to resume trading on Wednesday.

After years of rapid growth, Alibaba.com expects to add paying customers at a slower rate so it is now focusing more on improving the experience of existing manufacturers, wholesalers and trading companies that use the site. That could hurt financial results, the companies said.

"Taking Alibaba.com private will allow our company to make long-term decisions that are in the best interest of our customers and that are also free from the pressures that come from having a publicly listed company," founder and Chairman Jack Ma said.

Alibaba said the "depressed" share price is also having an "adverse impact" on business, its reputation with customers and employee morale. Taking the company private would eliminate that problem.

Yahoo owns about 40 percent of Alibaba Group, which in turn owns about 73 percent of Alibaba.com.

Alibaba Group has been negotiating with Yahoo to buy back its stake but those talks have stalled over the terms. The company noted that it is in talks with Yahoo to "restructure" its holdings in Alibaba Group but said the privatization offer isn't conditional on that deal's completion.

___

Follow Kelvin Chan at twitter.com/chanman

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2012-02-21-AS-Hong-Kong-Alibaba-Privatization/id-50395bf7a51241b783bd5908da54b958

annie oakley edc paranormal activity 4 andrew luck andrew luck love and hip hop 2012 nfl mock draft

earthyflavorance's recent updates on Netlog

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

Source: http://en.netlog.com/earthyflavorance/recentupdates/actionid=761023169

the rum diary trailer nor easter nor easter st.louis cardinals st.louis cardinals drag me to hell alot

A Weekly Roundup of Small-Business News - NYTimes.com

Dashboard

A weekly roundup of small-business developments.

What?s affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners this week.

The Big Story: A Surplus of Yawns

President Obama?s budget, which includes $24 billion in cuts, sets off an election year fight. Here?s a good summary. The Calafia Beach Pundit says that fiscal austerity might not be so bad after all (Paul Krugman disagrees). Accounting Today sums up the budget?s tax changes as does Andrew Fieldhouse. Ezra Klein compares the Obama and Romney budgets and confirms that ?our government is a big insurer with a big army.? Larry Doyle prefers Paul Ryan?s budget. Keith Hennessey says the administration?s 2.5-to-1 ratio of spending cuts to tax increases? ?is bogus.? Kent Hoover breaks down what the budget means for entrepreneurs. The chairman of the House Small Business Committee says the budget is bad for small business. But business groups just yawn. Rick Newman explains why none of it matters anyway. Suzy Khimm points to five things you probably missed.

The Economy: Sentiment at a Lull

Small-business sentiment is in a lull and the National Federation of Independent Business denounces Washington. Barbara Taylor explains how small businesses can hurt the economy. The Pulse of Commerce Index falls. Industrial production and producer prices (pdf) remain unchanged. Retail sales increase, as do the Residential Remodeling Index and builder confidence. But this quarter?s?S.&P. 500 earnings growth was not so hot. Manufacturing tech orders were up in December. The Fed has few supporters for QE3. Here?s a surprise: economists aren?t so good at forecasting.

Your People: Vision, Values and Alignment

Apple scores best for corporate reputation. CareerBliss names the happiest companies in America. One owner creates a strong culture by spending three days a week ?working from home where I focus on just three things: vision, values and alignment.? David Butcher offers five bold ideas for business. Looks like there?s a shortage of demand planning analysts, and guess what: businesses that employ undocumented workers do better. Here?s how to keep sick staffers at home. Gallup reports that health costs and government regulations continue to curb small-business hiring. Fewer tech companies are sending jobs overseas. A man is almost attacked by a jealous monkey.

Management: Be a Doer

Join a Google employee turned entrepreneur for a video interview on Wednesday. Seth Godin points out the curious nature of selfishness: ?Sharing your money, your ideas, your insights, your confidence ? all of these things return to you. Perhaps not in the way you expected, and certainly not with a guarantee, but again and again the miser falls behind.? Roshawn Watson offers the ultimate guide to becoming a doer: ?It is important to every doer to honor his differences and use them to his competitive advantage.? Here are eight inspirational videos to get you pumped. Nipun Mehta offers five reasons to serve others. Or maybe we should all just move to Bermuda.

Ideas: Cultivating Fans and Followers

Krista Neher explains why Google Plus is important. Hewlett-Packard and Business Matchmaking plan to continue their event series for 2012. A South Korean company is revolutionizing the way small businesses get fans and followers. Here?s how Jimmy Kimmel earns nearly $2 million a year on YouTube. Crowdspring?s Mike Samson suggests 10 things entrepreneurs can learn from politicians, including: ?Between elections, good politicians continue to energetically market their ideas, their legislative priorities and their brands.? Here?s how indie brewers are outpacing beer-industry growth. The hotel industry is adapting to travel habits. Delta leads the airline industry in pet deaths. TD Bank introduces a new checking account suite for small business. No joke: A man has a heart attack at The Heart Attack Grill.

Starting Up: Learning From Chuck Norris

The start-up rate is at the lowest point on record, but this entrepreneur is on a mission to change that. There?s an increase in subscription commerce start-ups. And an online payments start-up increased its revenue tenfold in 2011. Evan Peelle says that everything he learned about start-ups came from Chuck Norris, including: ?In the same way that Chuck Norris takes down armies singlehandedly while getting paid like a rock star,? pay-per-click advertising ?can transform your business overnight.?

Around the Country: Toilet Paper Production

Entries for a Black Enterprise Small Business Award are due by March 16. John Splendido offers advice for running on a business trip. Snow or no snow, small businesses in Philadelphia find a way to prosper. A new bill may hurt Rhode Island tanning salons. Toilet paper production is booming in New Hampshire. Manufacturing activity in New York expanded for a third consecutive month.

Around the World: Investing in North Korea

An entrepreneur says opportunities are great in India today and this video explains how to start a manufacturing business there. Some companies are eager to invest in North Korea. Can you guess which country is deepest in debt? Here?s a list of Africa?s top 20 start-ups. The world?s largest shopping malls are in China. Small businesses that rushed to Chinese factories to have their products made are turning to American manufacturers. Meanwhile, the next leader of China tours the American heartland. Mark Perry reports on the emerging world energy map. Frozen canals in Amsterdam make for some pretty cool skating.

Red Tape Update: Linsanity Hits the Patent Office

A payroll tax cut extension deal is completed and the president wants to extend the health care tax credit to more small businesses. There is a voice for entrepreneurs, and he?s right inside the government. When it comes to taxes, entrepreneurs are still climbing Mount Paperwork, and Dan Danner of the National Federation of Independent Business offers suggestions that could make both small businesses and the Internal Revenue Service happier. Inevitably, Linsanity reaches the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Marie Forleo wants help giving away $10,000 to entrepreneurs.

Marketing: Is Sales Icky?

Scott Gerber offers seven examples of marketing magic using Facebook fan pages. In this video, Andrew Lock asks whether Google AdWords is still worthwhile for small businesses. John Souza lists 10 reasons social media campaigns fail, including: ?Content drives your social campaigns, but treating this content like you treat print media content is a bad idea.? Facebook is reportedly tracking calls from small-business pages. A father shoots his daughter?s laptop to get her off Facebook. Some feel that Pinterest combines the best parts of Facebook, Tumblr and Etsy. Jill Konrath lists five things sales representatives should never do. Robbi Hess says small businesses need to engage in both face-to-face and online networking. James Chartrand says being a sales rep isn?t icky: ?If you feel uncomfortable selling, you lack faith in what you sell.? Starbucks attracts gun owners.

Technology: An App to Find Apps

Online software can increase your company?s growth 10 ways. Tom Simonite explains how to upgrade your hard drive to infinity. Tablet sales will ?blow past? PC sales by 2015. Stephanie Buck lists five mobile apps to improve small-business productivity. There are so many apps that we now need these apps to find apps. Kyle Lacy offers stats about consumer mobile use, including: ?Nine percent of all cell owners searched for the price of a product they found in a physical store but ultimately purchased it at that store.? A start-up in Maryland uses cutting-edge chemical technology to improve the efficiency of lithium ion batteries. Google is planning a massive ?Experience Center.? Cloud services for small businesses will hit $68 billion by 2014. A cloud tsunami rolls over Florida.

Boss of the Week

A Philadelphia bakery owner, Sonya Akines, shares the biggest lesson learned during her first year as a business owner: The key to being a successful dreamer and entrepreneur is, ?You change the plans as you go.?

This Week?s Bests

Path to Success. Ingrid Wickelgren explains how to achieve success in seven short steps, including, ?Write a gratitude letter?: ?If addressing an individual is uncomfortable or inappropriate, pen a note to yourself about all the things that are going well or that you feel fortunate to have. Set aside a time each day to do this. For instance, write one journal entry each night just before bed listing the good things that happened to you and what you are grateful for. Too much of the time, we focus on our fears and problems, because those relate to situations we need to avoid or solve to survive. But if you stop to count your blessings, you will realize how lucky you are.?

Leadership Lesson. Hitendra Wadhwa explains how Lincoln became America?s greatest president: ?Changing oneself isn?t easy, so even as president, Lincoln?s anger occasionally consumed him, making him pour it out in letters to critics, errant generals, and others. He had the self-discipline though to not dispatch these ?hot? letters; they were later discovered, unsigned, in a drawer in the president?s desk. In this way, one small step at a time, Lincoln built his self-discipline, and through it, the character of his presidency. Lincoln?s journey suggests that the true measure of a leader lies not in how much we cultivate and exploit our strengths, but in how we work on tapping, in Lincoln?s words, the ?better angels of our nature? to use our strengths in the service of a cause much higher than our own personal gain.?

This Week?s Question: Do you think the president?s budget would help your business?

Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.

Source: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/this-week-in-small-business-lessons-from-chuck-norris/

nextdoor premier fitness dan uggla kryptos student loan forgiveness amy winehouse cause of death amy winehouse cause of death

NYPD monitored Muslim students

NEW YORK?? The New York Police Department monitored Muslim college students far more broadly than previously known, at schools far beyond the city limits, including the elite Ivy League colleges of Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, The Associated Press has learned.

1. Only on msnbc.com

   1. Romney's earmarks for Olympics get new attention
   2. Report: UK security wants all phone, online records
   3. Santorum: Obama believes in 'phony theology'
   4. Star-studded sendoff for Whitney Houston
   5. Sheriff quits Romney campaign, says: 'I'm gay'
   6. More teens dying behind the wheel again
   7. New accounts suggest John Wayne Gacy accomplice

Police talked with local authorities about professors 300 miles away in Buffalo and even sent an undercover agent on a whitewater rafting trip, where he recorded students' names and noted in police intelligence files how many times they prayed.

Detectives trawled Muslim student websites every day and, although professors and students had not been accused of any wrongdoing, their names were recorded in reports prepared for Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

Asked about the monitoring, police spokesman Paul Browne provided a list of 12 people arrested or convicted on terrorism charges in the United States and abroad who had once been members of Muslim student associations, which the NYPD referred to as MSAs. Jesse Morton, who this month pleaded guilty to posting online threats against the creators of the animated TV show "South Park," had once tried to recruit followers at Stony Brook University on Long Island, Browne said.

"As a result, the NYPD deemed it prudent to get a better handle on what was occurring at MSAs," Browne said in an email. He said police monitored student websites and collected publicly available information, but did so only between 2006 and 2007.

"I see a violation of civil rights here," said Tanweer Haq, chaplain of the Muslim Student Association at Syracuse. "Nobody wants to be on the list of the FBI or the NYPD or whatever. Muslim students want to have their own lives, their own privacy and enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities that everybody else has."

Playing by the rules
In recent months, the AP has revealed secret programs the NYPD built with help from the CIA to monitor Muslims at the places where they eat, shop and worship. The AP also published details about how police placed undercover officers at Muslim student associations in colleges within the city limits; this revelation has outraged faculty and student groups.

Though the NYPD says it follows the same rules as the FBI, some of the NYPD's activities go beyond what the FBI is allowed to do.

Kelly and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg repeatedly have said that the police only follow legitimate leads about suspected criminal activity.

But the latest documents mention no wrongdoing by any students.

In one report, an undercover officer describes accompanying 18 Muslim students from the City College of New York on a whitewater rafting trip in upstate New York on April 21, 2008. The officer noted the names of attendees who were officers of the Muslim Student Association.

"In addition to the regularly scheduled events (Rafting), the group prayed at least four times a day, and much of the conversation was spent discussing Islam and was religious in nature," the report says.

Praying five times a day is one of the core traditions of Islam.

Jawad Rasul, one of the students on the trip, said he was stunned that his name was included in the police report.

"It forces me to look around wherever I am now," Rasul said.

But another student, Ali Ahmed, whom the NYPD said appeared to be in charge of the trip, said he understood the police department's concern.

"I can't blame them for doing their job," Ahmed said. "There's lots of Muslims doing some bad things and it gives a bad name to all of us, so they have to take their due diligence."

City College criticized the surveillance and said it was unaware the NYPD was watching students.

"The City College of New York does not accept or condone any investigation of any student organization based on the political or religious content of its ideas," the college said in a written statement. "Absent specific evidence linking a member of the City College community to criminal activity, we do not condone this kind of investigation."

Browne said undercover officers go wherever people they're investigating go. There is no indication that, in the nearly four years since the report, the NYPD brought charges connecting City College students to terrorism.

Student groups were of particular interest to the NYPD because they attract young Muslim men, a demographic that terrorist groups frequently draw from. Police worried about which Muslim scholars were influencing these students and feared that extracurricular activities such as paintball outings could be used as terrorist training.

The AP first reported in October that the NYPD had placed informants or undercover officers in the Muslim Student Associations at City College, Brooklyn College, Baruch College, Hunter College, City College of New York, Queens College, La Guardia Community College and St. John's University. All of those colleges are within the New York City limits.

A person familiar with the program, who like others insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it, said the NYPD also had a student informant at Syracuse.

Police also were interested in the Muslim student group at Rutgers, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 2009, undercover NYPD officers had a safe house in an apartment not far from campus. The operation was blown when the building superintendent stumbled upon the safe house and, thinking it was some sort of a terrorist cell, called the police emerency dispatcher.

The FBI responded and determined that monitoring Rutgers students was one of the operation's objectives, current and former federal officials said.

The Rutgers police chief at the time, Rhonda Harris, would not discuss the fallout. In a written statement, university spokesman E.J. Miranda said: "The university was not aware of this at the time and we have nothing to add on this matter."

Another NYPD intelligence report from Jan. 2, 2009, described a trip by three NYPD officers to Buffalo, where they met with a high-ranking member of the Erie County Sheriff's Department and agreed "to develop assets jointly in the Buffalo area, to act as listening posts within the ethnic Somalian community."

The sheriff's department official noted "that there are some Somali Professors and students at SUNY-Buffalo and it would be worthwhile to further analyze that population," the report says.

Browne said the NYPD did not follow that recommendation. A spokesman for the university, John DellaContrada, said the NYPD never contacted the administration. Sheriff's Departments spokeswoman Mary Murray could not immediately confirm the meeting or say whether the proposal went any further.

Another report, entitled "Weekly MSA Report" and dated Nov. 22, 2006, explained that officers from the NYPD's Cyber Intelligence unit visited the websites, blogs and forums of Muslim student associations as a "daily routine."

The universities included Yale; Columbia; the University of Pennsylvania; Syracuse; New York University; Clarkson University; the Newark and New Brunswick campuses of Rutgers; and the State University of New York campuses in Buffalo, Albany, Stony Brook and Potsdam; Queens College, Baruch College, Brooklyn College and La Guardia Community College.

"Students who advertised events or sent emails about regular events should not be worried about a 'terrorism file' being kept on them. NYPD only investigated persons who we had reasonable suspicion to believe might be involved in unlawful activities," Browne said.

Misgivings
But such assurances seem to offer little comfort to some former students.

One University at Buffalo student, Adeela Khan, did end up in a police report after receiving an email on Nov. 9, 2006, announcing an upcoming Islamic conference in Toronto. The email said "highly respected scholars" would be attending, but did not say who or give any details of the program. Khan says she clicked "forward," sent it to a Yahoo chat group of fellow Muslims and promptly forgot about it.

"A couple people had gone the year prior and they said they had a really nice time, so I was just passing the information on forward. That's really all it was," said Khan, who has since graduated.

Khan was a board member of the Muslim Student Association at the University at Buffalo at the time. She says she never went to the conference, was not affiliated with it and had no idea who was speaking at it.

But officer Mahmood Ahmad of the NYPD's Cyber Intelligence Unit took notice and listed Khan in his weekly report for Kelly. The officer began researching the Toronto conference and found that one of the speakers, Tariq Ramadan, had his U.S. visa revoked in 2004. The U.S. government said it was because Ramadan had given money to a Palestinian group. It reinstated his visa in 2010.

The officer's report notes three other speakers. One, Siraj Wahaj, is a prominent but controversial New York imam who has attracted the attention of authorities for years. Prosecutors included his name on a 3 ?-page list of people they said "may be alleged as co-conspirators" in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, though he was never charged.

The other two are Hamza Yusuf and Zaid Shakir, two of the nation's most prominent Muslim scholars. Both have lectured at top universities in the U.S.. Yusuf met with President George W. Bush at the White House following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The post about the academic event was enough to get Khan's name mentioned in the weekly MSA report, which was stamped "SECRET" in red letters and sent to Kelly's office.

There is no indication that the investigation went any further, or that Khan was ever implicated in anything. But she worries about being associated with the police report.

"It's just a waste of resources, if you ask me," she said. "I understand why they're doing it, but it's just kind of like a Catch-22. I'm not the one doing anything wrong."

The university said it was unaware its students were being monitored.

"UB does not conduct this kind of surveillance and if asked, UB would not voluntarily cooperate with such a request," the university said in a written statement. "As a public university, UB strongly supports the values of freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of religion, and a reasonable expectation of privacy."

The same Nov. 22, 2006, report also noted seminars announced on the websites of the Muslim student associations at New York University and Rutgers University's campus in Newark, New Jersey.

Recruiting
Browne, the police department spokesman, said intelligence analysts were interested in recruiting by the Islamic Thinkers Society, a New York-based group that wants to see the United States governed under Islamic law. Morton was a leader of the group and went to Stony Brook University's MSA to recruit students that same month.

"One thing that our open source searches were interested in determining at the time was, where do Islamic Thinkers Society go ? in terms of MSAs for recruiting," Browne said.

Yale declined comment. The University of Pennsylvania did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Other colleges on the list said they worried the monitoring infringed on students' freedom of speech.

"Like New York City itself, American universities are admired across the globe as places that welcome a diversity of people and viewpoints. So we would obviously be concerned about anything that could chill our essential values of academic freedom or intrude on student privacy," Columbia University spokesman Robert Hornsby said in a written statement.

Danish Munir, an alumnus adviser for the University of Pennsylvania's Muslim Student Association, said he believes police are wasting their time by watching college students.

"What do they expect to find here?" Munir said. "These are all kids coming from rich families or good families, and they're just trying to make a living, have a good career, have a good college experience. It's a futile allocation of resources."

___

Online:

View the report at: http://apne.ws/zLpfdM

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

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46440554/ns/us_news-security/

dolphin tale crock pot recipes crock pot recipes bob ward bob ward susan lucci jim caviezel