Official Grindstaff Chronicles Blog

Health Insurance Advisor On Clinton-Obama Health Insurance Plans

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Mon, 12 May 2008 02:52:00 +0000

Florida Health Insurance Advisor On Clinton-Obama Health Insurance Plans

With about two dozen reporters crammed in a press room, Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton outlined her universal health care plan, which "would provide tax credits to make insurance more affordable" and "require businesses to offer insurance to workers or pay into a pool for people without it." Florida's health insurance advisor Morgan Moran added 'her opponent, Barack Obama thinks her plan is just talk'.

November 29 -- Florida health insurance web, a health insurance information web site, in its November 2008 political report says "Hillary Clinton plans to expand Medicare and the federal employees' health insurance plan" and to cover those without adequate workplace insurance. Moran, a Florida health insurance consultant said, Democratic presidential candidate "Barack Obama is casting doubt on Clinton's ability to enforce a requirement in her plan that every American buy health insurance."

"Clinton's plan is the most sweeping universal plan offered by any of the 2008 candidates." According to Moran, her campaign is pulling out all the stops on the health insurance issue.

FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com, reporting on each of the presidential candidates positions on healthcare said, "Clinton and Obama are the latest to argue over healthcare. 'The upcoming elections will impact Florida's health care system as far as benefits and rates are concerned' said Moran, 'whichever candidate takes the White House in 2009, Florida residents may end up with better health care than they have today'. "Health insurance is finally on the bargaining table and we all may benefit from it."

Clinton points to her web site where her position on healthcare is clearly stated. On her website www.hillaryclinton.com she has posted the following points:

(1) If you have an insurance plan you like, you can keep it. If you want to change plans or aren't currently covered, you can choose from dozens of the same plans available to members of Congress, or you can opt into a public plan option like Medicare. And working families will get tax credits to help pay their premiums.

(2) Small businesses are the engine of new job growth in the U.S. economy but face bigger challenges when it comes to providing health care for their employees. Hillary would give tax credits to small businesses that provide health care to their workers to help defray their coverage costs. This will make small businesses more competitive and help create good jobs with health benefits that will stay here in the US.

(3) Insurance companies won't be able to deny you coverage or drop you because their computer model says you're not worth it. They will have to offer and renew coverage to anyone who applies and pays their premium. And like other things that you buy, they will have to compete for your business based on quality and price. Families will have the security of knowing that if they become ill or lose their jobs, they won't lose their coverage.

(4) Nobody has worked harder or longer to improve health care than Hillary Clinton. From her time in Arkansas when she improved rural health care to her successful effort to create the SCHIP Children's Health Insurance program which now covers six million children, Hillary has the strength and experience to ensure that every man, woman and child in America has quality, affordable health care.

"Clinton has been criticizing Obama's health care plan for falling short of universal health coverage" said Moran, because unlike her plan, "Obama's (plan) would not require every American to buy insurance". Obama claims "his plan would lower the cost of insurance and guarantee access", removing the obstacles most often faced by people without insurance.

This week Obama argued that his rival (CLINTON) has been unwilling to say how she would enforce the mandate to buy health insurance. Without enforcement, "Obama said, it is nothing more than an empty 'political talking point'."

"Sen. Clinton still hasn't explained what this mandate is: What's she going to do if somebody doesn't purchase health care? Is she going to fine them? Is she going to garnish their wages?" Obama said.

"One of the problems with Clinton's health insurance approach, is that she hasn't been straight with the American people about how she's going to 'impose this mandate'. And without an enforcement mechanism, there is no mandate. It's just a political talking point," he continued.

A spokesman for the Clinton campaign, Lori Singer commented, "The fact remains that Sen. "Obama is going around saying he has a universal health care plan that in fact excludes 15 million Americans." Obama's own health care plan does include a requirement that families purchase insurance for their children.

Shortly after, Obama sent out a memo noting that in Massachusetts, the only state so far to require residents to buy health insurance, "hundreds of thousands of people have not purchased insurance despite a fine levied on those who fail to do so through their tax returns".

About Morgan Moran and FHI-Web
Florida Health Insurance Web is a health insurance consulting service. Find out about health insurance from the experts in a free online or phone consultation. Florida health insurance web is a source of health insurance news, agents, and insurance carriers covering individuals in the state of Florida. Individuals can get insurance quotes, search rates online by city, read current insurance news and events. For a directory and archive of Florida Health Insurance News or Consultants, or free health insurance quotes, please visit www.FloridaHealthInsuranceWeb.com.

Press Contact: Morgan Moran
Company Name: Florida Health Insurance Consulting
Phone: (800) 554-9142
Website: http://www.floridahealthinsuranceweb.com

Investment Property Market: Mortgages in Crisis

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:23:00 +0000

Your Pound Still Goes a Long way in the Investment Property Market: Mortgages in Crisis - Overseas Property Markets Overview Part 1

How to use Pound's position on the market to invest in property effectively and buy a dream home overseas? There was never a better time for UK investors to Invest in US, Caribbean and Central America property markets find out more and collect your free invitation to Excel London show Place in the Sun. Three part research and advice article about property investments based on three years figures from UK based overseas property investment company Principal International.

London, Surrey - April 23, 2008 -- You can't open a newspaper at the moment without seeing a report on Britain's financial crisis and the end of the housing boom. First time buyers are finding it almost impossible to get a foot on the property ladder and now homeowners and investors are facing potential negative equity on the value of their properties. Even celebrities like Orlando Bloom, Leona Lewis and Jonathan Woodgate have spoken out about the high property prices in London, which are causing them to consider other options.

Credit Crunch creates more opportunities to invest in properties abroad

For a long time, buy to let properties in Britain have been a secure venture for UK investors, but is it now time to start looking further a field?

Simon Ryeland - Director of Principal International Properties and specialist with 17 years in property investment, is clear that there are still good property investments out there, as long as you know where to look. "People have been investing with us in properties in the UK and abroad for over twelve years now. Over the last few years many emerging overseas markets have experienced strong rental yields and capital growth and provided a far more profitable solution than the UK market."

And it seems that the obvious destination for buying investment property overseas - Spain - isn't necessarily the best value for money.

"Spain is now generally considered as an area mainly for lifestyle purchases and we would encourage investors to look further afield." Says Simon.

Investors put off by overcrowded beaches, recent concerns over illegally built homes and the strength of the Euro against the Pound have good reason to consider other emerging markets.

There was never a better time for UK investors to Invest in great Property in US, Caribbean and Central America

One of the biggest considerations is the current value of the pound against the US dollar. Put simply, with an almost two to one exchange rate, your pound will go a lot further in countries associated with the US dollar than those associated with the Euro. And this means there are a lot of exciting property investment opportunities out there.

To be continued...

Next week: Where are the US dollar property investment hotspots? Plus unlocking the undiscovered wealth of the Eastern European property market.

This week Channel 4's A Place in the Sun Live property investment show is taking place at ExCeL London, Friday 25th to Sunday 27th April 2008.

Report by Jennifer Clowes. Analysis for this article is based on the last three years figures from Principal International Properties (pip4u.com).

Press Contact: Simon Ryeland
Company Name: Principal International Properties
Phone: (+44)01483748629
Website: http://www.principalinternational.co.uk

Retirees Facing Lifetime Tax Bill Over $1 Million

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:27:00 +0000

Many Canadian Retirees Are Facing a Lifetime Tax Bill of Over $1 million

The results from over 10,000 reviews of the TriDelta E state 100 planning tool shows that for many older Baby Boomers and retirees, they are facing a tax bill of more than $1 million over the rest of their lives.

Toronto, ON - April 18, 2008 -- The results from over 10,000 reviews of the TriDelta Estate 100 planning tool shows that for many older Baby Boomers and retirees, they are facing a tax bill of more than $1 million over the rest of their lives.

Since being launched just over a year ago, the results have shown the following:

Median Estate Value: $1,944,000 (the mid-point of all values)

Median Lifetime Tax Bill: $1,032,000

The main culprit in the high tax numbers is Canadians passing away with large RRSP/RRIF balances. In many cases, Canadians will see 40% to 50% of these assets going to the government instead of their estate.

"Many Canadians don't realize how much of their registered assets will be taxed at death. Fortunately, with proper planning and some unique strategies, often much of this tax can be avoided," said Ted Rechtshaffen, CFP and President of TriDelta Financial Partners.

"The key to minimizing these taxes starts with an effective strategy to time RRSP and RRIF withdrawals, and the new tax free savings accounts will be a big help. Some other strategies are ideal for 2008 because of the low interest rates and high dividend yields that we are seeing," said Rechtshaffen.

The TriDelta Estate 100 is a free tool available at www.tridelta.ca. This tool helps those who are retired or close to retirement determine how much of an estate they will have -- essentially 'will I outlive my money, and if not, how much will be left over?' The other key question that is answered is 'how big will my lifetime tax bill be?'

TriDelta Financial Partners is a firm located in Toronto, Canada that works with many "Classic Canadian Retirees" to help them learn to enjoy life more. TriDelta Financial Partners is a financial planning firm whose financial planner and financial advisor specialists offer investment, mortgages, insurance, retirement planning, tax reduction strategies and estate planning solutions to Canadians.

TriDelta Financial Partners have access to the entire market for the best combination of products, ensuring that clients receive optimized financial planning and estate planning solutions to maximize their financial wealth and achieve financial peace of mind.

For further information: contact Ted Rechtshaffen, President and CEO, TriDelta Financial Partners, at (416) 733-3292

Press Contact: Ted Rechtshaffen
Company Name: TriDelta Financial Partners
Phone: 416-733-3292
Website: www.tridelta.ca

Auction Rate Preferred Shares the Largest Case of Fraud in US History

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 05:45:00 +0000

Wall Street's Auction Rate Preferred Shares the Largest Case of Outright Fraud in U.S. History, Declares Americas Watchdog

Americas Watchdog is demanding the the Securities & Exchange Commission & every State's Attorney General start investigating "auction rate preferred shares" & the fact that citizens in every US state were sold these extremely risky investments by a bank or stock broker as, "same as cash". Now tens of thousands of US citizens are being told by a bank or stock broker, "we don't know when you will get your money back". Why is this the biggest single case of fraud in US history? Its because the investors did not want risk, they wanted safety, and instead of that they were given an exotic risky investment device by greedy Wall Street investment houses & US banks. Why does this story deserve to be on NBC, CBS, ABC, & CNN? Its because this is by far the largest case of outright fraud in US history.

April 8, 2008 -- Americas Watchdog and its Corporate Whistle Blower Center are demanding that name brand banks or Wall Street financial institutions refund 100% of the investment unsuspecting US citizens placed in exotic investment devises called auction rate preferred shares, or auction rate shares. According to Americas Watchdog, "tens of thousands of US citizens were told by a US bank or Wall Street financial institution that auction rate shares were just like a CD, they were perfectly safe, and a consumer would never have to worry about their investment."

"Now in most cases, these small investors are being told by their bank or stock broker, they cannot get their money back or it will take months or longer. These US citizens were lied to, and now Americas Watchdog intends to force the issue with the SEC, State Attorney Generals, & the TV networks. We are talking about a half trillion dollars +; the life savings of tens of thousands of Americans. Wall Street and the banks will not get away with the biggest con job in history," states Americas Watchdog.

Americas Watchdog alleges the ARPS/ARS fraud is the biggest case of fraud in US history for the following reasons:

    * Tens of thousands of US citizens were told by a name brand bank or a Wall Street stock brokerage firm that auction rate preferred shares (ARPS/ARS) were just like cash, they were safe, they were just like a money market account, etc. The consumers did not want risk. Relying on their US bank or Wall Street stock brokerage firm, mom and pops and small investors in many cases were given an auction rate preferred share as a "safe alternative to a CD". Small investors were talked into investing hundreds of billions of dollars into this scheme.

    * Now these same banks or stock brokers are telling their clients they cannot access their money right now. However, the banks or stock brokerage firms are offering the auction rate preferred US victims the ability to borrow back some of their money, with interest. According to Americas Watchdog, "what a pathetic joke, first the banks & major stock brokers lie to tens of thousands of US citizens about the liquidity of auction rate preferred shares, now these same banks or brokers want to lend the victims back their own money? Not one customer was ever given a prospectus to the best knowledge of Americas Watchdog.

    * Americas Watchdog is indicating that if banks or financial institutions do not refund the auction rate preferred shares money in full to consumers, in the very near future the group will start a state by state protest/media event where individual consumers get to tell their auction rate preferred shares story to the local news media in front of the bank of stock brokerage firm that sold them this exotic not very safe investment. Consumers who were tricked into buying an option rate preferred share can call Americas Watchdog anytime at 866-714-6466.

According to Americas Watchdog, "The gloves are coming off, we are tired of seeing US citizens ripped off over and over and over again by Wall Street, US banks or a bought and paid for US Congress."

Talk about Reform or transparency from banks and Wall Street. In another case Americas Watchdog has been demanding that Congress require banks and mortgage bankers disclose a little known mortgage kick back called a "yield spread premium" for the last six years. According to the group, "50 million US homeowners pay a higher monthly mortgage payment today, because a bank or mortgage banker did not have to reveal the huge kick back they received, for increasing a home loan borrower's interest rate/monthly mortgage payment. Mortgage brokers must disclose these kick backs. Banks or mortgage bankers get the same kick backs, but they have no disclosure requirement."

Americas Watchdog says, "this kick back scheme rates #2 right behind the auction rate preferred shares fraud." In the case of the yield spread premium kick back, Congress has not been willing to require banks to disclose mortgage kickbacks because of the large donations they get from banks, home builders and mortgage bankers. Americas Watchdog's National Mortgage Complaint Center estimates that banks, mortgage bankers or home builders not having to disclose huge mortgage kick backs combined with appraisal fraud, are two of the major reasons we now have a national real estate meltdown. The National Mortgage Complaint Center's web site is located at http://NationalMortgageComplaintCenter.com

According to Americas Watchdog, "It's time for some accountability on the part of Congress and Federal Agencies that are supposed to be protecting people. Whatever happened to Federal oversight, or consumer protection? Having the best Congress money can buy has given us:

    * The auction rate preferred shares mega disaster

    * The US biblical type real estate disaster

    * Tax breaks for oil companies

    * Billions in tax breaks for national home builders that have failed to pay federal or state taxes on their work force (most of whom were/are undocumented workers-Google Americas watchdog the worst case of tax fraud in US history)

    * High profile Congressional hearings on steroid use in baseball instead of Congressional hearings on drug companies paying off Congress for Medicare Part B that cost 30 billion dollars more per year than it should have (The drug companies actually wrote the legislation).

    * No Congressional hearings on Auction Rate Preferred Shares fraud even though its a $720+ billion dollar disaster

    * With lots of money going to Congress, the mortgage industry fought fiercely to spike a provision to let bankruptcy judges rewrite the terms of distressed mortgages. It won that battle; the provision was left out. This in light of the fact that home builders and banks artificially inflated the values of US homes.

    *      Contrary to the Wall Streeet lies about the credit crunch being over within the next 12 months 1 in 5 Americans will owe more on their home than it is worth.

"Things have to change at the top in the form of real national leadership, corporate honesty & integrity or our country will not survive," says Americas Watchdog.

Americas Watchdog is all about consumer protection, shareholder protection and corporate responsibility. Their web site is located at http://AmericasWatchdog.com

Investors are still waiting to learn if any of the financial institutions had bond insurance that might cover some of the losses. At this time suits are being filed for auction rate securities litigation. It may be some time before things are sorted out.

Help A Reporter

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:17:00 +0000

I thought I would share with you today a great resource. You'll want to tell the PR people, marketers, publicists, editors, bloggers, writers, and journalists you work with about it too, because it's all about them and their needs.

If you're not already using www.helpareporter.com, check it out. It's a service much like that other one that connects PR people and journalists looking for sources, but this one is free. It used to be on Facebook, but grew too large for it. Once you subscribe, you receive about three (sometimes two, no more than four, ever) emails a day with reporter, editor and freelance writer queries, written so you can quickly and easily scan the topics for relevance.

If the topics do not apply to you or your clients, just hit delete. If they do, you may contact the reporter or editor directly, as instructed.

Note that Peter Shankman, the list facilitator, is very strict about helping out these reporters. Respond only if your information (or your client's info) is relevant and on target. If not, and you send non-relevant emails more than once, you'll get bumped off the list. Quickly. I've heard it can happen. He's a big believer in good Karma, and he also thinks he's quite funny, and tends to also include a link to a fun site, or a funny story about his day in the emails. It's a nice refreshing change from the boring, non-funny emails we usually deal with.

Reporters can post queries at www.helpareporter.com/press, and sources can sign up at www.helpareporter.com - As I said, it's free. Peter asks that if you find it useful, then you make a donation to any animal rescue charity or animal hospital.

You can forward the queries to others who are a fit, but do not post any queries (or the editor/reporter contact info) on any blogs or public websites. I received permission from Peter to send you this note, since this is a private group and I'm helping to spread the word to both subscribers and media to sign up.

The more people who use it, the better it becomes. By the way, Peter wrote almost everything you see before this line with a few edits by me. All the links that don't go to helpareporter.com were added by me.

New Guides to Obtaining University Degrees Online

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 21:43:00 +0000

Almeda University Taps Into Past Successes for New Guides to Obtaining University Degrees Online

Almeda University utilized its long history of providing quality university degrees online in the development of online learning guides for current and prospective students. These guides to achieving an online college degree offer advice on what programs will best suit the students' interests and career goals as well as practical information on the process of earning a university degree online.

Boise, ID - March 14, 2008 -- It only takes a quick Google search of "online degrees" to reveal the sheer number of organizations offering university degrees online today. But wading through the tens of thousands of results on this particular search can quickly prove to be a superhuman task. Fortunately for students seeking an online college degree, Almeda University now offers not only online education but also online degree guides to help students find the right path to their future.

With more than 10 years of experience providing college degrees online and over 26,000 online students in more than 7,000 cities worldwide, Almeda University is the ideal school to lead students through the process of achieving a university degree online. The university has set itself apart from others in the field by securing important professional certifications and consistently receiving high marks from reviewing agencies.

The newly created online degree guide program at Almeda University taps into the expertise of the university's academic advisors. These advisors rely on the guidelines set for by the National Association of Academic Online Assessors (NAOAA), an organization that has certified Almeda University's online degree programs. Founded by professional educators, the NAOAA contends that college credits should be awarded accurately and equitably assessed by trained and certified practitioners. An NAOAA certification provides assurance and validity to employers regarding the skills of Almeda University's practitioners.

In addition to a spotless history with the Better Business Bureau, Almeda University has an overwhelmingly favorable record with ePublicEye.com, an independent third party that allows consumers to rate e-businesses for reliability, privacy and customer satisfaction. After reaching the milestone of 3500 online degree students surveyed, ePublicEye.com shows an overwhelming majority of Almeda University students are satisfied or extremely satisfied in their studies. They earned an 'A' in every major area, scoring 90% or higher in the categories of Management Accessibility (91.64%), Payment Process (93.14%), Satisfaction with Claims (92.85%), Customer Support (91.85%), Comparative Prices (92.25%), Ease of Returns/Refunds (93.06%), Privacy Experience (91.98%) and Customer Loyalty (92.40%).

Students seeking a university degree online can find the guidance they need at Almeda University by utilizing online learning guides that help them decide which programs will suit their interests and career goals. Not only do these guides help students determine their path to higher education, they also walk students through the process of achieving the degree in simple, easy to understand language.

Almeda University is an online institute that has been serving the international community since its inception in 1997. Since that time, Almeda has evolved to educate an expanding population through cutting edge curriculum design based on students' needs and professional service. For more information on University degrees online and Almeda University visit http://www.almedauniversity.org.

Press Contact: Richard Franklin
Company Name: Alemda University
Phone: 866-699-8207
Website: www.almedauniversity.org

Gourmet Coffee Gift Boxes Just in Time

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:27:00 +0000

Volcanica Coffee Announces the Addition of Gourmet Coffee Gift Boxes Just in Time for the Holidays.

Today, Volcanica Coffee announced a new addition to their product line and now offers gourmet coffee gift boxes. The new gourmet coffee gift boxes are available in various assortments that contain their famous Kona Coffee, Costa Rica Coffee and Blue Mountain Coffee.

Fort Lauderdale, FL - November 30, 2007 -- Today, Volcanica Coffee announced a new addition to their product line up and now offers gourmet coffee gift boxes. The new gourmet coffee gift boxes are available in various assortments that contain their famous Kona Coffee, Costa Rica Coffee and Blue Mountain Coffee.

The most popular gourmet coffee gift box is the Classic Coffee Gift Box which contains the top gourmet coffees from Volcanica and retails for $129.99. Each Classic Coffee Gift Box includes one pound of each of Volcanica Blue Mountain Coffee, Volcanica Costa Rican Reserve , Volcanica Costa Rican Original and Volcanica Kona Gran Reserve. The gourmet coffee gift boxes are available at www.volcanicacoffee.com/coffee-gift.htm.

Also available are the Signature Coffee Gift Box and the Coffee Lovers Gift Box. Both contain different assortments of the types of Volcanica Coffees an are available lower prices. Each coffee gift is shipped in a beautiful white gift box with the coffee bags nestled in crinkle cut paper.

Volcanica Gourmet Coffee Beans is a specialty importer and retailer of exotic single origin gourmet coffee beans. The Company is committed to offering only the finest quality coffee from volcanic regions around the world that is wonderfully exotic and remarkable in taste. The Volcanica Coffee website is located at www.VolcanicaCoffee.com.

Press Contact: DIANE CONTRERAS
Company Name: Volcanica Gourmet Coffee Beans
Phone: 877-454-7031
Website: http://www.volcanicacoffee.com/

Winemaker Goes from Crude to Cabernet

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:14:00 +0000

From the Oilfields to the Vineyards: New Small Lot Winemaker Goes from Crude to Cabernet

After spending much of his life taking oil samples and grading gasoline, new winemaker now takes barrel samples and pours vineyard soul. Small lot winemaking has always been big in Europe. The trend is growing in the U.S.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 20, 2007 -- After spending much of his life taking oil samples and grading gasoline, new winemaker now takes barrel samples and pours vineyard soul. Small lot winemaking has always been big in Europe. The trend is growing in the U.S.

Jonathan Branch remembers hearing the old man say it first. He was sitting at a cafe table in a small town in Italy. The old man said the word "Animae" to the waitress. He was describing a wine to her. After the man left, Jonathan asked the waitress what "Animae" meant, and she said "soul". The wine had soul. He instantly new that he wanted to make wine. Wine that had soul.

Jonathan had worked for 17 years with Britsh Petroleum. Taking crude oil samples and grading finished gasoline. Work allowed him to travel the world, and he had his first experience with a great wine from the Alsace region while visiting Paris. It changed his life.

Paris was a long way from the hard and violent streets of the fifth ward in Houston, Texas. He considered himself lucky to make it out. But many of the older folks who lived in the fifth ward were transplanted farmers, and they also knew about "Animae". They grew much of their food in their backyard.

So what does a person with a great job do when he falls in love with the idea of making his own wine ? He quits. Volunteers to work at a co-op winery shoveling grape skins, sorting the spiders from the fruit, and doing punchdowns until his arms are about to fall off. In doing this, some of the best winemakers around gave up their knowledge, and allowed Jonathan to source some excellent fruit from Napa, and produce his first wine. A 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Which is aptly titled Branch Cellars "Animae"Blend."

Jonathan Branch has no regrets about leaving the 90 octane tests, and hopefully scoring some 90 point reviews of his wine. He knows African -American winemakers are rare , and small production wines are just starting to catch on, but he believes people are coming back to things that are made with a little love, and a little "Animae."

2005 Branch Cellars "Animae" Cabernet Sauvignon
A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot; this desirious red wine truly has soul. Aromas of blueberry, cocoa, and tobacco are featured prominently on the nose. The palate delivers mouthwatering, fruit forward, flavors of black cherry, cocoa and subtle mineral notes that compliment this red's soft tannins. --Tom Dinardo of WineSquire

Press Contact: Jonathan Branch
Company Name: Branch Cellars
Phone: 626-840-6745
Website: branchcellars.com

LinkWorth: The Good

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:44:00 +0000

There are a number of link broker sites out there: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm not going to name the ones I don't like for a number of reasons, but I will tell you about one that I have been with for several years and that I am very happy with and that is LinkWorth.com.

There are a lot of reasons why I not only like LinkWorth, but also have been very loyal to them. When I was contacted directly by an advertiser after they canceled text ads on our sites, I was surprised that they wanted to do this to get a discount by bypassing LinkWorth. I promptly reported them to LinkWorth and told the former advertiser that I would never take their business, no matter how much they offered us.

I did this because LinkWorth provides a good service and charges about 30% for the text ad fee. This is not a small amount, but the other sites I have seen generally charge about 50%, or 30% of the "wholesale" price. I consider both of these to be excessive, although to be fair LinkWorth does take 50% of the fees when they take care of the marketing and placing of text ads. I have not tried the full service option but it may be worth it.

Once your site is set up in LinkWorth, you can add code to your site which allows the adding and removing of text ads on your site to be automated. If you've ever added and removed links as advertisers change, you know that can take some time and be a headache if you have a lot of sites.

LinkWorth also allows you to buy text ads on other sites and has different types of advertising options. And as a publisher you can also provide a number of options for advertisers.

We have been with LinkWorth for a number of years and also run Google AdSense on most of our sites. Over the past few years the income from AdSense has decreased, but the LinkWorth income has increased and we are now exceeding the most we have ever made with AdSense on a monthly basis.

If you have a web site or a blog and are not not offering text ads on your site, you are missing out on a great additional revenue stream.

[Note: This is not a paid post and it does not contain any paid text link ads. Some links may be affiliate links and can be easily circumvented if you wish. If you want to confirm that I really feel this way, please feel to comment. I really do like LinkWorth...]

Hillary Clinton Outsourcing Is A Problem

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:58:00 +0000

Outsourcing is a problem: Hillary Clinton
Rediff - India
Top Democratic Presidential contenders, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, are of the view that outsourcing was an issue for Americans and favoured ...

RampRate Ranked in the Top 10 of All Outsourcing ITO Advisors in ...
dBusinessNews Los Angeles (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
LOS ANGELES - RampRate announced today it has been ranked among the Top 10 Information Technology Outsourcing Advisors in the 2007 Black Book of Outsourcing ...

Wipro Leads In Global IT Infrastructure Outsourcing
EFYTimes - New Delhi,India
"Wipro was a pioneer in the India-based remote infrastructure service market, and now it has global command centres located in the USA, UK and the Middle ...

Infosys Named a Leader in Global IT Infrastructure Outsourcing
Prdomain Business Register (press release) - Navi Mumbai,Maharashtra,USA
This is a reflection of the strength of our benchmarked IT infrastructure outsourcing approach driven by our focus on IT service management" The Forrester ...

Ukraine IT outsourcing tops in Eastern Europe
Kyiv Post - Kyiv,Ukraine
by Lena Plekhanova, Kyiv Post Staff Writer Ukraine has become the most attractive destination for IT outsourcing in Eastern Europe, according to a study ...

The Philippines Is Hub Of Business Processing Outsourcing
IndustryWeek - USA
It has identified seven priority ICT and BPO target sectors: contact center, back office business process outsourcing, health information management, ...

Don't limit yourself in recruitment process outsourcing
ZDNet Asia - Asia
Q. I have been working in the Indian BPO (business process outsourcing) industry for the past four years, and for the last two and a half years, ...

Intellectual property development is not helped by the outsourcing ...
Korea Newswire (press release) - South Korea
At present, however, manufacturers are struggling to marry outsourcing with the need for innovation. Only a minority of respondents believes that ...

Indian outsourcers reject claim of US visa abuses
MarketWatch - USA
By MarketWatch India's outsourcing industry agency Thursday rejected allegations that its companies are abusing US visa programs, the Financial Times ...

Export orders last month rise on strong demand for notebook PCs ...
Taipei Times - Taiwan
"Strong demand for notebook computers and the continued outsourcing of orders by global manufacturers led to a pronounced rise in orders for information and ...

Italy's Galileo Avionica eyes Bulgaria as avionics repair ...
Dnevnik.bg - Bulgaria
Galileo Avionica, a Finmeccanica company focused on defence electronics, plans to build an all-aircraft maintenance center in Bulgaria, CEO Renzo Meschini ...

Beware of outsourcing myths, warns survey
OutSourcing-Pharma.com - Montpellier,France
By Emilie Reymond 25/06/2007 - A number of outsourcing misconceptions are luring companies into viewing offshoring as an easy process, new research reveals. ...

CSC Signs IT Outsourcing Contract Extension With General Dynamics ...
Earthtimes.org - USA
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 26 -- Computer Sciences Corporation today announced that it has signed an information technology (IT) outsourcing contract ...

borderless finance, trade, outsourcing, banking, politics in China ...
Indymedia Estrecho - Andalucía,Ceuta y Melilla,Spain
explore how to get best from internationalized economy, finance, banking, outsourcing, trade and politics. Learn vast opportunities from China, India, ...

Symphony Services Named One of the Top 50 Best Managed Global ...
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
Results of the annual survey of outsourcing decision-makers conducted by Brown-Wilson were published in association with the group's 2007 Black Book of ...

Future, Facts, and Fears on Pharmaceutical & Biotech Outsourcing ...
Earthtimes.org - USA
Key plenary sessions this year include a co-presentation on "New Drug Discovery and Development - Outsourcing in the Developing World" to be given by ...

Integreon Ranked #1 Outsourcing Provider Globally for Second Year ...
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
The company also ranked number two worldwide in the rapidly emerging full Legal Process outsourcing (LPO) category. Integreon was also ranked among the top ...

Which IT Outsourcing Company Gives Maximum Return on Covered Calls?
Seeking Alpha - New York,NY,USA
With the above tutorial on covered calls, let's see which IT outsourcing stocks would give maximum return on covered calls (assuming one wants to hold the ...

Work like an Egyptian: group pushes outsourcing
Ottawa Business Journal - Ontario, Canada
According to local experts, however, the Egyptians were modest in their requests, and recognizing that the face of international outsourcing had evolved. ...

RECRUITMENT OUTSOURCING
Recruiter Magazine - London,UK
During the year we have also expanded our service offering into areas such as human resource outsourcing and have won new business with organisations ...

Home >> Appalachian receives $169000 grant to study outsourcing and ...
Appalachian State University - Boone,NC,USA
"Faculty, students and members of the regional business community will all benefit with a deeper understanding of issues related to global outsourcing and ...

Why Tainted Toothpase Matters In The Outsourcing Discussion
InformationWeek - Manhasset,NY,USA
As a talent war escalates in India, many companies are looking to China as the next big opportunity for offshore outsourcing. ...

Mastek Ranked Among the Top 50 Global Outsourcing Providers
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA
According to The Black Book of Outsourcing, Mastek was "rated number one by insurance vertical clients in large part for developing end-to-end mission ...

MPs condemn BBC outsourcing costs
ZDNet UK - UK
The BBC's £1.5bn IT outsourcing deal with Siemens Business Services has come under fire from MPs for over-estimating cost savings and for key projects ...

Outsourcing Contracts - Industry survey Reveals the Hallmarks of ...
Lawfuel (press release) - Wellington,NA,New Zealand
LAWFUEL - The Legal Newswire - Not maintaining strong relationships throughout the lifetime of an outsourcing project is a key reason why outsourcings fail ...

How Do You Ensure Value For Money In An Outsourcing Relationship
Mondaq News Alerts (subcription) - London,UK
A company embarking on an outsourcing project will often identify cost reduction and value for money as key drivers for the outsourcing. ...

Shyamal Majumdar: Person-to-person outsourcing
Business Standard - India
Coined by Alok Aggarwal, chairman of Evaluserve Inc, PPO means person-to-person outsourcing. The US-based Aggarwal, who is the co-founder of the global ...

AuctionAds Wins eBay Star Developer Award

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 20:34:00 +0000

MediaWhiz Division AuctionAds Wins eBay Star Developer Award for ''Most Innovative Application-Buyer'' eBay Developers Conference

June 21, 2007 - NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AuctionAds, a division of MediaWhiz Holdings Inc., today announced it received the eBay Star Developer Award for "Most Innovative Application-Buyer" at the sixth annual eBay Developers Conference. AuctionAds (www.auctionads.com) enables users to monetize their website by displaying live eBay auctions next to their related copy.

"We are honored to accept this prestigious award, which recognizes that AuctionAds is a successful tool for leveraging the lucrative eBay affiliate system, in a way that is easy for publishers to use," stated AuctionAds CTO David Dellanave.

"The eBay Star Developers Awards recognize developers for their innovation and commitment to the eBay platform," said Max Mancini, senior director of disruptive innovation at eBay. "AuctionAds was awarded for its efficiency using innovative caching techniques, allowing it to serve up 30 million impressions a month with only 200,000 API calls, an impressive volume of traffic per API call."

The eBay Developers Conference in Boston brings together more than 500 third-party developers, entrepreneurs and affiliates to meet with technologists and business leaders from eBay, PayPal, ProStores, Shopping.com and Skype.

About AuctionAds

AuctionAds (www,auctionads.com), a division of MediaWhiz Holdings Inc., users to monetize their website by displaying live eBay auctions next to their related copy.

About MediaWhiz

MediaWhiz is a leading online marketing company delivering a fully integrated solution for brand advertisers, direct marketers and publishers by leveraging its suite of marketing services to achieve measurable results. Services include affiliate marketing, lead generation, email marketing, list management, display advertising, text link advertising and search marketing. MediaWhiz delivers more than 3 million monthly leads to over 3,000 advertisers through its database of more than 100 million consumer email addresses and relationships with over 20,000 publishers. Private equity firm Lake Capital first invested in MediaWhiz in August 2005. Through acquisitions and organic growth, MediaWhiz has established its position as a leading provider of integrated marketing. More information on MediaWhiz is available at www,mediawhiz.com.
Contacts

Berns Communications Group
Joshua Greenwald / Megan Prock
212-994-4660

Attorney Speaks on 'Libel, Slander and the First Amendment'

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 14:15:00 +0000

Detroit Attorney Speaks on 'Libel, Slander and the First Amendment'

How free is speech after the Imus controversy?

Detroit, MI (PRWEB) April 30, 2007 -- The Law Offices of Jermaine A. Wyrick P.L.L.C. is pleased to announce that on Monday April 30, 2007, at 6:00 p.m., Attorney Jermaine A. Wyrick will speak to the Detroit Urban League Blue Monday Network/Young Professionals (DULYP) for a networking forum entitled, "Language, Lyrics, Image and the Media (are we tuned in?).

Attorney Jermaine A. Wyrick has practiced law since 1997. Attorney Wyrick has lectured in various places, including for Lorman Education Services, the Northville Psychiatric Hospital, Continuing Medical Education program, and the Detroit Branch NAACP George W. Crockett Community Law School.

Attorney Wyrick awards include the Pepsi "Everyday Freedom Hero" Award; "Civil Rights and Education" United States Attorney's Office Black History Month Award, and the "Five under Ten" Award from the University of Michigan, African American Alumni Council; Who's Who in America, the Federal Bar Association, Pro Bono Project Award; Respect for Law, Optimist International, and an award from the Detroit Branch NAACP for Outstanding Leadership in Affirmative Action.

Attorney Wyrick is currently a member of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, the National Bar Association and the Board of Directors for the Wolverine Bar Association.

Attorney Wyrick civic activities, includes the Coleman A. Young Foundation Board of Directors, the Detroit Recovery Project - Board of Directors, and the State Bar of Michigan Public Outreach Committee.

## #

Press Contact: JERMAINE WYRICK
Company Name: Law Offices of Jermaine Wyrick PLLC
Phone: (313)964-8950
Website:

Libel, Slander, and the First Amendment
Speech Outline
Uploaded: Apr 28, 2007

LAW OFFICES OF
JERMAINE A. WYRICK P.L.L.C.
615 GRISWOLD, SUITE 1610
DETROIT, MI. 48226
OFFICE: (313) 964-8950
E-Mail: AttyJaw1@Ameritech.net
_____________________________________________________

"Language, Lyrics, Image and the Media (are we tuned in?)

Speech Monday April 30, 2007

Michigan Law
Libel: A statement concerning the plaintiff that is false in some material respect, is communicated to a third person by written or printed words, and has a tendency to harm the plaintiff's reputation. Fisher v. Detroit Free Press, Inc., 158 Mich. App. 498, 404 N.W.2d 765(1987); M.C.L.A. 600.2911, M.S.A. 27A. 2911(libel or slander; makes allegations of lack of chastity actionable, specific damages in actions for libel or slander, provides for mitigating circumstances, and sets forth special conditions for public and private figures.

FIRST AMENDMENT
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishing of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Thomas Jefferson "Press ought to be restrained "within the legal and wholesome limits of the truth."

John Peter Zenger Trial 1735
Editor found not guilty of publishing libels after he wrote the aide of the governor was a large "Spaniel" the sheriff was a "Monkey." For a libel to be proved it, must be both false and malicious. The right to free speech, free press was established.

Jacob Abrams Case (1919)
Editor sentenced to jail 20 years for the male defendant, and 50 years for the woman. Editor wrote an editorial entitled "The Nude and Prudes," a dangerous and seditious revolutionary piece in which the editor criticized opponents of nude swimming. Convicted under a Washington state law making it a crime to encourage or advocate disrespect for the law(Indecent Exposure).

The Nuremberg Trial Germany 1945-1946
Julius Streicher, a raving bigot, editor of Der Sturmer, a notorious anti-Semitic propaganda rag, the bible of Hitler's racism prosecuted . He was sentenced to death not, "strictly on the law but on the physical and moral revulsion he evoked."

Dr. Spock prosecution (1968)
Prosecuted Vietnam War protestors. Government wanted to have a chilling effect on entirely proper, and constitutionally protected organized political activities. Conviction reversed on appeal.

The Pentagon Papers 1971
The Defendant New York Times published the Pentagon Papers. The Government/Nixon administration argued publication would affect lives, termination of the Vietnam War and therefore asked for a prior restraint injunction to win a criminal prosecution in connection with the initial dissemination of the papers. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the New York Times. The United States Supreme Court ruled the First Amendment was adopted against he widespread of seditious libel to punish the dissemination of material that embarrassed the government.

Hustler v. Faldwell United States Supreme Court (1983)
Held the First Amendment recognizes no such thing as a "false idea." The First Amendment protects a gross and offensive parody. Portrayed minister as a drunk having sex with his mother in an outhouse.

Nor must the criticism of public figures be limited to "reasoned or moderate" attack; it may include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks. It may also include caricature, satire, exaggeration, hyperbole, mockery, and ridicule. The publisher may even be motivated by "hatred or ill will" than by a genuine wish to impose or reform.

New On-line Youth Forum Launched

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 14:45:00 +0000

Teens Get New Internet Forum for Support, Advice, and Friendship

Youth Empowerment Center expands reach to cyberspace to offer teens a safe environment and support beyond the limitations of geography and time

San Diego, CA - September 20, 2006 - The Eugene Bowman Economic Empowerment Center announced today that it has created a new online message board/Internet forum for teens. Teens that register can access the forum 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and read messages, ask questions, discuss issues, and share information about things that are important to them, but that they may have trouble discussing with current friends or family. There is no fee to use the forum, which is located at: http://forum.empowering-youth.org/

We want to reach out to kids who have access to computers, but may not be able to come to our youth center, said Lorraine Bowman, president of the EBEEC. The forum also allows kids to keep their identity confidential if they are in trouble or scared. We want kids to feel safe in getting the help and advice they need.

Teens do not often get a sounding board for issues that affect them on a daily basis the goal of the forum is to provide one where feedback and advice is provided not only by peers, but also experienced staff as needed so that youth can benefit from those with age and experience beyond what they may receive on teen-only systems, or public forums were caring adult supervision may not always be available. The staff members do not police the forums, but monitor activity and step in when as needed to present a more rounded view of situations, or present other options that may not be suggested by other teens. The staff does constantly watch for any possible forum visitors that may not be who they seem and who communicate or act in an inappropriate manner.

About The Eugene Bowman Economic Empowerment Center
The Eugene Bowman Economic Empowerment Center is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization located in San Diego, California that is dedicated to providing personal support, counseling, and long-term programs to low-income, at-risk youth and families in a compassionate and healing environment.

Since May 2003, the Youth Empowerment Center has providing counseling and information to victims of violence. They believe it is important for survivors of all types of violence to regain control of their lives. The Center empowers them to make their own decisions through the recovery process. This includes such decisions as reporting their victimization to the police, and seeking medical services and counseling.

With a particular concern for at-risk youth, the EBEEC works to improve the conditions of all youth. Past programs have included Emphasis on Moms, Project Success, Girl Talk, Lasting Family Connections, Young Males United, and many more. Visit http://www.empowering-youth.org/

Contact:
The Eugene Bowman Economic Empowerment Center
Jon Gold, Media Coordinator
Lorraine Bowman, President/Founder
4249 Manzanita Drive
San Diego, CA 92105
Phone: (619) 281-3312
Fax: (619) 281-8023

Press Release Unleashed By:
Nielsen Technical Service
http://www.NielsenTech.com
Be what theyre searching for!

Wikipedia Wacks Backpedaling Political Figure

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 22:23:00 +0000

Representative Gil Gutknecht (R-Minnesota) Caught Attempting To Edit Wikipedia Bio

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_229144301.html

Our country is mostly clueless on how computers and the Internet really work. Those that try to cover things up now reveal more by trying this kind of thing than if they just left it alone. I think it's pretty cool! The only thing that I worry about is that if politicians really catch on they may pass laws to protect themselves from this kind of thing...

A spokesman for Gutknecht, didn't dispute that they tried to change the entry and questioned Wikipedia's reliability. "We're concerned when anyone looks to Wikipedia for factual information," Jon Yarin said.

Yeah, we'd sure hate for them to find any, like this link found in Gutknecht's bio to a USATODAY story that backs up the information stated on Wikipedia... :-)

(hris

Link Fraud Law Passed: Will It Help?

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 20:33:00 +0000

Attorney General Hails Passage of the Child Protection Act

WASHINGTON, July 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales released the following statement today regarding Congressional passage of H.R. 4472, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006:

"America's children will be better protected from every parent's worst nightmare -- sexual predators -- thanks to passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. I applaud both the House and Senate -- and in particular the leadership of Chairman Specter in the Senate and Chairman Sensenbrenner in the House -- for passing this comprehensive bill, which includes provisions proposed by the Department of Justice. The protection of our Nation's children has been, and will continue to be, one of the Department's highest priorities, and we believe this bill will help us do our job even better."

Background

Important measures in the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act include:

-- Providing statutory authorization for one of the Attorney General's major initiatives, Project Safe Childhood, which will be implemented through U.S. Attorney-led, locally designed partnerships of federal, state, and local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute technologically-facilitated crimes against children.

-- Strengthening the national standards for sex offender registration and notification, including:

-- Consistent requirements that convicted sex offenders register in the jurisdictions in which they live, work, or go to school, and periodically appear in person before officials of those jurisdictions to verify and update their registration information.

-- Longer required registration periods for sex offenders, including registration for at least 25 years or for life for persons convicted of offenses involving sexual abuse or exploitation of children, for rapists, and for recidivists.

-- More consistent availability to the public through the Internet of information concerning the identities and locations of sex offenders who are required to register.

-- Enhancing the penalties for various federal violent crimes and sexual offenses against children.

-- Authorizing the Attorney General to make grants to support pilot programs for electronic monitoring of released sex offenders, and to support effective civil commitment programs for mentally disordered or abnormal sex offenders who remain dangerous.

-- Allowing the Attorney General to seek the federal civil commitment of sexually dangerous persons to treatment facilities until such time as they no longer pose a threat to other persons.

-- Including the provisions of what is popularly known as "Masha's Law," to make it clear that adults who were victims of sexual exploitation when they were children can sue both those who initially committed the exploitation and those who perpetuate the exploitation by downloading the images of abuse.

-- Enhancing recordkeeping requirements to ensure that minors are not depicted in sexually explicit material.

-- Prohibiting the insidious practice engaged in by certain sexually explicit web sites of hiding innocuous terms in the hypertext markup language so that a search for those terms on the Internet yields links to the sexually explicit web sites.

Contact: Justice Department, 202-514-2007

http://www.usnewswire.com/
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=69731

Special Counsel on Halliburton Litigation

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 17:33:00 +0000

Truth in Corporate Justice LLC: Special Counsel on Halliburton Litigation

Special counsel to lead plaintiff comments on Greiders article about Halliburtons securities litigation.

Oakland, CA (PRWEB) July 6, 2006 -- Neil Rothstein is Founder and Chief Managing Officer ("CMO") of the Worldwide Tree Group (www.worldwidetree.org). The group consists of Truth in Corporate Justice LLC (TCJ), and its subsidiaries, the Global Governance Center LLC, and Class in Actionits law center. Additionally, the Group contains Worldwide Tree Multimedia LLC . Contact Truth in Corporate Justice LLC at (310)459-2560 or (800)610-4998 or Neil Rothstein directly at (619)251-0887. TCJ is a limited liability company that will scrutinize, support, and endorse those law firms that adhere to TCJ's ethical and competency standards in order to maintain the integrity of the legal system in the United States. TCJ seeks to empower anyone facing legal problems with education, access, guidance, networking, representation, and more. It avails its resources, access and knowledge to both plaintiffs and defendants and uses its power to empower those who have been injured by corporate greed or by corporations and their directors and officers who might be falsely accused of wrongdoing. Its gateway to the world, the unique Worldwide Tree Multimedia LLC will enrich, entertain and educate you in many ways. The Global Governance Center LLC is your foundation to help empower those most in need. It houses the Foundations, Endowment & Scholarship Project which receives not less than 10 percent of all profits from the Worldwide Tree Group.

Special counsel to the lead plaintiff Neil Rothstein comments on the Halliburton securities litigation:

The Halliburton securities litigation is progressing well. After years of battling to get to the point of defeating the Motion to Dismiss brought by Halliburton, written discovery (interrogatories) will be propounded upon Halliburton. Pursuant to the Honorable Barbara M. G. Lynns Order dated June 13, 2006, all oral discovery must wait until the Motion to Dismiss against the individual defendants is decided.

OF NOTE: Please see the Truth in Corporate Justices Response to William Greiders article in The Nation (posted on June 10, 2006; appearing in the July 22, 2006 issue) at www.halliburtonsecuritieslitigation.com . TCJs response is entitled GREIDERS LERACH ATTACK ON CHENEY MISGUIDED.

The Worldwide Tree Group (WWT): Power to Empower. If you need help, we are here to help. Foundations and endowments should contact the WWT so we can show you how we can be of assistance. There is no charge of any kind to these entities if approved.

The Halliburton Securities Litigation website provides information and updates relating to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Supporting Fund, Inc., et al. v. Halliburton Company, et al. (Master Docket No. 3:02-CV-1152-M), a consolidated class action pending in the Northern District of Texas before U.S. District Judge M.G. Barbara Lynn. This site is maintained by Truth in Corporate Justice LLC, and it is not an official website of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Archdiocese of Milwaukee Supporting Fund, Inc. or any other party, counsel, or participant in this litigation.

# # #

Press Contact: Neil Rothstein
Company Name: Truth in Corporate Justice LLC
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 800-610-4998
Website: www.worldwidetree.org

Democratic Search Engine to Challenge Pay Per Click and Internet Sponsorship

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Sat, 10 Jun 2006 02:13:00 +0000

Homepage4.com Launches Democratic Search Engine to Challenge Pay Per Click and Internet Sponsorship

(PRWEB) June 9, 2006 -- An oxford (UK) based company has launched a democratic search engine which is set to provide opportunities for new, small and independent businesses and provide more choice for consumers. The website uses web 2 technology to eliminate the need for a list, giving every listed business an equal chance of being seen.

Trading on the internet is currently undemocratic and uncompetitive

When consumers search for anything, say music on a search engine, one lucky (or rich) company will be listed as #1 and some poor chap will be # 1,000,000. The businesses listed 1-5 will get all the sales, and those listed 6 1,000,000 will get little or nothing. The reasons for such listing may be as mundane as alphabets Aa and you are top and get sales, Zz and you are bottom and get nothing. Usually, it comes down to who has paid the most.

More absurdly, a business selling knickers can buy top spot in the music category. Those searching for music will be directed to the knickers website in effect, the consumers are paying because of the time they waste.

Homepage4.com solution

Homepage4.com has in effect crossed GOOGLE with the Million Dollar Homepage and then gone further. When businesses submit their ad to homepage4.com, they can use text, audio, video or all three on the same page. So if a business is currently advertising on radio, TV or in a newspaper in one locality or country, submitting an ad to homepage4.com will provide 24h a day 7 days a week advertisement worldwide.

Submitting an ad to homepage4.com is similar to submitting your website to any search engine but audio or a video can be used to actually show potential customers the products and services. An unlimited number of audio / video files can be uploaded per ad (max 10MB per file). So if a business is advertising a music album, video, movie, film, car, cosmetic, pet food, browse the AD CATEGORIES on homepage4.com to find one that is suitable. Customers can rate, review and recommend the products / services. Furthermore, the advertiser can reply to all reviews / comments and see the number of page impressions and clicks for their ad.

Homepage4 uses technology which is still being tested by the likes of GOOGLE and Microsoft enter the word homepage4 in the search field to see technology similar to that in Google suggest.

Why advertising does (not) work

When adverts appear on a TV show, most people switch channels or put the kettle on and are not engaged with the ad. In fact, most of us regard advertising (on TV, e-mail, phone calls, snail mail) as unwanted intrusion into our lives. The most an advertiser can hope for is brand recognition and they use gimmicks ant TV stars.

However, if one wanted to buy say a fragrance from ones partner and it is listed on homepage4.com you intentionally click to watch the advert. The advertiser has your full attention and what you want is information, not gimmicks. What is the evidence that the product does what it says on the bottle? How was it made environmental impact? Were the workers paid a decent wage? You will be asking these questions 2 clicks from a sale and 2 clicks from watching a competing advert. Real choice for consumers and real competition for businesses. Now advertising can really work for both businesses and consumers.

Homepage4.com encourages businesses to submit their ads. The service is currently free, and the most they will lose is about 5 minutes of their time.

How much will it cost?

Uploading an ad to homepage4.com is currently free of charge. Once homepage4.com is providing a service to businesses and consumers, a text ad will cost about 10p (about 17 cents) max per day, even if a million people click on the ad. Audio and video ads will cost a bit more.

If you do nothing else, go to www.homepage4.com, enter HOMEPAGE4 in the search box and use the suggestions of the search tool to select Homepage4.com Uploading video files. Click on the ad with the picture of the video camera. Then click on play video to watch my beautiful fiancée and my son taking his first steps!

Welcome to the future

Welcome to web2. Welcome to the age of advertisement on demand. Welcome to homepage4.com.

www.homepage4.com. is a new company that was started in Jan 2006 by myself (Dr Paul Ayuk BSc (Hons), MB.BS (Hons), MRCOG, PhD) and my Fiancée Angela after I decided to take time off a career as a hospital doctor and lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Oxford University to spend time at home with my young son (now 21 months old).

Contact:
Dr Paul Ayuk
www.homepage4.com
(44) 1993-778-509

# # #

Press Contact: Paul Ayuk
Company Name: Homepage4.com
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 44-1993-778-509
Website: www.homepage4.com

______________________________________________
FREE 1 Year Tech and Business Magazine Subscriptions!
http://consultant-directory.tradepub.com/
______________________________________________
Promote your consulting business with a free listing
in our http://www.Consultant-Directory.com
______________________________________________
Professional SEO firm submits to over 180 systems
by hand and shares the list so you can do it yourself!
http://www.Best-Free-Search-Engine-List.com
____________________________________________
Search Engine Industry Professional Organization
http://www.seoby.org
____________________________________________
Grow the value of your domain name investment at
http://www.DomainIncubation.com
____________________________________________

Video Game Satire Viewed As Threat

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 20:31:00 +0000

The Government Gets Gaming Wrong

by Shankar Gupta, Friday, June 2, 2006
AS PROOF THAT VIDEO GAMES are rapidly penetrating every aspect of world culture, the Defense Department last month revealed to Congress that Islamic terrorists were using a modified video game--Battlefield 2--to recruit and train Jihadis.

Dan Devlin, a Defense Department public diplomacy specialist, told the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that extremist groups are taking and modifying video games for an anti-U.S. slant. "What we have seen is that any video game that comes out... they'll modify it and change the game for their needs," Devlin said, according to press reports. Devlin's testimony included a video that showed clips from the purportedly terrorist-modified Battlefield 2 game.

Except, not really. A video game-focused political Web log, GamePolitics.com, quickly discovered that the video shown to Congress was created by a 25-year-old hospital administrator from Holland. The creator, who goes by the Internet handle "SonicJihad"--a tribute to an album produced by the controversial rapper Paris--said that the video is not connected to Islamic extremism in any way, and that he made the video to have a few laughs.

This fact would have been immediately apparent to anyone with a passing familiarity with either video games or youth culture. The video's voiceover, which begins, "I was only a boy when the infidels came to my village in their Blackhawk helicopters," is lifted from a comedic monologue in the movie "Team America: World Police." Any gamer familiar with the difference between mods--user-designed programs that alter the way a game is played--and machinima--short videos created using graphics and models from video games--would have known that the video shown to Congress was not a mod designed to recruit young terrorists, but a piece of run-of-the-mill, user-generated content. Simply Googling the video's file name would've turned up the Battlefield 2 community Web site where it was first posted--not exactly a hub of Islamic extremist activity.

Congress' ignorance about video games can be overlooked, since they have more important things to be ignorant about. Marketers are not afforded the same luxury. Just as our government can't hope to effectively oversee or regulate a medium that it fails utterly to understand, if marketers don't take the time and effort to suss the ins and outs of video games and their culture, they will end up looking like fools.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If this issue was forwarded to you and you would like to begin receiving a copy of your own, please visit our site - www.mediapost.com - and become a complimentary member.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We welcome and appreciate forwarding of our newsletters in their entirety or in part with proper attribution.
(c) 2006 MediaPost Communications, 1140 Broadway, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10001

Best Web Site for Food

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:52:00 +0000

Leites Culinaria is First Web Site to Win the James Beard Award

Leites Culinaria (www.leitesculinaria.com) won the 2006 James Beard Award for Best Web Site for Food, which was given out at the 16th Annual James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards on May 7th. This is first time the foundation has included a Web site in its roster of nomination categories.

(PRWEB) May 12, 2006 -- On Sunday, May 7th, Leites Culinaria (www.leitesculinaria.com) won the 2006 James Beard Award for Best Web Site for Food, which was given out at the 16th Annual James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards held at the Grand Hyatt in New York City. This is first time the foundation has included a Web site in its roster of nomination categories. Other Web site nominees were epicurious.com, a CondeNast company, and alicefeiring.com, an independent blog devoted to wine.

David Leite, publisher and editor-in-chief, and Linda Avery, food editor, were present to accept the award. Its quite an honor, says Avery. All of our editors, recipe testers, and writers have worked tremendously hard, and were all very appreciative.

Leites Culinaria began in 1999, a time when the Internet had few quality food sites. Leite, a freelance food writer, wanted to create a cyber-portfolio that editors could visit in order to read his work. In no time, he began receiving e-mails from readers who found their way to the site based upon its content, which, at the time, dealt mostly with Portuguese cooking.

Frankly, I was shocked when people found me, says Leite of those early years. I had no idea that search engines spidered Web sites. I was planning to using it as a destination for editors, not for the general public. Within the year, Leite added other content, including recipes, resources, and columns. In 2000, Gary Allen, author of the "Resource Guide for Food Writers" (Routledge, 1999) and the upcoming "The Herbalist in the Kitchen" (University of Illinois Press) was tapped as food history editor.

Avery joined the site in 2003 as one of a dozen recipe testers. She quickly became recipe-testing coordinator and grew the section to almost 200 members. In 2004, she became food editor, and her responsibilities increased to include planning each months issue with Leite as well as determining which books and recipes to highlight.

Leite writes for the site and edits the work of contributing writers, a group which now encompasses established and up-and-coming writers. The combination of editors, writers, and the sites various offerings attracts approximately 1.3 million readers a year. To encourage new writers, Leite established The Leite's Culinaria Scholarship for Narrative Food Writing to the Symposium for Professional Food Writers at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV. The first winner was Ana Schwartzman, whose work will appear on the site later in the year.

In addition to the winning the James Beard Award, Leites Culinaria won the 2005 World Food Media Award for Best Food and/or Drink Web Site, the 2002 Best Writers Web Site award from "Writers Digest Magazine," and was a finalist in the 2006 Gourmet Voice Awards. Also, work from the site has been included in the "Best Food Writing" series (Marlowe).

###

Press Contact: David Leite
Company Name: Leite's Culinaria
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 212 799-8075
Website: http://www.leitesculinaria.com

Wine Tasting and Auction to Raise Funds For Make-A-Wish Foundation

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Tue, 09 May 2006 03:17:00 +0000

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater L.A. Wine Tasting and Auction to Raise Funds For Children's Wishes

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles' Uncork A Wish Wine Tasting and Auction at the Pacific Design Center features celebrities, fine wine, top restaurants, and amazing auction items. Presented by The Wine House and Charter Communications, the 13th annual "Uncork A Wish" Wine Tasting and Auction is one of the largest wine tasting and auction events in Los Angeles County. Benefiting the wish fulfillment efforts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles for children in Los Angeles with life-threatening illnesses, the night will unfold on Saturday, May 13, 2005 inside Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood beginning at 6:30 p.m., with the live auction slated for 9 p.m.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 8, 2006 -- Presented by The Wine House and Charter Communications, the 13th annual "Uncork A Wish" Wine Tasting and Auction is one of the largest wine tasting and auction events in Los Angeles County. Benefiting the wish fulfillment efforts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles for children in Los Angeles with life-threatening medical conditions.

The night will unfold on Saturday, May 13, 2005 inside Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood beginning at 6:30 p.m., with the live auction slated for 9 p.m.

Celebrities currently scheduled to participate in this years event include: Teri Hatcher, Penny Marshall, Macy Gray, Micky Dolenz, Steven Cojocaru, Matt Gallant (American Inventor), Gregory Itzin (24), Ashley Jones (The Bold and the Beautiful), Kathy Joosten (Desperate Housewives), Kate Linder (Y&R), Roma Maffia (Nip/Tuck), Marianne Muellerleile (Passions/Thank you for Smoking), Stefanie Powers, Constance Ramos (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), Christopher Rich (Reba), Emmanuelle Vaugier (Two and a Half Men), and Constance Zimmer (In Justice).

"Everyone is very excited at all the wonderful aspects of the event that have been brought together this year," said Cheri Lauterbach, director of development for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. "From our celebrity guests to the delectable assortment of food and wine being served to the wide array of exciting auction items, we have something that will appeal to our guests' range of tastes and interests."

The Wine House has brought together more than 80 participating wineries including: Boony Doon, Campion Winery, Charlone, Cobblestone, Domaine Carneros, Fife Vineyards, Honig Vineyard, Longoria, Marengo Moscato, Patz & Hall Wine Co., Piper-Heidsick, Saddlerock Vineyards, Torre Oria, and Trefethen Vineyards.

Adding to the night's festivities, Carving Ice will once again create a one-of-a-kind ice sculpture masterpiece that will serve as the martini bar, featuring celebrity bartenders and Belvedere Vodka supplied by Pacific Wine and Spirits. Guests who arrive during the first hour of the event will be offered a glass of Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne and Glen Morangie Scotch Whisky will also be available for tasting throughout the evening. New this year will be a sponsor's lounge with an array of European beers supplied by the INBEV Corporation.

Top Los Angeles restaurants serving sumptuous tastes of their finest cuisine include: BOA Steakhouse, Sushi Roku, Crustacean, Water Grill, Locanda del Lago, Arnie Morton's of Chicago, Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, Noe, San Gennaro, Mr. Cecil's Ribs, and Pink's Famous Hotdogs.

During the live and silent auctions, guests can bid on hundreds of fantastic items including:

A trip for two to a private Mexican villa for seven nights including round-trip airfare.

A three night trip to New York for two that includes round-trip airfare, hotel and two tickets to a taping of Saturday Night Live.

A trip for six to Napa Valley in a private jet for a winery tour and dinner at the French Laundry.

A fashion-tastic trip to New York including airfare, three nights at a Hilton Hotel and four tickets to the season three fashion show FINALE of Bravo's "Project Runway" hosted by Heidi Klum.

Fabulous artwork including a painting that will be created live by noted artist Thom Bierdz.

Special behind-the-scenes access at Disney Imagineering
Tickets to American Idol including a meet and greet with Ryan Seacrest.

A fully stocked, 48 bottle wine refrigerator.

A shopping experience with Steven Cojocaru, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider correspondent and fashion guru.

A flight in a World War II biplane.

A birthday party for six at American Girl Place at The Grove.

Presenting sponsors, Charter Communications and The Wine House are joined by sponsors Northrop Grumman, Cars 4 Causes, TMC, Hilton Hotels, Wells Fargo, Rollz Royce Limousine Service, The Walt Disney Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touche, Capital Source, Pelican Products, City Art, GES Exposition Services, LA Magazine, Carving Ice, INBEV, and Fuji Water.

Members of the honorary committee for the 13th annual Uncork A Wish Wine Tasting and Auction are: Giovanni Agnelli, Antonio Banderas, Catherine Bell, Halle Berry, Kobe Bryant, Ted Danson, Tony Danza, Matt Gallant, Brad Garrett, Macy Gray, Melanie Griffith, Steven Grossman, Lisa Wade Grossman, Ed Harris, Mark Itkin, Renee Jones, Kathy Kinney, Andie MacDowell, William Petersen, Kelly Preston, Luc Robitaille, Pantera Sarah, Jessica Simpson, Sharon Stone, Kiefer Sutherland, Naomi Watts, Bradley Whitford, and Noah Wyle.

Conceived as a Valentine's Day celebration at the Santa Monica Airport's Museum of Flying in 1993, the wine tasting and auction fundraiser quickly outgrew that location and was moved into the Airport's Barker Hangar four years later, where it remained until the decision was made to move to the more centrally located Pacific Design Center this year. Attended by approximately 1,500 people annually, the funds raised have been used to fulfill hundreds of wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.

The Pacific Design Center is located at 8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, California 90069-5701. General Admission tickets are $125 in advance and $150 at the door. Wine and food tasting is included in the price of admission. Guests must be 21 or older to be admitted into the event. For more information, visit http://www.wishla.org or call 310-899-9191.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles

Established in 1983, the Greater Los Angeles chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children throughout Los Angeles County who are battling life-threatening medical conditions. Working out of an office in West Los Angeles, the chapter has granted over 5,500 wishes to children countywide. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles go to http://www.wishla.org or call 310-788-9474.

###

Press Contact: Shelley Ginsburg
Company Name: MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 310-788-9474
Website: www.wishla.org

New Online Community Could Coalesce Or Create Complete Chaos

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 22:39:00 +0000

Looking for More Depth? OpinionParking.com may be Your Space

In mid-April, Altruistic Ventures will introduce OpinionParking.com; an online community where every members voice may be heard then supported or disputed. OpinionParking.com is a global network of intellectuals, creative-types, freethinkers, experts, politicos, as well as social and environmental advocates. Members have the opportunity to rate the postings of others. The affiliate garnering the highest rating for the week, positive or negative, will be afforded the opportunity to co-facilitate web conferences and chats. The opinion leader will be paired with an expert on the topic for the online round-table.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (PRWEB) April 5, 2006 -- Does the intellectual stimulation of debating an opinion or volleying ideas back and forth excite you? If so, you will soon find an entire online community of people who welcome the same sort of mental jousting or jiving, depending on individual points of view.

In mid-April, Altruistic Ventures will introduce OpinionParking.com; an online community where every members voice may be heard then supported or disputed.

Martin McCrea, CEO of Altruistic Ventures saw an untapped market; people who desire to communicate deeply and share views realizing that their opinions can shape the world and reality. The idea for OpinionParking.com grew out of frustration with the existing online communities. McCrea explains, I recognized there was a market for deeper communication and sharing. The existing sites, offer no real communication. Everything is short replies. Most communication is kept at a surface level. I wanted to develop a site that is a magnet for seekers.

OpinionParking.com is a global network of intellectuals, creative-types, freethinkers, experts, politicos, as well as social and environmental advocates. The site encourages freedom of expression, the exchange of ideas, perspectives and alternative thought. Members build peer networks that provide critical feedback and rate contributions on multiple criteria.

McCreas brainchild allows members to personalize their space to reflect their personality and core attitudes. But make no mistake; it is not your kids online community.

Through self-expression, members have the power to influence their world on issues from the mundane to the complex. OpinionParking.com gives people the means to showcase their opinions on a global and supported scale. The site provides tools for video uploads, forums, blogs, web-conferences, chats and more.

Members have the opportunity to rate the postings of others. The affiliate garnering the highest rating for the week, positive or negative, will be afforded the opportunity to co-facilitate web conferences and chats. The opinion leader will be paired with an expert on the topic for the online round-table.

There is no charge for basic membership to OpinionParking.com. However, associates may choose to upgrade to a paid subscription. Each level of membership will provide extended benefits to the subscriber.

Because the premise behind OpinionParking.com is to allow people an equal opportunity to make their attitudes and ideas known, the level of membership has no bearing on the selection of co-facilitators.
With the power of the Internet, OpinionParking.com gives every individual his or her chance at that moment of greatness we all hope to experience one day.

###

Press Contact: Susan Ferrier
Company Name: BEACON CREATIVE
Email: email protected from spam bots
Phone: 609-513-1342
Website: http://www.OpinionParking.com

Republican Domain Re-direction Looks Stupid, Petty

noreply@blogger.com ((hris) — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 03:25:00 +0000

I just got a message that someone had posted on a forum:

This fall's US Senate campaign in the state of Tennessee will likely be between Republican Ed Bryant and Democrat Harold Ford Jr. Both are currently in the US House of Representatives.

I just read that Bryant's campaign registered the domain name www.FordforSenate.com. If you type that in you go to the Bryant campaign web site.

If you're so inclined to complain, here's Bryant's contact info:

Ed Bryant for Senate
5214 Maryland Way Suite 304
Brentwood, TN 37027
Phone: 615-373-2327
Fax: 615-373-9851
Email: info@edbryantforsenate.com

Leave it to a politician to make themselves look stupid. Do they think that someone looking for Ford will then be interested in Bryant? Do they think this will sway voters? I think the petty meanness of this action WILL help to sway voters, but not as intended.

(hris