Cited: NewsDaily

According to Mars programs leads scientists it will take 5 years beyond NASA’s current budget forecast to get humans to Mars because it will require medical research on the International Space Station through at least the year 2020. A $100 billion project to extend the life of the International Space Station is nearing completion after more than a decade of construction funded by the 16 nations was surprised by the presidential panel reviewing the US human space program. The team’s report was not expected to be publicly disclosed until mid-to-late September.

The panel also said NASA’s $18 billion annual budget, about half of which is spent on human space projects, falls about $3 billion a year short for Constellation, the moon-and-beyond exploration initiative NASA plans after it retires the space shuttle and station programs.

“NASA needs the ISS,” program scientist Julie Robinson said. “A six-month stay on the space station is going to be the best analog we’re ever going to have for a six-month microgravity transit to Mars in the future.”

Scientists looking to develop countermeasures for radiation exposure, bone loss and other effects of long-duration stays in space estimate they will need to keep the station operating until at least 2020 to ensure “that next step beyond low-Earth orbit (will be) a safe step for humankind,” Robinson said.

NASA plans to spend about $2.5 billion a year for space station operations through 2015. Ending it just five years after its completion would rankle U.S. partners Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada, which have invested heavily in the program and are looking for payoffs, members of the Human Space Flight Plans Committee said during public hearings.

Subcommittee chair Sally Ride, a former astronaut, said her group found widespread support for continuing, and even enhancing, the station program into 2016 and beyond.

“We didn’t start off with that perspective,” Ride said. “We don’t think that the deorbit of ISS in 2016 makes sense.”

While the NASA and the White House begin examining the panel’s recommendations, a 13-member joint station-shuttle crew will soon begin unloading more than seven tons of new laboratory equipment, supplies and spare parts.

Several astronauts aboard the shuttle Discovery arrived at the space station for a nine-day stay. The crew planned to attach the shuttles Italian-built cargo pod onto the station so that items could be unpacked. That cargo pod contains 2 new research facilities, a freezer, a spare oxygen generator, a 2nd treadmill and a fifth berth for the station’s newly expanded 6-person crew. The outpost will receive the last bedroom that is scheduled to arrive next year sometime.

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My Take: I think it is about time! They have been doing nothing but talking since they stopped the race to the moon and the Apollo program. All they have been doing is putting all kinds of gadgets into space that are surrounding the planet. I just wonder how many of those gadgets are military and pointed at the Earth.

There are so many rumors and conspiracy nuts that have been putting down the space program for so long, it is good to hear that something is actually going to happen. However, if the civilian population were able to do something in the space race, maybe more would be happening. The government has a monopoly on everything that goes into space.

I would love to see a nongovernmental agency start send people into space. I think the population of the earth would get a little bit more out of it. Of course, it would probably cost the average person more money to benefit from the race, but they would at least know what was going on.

I can just imagine a concert being held in space. I would think they would use one of the modular, lightweight, portable performance EZ stage platforms with seating risers and accessories for the stage. They probably would not have to worry about guardrail carts, but would have to have an IBC guardrail to keep people in one place instead of having them floating all over.

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Cited: NewsDaily

A billionaire from Canada who happens to be a circus entrepreneur, announced that he will host a live event from orbit on October 9 2 about the importance of access to clean water globally. This means that the circus is going outer space! The founder of the Montréal-based Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, is an environmental activist will host the event that will feature former US vice president Al Gore, Irish band U2, veteran rock musician Peter Gabriel and other celebrities from 14 cities around the world to promote clean water.

Laliberte, 50, is due to fly into space on September 30 aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule to travel to the orbiting International Space Station. He will pay $35 million for the 11-day trip, becoming the seventh private citizen to be a “space tourist.” Cirque du Soleil operates innovative circus shows.

“I just hope that as a citizen of Earth, this will inspire people in a new way,” said the former street performer, who became a billionaire after turning his traveling circus act into an entertainment powerhouse.

Laliberte told a webcast news conference from Moscow that he planned to host a two-hour live show from the space station promoting the importance of access to clean water and conserving the planet’s water resources. Millions of people in developing countries do not have access to clean water, and water-borne illnesses are a persistent problem in many impoverished regions.

Laliberte said the planned broadcast from space will link up with stages and theaters in: London, Paris, New York, Montreal; Moscow; Johannesburg; Mumbai; Marrakesh; Sydney; Tokyo; Mexico City; Rio de Janeiro; Santa Monica, California; and Tampa, Florida. The show will be coordinated by Laliberte’s environmental foundation One Drop. It is scheduled to be carried live on the Internet through the onedrop.org website in partnership with AOL.com.

Magical, joyous and overwhelmingly beautiful, more than 7 million people paid $650 million to see a selection of Cirque du Soleil’s breathtaking performances last year. With television licenses and corporate sponsorships in the millions, very little debt, and a pretax margin of around 25%, Cirque productions have successfully fused music, dance, theatre, and gee-whiz acrobatics into an enormous spectacle of highly-emotional whimsy.

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The story of Cirque du Soleil is a triumphant one. Born to a large middle-class family in Quebec City, Canada, and raised in the small town of St-Bruno, Guy Laliberté left home at age 18 to hitchhike across Europe working as a street performer. Certainly, he will never forget spending his first night in London on a public bench at the corner of Hyde Park with his backpack, two accordions, a mouth organ, spoons, a jew’s harp and less than $1,000 in his pocket.

During the course of his travels, although lean of cash, Laliberté became rich in experience. He met many other sidewalk showmen along the cobble-stoned alleyways around the major tourist attractions. He lived hand-to-mouth, and learned the art of fire-breathing and stilt-walking, working for small change to pay for the basics. But how Cirque du Soleil evolved from a bunch of unemployed kids trying to turn a buck on street corners into Quebec’s second largest cultural export (after Celine Dion) is the stuff of provincial legend.

Initially, “It was just an adventure, and I was planning to go back to school and have a regular life,” Laliberté recalled in a recent interview. But, he became so enthralled with the lifestyle that he perceived it as a perfect art form. Upon his return to Montreal, he began organizing parties and street festivals out of a youth hostel. Then in 1984, at age 24, and with hair down to his waist, he landed a contract from the Quebec government to stage a street show for Quebec’s 450th anniversary celebration.

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My Take: I have always loved the Circus! It would be fantastic to see a circus in outer space; however, I do not see that happening anytime soon. Some of the things those circus acts do would become absolutely amazing in a weightless atmosphere. Can you imagine the trapeze artists in outer space? And what about the jugglers? They may never have to worry about catching anything again!

Seriously, what Guy is trying to do I think is really good. The people of Earth have taken for granted their air and water for centuries. We have polluted it so much that we have to clean it before we can use it. Yes, even the air in some instances should be cleaned before we breathe it. All you have to do is watch the news and you get warnings of air quality in the summer and even in the winter. These warnings tell people to stay inside if they have any kind of a breathing problem.

It would be so nice to be able to go camping and drink the water from a stream like the pioneers used to. I would not do that now. It would be great to be able to walk outside and actually breathe fresh air, not all the carbon monoxide, and other pollutants that we breathe every day. I will probably never see that they come, but hopefully my descendents will.

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Cited: Reuters

The US securities regulators will their game when they miss the numerous red flags that could have stopped Bernard Madoff’s $65 billion Ponzi scheme! They received numerous complaints dating back to 1992 and never did take the role and competent probe into the situation according to a federal watchdog. According to the SEC Inspector General, after five probes that caught Madoff in lies and misrepresentations they failed to follow-up on the inconsistencies.

“Despite numerous credible and detailed complaints, the SEC never properly examined or investigated Madoff’s trading and never took the necessary, but basic, steps to determine if Madoff was operating a Ponzi scheme,” Inspector General David Kotz wrote.

Kotz said the SEC’s “most egregious” lapse was its failure to verify Madoff’s purported trading with any independent third parties, even after it took testimony from Madoff in May 2006. Madoff later admitted that he thought it was “game over” after testifying to having cleared his trades through the Depository Trust Co, part of the U.S. Federal Reserve, and provided his account number. He said he was “astonished” that the SEC did not follow up.

Kotz quoted one senior-level SEC examiner as saying, “Clearly, if someone … has a Ponzi and they’re stealing money, they’re not going to hesitate to lie to create records,” and thus “some independent third-party verification” such as through the DTC would be essential.

He said the SEC had made a “surprising discovery” earlier this decade that Madoff’s hedge fund business was making far more money than his better known market-making business, but no one thought this was a “cause for concern.”

Madoff pleaded guilty in March to orchestrating the Ponzi scheme, which used money from new investors to pay old ones, He is serving a 150-year prison term. Prosecutors have said that Madoff appeared to be rewarding his customers with steady returns, but he was faking their account statements and did not place trades on their behalf.

Kotz said SEC staffers were at times too inexperienced or narrowly focused, and resisted whistle-blowers’ efforts to expose Madoff. He said his investigation had not found evidence of improper ties between the SEC and Madoff that interfered with the SEC’s examination or investigatory work.

And he said he had not found that former SEC Assistant Director Eric Swanson’s romantic relationship with Madoff’s niece, Shana Madoff, had influenced the SEC’s conduct.

A 22-page summary of the report was released and posted on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/secpostmadoffreforms/oig-509-exec-summary.pdf. The full 450-page report is expected on Friday.

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FAILURE LEADS TO REFORMS

The SEC’s lapses in dealing with Madoff have prompted the agency to implement reforms, including increased use of subpoenas. Mary Schapiro, who became SEC chairman after Madoff’s fraud was uncovered in December 2008, said in a statement on Wednesday that while the reforms should help, “the public deserves a full accounting of why the agency did not detect the Madoff scheme.”

There had been five SEC chairmen between 1992, when the complaints to the SEC about Madoff started, and Madoff’s arrest: Richard Breeden, Arthur Levitt, Harvey Pitt, William Donaldson and Christopher Cox. Linda Chatman Thomsen, the SEC enforcement chief when the Ponzi scheme was uncovered in December 2008, is now a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in Washington, D.C. She did not return a call seeking comment. Harry Markopolos, who tried to warn the SEC about Madoff and later testified before Congress about his efforts, was not available for comment.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a Pennsylvania Democrat who heads a House subcommittee on capital markets, said the scandal “highlights the need to adopt new securities laws to reward internal and external whistleblowers.” Schapiro observed in her statement that the SEC wanted a way to reward some whistleblowers.

“We have sought legislation to enable us to compensate whistleblowers for providing substantial evidence of wrongdoing,” she said.

Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has scheduled a hearing for September 10 on Kotz’s findings. “We will use this report to learn what went wrong and figure out how best to get things right,” the Connecticut Democrat said.

Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, called the report evidence of the SEC’s “culture of deference toward the Wall Street elite,” and said the SEC must be transformed so it can be “the tough cop-on-the-beat that the public needs.”

The SEC’s Schapiro wrote in a letter to Grassley that Kotz’s report would be redacted only if it might harm an ongoing law enforcement matter. “I do hope, however, to safeguard the names of junior staffers who did not play a central role in the examinations or investigations,” she wrote.

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My Take: You have to give the man credit; he got away with it right under everybody’s nose. That takes a lot of moxie! To be able to pull off such a scheme as he did went out somebody saying, “Hey, wait a minute!” is something for the history books.

There is no way anyone like me could have pulled off such a scheme without getting caught immediately. Madoff is one lucky SOB! Although, I do not think he feels very lucky now that he is serving 150 years in prison. When I was a kid, my mother told me if you are going to steal money, make sure that there is enough for a one-way ticket to the moon. She said the reason was, it is the only place they will catch you! I think she was right.

There are so many people that get away with schemes that are less profitable than this that is not caught. I do not understand why they are not caught, except maybe they stopped before anybody notices it. Then they move or leave the country.

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Cited: NewsDaily

An industry group reported that US mortgage applications slid the last week of August even though mortgage rates edged lower. Even requests for loans to buy homes declined for the first time since July. The applications index fell by a seasonal adjustment of 2.2% as the demand for both purchase and refinance loans slipped according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Even 30 year fixed mortgage rates that average 5.15% were down 0.09% points. However, this is still above the record low of 4.61% that was set in March. A year ago the borrowing cost was 6.39%

Stability has seemingly returned to the three-year housing market that has endured the deepest crash since the Great Depression. The view that the worst may have passed is gaining traction. Pending home sales, based on contracts signed in July, jumped 3.2% to a two-year high, the National Association of Realtors reported on Tuesday.

Economic stimulus that has boosted consumer optimism, signs that home prices have neared a bottom, and federal programs such as a soon-expiring first-time home buyers tax credit have turned more fence-sitters into house purchasers, industry experts said.

The NAR estimates that as many as 2 million first-time buyers will use the tax credit this year, and about 350,000 sales would not have occurred without it. Buyers need to close their loans by November 30 to qualify. Sherry Chris, president and chief executive of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Parsippany, New Jersey, expects a rush of applications in the waning weeks of the tax credit.

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Once that phase passes, “if we see the continuation of the slight upturn that we’re experiencing now, that to me will indicate that the market has in fact turned and we’ll begin to see an upswing,” she said. “We have a couple months of waiting to see if we’ve truly turned the corner.”

The first-time buyer’s market has been robust, but not the move-up market — or the market for existing homeowners looking to trade up to a larger home. It will take consistent news of rising home prices to lure the move-up buyer, most realtors agree.

“There are a lot of people talking about the worst being behind us,” said Chris, who calls herself cautiously optimistic. “There are so many other factors involved: the economic conditions, unemployment, consumer confidence.”

The U.S. unemployment rate is expected to have risen to 9.5% in August, after declining in July for the first time since April 2008, according to a Reuters poll. The jobless rate had reached a high last seen nearly 26 years earlier. The Mortgage Bankers Association said its purchase loan applications index dipped 1 percent to 277.6 last week. The last time this measure fell was in the July 10 week, when it was about 7% lower at 258.8.

The industry group’s refinance index fell 3.1% last week to 2,164.1 after rising two straight weeks. Still, this measure of refinance demand was around three times stronger in the spring when mortgage rates toppled to a record low. Only the government purchase index rose last week, the MBA said. The 0.5 percent rise put the seasonally adjusted index up for the seventh straight week.

The government-insured share of mortgage purchase applications rose to 40.4% in August, the highest since February 1991, the group said in a release. Loans insured by the government typically require lower down payments than other mortgages.

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My Take: You know, I am so tired of hearing about how low the interest rates, down payments, availability etc. are of mortgages. I will never be able to afford to buy my own home. Not unless I am able to invent a time machine and go back 50 years. I tried to get a house once, about 30 years ago, and I had to try with a rent-to-own option.

Let me tell you, it was a fantastic deal! I would have been paying $550 a month and I was paying that much more than that in rent and utilities. Then I was given the rest of the information. After one year, the payment would do what $1200 a month. There was no way I would ever be able to afford $1200 a month when I was making $1400 a month in income.

Now, because I am disabled, I make less than $1000 a month in disability and if I am lucky, I can earn about $300 more over the Internet. There is no way I could ever come up with a down payment or afford the monthly payments for housing are going for in today’s market even with the reductions. Maybe I will get lucky and win the lottery!

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Careless driving is one of the more serious Ontario traffic tickets that a person can get without even knowing why they got it. In Ottawa, Toronto and Brockville, careless driving appears to be the default charge given in any accident. Ottawa careless driving tickets are frequently given out by members of the police force. This is the same for careless driving in Toronto and across Ontario. First and foremost, what is usually most obvious is the $325 dollar fine on your ticket. Rest assured it does not stop there, other Ontario Canada provincial offenses can be even higher.

Cited: Los Angeles Times

It seems that the Angeles National Forest fire tripled in size and burned its way through an ever widening swath of the Crescenta Valley threatening 10,000 homes. At least 1000 homes were ordered evacuated as flames closed in on backyards. The Los Angeles basin, with an ominous cloud of smoke above, waited as the fire continued to burn being fueled by hot weather and dense brush that had not been cleared in 60 years.

It took off Saturday afternoon in all directions, forcing residents out of homes from Big Tujunga Canyon to Pasadena, and reached toward Mt. Wilson. Heavy smoke clung to the mountains and created a hot and massive convection column that limited the evening aerial fire fight. Officials predicted that the blaze would continue its march toward homes and across hills through the night with flames that could reach as high as 80 feet.

Late Saturday, U.S. Forest Service officials said they were moving “several hundred firefighters” into the Acton area, where they expected the fire to reach this morning. At midnight, crews were on alert for a wind shift.

The fire was headed toward Yerba Buena and Santa Clara ridges. El Dorado County Fire Capt. Larry Marinas said it was currently “probably bumping” against them, but all he could say for sure was that flames could reach those ridges “in 12 hours.”

Forest Service officials said three civilians were burned and airlifted from rural Big Tujunga Canyon, where at least three to five homes were destroyed. One fire official, after surveying the canyon, estimated that the damage toll may be much worse. No other homes had been lost by early evening as throngs of residents — belongings loaded in cars — descended from the hills.

“I wish I had good news for you,” Les Curtis, a fire operations chief, said during a night briefing for firefighters. He shook his head and pointed to the map of the expanding fire zone. “How many of you have knots in your stomach?” he asked. More than a dozen raised their hands.

“Nothing can stop it,” said Jost Vielmetter, 62, a Caltech scientist who watched the flames from the northern edge of Altadena. By late Saturday afternoon, the fire had consumed more than 21,000 acres, propelled by temperatures that eclipsed 100 degrees, single-digit humidity and steep, rugged topography that made for a formidable foe despite low winds.

Firefighters can only expect a slight reprieve on the heat today as red-flag warnings extend until tonight. But more significant cooling and even a moist marine layer are expected Monday morning. Fire officials estimate that about 10,000 homes are in danger if the fire continues burning unchecked.

At sundown, as scattered power outages hit the area, flames encircled the ridges near Briggs Terrace on the northeastern edge of La Crescenta. By 7:30 p.m., the northern end of Pickens Canyon, close to the neighborhood, exploded in flames.

“Oh, my God. This is what I’ve been dreading all day,” said David Ferrera, 35, who grew up in the area.

It was the first time that he and his neighbors were seized with worry. At that point, clouds of glowing embers began floating up from the fire. Suddenly, so-called hotshots — firefighters with shovels and axes — rushed by on their way to battle.

Later, a wall of fire crept like lava along the mountainside toward Pickens Canyon homes. A tree would light up in a column of fire every few moments. On the streets, the air was still and quiet except for the crackle and roar of flames.

Firefighters climbed through backyards at the ends of the cul-de-sacs fronting the forest, laying their hoses and waiting to make a stand. Capt. Kevin Klar of the Los Angeles County Fire Department was in place on Bristow Drive. “As far as the area goes, I think we’re going to be all right,” he said. More than 1,800 firefighters from throughout California and the West used an arsenal of weapons to fight the flames.

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Ten helicopters dropping buckets of water and eight air tankers were enlisted in the daytime fight. Officials also are deploying at least one DC-10, one of the largest and most expensive pieces of firefighting equipment in the world.

Elsewhere, firefighters were on the verge of containing the Morris fire north of Azusa and a separate blaze on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Firefighters also made progress on a fire near Hemet in the San Bernardino National Forest, which has burned nearly 2,300 acres and was 30% contained.

As flames bore down on canyon cul-de-sacs in the Crescenta Valley into the evening, residents watched raptly as firefighters — in the air and on the ground — valiantly kept the fire away from homes.

On the northern edge of Altadena, a DC-10 unloading fire retardant at the base of a column of smoke received a standing ovation from residents in the 3900 block of Chapman Court, which had been under mandatory evacuation orders for an hour. Among them was physician John Cooper, 52.

“I think the firefighters are doing an incredible job. I’m in awe. I’d like to line them all up and shake their hands one at a time — and we also have our fingers crossed,” Cooper said, acknowledging the precarious nature of his address. “Live on the edge, and you take your chances.”

Evacuated residents could only wait, watch and worry as flames licked the ridges near their homes. Some La Cañada Flintridge residents were evacuated Friday night, but on Saturday that mandatory evacuation order widened to parts of Altadena, La Crescenta, north Glendale and Big Tujunga Canyon. More evacuations were expected throughout the night. All faced the same nerve-racking drill: the automated phone calls ordering them to leave, the choices about what to pack up, the negotiations with skittish pets refusing to be stuffed into portable kennels.

In Glendale, in the evacuation area north of Santa Carlotta Road, residents were packing up their cars and watering their lawns after being notified to leave. Joanna Linkchorst, 42, dashed around her house videotaping her belongings, but appeared possessed of a preternatural calm. “For some reason I’m not concerned,” she said. “There are far too many houses that would have to burn before it gets down here.”

Although authorities stressed that people should not defy evacuation orders — it puts them as well as fire and police personnel at risk — some did anyway. In Pickens Canyon, firefighter hotshots had taken up positions in front of about a dozen homes beneath the oak canopy. Every few minutes, patrol cars cruised by, urging holdouts to leave. At 8:30 p.m., a law enforcement officer asked Bob Jamison and Gary Ireland, who were sprawled on lawn chairs watching the fire, to collect their belongings and leave the area.

“Everything’s under control here,” Jamison responded. “We got all the women, pets and important papers down the mountain.”

Jay Porter, 47, and his two teenage sons stood on an Altadena ridgeline overlooking tinder-dry Millard Canyon as flames advanced to within 1,000 feet of his two-story Spanish-style home.

“I want to know what’s going on here for as long as I possibly can,” said Porter, who wasn’t budging early Saturday evening. “Right now, I have more information than a lot of my neighbors.”

He said, however, that he would relent overnight. He made reservations at a nearby Westin hotel that he said was offering “refugee specials” for evacuees — in his case, that includes two dogs and a cockatiel.

He watched as earthmovers in the distance rumbled over the ridge, toppling flammable chaparral and small trees in their paths. “Makes me happy,” he said.

Ray Henmann, a 76-year-old graphic designer from Glendale whose home on Brookhill Street is in the evacuation area, said he had no plans to leave his home of 48 years.

The fire, he said, would have to come within a few streets of his home before he fled. “I’m not going to panic, I’ve lived too long to panic,” Henmann said.

Across the region, there was no escaping the specter of what has been dubbed the Station fire. An ominous cloud of smoke wafted across the area and rose as high as 20,000 feet in the air, visible from the ocean and the San Fernando Valley, even the Antelope Valley. Otherwise fire-savvy Los Angeles residents were so startled by the sight that they inundated 911 emergency lines with calls about smoke. Authorities begged people to stop calling.

Donna Robinson, 60, of La Cañada Flintridge had been preparing to be evacuated since Wednesday, packing up documents, clothes and baby dish mementos of her adult children. She also packed up two dogs and three cats.

“I’m not even afraid now. I think it’s good we’re just out of the house. Now I feel it’s not under my control,” Robinson said Saturday morning as she sat with her husband, Paul, 57, outside the gym at La Cañada High, the evacuation center.

As Sonia Castellon made her way into the evacuation center, she could not help avoid worrying, as many others could not escape. “I was trying to keep calm, keep it together. But the moment you leave your home it’s hard,” the 46-year-old dentist said as she began to tear up.

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My Take: I cannot imagine what it would be like to watch my home burn. To lose everything that I have earned through hard work and received from family is unimaginable. To watch it all go up in smoke would absolutely break my heart. I would be hard-pressed to realize that it can be replaced because some of it cannot be replaced. In addition, that part is the memories that the items have that cannot be replaced.

I have lost items in moving and they were because of my own stupidity. Nevertheless, to lose something because of the stupidity of somebody else is difficult to say the least. It makes it even harder to find out that some of these wildfires were set deliberately. What was the arsonist thinking about when they set these fires? Were they trying to get even with one particular person or the state?

I was taught when I was a child not to play with fire. Like most children, I did play with fire and got myself burnt. It was not a very bad burn, but it made me stop and think. The only thing that fire does that is good is give warmth. Otherwise, it is one of the most destructive things on earth right next to water.

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Cleaning House

Professional home cleaning VA companies in the Arlington and Fairfax areas perform a rotational cleaning system, meaning different portions of your house get cleaned on each visit. Every one of the maids perform the same cleaning system on every appointment, ensuring that you get the maximum service every visit. Other northern VA maid services will even distinguish between spring cleaning and deep cleaning but you will get deep cleaning every time! These maids treat each house cleaning visit as if it were their first!

Remodel Your Garage

If you have started a remodeling job in your home, why do not you start to floors? You can get DIY epoxy kits and redo your floor in no time. However, do not try to go the cheap route to save money because you will have to redo the floor sooner than you think. You can get an epoxy flooring kit for the interior of your home. While you are at it, you might even consider getting garage flooring to hide that lovely grease spot. Of course, the more expensive flooring will require etching of the floor for you apply the epoxy. However, it will last much longer than the cheap versions.

Cited: Business Week

The nationwide switch to digital TV has confused so many people that many have missed out on the second deadline that was June 12 to get digital converter boxes. Many of those confused people just went out and bought a new TV. What about those who did not have the money to buy a new TV? What about those who did not get a digital converter box?

As Pedro Ortez and his wife, Wanda, watched Law and Order on Thursday night, they knew that soon after the program finished their screen would fade to static. The TV, which for years had served as the low-income couple’s primary source of news and entertainment, turned into an inert box in the center of their apartment on June 12, when broadcasters stopped sending analog television signals and switched completely to digital. “Television is one of those few small pleasures in life,” said Ortez, an unemployed 40-year-old custodian from the Bronx, N.Y. “It keeps us connected to the outside world.”

The Ortezes are hardly alone. Despite converter-box subsidies from the federal government, community outreach by local activists, and a blitz of ad campaigns by media companies from Comcast (CMCSA) and Cablevision (CVC) to CBS (CBS) and NBC (GE), millions of people across the country are expected to be left without working TVs this weekend. Those affected are people who get programming over the air and lack digital TVs or antennas that can pick up digital signals when analog signals are discontinued. (No one who pays for television service from cable or satellite operators is affected.) As of June 7, Nielsen estimated that 2.8 million households, 2.5% of the national TV market, were unprepared for the final switch.

That is a substantially smaller group than would have been affected if the digital transition had taken place in February, as originally planned. Congress and the Obama Administration delayed the switch to give broadcasters and the public more time to prepare. Nielsen estimated that twice as many people would have been without television had the transition proceeded at that time.

Confusion over the Digital TV Switch

Some activists have argued that the digital transition should have been pushed back even further. But the case of the Ortezes illustrates how likely it was that some stragglers would have seen their screens turn to static no matter when the deadline came.

While the Ortezes had heard about the transition to digital television, they didn’t think they could do much about it. They thought they needed to pay for cable to get digital service. “We are on public assistance and we really can’t afford to get cable,” says Ortez. “I didn’t know, until I saw last week in the newspaper, that I could get one of those boxes.”

The couple was also confused by the delay in the transition. They thought the government decision to postpone meant they didn’t need to take action. “We had heard that the whole thing got canceled back in January,” says Ortez. “We didn’t realize they were still going to do it until last week.”

Activists and community leaders say the elderly, the disabled, and low-income families such as the Ortezes are most at risk of being left out. “People who fit the guidelines for Medicaid and food stamps—those making less than $11,000 a year—many of them don’t really understand the analog-digital [distinction],” says Gwen Lawson, founder of KeepYourSignal, a Bronx-based organization that has tried to educate local residents about the switchover.

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Among these groups, Nielsen says, the elderly population is the most ready, while younger viewers, African Americans, and Hispanics are disproportionately unprepared.

Unnecessary Cable Packages for Seniors

The U.S. government has dedicated more than $2 billion to the transition, including subsidized coupons so that people can buy converter boxes to get digital signals. But just getting a converter box doesn’t always address the issue. Craig Moffett, senior analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, says digital antennas may not be as effective at picking up television signals as analog gear. “I think there’s this widespread perception that if you’ve gotten your coupon and you’ve redeemed it for a converter box, everything is going to be hunky-dory,” Moffett says. “But the converter box is only half of it—you also have to be able to receive the digital signal.” Some 80% of the 14 million households that receive transmission “over the air” rely on rabbit ears instead of rooftop antennas, he says, which “probably will not cut the mustard.” Those living in multi-unit buildings in highly congested areas are the most likely to face reception issues, he predicts.

Elderly-care workers in the Bronx say many fixed-income seniors subscribed to large cable packages, mistakenly thinking that subscriptions were necessary to keep their TV. “We started giving workshops on this [digital transition] over a year ago,” said Carmen Matos, a director of the HOGAR senior-care assistance program. “A lot of them still think that they need to get expensive premium packages, which they really can’t afford.”

Media research and analysis firm SNL Kagan reported 826,000 new cable and direct-broadcast satellite customers in the first quarter of 2009—more than double the previous quarter.

TV sales have continued to grow in the run-up to the transition, despite the economic downturn. The number of digital TVs sold in the U.S. has risen steadily since the technology’s inception in 1998 and is expected to hit 34.6 million this year, up from 32.7 million in 2008.

FLO TV: Live Service on Mobile Phones

One of the strongest segments of the business is flat-panel TVs. The number of flat-panels sold was up 25% for the first four months of 2009, according to market researcher NPD Group. Ross Rubin, a consumer electronics industry analyst for NPD Group, says continued growth in TV sales is at least partly due to people switching to bigger and better sets as the digital switchover neared. “Flat televisions have been one of the bright spots in consumer electronics this year. It’s in part due to lower pricing, but some of it is the digital transitions—both the real one and the false alarm,” said Rubin.

While the digital switchover will leave people like the Ortezes without Law and Order and their other favorite shows, it will make new kinds of service available to others. The radio spectrum that was used for analog television signals will now allow Qualcomm’s (QCOM) mobile television service, FLO TV, to be sent nationwide to the customers of AT&T (T) and Verizon Wireless. Those companies are marketing the service so that people who sign up for special entertainment packages will be able to watch live TV on their mobile phones, perhaps as they commute through the Bronx or elsewhere.

Ortez says he hopes not to be without TV for long. He’s trying to get his hands on a converter box so that he and his wife can start watching shows again soon. “Being that we are unemployed and at home so much it keeps us entertained and up with current events,” said Ortez. “TV is such a big part of our lives. It’s always been there for us. Now we can’t even watch TV, it’s really crazy.”

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My Take: I remember when I was a kid that TV was free. It should remain free! I can understand paying extra for premium stations without commercials, but commercials are what make TV free. I believe it is going to be a long time before I fully understand what the switch from analog to digital is all about.

It definitely has to be more than freeing up airwaves so that companies can send television signals to mobile phones. That is just another way for the companies to make more money out of the pockets of consumers. Cable companies are already taking off for their services.

I think the government should force cable TV companies to give free basic, local service to everybody. The type of service that they would get with rabbit ears or a digital box should be provided free by cable companies. In most areas that would give people 3-5 stations to watch and give them an option of getting premium stations, which they would not normally have.

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Free Full Downloadable Films

What are the easiest ways to keep kids occupied while traveling, give them something to do. With modern technology, all you need is a portable DVD player, computer and Internet connection. Then simply go to one of your favorite sites for movie downloads. You might be able to get “Terminator Salvation” or even “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”.  Of course, many of those sites you need to pay a fee to download movie. However, that is a small price to pay for a little bit of peace and quiet when traveling or anytime for that fact. You can easily download the new “Star Trek“. If it is anything like the others, it will be fantastic. If you are into comedy you might try “Duplicity“. On the other hand, if you like fast paced adventure movies try “Fast & Furious“.

Business Dates

Maybe you are the type of man who wants a classic, romantic dinner when on a business trip. On the other hand, maybe, after a hard day at work, and one of beautiful woman by your side for an exciting night on the town. New York escort models are the finest in New York City for the best dates and girlfriend experience type of companionship in the area. If you are not on business trip but a vacation, the best NYC dates are the real deal. They are the best high-class women for dates and wonderful evenings. Every escort service is different, but that you can find one that provides a fantastic experience unlike any other.

Should I Take an Insurance Settlement?

If you have had an accident and before you settle your case with an insurance adjuster, you should consult with Texas injury attorneys to insure that the settlement is fair. This is even more important if you believe that the other person was negligent. If you can prove negligence, you may be entitled to monetary compensation that will cover your medical expenses, pain and suffering as well as any lost wages. Law firms provides free consultations for all personal injury cases. They offer contingency fee arrangements in which they do not get paid for any legal fees unless you recover.

Handheld Device Repair

There is one online service provider that can provide you with service and repair for all of your handheld electronic devices including PDA, Palm, Blackberry and iPod repairs. Their goal is to work quickly and efficiently provide you the best customer service possible. It makes no difference if you need a replacement battery for your iPod, a new lens for your Zune or a serious help fixing your PDA, their service cannot be beaten. They will provide you with free diagnostic testing or you can find your part on their website. What does this mean? It means that you can get that broken iPhone repair.

Schools and Business Equipment

The online leader in the whiteboard and communication board industry has offered magnetic whiteboard since 1997. They have revolutionized the way people purchased whiteboards, chalkboards, and bulletin boards with the Internet. Up until that point, customers had no other choice but to use a local company for these products. Consumers were limited to the quality and design that the local companies were willing to offer. The Internet helped to change all of that. As a company that was serving the needs of local schools, institutions, hospitals and corporations, they saw an opportunity in the visual communication industry and now they offer more than just chalkboards.

iPod Videos

You can convert videos for any type of iPod that plays video. This includes the new iPod touch, iPod nano and iPod classic. An iPod video converter offers a powerful way to convert all your movie files to iPod movies with excellent video quality. While the Apple iPod isn’t the first portable device to support digital video playback, it’s probably the one device that will push portable video into the mainstream. Of course, a key draw of the iPod as a portable video player (PVP) is the fact that its complementing software that allows you to get content that will play on the device.

Cited: Apparel News

What will the future bring? All the economic indicators are confusing. Unemployment rates and gas prices are high as well as the stock market. Inflation and housing prices are down, but so are retail sales. What about bankruptcies, will they increased? When will the longest and deepest recession since the 1930s end?

Recently, California Apparel News Senior Editor Deborah Belgum caught up with several representatives from the financial industry to get their take on whether the economy has bottomed out and what apparel manufacturers and retailers can do to stay afloat until consumers start digging deeper into their pockets and spending again.

John Daly, President, CIT Trade Finance

Has the economy hit bottom or are we halfway to recovery? Why?

While it is not clear whether the economy has hit bottom, what we do know is that unemployment is stabilizing and interest rates are normalizing. This would lead me to think that the worst is over. Certainly, the rate of decline is slowing.

What should apparel and textile companies do now?

Apparel and textile companies should proceed with extreme caution. Make every effort to protect your capital and the integrity of your financial condition. Be very mindful of the risks you might be taking. If you are thinking about embarking on any new ventures, be sure to do so carefully and conservatively.

Don Nunnari, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager, Merchant Factors Corp.

Has the economy hit bottom or are we halfway to recovery? Why?

Paul L. Kasriel, chief economist at The Northern Trust Co., was quoted recently saying: “The worst seems to be over for consumer spending.”

However, unemployment is rising, even though at a slower rate. Unemployment is expected to rise to 9.2% nationwide, the highest since 1983. May retail sales numbers were disappointing across all segments, except for a few bright spots like Aéropostale and The Buckle.

What should apparel and textile companies do now?

Apparel companies have had to work much harder during this recession. Very difficult decisions have been made to manage expenses and inventories. The positive is that they have become much more disciplined, smarter and efficient. Providing outstanding customer service and “fresh” product to market are key to survival.

For the stronger companies, they have the financial capacity to create demand by greater product merchandising and brand marketing.

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You can find Greek shirts online easily. Most vendors will accept custom artwork through the mail, faxed, or electronically transmitted to insure accuracy. If necessary, there art department will make changes to their own artwork to customize it for your event.

Steven Reiner, Managing Director, Financo Inc.

Has the economy hit bottom or are we halfway to recovery? Why?

I think the honest answer is that no one really knows. With that said, I think there is a general sense that the rate of deceleration is slowing. Things are certainly challenging, but if they are getting worse, they are getting less so.

But I do not think that the economy has hit bottom yet. With unemployment still high and with retail sales generally weak across the board, with a few bright spots, it would be a little misleading to say things have hit bottom.

There are certain signs of bright spots in the marketplace. We have a number of clients, both wholesale and retail, who have seen modest upticks or at least stabilization in the business. There is a sense that at least people are starting to stick their heads out of the sand a bit. The consumer is extremely challenged, and gas is starting to move back up, which acts as a tax on consumers.

What should apparel and textile companies do now?

First, I think the view continues to be that people are cautious and are playing defense. That means if you are a manufacturer, you need to continue to be cautious with your retail client. You have to think about your cash position and opportunities to raise additional cash and solidify your capitalization. I think, as an apparel company, while there is a sense that things have at least bottomed out or are near the bottom, you have to be realistic and have downsize planning in hand and be prepared for this to get worse because it certainly can. We have seen in every sector that we work with that there are market leaders who have emerged or strengthened their position on a relative basis to their competitors.

Bret Schuch, partner, Goodman Factors

Has the economy hit bottom or are we halfway to recovery? Why?

I normally subscribe to the glass being half full, but it’s hard to be terribly convinced that the worst is behind us. May retail sales weren’t really bad—some would say they were relatively good—but speculation here is that it’s more a blip, perhaps driven more by rebate checks than a renewed interest in consumer spending.

Of particular concern to me are the continued loss in jobs, the proliferation of bankruptcies and the strain such will create upon the lending community, and the impending drop in the commercial real estate sectors. While residential home values have stabilized, due in great part to the available tax credit for first-time buyers and historically low fixed rates, the commercial market is showing great signs of weakness that may prove to be deeper than the residential side of things and won’t be nearly as easy to reverse. The markets seem to belie this concern, so perhaps I’m wrong. Hopefully, this is the case.

What should apparel and textile companies do now?

Apparel and piece goods manufacturers should focus on keeping margins intact, reducing overhead as much as possible, and avoiding customer concentrations and unnecessary credit risks.

Sunnie Kim, President, Hana Financial Inc.

Has the economy hit bottom or are we halfway to recovery? Why?

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. The negatives point to the stock market still being off by almost 50 percent since the highs of 18 months ago. There are still substantial toxic assets on bank balance sheets, retail numbers are still way off, unemployment data is less than encouraging, bankruptcies are in record numbers, and the latest General Motors and real estate crisis is far from over.

That said, there seem to be glimmers of recovery. The stock market has been up the last 60 days. Several banks have claimed to return to profitability for the last two months, and several economists, along with members of President Obama’s economic team, have hinted that even if we are not at bottom, the free fall has indeed slowed.

Consumer spending seems to be a major key. Thus far, consumer spending is down significantly. In prior recessions, we partially were able to spend our way into recovery. That seems to be a much more difficult task now. The U.S. savings rate has averaged 4.7% for 2009, compared with 1.8% in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.

What should apparel and textile companies do now?

Apparel and textile companies must be diligent in watching their inventories, knowing their customers, taking orders with short expiration dates, reducing their expenses and selling basic goods.

Dave Reza, Senior Vice President, Western region, Milberg Factors Inc.

Has the economy hit bottom or are we halfway to recovery? Why?

I think we may be in the bottom. I don’t believe we are halfway to recovery because I think there has been a lot of job loss in the first quarter of this year and the last part of last year. Many people have had severances or benefits that are starting to disappear. Now they will have some issues if they haven’t found jobs. There will be people with disposable-income issues. The other thing is, you will have another round of significant job losses in terms of the major auto bankruptcies, their suppliers and dealers. I think there is a lot of pain to be felt in the automotive industry.

I go to the malls and see people in the stores, but there are stores that are promoting heavily to get customers or stores that are quiet. The better department stores’ sales are off significantly—like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Saks. Discounters are doing better. I think we are still in a flat bottom. It is not going to get worse, but we haven’t started the uptick yet. The stock market seems to have stabilized. Some banks have announced they intend to repay the money from the government they borrowed, which is a good sign. But are they paying that out of new equity they have raised or profits or both?

Dave Reza

What should apparel and textile companies do now?

If I were a manufacturer, I would try to target those retailers that are doing better. Can I get in front of them—even if it means I have to prepare a product for them that is not a garment I usually do? Companies need to be strict about managing their balance sheets and have self discipline. That means writing off assets they hope have value but don’t. Manage inventory relentlessly. As it gets old, mark it down and get rid of it and don’t take risks on retailers where the factor is saying no.

Ken Wengrod, President, FTC Commercial Corp.

Has the economy hit bottom or are we halfway to recovery? Why?

We see that job losses have slowed down, and that could be a good indicator of what is happening. A major indicator that I always look at is the spread between interest rates on junk bonds and Treasury debt. … What we just noticed is a high-yield spread has been reduced by 50 percent between those two indicators. That would tell us that in probably mid-summer we will start seeing the jobless claims probably fall.

The other thing I look at is collections. We have noticed over the last 60 to 90 days a significant improvement in collections. People are sending money in. It is not due to hard-core collections. That tells me they need new, fresh merchandise. That is an important indicator to our sector.

What should apparel and textile companies do now?

For the manufacturers in the apparel industry, the importers and the distributors, this is a time to regroup and shed their overhead, bring in people that are looking for jobs who are capable. You don’t have to pay a fortune for people. There is a whole correction to salaries right now.

There was a time that production pattern makers were making $80,000 to $100,000 a year and designers were making $100,000. Things are changing. Today, people have to re-examine what value they are getting and cut down to a core number of people and improve their productivity. But they cannot shed the heart of the company, which is merchandising and sales.

Consumers and retailers are looking for value today. How do you accomplish this? You look at your internal costs carefully, especially in design. Do you have excessive sample expenses?

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My Take: The one thing all these people forget when talking about cutting their” internal costs” is that some of their internal costs also buy their products. Reducing the number of people that they have working for them also reduces the number of people who can buy their product. Why not try increasing the number of sales instead? Increasing sales makes better sense and laying off employees.

I remember taking economics in college and studying the concept of supply and demand. If I remember correctly, you can easily increase demand by lowering the price of a particular product. Wal-Mart is one of the better examples of this; they lower the price of certain grocery and retail items to bring in customers. However, that does not mean that those particular items are the best quality.

If a particular industry such as fashion were to reduce the price of their clothing, which everybody needs, their sales would skyrocket. I can remember when the clothing items such as jeans did not cost more than $10-$15 and those were Levis. Now, you go to buy a pair Levi’s and you have to pay $30-$50 a pair. Just imagine how many pairs of jeans they could sell if they drop their prices back to what they used to be. They would make more money in the turnover than they do now.

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Jeans

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Children’s Fashion

All the darling accessories for your little princess can easily be found online! Some vendors specialize in hair bows, flower hats, hair clips, personalized bow holders, tote bags and Swarovski Bracelets. Some vendors have all handmade items with special attention to detail. They even use top quality material so your items will be durable and last a long time.  Finding handcrafted that are made to your specifications not as hard as you may think. Vendors who have had a goal to bring you super cutie accessories at an affordable price like wholesale headbands. Every little angel should be accessorized!

Protective Fashion

There are online vendors that provide clients with Flame Resistant Clothing an affordable price. With secure online ordering service, that offer customer’s access to Carhartt and Bulwark flame retardant work wear from the comfort of their homes. Some may also offer embroidery and corporate pricing on purchases of 25 or more pieces with FREE Shipping in the U.S. on orders above $100 and the highest quality service possible!

Contributory Negligence

Contributory negligence can be very confusing and you should contact a Portland OR car accidents lawyer to understand better. Under comparative negligence a plaintiff/claimant’s award is reduced by the percentage of contribution made by the plaintiff to the loss or damage suffered. Thus, in evaluating a collision between two vehicles, the court must not only make a finding that both drivers were negligent. It will also determine the percentage of that neglect. The blame could be divided between each driver as a percentage, e.g. 20% to the plaintiff/claimant: 80% to the defendant. Contributory negligence has been widely criticized as being too draconian, in that a plaintiff whose fault was minor might recover nothing from a more egregiously irresponsible defendant.

Researching Debt

If you are considering a debt settlement program as a solution for your financial challenges, you may have read or heard multiple facts or statements about the process that are untrue. Like most financial solutions, you can find people who both support and oppose the option. When determining if a financial solution is right for you, it is important to read and understand the facts. This means to eliminate credit card debt, you need to do the research to find the best debt reduction program for your needs. You need to check the facts and myths concerning both settlement and consolidation.

Make the Collector Pay

If you feel that you have been treated or rest by a collector, you may have a right to sue the debt collector. In fact, if a debt collector has left a voice mail for you or discussed your matter with co-workers or other family members they may have violated the FDCPA. This is a law that was passed in 1977 to protect consumers from abusive debt collectors. FDCPA lawyers are happy to review your situation and let you know if you have a case. You can get up to $1,000.00 for the violation plus any actual damages you may have suffered. The best part is the collector will have to pay your collection harassment lawyers fees.

Cited: Insurance News Net

To find the right coverage that will protect your home from disaster you should learn from a homeowners insurance guide for first-time homeowners. It can be an exciting experience to buy a home for the first time for many people. It can also be tiring, stressful and overwhelming task when it comes to finding the right homeowners insurance to protect the home from future catastrophes.

InsuranceAgents.com recommends for first-time homebuyers to shop online for the best homeowners insurance quotes offered by insurance agents and insurance companies. However, homeowners should be warned that the lowest price does not necessarily mean the best coverage. For the best coverage and rate, homeowners shop around to compare and contrast different insurance quotes, before selecting the first one offered by a homeowner’s insurance company.

To further protect their home from a disaster, homeowners will have to document all of their belongings and valuables in case of the likelihood of forgetting important assets. Above all of this, however, homeowners are strongly encouraged to investigate any homeowner’s insurance company or insurance agent that wishes to do business with them to prevent future surprises, such as insurance fraud or poor service.

For those who are looking to buy their first home or a second home . . . Often the biggest obstacle to becoming a homeowner is coming up with enough cash for a down payment. One way for cash-strapped homebuyers to realize their dream is to lease a home with an option to buy. Many property management companies can help with this. Whether you have bad credit, no credit, or are self employed, property owners have flexible terms to suit your situation, often without bank qualification if you are interested in St. Paul townhouse rentals.You can find real estate in Rockland’s “Gold Coast”, the Hudson River communities of the Nyacks, Piermont, Grandview’s and Sneden’s Landing/Palisades, along with unique and interesting properties throughout Rockland County and the lower Hudson Valley. In fact, there are many upper Nyack homes for sale at good prices.

You will be able to drive to Manhattan for dinner and a show in 30-40 minutes and be able to return on a whim without any hassles. Just take the George Washington Bridge to the Palisades Interstate Parkway, to Exit #4 (Alpine, NJ) Route 9W North. It is easy when you own a piece of Piermont real estate.

Finding the right homeowners insurance may take some time for any first-time homeowner, but having the right coverage plan for their needs should ultimately save them money in the event of a disaster. Last but not least, be sure to keep your eye on the fluctuation of homeowners insurance quotes annually. Even if you have an affordable homeowners insurance policy, there could be another company that has a better coverage plan at a lower rate. Practicing these tips will aide you in selecting the right insurer and reduces the chance of you running across surprises in your homeowner’s insurance policy in the future.

If you have been with a particular homeowners’ company for several years, you may receive a discount for being a “long term” customer. Some companies give 5%-10% discounts if you remain a customer for a certain length of time. In addition, you will have more credibility if you stay with a homeowners’ insurer and then have a loss. The insurer knows you and your record, and if you have not had many claims and have paid your premiums on time, you will probably get the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, compare premiums for the same coverage with other companies to make sure you have the best deal. Even if you are long term, you may be able to do better.

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My Take: No matter what kind of insurance you need, it is always best to shop around and compare pricing. In fact, even if you were to have insurance it is always good to shop around to see if you cannot save yourself a little bit of money.

As for homeowners insurance, usually the bank will include the insurance for the home in the mortgage amount. This usually means that you do not have to worry about making homeowners insurance payments each month until you have paid off the home.

To me, homeowners insurance is just another way for insurance companies to get money. I can understand if you live in a flood zone or even an earthquake area having insurance in case of disaster. Otherwise, I just think it is a waste of money. If you are careful, your home should not burn down. However, if you do decide to get homeowners insurance, make sure that you do shop around. It is the only way to get the best price and the lowest price available to you.

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Home Remodeling

With a distinctive front entrance, research proves that an attractive front wooden exterior door can considerably increase a home’s perceived value as indicated by the National Home Valuation Study, which indicates that a home’s value can increase by as much as 6.6%. The National Home Valuation Study also shows how important of a front exterior door is a home buyer’s first impression. Most improvements for a home’s market value show a return of less than 90 cents to the dollar, costing much more than a brand new front entrance. Research shows that an entry upgrade improves four to five times the investment with wood doors.

First Baby

The Alexander Technique is an educational system that helps people use their bodies with greater ease and efficiency in everyday activities. It improves postural and movement dysfunction by engaging the mind and body to reduce physical misuse. The Alexander Technique in Manhattan is recognized and recommended by such notable Medical Doctors as Dr. Andrew Weil.

Affordable Maid Service

With the bad economy, everybody is looking to reduce costs and expenses. However, you do not want to skimp on cleanliness where your home is concerned. Contact your local MD home cleaning service and discuss ways to reduce the cost of the service. By speaking with the owner or manager you may be able to reduce the cost. Maid services MD are usually willing to work with their clients to keep them. It may be as simple as rescheduling your cleaning day and time to make it convenient for the team that comes to your neighborhood to make one trip instead of two. Or you may have to result in cutting back on the number of service days you have per month.

Compare Insurance Quotes

The first thing anyone should do when hunting for insurance is to compare insurance rate. The nice thing about this part of your search is that you do not have to talk to anyway, including insurance agents. There are many websites that offer free insurance quotes. Let them do all the searching for you. All you have to do is click one and then call the insurance agent. Of course, you could decide to make a bunch of phone calls or visit the websites of each and every insurance company to get a quote; this would take a lot of time and energy on your part. Why waste your time?

Wedding Locations

You should take into consideration the location for your wedding ceremony and reception. If you need help remembering the layout or details, snap some quick pictures for reference. You can often find new ideas by taking a good look at the structure and furnishings because you may need something such as San Diego CA wedding chair covers. You can browse through various catalogs, magazines and websites for ideas on locations. You can even find money-saving tips for your wedding. Like you do not have to use just San Diego CA wedding flowers for centerpieces, you could use candles to decorate your tables.

Epoxy Kits

There are many ways to cheaply epoxy something and very few ways to do it right so you never have to read do anything! One vendor has sold over 300,000 DYI epoxy kits and millions of gallons of epoxy to military, industrial, commercial and residential users. They specialize in epoxy flooring. Remember, just because it says epoxy paint on the label does not mean it is a real epoxy product! Most of these type of products are water based latex or oil based enamel paint that have epoxy additives or some form of cheaper hybrid solids like cycloaliphatic. This vendor even sells garage floor paint that has real epoxy it.

Landscape Expertise

The owner of this New Jersey landscaping firm is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. With a degree in Landscape Architecture from Rutgers University, she has spent time in Europe as a designer studying European gardens and often incorporates similar elements and concepts into her unique landscape designs. Her expertise as a residential landscape designer encompasses both small garden design and estate master plans. She has also created designs for commercial properties such as country clubs, government buildings and townhouse subdivisions. For one project she provided an extensive landscape design for the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her New Jersey landscape design and projects have won awards for their creativity, dazzling use of color and texture, and attention to spaces, topography, and details.

Cited: TheStreet.com

Additional details regarding the Obama administration’s plan to kick-start the market for toxic was given to banks who wish to get rid of bad assets and investors who were interested in buying them. A summit was held to discuss aspects and potential impacts of the government’s Public-Private Investment Program (PREA) that was hosted by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) and the Pension Real Estate Association. The PREA is set to begin operation this month. Featured speakers from the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will likely discuss pricing and public scrutiny that so far have caused problems for the endeavor so far.

The PPIP has gained little traction since it was announced with great fanfare over two months ago, calling into question how much success it will ultimately have. One pitfall pertains to a lack of confidence that the government will not spontaneously change the rules of the game to mollify populist rage.

Potential investors have witnessed punishment levied against firms receiving government support in the form of compensation limits, strict oversight and fiery questioning at congressional hearings, with American International Group (AIG:NYSE) being the most prominent example. Banks have also faced a slew of restrictions that were added after accepting funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, money that some firms claim they did not need in the first place.

The retroactive provisions and public scrutiny has made banks eager to repay those dollars as soon as possible. JPMorgan Chase (JPM:NYSE), Goldman Sachs (GS:NYSE), American Express (AXP:NYSE), BB&T (BBT:NYSE) and Northern Trust (NTRS:NYSE) have already applied to do so, and Morgan Stanley (MS:NYSE), Wells Fargo (WFC:NYSE), Bank of America (BAC:NYSE), and others have expressed interest in doing so as well.

“One of the things that has been the most challenging aspects of the federal government’s efforts to put in place programs is the populist backlash against lots of different issues — executive compensation being the classic example,” says Kevin Petrasic, former special counsel at the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Potential PPIP investors were mostly hedge funds and private-equity firms that tend to recoil from regulatory oversight in ordinary times. As a result, few have been eager to participate in the PPIP without explicit guarantees that the same restrictions and public flogging will not befall them.

There is also the initial issue that PPIP hoped to address, but which it may not be able to solve the wide gap that exists between bid prices and ask prices on distressed assets weighing down bank balance sheets. Banks are not selling these “toxic” holdings because managers believe prices offered are far below the intrinsic value. Investors are not offering higher prices because they do not know where the bottom lies, or simply because they do not have to yet.

The government has an unenviable position in this financial crisis. Regulators must use taxpayer dollars to strengthen the banking system by fostering healthier, more profitable lenders. But they must also market their programs as ones that will not allow banks or investors to profit excessively on the taxpayer dime. What “excessively” means is anyone’s guess.

As a result of those contradictory goals, says Petrasic, “you sort of have a half-implemented program that’s not particularly effective because of hesitancy or distrust from private investors who don’t know what could possibly happen. Will the government come in late in the game and change the rules, adversely affecting those investors?”

There are two components to the program, the major one to tackle asset-backed securities that the Treasury Department will oversee, and a smaller one regarding whole loans that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will oversee. While the Treasury portion is still set to launch this month, the FDIC on Wednesday said it would postpone a pilot sale of assets through its Legacy Loan Program until the summer.

“Banks have been able to raise capital without having to sell bad assets through the [Legacy Loan Program], which reflects renewed investor confidence in our banking system,” FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair said Wednesday. “As a consequence, banks and their supervisors will take additional time to assess the magnitude and timing of troubled assets sales as part of our larger efforts to strengthen the banking sector.”

Hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of troubled assets are weighing down the balance sheets of the country’s biggest banks, from behemoths like BofA and Citigroup (C:NYSE), to major regional players like Fifth Third (FITB:NYSE), KeyCorp (KEY:NYSE), PNC Financial Services (PNC:NYSE), US Bancorp (USB:NYSE) and Capital One (COF:NYSE).

Conditions stand to worsen if a resolution is not reached soon, especially for firms that have not written down assets to rock-bottom levels. Those heavily exposed to assets whose performance is still deteriorating, like commercial real estate and credit card debt, or areas of the country whose economies have not yet stabilized, stand to get hit the worst.

For those who wish to utilize credit cards for their business . . . . A solution online for business retail merchant accounts and restaurant credit card processing is available. Offering the Hypercom T 4100 for free credit card machines program, free check guarantee, free merchant account setup, Free reprogramming of your existing credit card terminals, free authorize.net virtual terminal so that you can accept credit cards online, free Nurit 8000 wireless credit card machines for mobile merchant accounts, free gift card program, a cash advance program and guaranteed low rates and fees for merchant services.

On the ther hand, a return to profitability for the banking industry last quarter, and signs of life in the housing market and broader economy has given investors faith that a rebound is at hand. The surge in investor confidence has been evidenced by the tens of billions of dollars banks have raised in the market to fill in capital shortfalls identified by the government’s stress tests.

Petrasic, who now counsels financial firms on participating in the PPIP at the law firm Paul Hastings, says that by installing adequate oversight, being transparent and emphasizing that the PPIP seeks to benefit all participants — including taxpayers — the Treasury Department could successfully launch its pilot program this month with minimal pushback from public advocates.

“You want a program that works,” says Petrasic. “There’s got to be a certain give and take…but I think the key thing is to separate what happened in the past from what happens going forward.”

Chip MacDonald, a Jones Day lawyer who advises banks, asset managers and other financial firms on the PPIP, says a solution can come in the form of a collaborative “bad bank” in which buyers, sellers and taxpayers all share in upside or losses that stem from deals.

Under such a plan, a portion of the financing would come from the FDIC and all three parties would retain an interest in the assets while working to restructure loans for troubled borrowers. It would bring banks closer to offered prices, since they would retain a stake in the potential upside they predict; and bring sellers closer to banks’ demanded prices, since part of the financing comes from the government, limiting downside risk.

Regulators could also install terms that provide significant upside potential in exchange for government funds. In working out troubled loans, regulators can oversee the program to ensure that struggling borrowers become more profitable for the banks without being exploited.

MacDonald still has faith that a public-private program can be successful, citing Grant Street National Bank, a subsidiary of toxic loans that was spun off of Bank of New York Mellon’s (BK:NYSE) predecessor in the late 1980s, as well as Kearny Street Real Estate Co., which held a troubled swath of Bank of America (BAC:NYSE) assets in the 1990s.

“I think it can be done,” he says.

No matter what happens are going to be winners and losers in the banking industry because of the traditional idea prudent lending or aggressive moves to write down or even get rid of bad debt before becomes a problem. With government sweeteners, vulture investors can easily steal these risky holdings or assets at low prices according to Fred Fraenkel, Vice Chairman of the Beacon Trust investment firm. He also added, “The current environment should reward banks who keep their balance sheets and lending capacity intact.”

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My Take: I think the banks do need a little more regulation. If they had more regulation, we probably would not be in this massive recession. The money handlers of this world control everything to some extent, maybe even more than I suspect. However, they do have their fingers on the pulse of the world.

I think the main idea here is to help the average citizen with their loans from these banks. If a bank is in trouble, they get nervous and start making outrageous demands on people who cannot fulfill those demands because the economy. It turns into nothing more than a vicious circle.

When someone is stuck between a rock and a hard place, they do not have very many options open to them. I think this program will help remove either the rock or the hard place and give people and businesses a few more options than they have otherwise.

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Other Resources

Retail Copiers

Modern copiers provide the consumer with more versatility than ever before. Do you need high quality printing capability? Get a printer copier. Do you like scanning images to send to your friends? Look into getting a scanner copier. Whether you are a small business owner, a representative from a large corporation or someone who just needs a copier around the house, there is a used copy machines that is right for your needs. You can get a machine that provides the right amount of flexibility and power you need for your particular task, be it faxing, color copying, digital copying, photocopying, scanning, or any combination of those. Have you tried used color copiers? You might try the Canon Image Runner.

Advertising Bags

Whether you own and operate a small business or happen to be a large manufacturing firm specializing in the technology sector, you can find a wide and varied selection of top-of-the line and fully recyclable promotional shopping bags. These bags may be used for all of your public and private events, trade shows, educational seminars company off-sites, and special marketing or product launch campaigns; customized packaging products for shipping and storing with ease; and custom printed bags that will carry your product and showcase your brand with style.

Office Furniture

Expertise and systems, experience and facilities should be developed to serve as office products contract suppliers to some of the region’s largest corporations and best-known institutions is employed to meet the needs of every customer, regardless of size. From office space planning to generating specifications, from product selection to color coordination, the technical skill and product knowledge important to every customer can be found online. Company specialists are comfortable working in every conceivable design style from cutting-edge contemporary to elegant traditional.

Settlement vs Consolidation

To eliminate credit card debt you need to search all viable options to help solve your problem. Two common solutions many consumers like you consider are debt settlement and debt consolidation, but they are very different and it is important to understand the differences. Each option serves a different purpose, offering advantages and disadvantages that a consumer should consider before deciding which route to take. First, you need to understand different than a consolidation and debt settlement program. Debt settlement is usually the best program for people looking to reduce the actual amount of debt they owe and get it paid in the least amount of time.

Accountant Responsiveness

Many companies that have chosen these New York tax planning accountants rely on competent advice and fast, accurate personnel. They provide total financial services to individuals, large and small businesses and other agencies. They get new business from the people who know them best; client referrals have fueled their growth in the recent years. Through hard work these New York tax preparation accountants have earned the respect of the business and financial communities. This respect illustrates their diverse talents, dedication and ability to respond quickly.

Highest Accounting Standards

One CPA firm provides the highest standard of services without sacrificing personalized services. It is there goal to help their clients succeed through quality accounting and tax services. They understand that financial peace of mind is important to everyone and so they are committed to helping their clients achieve that goal. Their mission is to surpass your expectations by combining traditional skills with the latest technologies. When preparing your own tax return it can be a complicated and confusing process. You will find trained tax preparers who understand your situation. A Bergen County tax preparation specialist can answer all of your tax questions with friendly, professional service.

Cited: New York Daily News

Easter eggs on websites are nothing but hidden code. The code comes from the Konami Code , which is a cheat code that appears in many Konami video games, although the code also appears in some non-Konami games according to Wikipedia. The code was first used in the 1986 release of Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System but was made famous in North America in the NES version of Contra, for which it was also dubbed the “30 Lives Code”. While pausing the game or during the title screen, the player could press the following sequence of buttons on the game controller: Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start.

This counterculture has been added to Facebook and when you enter the code, you get a lens flare effect, which is thoroughly useless. Even Google.com has added the code that reveals a cartoon ninja on Google Reader and opens up “Blox”, a Tetris clone, on AIM Express.

If you do not recognize that otherwise nonsensical string of commands, you probably were not a child of the 80s and you certainly were not a gaming geek. Known as the Konami Code, this series of Nintendo controller key presses was the ultimate cheat code for a series of games throughout the ’80s and beyond and it has found its way into the Internet Age. Its newest partner is Facebook.

The Konami Code, also known as the Contra Code for its use with the notoriously difficult 1988 Nintendo game Contra (employing it gave players ten times the usual number of lives), is now being used by popular sites to launch “Easter eggs” with special functions or features only accessible to the initiated.

In fact, you cannot even enter konamicodesites.com - a Web page that lists sites that employ the Konami Code without first typing said code out on your keyboard. Pretty geeky, huh?

As was revealed in numerous reports last month, if you type the code into Facebook (substituting the “enter” key for “start”), you are now greeted with a lens-flare effect that changes as you surf the site. Yes, it is totally useless and simply an inside joke among Web developers, but it is pretty fun being in on the secret.

For those looking for software for their business . . . Are you looking for a web-based, easy-to-use sales and customer management solution that helps small business owners manage the many sales prospects, ongoing crew and staffing deployments and billing/invoicing in one package? You need one that is less expensive than vazing or cloud computing.  Every day, you or your crew is on the job handling all sorts of problems and you need to know where your guys are located in working to get the most from them. A CRm for small business package to be just what you are looking for.

Ever dedicated to serving our readers, we have played around with a few of the other sites that employ the Konami Code and here is what we have been able to discover:

• Google Reader: Entering the code changes the background design to include a cartoon ninja, who not-so-stealthily lurks behind your RSS feeds.
• AIM Express: An icon appears in the top left of AOL’s Instant Messenger window, clicking it allows you to play a Tetris clone called “Blox.”
• Jquery.com: The home site of the popular JavaScript library (don’t worry if you don’t understand what that means) launches a Guitar Hero-style game using a YouTube video of Nirvana’s classic rock anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
• Brightkite.com: The Twitter-like location-based social networking site turns every user’s avatar into a photo of Patrick Stewart as “Star Trek: The Next Generation” captain Jean-Luc Picard.
• Gamespot.com: The popular gaming site redirects you to - where else? - their “Contra Hints & Cheats” page.
• Digg.com: All comments are expanded on any given article page on the trendy user-generated news site.
• ESPN.com: Last month, the Konami Code was added to ESPN.com as an April Fools’ joke and decorated the usually testosterone-infused Web site with colorful, glittery unicorns and rainbows (ala Cornify.com). After it was discovered, it became a minor Internet sensation, but was later removed.

Not wanting to spoil any more surprises, you will have to find the many sites out there using the code on your own. You might even try using it on your cell phone! The code is been found to be used as a developer’s code on the Palm Pre-smart phone. If you have any Konami games on your cell phone, try substituting 573 for the B A code and see what happens.

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My Take: What are they going to think of next? These people must not have anything better to do with their time than think up silly stuff to do on the Internet. Of course, it is fun to play around on the Internet and everybody does it.

This hidden code does scare me just a little bit. What is going to stop a hacker who decides to alter the parameters of that code? What kind of damage could that hacker do to anybody who uses it? Is there a defense against a virus like that? Virus protection companies are going to be busy solving that question for a while.

With so many viruses, Trojan horses and worms out there destroying people’s computers, why do we need to give hackers another way to wreck havoc? Because the code is used not only on the Internet but on cell phones as well, can you imagine the problems that would be caused by a hacker using that code for a destructive purpose? I do not believe that I’m going to try this code anytime soon.

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Data Recovery

Data recovery services should offer the most cost-effective and efficient professional services in the industry. From large corporations to individual home users, with experienced file recovery technicians that help thousands of panicked customers recover their lost files. Whether your failed drive is suffering from a logical corruption or a mechanical failure, a vendor’s data recovery tools, techniques, and class-100 clean room will help you get your data back at a price you can afford. A vendor should never charge up-front evaluation or diagnostic fees even if your drive requires a clean room or invasive recovery. The data recovery technicians should do everything possible to get your data back and not charge you a penny unless they’re successful!

Security

In the airplane cargo security market, a vendor needs to be long-standing and have successful relationships with both commercial firms and government agencies around the world. They need to understand the challenges posed to this market and make it their mission to be fully engaged with regulators and customers around the world to develop solutions that meet today’s and tomorrow’s requirements for airport cargo x-ray screening.

A security vendor should also be able to apply the broadest array of technologies to meet your needs, then support your system with a global service network. The result: security that keeps in what needs to stay in, keeps out what needs to stay out, and efficiently helps you collect customs revenue.

From walk through metal detectors to sophisticated package to people screening and metal detector airport screening, a security vendor should provide a comprehensive, all-inclusive law enforcement security solutions and offer a wide range of solutions.

What is Administrative Law?

A body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government is administrative law. The administrative activities of a government agency include enforcement of specific regulatory agendas, adjudication and rulemaking. Administrative Law is considered by many a branch of public law. TX administrative attorneys deal with the decision-makers of administrative units of agencies that are part of a national revelatory scheme in such areas as police law, international trade, manufacturing, environment, taxation, broadcasting, immigration and transport. During the 20th century, administrative law expanded as legislative bodies worldwide created more government agencies to regulate the increasingly complex social, economic and political spheres of human interaction.

Beauty Within and Without

Beauty begins on the inside, and a Dothan Alabama plastic surgeon should take great pride in releasing your inner beauty in a way that surfaces and shines on the outside. He should be honored to help you claim or reclaim this great beauty - outside and inside. Dothan plastic surgeons are not only good students of science and the wisdom of life, but also possess an artistic eye, the skills, and craftsmanship that allow the best possible care for their patients.