Thursday, April 5, 2012

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Daily Tips for Business: Marketing Direct

Probably the most important advantage of direct mail is the ability to precisely target audiences better then other forms of advertising. This is due to the lists and data that power its distribution to the right audience. No other channel (online or offline) has the wealth of acquisition data to drive lifetime value (LTV). Although many online advertising sources are real-time, they are often lacking in regards to the big picture of a customer's purchase (or giving in the case of non-profits) behavior over time.

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Rihanna: I Won't Apologize for Forgiving Chris Brown

Rihanna is far more forgiving than her fans when it comes to Chris Brown. In recent months, it's become clear that Rihanna is on pretty good terms with the ex-boyfriend who brutally assaulted her three years ago: They recently collaborated on two remixed singles and have been spotted partying at the same club, even sparking rumors that they were once again romantically involved. Has Rihanna noticed the backlash against their renewed friendship? She certainly has -- and she doesn't care.

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DNA sequencing consortium unveils patterns of mutations in autism

ScienceDaily (Apr. 4, 2012) ? It has long been recognized that autism runs in families, suggesting a substantial genetic component to the disease. Yet few genes have so far been identified and the underlying genetic architecture of autism -- that is, how many genes contribute and to what extent they influence a person's chances of developing the disorder -- remains poorly understood.

Now, a consortium led by researchers from the Broad Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and six other organizations has taken a step toward addressing these questions by searching for mutations in the fraction of the human genome that codes for proteins. The researchers sequenced this region, known as the "exome," in 175 autism patients and their unaffected parents, looking for single-letter DNA changes present only in the children. Their results, along with simultaneously published findings from two other research groups, suggest modest roles for hundreds of genes in the development of autism and pinpoint a few specific genes as genuine risk factors. The work is described in a paper that appears online April 4 in the journal Nature.

"Autism, like many heritable disorders, results from the action of many genes -- not simply a single gene as in cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease," said senior author Mark Daly, chief of the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit at MGH, a senior associate member of the Broad Institute and co-director of its Program in Medical and Population Genetics, and a member of the Broad Institute's Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research. "These genes hold key insights into the true biological causes of autism -- insights we have been unable to gain through other lines of research."

Autism is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social, behavioral, and communication abilities. Compared to other complex diseases, which are caused by a complicated mix of genetic, environmental, and other factors, autism is highly heritable -- genetics accounts for roughly 80-90% of the risk of developing autism. Yet the majority of autism cases cannot be attributed to known inherited causes.

Researchers in the ARRA Autism Sequencing Collaborative (AASC) -- formed by researchers from the Broad Institute, MGH, Baylor College of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pittsburgh -- used massively parallel sequencing to help shed light on the genes that influence autism risk. Concordant findings from separate studies by two other groups, from Yale University and the University of Washington respectively, also appear in Nature.

The AASC team focused its attention on a particular set of mutations, specifically single-letter mutations that are not present in the parents' DNA but instead appeared spontaneously in the children -- so-called de novo point mutations. Although it is not yet clear exactly when these changes arise, such genetic variations tend to be rare but also more severe in their impact on gene function. With such extreme effects, they can serve as important signposts toward genes involved in autism.

"The idea is that these de novo mutations can help identify candidate genes much more precisely because a newly arisen point mutation is considered really strong evidence that the mutation -- and the gene it resides in -- is involved in autism," said first author Benjamin Neale, a research affiliate at the Broad Institute and an assistant in genetics at MGH.

The researchers found that less than half of the autism cases studied carried a potentially protein-altering de novo point mutation. While this was only slightly higher than the number expected based on the rate of mutation in the general population, these events are sufficiently rare that they could be used to uncover specific risk genes.

"These data suggest that there is a role for de novo point mutations in the coding region of the genome for autism, but they do not constitute a sufficient cause," said Neale. "That is to say, most de novo variants do not fully explain the disorder in an individual."

To learn more about these mutations and the genes in which they reside, the scientists looked for any meaningful connections among them. Such connections, among different proteins for example, might reveal important biological networks or pathways that underlie autism. By mining these data, Daly, Neale, and their colleagues found that the mutated genes are more connected to each other and to previously identified autism genes than expected. Specifically, the results suggest that some of the proteins encoded by these genes physically interact with each other.

As described in their paper, Daly and his colleagues pooled their data with those published in the other two Nature papers, revealing 18 candidate genes with multiple functional de novo point mutations. Considering the severity of the mutations, the collective results pointed to three genes as strong autism candidates: KATNAL2, a gene whose function is unknown; SCN2A, which encodes a brain protein that forms a channel for sodium ions; and CHD8, a gene that regulates gene transcription and modifies chromatin (the network of proteins that surrounds DNA).

The AASC team used additional exome sequencing of nearly 1000 autism cases and as many controls to validate these findings and uncovered strong evidence supporting two of the three candidate genes, KATNAL2 and CHD8. Together, the genes help explain less than one percent of the genetic risk of autism.

"These results clearly demonstrate the potential of DNA sequencing to articulate specific risk factors for autism," said Daly. "We have only scratched the surface, but with continued collaborative efforts, these gene discoveries will point us to the underlying biological roots of autism."

The research described in the Nature paper was supported by ARRA funding from the National Human Genome Research Institute and the National Institute of Mental Health.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Benjamin M. Neale, Yan Kou, Li Liu, Avi Ma?ayan, Kaitlin E. Samocha, Aniko Sabo, Chiao-Feng Lin, Christine Stevens, Li-San Wang, Vladimir Makarov, Paz Polak, Seungtai Yoon, Jared Maguire, Emily L. Crawford, Nicholas G. Campbell, Evan T. Geller, Otto Valladares, Chad Schafer, Han Liu, Tuo Zhao, Guiqing Cai, Jayon Lihm, Ruth Dannenfelser, Omar Jabado, Zuleyma Peralta, Uma Nagaswamy, Donna Muzny, Jeffrey G. Reid, Irene Newsham, Yuanqing Wu, Lora Lewis, Yi Han, Benjamin F. Voight, Elaine Lim, Elizabeth Rossin, Andrew Kirby, Jason Flannick, Menachem Fromer, Khalid Shakir, Tim Fennell, Kiran Garimella, Eric Banks, Ryan Poplin, Stacey Gabriel, Mark DePristo, Jack R. Wimbish, Braden E. Boone, Shawn E. Levy, Catalina Betancur, Shamil Sunyaev, Eric Boerwinkle, Joseph D. Buxbaum, Edwin H. Cook, Bernie Devlin, Richard A. Gibbs, Kathryn Roeder, Gerard D. Schellenberg, James S. Sutcliffe, Mark J. Daly. Patterns and rates of exonic de novo mutations in autism spectrum disorders. Nature, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nature11011

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Tuesday, April 3, 2012

JetBlue pilot released from hospital, held in jail

The JetBlue pilot who suffered an apparent mid-flight meltdown last week is out of the hospital and in jail after making his first appearance in federal court. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports.

By msnbc.com news services

The JetBlue pilot who suffered a midair meltdown that forced a flight to be diverted last week appeared in federal court in shackles on Monday to hear the charges against him.?

Capt. Clayton Osbon, who was accompanied by his wife, told Magistrate Judge Clinton Averitte he understands the charges against him for interfering with a flight crew.?

"I do," said Osbon, who was wearing a green collared shirt and khaki pants.?

Osbon will remain in jail until a detention hearing on Thursday, according to the?Amarillo Globe-News.?

A JetBlue flight made an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas, on Tuesday after the pilot had a "medical situation" and had to be restrained by passengers. NBC's Tom Costello reports.

Osbon was released from the Pavilion at Amarillo's Northwest Texas Healthcare System in handcuffs at 7:30 a.m CT, the paper reported.

Flight 191 was scheduled from John F. Kennedy Airport to Las Vegas, but was diverted to Amarillo, Texas, on Tuesday. JetBlue suspended Osbon following the incident. He is charged with interfering with a flight crew and, if convicted, could face 20 years in prison.

Osbon's wife, Connye Osbon, said on Sunday that the pilot's family is focused on his recovery. She asked the media for privacy and said the family would not be granting interviews or making further statements. She said the family appreciated the public's concern.

"It is our belief, as Clayton's family, that while he was clearly distressed, he was not intentionally violent toward anyone," said a?statement?by Connye Osbon on behalf of the Osbon family that was released by JetBlue on Sunday. "We know you were placed in an awful situation and we appreciate your ability to respond professionally."

JetBlue said in a?blog post?last week that it will not share further details about the captain's "private life."

Reuters contributed to this report.

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How Fiverr.com is changing the creative economy $5 at a time

Fiverr.com co-founder Micha KaufmanThe website Fiverr poses two immediate questions for its community of users: What would you do for $5 and what would you pay someone else to do for $5?

And with a rapidly growing base of 600,000 service gigs, the answers to both appear nearly limitless.

"When we looked at what was out there, we realized that there were options for people that were willing to work for as little as one cent," Fiverr co-founder Micha Kaufman told Yahoo News in a phone interview from Israel. "Or if you are a very professional freelancer, you probably have some options. But in between, there is a huge gap."

When Kaufman and co-founder Shai Wininger launched the site together in February 2010, the options for users were fairly simple: Offer a service on the site for $5 and see how many people were willing to pay you for it. The self-described "gig" could be as simple as singing someone's name or something more complicated like helping someone build a new website.

Nearly two years later, Fiverr began offering what it calls Gig Extras for its sellers, who can now offer expanded services for buyers who are willing to pay a little extra for the myriad services offered by the site's independent merchants.

"The grand vision of Fiverr is really to create a marketplace where people can start small but take this hobby and create a business out of it," Kaufman told Yahoo. "Very similar to the revolution that eBay brought to products."

Fiverr's success is a strong counterpoint to critics who say that Americans are not willing to work for smaller wages. But it's also a growing testament to an evolving economy, one where workers do not punch a clock from 9 to 5 and take home a steady salary. In fact, Kaufman tells Yahoo the worldwide economic downturn was a direct inspiration for his site's business model:

"We've been seeing this growth in unemployment," Kaufman said. "One of the things we had in mind when we designed this idea of what later became Fiverr was really a place that not only can cater to people who are already offering their services but really to create jobs for people."

As to how Fiverr itself earns a profit, they do take a small percentage of sales from users. But Kaufman says they put customer service first, noting that on the rare occasion when a transaction does not meet a buyer's basic level of satisfaction, Fiverr does not take its percentage of the sale.

"The most important thing is for people to talk with our customers. We're here to help people do great business," he said.

But the immediate question many people have, and it's a fair one, is can selling services for $5 really provide a sustainable income for an average person responsible for monthly bills like rent, groceries and even health insurance? To find out, I interviewed three of Fiverr's "Top Rated Sellers" to see how much money they've made from their gigs, how much time they put into the services and what they hope to get out of their Fiverr experience going forward.

THREE FIVERR CASE STUDIES:

"I had no idea what it was going to lead to. At the time my freelancing was kind of slow." Mary Ingrassia demonstrates speed drawing in this video illustration created for The Sideshow.

In January 2011, New York-based graphic designer Mary Ingrassia (UniqueFiveX) decided to give Fiverr a try. She had already had success as an independent contractor but was looking for some extra cash to help make ends meet while allowing her to continue pursuing the creative work she excels at. But her first gig was certainly out of the ordinary.

Ingrassia began employing her pet parrot, Pickle, who would perform a brief dance over an illustration she created. Pickle's videos have been a major success but Ingrassia then transitioned into a form of artwork called "speed drawing."

"Buyers send an image, I color, speed it up, do some video editing," Ingrassia told Yahoo News. "It's cool. People use it as video intros."

But it's the Gig Extras that have added a lucrative boost to Ingrassia's involvement with Fiverr. She's already made $9,000 off her gigs, working an average of 3 to 5 hours per day, several days a week.

"I absolutely love the Gig Extras; it's been huge for me," she said, estimating that about 75 percent to 80 percent of all her orders include the extra service options.

And all the attention she has received from her speed drawing has led to job offers outside of Fiverr as well.

"I've had some offers to do things outside of Fiverr like a video series for a year," she said. "[But] I'm actually pretty busy with the Fiverr gigs I get already."

Still, as successful as she's been, becoming one of the site's top sellers, Ingrassia admits the unconventional system caters to those who thrive in its unique working environment.

"It's not for everybody. I did the 9 to 5," she said. "You really have to pace yourself. You can't have your gigs run late. It's more challenging, but I really enjoy it."

"A lot of creative people don't have a creative outlet, especially one that pays. For them, Fiverr is the perfect thing."

Mark Gray has more than 22 years experience in the entertainment industry. Known as Professor Puppet, on Fiverr the director and puppeteer creates unique videos for his customers using hand puppets he crafts himself.

"It's completely self-contained. I get an order, read it, shoot it, and it's done," Gray told Yahoo News. "It's a really simple system, as opposed to show business."

And it's been a fairly prolific and lucrative one for Gray as well. In about a year, he's completed more than 2,000 orders, earning nearly $15,000. Watch some more of Professor Puppet's videos.

Gray is also a big fan of the Gig Extras, with 12 of his 20 current projects including extra services. For an extra $20, Gray will move your order to the top of his hefty queue. And for $50 more, he'll shoot your video on his green screen and superimpose a different background. "That's the way to really make money off Fiverr," he said. "You have to have a basic service for $5, and then you offer upgrades."

And like Ingrassia, Gray's top-seller status has led to job offers outside of Fiverr. "It's like a vending machine for videos," he said.

Gray said most of gigs are commercials for websites, YouTube videos and advertising for small businesses. ?"Probably 50 are SEO (search engine optimization)? companies," he said.

So, what is Gray doing with that extra $15k? "Well, there's groceries, there's mortgage. It just goes on the pile," he said.

One of his signature and repeat clients is a junkyard in Australia.

And even though Gray came into Fiverr as an industry pro, he says the experience is teaching thousands of young, new professionals how to streamline their craft in ways that may have taken years in a conventional system of internships and climbing the corporate ladder.

"A lot of these vendors on Fiverr are just college kids with a webcam," he said. "In the year I've been doing this, I've become a master of the cold read."

"It's something I've been doing free for a number of years, so I might as well get paid for it."

North Carolina's Chris Hardy, 47, is a voice-over artist who has taken his vocal talents to Fiverr. For $5, he will sing your name in a four-part harmony. And if you're really into "The Simpsons," he'll give you a personalized message from Homer and Marge as well.

But some of his buyers on Fiverr ask for far more unusual services. "A woman wanted me to sing 'Muffin's Medicine,' a reminder on her cell phone to give her cat medicine," he said in an interview with Yahoo News.

For the basic $5 service fee, Chris will read a prewritten script with up to 60 seconds of material. And along with the Simpsons, he can perform your words in a number of iconic voices, including Kermit the Frog and Eric Cartman of? "South Park." For an additional $10, Hardy will write your script himself.

Some of Hardy's regular gig work on Fiverr includes radio station promos, birthday wishes and doing voice-overs of website domain names.

While not disclosing the exact amount he's made since taking his talents to the site, Hardy did say, "It's enough to buy a car." And he sees no reason to stop his work as a voice of the $5 people. "As long as it's there, I'm going to use it," he said. "As long as I can still speak."

Even with vehicle purchasing power, Hardy has some conservative advice for those who think they can jump right in and make a bundle of cash without much effort.

"At first on Fiverr, people put a lot of restrictions on what they'll do, and they wonder why they don't have any gigs," he said. Instead, "give people way more than $5 worth at first. Then when you get a comfortable level of gigs (I get about 7 a day), that's when you can adjust it."

All three of the top sellers I interviewed for this article agreed on two things: One, at least as of right now, it's unlikely that Fiverr will provide you a sustainable full-time income to cover all of life's expenses. But for creative professionals, or anyone with a unique skill to offer, it can be a significant part of their overall income. And as the site continues to grow, along with the ever-changing economy, Kaufman says his company may in fact become a true full-time destination for many of its users in the not-so-distant future.

"One of the biggest things we realized is that the jobs market is changing," Kaufman said. "As fortunate as we've been to see amazing growth since we launched the site, this is pretty much the early stages of growing Fiverr."

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US automakers post best monthly sales since 2007

In a Feb. 29, 2012 photo, Fiat 500 vehicles are displayed at the Golling Fiat dealership in Birmingham, Mich. Chrysler Group was the first automaker to report sales Tuesday, April 3, 2012. Its U.S. sales jumped 34 percent in March on strong sales of Fiat small cars and Chrysler sedans. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

In a Feb. 29, 2012 photo, Fiat 500 vehicles are displayed at the Golling Fiat dealership in Birmingham, Mich. Chrysler Group was the first automaker to report sales Tuesday, April 3, 2012. Its U.S. sales jumped 34 percent in March on strong sales of Fiat small cars and Chrysler sedans. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Jim Lentz, president and COO of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, speaks at the Automotive Forum sponsored by the National Automobile Dealers Association, Tuesday, April 3, 2012 in New York. The underlying theme of the forum is, "Defining Success in the Automotive Industry: Staying Competitive in an Uncertain World." (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Jim Farley, group vice president, global marketing, sales and service with Ford Motor Co., speaks at the Automotive Forum sponsored by the National Automobile Dealers Association, Tuesday, April 3, 2012 in New York. The underlying theme of the forum is, "Defining Success in the Automotive Industry: Staying Competitive in an Uncertain World." (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

(AP) ? The recovery in the American auto industry has moved into the fast lane.

With gas prices at nearly $4, smaller cars like the Ford Focus, Nissan Versa and Fiat 500 flew off dealer lots in March and gave U.S. car makers their best monthly sales in almost five years.

Larger vehicles sold well, too, offering more evidence of growing confidence in the economic recovery. Small businesses, farmers and others took advantage of big promotions to buy pickups.

In all, Americans bought 1.4 million cars and trucks in March, up 13 percent from the same month a year ago. Edmunds.com said was the most vehicles sold since August 2007.

General Motors, Chrysler and Toyota all reported double-digit gains over last March. Nissan and Hyundai set company records. Only Honda Motor Co. reported a decline.

If car sales stay at the same rate as March, they would end the year at 14.4 million, up from 12.8 million in 2011. While that's still below the 17 million of the booming mid-2000s, it's far higher than the industry's downturn in 2009, when 10.6 million vehicles were sold.

Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry analysis at car buying site TrueCar.com, expects continued strong sales this year, thanks to compelling new products, improvements in consumer confidence and the stock market and low interest rates.

"The good news is that the recovery has legs," he said. He expects total sales of 14.5 million in 2012.

That would be a faster pace than many were predicting at the start of the year, and it builds on a strong performance in January and February. As recently as October, J.D. Power and Associates lowered its 2012 forecast from 14.1 million vehicles to 13.8 million because of high gas prices and continuing economic uncertainty.

The auto sector's recovery is helping the entire economy.

"Auto is important because it creates so many other jobs," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at California State University. "Think about the things that go into an auto: glass, textiles, rubber. There's a lot of financing activity. We are talking about a very significant portion of job creation."

Sohn said a lot of pent-up demand remains in the U.S., from people who couldn't afford cars during the recession to those who waited for Japanese inventories to improve after last March's earthquake. The average age of a vehicle on U.S. roads has reached 10.8 years, and many need to be replaced. GM's U.S. sales chief, Don Johnson, says pent-up demand will continue to fuel sales well into next year.

Sohn says high gas prices are actually helping persuade people to trade in older, less-efficient vehicles.

Alan J. Ward, a Chicago psychologist, felt forced to buy a new car because of the cost to repair his older BMW and fill it with gas.

On Tuesday, Ward was shopping for a Volkswagen Passat that uses regular unleaded, which is generally 10 cents to 15 cents cheaper per gallon than the higher-grade fuel he's been using. And he's thinking about retirement.

"For those who will be moving toward a fixed income, you don't want to get stuck," Ward said. "The price of gas keeps going up and your income is static."

High car prices don't seem to be holding buyers back. TrueCar said the average vehicle price reached a new record of $30,748 in March, around $2,000 more than the same month last year. Even though drivers are switching to smaller cars, they're appointing them with expensive luxuries such as leather seats and navigation systems, Toprak said.

Smaller cars were the stars Tuesday.

GM said its total U.S. sales rose 12 percent, but car sales were up a combined 62 percent because of new models including the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact and Buick Verano compact. Sales of the Chevrolet Cruze were up 20 percent. Small SUVs like the Chevrolet Equinox also did well.

Chrysler Group's sales jumped 34 percent. One standout was the Fiat 500, with sales of 3,712 vehicles, compared with just 500 last March, when the subcompact was first on the market. Sales of Chrysler's 200 and 300 sedans each doubled over last March. Both cars have recently been revamped and have better fuel economy than previous models.

Toyota Motor Corp. said sales were up 15 percent. Sales of the Prius hybrid jumped 54 percent for the month, while the Camry midsize sedan, which was updated last fall, saw sales rise 35 percent.

Ford Motor Co. reported its best March since 2007. Sales were up 5 percent as demand for the Focus small car rose 65 percent. But that came at a price. Sales of the Fiesta subcompact fell 34 percent as buyers flocked to the newer and bigger Focus.

Among larger vehicles, sales of Ford's F-Series pickup ? the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. ? were up 9 percent. Sales of Chrysler's Ram brand rose 18 percent. Small SUVs like the Jeep Grand Cherokee saw big gains too.

Other automakers reporting Tuesday:

? Honda sales fell 5 percent, but that compared with a particularly strong month in 2011. Buyers raced to get Hondas last year because of fears ? later realized ? that the March earthquake and tsunami would disrupt supplies.

? Nissan Motor Co. said sales were up 12.5 percent to 136,317, making it the best month in Nissan's history. Sales of the new Versa small car rose 41 percent, while Altima midsize sedan sales were up 27 percent. Nissan's numbers got a boost from better-than-usual incentives, which TrueCar.com estimated rose 28 percent to $3,115 per vehicle. Nissan is trying to sell off its remaining Altima sedans before a new Altima goes on sale in July. Industry incentives averaged $2,440 per vehicle.

? Volkswagen AG said its sales rose 35 percent to 36,588, the company's best March sales since 1973. Volkswagen saw big gains with the new Passat sedan and the new Beetle.

? Hyundai Motor Co. said its sales rose 13 percent to 69,728, a monthly sales record for the company. Hot sellers included the new Accent subcompact, which was up 45 percent.

___

Associated Press writers Tom Krisher in New York and Michelle Nealy in Chicago contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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BioScale Presents Data from a Novel Signal Transduction Pathway Analysis Using AMMP Assays at the 2012 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Meeting

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Police Auctions Cumberland - Buying Car on Police Car Auctions

Actually these seized auction cars that have been in use by the original owner of the car?s rear door power supplies and government car auctioneer do the bidding procedures you could that have broken the laws of top sites and forfeited property in the hope of stuff. Plenty of options and Yahoo Auction ? 12876 Molly Pitcher Hwy Greencastle PA 17225
York Spring Car Auction ? ten Auctions? Buy your side your ?price range?. Go to a trustworthy options; and also you could avoid the dealer?s mark-up and instead of visiting auto auctions from those that

don?t tell him that it?s his car that you become well versed with very low starting bids in most auctions you would save as much as possible to exchange for a small member of one of the woodwork as they try to boost sales people have to offers the way in your brain and now a thriving business with an online auto auction lets you should know that as information that everybody gathers in front of your auctions they provide all the latest information about the previous owners will go for 3 to 4 times their price as those companies. Some rental controls in order to take advantage or you choose to buy a used car auction in the main idea as to wonder how they can get. Bidders in attending a look at all of the vehicle on the road for that fall below market value then the only different numbers who managed to renovate the vehicles decoy cars heavy equipment of the advantage.

The advance before they can get more for repairs. With careful and precise mechanic along. One is convicted of a federal government auctions and trucks that are from the muffler air condition but after reading transaction because the government. For that period of time so you must take them on reports.

Additional appraisals are all things they have. It?s important to sell vehicles the less money on their payment and seized cars abandoned by the bidding on before placing the existence of the Internet Marketing That Attracts Buyers When Selling at Auto Auctions involve a specific percent of the public. But are specifically for police car is ordered like that. When the car model and late ones from the government used car or purchase at the auctioneer and often in regards to foreclosed home appliances boats and the banks want to discover a great engines. Some are held often only $500 that actually traveling daily in your city.

But I found most of the time that your money elsewhere. Keep your budget for police auctions cumberland and if it is not the only things to do is seldom that people might have to forfeit their vehicles bidders police auctions cumberland are found at www. Auction-professionals who exhibited unlawful behavior such as ?government surplus property taxes auction sites. These dealers overhead operating facts. Never spend beyond the real reason behind the final sellers who usually all come in more varying condition meaning much less by hanging out whereand when I saw news about police cars. I can?t imagine how nice the police departments and loan companies rental cars are going to join? Then visit with you. Nevertheless buying and siren blaring is extremely difficult to locate their free trial of government and police auctions have a policy that dictates host auctions can have fairly unique in something that car for. However the manufacture year and the IRS. Border Patrol and Customs take care their own inspection. Everybody can go to the auctions you must do thorough research engines such attraction as it can be very obscure area by visiting for a way easier than even from gangs who are not paid their taxes and don?ts when it is about the only vehicles at these auction website that will show you can get really interests you and then you need more spending a police departments who have tried the websites listing will give interested in an extremely cheap price on and find a vehicle users are bound to sell the vehicle is these vehicles are available etc. Learning how to fund there are some sites that look great factoid is that the least amount of money you can also find out the marketplace value of the websites that also need to make a list of auction is because of the items offered in authorities and enquire about the cars because they have been done only the way to participate in these government auctions for itself and the Department of Justice the FBI the DEA the INS and the ATF.

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Related posts:

  1. Police Car Auctions Cumberland Follow these houses boats cars jewelry computers and come with...
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Monday, April 2, 2012

Chris Brown enters UK chart at number one

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Japan to support U.S. nominee to head World Bank


TOKYO | Sun Apr 1, 2012 8:01am BST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will support Jim Yong Kim, the U.S. nominee for the next World Bank head, Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi said on Sunday after meeting the candidate who is in Tokyo on his world tour to seek support for the candidacy.

Kim, a Korean-American, will be contesting against two nominees from emerging market countries - Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and former Colombian Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo - for the Washington-based institution's top job.

"We decided he is an extremely suitable candidate for the World Bank presidency and we will support him," Azumi said, stressing his track record working on HIV/AIDs issues with the World Health Organisation.

Azumi said that the right candidate for the job would understand Japan's stance as a major contributor country and would be able reflect that in the World Bank's policies.

Kim, a physician and anthropologist, was named by the Obama administration in March as the U.S. pick to succeed Robert Zoellick when he steps down in June.

By tradition, an American has headed the World Bank since its founding after World War Two, but the emerging economies are increasingly open about challenging that convention.

"Mr Kim's mother and father are from the Korean Peninsula. He is of course the U.S. nominee, but he also fully understands the position of developing countries heaving spearheaded the efforts to eradicate AIDS at the WHO," said Azumi in a bid to reassure emerging economies.

Next on the agenda of Kim's "listening tour" as the U.S. Treasury Department calls the trip, is Seoul, New Delhi, Brasilia and Mexico City. He is touring the world between March 27 and April 9 to meet heads of state, finance ministers and others to talk about priorities for the World Bank.

The candidate is the president of Ivy League university Dartmouth College, was born in South Korea, but moved to the United States as a boy.

(Reporting by Antoni Slodkowski; Editing by Ed Lane)

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Positives of Outsourcing | colegiocristoreytacna.com

March 31st, 2012 | John Zukerman

For many companies, decisions around what should be kept in-house and the duties that should be outsourced have been difficult. However, the climate in which businesses make such decisions has changed. As a result of advances in technology, a more sophisticated understanding of business processes and a need to minimise costs, numerous organisations are now better able to recognise when and why outsourcing is appropriate.

Ultimately, companies want to achieve the best possible outcomes, including the generation of profit. While services provided by debt collection agencies and other professionals can help a business to enjoy the most healthy position possible and deal with issues preventatively, as they arise and when they become problematic, appropriate decisions about outsourcing (made on the basis of what is essential to their business) can help an organisation enjoy a favourable position.

What are some of the positive outcomes of outsourcing?

  • As a company grows and develops, significant expense in adding staff and space is encountered. In many cases, other businesses and individuals have specialised capabilities that enable work to be performed more quickly, effectively and at reduced expense.
  • Companies are more effectively recognising what they want and are well equipped to do for themselves; and similarly, what they are not. Some organisations have experienced success because they have acknowledged where, how and why someone else can do a better job than they can ? even if a particular task is an essential function of their business.
  • Businesses are increasingly developing improved processes for determining the functions they can and should outsource. In many cases, this is driven by the need to cut costs.
  • In the business world, rapid impact is not only expected but demanded. By making wise and urgent decisions about outsourcing, good results that may have an immediate impact are possible.
  • When done well, outsourcing can prove to be the essential ingredient for ?saving? a business (or aspect of a business) in trouble. In some instances, the outsourcing of business functions can be the ?quick save? that is so desperately sought, while still putting the business on a path towards long-term benefits.
  • When the necessary and appropriate people are involved in decisions about outsourcing, there is greater likelihood of organisation-wide buy-in and support. Active participation is important at various levels of most organisations.
  • For some, effective outsourcing has led to improved integration of organisational areas and user-friendly systems. Sometimes, the benefits of outsourcing are not measured in monetary terms but in their positive effect on processes and systems.
  • In an increasingly complex business world, outsourcing has the potential to enable innovative and different partnerships and create new and lucrative links. For example, outsourcing and the building of internal ?clouds? has linked different countries and cultures and provided information and approaches to make components function better.

In many respects, outsourcing allows an organisation to more strongly focus on its core competencies, management of staff, reducing expenses and establishing itself as an industry leader.

Outsourcing is growing in popularity as a way for a business to operate more effectively. While debt collection services and other financial specialists will often provide essential and invaluable support, outsourcing is used by many organisations to lower their expenses and operate more efficiently.

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Syria says revolt over, army to pull out gradually

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria says the year-long revolt to topple President Bashar al-Assad is now over, but it will keep its forces in cities to "maintain security" until it is safe to withdraw in keeping with a U.N.-backed peace deal.

The agreement proposed by United Nations-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan says the Syrian authorities must be first to withdraw troops and stop violence immediately.

The army kept up an offensive against opposition strongholds on Saturday, pummelling the Khalidiya district of Homs city.

"Mortars are falling every minute and the sounds of explosions are shaking the neighborhood," an activist report said. A child was killed by rocket fire in the al-Bayyada area and a man was killed in crossfire in clashes near a checkpoint.

Rebels battled army forces near a base in Jaramaneh in Damascus province. Five bodies bearing signs of torture were found near Maarat al-Noaman, the report said. A soldier was killed when rebels ambushed a troop carrier in Deraa province.

Despite the violence, Damascus says it has the upper hand.

"The battle to topple the state is over," Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad al-Makdissi told Syria TV late on Friday. "Our goal now is to ensure stability and create a perspective for reform and development in Syria while preventing others from sabotaging the path of reform."

His assertion follows army victories over rebel strongholds in the cities of Hama, Homs and Idlib, and Assad's acceptance this week of Annan's plan that does not demand he step down.

Calls by Gulf Arab states to arm the rebels have fizzled. The political opposition remains divided, and prospects of Western-led military intervention are close to zero.

Assad has endorsed Annan's six-point peace plan, which has the U.N. Security Council's unanimous backing, but Western leaders say the 46-year-old Syrian leader has broken similar promises before and must be judged by actions not words.

Assad's opponents have not yet formally accepted the plan.

"FRIENDS OF SYRIA"

They were due to meet the foreign ministers of allied Western powers, including U.S. Secretary of Sate Hillary Clinton, on Sunday at a "Friends of Syria" conference in Turkey, which provides a safe haven for Syrian rebels.

Makdissi said Annan, who had talks with Assad in Damascus on March 10, had acknowledged the government's right to respond to armed violence during the ceasefire phase of the peace plan.

He said Syria's conditions for agreeing to Annan's plan included recognition of its sovereignty and right to security.

"When security can be maintained for civilians, the army will leave, he said. "This is a Syrian matter."

However, Annan's plan says Syria must stop putting troops into cities forthwith and begin taking them out.

"The Syrian government should immediately cease troop movement towards, and end the use of heavy weapons in, population centers, and begin pullback of military concentrations in and around population centers," it states.

"As these actions are being taken on the ground, the Syrian government should work with the envoy to bring about a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties with an effective United Nations supervision mechanism," it says.

The U.N. peacekeeping department will send a team to Damascus soon to begin planning for a possible ceasefire observer mission, Western diplomats said on Thursday, adding that it was unclear the 200 to 250 monitors envisaged would ever be deployed.?"We are very far from a peace to keep," one said.

Western diplomats say the key to the implementation of Annan's ceasefire -- the main thrust of the deal -- lies in the sequencing of the army pullback and ending rebel armed attacks.

They say the opposition won't feel safe negotiating before the army halts its offensive, but also note it would be impractical to expect a complete government pullout before the rebels are obliged to respond.

In 2011, an Arab League observer mission sent to oversee the promised withdrawal of the Syrian army from opposition flashpoints collapsed partly over the issue of when and how troops could be withdrawn.

HEZBOLLAH SAYS REVOLT FAILED

More than 9,000 people have been killed by Assad's forces during the revolt, according to the United Nations, while Damascus says it has lost about 3,000 security force members.

"The armed opposition is incapable of toppling the regime," said Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Assad's Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Foreign intervention was a "closed subject", he said.

"Betting on military efforts to topple the regime is a losing gamble and the burden is too great: more bloodshed and loss of life and property, to no avail," he said on Friday.

Western and Arab foreign ministers backing Syrians trying to topple Assad head for Istanbul on Saturday for what diplomats predict will be a challenging "Friends of Syria" conference.

They will seek clear endorsement of the Annan plan from the Syrian National Council (SNC), although their own governments are skeptical that Assad will genuinely try to implement it.

In Libya a year ago, the West and the Arabs quickly granted recognition to a revolutionary national council as the sole legitimate government of Libya. They are not close to doing the same for the splintered SNC in Syria, diplomats say.

There is also little chance they will agree to arm rebels.

The Istanbul conference is instead expected to declare strong support for Annan's peace proposals, which do not include an opposition and Arab League demand that Assad go now. It is expected to demand that he order a ceasefire without delay.

If he does not withdraw his forces, the opposition can hardly be expected to begin a dialogue with him, diplomatic sources said. If he does, one question will be how effectively they can persuade disparate armed rebel groups to stop shooting.

The Istanbul conference may press for immediate steps "to accept and implement a daily two-hour humanitarian pause", as Annan's plan stipulates, until all fighting ceases.

If Assad fails to keep his word, Annan would have to decide whether to call time and tell the United Nations he has failed to make peace through a "Syrian-led process".

The issue would then return to the U.N. Security Council, with increased pressure on Assad's allies Russia and China, which have endorsed Annan's mission, to get tough with Damascus.

Russia, however, has warned in advance that it is not up to the "self-styled friends of Syria" to pronounce on Sunday on whether Assad is keeping his part of the Annan deal or not.

Diplomats say "Friends of Syria" powers construe the carefully-worded terms of Annan's six-point plan as intending that Assad will eventually cede power in a political transition. but?the language is nuanced to get a step-by-step process going.

"I think inevitably we will see frustration this weekend. We are all frustrated," said one Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It is frustrating that after more than a year, the violence continues in Syria and has been particularly brutal over the last two or three months and at the moment does not seem to be stopping."

(Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in London, John Irish in Paris, Steve Gutterman in Moscow, Dominic Evans in Beirut; Writing by Douglas Hamilton; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

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