Saturday, March 31, 2012

Direct Marketing Association ? Direct Mail Marketing Tips For Your ...

Building a deep list of potential clients for your business can be accomplished through a smartly run direct mail campaign. The direct mail method of marketing your product or service is essential for getting the word out to the community you hope to serve. If you are not seeing an immediate impact, you may need to refine the design or the wording on your mailing materials. Also refine your mailing list as needed to include the potential customers who would most benefit from your product or service.

Direct mail is a great marketing technique for reaching all the potential clients in a large community or region.

Improve Your Approach to Direct Mail Marketing

We call this motivating offer ?A Magnet?.

Increase Lunch Business

Mail to local businesses and offer a lunch special. Use a business saturation mailing list. It is addressed to ?Current Business Owner or Manager?. If there is not a senior citizen community nearby that you can reach with a saturation mailing list, consider purchasing a targeted mailing list of senior citizens. Build Your Delivery Business

Use mail carrier route maps to define your delivery area. Direct mail is the best way to keep in front of potential delivery customers. Once again a smaller list, mailed very frequently will yield the best results. Once you have fine tuned this type of mailing, it will not cost you money, it will make you money every time you mail. Use a Discount Coupon On Your Postcard To Test New Menu Items

Mail a coupon with a discounted price, for a limited time, to jump start the introduction.

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Analysis: Moody's bank review may mark new era of lower ratings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The largest U.S. banks including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup are facing what could be a historic shift to lower credit ratings which could increase their cost of funding and reduce competitiveness in their capital markets businesses.

Moody's Investors Service is reviewing 15 of the world's largest banks for possible credit ratings downgrades in mid-May, and broad cuts could send banks on average to their lowest historical levels.

In the U.S. Morgan Stanley could see the largest cut after being warned of a possible three-level downgrade to the Baa category, a rating that has traditionally been associated with more speculative risk than some investors and trading partners have been comfortable with.

Bank of America and Citigroup, which are currently lower rated than Morgan Stanley, are also under review for downgrades to the same Baa2 level, and all three-banks are under review to lose their top tier short-term debt rating which would effectively cut their access to some short-dated funding markets.

Moody's action is unlikely to spark funding stress at the banks. Many banks have been dramatically scaling back their reliance on short-term and ratings-sensitive funding since 2008, when fears over exposure to risky mortgage-backed debt caused short-term debt investors to pull back from lending to the firms.

The banks have also increased deposits and capital cushions, making them less vulnerable to the type of client runs that felled banks including Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers.

Nevertheless, new downgrades may disrupt some short-dated debt markets and have knock-on effects for municipal issuers, who sell debt that is backed by the strong bank ratings.

Downgrades may also hurt the lowest-rated banks relative to competitors including JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs which are expected to maintain ratings in the more solid single-A category.

"You're definitely seeing a segmentation between the potentially lower rated institutions and the higher rated ones," said John Guarnera, a U.S. bank credit analyst at Societe Generale in New York. "The biggest issue is the factors that Moody's is focused on are more structural in nature and so it's pretty hard for any institution to do much to offset that."

A Baa rating is less than ideal for brokers over the longer-term as many investors and trading partners remain highly sensitive to the credit risk of bank counterparties and often invest less and trade less with Baa-rated firms than those in the single-A category.

That means they may push more business to higher rated banks, rather than disclose to their own investors a higher exposure to riskier counterparties.

A counterbalancing effect may be that investors will be reluctant to reduce their pool of counterparties in what may end up a very limited number of A-rated institutions remaining.

Downgrades could also increase the collateral needed to post against trades in the U.S. $300 trillion privately-traded derivatives markets and may increase the cost of funding their capital markets activities.

Moody's said the review reflects remaining vulnerabilities in the business model of dealers, even as firms restructure their business to reduce risk.

"When you look at some of the industry characteristics, the competition, the overcapacity, the lack of recurring revenues, it gets very hard to argue that there aren't some speculative characteristics that are more consistent with ratings in the Baa range," said Peter Nerby, senior vice president in the financials group at Moody's in New York.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

There are already some signs that Moody's review is impacting the investment decisions of ratings-sensitive investors.

A JPMorgan analysis of U.S. prime money fund flows in February, when Moody's announced its review, showed some shift away from unsecured commercial paper and certificates of deposits of banks that face possible downgrades, and into banks that had their short-term ratings affirmed.

There was also a decline in lending to U.S. banks through the repurchase agreement market, where banks usually borrow to fund asset purchases. U.K. banks that are unaffected by the review, by contrast, saw an increase in loans.

A lower rating could mean a lender in the repo market requires more collateral to back the loan, or is more averse to taking riskier collateral. That could make the loan more costly, or make it harder to finance purchases of less liquid securities.

"I don't think it's a funding problem in aggregate. It decreases funding flexibility, it may take away or limit certain avenues of borrowing," said Alex Roever, a money market analyst at JPMorgan.

For the worst rated firms, it also leaves them more vulnerable to any further unexpected shocks.

"In some cases the rating agency may walk a bank up to the edge of what many investors view as investible," Roever said. "Then if something were to happen, another down leg in the economy or another crisis, then the bank has little room for error."

RATINGS RELIANCE

Banks, investors and users of derivatives and other ratings sensitive products have been reducing their use of ratings to govern investment decisions since the crisis, when the major rating agencies were criticized for having awarded top ratings to risky mortgage-backed debt that later turned out to be worthless.

The ratings of Moody's and its largest competitors including Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings nonetheless continue to be used to restrict investments including those in the $2.6 trillion money market industry and remain embedded in some derivatives contracts, where downgrades can trigger higher collateral postings.

Morgan Stanley said in a securities filing that it would need to post an additional $6.52 billion in derivatives collateral if Moody's cuts the firm a full three notches.

Morgan Stanley spokesman Mark Lake noted that the ratings trigger affects only 8.0 percent of its over-the-counter contracts and said the bank has been meeting with clients and counterparties and is prepared for any downgrades.

Bank of America has disclosed that a one notch rating downgrade may require additional collateral of $5.4 billion, though this may require cuts from more than one rating agency. The bank has already posted $2.9 billion of the potential new requirements.

Bank of America has disclosed that after ratings cuts last year it entered into talks with clients that involved transferring some derivatives to its bank subsidiary from its lower-rated holding company. A bank spokesman declined comment.

Citigroup said last year that a two-notch downgrade would require around $5.4 billion in additional collateral.

"Our clients tend to be more sophisticated in their analysis than to rely solely on ratings from a single agency. While some clients might note any changes in ratings from Moody's, we don't believe the impact would be material," said spokesman Jon Diat.

A cut of Bank of America's short-term rating could also cause ripples in the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market, where the bank is a large provider of liquidity and letters of credit used to back debt sold by states, cities, hospitals and others.

A downgrade of the bank's short-term rating would mean that these issuers in turn may be cut, or they would need to find an alternative bank to provide the credit backstop.

Money market funds that are rated by Moody's are unable to hold short-term debt that does not hold the highest rating from the agency. JPMorgan estimates that these funds hold around $76 billion in debt from banks facing possible downgrades, though this represents less than 1 percent of their total liabilities. Deborah Cunningham, chief investment officer of money markets at Federated Investors, which oversees $352 billion in assets, said downgrades would require the fund manager to stop investing in the short-term debt of downgraded banks in its Moody's rated funds.

However, "if that were the case, we would be holding them on very short maturity basis anyway," she noted. Any downgrades would also be unlikely to affect Federated's investments in funds that are not rated by Moody's, where the Federated bases decisions on its own credit analysis, she said.

Broad bank downgrades may also accelerate efforts banks have already been making to reduce the size of their businesses, a move that could broadly reduce investments across markets.

"There has been a reduction in the ability of dealer balance sheet to hold securities positions," said Tony Crescenzi, a portfolio manager at PIMCO in Newport Beach, California. "It will speed up if anything the trend that really began in 2007."

(Additional reporting Richard Leong and Lisa Lambert)

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Are You Ready To Get A Business Cellular Telephone Packages ...

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A good mobile packages review is usually the starting point in lessening corporate mobile communication costs, which all have become a big line item on a large number of company spending budgets. Looking at packages regularly leads to a typical primary cost savings that is at least 20 %. Regardless of what size the corporation is, it is a significant total amount. The price savings usually do not stop right there as the plan comparison is only the preliminary step of the expense management plan meant for cellular devices.

Wireless providers advertise enterprise options as being the top deals intended for companies. Although they can be, they aren?t always. Picking out a prepackaged option designed to match all business customers oftentimes leads to spending too much money. The thing that makes this a whole lot worse is that even though business pays excessively, not all individuals have the features they want. The one person benefitting from this situation will be the carrier, who is given money for under used products.

The provider would not point it out, therefore the enterprise customer must identify the issue then do something to deal with it. A technology firm that focuses on mobile communication managing can help by doing an examination of one?s cellular phone and data packages. The results is going to pinpoint which wireless carrier or package changes are required. The auditing firm will work right with all the carrier?s networks for the greatest offer for the corporate client. Companies should acquire the solutions they require at the lowest prices. Through commissioning this audit on a consistent basis, an organization optimizes their communication costs.

A package comparison can do more than merely establish the best cellular phone plans. Furthermore, it will bring billing issues to light promptly. Companies frequently believe carriers don?t make some mistakes and as a consequence, Information technology as well as book keeping employees will not review carrier statements. The fact is that invoicing mistakes tend to be commonplace. If uncovered and taken to the attention of the company as quickly as possible, they could be corrected on time to receive a adjustment on the statement.

Service providers oftentimes try to make enterprise clients come to feel beholden towards them relating to the services getting supplied. Businesses should really keep in mind that they are the clientele in this relationship. Service providers should really be making an effort to acquire their business, not the other way round. A normal option assessment will keep service providers on their toes so they really continually make their very best plans accessible to prevent losing corporate clients. Firms can feel at ease realizing that they have the most suitable package at the lowest expense.

Information technology employees frequently execute option review as well as comparing responsibilities independently. With only a single service provider and a few phones, this task is usually quick and simple. As more service providers are added in, the volume of handsets increases, and type of handsets enlarges to include a variety of mobile phones and pc tablets, the project becomes more time-consuming and complex.

An auditing agency eliminates the burden of package comparing from central IT staff. This doesn?t mean that IT individuals must remove their selves totally out of the course of action. They simply have got another team there to validate their review, come up with recommendations relating to package optimization and even cost benefits, and offer device supervision service if needed.

Without taking a cell phone plans comparison, your company could be wasting a lot of unnecessary funds. With budgets being so tight these days, it is vital to save every dime possible. To maximize your business cell phone management, visit Gill-Technologies.com for help. Visit out site today for more information and pricing.

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The Communications Network ? Communications Specialist-The ...

Location:
Menlo Park, Calif.

Organization:
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1967 to help solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, the environment, global development and population, performing arts, and philanthropy, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Foundation?s assets are approximately $7.2 billion. In 2011, the Foundation distributed grants and gifts totaling approximately $353 million.

About the Communications Department:
The Communications Department serves a wide variety of functions within the Foundation. The department works with senior staff and program staff to help shape the Foundation?s strategic direction. It provides communications services to staff by helping to analyze communications-based programs; analyzing and assessing potential grants and grantees and/or their communications plans; and helping staff communicate effectively by assisting with presentations, message development, publications, and Web content. The department also provides communications services to grantees to help them develop messages and strategies for communicating effectively with their constituents.
The department is responsible for a range of external communications functions, including creating content for and maintaining the Foundation website; handling media relations; and producing the annual report, brochures, and other printed materials.

The department is also responsible for producing the ?Board Book??the set of materials used by the Foundation?s Board of Directors in their quarterly meetings.

Position Description:
The Communications Specialist provides project-related support to Foundation staff, working in collaboration with the Director of Communications. The responsibilities in this position generally fall into two categories: (1) design and development of informational material using print as well as Web media and (2) other Foundation-wide responsibilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Project Management

  • Develop and provide Web content that clearly articulates the Foundation?s goals, strategies, and impact.
  • Manage website content, including gathering information that enhances the value of the site.
  • Develop and publish the Foundation?s electronic newsletter, including graphics and layout.
  • Recommend creative development, including content and design of electronic and print materials.
  • Act as liaison between outside consultants/vendors and program staff for communications training programs and similar activities for grantees and staff. Manage participant recruiting process, advise in candidate selection, and contribute to curricular decisions.
  • Maintain media lists for each of the Foundation?s programs.
  • Review program content and material for accuracy and quality. Take primary information, and write creatively about it.
  • Develop and maintain standards for Foundation?s written reports.
  • Provide descriptive copy for Foundation?s publications, internal communications, and promotional material.
  • Research specific projects for the Director of Communications.
  • Support the Communications Associate with the production of materials for the Board of Directors. Provide substantive feedback to programs on materials for the Board.

Foundation Support

  • Work with program staff to help them develop and implement communications strategies.
  • Research and develop or recommend communications strategies, and assist with their planning and implementation.
  • Ensure that the Foundation?s work supports its overall communications strategy, business objectives, and style guidelines.

External Liaison for Department

  • Manage relationships with consultants/vendors, including writers, editors, designers, developers, and printers.
  • Work with grantees on communications materials, logos, and use of the Foundation name.

Qualifications:

  • B.A. degree preferred, or five years of equivalent experience.
  • Excellent project management skills with a strong attention to detail.
  • Proven experience with Web design layout, Web authoring tools, HTML templates, and graphic design production.
  • Proficiency with Photoshop; familiarity with desktop publishing software and other design software strongly encouraged.
  • Strong organizational and analytical skills.
  • Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact with a wide variety of people, both internally and externally and at all levels of the organization.
  • Ability to deal with sensitive issues, escalating these to the Director of Communications or other appropriate staff in an expeditious, professional manner.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize without direct supervision.
  • Demonstrated ability to complete tasks in a timely manner.
  • Ability to creatively think about and approach problems and assigned projects.
  • Experience working in or with nonprofit organizations preferred.
  • Familiarity with visual communication theories.
  • A sense of humor.

How to Apply:
Please send our Human Resources Department a resume and cover letter explaining how your skills fit this position:

  • Email:?employment@hewlett.org?(Subject Line: [Your Name] ? Communications Specialist)
  • Fax:? 650.234.1985
  • Mail:
    Human Resources
    The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
    2121 Sand Hill Road
    Menlo Park, CA 94025

Source: http://www.comnetwork.org/communications-specialist-the-william-and-flora-hewlett-foundation/

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Rihanna Sneaks A Peek Of Drake's 'Take Care' Video

'I can't wait to see what all my fans think,' RiRi tells Capital FM of upcoming clip.
By Jocelyn Vena


Rihanna
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/ Getty Images

While fans are salivating for the chance to see what Rihanna and Drake will be up to in their highly anticipated "Take Care" video, the singer opened up a bit about the clip.

In an interview with Capital FM, the always-feisty Rihanna teased that she recently saw the finished video and it lived up to her expectations.

"I can't wait to see what all my fans think. I saw it a couple of days ago. I love it," she said. "It's beautiful. It's different from anything Drake has ever done."

Ri was spotted heading to one of Drake's shows earlier this week in London when he performed at the O2 arena. Post-show, the twosome were spotted at London hotspot Low. Perhaps she saw the video during their hangout session?

Rihanna and Drake previously appeared together in her video for "What's My Name?" In the clip, the real-life pals played a lovey-dovey couple, and fans have been waiting to see what these two had in store for the "Take Care" video since February, when word of the shoot went public.

Director Yoann Lemoine called the three-day shoot "very minimal" and "mellow," adding, "They seemed to be super close, and that's what I wanted for the video. They fit together pretty well, so it was just easy.

"There's a lot of space in the video, and I wanted the visuals to pay tribute to that," he continued. "It pays tribute to nature. When I listened to the track, I was seeing a landscape ... involving animals and massive landscapes. I won't say too much, but it's very surprising that there are very few elements in it. It's very simple but there's this big sense of emptiness in it. It's not narrative at all, and it involves animals."

What are you expecting from the "Take Care" video? Share your ideas in the comments!

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682139/rihanna-drake-take-care-music-video.jhtml

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Friday, March 30, 2012

Consulting News: PwC Named a Leader in Global Business ...

PwC has announced it has been named a leader in business consulting services in the worldwide, Americas, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) markets, according to the 2012 IDC MarketScape reports. The IDC MarketScape reports are based on a vendor analysis model designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of suppliers in a given market.

According to the reports, PwC is recognized as achieving the "Leader" classification in three regions including the worldwide, Americas and EMEA markets. PwC is also considered a "Major Player" in the Asia/Pacific market. According to IDC:

"Worldwide, PwC is seen as better than many of its peers at providing a full spectrum of business consulting services and at helping enterprises comply with new or existing regulations and manage risk. PwC is also seen as better than many of its peers at helping clients reduce costs."

"[In the Americas,] PwC is seen as among the most capable at integrating its project team with the client's and at providing a full spectrum of business consulting services. It is also seen as better than many of its peers at challenging corporate culture."

"In the Americas, PwC is seen as better than many of its peers at delivering innovation in the project and at delivering ROI for the project. It is also seen as better than many of its peers at helping clients expand into new markets or geographies and at helping clients identify and implement options for growth."

"[In EMEA,] PwC is seen as better than many of its peers at providing a full spectrum of business consulting services."

"In Asia/Pacific, PwC is seen as better than many of its peers at applying proven methodologies/tools and leveraging local resources."

"PwC's consistent ranking in IDC's series of MarketScape reports underscores our focus on delivering high quality and relevant advisory services to clients around the world, helping them from strategy through execution to achieve a competitive advantage in today's market," said Dana Mcilwain, PwC Vice Chairman and U.S. Advisory Leader. "Our "Leader" and "Major Player" rankings reflect our commitment to building deep relationships with our clients, working closely with them to find opportunities for innovation and growth, manage risk and address their most pressing business challenges."

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

About PwC's Advisory Practice

PwC's Advisory professionals help organizations improve business performance, respond quickly and effectively to crisis, and extract value from transactions. We understand our clients' industries and unique business challenges, and look across the entire organization -- focusing on strategy, structure, people, process and technology -- to help clients build their next competitive advantage. See http://www.pwc.com/us/consulting for more information.

About the PwC Network

PwC firms help organizations and individuals create the value they're looking for. We're a network of firms in 158 countries with close to 169,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com .? 2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership. All rights reserved. PwC refers to the US member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

Source: http://consultancynews.blogspot.com/2012/03/pwc-named-leader-in-global-business.html

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Hummer Limo Hire in Sydney For any More Convenient Travel ...

When you travel for business or pleasure, you must prepare for it carefully first otherwise it can bring a great deal of force on your trip. Before everything else, you have to prepare all the necessary aspects associated with your impending trip is a thing which you shouldn?t neglect if you wish to avoid any inconvenient situations on your stay there. Realising there are vital matters such as how you?ll be spending your trip at Sydney in addition to properly setting up all of the arrangements is just an aspect of the whole experience which must be dealt with in order to make your vacation or business trip successful. What you need to get is Hummer Limo Hire in Sydney.

You are able to plan where you want to use your trip, visit some tourist spots, decide what to do, or where you want to stay. What we should recommended on the other hand for you to make your stay even more convenient is to hire the services for a limousine for a more comfortable travel. Alternatively, we?re here to provide you with reliable and highly accessible guides that can help make the way you travel around your chosen decision a piece of cake. Hiring the right hummer limo hire in Sydney based on your needs is something that you just don?t take lightly. It would be really nice if you can go to all the tourist destination that you want to visit and of course being able to go to your business-related appointment without being late. This can be easily achieved by getting the best hummer limousine service company.

The help and convenience that a hummer limo hire in Sydney provides may also be made good use for any wide variety of functions and special attractions. Moving from one airport to a new will be made more convenient and faster by hiring hummer limo services, family-oriented events such as weddings, birthdays, baptismal celebrations, prom transportation in addition to various other social gatherings are addressed by hummer limousine companies. Should you don?t have your own service, this can really get tiresome and stressful.

Find a limousine company that?s reliable and trustworthy. You can examine out online websites which offer the type of services that you simply need to guarantee that they?ll offer you reliable and efficient transport vehicles and chauffeurs. You?ll be capable of getting a hold on how reliable their respective services are by finding out about public testimonials, feedback and critical reviews regarding the quality of the services that they offer.

Determining an ideal hummer limo hires also consist of analysing the chauffeurs that they have in their employ. Their respective personnel have to have adequate knowledge about the public places and memorable landmarks that you?re going to visit. The chauffer must take your security their highest priority, they should also know the shortest and safest route possible plus they should also know how to communicate effectively.

The author writes about Hummer Limo Hire in Sydney. Visit his website to find out more about this topic.

Source: http://oregonattractions.net/travel-leisure/hummer-limo-hire-in-sydney-for-any-more-convenient-travel/

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Aerosmith Nearly Done With Album Due This Summer

Singer Steven Tyler promises to bring 'a little bit of 1975 back.'
By Gil Kaufman


Aerosmith's Steven Tyler
Photo: Getty Images

As if guitarist Joe Perry's surprise "Happy Birthday" serenade to singer and judge Steven Tyler on "American Idol" last week weren't proof enough that all is good in Aerosmith land, on Wednesday, the veteran rockers confirmed they're releasing their long-awaited studio album this summer.

They didn't reveal the title of the album, their first featuring new material since 2001's Just Push Play, but singer Tyler told Reuters that after a few years of turmoil and tension things are (relatively) back to normal.

"The camaraderie's there, there's some songs that are new rock, and old rock and middle-of-the-road rock, and blues, piano," he said. "Joe Perry singing a couple of songs, I'm playing the drums, Joey sings, just all kinds of stuff." Tyler, 64, added that they have re-teamed with longtime producer Jack Douglas in order to bring "a little bit of 1975 back."

Rolling Stone reported that Tyler said the band is two songs from the finish line and some of the titles completed so far include "Legendary Child," "Beautiful" and "Out Go the Lights."

The release date was not announced, but the band — who arrived at the press conference via motorcycle, a white Lamborghini, taxi and rickshaw — promised to have the disc ready around the time of the kickoff of their recently announced North American "Global Warming" tour, which begins June 16 in Minneapolis. "You're going to get some new songs from the new album and some old songs from the old albums and you're going to get new us and old us, and we're just going to go out and rock your world," Tyler said.

The Boston-bred icons have been trying to get together to record their 15th studio album for several years, but their efforts were interrupted by a variety of ailments, stage accidents involving Tyler (as well as his rehab stint in 2009) and enmity that was stirred up by the singer's decision to sign on as a judge for "Idol."

But despite the grumbling from Perry when Tyler announced his decision to take a seat next to Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson in 2010, the motor-mouthed vocalist said the exposure has helped the group reach a whole new audience.

"The music that we write, fortunately it's been seductive to all genres of people," he said. "There's going to be kids who are going to get introduced to Aerosmith all over again, and there's a bunch of new music that we're taking a risk and putting out. It's kind of futuristic rock, all the way across the board, we're just good for that."

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1682049/aerosmith-new-album-summer.jhtml

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Google Might Be Getting into the Tablet Business Later This Year [Rumors]

Normally an unmitigated disaster on the scale of the Nexus One would normally give a company pause, but not Google. The search giant is jumping back into competition with Apple and Amazon with potential plans to hock Android tablets on its website. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/aMjbhYLOw_c/google-s-getting-into-the-tablet-business-later-this-year

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Jane Fonda Playing Nancy Reagan in Lee Daniels' The Butler

Jane Fonda, iconic conservative?

The two-time Oscar winner has signed on to play Nancy Reagan in The Butler, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The film, directed by Lee Daniels, is a biopic of Eugene Allen, a butler who served in the White House from 1952 to 1986.

Another Oscar winner, Forest Whitaker, is reportedly close to a deal to play Allen in the film.

That Fonda would play the wife of the most famous conservative president raises eyebrows due to her well-documented anti-war and civil rights? activism in the 1960s and '70s. She protested and worked closely with Vietnam Veterans Against the War and traveled to North Vietnam, drawing the ire of some in the military and becoming an icon for liberal Hollywood activism. She has continued to be outspoken, recently saying that the Republicans running for president "scare her."

VIDEO: THR's 2011 Women in Entertainment Breakfast Highlights

hThe film is based on a Washington Post article about Allen written by Wil Haygood. Daniels recently completed work on The Paperboy, starring Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and John Cusack, which is due out this year.

Fonda most recently starred in 2011's Peace, Love & Misunderstanding, and before that, in 2007's Georgia Rule with Lindsay Lohan. She'll also appear in Aaron Sorkin's upcoming HBO show, The Newsroom, playing the CEO of the cable company that owns the news channel where the show is set.

For the record: A previous version of this post misidentified Fonda's co-star of Georgia Rule as Miley Cyrus.


Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924825/news/1924825/

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ACLU: FBI 'outreach' program spied on Muslims

Muslims gather to pray at the Omar al Farouk Mosque in November 2010 in Anaheim, Calif. In that Southern California community, tensions flared after an FBI informant, Craig Monteilh, infiltrated mosques to gather information.

By Kari Huus, msnbc.com

The FBI in San Francisco used a public relations program billed as "mosque outreach" to collect information on the religious views and practices of Muslims in Northern California and then shared the intelligence with other government agencies, according to FBI documents obtained by civil rights groups.

The heavily redacted documents, released after a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, raise "grave constitutional concerns," said Hina Shamsi, director of the National Security Project of the American Civil Liberties Union.

"In San Francisco, we have found that community outreach was being run out of the FBI?s intelligence division and was part of a secret and systematic intelligence gathering program,? conducted without any apparent evidence of wrongdoing," said Shamsi. "The bureau?s documentation of religious leaders' and congregants' beliefs and practices violates the Privacy Act, which Congress passed to protect Americans? First Amendment rights."


The Privacy Act limits sharing of personal information among government agencies and the length of time it can be retained. In this case, the information shared included religious beliefs and affiliations, which the ACLU argues is entirely out of bounds.

The ACLU is calling for the Department of Justice?s inspector general to investigate alleged violations of the Privacy Act in the San Francisco Division and determine the scope of such activity nationwide.

The FBI San Francisco defended its agents' actions, saying the information "was collected within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity."

The ACLU of Northern California filed the FOIA lawsuit with the Asian Law Caucus and the San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper, leading to the release of the FBI documents on Tuesday.

Meant to foster trust
The documents indicate that FBI was keeping records of conversations and activities within mosques and other Muslim organizations from 2004 through 2008, information that was provided by employees engaged in the outreach programs.

The announced intention of the FBI outreach programs is to foster trust between law enforcers and members of the Muslim community so they can work together to fight crime and avert terrorism.

An earlier ACLU report on community outreach prompted FBI national headquarters to issue a release stating that its policy requires separate operations and databases for intelligence gathering and community outreach programs.

A large proportion of the information was labeled "positive intelligence," which indicates that the FBI intends to keep it in its intelligence database, the ACLU report explained.

Many documents were marked "secret,"?even though they appeared to include only mundane information. Some documents?were marked "disseminated outside," but did not specify the recipients.

Among the findings contained in the FBI documents:

  • A 2005 FBI memorandum from a meeting with a congregant at Islamic Center of Santa Cruz, documented his name and religious affiliation and detailed?other worshipers' financial contributions to the center and community support for Islam.
  • The subject of a sermon and congregants' discussions about a property purchase for a new mosque were gathered by FBI agents during five visits to Seaside Mosque in 2005.
  • Documents based on four "outreach" meetings between FBI personnel and representatives of the South Bay Islamic Association note discussions about the Hajj pilgrimage and "Islam in general."
  • Documents based on FBI contacts with representatives of the Bay Area Cultural Connections???formerly the Turkish Center Musalla???describe the group?s mission and activities, and the ethnicity of its members. A memo indicates the FBI searched for?the cell phone number of one participant in the meeting in?the LexisNexis records database and Department of Motor Vehicle records, obtaining detailed information about him, including his date of birth, Social Security number, address and home telephone number.

There is no indication that the subjects were informed that the information was being collected or shared with other law enforcement agencies, the ACLU said.

The FBI in San Francisco declined a request for an interview, but released a statement by Assistant Director Michael Kortan. In addition to stating that the information gathering?abided by laws and agency rules, it indicated that?it had adjusted its outreach program since the period covered by the documents.

"Since that time, the FBI has formalized its community relations program to emphasize a greater distinction between outreach and operational activities," Kortan said.

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Outreach to 'generate goodwill'
"FBI San Francisco dedicated a full-time, non-agent employee to community outreach efforts in the fall of 2007," said a second statement from Stephanie Douglas, FBI special agent in charge. "The community outreach program is designed to generate goodwill and foster relationships with a wide-range of groups in the communities we serve."

But documents still under analysis by the ACLU indicate FBI San Francisco continued to mingle outreach and intelligence gathering through 2011, according to Shimsa.

The documents?undermine trust for genuine outreach programs, said Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that makes policy recommendations to lawmakers and leaders.

"I think the recent documents further underscore how well-intentioned community leaders who talk with the FBI are instead the targets of this broad, intelligence-gathering effort," she said. "It?s easy to see then how that community leader who had a conversation with an FBI agent finds himself being harassed when traveling or crossing borders."

"These documents are illustrating the actual experiences of American Muslims that we have been hearing for a number of years now," she added. ?

The findings are the latest? from an ACLU examination of how?the FBI has conducted surveillance in the wake of 9-11 and a campaign to expose cases that they say threaten civil liberties.

In FBI documents obtained through other Freedom of Information lawsuits, the rights groups has highlighted systematic surveillance of Muslim student organizations and individuals and what it considers anti-Muslim bias in training materials being used by the FBI ?now the subject of internal FBI investigation, according to published reports.

'Count the mosques'

In a separate case, documents uncovered by The Associated Press?revealed that the New York Police Department conducted an extensive surveillance campaign?of the Muslim population there, keeping secret files on individuals, businesses, mosques?and organizations. Those findings have provoked outrage from many Muslim and civil rights groups, which have called on the Obama administration to intervene.

Greater FBI scrutiny of Muslim communities goes back to shortly after the 9/11 attacks, when then FBI Director Robert Mueller instructed field offices across the country to "count the mosques" and set up investigative goals accordingly, according to an article?by investigative reporter Michael Isikoff.

Rules governing FBI surveillance were relaxed in 2008 to give more leeway to FBI "assessments" ? a stage of surveillance that takes place before the opening of a formal investigation. These more lenient standards, critics say, allow information gathering on individuals without probable cause.

Rights groups are asking the Department of Justice to restore stricter rules on surveillance and to prohibit racial and religious profiling in all cases.

"What we need is for the FBI to go back to the standards set after the Hoover-era abuses.? guidelines put in place that required the FBI to engage in surveillance only if there?s evidence of wrongdoing," said Khera of Muslim Advocates.

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Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/29/10907668-aclu-fbi-mosque-outreach-program-used-to-spy-on-muslims

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US envoy sees likely Syria 'crimes against humanity'

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-envoy-sees-likely-syria-crimes-against-humanity-152553383.html

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Video: Matthews to Romney: Welcome to the big kid stage

'Invisibility cloak' can serve as heat shield

Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: By now, you've heard of "invisibility cloaks" that can hide objects from prying eyes and ears ? but how about a cloaking device that can keep your computer circuits cool?

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/vp/46873672#46873672

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Obama seeks to defuse controversy on missile comments

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-says-election-impedes-missile-defense-progress-051928498.html

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Syria accepts UN peace plan but bloodshed persists

U.N.- Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan arrives at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for talks in Beijing, China, Tuesday, March 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

U.N.- Arab League envoy to Syria Kofi Annan arrives at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for talks in Beijing, China, Tuesday, March 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this citizen journalism image taken on Monday March 26, 2012 and provided by Edlib News Network ENN, an anti-Syrian regime protester carries a boy on his shoulder with the Syrian revolution flag painted on his face, gesture during a demonstration in Binish town in Idlib province, northern Syria. Syrian forces have fired shells at a central city that has come to symbolize the anti-government uprising, activists said, while the country's Muslim Brotherhood branch said it would work for a democratic state if President Bashar Assad falls. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, left, is greeted by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during their meeting at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Syria accepted a peace plan by Annan, which includes a cease-fire by Syrian forces and a daily two-hour halt to fighting to evacuate the injured, Annan's spokesman said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Lintao Zhang, Pool)

(AP) ? Syria has accepted a peace plan by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan that includes a government cease-fire, but the bloodshed persisted Tuesday as intense clashes between soldiers and rebels spilled across the border into Lebanon, officials said.

There were conflicting reports about whether Syrian troops physically crossed the border. Two Lebanese security officials said only bullets whizzed across the frontier into a rural, sparsely populated area around the Lebanese village of Qaa.

"There is no Syrian military presence on the Lebanese side of the border," the military official said.

But two witnesses in Qaa, who asked that their names not be published because of the sensitivity of the matter, said they saw dozens of troops enter Lebanon. One witness said the Syrian troops burned several homes.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene could not verify that any houses were burned, however, as Lebanese soldiers had cordoned off the area. The border in the area is poorly demarcated, and residents pass into each country easily and frequently.

Any incursion into Lebanese territory would escalate a conflict over an uprising against President Bashar Assad's rule that already has caused regional tensions. As the conflict spirals toward civil war, there are concerns that the violence could cause a broader conflagration by pulling in neighboring countries.

The U.N., meanwhile, raised its death toll for the year-long conflict to more than 9,000. Robert Serry, U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, gave the number Tuesday while briefing the U.N. Security Council on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

The Syrian uprising, which began last March with mostly peaceful protests against the regime has turned increasingly militarized after the government swiftly unleashed its military tanks, snipers and machine-guns to break up protests, which many opposition members say drove them to take up arms.

A diplomatic push to end the crisis has largely failed, but Ahmad Fawzi, a spokesman for Annan, said Tuesday that the Syrian government has accepted the envoy's six-point plan to end the bloodshed. The plan includes a cease-fire and inclusive talks about a political solution.

Syrian opposition members reacted with skepticism, however.

Louay Safi, a U.S.-based member of the opposition Syrian National Council, said the regime has accepted other peace initiatives, but the violence always continues.

"We are not sure if it's political maneuvering or a sincere act," he said during an opposition conference Tuesday in Turkey. "We have no trust in the current regime. We would like to see some practical steps. We have to see that they have stopped killing civilians."

Rami Jarah, another opposition member at the Turkey conference, said Assad is trying to stall for time.

"The Syrian government is going to depend on propaganda as it has over the past few months ? propaganda of armed terrorists," Jarah said.

The government denies that the country is facing a popular uprising, saying the revolt is being driven by terrorists.

Also Tuesday, Assad visited Baba Amr, a former rebel stronghold in the key city of Homs that became a symbol of the uprising after a monthlong siege by government forces killed hundreds of people ? many of them civilians ? as troops pushed out rebel fighters.

Homs has been one of the cities hardest hit by the government crackdown on the uprising that began last March. Assad's forces overran the rebel-held Baba Amr on March 1 but faced resistance from other districts.

In footage aired on Syrian state TV, Assad appeared relaxed as he pledged that Baba Amr would return "better than it was before." He was greeted by residents who shouted, "We are with you until death!"

Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, reported Assad's visit but gave no further details.

The violent conflict in Syria has posed a serious challenge to Assad, but neither side has shown any sign of giving in. The opposition, riven by differences, has failed to present a united front against Assad, which has added to the chaos.

Syrian opposition leaders were meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday in an attempt to resolve their differences and reassure international backers who are frustrated by the lack of cohesion.

The meeting comes ahead of an April 1 conference in Istanbul at which Turkey, the United States and their European and Arab partners will discuss ways to further isolate and pressure Assad, as well as measures to support the Syrian opposition. Some reports indicate that the debate among dozens of countries will include whether the opposition Syrian National Council and affiliated groups should be declared as the sole, legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that "if the majority of participants choose that, we'll do that."

___

Kennedy reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Angela Charlton contributed to this report from Paris.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-03-27-ML-Syria/id-813e655a92454e4ba5b4f6650d1dce3f

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Police arrest 14 in two New York Occupy protests

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/police-arrest-14-two-york-occupy-protests-023350179.html

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Tech firms cry foul in Taiwain

High-tech firms in Taiwan say they developed numerous firsts like all-in-one PC computers that became market successes only after being rebranded in the United States, Japan, or South Korea.

? A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.

Skip to next paragraph

A lawsuit by a little-known Taiwanese high-tech firm against Apple has joined the list of uphill legal cases against Silicon Valley.

Working on computer hardware contracts for 30 years, Apple?s onetime partner Proview International Holdings alleges ?fraudulent actions? by the computer giant to acquire iPad trademarks. But Proview?s would be just one case. High-tech firms in Taiwan say they developed numerous firsts that became market successes only after being rebranded in the United States, Japan, or South Korea. Proview?s claim joins that of Taiwan-based Elan Microelectronics, which sued Apple in 2009 over patents for the touchpad.

In addition, several Taiwanese firms claim to have come up with the ?all-in-one? compact desktop computer in 2007 only to find it sold later by Apple and Lenovo, says Helen Chiang of market research firm IDC in Taipei.

Taiwan lags behind overseas peers because its tech firms, facing slimmer profits from contracts, only started branding their own PCs within the past five to 10 years, the Taiwanese government and private analysts say.

?The problem isn?t with product functions or technology,? says Hanson Tseng, strategic marketing executive director with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council. ?It?s about whether the brand can be advanced.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/z59lUiOYQBI/Tech-firms-cry-foul-in-Taiwain

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Saturday, March 24, 2012

Layne says probe finds evidence of improper payments

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/layne-says-probe-finds-evidence-improper-payments-060625587.html

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