The New Math of Renewable Energy: $50 = $100

By David Kreutzer, Ph.D. ~

Suppose you could produce $50 of electricity but it cost you $100 to do so. Would that make any sense? It would if you work at the White House.

In a speech at a wind-turbine blade manufacturer in Iowa, President Obama called for extending two sets of subsidies that turn energy economics upside down and force higher costs on consumers and taxpayers.

The first extension is for the production tax credit (PTC), which is set to expire at the end of the year. It provides wind-energy producers with a subsidy of about 40 percent of the wholesale cost of electricity. So, when a wind-energy producer sells $50 worth of electricity, Uncle Sam adds another $20 for a total revenue of $70 to the producer.

The second extension is for the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Credit?originally funded in President Obama?s ?stimulus? bill. This 30 percent credit cuts the cost of $100 worth of equipment to just $70.

So there you have it. Fifty dollars of actual revenue is bumped up to $70 with the PTC and $100 of costs are cut to $70 after the special tax credit. That is, $50 = $100 after taxpayers make up the difference.

When wind-energy advocates claim that wind power is on the verge of being competitive, they mean that after the PTC and the manufacturing credit, wind is almost, maybe someday soon, or maybe later (and only if you ignore transmission costs and fickleness of supply problems) on par with conventional power. What a deal.

Perhaps not all of the costs of the wind farm will qualify for the manufacturing credit, but don?t despair. There is more. Many states and regions have renewable power mandates that force consumers to buy renewable electricity?regardless of costs. So there is almost no limit to how expensive renewable electricity can be and still generate a profit for the supplier.

And even that?s not all. Many renewable energy projects and manufacturers receive federal loan guarantees that cut millions of dollars off their costs. In green-energy math, $50 may be greater than $100.

No matter how slick the financial shell games may be?subsidies on top of subsidies on top of mandates?overpriced electricity cannot boost the economy. It may seem like a boost if you are the one getting the subsidy?at least for a while. The workers at the Iowa plant better hope their presidential green-energy photo op works out better for them than it did for Solyndra?s employees.

David Kreutzer, Ph.D. writes articles for? The Heritage Foundation . http://www.heritage.org/?? and he is the Senior Policy Analyst in Energy Economics and Climate Change, Center for Data Analysis.

Read more informative articles at Heritage ? The Foundry . http://blog.heritage.org/

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Russia and Exxon Mobil Sign Arctic Oil Deal

Russia and Exxon Mobil Sign Arctic Oil Deal

Posted on May?25,?2012

In a bid to remain the world?s top oil producer, Russia is partnering with Exxon Mobil and a number of other foreign oil companies to develop plans to get at reserves deep beneath the Arctic crust as early as 2020.

The deal, signed on April 18, gives Exxon Mobil access to oil fields in the Black Sea and grants Russia access to some of Exxon Mobil?s oil stock in Texas, Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. Some estimates put the oil and gas reserves beneath Russia?s patch of the Arctic at 100 billion tons. ?ARK

NPR:

?If you want to be in this business in 2020, 2025, you must think about the Arctic,? says Konstantin Simonov, head of the National Energy Security Fund in Moscow.

In the past month, Moscow has signed several deals with foreign oil companies designed to maintain Russia?s position as the top producer. The most important deal, and the most lucrative, is a partnership between Exxon Mobil and Russian oil giant Rosneft.

Exxon Mobil could eventually spend half a trillion dollars to look for and extract oil and gas in the Russian Arctic. The investment is enormous, but so are the potential rewards.

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Luv Saving Money: Reuseit.com shopping bag review

In an effort to be more eco-friendly, I've been trying to remember to use reusable bags more often. ?Some stores it's a little easier for me to remember than others.

I have a number of reusable bags that come with a convenient little bag to store them in. ?This makes them more compact ?and easier to store in my purse when I need it. ?The problem is that sometime I just can't seem to find the little storage bag.

Reuseit.com offers a shopping bag with a great idea. ?The ChicoBag rePETe Ultra-Compact Sling bag has the storage bag attached. ?That's right, just pull the bag right out of the little storage back and turn it inside out . ?The little storage bag is on the inside of the shopping bag. When you're done with it just fold it into itself. ?So convenient

You can see that this shopping bag is already getting broken in. ?I used it for my shopping trip to Bottom Dollar Foods (you can see me tossing it under the cart at the beginning of the video) and most recently I took it with me when I chaperoned my oldest son's field trip to a local historical center. ?This bag holds a lot. ?But, it folds into a compact little bag that's attached on the seam. ?You can't see it in the above picture because it's inside right now. ?Fold it up and it looks like this:
There's a little carabiner ring on the side so you can clip it to your purse, diaper bag, backpack, or belt look if you like. ?Otherwise it can easily fit into a purse or diaper bag to take with you.

If this style isn't for you that's ok. ?Reuseit.com offers lots of different colors and styles. ?Here's another bag that I thought was really cute.

This one is called the ChicoBag Compact Resusable Shopping Bags, Blossom Collection. ?Reuseit.com doesn't just offer shopping bags though. They also have lunchbags, reusable gift bags, multi-purpose scouring pads, and lots more.

You can find Reuseit on twitter: @Reuseit_Store ?and on facebook:?http://www.facebook.com/ReuseitStore

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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One Direction Has Seen Their 'Biggest Audience' Ever On U.S. Tour

British boy band talks to MTV News about their 'incredible' Stateside tour experience and their 'Up All Night' DVD dropping Tuesday.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Josh Wigler

One Direction
Photo: Getty Images

One Direction are in the first week of their headlining U.S. tour. And, according to the guys themselves, they've gotten as much love from fans in the States as they did abroad.

"[It's going] good, great," Louis Tomlinson explained to MTV News. "We did the first show [Tuesday and] it was amazing."

Liam Payne still hasn't gotten over the scope of the shows they are playing here in the States, adding, "[It's] incredible. It's the biggest show we've done as a band so far, biggest audience for our own tour. So, it's amazing, absolutely amazing, incredible."

For fans who weren't able to nab tickets to the show, or have seen it and want to relive it, the band will drop their concert DVD, "Up All Night: The Live Tour" on Tuesday. And, Niall Horan explained how it all came together. "It was a show of our U.K. tour we did in January and we shot one of the shows for people who couldn't get tickets to the show," he said. "And we're actually touring that show now in the U.S., so everyone's going to get to see it at some stage."

"Up All Night: The Live Tour" is 73 minutes of 1D goodness, filled with campfire sing-alongs, quick shots of the guys shirtless during costume changes and even the fellas all done up in sleek suits as they close out the show with "I Want."

Once the band wraps up their tour here in July, One Direction will come back to the States in 2013 as a part of their massive world tour.

Are you planning on seeing One Direction on tour? Leave your comment below!

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Facebook launches iPhone camera app

an undated image provided by Facebook shows Facebook's new camera app, unveiled Thursday, May 24, 2012. The app, made for the iPhone, can be downloaded from Apple's App Store. It works like most other camera applications for smart phones. To take a photo, you tap a camera icon in the upper left corner of your screen, aim and shoot. You can then add filters, crop or tilt your photo, and share it on Facebook. (AP Photo/Facebook)

an undated image provided by Facebook shows Facebook's new camera app, unveiled Thursday, May 24, 2012. The app, made for the iPhone, can be downloaded from Apple's App Store. It works like most other camera applications for smart phones. To take a photo, you tap a camera icon in the upper left corner of your screen, aim and shoot. You can then add filters, crop or tilt your photo, and share it on Facebook. (AP Photo/Facebook)

An undated image provided by Facebook shows Facebook's new camera app, unveiled Thursday, May 24, 2012. The app, made for the iPhone, can be downloaded from Apple's App Store. It works like most other camera applications for smart phones. To take a photo, you tap a camera icon in the upper left corner of your screen, aim and shoot. You can then add filters, crop or tilt your photo, and share it on Facebook. (AP Photo/Facebook)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Facebook's rocky initial public offering hasn't stopped life at the world's biggest online social network. On Thursday, the company unveiled a camera app for the iPhone.

The app can be downloaded from Apple's App Store and works like most other camera applications for smart phones. To take a photo, you tap a camera icon in the upper left corner of your screen, aim and shoot. You can then add filters, crop or tilt your photo, and share it on Facebook.

The new app is similar to Instagram, the photo-sharing app Facebook is in the process of buying for $1 billion. The acquisition, however, has not yet been completed, and Instagram's employees did not work on the photo app. Facebook has said it expects the Instagram acquisition to close sometime this year.

Facebook didn't give details on when it might release a version of the app for phones that run on Google's Android operating system. In a statement, Facebook said it is "carefully looking at what might make for a good Facebook photos experience across Android devices."

Associated Press

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Guidelines For Home loans Lending options Sculpting Up

The Federal Housing Administration a short while ago announced they are utilizing result-oriented changes to our policy on their Home loans financial recommendations. While using frequent intend to continue to provide an inexpensive property finance loan merchandise, the Home loans is comfortable and encouraged the new changes must support the real estate market recovery, enhance the FHA?s money stores, you should getting rid of potential risk of defaults. These new Home loans proposed changes are some of the most major methods the business has ever before come to address danger element. Because finance institutions started out tensing their financial recommendations and the bass speaker-prime financial market vanished, the sales of govt protected home mortgages enormously elevated.

Finance through an Home loans home mortgage has increased with significant reputation, for doing it is one of the number of strategies a person might continue to purchase a cheap loans
house with little or no poorer expenditure.

There are numerous plus? finance through an Home loans property finance loan: the hsbc loans
Home loans bank loan is federally confirmed when the client defaults, only 3.5Per cent is essential as a down payment, and cash advance loans
credit scoring is usually decrease.

The Home loans program continue to continues to be the major founder of house finance merchandise for less than offered residential areas, but finding an Home loans is about to turn into somewhat more costly and hard. Because of the fact the Home loans may be faced with failures due to inadequate real estate market, the Federal Housing Administration are going to be doing three (3) major changes.

Improving the up-the front insurance policies advanced (MIP) to equivalent 2.25Per cent of the amount of the loan. This really is elevated.50 groundwork issues from your recent advanced of 1.75Per cent. As a result enabling the main city stores to improve with less affect on the buyer considering that the once-a-year MIP is paid across the life of the borrowed funds as an alternative to up-the front at the time of shutting.

The next merchandise being fine-tuned will be the amount of retailer concessions granted. Presently, Home loans will allow for up to 6Per cent sellers concessions (high closing costs paid out through the retailer regarding the buyer). According to recent industry standards, the brand new allowed amount of money for retailer concessions has to be more 3Per cent of the home?s examined cost.

Your third change comes in the nature of credit scoring. A brand new borrowers thinking about buying your house needs a credit history of 580 and up to be eligible for a FHA?s 3.5Per cent pay in. For all those borrowers with less along with a 580 credit history, just how much needed to deposit has to be proposed maximize of 10Per cent of the retail price. Actually, these days, many lenders happen to be needing at the very least 620 FICO score to excellent for FHA?s 3.5Per cent pay in. This credit history maximize allows the Home loans to equilibrium its threat element and strive to offer home mortgages to the borrowers which may have carried out well in the past.

To assist secure the Home loans and control bank loan defaults, they will be improving their checking and imposing actions hoping that loan company?s are sticking to Home loans standards. The Department of Homes and concrete Progress (HUD) is also wanting to cross regulation that would allowed them to maintain creditors instantly responsible for the mortgages they?ve came from.

The newest recommendations concerning Home loans mortgage?s will begin this planting season throughout the summer months of 2010.I will be a boy

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Long-Term Uncertainty Remains in Nuclear Talks with Iran

Anyone banking on a big-win breakthrough in Wednesday's nuclear talks with Iran will likely find themselves in the same boat as investors who bet on an instant surge in the Facebook stock price last week. If there's value to be found in nuclear negotiations with Iran, then -- like an investment in Facebook -- it's likely to emerge over time. And in both cases, even the long-term outcome remains uncertain.

Officials on both sides seem to be tamping down expectations ahead of the meeting in Baghdad. "If we talk substantively on elements of a deal and agree to meet again in three weeks, Baghdad will have been a success," a senior U.S. official told Al Monitor on Monday. The spin ahead of the talks in recent weeks has been positive -- almost too positive for diplomats, who naturally prefer diminished expectations. At home, Iran's leaders are proclaiming a great victory in the willingness of Western powers to negotiate while Iran continues to enrich uranium, suggesting that they're preparing their public for a compromised deal that will be sold as a great victory. The Western narrative paints Iran's willingness to negotiate as a consequence of ever-tightening economic sanctions, implying that such pressure must be maintained to curb its nuclear ambitions.

(MORE: Why Tehran Might Be Ready to Talk)

There are some positive signs: Sunday's talks in Tehran between IAEA chief Yukiya Amano and Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili appear to have yielded an in-principle agreement, not yet inked or finalized, to expand the nuclear-watchdog agency's access to sensitive sites in Iran. Amano, who has taken a tough line in dealing with Iran, was upbeat, expecting a signed agreement "quite soon." But the IAEA talks are the undercard to the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China). Even if they improve the atmosphere for the Baghdad meeting, a breakdown between Iran and the P5+1 would likely imperil any progress made by the IAEA.

Then again, Wednesday's talks in the Iraqi capital -- a venue chosen by Iran -- are not an all-or-nothing affair. Last weekend's G-8 summit communique called on Iran to use the opportunity to engage "in detailed discussions about near-term, concrete steps that can, through a step-by-step approach based on reciprocity, lead toward a comprehensive negotiated solution, which restores international confidence that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful." In other words, the world powers see the Baghdad talks as part of a diplomatic process likely to unfold in the coming weeks, aimed at creating a sustainable momentum of concrete steps to peacefully resolve the standoff.

In Baghdad, the two sides will lay down their opening bids to define the sequence of reciprocal steps required to break the deadlock and create diplomatic momentum. And, obviously, they will present substantially different ideas of the steps each should take, and in what sequence. Bridging the gaps via workable interim proposals may take many more weeks or months of negotiation.

(MORE: Political Pressure Mounts Ahead of Iran Nuclear Talks)

The immediate focus of the P5+1 appears to be on halting Iran's enrichment of uranium to 20% purity, a process that is ostensibly undertaken to create fuel for a medical-research reactor in Tehran, but which is substantially closer to weapons-grade material, by measure of reprocessing time, than the 3.5% uranium Iran was enriching for reactor fuel. Western powers will reportedly call on Iran to verifiably halt 20% enrichment and ship abroad its stockpile of such for conversion into fuel rods (which are difficult to turn into weapons-grade material). They'll specifically ask Iran to halt work at Fordow, the hardened facility built into a mountainside near Qom, where 20% enrichment has been under way since January. The site has been of particular concern to the Israelis, who fear it may be beyond the reach of their air force.

A number of senior Iranian officials, past and present, have indicated that Iran would be willing to do a deal over 20% enrichment, although whether and on what terms they'd meet all the demands laid out above remain to be seen. But what would Iran get in exchange for a deal to halt 20% enrichment? There lies the rub. Iranian leaders have made clear that Tehran sees the quid pro quo for doing so as an easing of sanctions, particularly the measures aimed at choking off Iran's oil exports due to take effect on July 1. "If those sanctions kick in, why would Iran make a deal now?" Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analyst George Perkovich told NPR on Tuesday. "They won't. I think they'd just say, well, hell, if you're going to punish us in any case, then why should I concede anything? So agreeing to suspend those sanctions will be a very important factor for Iran." But U.S. officials are stressing that concessions on 20% enrichment won't be sufficient to ease sanctions pressure. "Just hope the Iranians are not deluding themselves [that] they are going to get sanctions relief now," said the U.S. official who spoke to Al Monitor. "That's not going to happen at this stage."

(MORE: Israel Sets Tough Demands for Next Round of Iran Talks)

Sanctions have been Washington's most important form of leverage over Iran, and it's unlikely to trade them away in exchange for interim agreements this early in the game. The step-by-step reciprocity approach, fashioned originally by the Russians, would require that the two sides agree on verifiable steps to make such moves gradual, but political pressures are such that the Obama Administration may not have the flexibility it may need to openly ease sanctions. Many of the U.S. measures have been imposed by Congress, which takes a dim view of nuclear compromise with Iran. And trying to reverse any pressure on Iran in an election year may prove challenging, particularly when Israel's leaders are openly skeptical of the diplomatic process.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that the bottom line for success is nothing less than agreement on the dismantling of Iran's uranium-enrichment capabilities, even to 3.5%. It's highly unlikely that Iran would agree to give up its right as a nonproliferation-treaty signatory to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, and it doesn't appear that it's being asked to do so by the P5+1. Still, expect Israel to push back fiercely against any move to relax sanctions pressure on Iran on the basis of interim agreements -- and also to try to set deadlines on diplomacy lest the Iranians use the process to simply buy time.

European leaders and diplomats appear to be searching for mechanisms to bridge the gap between what Iran expects if it gives up 20% enrichment and what Obama will politically be able to give. There's talk in Europe of delaying the implementation of some of the oil-related sanctions due to take effect in July, and allowing de facto work-arounds on some of the financial sanctions targeting Iran's banking sector -- all conditional on progress toward implementing confidence-building measures. But the E.U.'s consensus-based decisionmaking make that more difficult too.

Nobody is expecting a deal in Baghdad beyond another round of talks to be held within a matter of weeks. Nor are Western negotiators unaware of the pitfalls of an open-ended process that doesn't substantially alter the status quo. The key to meaningful progress may depend less on trust and accord, as much as it will be based on the shared sense that the alternative to a peaceful solution may be too ghastly to contemplate.

MORE: Five Tips for President Obama on Nuclear Negotiations with Iran

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Vision Exercises Can Improve Your Vision! | Health and Fitness

Posted By admin On Wednesday, May 23, 2012 09:32 PM. Under?Exercise??

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It?s essential to recognize that not all sight issues or problems can be fixed using eye exercises but many can be helped with considerable improvements through a daily regimen of eye exercises.

Author:
Jared Blake

Article Tools:??

??
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??

Using glasses can actually work as a crutch and can impede your eyes from being stimulated to do the work they are intended to do and over time this can sabotage or worsen your sight as stronger and stronger lenses are prescribed year after year and your eyes persist to get weaker and more powerless.

Eyes are like other parts of your body that require exercise and relaxation to keep them in shape and working properly.

Experts bring in a lot of money prescribing eye glasses, contact lenses and unsafe surgeries and practices. So they might not be that driven to instruct us into trying anything that might naturally recover our vision.

Don?t you feel your eyes merit a chance to see if they can be enhanced naturally through the use of every day vision training techniques?

If you understood that vision exercises could enhance your eyes for better vision, wouldn?t you put up an effort to perform daily eye exercises in order to acquire the benefits? It?s akin to making an investment into the healthiness and well being of your eyes. It?s surely worth the attempt to find out if you are able to get any recovery in your sight. Go forward and develop your sight surprisingly with daily sight exercises!

Did you realize that improving your eyes through sight exercises was originally conceived by Dr. William H. Bates, an ophthalmologist from New York. Dr. Bates is quoted on stating ?If damaged bones can be repaired, why can?t poor eyesight be improved?? So the orginal information contained on eye exercises originally came from Dr. Bates. I think that over the years this valuable information has grown and become much more advanced.

Ok, enough talk about eyesight exercises, let?s do a quick vision exercises right now:

1. Rub your hands together for about 15 to 30 secs or stopping when they feel warm. Now lay your hands cupped over your shut eyes making sure not to apply force directly on your eyes. Make sure there are no gaps in between your fingers that could permit any light in. Try to retain this position for approximately 60 secs. Do this three times.

Best wishes to your improved eyesight!

Regards,
Jared Blake

About Author

Jared Blake is the author of this article. To find out what you should know to improve your vision with Eye Exercises, go to: Vision Exercises or use this link: http://www.visionexercises.info

Caution: Eye Exercises done on a daily basis may improve your vision dramatically!

Article Source:
http://www.1888articles.com

Article source: http://www.1888articles.com/vision-exercises-can-improve-your-vision-0143774.html

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Unions.Org Blog? Blog Archive ? Study: Mesothelioma Drug May Be ...

A new study has found that the popular mesothelioma drug Alimta (also known as the genric pemetrexed) may be more effective in mesothelioma treatment when combined with other drugs.

The drug Alimta is commonly used in chemotherapy-based mesothelioma treatment ?and frequently combined with cisplatin. Even though many drugs typically interact with one another, there has been little research done on the specific reaction between pemetrexed and chemotherapy drug cisplatin in mesothelioma treatment.

As reported in a recent issue of Oncology Reports, a team of Japanese researchers conducted a study to better understand the interaction between pemetrexed and cisplatin. As part of the study, the researchers used the combined drugs to treat mesothelioma cells in a lab. Though there was some resistance, the researchers found that the combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin performed well in combating mesothelioma cells in most cases.

In 2004, premetrexed (using the brand name Alimta) became the first FDA-approved drug specifically for malignant pleural mesothelioma treatment. It is also sometimes used to treat certain types of lung cancer (usually of the non-small cell variety).

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the lining of the internal organs that can affect the heart, abdomen and, most commonly, the lungs. Only approximately 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States. But, unlike many cancers, mesothelioma can be traced to a specific source ?asbestos exposure ?and is preventable.

Mesothelioma is generally treated by three different techniques (sometimes these techniques are combined based on the specific health needs of a patient): chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Learn more about mesothelioma treatment.

Navigating a mesothelioma diagnosis can be overwhelming. That?s why we?re here to help you fight back. To learn more about mesothelioma treatment, asbestos and mesothelioma lawsuits, call us at 1.866.844.1229 or fill out our contact form to request a free mesothelioma care package.

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The Power of Email marketing: Yes, It's Still the King! | myBusiness ...

Email marketing ? as far as online marketing methods are concerned ? is relentless, inexpensive, and responsive. It?s highly effective, smooth, and can at least be semi-automated.? Amidst all the noise on the Internet and the seemingly unwelcome intrusion of an avalanche of incoming marketing messages aimed at customers, email messages manage to sneak into your inbox and grab a mind share while doing it.

In spite of the growing popularity of social media and other methods of online marketing, email marketing holds a special place for marketers and businesses.

Social media is, admittedly, big and unmistakably important. Yet, email marketing still trumps and remains a popular way for marketing businesses. If the?results of a poll conducted by IPSOS?are anything to go by, email still reigns supreme. In over 24 countries, 85% of Internet users still use the Internet primarily for checking their email.

A study conducted by?Pew Research?states that 74% of Internet users, aged 64 and older still use email as their primary mode of communication. Email does seem to have lost its sheen with the teens ? a whopping 84% of teenagers used email in the year 2004 compared to just 73% today. Email still reigns as a daily activity for millions of people around the world.

Further, the world is steadily going mobile. According to?Comscore, a whopping 89.6 million Americans access their email through their phones, be it for work or for personal purposes . About 64% of these users check their email everyday through their smartphones, and that number is growing almost at the rate of 30% every year.

Email, no matter how old-fashioned it might seem now, is still indisputably the primary mode of communication for millions of Internet users around the world.

While Internet marketers today have to focus on social media, SEO, PPC, media buying, content marketing, and many other methods of marketing online, email marketing still takes the lion?s share of an average marketer?s attention.

Apart from the sheer numbers, popularity and the practicality of email as a medium of communication, here are some other reasons why email is a great tool for marketing:

With email, you are right on target:?If you go by email best practices, you?d subscribe to the power of ?opt-in? or ?permission? marketing. In essence, your subscribers willingly exchange their email addresses to hear more from you. By building a list this way, your mailing list is full of subscribers?who?ve?shown interest in your product, service, or brand. They ?opt-in? to receive more information from you ? that?s a highly-targeted, super-responsive, action-oriented set of subscribers who are most likely to buy from you, sooner or later. Even if your subscribers choose to unsubscribe, they?d still remember you. As such, they mark your business in their sub-conscious mind.

How powerful is that?

Lead Nurturing:?Use email to tap into the biggest open secret in marketing: customers buy when they are ready to buy. What?s a company or brand to do while customers wait for the right time?

Philip Storey, Creative Consultant at?eCircle,? articulates the importance of email for nurturing relationships,???Email can and should be used as a relationship channel. ? Brands will start to see the value in shifting their mindset from commercial, blanket messaging to a customer-centric email marketing model that truly benefits their prospects and customers.?

Businesses have to develop a relationship with potential customers, invoke a sense of trust in customers, and inform them to help them make a better decision. Traditionally, infomercials and advertisements worked hard to do this but never really managed to do it as well as they should. Thanks to email marketing, nurturing leads is now possible using best practices, drip email campaigns, powerful copy, well-designed emails with calls-to-action, etc. If you had to put out even a half-page advertisement on a leading newspaper (even without knowing who?d end up seeing the ad, leave alone taking action) how much would that cost you each month? How long can you spend money on expensive media-buying strategies when there are almost free alternatives such as the email?

Feasible Long-Term Marketing:?Email marketing is clean. Unlike social media communications, which can get drowned in the random social chatter, the emails that your subscribers receive are clearer and more focused. Moreover, your subscribers give you undivided attention when reading your email when compared to what they do on their Facebook Fan Page. Email marketing is an effective brand-building tool simply because subscribers get your emails regularly ? that means that your business or brand name is on the top of their minds at all times.

Social media messages get drowned in the deluge of content that?s created everyday, PPC (Pay per click) is expensive, and SEO is subject to the whimsical vagaries of Google updates. Email Marketing, though, remains humble and extremely powerful.

So I ask, are you building your list?

?

Original article by Ashwin?Satyanarayana?from Smallbiztechnology.com

Tagged as: Business, Marketing, Small Medium Enterprises, Tips and Tricks

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Snooki Is Having A Boy!

'Everyone said I was going to have a boy, and they were right!' Snooki tells In Touch magazine.
By Gil Kaufman

Jionni LaValle and Snooki
Photo: Getty Images

She was hoping for a brood of mini-Snooki's running around under-heel in her home with fiancé Jionni LaValle,
 but "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is overjoyed that her bouncing bundle will wear blue. "Everyone said I was going to have a boy, and they were right!" Snooki told In Touch magazine in the new issue. The baby is due in September and the couple are narrowing down name choices, with the two leading contenders at the moment being Lorenzo or Jionni Jr.

Snooki, 24, told the magazine that she's very excited about the birth of her baby boy, but she admitted that she was hoping for a Jersey girl. "I thought it was going to be a girl. I was hoping it would be, because all girls want girls," she said about her initial disappointment. "It's still my baby, no matter what. I'm excited either way!"

Snooki displays her growing bump on the cover the current issue of the supermarket tabloid, sharing that she's switched from her go-to craving for pickles to cold treats. "I love anything cold and juicy, like Italian ices," she said. In addition to her notoriously rabid sex drive cooling off for now, Snooki said she's also ready to leave some other childish things behind.

"I'm not going to party hard anymore, even after the baby is born," Snooki said. "Being a mom changes you."

Since the rumors first popped up earlier this year, Snooki has flashed the engagement ring she received from LaValle, who has appeared on "Jersey Shore" in the past. Snooki has been filming her spin-off with "Shore" bestie JWoww
 and an MTV spokesperson said in March that whatever shenanigans the two are up to have been going quite well. "Nicole and Jenni began filming last week and moved into their new digs with animal print furniture in tow ... Things are going great thus far."

Snooki and LaValle began dating a year and a half ago. According to the MTV star, he has plans to pursue a career in education as a teacher. He also works with kids as a wrestling coach.

Share your well-wishes for Snooki and Jionni in the comments below or on our Facebook page!

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Indian passenger train rams freight train; 25 dead

Rescuers evacuate an injured from the site of a train accident at a station near Penukonda, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bangalore, India, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. The passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and burst into flames before dawn Tuesday, killing more than a dozen people in southern India, officials said. (AP Photo)

Rescuers evacuate an injured from the site of a train accident at a station near Penukonda, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bangalore, India, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. The passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and burst into flames before dawn Tuesday, killing more than a dozen people in southern India, officials said. (AP Photo)

Firefighters and policemen try to douse flames on a train after an accident at a station near Penukonda, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bangalore, India, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. The passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and burst into flames before dawn Tuesday, killing more than a dozen people in southern India, officials said. (AP Photo)

ALTERNATE CROP OF DEL114 - Rescuers evacuate an injured woman from the site of a train accident at a station near Penukonda, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bangalore, India, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. The passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and burst into flames before dawn Tuesday, killing more than a dozen people in southern India, officials said. (AP Photo)

Rescuers evacuate an injured child from the site of a train accident at a station near Penukonda, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bangalore, India, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. The passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and burst into flames before dawn Tuesday, killing more than a dozen people in southern India, officials said. (AP Photo)

Relatives of victims of a train accident cry outside a government hospital in Penukonda, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bangalore, India, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. A passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and burst into flames before dawn Tuesday, killing more than a dozen people in southern India, officials said. (AP Photo)

HYDERABAD, India (AP) ? A passenger train rammed into a parked freight train and caught fire before dawn Tuesday in southern India, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens more.

Rescuers worked for about six hours to pull some 70 survivors from the twisted and smoldering wreckage near the southwestern border of Andhra Pradesh state.

Medical workers brought drinking water to traumatized survivors at the scene, while mothers cried for help in finding their lost children. Witnesses reported seeing victims on fire.

"When the train stopped with a loud bang, I got down to see burning passengers crying for help," Munijayendra, a 25-year-old marketing executive who goes by one name, told Press Trust of India. "The worst part is we were helpless, as the heat was just unbearable."

At least 40 people were hospitalized with injuries, with about 10 in critical condition, local police chief Charu Sinha said.

The driver of the Hampi Express, upon seeing the cargo train stopped on the tracks ahead, slammed on the emergency brakes, which caused four cars of the Express to derail, officials said.

The first passenger car caught fire, burning to death 16 people who were inside, Sinha said.

"We are trying to identify the bodies and will hand them over to the families," district official Durga Das said.

Firefighters and police put out the flames within three hours. Railway Minister Mukul Roy ordered an investigation, while officials said they were looking into whether the driver may have missed a signal or if the signal had malfunctioned.

"It seems that the driver of the Hampi Express overshot the signal," railway spokesman Anil Saxena said in Delhi. The driver and his assistant were among those hospitalized and had not yet been questioned by authorities.

Some of the victims were women and children, though most were construction workers traveling from the towns of Bellary and Hospet in the neighboring state of Karnataka to that state's capital of Bangalore, police official Harinath Reddy said. The route of the Hampi Express crosses back and forth between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The collision took place at a station near Penukonda, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of Bangalore.

Karnataka's chief minister, Sadananda Gowda, said relatives of the victims would be given 100,000 rupees ($1,800) in compensation.

Railway accidents are common in India, which has one of the world's largest networks and serves some 20 million passengers a day. Most collisions are blamed on poor maintenance and human error.

In March, a train plowed into an overcrowded minivan on its tracks and killed 15 people in the minivan in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

A month earlier, a train derailed after hitting a bulldozer in the northeast state of Assam, killing three train passengers and injuring 16.

A collision in January between a passenger train and a freight train in northern Jharkhand state killed five people and injured nine.

Associated Press

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SSPA - Agor? | Blog | There's a saying Probably the most effective ...

There?s a saying Probably the most effective people on the planet have mastered the abilities of effective communication and it?s true that many effective companies on the planet are riding on effective communication. It?s not enough for that top control over the organization to work loudspeakers the workers at the end from the pyramid who contact the clients every day should also master their communication abilities.

Adding value for an individual worker adds value towards the entire organization.Any exterior communication that the corporate organization undertakes is instrumental in developing a corporate identity for that fake Oakleys business. Effective communication is really a key factor and purchasers training and purchasers training works well for making the workers market the business well. Getting a fantastic communication skill is really a way to succeed.

Effective business communication can fake Oakley sunglasses boost the productivity of the corporate organization. Business have woken up that just getting a great service or product is not enough in present day competitive atmosphere. It has boosted the requirement for sales training and purchasers training. Trained professionals are now being utilized by business?s to enhance the communication abilities of the employees.

Every single guy is definitely an individual and it has their own specific group of unique communication abilities. Sales training and purchasers training places and focus on enhancing the communication abilities of people to be able to meet industry and company standards. Existence methods training also concentrates on the important thing regions of meeting facilitation, conflict resolution along with other mutually agreed-upon reasons.

A few of the key stuff that are trained within the sales training and purchasers training are:

Being positive and getting positive body gestures. An individual who begins off well inside a conversion has a maximum submit creating a good impression.

A individual with strong character is definitely an resource to the organization and therefore working out also concentrates on the significance Cheap Oakleys of character building.

Being Oakley Frogskins Fake knowledgeable concerning the service or product that needs to be offered is essential. An ill informed salesperson brings a poor title towards the organization.

To distinguish yourself available on the market through leadership and prompt customer support. To have the ability to sell the service or product to and support each client.

The skill of settlement and the skill of delivering difficult messages is essential running a business and therefore these abilities will also be trained as part of the Cheap Oakley Sunglasses sales training.

Team performance is paramount to success within this competitive world. People are trained to conquer their ego and take and active part in team development and team connecting.

Executive training also places and focus on developing a balance between your personal and professional existence being an unhappy and frustrated person is usually useless.

A properly trained sales representative can?t only bring more business towards the organization but additionally develop a lengthy lasting bond using the clients contributing to the general brand worth Replica Oakley sunglasses of the business. So in additional ways the other accumulating communication abilities is essential!

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voip-phones | TravelBuddies.us ? Travel Tips

voip phones

VoIP Phones, How It Works and How it can Benefit You

With the advancement of communications technology, people are now able to communicate at a much reliable rate. Garbled conversation or delayed data transmission and reception are now considered as a thing of the past and state-of-the-art telecommunications technology are now being used to provide quality services for consumers all over the United States.

Today, one of the most widely used tools for communication is the internet. Through the internet, you will be able to communicate with your loved ones or your business associates through email. The internet is also used for shopping, for conducting business and for sharing computer files.

However, communication is the primary tool that the internet is used for. Because of this, another kind of communication tool is used and is now widely available for people today. In fact, many people are now getting this communication tool and are now replacing their conventional landline phones. This new kind of communication tool is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol.

VoIP offers the latest technology in communication. You may ask what?s so great about VoIP that many people are now replacing their conventional landline phones with it. First of all, VoIP works just like your conventional landline phone. However, unlike conventional landline phone, VoIP uses the internet to transmit and receive audio data. This means that by using VoIP, the phone instantly converts your voice to digital data and transmits it over the internet.

Because VoIP converts your voice to digital data and is transmitted over the internet, communication will be much faster and also much more reliable than other forms of telecommunications.

Another thing about VoIP is that because it uses the internet for transmitting receiving digital data, calls are much cheaper than conventional landline calls. If you compare a 5 minute overseas call made between VoIP and a conventional landline phone, you will see that the call made from VoIP is much cheaper than the same call made using the conventional landline phone.

These are some of the reasons why VoIP is now gaining a foothold in the communications industry. In fact, many people are now considering getting rid of their old conventional landline phones and subscribe with VoIP service providers.

VoIP phones are also unique from conventional landline phones. VoIP phones are also called IP phones. Although it looks a lot like your conventional landline phone, it uses the RJ-45 connector instead of the RJ-11 that conventional phones use. The RJ-45 connector is what you use in your Ethernet. With this connector, it can be connected to your computer with an active internet connection or connected directly to your internet connection.

The IP phone is also integrated with a power plug to plug it in your power outlet to provide electricity.

Another way to get a VoIP phone is through the ATA. With this kind of tool, you will be able to convert your analog phone into an IP phone. The ATA stands for Analog Telephone Adapter. This particular tool is an analog-to-digital converter and is connected to the router which provides the internet connection.

Your computer can also be a VoIP phone. All you need to do is purchase a low-cost software program or download it for free over the internet, a microphone and a speaker to communicate.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways you can get a VoIP phone in your house. You have to consider that you should have an existing high speed internet connection in order to effectively use VoIP. It is important that you should have an active high speed connection because VoIP relies on high speed internet to efficiently transmit and receive digital data.

One downfall of VoIP is that it is dependent on outside power for it to work. Unlike your conventional phone line that has an independent power supply inside the telephone lines, VoIP phones will not work in case of power failure or a black out.

However, if you can live with this kind of disadvantage, and you still want to have access to free or low-cost long distance and overseas calls, you should consider getting VoIP.

In the future, you will also be able to see wireless IP phones that will soon come out of the market. If you are in a hotspot Wi-Fi signal, you will be able to place a call just like what you would do in a mobile phone.

VoIP is definitely one of best kind of communication tools ever developed.

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Why Nut Free Candy Is Important For Those With A Peanut Allergy?

To understand the importance of nut free candies and treats, you first have to look at the following facts and figures. More than three million Americans suffer from tree nut allergies, peanut allergy or both of them.

At least three million American kids suffer from some kind of a digestive or food allergy and this number has increased by 18 percent in between 1997 and 2007. An equal number of people are intolerant towards gluten ? a kind of protein you will find in rye, barley and wheat. About four percent of American adults are allergic to some kind of food.

The top eight allergy causing ingredients found in regular candies and chocolates are soy, shell fish, fish, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, dairy products and wheat gluten. Let us now take a look at what will happen if these people accidentally or intentionally consume candies or food products containing these allergens.

After Effects of Consuming Allergy Triggering Food Items

Anaphylaxis is often caused by peanut allergy and is regarded as a medical emergency that necessitates ER trips and treatment with adrenaline injector (epinephrine).

Some of the symptoms of anaphylaxis are loss of consciousness, lightheadedness, dizziness, rapid pulse, shock, severely reduced blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, swelling of the throat and constriction of airways.

Signs and symptoms of peanut allergy are stuffy nose, runny nose, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightening of the chest, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, tingling or itching in the mouth and throat areas, swelling, redness or hives. Peanut allergy can sometimes trigger a life threatening response.

As you can well understand, symptoms as severe as these can be very traumatic for kids. The symptoms can be either mild or medium or severe and start manifesting within a few minutes after exposure to or consumption of allergy causing ingredients.

Many people have been forced to call 911 after suffering from a severe allergic reaction to peanuts, especially in anaphylaxis cases. This is why you need to consume nut free candy, chocolates, snacks and treats if you have a known peanut allergy.

Importance of Nut Free Candies for Peanut Allergy Sufferers

A nut free candy or chocolate is free of peanuts, tree nuts and other allergens. These candies are manufactured separately in nut and allergen free facilities and are bagged with extra care, which make them safe for consumption.

Nowadays, many online candy stores manufacture nut free candy and chocolates, which are also free of the top eight allergy causing ingredients. If you consume these treats, you will never suffer from the signs and symptoms described above. So you can enjoy your bag of treats with complete peace of mind.

However, before purchasing a pack of nut free candy either from online nut free candy stores or supermarkets, you should check out the label carefully and diligently read through the list of ingredients, just to be on the safe side. It is also necessary to research on the internet and keep yourself updated about allergy causing ingredients.

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EU's Almunia offers Google chance to settle antitrust case

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