'Cloud Atlas' Cast Try To Sum Up Movie In One Sentence

"Cloud Atlas" isn't a movie with a strong elevator pitch. It's not "this one things meets something else." There's a lot going on, that's for sure, but the people involved in making the movie have to know how to explain what the hell is going on, right? Well, maybe. MTV News headed out to the [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/10/24/cloud-atlas-one-sentence/

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Is Your Agency at Risk?

Is Your Agency at Risk?

Posted by Blake Cavignac on Wed, Oct 24, 2012 @ 06:25 AM

One of the main things we teach at The Sitkins Producer Training Camp is risk assessment. When you are working with a prospect or client, you should help them assess their risk and develop specific Risk Reduction Plans. It?s all part of our ?set offense?, known as The Risk Reduction Approach?.

Recently, it struck me that the majority of Independent Insurance Agencies are at risk in their own business because they?re not dealing with ? or are unaware of the need for ? their own risk reduction plans. We?re not just talking about the normal property and casualty risks inherent in business, we?re talking about strategic and tactical risks.

I?m sure many of you are fans of comedian Jeff Foxworthy and his ?You Might Be a Redneck if...? jokes. ?In fact, a few years ago, he inspired me to write, ?You might be an average agency if...? for Rough Notes. In this issue, I?m applying the Foxworthy approach to help you assess the risks facing your agency.? How many of the following ?ifs? do you identify with?

Your Agency Might Be At Risk, IF?.

You are not proactively innovating. If you aren?t proactively innovating /changing the way you do business, you are stagnating. Once you?ve stagnated and your business is based on price only selling, you?re going backwards but you just don?t know it. Innovation is about getting better all the time, constantly upgrading your business model, and no longer being a traditional insurance agency.

You still provide quotations to unqualified prospects and have a very low closing ratio (less than 50%). Unqualified prospects are the ones who ask you to give them an apples-to-apples quote because they ?just want to keep their agent honest.? If that?s the case, you?re wasting your time and your agency?s resources chasing business you have no chance of getting.

You don?t know your closing ratio. If you?re not tracking the number of quotes you?re giving and the number of sales you?re making, and comparing them among your producers, you?re at risk. There may be a lot of activity going on, but you really don?t know the results unless you know your closing ratio.

Your prospect pipelines are not overflowing and your producers don?t have walk-away power. If your pipelines aren?t filled to capacity (and beyond), you?re at risk. You?re working on accounts you shouldn?t be working on and your producers aren?t walking away because they don?t have anything else better to do. You simply don?t have enough opportunities.

Your culture is lacking or non-existent. You?re at risk if you don?t have a defined culture that spells out the expected, normal behaviors of your organization. You?re even further at risk if your culture isn?t focused on retaining and obtaining ideal clients.

You are not earning or generating referrals from at least 50% of your clients. This is a serious risk. What does it say about your agency when clients will renew but not refer? It means you?re doing just a good enough job to keep them, but not a great enough job that they?re referring prospective clients on a regular basis. If fewer than half of your clients are providing referrals, that is a major red flag that you?re at risk.

You are not earning and generating introductions from 20% of your clients. Although they?re similar to referrals, introductions are even more significant. You?re at risk if you?re? not getting at least 20% of your clients to introduce you to potential new clients.? The top 20% of your clients should be such raving fans that they are eager to personally introduce you to your next great client, either in person or in writing. If they don?t, you face problems with retention.

You are not positioned as a trusted advisor. Do your clients consider you part of their inner circle or do they see you as a vendor? If they view you as nothing more than a seller of a price-based commodity, you?re at risk with those clients.?

You are not a favorite among carriers. If your carriers don?t constantly tell you that your submissions are better than those they receive from any other agency, you?re at risk. If your submissions look like everyone else?s, you?re not going to get the best attention from the underwriters and they aren?t going to do the best job for you.?

Your organization does not have a Relentless Preparation attitude. This centers on the belief that every event deserves your very best. When you?re working with a new prospect or you?re giving a presentation for a renewal, are you relentlessly prepared? If so, you have practiced your presentation internally, thoroughly researched the client or prospect and done everything else in your power to be in top form. It?s always a risk to compete against someone who is more prepared than you.

You don?t have a laser focus on the needs of the Top 20% of your clients. Because we know these clients generate 80% of your revenue, losing one of them could be a game-changing event. By the same token, keeping them and replicating them could also be a game changer. Accordingly, it?s critical to pay close attention to the needs and wants of that top 20%. While we strongly believe that everybody should get good service from an agency, we also believe that everyone should get the level of service that they?ve paid for.?

Your producers have fewer than 10 appointments each week with clients, prospects and centers of influence. You?re at risk if your producers have substantially fewer than that (and most of them usually have half that amount, at best). It means they?re simply not in the game enough. They can?t win if they don?t have ample opportunity to be on the field (or if they?re sitting in the office waiting for the roast duck to fly into their mouth).

You haven?t formally installed exit barriers with your key clients. How hard would it be for your best clients to jump ship? You?re at risk if you haven?t cultivated deep relationships with your clients and provided the kinds of services that make it extremely difficult for them to leave.

You renew accounts. You?re at risk if there is a big event every year known as The Renewal vs. an ongoing focus on continuing relationships. Rather than view accounts in terms of an annual renewal, you should have a multi-year risk-reduction plan in place that you can update and reacquaint clients with periodically.

You don?t have employee retention and attraction systems in place. We all know it?s hard to find great employees, so what are you doing to keep the ones you have? What systems, procedures and incentives do you offer to attract new ones? A study I read recently said that 85% of the employees that had been with the same company for more than five years were directly referred by an existing employee. Therefore, if you?re relying solely on professional headhunters and talent scouts to recruit the best new people , you?re at risk.

The majority of your clients are part-time. You?re at risk if most of your clients have only some of their coverages with your agency. Our studies continue to show that fewer than 50% of small- to mid-sized commercial accounts and 30% of personal lines accounts are full time. If they have coverage with someone else, there?s a good chance someone will eventually ask to write all of their insurance. Shouldn?t that someone be you?

You do not purposely manage your brand. We define ?brand? as the clear, powerful thoughts people have about the agency. We?ve also discussed personal brand management in terms of the clear, powerful thoughts people have when they meet the agency?s staff and producers. What do people think about your agency, staff and producers? In today?s world, a random brand won?t get your agency very far. Decide exactly what you want your agency?s brand to say about you and your business or risk the chance that someone else will decide what your brand should be.

Your producers still sell the ?old way.? If your producers are still using the Look, Copy, Quote and Pray approach to sales, they?re in trouble ? and so are you. Reviewing a prospect?s policies and coming back with multiple quotes is not only a terribly inefficient way to sell insurance, it does nothing to differentiate your agency from the pack. Being inefficient and coming across like everyone else puts you at risk.

Everyone is too busy to practice. You?re at risk if you never practice because everyone is always ?too busy.? For example, the service reps don?t have time to really study the automation system or gather the ex dates of personal lines accounts, even though both could enhance the agency?s bottom line. Similarly, too-busy producers never take the time to develop a differentiating type of discussion with clients and prospects, even at the cost of retaining or obtaining their business. How could it be that the entire team is too busy to get better?! Remember, if you don?t get better, you?re at risk.

You don?t take advantage of natural pipelines. These are the pipelines that an agency?s owners? and senior producers naturally develop over the years. They?ve been in business for a long time and they know a lot of people but typically, they don?t want to handle the account! There are probably hundreds of thousands of dollars of commission income sitting in those untapped, natural pipelines; potential income from potential clients who would gladly take a phone call if someone would just make it. The senior producers need to make rain and get some ?buckets? (aka younger producers) underneath them! You?re at risk if you don?t.?

Your first question you ask a prospect is, ?Tell me about your business. What do you do?? That tells me immediately that you didn?t care enough to do some research about me or my company. You haven?t even looked at my website or know what business we?re in! You?re at risk of losing face ? and business ? if you don?t make at least a minimal, initial effort to do some background work before contacting a prospect.

You constantly over-promise and under-deliver. Most producers make far more promises than they can possibly keep. Promise making and promise keeping systems have got to be in place to prevent producers from promising more than they can deliver.

You have no financial or leadership perpetuation plan in place. This puts your agency at serious risk, in the short-term as well as over the long-term. Although it?s difficult to address both the financial and leadership sides of perpetuation, you MUST. Unfortunately, most people don?t. As a result, their agency either ceases to exist when they leave or is significantly devalued when it is sold.??

The Bottom Line

The truth is, you are in the risk management business. However, if too many of the examples I?ve cited hit home with you, you are the one at risk!? That?s why it?s imperative to start developing some sort of business risk management plan for your agency. Feel free to use this article?s bullet points as a risk assessment outline for your agency.

Of course, you can choose to do nothing. Just remember that the cost of doing nothing could mean millions and millions of dollars in lost value for you and your agency. It?s your choice!

*This article was originally published in Rough Notes Magazine?

The Author, Roger Sitkins, is the Founder and Chairman of Sitkins International.

Source: http://www.sitkins.com/blog/bid/79688/Is-Your-Agency-at-Risk

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Elizabeth Warren for president 2016?

Spinners and Winners

The marquee Senate race this year is in Massachusetts, where Democrat Elizabeth Warren is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Scott Brown.

"I never thought I'd run for public office, but I feel the urgency of this moment," says Warren. "If we don't make some important changes and make them soon, this country is going to change fundamentally, and it's not for the better."

Democrats took notice of the former Harvard professor late last year, when a?video of Warren speaking on fair taxation and debt surfaced online.

"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody," Warren says in the video. "You built a factory out there, good for you, but I want to be clear, you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you all were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for."

Warren's popularity among Democrats has only increased since then; there are already people talking, tweeting, and posting about Elizabeth Warren running for president in 2016.

"I have 5 words for that: No, no, no, no, no," says Warren, with a laugh. Though the woman who established the Consumer Protection Bureau is keen to get back to Washington, and says she is willing to work across the aisle and even with a -- unlikely, she says -- Romney administration.

"I want to go to Washington to fight for working families," says Warren "And that is true regardless of who is president and regardless of who else is in the United States Senate."

For more on Elizabeth Warren, including the candidate's views on the Supreme Court and which Republican senators she sees herself working with, check out today's Spinners and Winners. And head to yesterday's episode for our interview with incumbent GOP Sen. Scott Brown.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/power-players-abc-news/elizabeth-warren-2016-111200552.html

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Facebook Q3: Advertising Revenues Up 36% To $1.09B, 14% On Mobile

Facebook's big push on advertising in the last quarter is paying off for the company, judging by the growth in revenues. The company says that in Q3, it made $1.09 billion in advertising, a 36% increase from the same quarter last year and also a sequential increase compared to Q2's $992 million in ad sales. It's also becoming an increasingly important part of the revenue mix: it is now 86% of total revenues, compared to 84% last quarter.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CrI86ThjPec/

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Death comes a hopping and a fluttering ? New Short story zombie ...

Published on October 24, 2012, by Upsidedownsix - Posted in Books

Indie cartoonist? R Wiggins(me) has released his first zombie short story ?Death came a hopping and a fluttering.? The story promises to be an interesting delve into the zombie realm with some unusual undead . We follow an everyman slacker named Max, and see the world through his eyes as it quickly turns from suburban New Jersey to a post apocalyptic hell.

This was a labor of love and I think you can see that I?ve wanted to step into the zombie world for quite some time now. It?s an easy read, and for 99 cents it really can?t be beat.

Happy Halloween Florida Geeks

?

Buy Hopping and A Fluttering Now!

Author: Upsidedownsix View all posts by Upsidedownsix

Born in the waste lands of central Florida and raised in a Post Dark Knight Returns but Pre Dark Knight Strikes again America, Russ Wiggins wasted his youth with horror movies, comics and pornography. He is a full time zombie, comic strip, science fiction enthusiast who wears a white collar disguise to keep "the man" and bill collectors at bay. In his off time he writes for Florida Geek Scene (even though he now lives in New Jersey) and works on various projects including but not limited to a Graphic Novel Opus called "Steve of your imagination" and an ongoing web comic strip called "The Dreggs." Russ met the moderator of Florida Geek scene Scott Schlazer when he was still a teenage punk coming into Scott's comic book shop "Planet X" on Friday nights to make fun of the freaks and ne'er do wells that frequented the store.

Source: http://www.floridageekscene.com/uncategorized/death-comes-a-hopping-and-a-fluttering-new-short-story-zombie-fiction-just-in-time-for-halloween/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=death-comes-a-hopping-and-a-fluttering-new-short-story-zombie-fiction-just-in-time-for-halloween

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Video: September New Home Sales Up 5.7 Percent

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/49534946/

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Android 4.0 Tablet PC "Xinc" - 7 Inch Capacitive Touch Screen, 1.2Ghz CPU, 4GB (Black) - CVGY-7402-BLACK-2GEN

Android 4.0, 7 Inch Tablet pc with a powerful 1.2Ghz CPU, 512MB of DDR III and 4GB of Flash memory expandable to 32GB using a Micro SD Card. The ?Xinc? combines an intuitive operating system with slick design and amazing multimedia on the go.

The ?Xinc?s? bright 7 Inch capacitive touch screen brings you the easiest way to experience multimedia, multitasking, and gaming at any place, at any time. Being only 9mm thick, the ?Xinc? features a minimalistic design that gives this tablet a professional look an easily fits in your briefcase, backpack or even in your pocket! And don?t be deceived by the size of this tablet, under its hood you will find a powerful 1.2 GHz processor and 512MB of DDR III RAM providing excellent multitasking capabilities.

?Xinc?s? HDMI port allows you to connect your tablet directly to any HD TV giving you the possibility to show pictures or videos to the whole family or just game directly on your TV. The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system brings you a new and refined UI, resizable widgets, completely redesigned gallery apps and improved web browsing, while still giving you the usual Android feeling. With constantly growing content in Google Play Store, you will surely find tons of apps to keep you entertained all day long!

This 7 Inch Android 4.0 Tablet is a must have for any gadget lovers and best of all, it?s brought to you at a factory-direct price that can't be matched. Available in our warehouse now, it is ready for immediate shipment to you or your customer. Brought to you by Chinavasion, the leader in wholesale android tablets and consumer electronics.

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MIT researchers use algebraic equation that improves WiFi and LTE data streams: boosts speed, reduces network congestion

Dodging the issues of spectrum auctions and more cell towers, researchers at MIT have discovered that they can use an algebraic equation to improve data speeds by reducing dropped packets. It's these dropped packets that can build up congestion across a wireless network, as devices attempt to recoup these missing data nuggets. But instead of sending typical packets, MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics created an equation that describes a series of packets. If a packet fails to deliver, then the receiving device is apparently able to "solve" the missing chunk, with the processing load on phones, routers and base stations apparently negligible.

The tech, which can also seamlessly transition a data stream between wireless internet and LTE, has already been tested on WiFi networks over at MIT; when two percent of data packets were dropped, speeds were boosted from 1Mbps to 16Mbps. If five percent of packets were being lost, the researchers then saw bandwidth increase from 0.5Mbps to 13.5Mbps. Companies are apparently already licensing the tech, although MIT isn't revealing more on this just yet. Muriel Medard, project lead, said that there were currently "very severe inefficiencies that should be remedied before you consider acquiring more resources" -- namely more spectrum and hardware, although the gains seen in these early tests are yet to be replicated in real life. There's more on the science and development at the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Science, Mobile, Alt

MIT researchers use algebraic equation that improves WiFi and LTE data streams: boosts speed, reduces network congestion originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 07:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Fierce Wireless  |  Technology Review  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/24/mit-researchers-algebraic-equation-to-weave-wifi-and-lte-signals/

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Obama hammers Romney day after Florida debate

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. ? The morning after Monday's showdown?the third and final between the candidates?President Barack Obama spent a post-debate rally here accusing Mitt Romney of switching positions on foreign policy and called his ideas "wrong and reckless."

"Last night [Gov. Romney] was all over the map. Did you notice that?" Obama asked the crowd. "During the debate, he said he didn't want more troops in Iraq. But he was caught on video saying it was unthinkable not to leave 20,000 troops in Iraq."

Obama delivered his speech in a packed tennis stadium where he was introduced by West Palm Beach pizza shop owner Scott Van Duzer,?who famously wrapped his arms around the president and lifted him off his feet in a bear hug last month. When Obama walked on stage, he and Van Duzer high-fived with both hands and briefly embraced, although the president's feet never left the ground.

Obama said that over the course of the campaign, Romney had switched his positions on keeping troops in Afghanistan, America's relationship with Israel, and the decision to kill Osama bin Laden. Obama reiterated the word he coined last week?"Romnesia?which he has been using repeatedly when accusing the GOP challenger of switching positions.

Launching into a Jeff Foxworthy-style routine that replaced the word "redneck" with "Romnesia," Obama said: "If you say that you love American cars during a debate, but you wrote an article entitled 'Let Detroit Go Bankrupt,' you might have Romnesia!

"If you talk about how much you love teachers during a debate, but said just a few weeks ago that we shouldn't hire any more because it won't grow the economy, what do you have?"

"Romnesia!" the crowd shouted.

The president also took time to promote a new campaign booklet, "The New Economic Patriotism," which outlines an economic plan that increases federal government spending and raises taxes on the wealthy. Obama held up the magazine-style pamphlet and told the audience to read it to find out more about what he would do in a second term.

The campaign on Tuesday also released an ad, "Determination," to promote the blueprint, which Obama called his "plan for the next four years." The video basically introduces the topics in the booklet and shows the president speaking directly into the camera, urging viewers to compare his plan to Romney's

"We're not there yet, but we've made real progress," Obama says in the ad. "And the last thing we should do is turn back now."

With two weeks left before Election Day, Obama has a full schedule of swing state campaigning ahead. Immediately following his address here, Obama traveled to Dayton, Ohio for the second of? several rallies this week.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/obama-hammers-romney-florida-debate-153947795--election.html

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iCare Data Recovery Pro Free Giveaway ? TechLogon Technology ...

iCare Data Recovery Pro is a rescue tool for advanced data recovery of files and partitions from hard drives, USB drives and memory cards.

The program usually costs $89.95 but is currently free until October 25.

It works with Windows 7, Vista, XP, Windows 2000 Pro and Windows Server 2008, 2003, 2000 ? all versions.

Main Features

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• Recover files from a formatted drive, RAW file system, lost partition/boot sector or drive not formatted error

• Restore deleted files, photos, office files, movies, songs etc

• Recover data when lost due to resize partition, merge partition, copy partition failure

• Rescue files from an external drive or memory card which cannot be detected or recognized

• 2TB disk, RAID and dynamic disk file recovery supported

Download iCare Data Recovery Pro

Download and install the Pro edition giveaway here (valid until October 25) and use the free license code from the download page to activate the program.

Do not install it onto the drive which has lost data on (as it could overwrite the lost data and ruin any chance of recovering it).

The program opens to display a list of 4 recovery wizards:

Lost Partition Recovery ? recover files from lost/deleted partitions

Advanced Files Recovery ? recover files that were accidentally deleted, from inaccessible partitions and from drives with a RAW file system, corrupted MBR or boot sector etc

Deep Scan Recovery ? most powerful (and longest) scan. Full byte scan of lost files. Use this mode to restore files from non-Windows devices like iPhone, Blackberry etc

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Read the Tutorial carefully before attempting any recovery.

Limitations Of Free Giveaway

There is no free technical support or free upgrade to future versions of the program.

Valid until October 25 and the free activation code must be used before November 1^st ?2012 ? if you reinstall Windows or uninstall the program after that date you will not be able to use the free code again to activate another copy of the Pro edition.

Conclusion

If you?re looking for file and partition recovery software, the iCare Data Recovery Pro free giveaway is worth trying ? so that it is available when you need it.

The program itself is powerful but the tutorial is basic and would benefit from more examples ? for this reason we would recommend it for more advanced users.

Related posts:

1. WinX and MacX DVD Ripper Free Giveaway To May 20th
2. OnLive GiveAway ? Four Indie Games Free Today
3. Use A Windows 7 Recovery Disc To Repair Vista
4. WinX Blu-ray Decrypter Free Giveaway To May 25th
5. Five Clone2Go DVD Ripper License Keys GIVEAWAY

Source: http://techlogon.com/2012/10/23/icare-data-recovery-pro-free-giveaway/

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MacNN | iPhone News: Opinion: Apple, over promising and under delivering?

Apple seems to be leaning too heavily on the loyalty of its customers

Some recent experiences I have had with Apple on a personal level have started me questioning the direction that it is headed. From a financial perspective, the company has never been stronger ? it has over $100 billion in cash and it is the most valuable company in the world based on its current market cap. However, I wonder how much of this success built on the incredible loyalty that Apple has created within its customers and whether the patience of Apple?s fans may eventually run out.

I was among the first batch of customers to pre-order the iPhone 5 when it went on sale and received it the day it shipped. This was a pleasant surprise as Apple has previously delivered pre-ordered products days after they officially went on sale. However, much less pleasant was the discovery that I had paid top-dollar for a black iPhone 5 64GB model only to discover that it had shipped out of the box with some (minor) damage; it is one thing for me to ?break-in? an iPhone, I just don?t accept that it should ship that way. It was a surprising issue that also affected other Apple customers, inconveniencing them when they should have been enjoying their new phone.

In addition to the three dings on the device, I was disappointed by the build-quality of the model I received. Sir Jony Ive placed a strong emphasis on the care with which Apple crafted the iPhone 5 saying that Apple had gone to ?extraordinary levels of fit and finish.? At one point in the promotional video for the iPhone 5, Ive highlights how each of the two glass panels on the rear of the device is selected from 725 separate pieces from which the two best fitting parts are matched using two 29-megapixel cameras. The iPhone 5 that I received had a perfectly flush bottom glass panel (as promised), but the top panel was noticeably ill fitting. There was a distinct bump when running my finger from the aluminum panel across to the glass panel that clearly did not live up to Ive?s promise of a ?seamless? fit, or a variance that could be ?measured in microns.?

I took my iPhone 5 to the Apple Store at Broadway in Sydney to show the finishing flaws to an Apple ?Genius.? He advised that Apple would only replace the device on the spot if it had more significant damage. As I had bought it from the Apple Store online, I was however entitled to return the item for any reason within a 14-day period. On contacting Apple support, I was asked to send through photos of the iPhone (embedded below). However, I was concerned that the black model was more prone to scratches and asked for a white model instead. I was told that I couldn?t do that, but that my options were to have the black model exchanged, or to receive a refund.

I opted for the exchange. Initially, I was advised via an order notification that the replacement would ship in 3 ? 4 weeks! I got back in touch with Apple and was advised that this was not the case and was reissued with a new notification and was promised that it would arrive by the end of the following week. I was at home over that period and agreed that this would be ok. At the end of the next week, I placed a call to Apple asking them where the replacement iPhone was ? I was told that it would not arrive until the next week, on the Monday or Tuesday.

As I was going to be at the office on those days, I requested that my order be cancelled and my money refunded. However, I was told that this would only happen after Apple received notice of a failed delivery attempt, leaving me both without an iPhone 5 and about $1,000 out of pocket in the interim - hardly the epitome of customer service. Reluctantly, I decided to try reserve an iPhone 5 online. Despite getting online as soon as reservations opened over a period of three days, I was unsuccessfull in obtaining an iPhone 5.

Giving up on the online lottery, I headed into the flagship Apple Store, Sydney to pick one up. I arrived before the store opened and waited (while feeling foolish as people walked past me thanks to Samsung?s cheeky advertising). It turned out that, indeed, I was being played for a fool. Apple promises on its website that each day customers can either try to reserve an iPhone 5 or that ?Limited quantities are also available for walk-in purchase on a first-come, first-served basis.? When I entered the door as the second customer through, I naturally expected to get an iPhone 5. Instead I was told that I could only purchase one on a contract, and that outright purchases could only be made through the reservation process.

When I pointed out that this information was not supplied on the Apple website, I was given the predictable excuse that this was because of ?overwhelming demand.? Naturally, I asked why Apple makes a promise on its website, but the Apple staffer tried to explain to me that ?limited? could also mean that I could reasonable expect to find ?none at all.? You have to question the wisdom of being so critically low on stock for what is a key product. It might help increase the perceived desireability of the product, but it also leaves Apple at the real risk of losing customers when there are plenty of attractive alternatives on the market.

Against the backdrop of my iPhone 5 saga, the home button on my third-generation iPad started to play up and become unresponsive at times. I booked it in at the Broadway Apple Store for a 12.40pm appointment a day ago so I could pop up there from my office during my lunch break. Apple will cancel an appointment if you are late, however, I arrived early at 12.32pm and was pointed to a spot to wait after checking in. At 1.00pm, 20 minutes after I was supposed to have been attended to I gave up after discovering that there were still people waiting in front of me to be served. From a casual count, I could see that there were at least three people waiting for each ?Genius? that was actually on hand to serve customers.

It was not quite the 45-minute Genius Bar waiting saga I had to endure about two years ago at the Sydney Apple Store when an Apple MacBook Pro trackpad failed on me. I wrote to the late great Steve Jobs about that episode. What prompted me to write directly to him about it was that Apple promises ?Geniuses have extensive knowledge of our products?? While I waited on that occasion, two or three geniuses became free and could easily have seen that my trackpad was faulty. However, it turns out that they were only trained in iPhone support. In my letter to Steve I said that they weren?t really ?Geniuses? as promised, but more like ?idiot savants?. I ended up getting a call from the Sydney Apple Store manager as a result, and not long after Apple instituted some changes to help address waiting times. Apparently, Apple still has some way to go on that front.

For all of Apple?s well-earned success, it has managed to achieve this despite the fact that they have had some high profile service and hardware-related failures in recent times. The iPhone 4, of course was plagued by a faulty antenna design, despite Apple?s claims to the contraryelectron. MobileMe had a disastrous roll out and was ultimately replaced by iCloud, which has had a patchy track record too, while it also removed service features. Recently I was one among over a million users who lost access to iCloud email in an outage that extended over 24 hours. This could explain why Apple again offered former MobileMe subscribers an additional 12 months on its upgraded storage plan for free. The iCloud team wrote to affected iCloud users acknowledging that such an outage was unacceptable.

Its social music sharing service Ping has flopped and been discontinued, and now a purple lens flare issue seems to be affecting the iPhone 5. And let?s not even get started on the new Apple Maps app; enough has been written about that, but it does typify what I perceive to be a serious problem at Apple. It is developing a reputation for over promising and under delivering on its services, its customer service, as well as its products as the many examples I have presented here testify to.

I have spent a good deal of money on Apple?s products over the years, even when Apple did not enjoy mass consumer appeal -- I actually miss that version of the company; it was still small enough to be responsive and was much less ?corporate.? I don?t feel that Apple ?owes? me anything for my loyalty, but I do believe that at the least I, or anyone, can expect is that it should make good on all the promises it makes. That it has apologized for its failures, or tried to rectify them on some level has been a positive. However, relying on my loyalty, or that of others, will not sustain Apple forever. For a company with over $100 billion in cash, and which makes substantial margins on most of its products, I expect better.

At the moment, the recent Apple failings outlined here do not appear to be hurting the company?s bottom line. Though, it has to be asked how long this can continue? As the competition continues to get closer and closer to Apple in terms of product design, content ecosystems and operating systems, potential Apple customers might start to take their business elsewhere. If Apple eventually stumbles, it may not be at the hands of its competition; it is quite possible that Apple could be responsible for its own undoing.

Underpromising and overdelivering would seem a better approach for Apple than its current tendency to overpromise and underdeliver ? better to pleasantly surprise your customers than leave them open to potential disappointment. Tim Cook?s re-writing of its Maps app description downplaying its capabilities may force Apple into such a rethink.

I still don?t have an iPhone 5 and it doesn?t look like I will be getting one any time soon. The new Nokia, Samsung and HTC Windows Phone 8 smartphone are certainly worth a look and I await their arrival with keen interest ? at least I won?t have a problem getting any one of them on release.

By Sanjiv Sathiah
News Editor

By Electronista Staff

Source: http://feeds.smartphonemag.com/~r/iPhoneLife_News/~3/lv73EnCzFz8/story01.htm

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Open Yourself Up to Pain/Loss ? Anytime Fitness Cudahy Blog

With yesterday?s tragic spa shooting in Brookfield and so many people going through trauma and challenges in their own lives, thought this might be helpful to us all. Take a step back and really open yourself up to the pain and/or loss. Will it control your life and bring you down? Or, will it change you for the better? What will you choose?

Written by: Gabe Martinez, the owner and main author of the blog ImprovemenTools, where he writes about self-improvement and gives his readers tools to help them grow.

Photo by h.koppdelaney

By Gabe Martinez

Pain and loss is a reality that we all have to deal with in our lives from time to time. It can control our lives and bring us down, or it can actually cause us to change in good ways and make us better.

It?s easy for us to want to push aside our negative feelings and not acknowledge their existence. We want to feel good and be happy all of the time.

And there?s nothing wrong with wanting happiness.

But what if when pain, heartache, or loss strike us, they can actually change us to make us better people? And what if it can help us deal better with future occurrences of pain?

Back in 2007 on the day after Christmas, I lost my best friend of many years to a brain tumor. Naturally, much grief and pain followed for quite some time. I became hopeless, I felt powerless, and I felt overwhelmed.

I also felt confused and I started wondering why these sorts of things happen.

At one point I could tell that these feelings were beginning to have a solid grip on my life. They were able to dictate how I acted and felt about similar situations.

That?s when I realized that I needed to make some positive changes, despite such negative circumstances.

Realize that good comes out of all bad

This is probably the first thing that helped me to deal with my grief and heartache. Realizing that good can come out of bad situations is a powerful realization.

I said to myself there must be a reason that humans feel such horrible feelings.

Though these feelings are considered ?bad? and ?negative,? they are really our allies.

Grieving and heartache means we are filled with love

It reminds us of how much we love others, which triumphs over all negative feelings. For most of us negative feelings are temporary, and feelings of love for our friends and family are permanent. Realizing this helped me in dealing with the loss of my best friend. It reminded me that I loved him dearly, which brought me much comfort. I would be very worried had I not felt grief after his death. That would?ve meant that I didn?t love him like a friend. But the grief reminded me otherwise. This is one of the ways good things come out of bad situations.

By accepting these feelings instead of wanting to push them aside, we are opening ourselves to more love and good feelings. Using this fact will help us to grow, even during our heartache. It will also prepare us in dealing with future situations that bring sorrow.

Pain and sorrow are a transition to new opportunities

We know that life changes rapidly and unexpectedly. My life instantly changed the moment I found out of my friend?s passing. At one point I felt hopeless. But when I decided to use those feelings to my advantage, I flipped them on their head.

Dealing with loss is a period of transition. But it is a period of transition to new and greater things. During my period of grief, I transitioned to a period of personal growth. I was able to easily reach out to my friends and family who were experiencing the same feelings.

By doing this not only did I grow as a person, it made the process much easier and quicker for all of us. We were able to grow together. Keeping this mentality helped me to realize that it?s ok to feel these feelings instead of wanting to push them aside so quickly. Had I pushed them aside, I would?ve crawled up in a corner and not had the opportunity to grow closer to my friends and family. I would?ve missed out on the opportunity to grow.

Learn to welcome pain, heartache, and loss

It sounds kind of strange that I?m saying that we should welcome the pain. Who wants to welcome any kind of pain? Welcoming in this context simply means acceptance.

By welcoming the pain, sorrow, and loss we are accepting that it?s there. By acknowledging its existence, we are allowing ourselves to begin the process of getting through the transition phase.

Grieving allows you to get more in touch with yourself

Most people would want to get rid of the bad feelings as quickly as possible in order to jump right back to happiness. We?ll distract ourselves any which way like connecting more to our computers and phones, or maybe even resort to drug and alcohol abuse.

The reason I welcomed the grief and sorrow over the death of my friend is because it really helped me to be more in touch with myself and know myself better. Sure I could?ve distracted myself however I could, but looking into myself is another way to help me grow.

No one wants to feel these feelings, but when they do come (because they will) they can really help you to be more in touch with yourself, which leads to more learning and greater opportunities.

When it?s over, you will have a new and better outlook on life

Though I still have a hard time when I think about my friend, I have a different outlook on life. Here are some things that will help you turn bad times into an opportunity to get more out of your life:

• Appreciate your loved ones more. Every relationship has its ups and downs. There are the occasional times when we fight with each other. But in the end you?re still friends. You never know when life will make a sudden change. One thing my friend?s passing helped to realize is that whenever I?m angry with any of my friends or family, I think about my best friend and realize that life is too valuable and short to be spending time fighting. I?d rather spend that time helping myself to grow as well as others.
• Appreciate your own life. Sometimes we take our own lives for granted. Like
  maybe spending too much time watching TV or lying around. My best friend?s life was cut short. This could happen to any of us. I realized that I should take advantage of any opportunity I have to be more productive and better my relationships and myself.
• Realize your strength. I felt weak at the time of my friend?s death because I
  decided to let my feelings control me. When I made the decision to turn that around and instead control my feelings, I realized how much strength I had. Growing as a person also means growing stronger. By accepting the hurt, going through the transition, and finally getting over it, you will have come out a much stronger person. This strength is not only beneficial to you, but it will help you to be strong for those who are going through rough times.

Pain, heartache and loss will always be a part of our lives and is sometimes unavoidable. But I hope that we can all realize the good that can still come out these times. It?s up to you to make the change and take the reigns to your feelings. But when you do, it will surely change your life for the better.

Here?s to choosing to?learn from?the pain and/or loss and in choosing to?opening up ourselves to allow it to make us?better. Have a great week everyone!

Jen

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Source: http://anytimefitnesscudahy.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/open-yourself-up-to-painloss/

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Supply Chain Finance scheme announced by No 10

Multi-billion boost for UK supply chain to get business growing

A ground breaking agreement with leading UK companies that will help tens of thousands of businesses secure increased levels of affordable finance was announced by the Prime Minister today, in a move that will support job growth and help aspiring business get ahead.

The Prime Minister today met with the leaders of some of the UK?s largest companies at Downing Street to discuss the important role they play in supporting their supply chains.? As a result of the discussion, the following companies have agreed to boost this support by actively evaluating the implementation of, or continuing to offer, Supply Chain Finance.

The following companies have agreed to this commitment: AB Foods; ASDA; Atos; Babcock International; BAE Systems; Balfour Beatty; Boeing; BP; British Airways; BT; Capgemini; Carillion; Centrica; Dell; Diageo; EDF Energy; Finmeccanica; General Dynamics UK; GKN; GSK; Home Retail Group; HP; IBM; J Sainsbury; Jaguar Land Rover; Kingfisher; Lockheed Martin UK; Marks & Spencer; MBDA; O2; Rolls-Royce; Serco; Siemens; Statoil; Tata Steel in Europe; Tesco; Thales; Vodafone.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

?I praise the commitment made by the businesses today and the wider support they provide to their supply chains.
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?This Government is determined to back all those businesses who aspire to get ahead and take on more people. In the current climate, viable businesses can struggle to get the finance they need to grow ? this scheme will not only help them secure finance and support cash flow, but will help secure supply chains for some of our biggest companies and protect thousands of jobs. It can be a win-win, with large companies and small suppliers both benefiting from this innovative scheme.?

Supply Chain Finance (SCF) is an innovative way for large companies to help their supply chain access credit, improve cash-flow and at a much lower cost, and has already been successfully implemented by companies including Rolls Royce and Vodafone.

With Supply Chain Finance a bank is notified by a large company that an invoice has been approved for payment; the bank is then able to offer a 100 per cent immediate advance to the supplier at lower interest rates, knowing the invoice will ultimately be paid by the large company.

Taken together, this means that leading companies could deliver up to as much as ?20 billion of new cheaper, finance to their suppliers, including many UK SMEs.
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The Prime Minister also announced that the Government will look to, where it can, offer this to its own suppliers, starting with the first UK Government Supply Chain Finance scheme for community pharmacies in England, unlocking up to ?800m of new credit for around 4,500 pharmacy businesses, many of which are SMEs.

The Government believes that this is a major step that could be taken to protect jobs and boost growth, particularly for SMEs, and help our economy compete in the global race.

John Walker, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses said:

?The new Supply Chain Finance scheme could help smaller firms in two key areas ? improving their working capital and tackling the issue of late payments. Nearly three quarters of small businesses report that they have been paid late in the past year, placing a huge strain on cash-flow and meaning they struggle to realise ambitions to grow.

?The FSB welcomes the Government?s commitment to helping small firms secure finance. We encourage large companies to support and implement the scheme, so that it can play its part in improving confidence and encouraging growth throughout the supply chain.?

Matthew Fell, CBI Director for Competitive Markets, said:

?Boosting the use of supply chain finance is an innovative way to ease the funding squeeze for many smaller businesses, but it is dependent on the nature of individual supply chains to work effectively so is not a one size fits all solution.

?At the same time larger firms are identifying a variety of different ways to support their supply chains, normally through improved payment terms, direct collaboration and investment.

?It?s encouraging to see the Government leading from the front by setting up its own supply chain finance scheme for NHS pharmacists.?

Anthony Browne, CEO, British Bankers Association said:

?The British Bankers? Association supports this initiative and encourages the wider adoption of Supply Chain Finance as part of our continued support for business customers. Banks have for a number of years structured Supply Chain finance programmes for corporates to support the financing needs of their suppliers. We look forward to working with the government on this to support the UK economy.?

The Government is keen to ensure that SMEs have the widest range of credit options available to them and is taking action on a number of fronts to deliver this. This includes:

• The Funding for Lending scheme to encourage banks to boost lending in the UK economy;
• The Enterprise Finance Guarantee ? A loan guarantee programme which has helped more than 18,000 small firms obtain bank finance;
• More than ?160m invested in high-growth UK firm through support for the UK Venture Capital industry;
• Generous tax schemes for people investing in start-ups and growing companies in UK; and,
• A new ?82.5m Start-Up loan programme to help young people start their own businesses.

Notes to editors

Supply Chain Finance
?
Major UK companies generally have strong credit ratings and excellent access to finance. This contrasts with the SME suppliers to those major UK companies, who often have relatively more expensive finance, and more limited access to equity capital.
?
The largest component of SME financing is ?working capital? funding. SMEs generally fund their working capital via overdrafts, invoice discounting or factoring or similar products.? These products are generally more expensive than their customer?s cost of credit and provide the SME with an advance rate of around 80% ? with the rest coming from equity capital.? This makes it relatively more challenging and expensive for SMEs to grow.
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With Supply Chain Finance a bank is notified by a large company that an invoice has been approved for payment; the bank is then able to offer a 100 per cent immediate advance to the supplier at lower interest rates based upon their customer?s credit rating (i.e. the major UK company), knowing the invoice will be paid.
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The benefits of Supply Chain Finance are:

• It provides cheap funding to suppliers based on the credit quality of their customers
• It allows suppliers to receive 100 per cent of the invoice value, less a small finance fee, rather than the 70 to 90 per cent generally offered through traditional finance products for SMEs.? This can help free up money for growth, boost cash-flow or allow businesses to refinance existing debt
• It can help supply chains to become more efficient as the overall cost of finance is reduced
• It allows banks to provide finance to SMEs in a significantly more capital efficient manner (which will unlock capital for them to potentially provide yet more lending to SMEs)

SCF was recommended by the Breedon Taskforce on Non-Bank Lending.

Pharmacist scheme:

Community pharmacies dispense around 80 million NHS prescription items every month. They then claim payment from the NHS for the products and services provided.

The amount they are owed is calculated by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), but with such high volumes to process, this takes time. Typically, pharmacy contractors receive an estimated 80 per cent of their payment within four weeks of sending their prescriptions to the NHSBSA with the balance being paid the following month. It can therefore take eight weeks before payment is made in full. However in the meantime, suppliers need to be paid and many pharmacy businesses use commercial loans ? which are often expensive ? to maintain cash flow.

In the Supply Chain Finance system, a bank will make the NHSBSA?s estimated payment available to the pharmacist at around day seven. This means they will have access to money more quickly instead of having to wait for the first payment at the end of the month. In accessing the money early, they will need to pay interest, but it will be at a much lower cost than any borrowing arrangement they could usually access.

The Supply Chain Finance scheme could help reduce this cost of borrowing. Around 4,500 pharmacy businesses will be able to get access to approximately ?800 million of credit at a much lower cost than they do now. This means pharmacies will have access to cheap finance to help cover their suppliers? bills.

Source: https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/investment-network/articles/-/blogs/supply-chain-finance-scheme-announced-by-no-10

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Wrestling Events List: 10/23/12 ? 10/29/12 - Pro Wrestling Digest

Devin Cutting keeps us up to date on wrestling events around the USA.

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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012:

WWE @ Dunkin? Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island
FLOW @ Liquid Lounge in Ybor City, Florida
HoPWF @ Superior Pro Wrestling Training Center in Hagerstown, Maryland
HWA @ Great Miami Event Center in Hamilton, Ohio
OVW @ R & R Auctions & Events Center in Shepherdsville, Kentucky

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Wednesday, October 24th, 2012:

NXT @ National Guard Armory in Orlando, Florida
EWA @ Donna?s Barn & Cafe in Elkmont, Alabama
IWAU @ Knights Of Columbus Hall in Olney, Illinois
OVW @ Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky
RPW @ Rockstar Pro Arena in Dayton, Ohio

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Thursday, October 25th, 2012:

NXT @ NXT Arena in Tampa, Florida
TNA @ Universal Studios (Soundstage 21) in Orlando, Florida
ASW @ Big T Arena in Shelbyville, Tennessee
LVV @ Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, California
MEW @ MEW Arena & TV Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
TWA @ Green Acres Flea Market in Alcoa, Tennessee
UWA @ Andy?s Junction in Seymour, Tennessee

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Friday, October 26th, 2012:

NXT @ National Guard Armory in West Palm Beach, Florida
TNA @ Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri
1CW @ Wrestle-Town USA Building in Franklin, Ohio
3XW @ Forte Banquet & Conference Center in Des Moines, Iowa
AAW @ Eagles Club in Berwyn, Illinois
APW @ APW Arena in Chester, South Carolina
APW @ Cherry Street Gym in Royston, Georgia
AWA @ Skybox Sports Grill in San Diego, California
BTW @ Newark Pavilion in Newark, California
DOA @ Lions Club in Keizer, Oregon
DODPW @ Do Or Die Arena in Metropolis, Illinois
ECPW @ Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, New York
EWA @ Community Of Christ Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee
FSW @ FSW Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
HoPWF @ Mountain Shadows Restaurant in Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania
HPB @ Sluggers World Class Sports Bar in Chicago, Illinois
LLW @ Park ?n? Swap Complex in Glendale, Arizona
LVV @ Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, California
MCPW @ Kalkaska Civic Center in Kalkaska, Michigan
NPWS @ Divine Mercy-Holy Family Church in Carteret, New Jersey
NSW @ Pit Pass Lounge in Graham, North Carolina
NWA Pro South @ Pro South Arena in Piedmont, Alabama
PTW @ Knights Of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, Minnesota
PWR @ Sway Ballroom in Jacksonville Beach, Florida
RNRW @ Hob South Shore Saloon in Port Wing, Wisconsin
SAW @ SAW Mill Arena in Millersville, Tennessee
SWF @ SWF Arena in Tullahoma, Tennessee
UWC @ Washington Gym in Georgetown, Illinois
VCW @ Club Lafayette in Lowell, Massachusetts
WCWO @ Outlaw Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana

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Saturday, October 27th, 2012:

TNA @ St. Louis University (Chaifetz Arena) in St. Louis, Missouri
3XW @ Colfax High School in Colfax, Iowa
ACW @ Stevens Fire Hall in Stevens, Pennsylvania
AIWF Empire @ Legion Street Recreation Center in Johnson City, Tennessee
AIWF Mid-Atlantic @ AIWF Mid-Atlantic Event Center in Mount Airy, North Carolina
Anarchy @ Anarchy Arena in Cornelia, Georgia
AOW @ Power Stadium in Palm Springs, California
APW @ American Coliseum in Spartanburg, South Carolina
APW @ Mill Creek Civic Center in Chesterfield, Indiana
APWA @ School Square in Shinnston, West Virginia
ASW @ ASW House Of Pain in Lewisburg, Tennessee
ASWF @ Valiant Arena in Tuckerman, Arkansas
AWWL @ Marshall Activity Center in Marshall, Michigan
BCW @ Coins Sports Bar in Kenosha, Wisconsin
BPW @ American Legion Post #716 in Los Alamitos, California
BZCW @ Battle Zone Building in Magee, Mississippi
CREW @ National Guard Armory in Williamston, North Carolina
CSW @ Community Center in Mossy Head, Florida
CWF @ CWF Warehouse in Rockwall, Texas
DCW @ Legacy Chevrolet Dealership in Columbus, Georgia
DODPW @ Do Or Die Arena in Metropolis, Illinois
DSCW @ DSCW Arena in Blue Ridge, Georgia
ECPW @ Strand Roller Rink in McAdoo, Pennsylvania
EPW @ Empire Arena in Rossville, Georgia
ETW @ Boys & Girls Club in Bristol, Connecticut
FCW @ Old Crossville Gym in Crossville, Illinois
FLLM @ Tony?s Body Shop in Brownsville, Texas
FSW @ Ludus Wrestling Center in Bloomfield, Connecticut
FTW @ FTW Arena in Newbern, Tennessee
FWA @ FWA Arena in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
HIW @ Unholy Ink Studio in Tucson, Arizona
HoPWF @ Superior Pro Wrestling Training Center in Hagerstown, Maryland
HVW @ HVW Arena in Hendersonville, North Carolina
HWA @ HWA Arena in La Vergne, Tennessee
ICAW @ Southern Illinois University (Student Center) in Carbondale, Illinois
ICW @ Boys & Girls Club in Louisburg, North Carolina
IPW @ IPW Vault in Algona, Iowa
IWA East Coast @ King?s Way Christian Church & Outreach Center in Nitro, West Virginia
IZW @ Impact Arena in Lawton, Oklahoma
JSCW @ Elks Lodge #2340 in Manahawkin, New Jersey
JWA @ Pontiac Convention Center in Janesville, Wisconsin
LCW @ National Guard Armory in Cleveland, Tennessee
MCW @ Claddagh Pub in Lawrence, Massachusetts
MFW @ Moose Lodge in Gowanda, New York
MPW @ Arc Hall in Wyandotte, Michigan
MWF @ Vietnam Veterans Center in Lincolnton, North Carolina
NAW @ NAW Dojo in Fresno, California
NCW @ Elks Lodge in West Warwick, Rhode Island
NEWF @ Community Center in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania
NFW @ Metro Sports Center in Evansville, Indiana
NMRW @ NMRW Arena in Deptford, New Jersey
NPWS @ Seashore Broadway Gym in Long Branch, New Jersey
NWA Action @ Stockbridge Middle School in Stockbridge, Georgia
NWA Top Of Texas @ NWA Top Of Texas Wrestleplex in Amarillo, Texas
NWA Top Rope @ Corsica Joe Sports Arena in Lebanon, Tennessee
NWWF @ Convention Center in Azle, Texas
OTW @ OTW Pro Wrestling Club in Williamstown, New Jersey
OVW @ Community Center in Upton, Kentucky
PPW @ Frederica Volunteer Fire Department in Frederica, Delaware
PPW @ Pride?s Den in Cookeville, Tennessee
PTW @ Community Center in Mackville, Kentucky
PWA @ Boys & Girls Club in Shelton, Connecticut
PWA @ Community Center in Double Springs, Alabama
PWB @ St. Joseph Park in Joliet, Illinois
PWF @ Action Star Studio in Ocoee, Florida
PWG @ American Legion #308 in Reseda, California
PWL @ Venue Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia
RCW @ RCW Arena in Chatsworth, Georgia
RNRW @ Embassy Bar & Lounge in Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota
RPW @ Cambridge Middle School in Cambridge, Ohio
SAW @ Moose Lodge in St. Albans, Vermont
SAW @ Premier Indoor Sports Complex in Antioch, Tennessee
SBCW @ Coca-Cola Pavilion in Ormond Beach, Florida
Shimmer @ Eagles Club in Berwyn, Illinois
SORW @ Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds in Lafayette, Indiana
SPW @ Monterey High School in Monterey, Virginia
SPWA @ Old Action Apparel Building in Ramer, Tennessee
SSW @ Armed Forces Center in Mount Carmel, Tennessee
SWA @ Boondocks Arena in Eastanollee, Georgia
SWF @ Knights Of Columbus Hall in Galveston, Texas
TAP @ 3 Star Sportatorium in McMinnville, Tennessee
TIWF @ Showplex Arena in Trenton, Tennessee
UCW @ Bourbon Park (Pavilion) in Bourbon, Indiana
UIW @ Haralson County Recreation Center in Buchanan, Georgia
VPW @ Lakeview Jr. High School in Santa Maria, California
WCCW @ WCCW Arena in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

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Sunday, October 28th, 2012:

WWE @ Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
ACW @ Theatre Works Building in Colorado Springs, Colorado
CDC @ Mercado Indoor Mall in Mesa, Arizona
DOA @ Charles Jordan Community Center in Portland, Oregon
DWI @ Riverview Flea Market in Riverview, Florida
GOUGE @ Sadlack?s Heroes Bar in Raleigh, North Carolina
Guild @ Fairview Middle School in Tallahassee, Florida
HBW @ Eastwood Expo Center in Niles, Ohio
IWAU @ Knights Of Columbus Hall in Olney, Illinois
MCW @ Central Massachusetts Expo Center in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
PNPW @ Riverside Community Church in Rainier, Oregon
PWB @ La Jamaica Hall in Stockton, California
RPW @ Johnny G?s Fun Center in Warner Robins, Georgia
Shimmer @ Eagles Club in Berwyn, Illinois
UWA @ Mi Tierra Social Club in Newark, New Jersey
UWF @ Old Bingo Hall in Georgetown, Kentucky
WOW @ Buck?s Celebration Center in South Fulton, Tennessee

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Monday, October 29th, 2012:

WWE @ Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina

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Source: http://www.prowrestlingdigest.com/2012/10/22/wrestling-events-list-102312-102912/

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OTT Explains ? Is Software to Clean and Speed ... - Online Tech Tips

There is a multi-billion dollar business built around selling PC and Mac cleaning software. They come in all shapes, sizes and prices and tout the necessity to clean, tune, and fix your computer so that it runs smoothly and efficiently. I?ve even written about many of these programs myself on Help Desk Geek and Online Tech Tips.

But do you really need all that software? Are there any real gains or is it just a bunch of fluff? Well the answer is, it depends. Sometimes a third-party program can provide a valuable service if you know how to use it. However, I have found that most of the utilities recommended on the Internet are full of options and settings that can end up harming your computer more than helping. Not only that, but many big name sites like PC World have lots of articles on tools to ?clean? your computer which are absolutely horrible.

When you talk about cleaning up a computer, whether it be a Mac or a PC, it could refer to any number of things. Let?s break down what each of those categories are and see if it makes sense to use them or not.

Registry Cleaners

Four years back, I wrote a typical 10 best registry cleaners and basically doled out a list of popular and semi-popular registry cleaners without really explaining anything. What does a registry cleaner actually do? Well, it basically (and theoretically) is supposed to remove unused or old entries, thereby ?speeding? up your computer.

Even if you remove only those entries that are not needed, the performance impact is minimal. If you try to do a search for actual performance tests done before and after using a registry cleaner, you?ll find that there are very few actual tests and in the actual tests, there is basically zero difference in performance.

So that?s point one. The second issue is that a lot of registry cleaners will clean out the wrong entries. The only one that I have used and continue to use is CCleaner. It?s one that will not break your system. There is really not another one I can vouch for completely.

At the end of the day, registry cleaners can break your computer, offer no real increase in performance and waste your time. If you want to speed up your computer, read my articles on how to speed up Windows 7?and?speed up Windows 8. Also, uninstall useless programs on your system. That does a lot more in terms of performance than cleaning your registry.

File Cleaners

File cleaners are tools that will do their best to remove junk or unused files on your computer. This includes temporary files, cookies, Windows hot-fixes, cache files, history files, log files, clipboard data, etc, etc. In my view, there are only two decent programs for this that you would ever need: CCleaner and PC Decrapifier.

CCleaner does a great job of cleaning out files that you may no longer need. Again, I?ve never really saved a significant amount of space from using the tool, but if you really want to be super neat and tidy, that?s all you need. On average, I save about 1 GB in space when I run it every few months. Not going to give you back half your hard drive and with hard drives being so large today, it?s not really a big deal if you never do it.

PC Decrapifier is a program that helps you uninstall crap software that comes with new PCs you buy from Dell, HP, etc. I personally recommend just doing a clean install first and then using your computer. Here?s my guide on doing a clean install of Windows 7 and a clean install of Windows 8.

Uninstallers

If you install a lot of software on your PC, you can easily uninstall it yourself. However, there is a whole category of software to help you uninstall programs. Is this necessary? Kind of. I personally try not to install anything on my main PC that I won?t be using every day. If I want to try something or my kids want a game to play, etc, I use a secondary machine and install all the junk. That machine then gets wiped every few months and starts all over again. I also use a virtual machine and load other software there.

If you don?t have a second PC or don?t know how virtual PCs work, you might have software on your system that you don?t want anymore. Most software will have uninstallers to properly remove all the files, but a lot of times they leave stuff behind. On top of that, some programs simply do not come with uninstallers, which is really annoying.

In those cases, I only suggest Revo Uninstaller. It?s been around for a long time and does the best job. It?s not free, so I would only spend the money if you have a lot of programs that didn?t come with proper uninstallers. Otherwise, you can uninstall them and then run CCleaner to clean out any old or unused entries from those programs.

Also, like with most of these tools, it comes with some other utilities that you really don?t need. However, it?s still ok in my book for some users as uninstalling programs is not necessarily a smooth experience in Windows.

Startup Cleaners

Startup cleaners are the really useless programs if you ask me. Windows has built-in tools to see all the startup programs on your system and there is really no need to see the startup drivers, DLLs, etc, etc that some of these programs tout. Beyond simple programs, it really makes no difference unless you?re a tech geek.

A lot of the programs claim they will give you descriptions and details on each of the programs and while this may be true, you really don?t need a program for that info. Just read my article on how to change startup programs in Windows (and startup programs in Windows 8, since it?s in a new location), then do a Google search on any startup item you?re not sure about!

I definitely do not recommend installing a startup cleaner as it?s something that can be done by the user with a little bit of time and research. Now can disabling startup programs make a difference? Yes! Startup programs can really slow down your PC, so it is a good idea to disable any you think you won?t need. Again, it?s like the registry because if you disable the wrong item, your computer may not work properly. Just do a little Googling before you disable something and you?ll be fine.

Duplicate File Finders

Another set of tools are geared towards removing duplicate files. I would have to say that this can be useful. I?ve had a lot of occasions where I copied the same photos or videos off my camera and then had a bunch of extra space being used because of that. A duplicate file finder can save your some disk space if you have a lot of photos, videos, or music that might be duplicated.

For photos, I?ve used Picasa to find duplicates because it looks at the actual picture to make sure it?s a duplicate, rather than just the file name. For videos and music, there are a lot of programs out there and I suggest you just Google it. Make sure you run the EXE file through VirusTotal before you install it. I would only download a tool that finds just duplicates rather than those all-in-tools that do X, Y, Z, etc.

Also, make sure you don?t buy anything. There are a lot of great free programs that can find duplicates, so don?t get suckered into purchasing something just to remove duplicates.

Browser/History Cleaners

Unless you can?t type and search in Google, you really do no need browser and history cleaners. I mean it?s a fairly easy thing to do. Don?t get tricked into thinking that the program can securely wipe or completely delete or any other useless hype they give you. You can delete your history just fine and make sure it can?t be recovered.

Most people end up buying this software because they have some shady browsing they need to hide and they get scared that someone will find it unless they use one of these tools that claim only their program can really delete your browsing history. Complete BS. Here are some previous article I wrote on the topic:

Delete Browsing History in Firefox

Clear Google Search History

How to Remove and Delete Cookies

Basically, you want to delete your browsing history using the browser and clear the cache. That?s it. You don?t need any fancy tool to do that. No one has ever been able to recover my history. I even tried to recovery my own history to see if this was good enough and it was.

Internet Speed Boosters

Internet speed boosters are another useless category of software you should never install. These programs are more likely to break your Internet connection or slow it down more than speed anything up. You want a faster Internet connection? Get a faster wireless router, clear up interference on your wireless network, and boost your Wifi signal.

There are some occasions where changing some TCP or network settings can speed up file write/read performance over the network, but that is usually for LAN traffic and not your Internet connection. Call your ISP and increase your download speed, but don?t install a speed booster!

Conclusion

As you can see from above, I don?t recommend installing too many so-called optimizers and tune-up utilities for your PC. There are a few good programs out there, but the majority suck. Try to do as much as you can by yourself and then only use trusted programs like the ones I mentioned above. What are your thoughts about clean up utilities? Do you use any? Let us know in the comments. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/ott-explains-is-software-to-clean-and-speed-up-your-pc-useful/

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Celebrities Honor Ellen DeGeneres with Top Humor Prize in D.C. ...

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi pose on the red carpet during The 15th Annual Mark Twain Prize For American Humor at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (credit: Kris Connor/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) ? Some of the nation?s top comedians hailed Ellen DeGeneres as a trailblazer Monday night as she received the nation?s highest humor prize.

The Kennedy Center is awarding DeGeneres the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The show will be broadcast Oct. 30 on PBS stations.

?Thanks to everyone at PBS. I am so happy to be part of your farewell season,? DeGeneres joked in accepting the prize and taking a jab at Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney?s plans to stop funding public broadcasting.

On the red carpet before the show, DeGeneres said she doesn?t see herself as political with her comedy, though, even though she?s been a trailblazer.

?I just want to make people happy and make people laugh,? she said.

DeGeneres, 54, began her career as a comedy club emcee in her native New Orleans. After a performance on Johnny Carson?s show in 1986, he invited her over to his desk to chat. She was the first female comedian to receive that invitation from Carson.

Turning to acting, DeGeneres landed sitcoms on Fox and ABC, eventually starring in ?Ellen? from 1994 to 1998. She broke new ground and a taboo in 1997 when she came out publicly as a lesbian and her TV persona then became the first lead character on prime-time TV to reveal she was gay. A record 46 million viewers watched the episode.

Coming out on TV 15 years ago feels like another life, she said Monday night before the show.

?I did it because it was the right thing for me to do,? DeGeneres said. ?It was the right thing for me to do to not live with shame. I happened to help a lot of people, and it happened to create a ruckus.?

Jimmy Kimmel called it a milestone.

?For a lot of people, Ellen is their only homosexual friend,? he said. ?She?s there in their living room every single day.?

On stage, he said DeGeneres was his inspiration.

?Because of Ellen, in 1998, I mustered the strength to come out of the closet ? despite the fact that I?m not gay,? he joked. ?Thanks to Ellen, vests aren?t just for magicians anymore.?

Sean Hayes said DeGeneres made his former show, ?Will and Grace,? possible. He said her ?fearlessness? was her biggest contribution and that she changed America.

?We didn?t have a voice, until there was you,? he said before breaking into a rendition of ?Till There was You.?

?Glee? star Jane Lynch said DeGeneres ?took one for the team.?

?She?s the one who went in there with a machete? and cleared the way for other shows with gay characters such as ?Glee,? she said. ?Look where she is today.?

Kristin Chenoweth said DeGeneres has always remained kind.

?She?s not a mean girl comic,? she said.

When DeGeneres first heard she was receiving the same honor that Bill Cosby, Tina Fey and Will Ferrell won in recent years, she joked, ?Why didn?t I get this sooner??

After DeGeneres came out on TV in 1997, the show began to tank and was canceled a year later. The feeling of rejection was enough to send DeGeneres into a depression. Still, ?Ellen? paved the way for future shows to feature gay characters, from ?Will and Grace? to ?Modern Family.?

DeGeneres came back with a CBS sitcom, movie roles and even a stint as an ?American Idol? judge. Forbes magazine has ranked her as the 47th most-powerful woman in the world and estimated her earnings at $53 million last year.

Her hit talk show that debuted in 2003 is now in its 10th season. Among other achievements, that?s where she eventually persuaded President Barack Obama to dance.

?She?s brilliantly shined a light on society, and that?s what Mark Twain did,? said Cappy McGarr, an executive producer for the Mark Twain Prize show, when the award was announced.

The prize honors comedians in Mark Twain?s tradition of satire and social commentary. Past winners include Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin and Whoopi Goldberg.

John Leguizamo saluted DeGeneres and PBS for planning to air the show.

?How about that? A gay woman on PBS ? with public money and the Kennedys,? he said. ?It?s like the tea party?s worst nightmare.?

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Source: http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/10/23/celebrities-honor-ellen-degeneres-with-top-humor-prize-in-d-c/

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