Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Plastic Surgery Houston Helping People Out ? Health & Fitness

Everyone in the world, most likely, has one part of their body they are not happy with. It could be a big nose, or ears that stick out too much, or even just the fact that they cannot get all the weight off that they would like too. But with plastic surgery Houston, you can change all that and pretty quickly.

It is not a big deal anymore, and costs have done quite a bit when it comes to the different options you have for procedures. In the past only people who had a lot of money could even think about getting something done.

Since media is always portraying beautiful as a certain way, many people will strive to look like movie stars or models. Sometimes they may even become addicted to having the different surgeries done. It could either be the medications they take after, or just the need to look perfect.

There are so many good ways that this skill has progressed over the years, and allowed many to live their life normally. It used to be when you had scars from a wreck you would be stuck with them. Many people, who felt they looked bad, would often lock themselves inside.

Surgery though can be done to help out other people in the world too, not just the ones who are striving for the right look. There have been procedures done on children who are born with birth defects, allowing them to grow up without a distinct feature that could have them standing out and being teased by classmates.

When it comes to planning your plastic surgery Houston, do compare the choices of surgeons around. Make sure that you are getting one who will know what they are doing, and complete the job correctly. Also when they tell you the steps to follow after the procedure be sure that you listen, or you may damage what they worked on.

Looking to find the definitive source of information on plastic surgery Houston?

Source: http://health.blogmeout.net/2011/08/plastic-surgery-houston-helping-people-out/

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Drought, high demand makes hay hard to find (AP)

OMAHA, Neb. ? A scorching drought in the southern Plains has caused hay prices to soar, benefiting farmers to the north but forcing many ranchers to make a difficult choice between paying high prices or selling their cattle.

Ranchers in much of Texas, Oklahoma and even Kansas are having to pay inflated prices for hay and then shell out even more to have it trucked hundreds of miles from Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska or South Dakota. Their only other options are to reduce the size of their herds or move cattle to rented pastures in another state.

"It's pretty ugly," said Don Davis, who raises grass-fed beef on his ranch about 75 miles northwest of San Antonio.

Davis said he used to think last year's dry weather couldn't get worse, but this year's record-setting drought has put even more pressure on ranchers.

Parts of Texas haven't received any rain since last fall, and forecasters predict the drought will linger at least through September. The situation isn't much better in western Oklahoma, southern New Mexico and parts of southern Kansas.

Officials say only a handful of Texas' 254 counties received enough rain to grow hay this year, so significantly less is available at the same time demand has skyrocketed because pastures are parched.

That's why the average price of hay climbed to $170 per ton this summer from $112 per ton last July, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics. But many ranchers are paying much more because the price doesn't include shipping costs.

"Hay has gone up tremendously in price, and it's hard to get," said Jay O'Brien, who runs a ranch near Amarillo, Texas.

Some farmers have turned to social networking to find hay. The Hay Connection, a Facebook site started by two Oklahoma brothers, matches buyers and sellers and had more than 7,500 fans by midday Sunday.

Farmers in Iowa and Wisconsin banded together last week to donate several truckloads of hay to ranchers in Texas and Oklahoma, but those donations are likely to offer only a temporary reprieve.

Nebraska hay farmer Cory Banzhaf said he's shipped about 80 percent of his crop ? roughly 2,000 tons ? south to Kansas and Oklahoma this year because of the drought.

Banzhaf said trucking the hay grown near Pleasanton, Neb., adds $50 to $70 to the cost of each ton, leaving ranchers with bills of between $225 and $270 a ton.

"It's great if you're selling it, but horrible if you're buying it," said Banzhaf, who can sympathize because he also raises about 1,000 cattle.

Continuing to buy hay at those prices could be a recipe for bankruptcy, so ranchers have been selling off calves and cows of calf-bearing age even though they know it will be costly to rebuild their herds later.

Davis said he had to truck in hay from Nebraska this year at a total cost of about $240 a ton to supplement the emergency supply he had in his barn. Normally, he relies almost entirely on pastures to feed his cattle.

The cost led to his decision to sell off more of his cattle this year, even though he estimates his herd is about 40 head smaller today than it was in 2008.

"I don't know that anyone could significantly plan for a drought like we've had," Davis said.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service drought specialist Travis Miller said many livestock auctions in the state are so busy right now that they've been turning cattle away. Ranchers have been selling off cattle at double or triple the normal rate.

"We've been culling and culling heavily," Miller said.

Scott Dewald, executive vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen, said the southwest and northwest corners his state are in especially bad shape, forcing ranchers to bring in hay from as far away as South Dakota.

Many ranchers also have lost access to water because ponds have dried up, adding to the need to reduce the size of herds or even sell all their cattle, he said. Fortunately, prices paid have largely remained strong because of high demand from foreign markets and other factors, enabling ranchers to make some money on the sales.

"At least we didn't have the added insult of selling into a down market," Dewald said.

___

Online:

U.S. Drought Monitor: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The Hay Connection: http://on.fb.me/okjuuc

___

Follow Josh Funk on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/funkwrite

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110829/ap_on_re_us/us_food_and_farm_hay_shortage

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Business Security Information ? Point of Sale Security ? Restaurants!

Recently, I have read about a few incidents of point-of-sale (POS) security breaches in restaurants.? In most of the cases, people who have eaten at these restaurants and paid by debit or credit card have experienced fraudulent charges to their cards.? The initial investigations in these restaurant cases ruled out a typical card skimming fraud.

Such an incident could happen in one of two ways.? First, the computer system that runs the POS has been compromised or infected so that debit and credit card data are being captured while they are processed through the POS system.? Secondly, the third party vendor hired to handle the credit and debit card information has been attacked and the information is captured while being handled by their network.

Any business using POS systems needs to properly protect their computers and systems but also needs to make sure that their third-party vendor evaluates and verifies their own security status.? Even though it is not easy to verify a third-party vendor?s security measures, you can determine that the vendor that processes your transactions is in compliance with PCI Security Standard.? The PCI Security Standard is a good beginning point but should be considered a baseline and not a silver bullet that will prevent all data breaches.

Why Should a Restaurant Worry

Reports have been coming out lately that restaurants are increasingly being targeted by fraudsters because the attackers have identified weaknesses in the restaurants? or third-party vendors? computer security measures.? Debit and credit card fraud at restaurants overall, but especially at fast food and pizza restaurants has been increasing over the past couple months.? This should concern you if you operate or manage a restaurant.

In most restaurants, one of the contributors to data breaches is the unusually high staff turnovers that occur as well as the lax hiring practices, such as no background checks or employment verifications, etc.? Small businesses with just one or two restaurants are still targets of data breaches.? Visa estimates that 95 percent of the credit card breaches involve small businesses.

Beyond evaluating current security measures and making plans to improve security for those vulnerabilities that are identified in a security assessment, make sure you have developed a notification plan to notify your customers if a data breach does occur.? How well you respond to your customers and their needs after an identified data breach will determine if you keep or lose those customers.

Take some time to evaluate your current security measures and talk to your third-party processor about their security to see if anything may need to be investigated further or whether other security improvements need to be implemented.? Remember, if you are not satisfied with the security of your? third-party processor, it is a good idea to change to one that will better protect the personal data of your customers.

Related posts:

  1. Data Breach Threats and Small Business
  2. Changes in Spear Phishing Attacks
  3. ATM Skimming and Other Fraud Methods

Source: http://www.businesssecurityinformation.com/2011/08/point-of-sale-security-restaurants/

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Monday, August 29, 2011

Home Lighting Technique Tips | Jointhey Home Improvement

Lighting is one of the basic concepts that are handled in decoration. However, homeowners are not always aware of its importance. The choice of lighting is so mighty, or more so, than the furniture. Lighting is responsible in big fragment of the safety and welfare of family members. luminous where to site the various points of light, as well as the ideal system is distinguished to work and rest at ease.

Before any kind of home renovation work you need to plan the entire lighting system of the house, plugs, lamps, wiring, etc., in order to avoid having to slit wall for wiring later. You should also contemplate what electrical accessories you will need and what kind of activity you will do in each room of the house.

There are three different types of lighting: general lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting.

General Lighting is old-fashioned to illuminate an entire room, this can be accomplished with chandeliers, ceiling or wall mounted fixtures, recessed or track lights. You can double the amount of light if it is reflected on a mirror, a wall or white ceiling.

Task lighting is ragged to illuminate a particular region. For non-dazzling light when working, hide it with some kind of hide, always trying to focus in avoiding shadows on the work region. It can be provided by recessed and track lighting, pendant lighting and under cabinet lighting, as well as by portable floor and desk lamps.

Accent lighting is used as share of an interior invent blueprint to plan the survey to houseplants, paintings, sculptures and other prized possessions. To be effective, accent lighting requires at least three times as powerful light on the focal point as the general lighting surrounding it. Accent lighting is usually provided by recessed and track lighting or wall-mounted narrate lights. The upward vertical ones are lights which light do is created primarily by reflecting the beam in the ceiling. This system is often veteran to carry out a soft indirect carry out. For this purpose you can spend wall lamps and floor lamps.

obscene voltage lamps are useful to illuminate sculptures and paintings on the wall, because they carry out less heat. You can decide a track light with a dimmer switch. Must be installed by a professional.

Never jabber the bulbs directly on paintings and furniture of spacious value, or area aside a lamp under a painting, the heat of the lights could cause afflict. Since virtually all experts agree that about 60 percent of the population spends more than 5 hours a day watching television, this leads us to say is the most famous appliance in the house, therefore, occupies a privileged station in the living room, bedroom and, in some cases, even in the kitchen.

This means it is indispensable to know what type of lighting is most appropriate for each site, but above all, what kind of light is the best to avoid eyestrain or visual fatigue in viewers. There are three basic rules to beget when illuminating a room where a TV is installed, so not end up seriously affecting vision.

? Never gape television in a completely dismal room.
? Nor should it be done with a very strong light.
? Avoid the light, natural or artificial, is reflected in the device?s conceal.

To avoid impaired vision is recommended, when watching television, have soft lighting. This can be achieved by different ways.

? With dimmer switches that allow you to adjust the amount of light emitted by the lighting system.
? Placing a secondary light source uninteresting the TV, facing the wall.
? Placing points of lights fair slow the viewer.

Another critical aspect when planning the illumination of a house are the switches. Try to place them come the doors and easily to arrive in order to turn on or turn off the lights in comfort. In the living room, install a switch for each lamp or group of them and dimmable lights. Know that it takes about 20 watts of light per square meter of space.

Several table lamps or floor lamps, spread around the room, give a softer carry out than a single central lamp.

To accumulate the room appear wider catch ceiling lights directed towards the walls, taking care that the amount of light is uniform throughout the wall. This is even more effective in light-coloured walls. For a discrete illumination install lights hidden or half-hidden in the ceiling, trying not to reveal the source of the light.

In hallways and stairs accomplish certain this residence is always well lit to prevent accidents and to originate warm and welcoming. Paint the walls of the hall and stairs with a light color to spy light better at it.
In the living room, plan for light effects to highlight areas where there are paintings, sculptures or plants. A chandelier or pendant light can be ideal to illuminate the dining table, or you can also plot several limited hanging lights.

In bedrooms install a general lights, hold lamps on the bedside tables for reading, and lights in the closet dwelling.

In children rooms spend dimmable wall lamps instead of floor lamps or table lamps.

In conclusion lighting makes a astronomical disagreement in how you feel about your home. Lighting helps you effect tasks more easily, and makes you feel safer and more comfortable. By using different lighting techniques, you can secure a dramatic gawk, a soft cozy feeling, highlight artwork, or provide lighting for a work area. When planning the lighting for a room in your home, commence by considering the activities taking position and the inspect you are trying to conclude.

Related posts:

  1. Home Lighting acquire Tips And Ideas
  2. Home Lighting for Safety, Convenience and Decoration
  3. Home Lighting Options and Solutions
  4. Effective Lighting Tips For Your Bedroom
  5. Interior enact With Indoor Lighting Fixtures

Source: http://www.jointhey.com/home-lighting-technique-tips/

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Save the Dates: Twin Cities Alt Press Events

September 16-18, 2011 Twin Cities Anarchist Bookfair

Friday 9/16: UMN West Bank – Blegen Hall, Room 415

5:30pm – Radical History panel discussion with Andrej Grubacic and Terry Bisson

Saturday 9/17: Powderhorn Park

10:30am – 6:00pm – Tables, speakers and workshops
10pm – Afterparty @ Sisters Camelot (2310 Snelling Ave, Mpls)

Sunday 9/18: Powderhorn Park

10:30am – 6:00pm – Tables, speakers, and workshops
2:00pm – Really Really Free Market

  

Since 2004, the Twin Cities Zinefest has welcomed creatives, rebels, musicians and frustrated intellectuals to connect, create and share ideas. As the area’s premiere DIY craft, culture and self-publishing event, Zinefest often features an art show, live music, craft demonstrations, guest speakers and panel discussions. Most importantly, Zinefest plays host to some of the Midwest’s best self-made talent.

Natural weight loss supplements-A Healthy Way ... - Health & Fitness

The desire to look smart is on the rise and so is the confusion associated with selection of natural weight loss supplements. There are huge numbers of weight loss pills in the market and one really has to make a tough decision of choosing one. Before finalizing your choice, always take time to research on various natural ingredients that help to reduce weight naturally. Then, go to the market and try to find the product that contains most of these ingredients.

There are numerous natural products that can help you lose weight and their presence in the weight loss pill is a must. There cannot be a single pill that contains all these elements. Besides natural ingredients there are some synthetic ingredients as well in these products and some of these ingredients have to be avoided at all cost due to side effects associated with these. One of such elements is Ephedra as it causes heart issues if used in excess. You can find many pills on internet in the online stores that contain this ingredient.

Always remain alert for the side effects of using extra dosage of these pills. One cannot get smarter over night. Let the natural course take its time. There is always some prescribed dosage and any excess to it will cause health issues. Few of the possible side effects that can result from over dosage are vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, heart related disease and death. Heart diseases are the most common side effect associated with over dose and unhealthy supplements and pills.

Two of the main ingredients that natural weight loss supplements should contain are the extracts from green tea leaves and Linoleic acid. Both these ingredients are natural fat burner and contain no side effect. A healthy pill will contain ingredients that have less side effects and work naturally to speed up fat burning. Be aware of unhealthy and unapproved pills that claim to work in few days.

There are millions of pills available in the market and you must remain conscious to select the one which is more natural and healthy. The blind desire to look smarter may lead you to serious side effects. Always research well and consult some expert to select natural weight loss supplements.

Bryan Martin has been contributing to leading Weight loss magazine for the past 10 years. He wants to recommend Natural Weight Loss Supplements for fat burning which works very well in all age group.

Source: http://health.blogmeout.net/2011/08/natural-weight-loss-supplements-a-healthy-way-forward/

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Sunday, August 28, 2011

PFT: Kiffin says it's 'almost impossible' to win with Davis

3044386Getty Images

The NFL wants to implement HGH testing before the start of the regular season.? The regular season starts in only 13 days.

So what?s the status of the talks regarding HGH testing?

Per the Associated Press, the two sides remain at impasse as to the particulars of the testing procedures.

The new CBA states that HGH testing will be conducted annually and also on a random basis.? The NFL is pushing to get the testing protocol in place, and the union is resisting.? The sticking point is the procedures that will be used by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

NFL general counsel Jeff Pash said that WADA ?demonstrated to our satisfaction that there is very sound science and very thoughtful testing protocols? at a recent meeting in Montreal.

The NFLPA doesn?t share that view.? ?We have never shied away from the fact that that needs to be tested,? Broncos safety and NFLPA Executive Committee member Brian Dawkins said. ?But it?s just doing it the right way and going about it in not such an invasive way.?

NFLPA spokesman George Atallah was more specific.? ?The documents WADA gave us were not adequate at all,? Atallah told Juliet Macur of the New York Times.? ?And we?re not going to implement another person?s test without looking at the scientific documents ourselves.? We?re disappointed in the lack of transparency on WADA?s part.?

WADA officials aren?t pleased with that.? ?We gave them all the information,? WADA?s director general David Howman recently told Mark Maske of the Washington Post.? ?The scientists in the room were all satisfied. .?.?. It?s a very robust test and very conservatively applied.?

More pointedly, Howman said that the players are taking ?a very strange approach? if they truly want the sport to be clean.

Suddenly, this standoff reminds us of the union?s position that no new CBA could be negotiated without comprehensive financial information.? Eventually, it was.

As a result, it?s hard to put much credence in yet another potentially hollow request for necessary documentation that, in the end, really won?t be necessary at all.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/26/lane-kiffin-says-its-almost-impossible-to-win-with-al-davis/related

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Internal Branding | Article Imp

It is an approach showing the full confidence of the company on the owner?s name or profession and its firm belief that the same could carry it to success. If they have, it must be shown by the way they render service to all the people your company is dealing with. If they do the opposite, it is a manifestation that you do not deliver what is being promoted. The staff must show the sincerity of the firm?s brand and this is the meaning of internal branding.

This is called personal branding in business branding strategy.In this kind of business branding, you must understand fully well what branding strategy is. The limits of your product branding approach must be fixed whether you will utilize personal branding or corporate branding or a tandem of the two product branding activities.

Numerous makers of shoes and clothing apparels are availing of this kind of product branding by using individuals with popular names; as a matter of fact,many are the designers themselves of their own product being sold. The branding design is a product of many hours of data gathering, evaluation and in-depth analysis of all available marketing data. Numerous firms that have no budget problem prefer to award the job to brand marketing consultants to produce the most appropriate branding guidelines which would represent the branding design and with notation of logo branding and SharePoint branding regarding the company?s online operations.

The business strategy is to capitalize on its popularity for that much coveted goal of capturing the fancy of the market with the use of the popular name.You have to define your brand objectives in coming up with such branding design and a big consideration of the target market must be noted. The product branding design must consider individually the color, the packaging shape, symbols including logo and the words you will put on that brand.

Remember that your brand should develop not only the impression of its availability but its quality on the target market to win. The recognition of your brand helps the company to build its credible status and also promotes customers? solid trust and loyalty to the firm.

If you are interested in web hosting nzas well as cash loan, you can turn to the author.

Source: http://www.articleimp.com/internal-branding

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Saturday, August 27, 2011

Important Considerations Before Renting Panama Fishing Charters ...

There are many things people should consider when booking Panama fishing charters. The price of the trip is something people need to think about it carefully before scheduling it. Individuals with children must verify that the boats are kid friendly.

People must take into consideration their financial status before renting a boat. Sometimes, when individuals spend too much they wind up enjoying the trip less than they thought they would because they are concerned about the cost of the activity.

Individuals who intend to bring children on a trip should verify that doing so is acceptable. Some boats offer activities to keep children occupied during the trip. When parents plan ahead they can make sure that their children will have an enjoyable experience while traveling on the sea.

It is vital that perspective customers make sure the boat they choose meets the safety standards set forth by the local authorities prior to scheduling a trip. Making sure that a boat meets the necessary standards will reduce the chances of people getting injured while traveling. Traveling in a safe boat is important for passengers to do.

Individuals who are traveling utilizing company for the first time should ask about cancellation policies. Many times whether conditions can make it impossible to travel on certain days. Many organizations will offer refunds to passengers who are unable to travel due to subpar weather conditions. Individual should also make sure they ask about refunds for people who need to cancel the trip for personal reasons.

There are numerous factors to consider when booking Panama fishing charters. People need to make sure they can afford the cost of renting the boat. Parents should make sure they are allowed to bring their children on the trip prior to boarding the vessel Read more about: panama fishing charters

Looking to find the definitive source of information on panama fishing charters?

Source: http://treasuredarticles.com/recreation-sports/important-considerations-before-renting-panama-fishing-charters

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How to prepare, really, tips from a hurricane vet

By Kerry Sanders, NBC News Correspondent

ATLANTIC Beach, N.C. -- I've covered hurricanes from El Salvador to Montauk, on the tip of Long Island, for three decades.

There's no question hurricanes are a hassle. What you don't want to learn is that they can also be deadly.

Here are a few tips that may not be on the usual lists suggesting provisions of food, water, and batteries.

* Ignore your inner-self that wants to think this is all hype.
Hurricane force winds and storm surge are real and there is nothing you can do at the last minute to push back.


*Find comfortable cotton clothes. You will lose power and that means it will get hot. Hurricanes leave you locked inside thick humidity, so you want to be comfortable. Baby powder is nice to have and forget the jeans, they're just plain uncomfortable.

*Choose the spot you will hunker down. (Ideally that will be an interior room with a load-bearing wall with no windows).? Don't go to the basement as that could fill up with water and you could drown (drowning is the leading cause of death during a hurricane).

*Prepare that room for comfort. Pillows, food, board games to pass the time.? And if you can squeeze a mattress in that room, do so. Why?? If the hurricane breaches your home, windows break, roofs tear off, you can hunker down under that mattress in your interior room.? Ask survivors of Hurricane Andrew in South Florida and two out of three will tell you that's how they made it thru that storm. The most popular spot to go is also the most uncomfortable, the bathroom.

*Fill your bathtub with water and find a bucket.? After the storm, if you lose power and the toilet won't flush, take a bucket of water from the tub, hold it waist high and dump it quickly into the toilet. You toilet will flush.

*Go to your balcony, or around your home and pull in the planters.? Those small items can become missiles in the storm. In the tropics, one of the biggest concerns is coconuts going airborne in a hurricane force wind. It can become a cannon ball.

*Don't ride out the storm alone.? It can be scary when you hear creaks and other sounds that you have never heard before. Together you can reassure each other that things are ok.

*Skip the alcohol. Hurricane parties are always popular, but if there is a calamity and you have to think on your feet quickly, the last thing you want to do it be impaired. I know lots of folks will ignore this tip, so my only advice is moderation is your friend.
?
Remember, Irene is moving slowly, so this will be a long haul.? If the eye passes directly over you, you'll be tempted to go outside.

It's a rare experience to see the eye: calm skies, birds flying, just?beautiful.?Just remember, the winds are strongest right up against that eye-wall and if you're outside, you could die.?

Finally, don't rely on anyone but yourself.

Source: http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/26/7486141-how-to-prepare-really-tips-from-a-hurricane-vet

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Friday, August 26, 2011

Payless owner to shutter 475 stores, sell itself

The parent company of Payless and Stride Rite shoe stores, Collective Brands Inc., said Wednesday that it plans to close 475 stores and has engaged a firm to help it explore its options.

The company posted a second-quarter loss of $35 million Wednesday, including $83.6 million in one-time charges that mainly reflect the declining value of its stores and of Stride Rite's trade name.

The company's shares soared more than 40 percent in after-hours trading after the announcement.

Its board adopted a short-duration shareholder rights plan, a common tool for fending off unsolicited or hostile offers while such a review is under way. The so-called "poison pill" will kick in if any person or group buys more than 15 percent of Collective Brands' outstanding common stock.

Its largest shareholder is PrimeCap Management Co., with just over 10 percent of outstanding shares, according to FactSet.

The company said its board and executives are conducting "a review of strategic and financial alternatives to further enhance shareholder value" and it hired Perella Weinberg Partners and Kurt Salmon as advisors. The language is typical for companies looking to put themselves up for sale, but the company said it couldn't predict the move's consequences.

Collective Brands plans to close stores with low sales volume in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. More than 300 will be shuttered by the end of the year, including about 275 Payless and 75 Stride Ride children's stores.

The company currently operates 4,844 stores, of which 4,461 are Payless stores. During the second quarter, it opened 18 new stores, closed 20 stores and moved 14 stores.

It expects to record charges of $19 million related to stores closures in the current quarter. Future charges for the closings could add up to $25 million to $35 million.

Collective Brands' loss for the three months that ended July 30 amounted to 58 cents per share. That's compared with a profit of $21.1 million, or 32 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding the $83.6 million in charges, the company said it earned $9.9 million, or 16 cents per share. Analysts were expecting adjusted earnings of 21 cents per share, according to FactSet.

Revenue rose 5 percent to $882.4 million, from $841.3 million a year ago and beating analysts' forecast for $872.9 million, according to FactSet.

As of July 30, Collective Brands said, the company had $234.8 million in cash on hand and about $657 million in long-term debt.

After hours, the company's shares settled at $13.70, up $3.42, or 33.3 percent from Wednesday's close. They had ended regular trading at $10.28, up 26 cents, and they have traded between $9.11 and $23.96 the past year.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44265495/ns/business-retail/

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Thursday, August 25, 2011

Disaster Recovery Preparedness: Best Practices from an IBM ...

?

According to a recent?report from Forrester Group," Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery are top IT priorities for 2010 and 2011." This should come as no surprise as extreme weather conditions are at an all time record high around the world.? Yesterday, the East Coast was rocked by a surprise 5.9 earthquake. ? This year alone, the world has seen record snow falls in Europe and the eastern seaboard, flooding in the midwest, hurricanes and tornadoes.?? Extreme weather produces extreme disasters.? One IBM customer who has literally weathered the storms and recovered from a natural disaster is?Richard Cosby, Systems Administrator for Estes Express Lines. In 2004, Estes was hit hard by an unforseen natural disaster, Hurricane Gaston.? The city where Estes is based, Richmond Virginia, received fourteen inches of rain in just a few hours.? The result was massive flooding, which seeped into the Estes datacenter.? "Every piece of hardware, including our seven IBM System i servers, all of the SAN [storage-area network] storage, the fabric switches, routers, network equipment, phone system, was flooded, " explains Mr. Cosby.

So how did Cosby recover from the Hurricane and rebuild?? Fortunately, he had been protecting his data along.? Recently I sat down with Mr.Cosby to find out how he protected his data. He very graciously answered by questions, and offered some best practices that may be of interest to Storage Community members.? Following is my interview with him.

Q) Tell us a little about your position at Estes Trucking? What are your responsibilities?

A. I'm the IBM i & Storage System Admin. and datacenter manager. I'm responsible for our line-of-business systems and DS8000 SAN storage servers.

?Q You really had to learn about Disaster Recovery the hard way. Were you in the habit of regularly backing up your data nightly before the Hurricane Gaston Hit in 2004?

A. Before the hurricane disaster, we backed up production date nightly, using a combination of DS8000 FlashCopy and then a save to LTO tape (disk to disk to tape). This process allowed a full copy of production data to be point-in-time flashcopied and then made available to our backup LPAR. This process does not interrupt our production LPAR jobs.

?Q I read that you spoke at a user group and that you mentioned that it only takes you about 18 minutes now to do a complete system back-up using your Power HA System. Is that true? Has Power HA dramatically cut your back-up time? How many people are involved in doing your data back-up?

A. The nightly DS8000 Flashcopy process takes less than three (3) seconds to complete. Then, the data volumes are made available to our backup LPARs. Without this process (disk to disk to tape), we could not perform a point-in-time nightly backup, since the save to tape on one LPAR executed for seven (7) hours for the tape save, 8TB.

No staff is involved. Job schedule entries execute and monitor the nightly saves to tape.

Q. Do you still use Tape Back-up? Have you read all the controversy about whether or not Tape is dead? I know Google uses Tape to back up all the Gmail data and it has saved them.

A. We use LTO tape backup for all backup tasks. LTO is very inexpensive, requires no power for data cartridge storage, not subject to malware corruption, hardware encryption, transportable. Data Dedup is far more complex and expensive for backup needs. Our datacenter was flooded and all hardware was destroyed. A Dedup process would not have provided us a DR backup solution, as implemented, without a second site and networking cost.

?Q. How important was Flash Copy to your back-up and recovery efforts?

A. Flashcopy allows us to make point-in-time backups without any interruption to production, so very important.

?Q. Can you outline Best Practices that your have implemented for Back-up that doesn't interrupt your current production?

A.Yes, that's very simple:

  • Make a Flashcopy
  • Make the copy available to our backup LPARs
  • Copy to tape, does not interrupt production

?Q. Did you divide your data into Tiers, ie. Tiered storage so you know what to back-up or prioritize first?

A. The Flashcopy target is reusable nightly. Tier 2 is LTO tape

?Q. For users who haven't yet experienced a disaster, any advice on how to put a DR plan in place?

Understand what an hour of outage costs, both direct loss of business and long-term customer confidence

Once Disaster Recovery is in place, TEST.

Remember, IT?Disaster Recovery is only one element of a corporate Business Continuity plan.

?Q. Finally, how do you estimate your storage costs? Do you use any packaged Storage Calculators?or homegrown tools?

A. We use homegrown tools, since we consider all benefits of SAN storage, not just direct costs compared to traditional internal HDD costs.

?To learn more about Disaster Recovery, and how to get prepared, listen to the IBM Webcast on Sept. 21st entitled, "Planning for Disaster Recovery in a Power Environment: Best Practices to Protect Your Data."


Posted 08-24-2011 12:49 AM by Mary Hall

Source: http://storagecommunity.org/blogs/enteriprisestorage/archive/2011/08/24/disaster-recovery-preparedness-an-interview-with-dick-cosby-estes-express-lines-system-administrator.aspx

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Read & Ride Day at MN State Fair


Read & Ride Day
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Celebrate Summer Reading with Your Public Library
in Carousel Park @ the Minnesota State Fair
Show your public library card for discounted admission
when you purchase a ticket at the gate. (One discount per card.)
On Stage
10:00 – Super Why & Princess Presto*
  Meet favorite characters from favorite PBSKids show Super Why!
11:00 – Radio Disney Dancers
   Young dancers from tiny to teen delight audience with their musical moves.
12:00 – Clementown
It’s poetry put to music when Clementown performs songs from their CD, Polkabats and Octopus Slacks – the Music.
1:00 – The Okee Dokee  Brothers
Share music and fun with the Okee Dokee Brothers. Enjoy their bluegrass sound for the younger set.
2:00 – Dazzling Dave – National Yo-Yo Master
A tornado of whirling tricks and tips designed to dazzle audiences of all ages.
3:00 – Magician Matt Dunn
An action-packed comedy magic show for the whole family.
4:00 -  Douglas Wood & the Wild Spirit Band
The Wild Spirit Band draws you in with American standards, bluegrass, jazz, folk songs, commercial hits, and original compositions.
*Super Why and Princess Presto will be back for 20 minutes at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30 near the stage.

Under the Tent
  • Get Carded!  There’s no limit to the rewards of your library. Show your card at the tent and get your I Got Carded button.

  • Libraries of Minnesota
    • Scavenger Hunt: Find the 10 photos from Libraries of Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2011) around Carousel Park. Then find them in the book and get an I’d Rather Be at the Library key chain or mood pencil.

    • Book Giveaway and Signing: Copies of Libraries of Minnesota will be given away starting at 1:00. Photographer Doug Ohman will be on hand to sign copies. One copy per person, while supplies last.


  • Maintain Your Brain
    • Brain games to try out. You public library can help keep your brain healthy and active!


  • Spin & Win
    • Test your knowledge and win a library card holder.


  • Story-On-A-Stick
    • Save your State Fair memories on a fan custom designed by you.


  • Minitex
    • Celebrating 40 years this information and resource Sharing Program of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the University of Minnesota Libraries assists all libraries in Minnesota. Find out how they make your library better.


  • Minnesota Parent
    • Pick up the latest issue of Minnesota’s premier parenting magazine!


  • Twin Cities Public Television (tpt)
    • Join your friends from Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) for fun take-away activities. Learn about kids shows that promote reading. Don’t forget to tell them “thanks!” for bringing Super Why and Princess Presto to the Fair.



MN Special Library Association Chapter's Continuing Education Event


The SLA Minnesota Chapter invites you to attend its annual continuing education event:

Creating Influence: How to Get What You Want

Learn to communicate in a powerful and effective way with the corporate and organizational decision-makers in your institutions.
You’ll learn how to predict and prepare for organizational challenges and opportunities and develop your value proposition and an individual value statement -- your elevator speech. This class will be fun, practical, and hands-on. 
The presenters have taught this course at Medical Library Association regional chapter and national meetings with good reviews from participants. They look forward to bringing the course to SLA in MN!
INSTRUCTORS
Lisa K. Traditi, MLS, AHIP, an academic health sciences librarian and former hospital librarian with 25 years experience in practice. Frank Traditi, an executive leadership and management coach with his own private practice and more than 20 years in the corporate world.
WHEN
Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011 
12:30 – 1 p.m. Registration
1-5 p.m. Presentation/Workshop
 *Refreshments will be served.
WHERE
REI 
Community Room
750 W American Blvd
Bloomington, MN 55420
952.884.4315
Please park in the main parking lot and walk through the REI store. When you get to the shoe department, take a right to the Community Room.
COST
$50 for SLA members
$35 for students, unemployed, or retired
$60 for non-members
REGISTRATION
Registration is a two-part process. Please register and send payment by Monday, Sept. 19. Space is limited. 
Please SEE MN SLA's blog post for all the details!

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Source: http://www.prandah.com/2011/08/lil-bratz-cloe-reviews.php

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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Bail raised to $3M for NJ man in wife's killing (AP)

MORRISTOWN, N.J. ? Prosecutors successfully pushed for higher bail Tuesday for a man accused of plotting with a woman to murder his wife, saying the pair were a significant flight risk who had spoken of "pulling a Houdini" to escape authorities.

Kashif Parvaiz, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., appeared in state superior court in Morristown, N.J., where his bail was increased from $1 million to $3 million cash.

His alleged co-conspirator, Antoinette Stephen of Billerica, Mass., appeared separately in the same courtroom, and her bail remained at $5 million cash.

Stephen and Parvaiz, both 26, face charges of murder, conspiracy and weapons offenses in the shooting death of Parvaiz's wife, Nazish Noorani.

The 27-year-old Noorani, originally from Karachi, Pakistan, was fatally shot Aug. 16 while she and Parvaiz pushed their son's stroller near Noorani's family home in Boonton, a New Jersey suburb about 30 miles from Manhattan that is home to a large Pakistani-American population.

Prosecutors have not said whether Stephen and Parvaiz were romantically involved or revealed who fired the shots that killed Noorani, but they have said Stephen was at the scene of the shooting. Investigators wrote in the arrest affidavit that Parvaiz and Noorani had a turbulent relationship. Authorities said Parvaiz met Stephen in Brooklyn and the two discussed killing Noorani.

Relatives and friends said the husband's name is spelled Pervaiz, but several online records and court documents show the similar spelling Parvaiz.

Parvaiz was also shot and suffered non-life-threatening wounds in the attack. He was brought into court Tuesday in a wheelchair with one arm in a sling, bowing his head as bail was discussed. One woman seated in the courtroom with members of his family covered her mouth when she saw him and held back sobs.

Parvaiz did not speak at the hearing, but prosecutors said he initially told police he and his family had been attacked by a group of men who called them terrorists. The child was unharmed.

Morris County Prosecutor Robert Bianchi asked the judge to set Parvaiz's bail even higher, at $5 million cash, arguing the investigation had revealed that Parvaiz and Stephen had multiple sources of money, several addresses and extensive connections, making them a flight risk.

"The twisted tale that these two engaged in is more egregious and narcissistic than anything I've seen in my career," Bianchi said.

Bianchi said Stephen and Parvaiz exchanged text messages shortly before Noorani's killing in which they spoke of the "Houdini act" they were about to engage in to evade authorities.

Parvaiz' attorney, Mitchell Ansell, said his client vigorously denied the charges, and planned to plead not guilty. He said many erroneous stories had been told about his client.

"My client did not kill his wife," Ansell said. "We ask that you please withhold judgment of my client until all the facts are known in this case."

Attorney Dolores Mann, a court-appointed public defender for Stephen, said she had been assigned the case only moments before the Tuesday appearance, and was not in a position to comment until she'd had a chance to meet with her client. Stephen was arrested in Massachusetts and extradited to New Jersey on Monday.

In arguing for higher bail, Bianchi said Parvaiz had told several lies, including that he graduated from Columbia University and was studying for a degree at Harvard University. Neither school had records of his attendance.

Bianchi also cited an investigation into Parvaiz's alleged involvement with a real estate transaction in Queens in which he stood to gain more than $2.5 million after an elderly man sold him a stake in the deal for $10.

A story first reported in The New York Post alleged that Parvaiz befriended 74-year-old Martin Ragusa, a wealthy Manhattan heir he had reportedly met as a teenager doing construction work on Ragusa's Manhattan apartment.

The two reportedly grew close over the years, and Ragusa recently sold his stake in a Queens apartment building to Parvaiz for $10. Several published reports say a contract to sell the property for $9 million was recently signed, and Parvaiz stood to gain more than $2.5 million from his share of the sale.

Parvaiz's attorney declined to discuss the allegations.

Neither defendant spoke during their appearances; both are due back in court Friday.

___

Follow Samantha Henry at http://www.twitter.com/SamanthaHenry.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110823/ap_on_re_us/us_couple_shot

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Small Business Advertising and marketing and Advertising ? Branding

convert MOV to AVI

Too usually, small enterprise promoting and marketing campaigns prioritize branding on the expense of direct response?i.e., really getting leads and/or sales proper now. That is virtually all the time a silly and even dangerous proposition.Small Enterprise Branding Promoting and Advertising an Oxymoron? Until you are a ubiquitous shopper products company, the value of branding is far, far lower than the value of direct response.

What good impresses someone with your brand if he or she never comes into contact with your small business again? Why would they arrive into contact with your small business again if you haven?t gotten a direct response?Branding is crucial for Coca Cola and Microsoft and all the other shopper giants because they do not want direct response. Their offering is offered each time you drive down the street, so burning their logos into your eyeballs will really make you more likely to buy. But when you must search out the enterprise, having a emblem floating in your consciousness will not be enough to motivate you.Even when branding alone could drive enterprise, how long will it?s earlier than that emblem or slogan or jingle has left your reminiscence without end? A couple of hours? A day?

One of many primary necessities for branding is repetition. Quite a few repetitions. Like seeing the little Microsoft flag each single day, in the lower left corner of your screen, on your laptop?s case, in magazine advertisements and on tv commercials.One go to to your website or one glimpse of your commercial will not accomplish thousand remember, unless you will have Microsoft?s budget, one exposure is all you?ll likely get if you do not get a direct response.In actuality, even numerous exposures to your brand won?t be enough. There?s only a lot room for logos in people?s minds, and you have an terrible lot of deep-pocketed competition for that space. In contrast, if someone requested a whitepaper from you, or referred to as in for more data, you?d have their consideration for much longer, even if you happen to never followed up?which you possibly can do, since you had their contact information.

The Two Circumstances when Branding Makes Small Enterprise Advertising Sense

1. When branding enhances direct response quite than detracting from it.Good branding enhances belief in your business. A superb tagline, graphic design, and emblem can even make it immediately clear what your small business does, allowing users to go directly to your message without having to decide if you happen to?re price listening to.Simply put: if you happen to?re a watchmaker, put a watch in your emblem, and the phrase ?watch? in your identify and your tagline or slogan. Once you?re promoting providers choosing a emblem will be trickier, but it may be done. UpMarket Content?s emblem is a scroll and pen. Just be certain your emblem communicates what you do, quite than one thing silly like a black rocket for an promoting agency.But whereas branding usually enhances direct response, you shouldn?t hesitate to sacrifice branding if it hurts your response. If you find that a completely different tagline or font does significantly better in getting responses, run with them.

2. Once you really do have the opportunity to impress your brand on the same particular person dozens of occasions over the course of a mean month.For branding to work, you don?t just have to maximize whole exposures, but exposures to unique individuals. Lets be absolutely clear: by way of branding, exposing 1,000,000 people to your brand as soon as each is infinitely less valuable than exposing 1,000 people to your brand 1,000 occasions each. You need to maximize exposures to the same individuals. Purpose for a hundred exposures per particular person if you wish to actually enter peoples consciousnesses.

Of course, it could take far fewer than a thousand particular person exposures. If someone is sitting in entrance of your branding commercial for quite a lot of minutes, they might in actual fact be uncovered to it dozens of occasions, each time their line of sight crosses it. But this kind of long-time period exposure is probably going going to cost you more.How can you make sure that your brand promoting will maximize your brand exposure per unique particular person? Place your brand promoting the place users will come again usually to see it. As an example, a banner on a web site that has a strong following of returning users, or an commercial on the native diner?s placemat.

Even when branding does make sense, direct response will usually also make sense, so you need to combine the 2 if possible. As an example, on the bottom of a banner commercial with your emblem and tagline looming massive, put a button labeled ?get more information.?Or, beneath your businesses sign, put a phone number with an offer to get more information.
Because in the event that they never go to or name, who cares if they have your emblem burnt onto their retinas?

Did you discover this text useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and take into accout, strategies, and insights pertaining to branding-promoting, do please browse for more data at our websites.

About The Author

Jeff has been writing articles on-line for nearly 6 years now. Not only does this creator specialize in humanities, you may also check out his latest website on methods to convert MOV to AVI with MOV to AVI converter which also helps people find the best MOV to AVI converter on the market.

Source: http://afomarketing.com/blog/2011/08/22/small-business-advertising-and-marketing-and-advertising-branding/

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