Pfizer beats Street; shares flirt with five-year high

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings, helped by cuts to its research and marketing spending, and said it may fully divest its animal health unit following an initial public offering of up to 20 percent of the business.

Shares of the largest U.S. drugmaker, which is on the rebound from a decade of failures to produce big-selling new medicines, jumped as much as 3.2 percent to levels not seen since November 2007.

One of its more promising treatments, a rheumatoid arthritis drug known as tofacitinib, is awaiting approval from U.S. health regulators. Pfizer said on Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration had asked for a "routine" analysis of trial data for the drug, which could delay a decision by three months or more beyond an August 21 agency deadline.

"We started investigating this product 20 years ago, so another three months is not that important," Chief Executive Ian Read said in an interview. If approved, tofacitinib could become a more convenient alternative to Abbott Laboratories Inc's $8 billion-a-year injectable Humira arthritis treatment.

Pfizer said in June that it planned to separate its animal health unit into a standalone company as it focused more closely on its core pharmaceuticals business. On Tuesday, it said it would ask regulators by mid-August to approve an initial public offering of up to 20 percent of the unit, to be called Zoetis.

Pfizer's animal health business, with $4.2 billion in revenue last year, has more than 9,000 employees and sells medicines, vaccines and other products for livestock and pets.

"If the IPO is successfully completed, which we are targeting for the first half of 2013, we will have a variety of options to achieve a full separation of Zoetis," Read said in a statement.

Pfizer shares have risen more than 25 percent in the past year, as investors welcomed the move to divest animal health and its baby formula business. Much of the proceeds are being returned to shareholders through share buybacks and dividends.

In April, the company agreed to sell its baby formula business to Nestle SA for $11.85 billion in cash, with the deal to be completed in the first half of 2013. The business was treated in the second quarter as a discontinued operation.

WRINGING MORE SAVINGS FROM WYETH DEAL

Pfizer said it earned $3.25 billion, or 43 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared with $2.61 billion, or 33 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding special items, profit was 62 cents per share, compared with analysts' average forecast of 54 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Atlantic Equities analyst Richard Purkiss said Pfizer's operating profit margins improved 4 percentage points beyond expectations in the second quarter, helped by a wide variety of cost cuts, including ones related to its $67 billion purchase of U.S. rival Wyeth in October 2009.

"That means management is doing a good job in integrating Wyeth and restructuring the pharmaceuticals business," said Purkiss. Pfizer's experimental drugs, including tofacitinib, are another reason to hold Pfizer shares, he said.

Investors are also awaiting trial data from Pfizer's experimental treatment for Alzheimer's disease, bapineuzumab, deemed to have blockbuster sales potential if it can slow progression of the memory-robbing disease.

Earlier this month, Pfizer said the drug had failed to help cognition in one of two large North American trials, but the company and partner Johnson & Johnson are hoping for better results in another late-stage North American study, the results of which could be announced before September 11.

Pfizer's revenue fell 9 percent to $15.06 billion in the quarter, hurt by generic competition for cholesterol fighter Lipitor, but it topped Wall Street expectations of $14.87 billion.

Sales would have fallen 6 percent if not for the stronger dollar, which lowers the value of sales in overseas markets.

Pfizer reaffirmed its 2012 profit view of $2.14 to $2.24 per share, excluding special items, a decline of no more than 7 percent from a year earlier despite plunging demand for Lipitor.

Sales of Lipitor, which lost patent protection in November, fell 53 percent to $1.22 billion in the quarter. Sales of nerve pain treatment Lyrica jumped 14 percent to $1.04 billion, while sales of rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel rose 8 percent to $988 million, helping cushion the Lipitor decline

Pfizer shares were up 2.2 percent at $24.24 on Tuesday afternoon on the New York Stock Exchange, off an earlier high at $24.48.

(Reporting by Ransdell Pierson; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Lisa Von Ahn, John Wallace and Matthew Lewis)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pfizer-beats-forecasts-helped-cost-cuts-111506994--finance.html

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Struggling California Cities Looking to Tax Hikes

California's most financially troubled cities may have found a new strategy. City leaders are declaring fiscal emergencies so they can quickly get tax hike initiatives on November ballots.

Cities are turning most often to an increase in the local sales tax. But there also are proposals for hikes on utility taxes, parcel taxes and, in the Los Angeles-area city of El Monte, a soda tax.

Three California cities have resorted to bankruptcy to solve their financial troubles this summer, drawing attention to the threat of insolvency.

In other struggling towns, leaders say they do not want to wait until they run out of money to take action. La Mirada, Fairfield and Culver City are among other communities that declared fiscal emergencies this year, placing sales tax increases on their ballots.

? Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.moneynews.com/Economy/Struggling-california-Cities-Tax/2012/07/30/id/447028

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Colorado shooting suspect to be charged

Alleged Colorado cinema gunman James Holmes is due to make his second court appearance on Monday as he is charged with committing one of America's worst ever mass shootings.

The few journalists allowed to attend the hearing will be watching to see if there is a repeat of the 24-year-old's bizarre behavior during his first court appearance a week ago.

Under a mop of brightly-dyed orange and red hair, he stared out wild-eyed at times and appeared almost dazed and sleepy at others, ostensibly unable to keep up with the proceedings.

Prosecutors have reportedly been battling defense lawyers over a package Holmes sent to his psychiatrist at the University of Colorado portending the midnight massacre on July 20 at a cinema in Aurora, near Denver.

Holmes gained access to the movie theater via a fire exit shortly after the start of the latest Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises," and threw two canisters of noxious gas into the auditorium, witnesses and police said.

After firing into the air with a pump-action shotgun, the former graduate neuroscience student allegedly began shooting people at random with a military-style assault rifle capable of firing 50 to 60 rounds a minute.

Twelve people died, including six-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan. The girl's mother, among 58 moviegoers wounded, is in critical condition after being shot in the neck and stomach and has since lost her unborn child.

Altogether, as of Sunday, 10 patients from the theater shooting remained hospitalized -- four of them in critical condition.

Holmes could be charged with up to two counts of first-degree murder for each of the 12 people he allegedly killed. He could also face attempted murder charges for everyone who was in the cinema, not just those shot.

Prosecutors have said it will be several weeks before a decision is made on whether or not to seek the death penalty. Only one person has been executed in Colorado since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976.

Attorneys for Holmes disclosed on Friday that he had been a patient of University of Colorado psychiatrist Lynne Fenton as they sought to gain access to a package he had mailed to her prior to the massacre.

According to ABC News, his lawyers are accusing prosecutors of leaking the existence of the package -- reportedly containing macabre plans, including drawings of a stick-figure gunman mowing down victims -- to the media.

"The government's disclosure of this confidential and privileged information has placed Mr Holmes' constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial by an impartial jury in serious jeopardy," his attorneys wrote.

The package was found in the university mailroom on the Monday after the shooting. There are conflicting reports about when it was sent so it is not clear if its discovery earlier could have prevented the atrocity.

There has been speculation that stress over failing a key exam may have been the trigger that caused Holmes, a promising neuroscience student who had won a prestigious government grant, to become unhinged.

ABC News' affiliate in Denver, KMGH-TV, reported that Holmes purchased a high-powered rifle on June 7, hours after taking a key oral test. Three days later, he dropped out of his neuroscience program.

Soul-searching has been intense since the tragedy, but despite the staggering number of mass shootings in the United States there is no political will to address the toxic gun law issue, especially four months out from a presidential election.

US Senators Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York, both Democrats, are expected to announce new legislation on Monday that they plan to introduce this week.

The bill aims "to make the online and mail-order sale of ammunition safer for law-abiding Americans who are sick and tired of the ease with which criminals can now anonymously stockpile for mass murder," they said.

Holmes had stocked up on more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the Internet after stocking up on four weapons in local gun shops.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/colorado-shooting-suspect-charged-062520331.html

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The Story behind the Name: The Marley Parasite

Dr. Paul Sikkel examining the Marley parasite. Credit: Niko Sikkel.

Once vibrant pockets of color, swarming with life, Caribbean coral reefs are in decline. Coral, a marine animal of seemingly infinite color, has fallen prey to bleaching and widespread disease. Since 1977, it?s estimated that 80% of the live coral in the Caribbean has deteriorated. Fish species in the Caribbean coral reefs have declined 5% a year for the past decade. These changes have been linked to climate change, overfishing, and other unknown pulls in the delicate balance that governs life in a coral reef. Research is grappling on one hand with the sheer diversity of life found in the Caribbean coral reef, while, at the same time, searching for answers to its decline. All in all, it?s a maddening time to be a marine biologist.

Dr. Paul Sikkel grew up on the beaches of Southern California, fascinated by reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. His passion for marine life began early, fueled by Wild Kingdom and The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, eventually cementing into a plan to pursue marine science. For a decade he watched hundreds, sometimes thousands of tiny parasites swirl around at his feet, never guessing that they would be the first new Caribbean parasite species described in over thirty years. The parasite was not only abundant but also exclusive to the Caribbean. He recently made news when, after discovering this new species of gnathiid, a fish parasite, he and his colleagues named the species Gnathia marleyi, in honor of Bob Marley. The response to naming a parasite after Bob Marley has been mixed. Several reporters have questioned the honor of having, as some have phrased it, ?a blood-sucking parasite? named after a legendary musician and activist.

Parasites, even when they can be directly linked to disease, don?t get much respect from biologists. This is surprising when you consider that parasitism is the most common animal lifestyle. By definition, parasites are organisms that cause harm to their host. But they do so much more than this. Parasites are an important food source, bridging together species that would ordinarily not have contact with one another. This is especially pronounced in the Caribbean Sea, where each creature plays a vital role in the balance of survival.

A great example of the importance of parasites are the gnathiids, a family of isopod crustaceans. These tiny parasites, no bigger than a quarter, comprise, along with other parasite species, the vast majority of total life in Caribbean coral reefs. There are almost two hundred species worldwide, including the new Marley parasite. As abundant as these parasites are, we still have little information on their life cycle. In fact, the Marley parasite is the one of the few Caribbean gnathiids whose life cycle has been fully described. Sikkel explains this attention to detail by acknowledging the importance of Bob Marley, ?We wanted to do the best job we could and make this the best piece of work we could produce, especially since it was named after Bob Marley.?

As an adult, the Marley parasite is harmless, but as juveniles they prey on those beautiful reef fish, sneaking up on them from behind coral rubble and attacking. In addition to sucking blood from colorful fish, they also provide a meal to cleaner fish. Paul describes their role as a ?broker that brings the client and the cleaner together.? Without these creatures, the balance between species of the coral reef would be horribly altered. Importantly, these parasites also play a key, albeit not well understood, role in the transmission of disease. Similar to a mosquito or tick, they are capable of transmitting bacteria and viruses. These two factors, the balance of marine organisms and the spread of disease, are key to our investigation of the decline of reef communities in the Caribbean. Could understanding how one parasite influences these factors help preserve a delicate ecosystem?

Sikkel is an assistant professor at Arkansas State University. He brings the study of marine life to university students who might not otherwise see the ocean in their landlocked state. He travels the world researching marine ecology, studying gnathiids in the Caribbean and Australia, and tracing the lionfish invasion back to its origin in Guam and the Philippines. Wherever he is, he says his watch is set to Caribbean time, quoting another favorite musician, Jimmy Buffet, ?I have a Caribbean soul I can barely control.? Naming the new parasite species after Bob Marley was done thoughtfully. Sikkel views it as ?one professional (marine parasite ecologist) honoring another (Caribbean Reggae musician).?

It may not always be pretty, but parasites bring species together. They play a key role in the health of Caribbean coral reefs, one whose further understanding may inform new strategies to preserve this precious habitat. Bob Marley said, ?The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.? The Marley parasite may be that very creature worth suffering for, an organism in need of unconditional love.

Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=6b1e31e9ac697fcce8dc7a444f6d12d7

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What I Learned This Week in Active Rain-July 22-July 28, 2012

I Learn Something New at ActiveRain Every Day and It's Time I Showed You. ?July 22-July 28, 2012.

I learn something new every day at ActiveRain! ?With this series I try to highlight one post per day that gave me that ?lightbulb? moment. ?It could be something techie, about Real Estate, about a place or person!

July 22- ?Carie Shapiro ???Are You a Pushover for Expiration Dates?
I never knew that soft drinks had an expiration date until several years ago; and bottled water has them as well. ???Nothing lasts forever except honey, but I do think that for some items it?s partially a matter of CYA ?and an income generating opportunity.

July 23: Pippa MAC ? How To Give Your Clients a Genuine Personal Touch Using Pinterest.
Who isn?t trying to figure different ways to make Pinterest work for you! ?Take a look at Pippa?s suggestion.

July 24: ??Margaret Rome ???The Most Phenomenal 2 Letter Word
I love learning new words and about words so if you do as well, or if you just want some fun, head over to Margaret?s post.

July 25: ??Jeff Dowler ??A Spammer Helped Me Fix My Website
I?d never heard of a broken link checker but I think this is something we could all add to our Website Maintenance checklist.

July 26: ?Anna ?Banana? ?Kruchten ????Caring for Clients is a Good Thing. Can You Help Out?
We?ve all had clients who?ve become our friends. And when they have an illness or going through a tough time sometimes all you can do is give them a little daily chuckle. Asks for our help in helping out a friend. ?I realized what a good use this Internet/Social Media could be in spreading some cheer instead of all of the other stuff it spreads.

July 27: ?Larry Bettag ??Friday Night Tunes-The Most Inspirational Performance ever.
I love being introduced to people who can inspire us and this performance did not disappoint. ?If you?re having one of those days... I call them the PPM?s (Poor Pitiful Me?s), then take a look at this young man.

July 28: ?Joe Petrowsky ?Food When the Power is Out.
My husband always says ?when in doubt, throw it out.? ?If you lose power, don?t add to your stress by also getting food poisoning. ?Read Joe?s list of what to toss.

Thank you for letting me do what I love to do each day... learn something new!

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Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/3391168/what-i-learned-this-week-in-active-rain-july-22-july-28-2012

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Celebrating Gaming's Underrated Wonders: Final Fantasy IX's Vivi ...

Underrated isn?t quite le mot juste in Vivi?s case, as the diminutive mage is one of Final Fantasy IX?s most revered and endearing personalities. Conversely, though, his pitiful stature and timorous antics belie his formidable abilities, as events throughout the quest take great pains to make plain. Let?s take a look at this fascinating dichotomy.

In the opening section of the game, Vivi is casually attacked by a MALEVOLENT FLOWERY PLANT. He also meekly acquiesces to being kidnapped and ensconced in a barrel by some half-witted farm yokels. (?Nailed in here, you say? Amongst the rat droppings and so forth? Yes indeedy, I see nothing disquieting about that notion. I really would rather have a pee first? but it?s not much of an issue. I can hold it. Probably. Ah, no. I was wrong.?) Betwixt these humilliating mishaps, he shuffles around in a dire assortment of clothes seemingly purloined from a scarecrow. One that isn?t especially concerned with its physical appearance. In sum, these are not, I?m sure you?ll agree, the heroic endeavours with which raconteurs would regale rich dudes in castles in the days of yore.

However, his latent abilities to smite opponents with catastrophic arcane forces is quite a handy talent for any fledgling adventurer (and will instantly beguile prospective employers on a resume). As is the wont of mages throughout Final Fantasy, they are as physically imposing/formidable as a one-legged kitten. Perhaps this had led to a lack of regard for the trade, with the excess of melee-proficient pugilistics you?ll see cleaving mutated abominations in twain with gleeful abandon. (Oftentimes pausing for a round of high-fives and savoury snacks before returning to combat.) White Mages, specifically, generally opt not to engage in fisticuffs themselves, instead supporting their friends that even have muscular eyelids.

Unless they summon an horrific deity to reduce their opponents to small meaty protein-rich chunks of ex-beast. Which is a real possibility. The moral, as Zidane?s burgeoning friendship with Vivi as Final Fantasy IX ensues attests, is a potent one: don?t mock those lacking in physical prowess. They could well heal your beleaguered butt, or perform an odd little spasmodic dance that heralds some catastrophic conflagration of black magic. In short, a camp jacket emblazoned with an endearing cat face is not a cause for undue concern when selecting battle companions.

Header image provided by: http://www.wallchan.com/1394-ff9-vivi-wallpaper/

Source: http://www.gamingsurvival.com/2012/07/29/celebrating-gamings-underrated-wonders-final-fantasy-ixs-vivi-and-other-mighty-magical-midgets/

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Search Engine Ranking Optimization Expert Services -Crucial ...

For every single site along with online business, it truly is critical that they employ online marketing techniques as well as search engine optimisation. In fact, setting an online business will be utterly useless if it isn?t marketed effectively so that it could attract its target visitors. If these websites or online business has no targeted traffic, then that signifies they?ve no customers and with out clients then it is going to be tough for them to survive lengthy in the market. That is why it is important for businesses to use the best search engine optimization services to attract various clients over the Net.
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Why Is It Truly Mandatory?
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Google, Bing, Yahoo and any other search engines will rank sites according to the changing algorithm that will measure the capability of a specific internet site to present the ideal information and ease of use to their users. If a web-site or an online business will have a better rank, then it is actually doable that those that produced the query will simply find them in search engine outcomes. The more users that will view their websites from search engine results, the more probabilities in generating revenue for their business.
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How These Services Perform?
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Normally, Seo follows to vital, important steps. The first one is completing an overall analysis on the web site. These services will analyze the HTML code of the website, its overall design as well as any problem that will prevent the website from being listed correctly in search engines. Once the analysis is complete; the next thing will be enhancing the site according to the analysis. Web-site owners or operators may also pick to have added capabilities for their internet site to increase its rankings ? new capabilities like video streams or getting social media optimization.
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The next approach might be how to register the web page into the databases of search engines. So that the web-site is going to be properly registered in search engine outcomes, the Search engine optimization will use the correct key phrases for the web page. It begins with the proper research of the possible keywords that would help boost the rankings of a website. These key phrases will then be made use of in optimisation by applying it in the content material with the internet site, its title, its sub-headers and many others. These keywords have to be also used in the domain with the site and their subsequent pages.
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A website isn?t enough to build an online presence and make it as a marketing tool. Because more and more people are working with the internet, it has now become by far the most effective tool in marketing a business; nevertheless, if a business fails to utilize it effectively, then it could be likely bad fir them. Though there may be other marketing strategies like email marketing, it could be better to invest in Search engine optimization services.

This topic is amazingly explained in on this site: SEO services link building. Nevertheless, if you don?t possess much time for you to read, you can click on this as an alternative: SEO services Philippines.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged SEO service Philippines by jsperber0. Bookmark the permalink.

Source: http://www.grovelandbuzz.com/2012/07/28/search-engine-ranking-optimization-expert-services-crucial-potent-promotion-strategy-that-must-be-invested/

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Most businesses are inclined to appear with Brochure Designs ...

Businesses Online | Internet and Businesses Online | * Written by starr Cancer | Friday, 27 July 2012 04:53 | Word Count: 432

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Surepath Academy: Year One - the Armory

Myths stopped becoming stories. They became a way of life.

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This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Surepath Academy: Year One?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

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My Heirloom's name is...
[img]place%20an%20image%20of%20your%20heirloom%20here[/img]
[list]
[*]its base enchant is...
[*]its effect is...
[*] (Give a brief - one to two paragraph - description noting any flaws and giving examples of use[/list]

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Sabimaru

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The Ergonomics of Stress Management {Guest Post}

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The Ergonomics of Stress Management {Guest Post}

Four elements to help distress your body and mind at the office

Work can be a stressful place to be?especially if your workplace is uncomfortable or taking a toll on your physically and mental health. It?s a sad reality that oftentimes the physical environments we work in our toxic to our health. Aspects of our workplace, such as uncomfortable seating, poor lighting, rigid desks, poor back support, and repetitive stress from typing and sitting at a computer all day long can really take their toll on our bodies and minds.


Even home offices are often delegated to common areas of the home?like the dining room table or a cramped basement office that offers poor lighting and seating with little back, neck, and shoulder support.
The following four ergonomic office tips will help distress your body and mind at work


1. Buy an ergonomic office chair
Do what I did in my home office and buy an Eames chair or another type of desk chair that?s designed to support your back, neck, and shoulders when you sit for long periods of the day. If you?re a desk monkey like me (aka: you spend 8 hours or more a day, five days a week, seated in your office chair) it must be comfortable. Skimping out on an office chair can wreak havoc on your body?for instance, the repetitive stress and poor posture over the long term can cause back pain, nerve damage, poor circulation, muscle fatigue, and poor circulation to your legs and extremities. That?s why it?s imperative above all else to own a office chair that provides generous support and cushioning to the back, neck and shoulders as well as good lumbar support that promotes the natural curve and alignment of your back. Look for a chair that:

• Offers proper cushioning to support your lower back, neck and shoulders
• Provides a wide enough seat pan for your thighs
• Can adjust and allow your legs to bend at the knees bend at a 90-degree angle so your feet rest flat on the floor

2. Buy an ergonomic keyboard
Your keyboard directly impacts the placement of your hands, wrists and forearms, which, if uncomfortable and unsupported over the long term can leave you with sore wrists and even carpel tunnel syndrome. To prevent injury, buy a keyboard that?s easily adjustable so that your hands, wrists, and forearms sit in a natural position. You can even find keyboards with cushioning to support your wrists. You will know your wrists are properly aligned if:

• Your wrists lie flat on the keyboard
• Your fingers gently and naturally curve
• Your elbows bend 90-degress and sit flat at a comfortable, natural angle

3. Adjust the height of your computer
You might do this with an adjustable desk orcomputer monitor?or a bit of both?but the height of your computer screen can really place stress on your neck if it?s too high or too low. The top of your computer screen should meet you at eye level when you sit in your chair and maintain good posture.


4. Lighting should be natural?not harsh
Harsh, fluorescent lighting can create headaches, tension and anxiety for you without you even knowing it. And sitting under harsh, sterile, fluorescent lighting all day long can wreak your eyes and your productivity. So choose lighting that?s close to natural lighting and easy on the eyes, and use warm light from desk lamps to spot light darkly lit office areas.


About The Author
Gina Casillo is a staff writer for Serenity Living Stores, an online vendor of popular furniture. She enjoys writing about home d?cor - especially when it comes to the spaces she's most intimate with.

Source: http://www.domesticatedmomma.com/2012/07/the-ergonomics-of-stress-management.html

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Look Into These Home-based Business Ideas! | Arty Apt

Working from home has several benefits, it also sales opportunities one to encounter numerous things that would not surface were you doing work for someone else. To ensure you can continue to be your personal employer, you?ll must keep learning, so the following is some good info from individuals who do business from home and also have been by means of it all!

Providing discount rates, making promotions and coordinating referrer rewards can all allow you to dangle on consumers for your house enterprise. Consumer customer loyalty is critical and you will foster it by managing repeat consumers much better. You will find that the foremost and secondly sales are definitely the toughest, but once you attract consumers into getting on your part frequently you will be set up.

Obtain the suitable computer software for your own home enterprise. Correct software, which includes stuff like data processing software, PDF design application, and business-particular software packages not just get you to more effective and more lucrative, additionally, they allow it to be simple to adhere to polices and pay out your income taxes. Most enterprise software program also has free and cheap alternatives in the event you absence dollars.

Give transcripts for any movie or mp3 you post about your home-business goods and services to ensure search engine listings can directory it and customers who can?t see or hear can see it. Making your content available to the largest possible viewers will available you around obtaining prospects from your demographic.

Value out your expense for your supplies and labor in order to determine what your selling price should be. A broad guideline is your store expense needs to be 2 to 3 times your total price to make an adequate amount of a nice gain for the business to help make feeling.

You may make your home business also known by educating a grown-up ed course or perhaps an right after school course in your local area. The YMCA or perhaps a local library or public school are systems for such courses. Whether it is disciplines or crafts or preparing food or redecorating, your pupils will appreciate the skills you show to them and will distribute the phrase.

Managing a home based business can mean long hours, but make certain that you?re no longer working every waking up second! Get personalized time for the friends and relations to enable you to decompress and loosen up. If you are working twenty four hours, a week every week, you?ll discover that you shed out and disintegrate, just like a vehicle. Function only while in standard business hrs unless you completely must do some extra time, then get the rest of the time for you to chill out!

As being a residence entrepreneurship operator, you will have the benefits associated with some time and flexibility. Make the most of these people to your advantage. Like Wayne Gretzky, skate to where the puck will be, and possibilities happen to be that you?ll arrive there speedier than your larger, larger plus more equipped rivals.

Even with each of the difficulties you experience working at home, that you simply suffer from by yourself, you?ll always locate support and camaraderie from individuals the identical situation. You can request other people about any condition you?ve identified oneself in, and you?re certain to get far more answers. Hopefully we?ve supplied a few for you nowadays!

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Source: http://artyapt.com/blog/look-into-these-home-based-business-ideas/

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Startup Spotlight ? Place2Give ? July 2012

Startup of the Week:? Place2Give

Founded with the mission to facilitate meaningful conversations between donors and charities, Place2Give.com is a charity search engine that provides donors with the tools they need to: search, evaluate and give to the charities that align with their passions.

Founder and CEO, Gena Rotstein calls it ?eHarmony for charities?.? We just talked to Gena to learn more.

How did you come up with the idea for your startup?

After working with non-profits for over 15 years, I realised that there is a lack of information that donors require to make smart donation decisions and that North America?s charitable sector is fundamentally flawed in its structure. I believe that if we empower donors to ask the right questions and provide charities with the tools to answer those questions, we will see more meaningful social change and stronger communities overall.

Combining knowledge from online dating platforms such as eHarmony, profiling preferences established through websites like LinkedIn, and a user recommendation board such as Amazon, Place2Give finds the best fit for donors and charities to make meaningful impact in the world.

What has been the biggest challenge so far?

Paving the way for a philanthropic advising niche market within the financial services sector.

Are there any key individuals outside of your organization that have been of great help to your startup?

I had put together an Advisory Committee of individuals representing different aspects of the business.? To this day, even though I have a Board of Directors, this group meets on an ad-hoc basis to provide guidance.? Being able to access people with pertinent knowledge and know-how has been incredible help.

What?s new with your startup that we can share?

Last month we launched a new release that includes an Advisor Toolbox, incorporating feedback from charities on how to tell their stories better and from donors on what they are looking for.? Also included in this release is the ability to donate securities online through our partnership with the Benefaction Foundation.

Personally, do you think it is more difficult to raise capital or find the right talent?

Financing for the prototype was through friends and family.? We tried to get angel investors, but realized that social venture investing is so new in Canada, and very unique in Calgary, that we stopped going down this path.? Instead we turned our focus to developing software that was going to fundamentally shift the way that financial conversations were happening around charitable giving.? As such, our difficulties shifted from a financing issue to a finding talent issue.? Due to the nature of Calgary?s economy and our core values of supporting local, we will always come up against talent struggles. We?ve addressed this by providing practical work experience for new immigrants and students who are new to the job market.

What has contributed to your success to this point?

The team of incredibly talented people around me has been a large contributor to my success.? Building a great board of directors with diverse and intelligent people, and then being able to listen and act on their advice has been a driving force in getting the business off the ground.

My advice to early stage entrepreneurs is to surround yourself with people who are smart, who will challenge your assumptions, help you think beyond your boundaries and teach you the skills needed to manage a business.

What made you choose to go down the path of entrepreneurship??

After 15 years of fundraising, I was frustrated by the questions that the charities were reporting on because we had ingrained in them that it?s about overhead expenditures rather than the cost of the issues that they were mandated to address.? In the for-profit world, when companies invest in overhead, typically it is a measure of operational effectiveness.? When charities invest in overhead, it is seen as negative cost expenditure.? This does not make sense.

By focusing on where the dollars come from and how policy is influencing how societies operate, we can make stronger cities, a better charitable sector and overall a stronger economy.? I believed that Canada could be a leader in this space, so I quit my day job and remortgaged my house to do this.

What are your thoughts on Calgary?s startup community??

I love being a part of Calgary?s startup community and I love the energy I get from it.? I moved back here after living in Toronto, Boston and New York because I strongly wanted to be part of this entrepreneurial community.

Strengths: small enough that entrepreneurs can easily access advice and guidance from the business community, but big enough that there are ample examples of successes and failures to learn from.

Weaknesses: as a social entrepreneur, we are in the early stages of educating the investor community on investing in for?profit social ventures.? In addition, Canadian government legislation has not evolved enough yet to make investing in social businesses advantageous.? However, I am confident that as models out of the USA and UK are documented, Canadian policy will soon follow.

As one of the co-founders of the Social Good Accelerator, I am looking forward to when we open the doors and start bringing together for-profit social entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations and social venture investors in one space to collaborate on critical social issues.

What?s your ask right now?

We would love for people to visit Place2Give.com and research the charities they want to give to and provide us with feedback.? Also, we encourage Canadian registered charities to add information about their organization.? The more information that charities provide, the stronger the matching algorithm will be.

?

If you are working on something that could potentially change the world, we?d like to hear about it. Send us a tweet at @startupcalgary or email us at?info@startupcalgary.ca.

Startup Spotlight is covered by Boast Capital, a Calgary-based Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) consulting firm that helps companies secure and maximize government funding to advance innovation.?For more information visit BoastCapital.com or @BoastCapital.

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Source: http://startupcalgary.ca/2012/07/startup-spotlight-place2give-july-2012/

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Soviet tank scraps help fuel Afghan building

HERAT, Afghanistan?? In an updated version of swords being beaten into ploughshares, caterpillar tracks belonging to abandoned Soviet-era tanks are being melted down into steel bars and used in west Afghanistan's construction industry.

The tanks from Moscow's decade-long war in Afghanistan wait under baking sunshine to be smelted at one of its few steel mills, a stark reminder of the humiliating end met by Soviet forces more than 20 years ago.

Soviet-produced tracks make up about 2 percent of steel production at the Wardak Atawla factory in Herat in western Afghanistan, about 62 miles east of the border with Iran.

'Really good iron'
"The Russians came here, ruined our country, and now their tanks sit in a scrap dump," mill manager Azim Khan said as he stroked away sand with his sandal-clad feet from the tracks, which were stamped with Cyrillic letters.

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Afghan police commander leads defection to Taliban

"They are made of really good iron. It's funny to see them sitting here now," Khan said.

The tracks were taken off the tanks scattered around the Herat landscape by locals looking for cash.

Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads (on this page)

They belong to forces from the former Soviet Union, who pulled out of Afghanistan in 1989 after defeat by mujahedeen fighters, handing security over to a shaky government that was quickly beset by heavy fighting and civil war.

Bagram's lost boys still live in US prison's shadow

Comparisons are being frequently drawn to the current NATO-led war, and fears are surfacing among Afghans and analysts of a repeat.

When asked if he believed American armored vehicles would end up in his scrapyard, Khan replied with a smirk: "Unfortunately we do not love peace in Afghanistan."

Full international news coverage from NBCNews.com

The mill went on stream two months ago, producing rebar from scrap to feed Herat's construction industry, which is enjoying a boom from better security and trade with neighboring Iran.

Beating swords to ploughshares refers to turning weapons of war to peaceful purposes.

More news about Afghanistan from NBCNews.com

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48318214/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

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Noted UK Businessman releases ebook on Negotiating a Successful

A new ebook authored by one of the globe?s noted deal makers discusses how success is achieved and how disaster is avoided.

The ebook is Becoming a Dealmaker ? Business Negotiation Basics? which deals with the basics of negotiating and is available at Amazon.com , www.amazon.com/Becoming-Dealmaker-Business-Negotiation-ebook/dp/B008B84KH2 . Author Paul Renner of dealmakeracademy.co.uk , has an international reputation for bringing businesses together.

?I have learned a great deal in my years in the business world. It?s easy to say that I have learned good and bad, but the truth is, all of it is good,? he said. ?Even the mistakes I have seen are good because I have learned to avoid doing the same thing from that point on.?

Mr. Renner?s easy-to-read book available on the Kindle covers common problems, personalities and how those influence business deals.

Among the topics covered are:

? The Four Phases of Negotiation
? Understanding the Opposition
? Bargaining and Haggling
? How to Close and Get Commitment for the Deal
? Your BATNA ? Best Alternative to a Negotiated
? ZOPA ? Zone of Possible Agreement
? Six Critical Skills of Negotiation
? What Do You Do When Someone Walks Away?
and a number of other topics.

?I have distilled my experience into an ebook to help you be successful. In my book you will learn what works, what doesn?t and how to come to the table better prepared,? Mr. Renner said. ?This inexpensive book will repay the investment exponentially.?

Paul Renner is a Dealmaker Specialist who has founded several information based companies including Dealmaker Academy and C6 Intelligence Information Systems, a financial information database used by banks, financial institutions and insurance companies.

Contact:
Paul Renner
ku.oc.ymedacarekamlaednull@ofni

For more information

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Dealmaker-Business-Negotiation-ebook/dp/B008B84KH2

http://dealmakeracademy.co.uk/

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Source: http://www.freepressreleases.com/noted-uk-businessman-releases-ebook-negotiating-successful-business-deal/202062

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A Minute With: Matthew McConaughey and his new 'Killer' role

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Matthew McConaughey has spent most of the last decade starring in romantic comedy movies like "The Ghost of Girlfriends Past," but in recent years his roles have been edgier, which is the case with new film, "Killer Joe."

Based on Tracy Letts' stage play of the same name, "Killer Joe" has McConaughey in the title role of a cop who moonlights as contract killer in the crime thriller directed by "The Exorcist" maker William Friedkin.

A drug dealer named Chris (Emile Hirsch) hires Killer Joe to murder his mother. When Chris can't pay the hitman an upfront fee, Killer Joe decides to take Chris' sister Dottie (Juno Temple) as collateral.

McConaughey, 42, recently played a defense attorney in "The Lincoln Lawyer" and a district attorney trying to put away a murderer in "Bernie." Last month, he bared almost all as the slick owner of an all-male strip club in "Magic Mike." The star sat down with Reuters to talk about "Killer Joe," his career choices and being a newlywed.

Q: What drew you to a low-budget, independent film that was dark and twisted, yet also comedic?

A: "It was real good character work for me. A real challenge and exercise in introversion. Because this character is very, very introverted. In 'Magic Mike,' (his character) Dallas (his character) is all extroversion, all showman. Killer Joe lives in the shadows, picking out times when he shows you some light."

Q: He is a ruthless killer, but has a soft spot for Dottie. He makes the audience gasp in horror and laugh nervously.

A: "He's a guy who needs family at the bottom of it all. That's what he's looking for. It's wonderfully twisted, cheerfully amoral, provocative and it's upsetting your stomach, but you're laughing at the same time. And you're questioning yourself: 'Wait a minute, which emotion should I be feeling? Is it okay to laugh?'"

Q: Did you choose to play him sinister or with humor?

A: "I never chose to play sinister, just play him clear. Half the time he whispers. He speaks his words very clearly. He's not in a rush. Every move is very deliberate. If a character is doing that, those characters can become a little scary where you're like, 'Man, if this guy got off balance, this could be trouble.'"

Q: You already have one hit playing, "Magic Mike," which has $102 million at box offices. Were you surprised at its success?

A: "It's done better than any of us thought it would do. But just talking about the basic DNA (of the film): male strippers. You want to see some male skin? That could hit a nerve. That could be something that a lot of people want to go see. And fortunately it has been. At its very basic, just look at the poster, and you go: male strip club, no one's ever made that before. So we knew that we had something that was original."

Q: You spent the better part of a decade doing romantic comedies with Kate Hudson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez. Has it been a conscious decision to take a break from that genre?

A: "It's been conscious. I've been seeing some romantic comedies and some action adventure film stories that I just felt like I'd either 1) done a version of them before or 2) felt like I could do them tomorrow. And you know what? Nothing wrong doing something you feel like you can do tomorrow. But let me do something I'm not comfortable with, that quick. Let me do something I'm really excited about getting on the other side of the mystery with, but I don't know the answer (to)."

Q: So you like not knowing the answers to some of these characters...

A: "And I know I'm going to have to go to work and I'm going to have days where I'm going, 'I don't know who this guy is! What am I going to do?' And I'll figure it out. That's been a really fun process for me with all these (recent) characters. They are all very singular-willed characters, ones that are not pandering to anyone else is society. They make up their own rules ... and that's been really fun to hang my hat on."

Q: You recently married your longtime girlfriend, Camila Alvez, who is the mother of your son Levi, 4 and daughter Vida, 2. Do you feel different now that you've gone through a formal wedding ceremony?

A: "The ritual of what we did and what we're saying together with God in our lives and with our children means more. It feels like one whole thing."

(Editing By Zorianna Kit and Stacey Joyce)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/minute-matthew-mcconaughey-killer-role-090517572.html

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syracusedotcom: RT @ap: BREAKING: NCAA hits Penn State football with $60 million fine, vacates Paterno's wins from 1998-2011. -BW

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Yes, It's Still Perfectly Legal To Suck Babies' Genitals During ...

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed super-sized soda ban isn't the only controversial topic that is going to be discussed by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene this week.

Today, the Department is talking about the metzitzah b'peh -- a circumcision practice during which ritual practitioners "place their mouths directly on the child's circumcision wound to draw blood away from the circumcision cut."

And what exactly are they doing? The 11-member panel is listening to public comments on a "proposal to require parental consent for circumcisions practiced by ultra-Orthodox Jews," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Why? Well, between 2000 and 2011, 11 infants got herpes from this ritual. Ten infants were hospitalized, "at least two developed brain damage, and two babies died," the DOH reports.

If, for whatever reason, you missed that info, here it is again: Between 2001 and 2011, 11 infants got herpes from this ritual. Ten infants were hospitalized, "at least two developed brain damage, and two babies died."

Here's the thing: The proposed legislation wouldn't even ban the practice, which seems to avoid tougher regulation because of questionable arguments about religious freedom.

(Some Jewish law experts disagree that the practice is even sanctioned in the Talmud.)

Rather, it would just require parents to sign something recognizing the procedures risks.

A consent form!

That's it!

Again, to reiterate: The DOH, though it has come out against the practice, is not trying to ban it.

The Department just wants to make sure that parents know what's going on.

Parents would still be able to subject their kids to physical danger to fulfill their faithfulness.

Anyway, we couldn't make the hearing, and the DOH just told us that they're not releasing any statements about the discussion. The Department did say, though, that it will likely issue a decision in September.

However, there are some more facts that make you wonder why this procedure -- performed on 20,500 baby boys yearly -- remains so unregulated, considering that it sure seems to endanger children.

Notes the Daily Mail, "infants who were circumcised with suction between April 2006 and December 2012 had a risk of catching neonatal herpes (HSV-1) infection of 24.4 per 100,000."

Also, here's this quote from DOH Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley: "There is no safe way to perform oral suction on any open wound in a newborn...parents considering ritual Jewish circumcision need to know that circumcision should only be performed under sterile conditions, like any other procedures that create open cuts, whether by mohelim or medical professionals."

Follow Victoria Bekiempis @vicbekiempis.

Source: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/07/circumcision_new_york.php

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It's time for that midyear financial checkup | DMBCC

The midpoint of the year is always a good time to check whether you?re on track to achieve your goals for the year.

But this year, it?s particularly important because of a confluence of factors that could impact your finances.

That?s especially true if you have money you hope to leave your heirs, as there may be a change in the tax paid on inheritances.

?The big deal for people with money ? and this is big ? is we?ve got a $5 million individual lifetime (tax) exemption? that could disappear, said Jim Smith, certified public accountant in Dallas.

Here?s the background: The gift and estate taxes are separate taxes, but their rates and exemption levels are the same.

Under current law, each person can give away or leave to heirs as much as $5.12 million with no federal gift or estate tax consequence. That?s the largest exemption in history.

Gifts or inheritances greater than that amount are taxed at a top rate of 35 percent, the lowest rate since 1931.

Unless Congress acts, the federal gift and estate tax exemption will revert to $1 million on Jan. 1, and the tax rate on amounts above that will rise to 55 percent.

Financial advisors say this is a great window of opportunity for the affluent to transfer wealth.

?You don?t want to wait until the election, because you won?t have time to get appraisals, to get property transferred, to form trusts, to move assets,? said Smith, managing director at Smith, Jackson, Boyer Bovard in Dallas. ?You need to start planning right, red-hot now if you haven?t already. If you have money, you need to start looking at those assets that you may want to transfer to get them out of your estate.?

The first thing you should consider moving out of your estate are assets that currently don?t produce any income but may rise significantly in value in the future, he said. One example might be undeveloped land, Smith said.

If you have stocks that aren?t paying very high dividends now but may later rise in value, you might consider moving them into a 529 college savings plan for your child or grandchild or putting the stocks in a trust, Smith said.

However, estate planning strategies can be complicated, so consult an estate planning attorney or tax advisor before making any moves.

Another thing you should know about stocks: Unless Congress acts, the top tax rate paid by the highest earners on most dividends, currently 15 percent, is set to jump to a whopping 43.4 percent next year.

?That is a huge increase on the taxes on dividends,? Smith said. ?It?s going to ream dividend income as an investment if all of that comes to pass.?

In addition, the capital-gains tax would rise from 15 percent to 20 percent if Congress doesn?t extend the Bush tax cuts.

?So if you have assets you?re contemplating selling, and they can be moved for a reasonable price between now and year end, you may want to consider that,? he said.

You can also save on your taxes by maxing out your contributions to a traditional individual retirement account or 401(k).

?Put in as much as you can, because it gets it out of current income and you?ll pay for it later,? said Ken Sibley, partner at accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen in Dallas. ?It reduces your taxes now and when you start drawing it out, hopefully then you?re drawing it out at a lower tax rate.?

But don?t make an investment decision based solely on taxes.

?Taxes are a consideration, but you still have to make sound investment decisions,? Smith said.

Meet with your financial and tax advisors now.

?Don?t wait until the last minute to try and get your trust and estate planning attorneys,? Smith said. ?They?re going to be buried at the end of this year.?

Don?t forget to review other important financial areas now, too.

?Now is a great time to review your spending plan or budget and assess how you are doing,? said Wade Chessman, certified financial planner at Chessman Wealth Strategies in Dallas. ?Are there adjustments you need to make in a specific category??

While no one knows how the presidential election will turn out, you should think about what financial moves you would make in response to it.

?While they may not want to pull the trigger right now,? Smith said, ?whatever they?re going to do, they may want to get their gun loaded and aimed, so that they?re ready to move.?

Article source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/20/2904818/its-time-for-that-midyear-financial.html

Source: http://miamibrickellchamber.com/its-time-for-that-midyear-financial-checkup/

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