বুধবার, ৩১ আগস্ট, ২০১১

Former Giants employee charged with embezzlement

(AP) ? A former payroll manager for the San Francisco Giants has been arrested on federal charges associated with embezzling more than $1.5 million from the baseball club's employees, including players, and using the money for fancy cars and a new home.

Robin O'Connor, 41, was confronted by the team in July and acknowledged diverting more than $600,000 from two Giants employees, a criminal complaint filed last month in U.S. District Court in San Francisco said. An affidavit filed by an FBI special agent states that the club immediately fired her.

The Giants confirmed Tuesday that the club had discovered possible embezzlement by O'Connor last month.

"We immediately notified the United States Attorney's office and are working with the federal authorities to ensure that this matter is thoroughly investigated and that any wrongdoing is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," the team said in a statement.

The team conducted an audit after O'Connor's alleged admission and discovered 11 suspicious deposits totaling more than double what she had confessed to, for a total of $1,513,836, the affidavit said.

O'Connor, who lives in the San Francisco Bay area suburb of American Canyon, didn't immediately respond to an email or phone message Tuesday night. The federal public defender listed as her attorney also did not respond to an email seeking comment.

She is currently free on a $500,000 bail bond.

The team paid her $80,000 annually in base salary and she was eligible for bonuses, according to the affidavit. She processed payroll for Giants employees, including players, and was responsible for making changes to amounts of money sent to employees' bank accounts.

The first sign of trouble came on July 5, when the Giants were contacted by Bank of America, who said O'Connor had applied for a residential loan for a property in San Diego, the affidavit stated. The loan file included a letter on San Francisco Giants letterhead explaining two large deposits that had been made into O'Connor's bank account.

"Because of her outstanding contributions to our Major League Baseball team and front office during the 2010 season that assisted us in accomplishing our goal of winning the 2010 World Series, she was given two additional payments of compensation in May 2011," the letter, quoted in the affidavit, states.

Those payments were for $100,090 and $200,348, the affidavit states.

The letter also provided a phone number for a human resources manager who could confirm the payments, but the number was actually O'Connor's direct line at work, the affidavit states.

In addition, documents obtained by investigators showed that O'Connor spent tens of thousands of dollars on expensive cars, including a BMW.

O'Connor faces federal felony charges of wire fraud and fraud in connection with a computer. She's due in court Sept. 30.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-08-31-Giants%20Employee-Wire%20Fraud/id-5880195c5b814b12b02822a8d10e12d3

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Single Travel- a new and upcoming trend!

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Taking decisions regarding travel solo or single is a very big decision. ... Namhae and Geojedo islands are upcoming leisure destinations in Korea ... One needs to do a little leg work when planning single travel for them. ...

Source: http://travel.ezinemark.com/single-travel-a-new-and-upcoming-trend-7d302c7518d2.html

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Four Keys to Small Business Outsourcing Success

Managing a small business is hard enough, but when put into a hostile economic environment it is even more difficult giving the financial strains. Outsourcing can be one of the most effective ways to minimize these problems because they limit costs while saving your precious time to focus on growth. Below are some tips to outsourcing which we believe can lower your costs and maximize your income.

#1 ? Know your strengths
Today we are presented with more resources than in prior generations, so use them wisely! It makes more sense to hire outside of the company to solve problems in the areas of your weaknesses than doing it yourself. Time is money, so spending time in the areas you work most effectively ? will create greater rewards for your organization.

#2 ? Limit and manage
Outsourcing can be a wonderful thing, but make sure you don?t lose control at the same time. Too much of a good thing can create issues when not given proper oversight, so as your outsourcing requirements increase make sure quality control goes along side of it. Customers rely on consistency, so as outsourcing usage increases make sure your products or services are not adversely affected.

#3 ? Start small
Don?t make large commitments before you know what to expect. Obviously a huge risk would be to outsource a major area of work to someone you have only received references from. Start by giving the group a small responsibility in the company, and gradually increase if you like the outcome. If they are not what you thought they would be, you haven?t wasted a large amount of time and money.

#4 ? Do not outsource strategy
You understand your business and your customers better than most people. Therefore, it would be a mistake to outsource strategic decisions whether financial, marketing, product or executive level hiring. When you outsource, outsource administration and activities not core to your business (like payroll, benefits administration, worker?s comp, payroll taxes, tactical recruiting) but keep strategic decision making in house.

Conclusion

Outsourcing can be a wonderful competitive advantage, but without the proper partner it is of little use. As you grow as a company be sure to know challenges of this and proceed with both eyes wide open.

For small businesses, looking to get rid of many administrative regulations and tasks we recommend that you use PEO services, or Professional Employer Organization. These organizations help mitigate your SUTA, worker?s comp, and medical benefit costs while taking on many administrative tasks. Finding the right PEO (sometimes known as employee leasing) will give you that outsourcing advantage to focus on growing your business.

Incoming search terms for the article:

Source: http://feusab.com/?p=85157

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মঙ্গলবার, ৩০ আগস্ট, ২০১১

Relationships, Dating, & Marriage ? Blog Archive ? Is Cheating All ...

There?s been a number of different articles on the site about cheating and why it happens.

Is Cheating All About Your Own Needs?You can check out ? A Healthy Marriage Sees Partners Cheat ? Why? ? as one example I wrote back in September 2010.

The missing part of that post was around the underlying reasons that it relates directly to the cheaters own personal value system. And what is a value system?

It?s essentially what?s most important to a person ? and bear in mind, these things change with time as well.

So in my recent ? Top Reasons Why Partners Cheat ? post, I outlined the major points for cheating include:

  • Lack of Love and Affection
  • A decline in sexual relations
  • A breakdown in regular and open communication
  • One partner becoming lonely
  • A lack of togetherness and time together

All are strong signs of an unhealthy relationship and a warning both partners need to take proactive and affirmative relationship mending action. Now these are really a byproduct of the real underlying issue ? understanding your partner?s value system.

How does a healthy relationship and a value system breakdown?

In the beginning, we all typically start in a romantic relationship. Each individuals? value system would revolve around things such as a woman?s valued need on security; so her mate would bring along financial stability, leadership, strength etc.

And on average, the man?s value system might include beauty and sexual fulfilment and he?s happy those areas are covered, in his new partner.

Stage Two: Romantic Relationship Maturity and then Breakdown

As a couple starts living together and becoming accustomed with each other, they start acting as ?one?. The downside to this is each others? previous high values start changing. If both aren?t conscious of the others? important values, thoughts start straying.

In the previous example of the woman?s security values changes due to financial circumstances, she starts getting worried. The possibility exists she?ll think it might be better to find someone else to satisfy her yearning for financial stability.

Equally, for the man, maturing relationships often decrease in sexual frequency, experimentation as well as his perceived satisfaction. Think also that at the relationship beginning, the woman would have often been ripping his clothes off to have sex and try different things.

Maturing relationship bring other emotions into play such as work stress, financial ups and downs as well as timetable challenges ? all these have a potential downside of diminishing a woman?s libido.

Stage Three: Browsing Into Other Casual Relationship

So we?re now in a situation where individuals in the relationship are no longer getting what they need to satisfy their value systems. The man is lacking the vital key of sexual fulfilment and the woman might be feeling financially insecure.

There?s a real possibility they?ll simply seek out or accidentally become involved in a situation where these values do get met. And the requirement to re-establishing a lost strong value element can be strong and intoxicating.

From the other partners? point of view, the straying partner is evil and conniving. You could look at it as a person looking for an alternative solution of fulfilling a deep and powerful set of pre-existing values they cherish.

Personally, cheating on your partner is wrong, as I?ve said before. This is simply a possible alternate explanation to the root cause. What are your thoughts?

Please do give me your feedback below.

You can follow us on Twitter as well: ?GeekandJock ?|| ?Martin Cooney

Check out the original source here.

Source: http://relationships.wark.biz/is-cheating-all-about-your-own-needs/

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Usain Bolt out after jumping the gun in 100 finals

Jamaica's Usain Bolt reacts after making a false start in the Men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. Bolt was disqualified due to the false start. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Jamaica's Usain Bolt reacts after making a false start in the Men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. Bolt was disqualified due to the false start. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Jamaica's Usain Bolt reacts after being disqualified after a false start in the Men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Jamaica's Usain Bolt leaves the stadium after being disqualified after a false start in the Men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Jamaica's Usain Bolt, left, leaves the stadium after being disqualified after a false start in the Men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Jamaica's Usain Bolt leaves the stadium after being disqualified after a false start in the Men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

(AP) ? Still fuming from his false start that knocked him from the 100-meter final, Usain Bolt crouched on the line and waited. Then he zipped off the blocks into the darkness of a deserted practice track.

There, only a short hike from the main stadium, he didn't have to worry about jumping the gun.

Bolt missed out on defending his 100-meter title Sunday when he jumped from the blocks early at the world championships. He was disqualified by a highly debated zero-tolerance false start rule enacted last year.

"He's human, isn't he? I always knew he was human," said his coach, Glen Mills. "He will pick himself up. He's a champion."

Just not on this night.

Bolt knew instantly it was his error, too. Soon after the gun went off, soon after taking a few steps out of the blocks, another gun blasted ? the knot-in-your-stomach sound for any sprinter.

Bolt's eyes grew big. He pulled his shirt over his face, then ripped it off and whipped it around in his hand. Grudgingly, Bolt left the stage he has dominated since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Instead, it was left to another Jamaican to wrap himself in the country's flag ? Yohan Blake, a 21-year-old up-and-comer that former Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene predicted to win.

Blake finished in a modest time of 9.92 seconds, 0.16 seconds ahead of American rival Walter Dix. Kim Collins of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the 2003 world champion and now an aging 35-year-old veteran, was third.

"Definitely, I wasn't focusing on beating Usain," Blake said. "I was just focusing on finishing in the top three."

This was also a day that Oscar Pistorius, the double-amputee sprinter known as the "Blade Runner," showed he indeed belongs on the same track with able-bodied athletes at big meets. Springing along on his carbon-fiber blades, Pistorius advanced to the semifinals of the 400.

"A big sense of relief," he said.

On the track, it was a big show for the Americans. Defending champion Trey Hardee and Ashton Eaton gave the U.S. its first 1-2 decathlon finish at the worlds. Brittney Reese defended her long jump title, and Allyson Felix breezed into the finals of the 400 with an easy win in her heat.

This entire competition was setting up as a stroll for Bolt. Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell withdrew just before the event began because of a groin injury, and American rival Tyson Gay was out with a hip injury. As if to underscore how easy this might be, Bolt cruised through his previous two rounds.

Then he false started. It wasn't even close. He's 6-foot-5 and it's clear when he stands up in the blocks too soon.

His night done, Bolt gathered his stuff, slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the tunnel that leads out of the stadium. He wouldn't talk, glaring at anyone who got too close or tried to ask any sort of question as he walked up a path. He went through a fenced gate that leads to the warmup track, typically off limits to all but the competitors.

Once there, he joined a group of friends and coaches, throwing down his backpack, taking a swig of water, dumping some on his head and tossing the bottle aside. He sat down briefly before jumping up and heading onto the track.

Bolt lined up in Lane 6 ? one spot from his lane assignment in the final ? waited a second to compose his thoughts and took off down the runway. He traveled about 100 meters, turned around, jogged back and went again.

Four times he repeated that. Four times he paused at the starting line.

He was getting back on the horse again.

After his cool-down and a quick massage, Bolt trudged across a grass field to catch a ride. Before he could reach the safety of his car, though, he was met by a few reporters.

"Looking for tears? Not going to happen," said Bolt, his agitation beginning to subside. "I'm OK."

Enough to run the 200 meters?

"You'll see on Friday," he said, referring to the start date of the race.

Change the false-start rule?

Silence. And then the car ushered him away.

"I didn't really think they were going to kick him out," Dix said. "How can you kick Usain out of the race?"

This is typically Bolt's stage, but the world-record holder had a little company Sunday in Pistorius and Hardee. Other winners were Ibrahim Jeilan of Ethiopia (10,000), Valeriy Borchin of Russia (20-kilometer walk) and Li Yanfeng of China (discus).

Still, Bolt found a way to steal the spotlight from Pistorius and everyone else. This 100 will be known not so much for Blake's crowning achievement but the one in which Bolt jumped the gun.

"I didn't expect that from him," Blake said. "I had to just keep my head, keep the focus and get the job done for Jamaica."

Leading to the worlds, Dix, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, said he was in the kind of shape to possibly upset Bolt. Only he didn't count on Blake, or being so hesitant following the ousting of Bolt.

"You kind of wanted to sit in the blocks and not move," Dix said. "I definitely thought I could have been more competitive than running from the back. It was great to put the U.S. back on the medal stand."

As did Hardee and Reese, who defended their world titles, along with Eaton, who used a fast 1,500 in the final event of the decathlon to move into second place.

A smooth-running Felix had no trouble moving on to the final of the 400, while teammate and defending champion Sanya Richards-Ross had all sorts of anxiety.

Richards-Ross fought back tears as she watched the final heat of the semifinals. She had a tenuous grip on the last ticket to the final after a shaky performance. Only when her spot was secure did Richards-Ross deeply exhale.

"That was more than close," she said. "Got to shake it off."

Felix is chasing a double in Daegu in the 200 and 400. She has been trying to conserve energy and not push the pace. Yet even when she's trying to hold back she's difficult to beat.

Bolt used to be impossible to beat at major championships. But that was before he jumped the gun.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-08-28-ATH-Worlds/id-94c2079698fc4f438e4c32d87b4335f2

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সোমবার, ২৯ আগস্ট, ২০১১

12 Important Questions About Asthma ? MSN Health & Fitness ...

12 Important Questions About Asthma ? MSN Health & Fitness ? Allergies

What is asthma exactly?

Asthma is an umbrella term for a chronic respiratory disease with a group of symptoms that includes wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath caused by a constriction of the muscles surrounding the airway and inflammation of the lining of the airway. since experts aren?t exactly sure what causes asthma, treating it can be complex. many believe the disease has a variety of different roots?ranging from allergies to genetics.

?causes are probably a combination of genetics and environmental factors,? says Neil Minikes, MD, FAAAAI, an allergist/immunologist at the Allergy and Asthma Center of Northern new Jersey and assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. if someone has a genetic predisposition for developing asthma but is not exposed to environmental triggers such as allergens, viral infections, and smoke, they are less likely to develop the condition. ?For example, in a study of several thousand sets of twins, environmental influences such as hay fever, eczema, smoking, and exposure to secondhand smoke in childhood were risk factors for asthma.?

While childhood asthma is most common, women are more likely than men to get adult-onset asthma. in fact, only 50% of women with asthma are diagnosed by age 24 compared with 50% of boys who are diagnosed before they?re 15, says Dr. Minikes.

Does stress cause asthma or is it the other way around?

What?s the difference between allergies and asthma?

While both conditions can make it tough to breathe, allergies are when your immune system overreacts to typically harmless things, such as pollen or dust mites or cat dander. ?most of the time asthma attacks are triggered by allergies, but there are some people who have asthma without allergies,? says William Calhoun, MD, asthma expert and professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

What is the treatment for asthma?

?There?s no one-size-fits-all treatment because triggers and severity vary from person to person,? says James L. Sublett, MD, chair of the Indoor Environments Committee for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). for a diagnosis and treatment plan, you should see an allergist or pulmonologist (lung specialist).

One part of treating asthma calls for pinpointing your particular triggers and avoiding them. It?s best to have an allergist do skin testing to identify exactly what your allergic sensitivities are so that you can make lifestyle changes to help manage your symptoms.

There?s also research showing that adding certain nutrients to your diet, such as disease-fighting antioxidants found in produce or vitamin D, may offer some protection for your lungs against the inflammation that aggravates asthma symptoms, says Dr. Minikes.

Discover natural cures for all your ailments with this Home Remedy Finder

Your doctor will usually prescribe two types of meds to help keep symptoms under control. the first are called bronchodilators, or relievers, that act fast to relax the muscles around your airways when you?re having an attack so that you can breathe more easily. the second are anti-inflammatories, or controllers, that need to be taken regularly in order to reduce swelling and mucus in the lungs? lining to help prevent attacks from happening in the first place.

I?m 40 and never had asthma. can I get it as an adult?

Yes, you can get asthma at any age?and women in particular can develop it in midlife. Experts aren?t sure why you might start wheezing and coughing in your 40s when you didn?t have any symptoms as a kid. ?most likely, you had a genetic predisposition to asthma but didn?t know it and were later exposed to something that triggered it, such as a smoky environment or possibly a respiratory infection,? says Dr. Minikes. ?Genes are like codes for the body to do things and they remain hidden unless they are uncovered by a signal, like a password. we think that unless the password is entered by an environmental trigger, that gene sometimes remains hidden.? Researchers have started to identify certain genes that may be linked to asthma, but right now there?s no way to tell for sure if you are ?genetically programmed? to develop asthma. keep in mind that having one parent with asthma doubles your risk, while having two parents with asthma quadruples your risk.

Smoking is, of course, one of the biggest asthma triggers. Research shows that exposure to smoke causes changes to your body?s immune cells that make you react more strongly to allergens, which aggravate asthma symptoms.

Exercising with asthma: 9 Tips to help you breathe easier

The numbers on the scale may also play a part. ?People who are obese have a higher risk of asthma, but the precise connection is not yet known. we don?t know whether it may be the result of carrying extra weight that puts more burden on their lungs or whether obesity contributes in some way to lung inflammation.? Polluted indoor air may be yet another factor. ?many people have high-efficiency heating systems that save fuel by recirculating air so you breathe in the same pollutants and allergens,? says Dr. Minikes.

So should I worry about the air in my home?

If you have a genetic predisposition toward asthma, indoor air pollution could trigger symptoms or make them worse if you?ve already been diagnosed. ?People spend more than 80% of their time inside, and some studies show that indoor air may be even more polluted than outdoor air,? says Dr. Sublett. up to 85% of asthma attacks may be triggered by irritants like dust mites, mold, household pests, and pets. if you think your pet may be a trigger, get an allergy skin test to determine your sensitivities, and always keep pets out of the bedroom since their dander can collect in bedding and carpets to irritate your lungs.

While it?s a health boost for anyone to breathe clean air inside their home, you can control asthma symptoms by taking steps to minimize other irritants. to find out whether your air is polluted, consider having an environmental services company test your home for irritants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and mold. Dr. Sublett recommends using either a cyclonic or central vacuum or a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Give dust 2 hours to settle back down before you sleep in your bedroom or hang out in your living room after vacuuming. Replace the filters on your furnace and AC with high-efficiency MERV 11 or 12 filters and change every 3 months, and leave on your air conditioner fan so pollutants such as pollen or diesel exhaust don?t get trapped indoors. It?s a good idea to turn on your bathroom and kitchen vent fans to remove moisture and help prevent mold.

Is your laundry making you sick?

What about outdoor air pollution?

Dirty outdoor air is another irritant, and if you?re an urban dweller who breathes in traffic fumes, your lungs may be paying the price. ?the closer you live to an expressway, the more likely you are to have asthma,? says Dr. Sublett. Diesel exhaust particles from fuel used in many buses and trucks can irritate lung tissue and may induce asthma in some people. It?s best to avoid going for a jog during rush hour to protect your lungs.

Quick swaps for healthier lungs

Are women more likely to have asthma?

?Women have more asthma than men by about a 60 to 40 ratio, and boys are more likely to have asthma than girls by the same ratio,? says Dr. Calhoun. Experts aren?t sure why this is. One thing that seems to determine your susceptibility to asthma is smaller lung size, which means airways are narrower so it takes less inflammation to restrict them. Dr. Calhoun says women typically have smaller lungs than men. Likewise, because boys develop slower than girls, boys typically have smaller lungs.

Is it my imagination, or are asthma rates rising?

You?re definitely hearing more coughing and wheezing. the reason the number of people with asthma has surged by more than 4 million in the past decade or so remains a mystery, but experts have their theories. ?It?s almost certainly environmental factors because genetics don?t change that quickly,? says Dr. Calhoun. ?many contaminants in our food, water, and air have estrogenic effects that appear to influence our immune systems to develop allergies that may in turn trigger asthma.?

Children who grow up on farms and in nonindustrialized countries are less apt to have asthma, and one explanation is a theory called the hygiene hypothesis. it basically says that lifestyles have changed in the past few decades?children grow up in cleaner environments, get immunized to a wide range of infections, and get frequent courses of antibiotics. these may affect the developing immune system, making it more likely to produce allergic reactions rather than infection-fighting responses.

Is there a link between depression and asthma?

Those struggling with depression may be more likely to have asthma, but that?s true across a variety of diseases if you?re hit with the blues. ?We don?t know if this is a cause or a consequence,? says Dr. Calhoun. ?It could be that depression weakens your immune system so you?re more susceptible to asthma, or it could be that coping with severe asthma symptoms contributes to depression.?

I?ve been diagnosed with asthma. is red wine a trigger?

For a small minority of people with asthma, sulfites used as a preservative in wines, dried fruits, and some seafood might aggravate asthma. ?Sulfites get converted into a gas called sulfur dioxide that may irritate your lungs and bring on an attack,? says Dr. Minikes.

Can PMS make it worse?

As if the mood swings aren?t bad enough, there?s evidence that some women may be harder hit with asthma symptoms when they have PMS. ?It?s not surprising that some women?s asthma is aggravated right before menstruation,? says Dr. Calhoun. ?changes in hormones such as estrogen and progesterone can affect smooth muscle tone in your airways, possibly making lungs more susceptible to inflammation.?

Can my asthma turn into something more serious?

Having asthma doesn?t up your odds of getting lung cancer, but if symptoms aren?t controlled, it may eventually develop into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. COPD is basically an umbrella term used to describe treatable but irreversible lung conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. ?Asthma is not only a restriction of muscles in the airway, but also an inflammatory disease,? says Norman Edelman, MD, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association and a professor of medicine at Stony Brook University. if left untreated, it forms scar tissue in the lungs. ?When this narrowing of the airways becomes irreversible, it may lead to COPD.?

More from MSN Health:

11 Rheumatoid Arthritis and Depression Facts15 Surprising Facts About Rheumatoid ArthritisPainkillers Pose Problems for those with Heart Disease12 important Questions about Asthma

  1. Asthma ? Definition, Cause and Triggering Factors
  2. Signs of COPD? An Expert answers your Questions
  3. Ebook Health-Related Quality of Life in COPD and Asthma
  4. Haw Health Advice ? Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Illness ? COPD Overview
  5. Your Questions About Copd Symptoms Diagnosis

Related posts:

  1. 12 Important Questions About Asthma ? MSN Health & Fitness ? Allergies
  2. COPD and Allergies
  3. Your Questions About Copd Symptoms Diagnosis
  4. Signs of COPD? An Expert Answers Your Questions
  5. The Difference between Asthma and COPD

Source: http://www.copddisease101.com/12-important-questions-about-asthma-msn-health-fitness-allergies-2.html

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MS Word 2011 Tutorial Aims to Boost Mac Users' Business ...

[prMac.com] Toronto, Canada ? A new video course for Microsoft Word 2011 offers to help Mac users master the latest edition of the world?s leading word processing solution, with a special focus on business use. The introductory level training, which includes 75 tutorials, shows how to use the program to create basic documents, perform mail merges, create email campaigns, compose complex manuals and documentation and more. Other topics include generating templates, utilizing advanced formatting, produce electronically fillable forms."almost every computer user has encountered Microsoft Word, but there?s a wide range in the level of understanding," said Chris Johns, content specialist for Infinite Skills. "Word is often thought of as a basic word processor, and while it?s definitely great for that purpose, there are also hidden features that make it a superb business tool. We?ve created these tutorials to help everyone ? especially beginners ? expand what they?re able to do."The Word 2011 tutorial video course is structured around a series of project-based examples, each highlighting a different area of Word functionality and gradually growing more complex as the training advances. The first project is creating a Letter, in which viewers learn word processing tasks such as setting page sizes and margins, using spell check, saving in different file formats and printing. Next, the tutorials cover Carrying out a Mail Merge and Generating an Email Campaign, showing how to produce customizable messages that also take advantage of Word?s cross-compatibility with MS Outlook. The Greeting Card chapter demonstrates working with images and decorative formatting, and the Manual/Documentation Creation segment offers a comprehensive look at creating document maps, page styles and footnotes as well as adding watermarks and exporting to PDF.The sections that follow go through creating Templates that can function as letterhead and form business letters; using Skydrive for cloud-based collaboration; and using Formatting Extras such as tabs, columns and charts. Before concluding, Microsoft Word 2011 tutorials also devote time to the program?s data gathering and management capabilities, with a special chapter on user-fillable forms that includes methods for collecting submitted information, and a separate look at strategies for working with Word tables and Excel spreadsheets, separately and linked."some Word tutorials just offer an overview of features one by one, without ever looking at how they work together or how you might actually use them to get work done," said Colin Boyd, sales director of Infinite Skills. "We?ve already seen a swell in interest in our Office 2011 tutorials because of our practical focus on real world tasks."course author Guy Vaccaro is a professional technology trainer and consultant who has conducted training sessions for hundreds of small and large companies. he specializes in business productivity software and database optimization, and he has produced over a dozen other software training courses for Infinite Skills.Pricing and Availability:The Microsoft Word 2011 Training Video package can be ordered on DVD-ROM or as a direct download from the Infinite Skills website. both versions retail for $49.95 (USD) and include usable sample files. A complete Microsoft Office 2011 Training Package with tutorials for Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook may also be purchased for $149.95. more information about the Word 2011 training, including a full list of lessons and 17 free demos, can be found on the product page.


Click link below to read full and original article

Chris Johns Content Development Canada

MS Word 2011 Tutorial Aims to Boost Mac Users? Business Productivity

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  3. Spread the Word: Outstanding Communicators Sought for Award ? PITTSBURGH, July 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ ?
  4. Writing Business Letters ? Tutorial 1: Letter Format
  5. Boost health and productivity with a wellness program

Source: http://www.business4noobs.com/ms-word-2011-tutorial-aims-to-boost-mac-users-business-productivity/

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রবিবার, ২৮ আগস্ট, ২০১১

Alaska appeals decision on polar bear protection (AP)

JUNEAU, Alaska ? The state of Alaska is appealing a federal ruling that upholds a 2008 decision to give polar bears federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Alaska Attorney General John Burns says the federal government's decision was based on "uncertain predictions of future threats" of habitat loss, not on observed threats or declining bear numbers.

The polar bear is the first designated as threatened under the Endangered Species Act because of global warming. In June, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., upheld the government's decision to protect the bear, finding it was rational given the facts and best available science.

Gov. Sean Parnell says the bear population has more than doubled in the last 40 years and doesn't merit special protections. The state says it filed its appeal notice Friday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/environment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110826/ap_on_re_us/us_polar_bear_lawsuit

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NYC appears to escape the worst as Irene roars in (AP)

NEW YORK ? Tropical Storm Irene unleashed furious wind and rain on New York on Sunday and sent seawater surging into the Manhattan streets. But the city appeared to escape the worst fears of urban disaster ? vast power outages, hurricane-shattered skyscraper windows and severe flooding.

A foot of water rushed over the wall of a marina in front of the New York Mercantile Exchange, where gold and oil are traded, and floodwater lapped at the wheel wells of yellow cabs. As the storm marched into New England, though, authorities in its wake cautiously expressed relief.

"All in all, we are in pretty good shape," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. He lifted the city's evacuation orders for 370,000 people effective later Sunday afternoon. There was no immediate indication when New York might start its subways again, but the New York Stock Exchange was ready to open for trading Monday.

New York City's biggest power company, Consolidated Edison, said it was optimistic it would not have to cut electricity to save its equipment. The Sept. 11 museum, a centerpiece of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, said on Twitter that none of its memorial trees were lost.

And Irene made landfall as a tropical storm with 65 mph winds, not the 100-mph hurricane that had churned up the East Coast and dumped a foot of water or more on less populated areas in the South.

"Just another storm," said Scott Beller, who was at a Lowe's store in the Long Island hamlet of Centereach, looking for a generator because his power was out.

Irene weakened to winds of 60 mph, well below the 74 mph dividing line between a hurricane and tropical storm. The system was still massive and powerful, forming a figure six that covered the Northeast. It was moving twice as fast as the day before.

The storm killed at least 14 people and left 4 million homes and businesses without power. It unloaded more than a foot of water on North Carolina and spun off tornadoes in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

And even after the storm passes in the Northeast, the danger will persist. Rivers could crest after the skies the clear, and the ground in most of the region is saturated from a summer of persistent rain. In Rhode Island, thick with bays, inlets and coastline, authorities were worried about coastal flooding at Sunday evening's high tide.

But from North Carolina to New Jersey, the storm appeared to have fallen well short of the doomsday predictions. Across the Eastern Seaboard, at least 2.3 million people were given orders to evacuate, though it was not clear how many obeyed them.

Max Mayfield, former director of the National Hurricane Center, said the storm wasn't just a lot of hype with little fury. He praised authorities, from meteorologists to emergency managers at all levels, for taking the threat seriously.

"They knew they had to get people out early," Mayfield said. "I think absolutely lives were saved."

In Virginia Beach, the city posted on Twitter late Saturday that initial reports were promising, with the resort area suffering minimal damage. Ocean City, Md., Mayor Rick Meehan posted wind readings and reported: "Scattered power outages. No reports of major damage!"

Charlie Koetzle was up at 4 a.m. on Ocean City's boardwalk. Asked about damage, he mentioned a sign that blew down.

"The beach is still here, and there is lots of it," he said. "I don't think it was as bad as they said it was going to be."

Under its first hurricane warning in a quarter-century, the nation's largest city had taken extensive precautions. There were sandbags on Wall Street, tarps over subway grates and plywood on storefront windows. The subway stopped rolling. Broadway and baseball were canceled.

John F. Kennedy International Airport recorded a tropical storm-force wind gust of 58 mph. Kennedy, where on a normal day tens of thousands of passengers would be arriving from points around the world, was quiet. So were LaGuardia and Newark airports. So was Grand Central Terminal, where the great hall was cleared out entirely. Part of the Holland Tunnel was closed.

A storm surge of at least 3 1/2 feet was recorded in New York Harbor, and water pressed into Manhattan from three sides ? the harbor, the Hudson River and the East River.

"You could see newspaper stands floating down the street," said Scott Baxter, a hotel doorman in the SoHo neighborhood.

New York firefighters made dozens of water rescues, including three babies, and said they were searching bungalows that had floated down the street in parts of Queens. The wind and rain were expected to diminish by afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center said the center of the huge storm reached land near Little Egg Inlet, N.J., at 5:35 a.m. The eye previously reached land Saturday in North Carolina before returning to the Atlantic, tracing the East Coast shoreline.

Irene caused flooding from North Carolina to Delaware, both from the 7-foot waves it pushed into the coast and from heavy rain. Eastern North Carolina got 10 to 14 inches of rain. Virginia's Hampton Roads area was drenched with at least 9 inches, 16 in some spots.

More than 1 million homes and businesses lost power in Virginia alone. Emergency crews around the region prepared to head out at daybreak to assess the damage, though with some roads impassable and rivers still rising, it could take days.

Some held out optimism that their communities had suffered less damage than they had feared.

In North Carolina, where at least five people were killed and TV footage showed downed trees and power lines, Gov. Beverly Perdue said some areas were unreachable.

"Folks are cut off in parts of North Carolina, and obviously we're not going to get anybody to do an assessment until it's safe," she said.

A falling tree also killed one person in Maryland. A surfer and another beachgoer in Florida were killed in heavy waves caused by the storm.

A nuclear reactor at Maryland's Calvert Cliffs went offline automatically when a large piece of aluminum siding blew off and hit the facility's main transformer late Saturday night. An "unusual event" was declared, the lowest of four emergency classifications by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but Constellation Energy Nuclear Group spokesman Mark Sullivan said the facility and all employees were safe.

Near Callway, Md., about 30 families were warned that a dam could spill over, causing significant flooding, and that they should either leave their homes or stay upstairs. St. Mary's County spokeswoman Sue Sabo said the dam was not in danger of breaching.

Irene raked the Caribbean last week and made its first landfall Saturday near Cape Lookout, N.C., at the southern end of the Outer Banks.

Of the 15 deaths, at least 10 were caused by falling trees or car crashes into trees. The victims included five in North Carolina, four in Virginia, two in rough surf in Florida, and one each in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since 2008, and came almost six years to the day after Katrina ravaged New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. Experts said that probably no other hurricane in American history had threatened as many people.

Airlines said 9,000 flights were canceled, including 3,000 on Saturday. The number of passengers affected could easily be millions because so many flights make connections on the East Coast.

The storm arrived in Washington just days after an earthquake damaged some of the capital's most famous structures, including the Washington Monument. Irene could test Washington's ability to protect its national treasures and its poor.

Near the epicenter of the quake, in Mineral, Va., trees were down, but the power stayed on.

"I was telling people, `All I can say is we all better go to church on Sunday,'" Mayor Pam Harlowe said. "But unfortunately a bunch of them are closed."

At the East Coast cleans up, it can't afford to get too comfortable. Off the coast of Africa is a batch of clouds that computer models say will probably threaten the East Coast 10 days from now, Mayfield said. The hurricane center gave it a 40 percent chance of becoming a named storm over the next two days.

"Folks on the East Coast are going to get very nervous again," Mayfield said.

___

Weiss reported from Nags Head, N.C. Associated Press writers Christine Armario in Miami; Jessica Gresko in Ocean City, Md.; Brock Vergakis in Virginia Beach, Va.; Marc Levy in Chester, Pa.; Seth Borenstein in Washington; and Samantha Bomkamp, Verena Dobnik, Jonathan Fahey, Beth Fouhy, Tom Hays, Colleen Long and Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/weather/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110828/ap_on_re_us/us_irene

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US says Libyan chemical, nuclear material secure (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The State Department expressed confidence Thursday that Libya's raw nuclear material and deadly chemicals are secure, trying to dispel fears that the near collapse of Moammar Gadhafi's regime means terrorists could get their hands on weapons of mass destruction.

The fate of thousands of rockets is less clear, and other U.S. intelligence officials and counterterrorism experts criticized slow work by State Department to locate and buy back dangerous munitions like the estimated 15,000 to 25,000 shoulder-fired missiles in Gadhafi's weapons stores.

Two U.S. officials said the prices of such missiles in the region have fallen, suggesting that some of Gadhafi's weapons may already be reaching the market, though there is no sign that al-Qaida-linked terrorists have managed to buy any. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a high-level briefing on the subject.

That's feeding a debate within the administration over whether to devote more U.S. resources, including manpower on the ground, to find and secure the potentially deadly or at the very least, lucrative, material.

The CIA has small teams of officers, backed by private U.S. contractors with special operations experience helping to guide Libyan rebel fighters, according to two former U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters. The Obama administration is debating whether to widen the role of those U.S. intelligence teams to include hunting for Gadhafi's weapons arsenal, several officials said.

The administration has ruled out sending any U.S. troops to Libya, and is resisting internal calls inside the intelligence and counterterrorism community to expand the CIA's covert mission, two former U.S. officials said. Since the CIA teams are operating covertly, they are not considered to be official participants in the U.N.-sanctioned mission to protect civilians in Libya.

Military advisers from Britain, France, Italy and Qatar already have the main job of feeding intelligence to the rebels and NATO bombers on the whereabouts of the enemy. U.S. intelligence relies primarily on military drone, satellite and spy plane reports to track Gadhafi's weaponry, including conventional weapons that could fuel an insurgency long after the fall of the Libyan regime.

Monitoring the nuclear and chemical materials is easier since they were accounted for when Gadhafi agreed to give up his nuclear weapons program in 2003.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said sensitive elements of Libya's nuclear program had already been removed by 2009. She said U.S. intelligence indicates remaining uranium concentrate known as yellowcake is safe at the Tajura research facility about 10 miles east of Tripoli. Gadhafi's store of mustard agent is protected in heavy bunkers at an ammunition reservation in Waddan, a remote Saharan oasis, she said.

Nuland didn't say who controlled the sites. But she said both stockpiles weren't imminent threats and that they would be of no use to Gadhafi loyalists as part of a last-stand struggle against rebels fighting for control of the capital.

"Libya doesn't have the means right now to turn this yellowcake into anything dangerous," Nuland said.

The mustard agent, she added, doesn't amount to "weapon-ready chemicals, (because) they can't be converted on the dot and they are in these massive drums inside heavy bunkers and we are able to monitor their security through our national technical means."

Nuland said the State Department's envoy to the Libyan opposition, Chris Stevens, was working with officials in Benghazi on how to take control over the yellowcake and chemical facilities and on destroying MANPADS as they are discovered.

Nuland said there has been a lot of "fear-mongering" about Libyan missiles and other threats, but she conceded that officials were concerned about the spread of shoulder-launched antiaircraft missile systems called MANPADS.

"I don't think anybody knows," how many of the weapons Gadhafi has amassed, she said. Estimates had ranged up to 30,000, although U.S. officials said Thursday the total was probably slightly lower.

"This was not something that Gadhafi was in the business of publishing. And he is good at hiding stuff." Gadhafi was never required to outline his full arsenal of conventional weapons as part of the 2003 disarmament agreement.

MANPADS, or man-portable air-defense systems, are a particular threat because a single rocket can bring down a helicopter or a passenger plane. The Cold War-era rockets Gadhafi assembled are aging, and although the weapons are especially easy to operate they are also difficult to maintain and many may no longer work.

The State Department has spent $3 million on two international weapons teams to locate and destroy such systems in rebel-held parts of the country. The teams have demolished nearly 30 Russian SA-7 launchers, according to Alexander Griffiths, director of operations for the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action, one of the weapons abatement groups. But they are only scouring rebel-held battle sites and arms depots, and are not sent into combat hot zones.

While the United States is not willing to send in conventional U.S. troops, it is prepared to offer civilian police assistance if the Libyan opposition requests such help from the United Nations, Nuland said.

Nuland didn't say whether that would include sending American police to Libya or simply providing training and equipment. The U.S. has no plans to send soldiers to Libya as part of any post-Gadhafi force, and the rebel-allied government is not likely to ask for it, she said.

The opposition said at a meeting of international diplomats in Istanbul that it likely would seek international civilian police support.

International police experts, including Americans, have been deployed in numerous post-conflict areas in the past, such as Cambodia, Kosovo and East Timor. France and Italy, because of their paramilitary gendarmerie and carabinieri police forces, often have taken the lead in these operations.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110825/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_libya

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What Should Justin Bieber Title His Christmas Album?


Jack Frost will soon be nipping at Justin Bieber's nose.

On Twitter yesterday, the young singer revealed plans for a Christmas album, one that will combine classic holiday singles with a few new tracks. And we can think of at least one person who will purchase it: Kathy Griffin.

Bieber!

“it’s true... been in the studio doing something special for christmas," Justin wrote. "we are going to try and raise alot of money this year for charity!”

Bieber proceeded to ask fans for album title advice, which THG is happy to offer. How about...

  • Joy to MY World
  • I'm Dreaming of a White Kid From Canada
  • Christmas Stalkings
  • Rudolph the Red Nosed Belieber
  • Have Yourself A Merry Little Bieber
  • Jingle Biebs
  • Mele KalikiBieber

What suggestions do you have, readers?

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/08/what-should-justin-bieber-title-his-christmas-album/

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Nuclear power key topic in close Japan leader race

Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara speaks during a joint press conference with four other candidates for leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. The five men declared their candidacy to compete in a race to select a new leader to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Maehara is the favorite in public opinion polls. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara speaks during a joint press conference with four other candidates for leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. The five men declared their candidacy to compete in a race to select a new leader to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Maehara is the favorite in public opinion polls. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara speaks next to Trade and Economy Minister Banri Kaieda, right, during a joint press conference with three other candidates for leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. The five men declared their candidacy to compete in a race to select a new leader to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The favorite in public opinion polls is Maehara, but Kaieda emerged as a strong contender after Japanese media reports said he gained the support of veteran party powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Trade and Economy Minister Banri Kaieda speaks during a joint press conference with four other candidates for leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. The five men declared their candidacy to compete in a race to select a new leader to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan. The favorite in public opinion polls is former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, but Kaieda emerged as a strong contender after Japanese media reports said he gained the support of veteran party powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Candidates for leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party, from left, former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, former Transport Minister Sumio Mabuchi, Trade and Economy Minister Banri Kaieda, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Farm Minister Michihiko Kano, prepare to join their hands at the start of a joint press conference in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. The five men declared their candidacy to compete in a race to select news leader to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Candidates for leader of Japan's ruling Democratic Party, from left, former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, former Transport Minister Sumio Mabuchi, Trade and Economy Minister Banri Kaieda, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Farm Minister Michihiko Kano, join their hands at the start of a joint press conference in Tokyo Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. The five men declared their candidacy to compete in a race to select news leader to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

(AP) ? A former top diplomat vying to become the next prime minister proposed Saturday that Japan stop building new nuclear power plants after the Fukushima disaster and phase out atomic energy over 40 years.

Former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara took the clearest stand against nuclear power at a news conference where five ruling Democratic party members outlined their policy goals in their campaign to replace Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who announced Friday he is stepping down.

The ruling party will vote Monday to pick a new party chief, who will then become prime minister ? Japan's sixth in five years.

Nuclear energy is hot topic in Japan following the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, damaged by the March 11 tsunami. Some 100,000 people have been evacuated from around the plant, and government officials have warned that accumulated radiation in some spots may keep areas off limits for the foreseeable future.

The leadership contest is emerging as a close race between Maehara, a youthful defense expert and the public's top choice, and Economy Minister Banri Kaieda, who secured the backing of the ruling party's behind-the-scenes powerbroker, Ichiro Ozawa.

"In principle, we will not build new nuclear plants; then there will be no more nuclear plants in 40 years," Maehara said, adding that Japan needs to seek "the best energy mix" while it phases out of its nuclear-reliant energy policy.

Before the March accident, Japan derived about 30 percent of its electricity from nuclear plants, and the government intended to increase that to 50 percent by 2030 ? a plan that has now been scrapped.

Kaieda, whose minister was broadly responsible for nuclear energy promotion, said he planned to decommission aging nuclear plants found to have problems during stress tests, but did not detail his vision for the future of atomic energy.

He promised to speed up decontaminaton efforts and launch health check programs for concerned residents.

"We will achieve a cold shutdown of the reactors as soon as possible," Kaieda said. "I will take concrete measures to address the residents' concerns about their health."

Kan announced Friday he would resign after serving nearly 15 months that have been plagued by ruling party infighting, gridlock in parliament and clamorous criticism of his administration's reponse to the March disasters and ensuing nuclear crisis.

The Japanese public, yearning for political unity and resolve in the wake of the catastrophe, has grown disgusted with the squabbles and blame-trading that have dominated parliamentary sessions.

"It's embarrassing. It's hard to keep track of who's prime minister these days," said Rie Aoki, a housewife in the Tokyo suburb of Fuchu. "It's so upsetting to see them squabbling in parliament. Elementary students have more interesting conversations."

She said she hoped the politicians would focus on the northeastern coastal region ? called Tohoku ? that was devastated by the tsunami. "I really want them to work together to think about what Tohoku needs," she said.

The five candidates generally agreed during the two-hour press conference that the central government needed to spend more money on disaster reconstruction in the tsunami zone, possibly raising money through special bond sales.

Given the slow economy, all agreed it was too early to consider raising Japan's 5 percent sales tax.

But the gathering also helped bring out some policy differences between the five, which also includes Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, considered a fiscal conservative, former Transport Minister Sumio Mabuchi and Agricultural Minister Michihiko Kano.

Maehara said he would favor reaching out to key opposition parties to form a limited "grand coalition" on certain key policies, such as tsunami reconstruction, social security and tax reforms. Maehara also said he would support a U.S.-backed free trade zone called the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Kaieda, a 62-year-old former television commentator on economic matters, said the so-called TPP needed to be studied more and rejected the idea of a grand coalition, saying the party had not even discussed such a proposal.

A China hawk, Maehara, 49, gained prominence by taking a firm stand toward Beijing during a territorial spat last year over some disputed islands in the East China Sea.

He defended his decision to run despite having quit as foreign minister in March after it was discovered that he had unknowingly received a relatively small political donation from a foreigner ? a Korean permanent resident and a childhood friend ? which is illegal in Japan.

"I don't have anything to hide," he said. "I haven't done anything that tainted my own hands."

___

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-08-27-AS-Japan-Politics/id-e4f29184db544259aac6d6ded959f5f6

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Through Computer education, spread ... - Computer Technology News

Everyone would prefer to have a skilled technician to do the job and rectify the problem completely. But some people prefer online help, others prefer onsite help, while for yet others faster response, or the ability of the company provide a temporary computer may be more important. There are some people who may not need the services of a .

They are those who do not have a computer, or are themselves computer technicians, or are do-it-yourself enthusiasts who have enough technical know-how to manage their own repairs by internet searches and other explorations. These groups form only a minority of human population and the remaining majority needs the help of a to get along in life.

Having said that, a person?s choice of a would depend on many things like his location, his level of technical knowledge, the accessibility of the company, and their availability, terms, and charges. Since the situations and requirements of different clients would vary, their choice of a might also vary.

Computer service companies may provide online or onsite services. In online service they access the client?s system from their own workstations and repair the problem via remote access. Or they may identify the problem and give step-by-step instructions to the client from the other end to get the problem rectified. Where the client is located in a faraway place where onsite help cannot be made instantly available to him, he would prefer a that would provide online help rather than carry the terminal to a service center or wait for several days to get help. On the other hand, many prefer to get onsite help.

]]>

Fast response is the thing that some customers look for. Business owners, who have to attend to their customers round the clock, would need to get their computers repaired pretty fast. They cannot afford to wait for the services of a that would agree to take up the work only after a couple of days, even if their work is excellent. If the they have called is not ready to do the job immediately, they might search for another one.

The ability of the to immediately replace the damaged computer part is an important concern with many clients. Even if the technician provided by the is quite skilled, if they are not able to immediately provide the spare part necessary for the work, there is bound to be delay in the computer becoming functional again. This would impact many a client negatively. A home or office that has a single computer might also require the repair company to give them a computer for temporary use till their machine is repaired.

While customer requirements may vary, a should ideally be accessible throughout the day, and on all days of the week. They should be accessible through phone, email, fax, and live chat because different customers are comfortable with different types of communication. Further, one or more communication lines can sometimes break down. If they are available through all channels, customers will be able to get in touch with the in one form or other. This is something that all customers need, whatever their differences in other requirements.

PCSoft is Sydney based computer repair company and provides Same Day onsite repairs and support services anywhere in Sydney and its suburbs. Visit our site for online booking or call our computer repair center in any Sydney suburb for any type of computer repair and service.

More Computer Technician Articles

Source: http://www.revolution-embedded.com/2011/08/through-computer-education-spread-your-creativity-across/

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Dedication of MLK Memorial postponed by hurricane (AP)

WASHINGTON ? A planned weekend dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall has been postponed until September or October as approaching Hurricane Irene dashed hopes of paying tribute to the late civil rights activist on the 48th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech, organizers said Thursday.

Executive architect Ed Jackson Jr. told The Associated Press that the hurricane bearing down on the East Coast had forced the postponement of the dedication originally planned for 11 a.m. Sunday. President Barack Obama was to have been one of the scheduled speakers at beside the King sculpture erected on a 4-acre site in the nation's capital.

Harry Johnson, the president of the foundation that built the memorial, said at a subsequent news conference that he decided Thursday afternoon to postpone the dedication after studying forecasts suggesting Irene's passage would potentially make weather conditions unsafe for visitors amid the threat of high winds and rains. He also said a Saturday black-tie gala event had to be postponed.

"We all are saddened by this. I remained optimistic all day, but Mother Nature is Mother Nature," Johnson said at a news conference. But he added, "The memorial is going to be there forever."

The forecasts threatened heavy winds and rains in Washington as Irene was expected to take an unpredictable path up the East Coast this coming weekend, the weather service said.

Organizers had previously said they had expected up to 250,000 people for the dedication and celebration of the King legacy on the mall. The memorial was to have been dedicated on the 48th anniversary of King's famous speech delivered less than a mile away on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The hurricane was only the second disruption or organizers who also had to contend with a rare East Coast earthquake on Tuesday.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake that caused a crack on the upper part of the Washington Monument had forced organizers to change a venue for a Saturday service anticipating the memorial's dedication. The interfaith service had been planned Saturday the National Cathedral, but that landmark building suffered damages from falling capstones from the quake centered in neighboring Virginia.

Located between monuments to Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, King's memorial is the first monument on the National Mall honoring a black leader. The memorial is a 30-foot-tall sculpture in which King appears to emerge from granite carved to resemble the sides of a mountain.

The memorial faces southeast across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial and was sculpted by Chinese artist Lei Yixin.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110826/ap_on_re_us/us_king_memorial_dedication

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Gunselman takes over #37 team

As of last week MaxQ motorsports and owner Larry Gunselman has entered into an agreement to take over the #37 Sprint Cup team..............

Click to continue reading this fantasy sports article at Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site.

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Source: http://www.fantasysportsdish.com/gunselman-takes-over-37-team/

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Accounting & Treasury Manager ? Finance Budget Organization ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Accounting & Treasury Manager ? Finance Budget Organization ? Paris. August 25, 2011 By RSS Feed Leave a Comment. Company: EBA CLEARING S.A.S., a Company under French law, manages and operates a variation of payment services, ...

Source: http://www.clearingandsettlement.com/2011/08/accounting-treasury-manager-finance-budget-organization-paris/

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Bathroom Furniture Installation Guide - Washstands | Guidance Home ...

The installation of a washstand has much in common with the installation of any other bathroom furniture. Like a vanity unit, your washstand will be delivered either flat packed for home assembly or ready assembled for immediate installation. Self assembly, if required, will not be an arduous task and adequate instructions should be provided with the item.

You?ll also need to stop the hot and cold water supply to your basin, remove your old washstand, vanity unit, or pedestal basin, clean the area, and prepare for the installation of your new bathroom furniture by fitting any new bathroom tiles or other new floor and wall coverings.

Most washstands are paired with a countertop or vessel basin. By installing this combination of bathroom furniture, you can achieve a simple, unconstrained look in your bathroom. Your basin will be plumbed for modern convenience, but will look as though it could be picked up and moved around; it does not have the solidly plumbed in, fixed look of an undercounter basin.

You will need to drill holes in the top of your new bathroom furniture for the tap and waste which will supply and drain your countertop basin. These holes are often left undrilled on a new washstand, so that the buyer has the freedom to position their basin and tap exactly where best suits their requirements. You may also, depending on where your water and waste pipes are positioned, need to drill holes in the back or base of the washstand to accommodate these pipes. Of course, this depends on the design of your washstand: an open design may not need to be cut at all.

If your washstand is freestanding rather than wall fitting, it will still need to be fixed down somehow: depending on its design, you should be able to fix it either to the floor or to a wall. You will still have the look of freestanding bathroom furniture, without the possibility that any accidental knocks or kicks could shift the washstand across the floor, jarring your plumbing pipes and leading to a leak or even a flood.

On a washstand with countertop basin, your tap(s) may be mounted on the basin, mounted on the washstand, or wall mounted. Not all these possibilities may have been available to you originally: if you chose a basin with no tap holes, then basin mounted taps will not have been an option. Deck or wall mounted taps are a very popular look with both fitted and freestanding bathroom furniture.

Deck mounted taps will fit over the hole you have drilled in the top of the washstand, and your plumbing pipes will connect up from underneath. Wall mounted taps require all the plumbing pipes to be concealed in the wall. It may be best to use plastic pipes if you?re fitting new wall mounted taps and it?s certainly best to keep joints to a minimum, to reduce the possibility of leaking. Your taps will then thread onto the pipes, their mounting covering the edges of the hole in your wall, lending a minimalist, uncluttered look to your bathroom furniture.

On an open designed washstand, a chrome bottle trap can be as much a design feature as a practical solution for the disposal of waste water. Your waste pipe will be fitted to the trap either by means of a screw coupling and compression seal, or an ?O? ring push fit coupling.

Do make sure you follow any specific manufacturer?s instructions when plumbing in your basin, tap(s) and waste, and if you?re not confident and experienced at DIY then don?t hesitate to hire a plumber ? any mistakes at this stage could prove costly in terms of water damage to your new bathroom furniture, and indeed to your whole bathroom.

By Helen J Davies

Source: http://www.husm.org/bathroom-furniture-installation-guide-washstands.html

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ২৫ আগস্ট, ২০১১

Oil above $86 as Libya rebels battle for control (AP)

SINGAPORE ? Oil prices rose above $86 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as Libyan rebels fought pockets of resistance in the capital Tripoli and Moammar Gadhafi's whereabouts remained unknown.

Benchmark oil for October delivery was up $1.61 to $86.03 at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude rose $1.86 to settle at $84.12 on Monday.

In London, Brent crude for October delivery was up 46 cents to $108.82 on the ICE Futures exchange.

Crude fell in early trading Monday amid reports rebels had overrun Tripoli and arrested two of Gadhafi's sons. However, one of the sons, Seif al-Islam, later appeared free in front of a cheering crowd of Gadhafi supporters, putting into doubt who controlled the capital.

Investors were also questioning how fast Libya's oil production could recover should the rebels take power. Fighting since February has cut the OPEC nation's crude output to 60,000 barrels a day from 1.5 million, and the country's oil infrastructure has been damaged.

Goldman Sachs said it was sticking by its forecast that Libya's oil production will average 250,000 barrels a day next year.

"It will be challenging to bring the shut-in production back online," Goldman Sachs said in a report. "We don't change our production forecast until we have more clarity on the situation."

A rally in stock markets, which oil traders see as a barometer of overall investor sentiment, also helped boost crude. Most stock indexes in Asia and Europe rose Tuesday.

Some analysts are optimistic Libyan oil production can quickly recover. Libyan crude output will likely return to pre-conflict levels in the first half of next year, said Richard Soultanian of NUS Consulting.

"With the new regime entirely dependent on oil revenues, the momentum to get facilities operational will be overwhelming," energy consultant Cameron Hanover said in a report. "In order for this new democracy to attract enough support, it will need to get oil flowing right away."

If Libyan production returns promptly, analysts expect the price of Brent to fall more than U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate because Libyan crude mostly supplied European markets.

"We continue to expect some fairly hefty falls in the price of Brent as the Middle East risk premium evaporates," Capital Economics said in a report. "In particular, we expect Brent to drop back below $100 in a matter of weeks, if not days, and to $85 by 2012."

In other Nymex trading for October contracts, heating oil rose 1.8 cents to $2.94 per gallon and gasoline futures added 1.0 cent to $2.72 per gallon. Natural gas for September delivery fell 0.9 cent to $3.88 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110823/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

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AP IMPACT: Some 9/11 charities failed miserably

In this Sept. 11, 2007 photo, American Quilt Memorial organizer Kevin Held holds up a photo of several quilts next to members of the Philadelphia Police Department as they display a section of quilt in Philadelphia. Held formed Stage 1 Productions in 2003 to promote the American Quilt Memorial honoring the lives lost on Sept. 11. He said thousands of individual pieces would be crafted together on white king-sized sheets that, when sewn together, would stretch 1 1/2 miles across an eight-lane highway. That never happened. The $713,000 that Held raised from students, school fundraising campaigns, T-shirt sales and other donations is gone. More than $270,000 of that went to Held and family members, records show. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

In this Sept. 11, 2007 photo, American Quilt Memorial organizer Kevin Held holds up a photo of several quilts next to members of the Philadelphia Police Department as they display a section of quilt in Philadelphia. Held formed Stage 1 Productions in 2003 to promote the American Quilt Memorial honoring the lives lost on Sept. 11. He said thousands of individual pieces would be crafted together on white king-sized sheets that, when sewn together, would stretch 1 1/2 miles across an eight-lane highway. That never happened. The $713,000 that Held raised from students, school fundraising campaigns, T-shirt sales and other donations is gone. More than $270,000 of that went to Held and family members, records show. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

This Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011 photo shows a printout of an emailed picture of Kevin Held, founder of the American Quilt Memorial, from Held to Rev. Jude Duffy in Beacon, N.Y. The American Quilt Memorial charity's finances surprised Duffy, identified in the charity's tax filings as board chairman, who said he had no idea that Held had collected more than $713,000 for the charity until The Associated Press showed him the documents. Duffy said he became suspicious several years ago after Held created a new fundraising project without finishing the quilt. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

This 1993 booking photo provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office shows Kevin Held. Held formed Stage 1 Productions in 2003 to promote the American Quilt Memorial honoring the lives lost on Sept. 11. He said thousands of individual pieces would be crafted together on white king-sized sheets that, when sewn together, would stretch 1 1/2 miles across an eight-lane highway. That never happened. The $713,000 that Held raised from students, school fundraising campaigns, T-shirt sales and other donations is gone. More than $270,000 of that went to Held and family members, records show. (AP Photo/Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

In this Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011 photo, Rev. Jude Duffy holds research on the American Quilt Memorial during an interview in Beacon, N.Y. The American Quilt Memorial charity's finances surprised Duffy, identified in the charity's tax filings as board chairman, who said he had no idea that Kevin Held had collected more than $713,000 for the charity until The Associated Press showed him the documents. Duffy said he became suspicious several years ago after Held created a new fundraising project without finishing the quilt. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

In this Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011 photo, Rev. Jude Duffy stands at a doorway of the Saint Lawrence Friary in Beacon, N.Y. The American Quilt Memorial charity's finances surprised Duffy, identified in the charity's tax filings as board chairman, who said he had no idea that Kevin Held had collected more than $713,000 for the charity until The Associated Press showed him the documents. Duffy said he became suspicious several years ago after Held created a new fundraising project without finishing the quilt. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

(AP) ? Americans eager to give after the 9/11 terrorist attacks poured $1.5 billion into hundreds of charities established to serve the victims, their families and their memories. But a decade later, an Associated Press investigation shows that many of those nonprofits have failed miserably.

There are those that spent huge sums on themselves, those that cannot account for the money they received, those that have few results to show for their spending and those that have yet to file required income tax returns. Yet many of the charities continue to raise money in the name of Sept. 11.

One charity raised more than $700,000 for a giant memorial quilt, but there is no quilt. Another raised more than $4 million to help victims, but didn't account publicly for how it spent all of the money. A third helps support a 9/11 flag sold by the founder's for-profit company.

There are other charities that can account for practically every penny raised ? except that all the money went to pay for fundraising, and not the intended mission.

To be sure, most of the 325 charities identified by the AP followed the rules, accounted fully for their expenditures and closed after fulfilling identified goals.

There have been charities to assist ill and dying first responders, to help families of the dead, to help survivors and to honor the memory of victims. And there are charities that revolve around the flag, patriotism, motorcycle rallies and memorials of all sizes and shapes.

But in virtually every category of 9/11 nonprofit, an AP analysis of tax documents and other official records uncovered schemes beset with shady dealings, questionable expenses and dubious intentions. Many of those still raising money are small, founded by people with no experience running a nonprofit.

? The Arizona-based charity that raised $713,000 for a 9/11 memorial quilt promised it would be big enough to cover 25 football fields, but there are only several hundred decorated sheets packed in boxes at a storage unit.

One-third of the money raised went to the charity's founder and relatives, according to tax records and interviews. The chairman of the board, an 84-year-old Roman Catholic priest, says he didn't know he was chairman and thought that only small amounts of money had been raised. He says he was unaware that the founder had given himself a $200 per week car allowance, rent reimbursement and a $45,000 payment for an unreported loan.

? There's a charity for a 9/11 Garden of Forgiveness at the World Trade Center site ? only there's no Garden of Forgiveness. The Rev. Lyndon Harris, who founded the Sacred City nonprofit in 2005, spent the months following 9/11 at ground zero helping victims, relatives and first responders. He said he formed the charity to fulfill "our sacred oath" to build the garden. Tax records show the charity has raised $200,000, and that the Episcopal priest paid himself $126,530 in salary and used another $3,562 for dining expenses between 2005 and 2007.

Harris said he sees his charity's work as a success even if there is no garden at the site. "I saw our mission as teaching about forgiveness," he said.

? Another Manhattan 9/11 charity, Urban Life Ministries, raised more than $4 million to help victims and first responders. But the group only accounted for about $670,000 on its tax forms. Along with almost four dozen other 9/11 charities, Urban Life lost its IRS tax-exempt status this year because it failed to show how money was collected and spent.

? The Flag of Honor Fund, a Connecticut charity, raised nearly $140,000 to promote a memorial flag honoring 9/11 victims. The flag, which contains the name of every person killed on Sept. 11, 2001, is on sale today at Wal-Mart and other retail stores. But only a tiny fraction of the money from those sales goes to 9/11 charities, with most going to retail stores, the flag maker and a for-profit business ? run by the man who created the flag charity.

The AP examined charities that received tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service by promising to serve victims of the 9/11 tragedy, build memorials or do other charitable works in honor of the dead. The charities were identified using data maintained by Guidestar, a private database of nonprofits that the IRS recommends.

The $1.5 billion donated to these charities was in addition to the billions spent by Congress and states and established nonprofits like the Red Cross.

Most of the 9/11 charities fulfilled their missions, but the AP analysis found dozens that struggled, fell short of their promises or did more to help their founders than those affected by the terrorist attacks.

Here are some of their stories:

___

THE QUILT THAT ISN'T

Kevin Held was earning a living as a self-employed handyman in Peoria, Ariz., when he formed Stage 1 Productions in 2003 to promote the American Quilt Memorial honoring the lives lost on Sept. 11. He said thousands of individual pieces would be crafted together on white, king-sized sheets that, when sewn together, would stretch 1? miles across an eight-lane highway.

That never happened.

The $713,000 that Held raised from students, school fundraising campaigns, T-shirt sales and other donations is gone. More than $270,000 of that went to Held and family members, records show.

In a July interview, Held said he hoped to finish the quilt in a few months. But he changed his mind a few weeks after the AP began asking questions, abruptly shutting the project because of "tough economic times."

Held has done an impressive job raising money, persuading students to hold "penny drives" and police officers to buy T-shirts promoting the quilt for $20 or more. But he's spent a lot in doing so.

Since 2004, Held paid himself $175,000 in salary, health insurance, other benefits and a weekly car allowance he received for most of that time. He's owed another $63,820 in deferred salary, according to the charity's most recent tax filing. Held argues that he's actually owed closer to $420,000, because he was supposed to receive $60,000 annually since 2003, and has received far less.

He told the AP in July that more than $50,000 paid in 2005 to satisfy a loan never reported by the charity went to his mother to repay "an accumulation of a bunch of small loans." But when pressed last week ? after the AP pointed out that his mother died that year ? Held said he paid himself more than $45,000 to repay the loan. He said he couldn't explain the other $5,000 without researching it.

He said he paid another $12,000 to his brothers, Dave and John, as consulting fees.

Held also charged the charity more than $37,000 for office rent, utilities and other related expenses, according to the group's tax forms. But the addresses reported by the charity for most years were Held's home and private mail boxes at PostNet and UPS stores in Arizona and south Texas.

Held said he received much of the office payments to cover the cost of working out of his home.

Held spent more than $170,000 on travel since 2004 to promote the quilt. He rarely traveled without his two Alaskan Malamute dogs, one at 120 pounds and the other 200 pounds. He also listed $36,691 in credit card and bank charges since 2005 and $10,460 for an expense listed as "petty" in 2009.

"I loved going out and traveling," he said. "I loved going to the police departments."

Held acknowledges he struggled managing the charity's finances, but he said he didn't live off the nonprofit. "If I made a mistake, I made a mistake. If I did, then crucify me. I never said I was a professional at this."

Still, he's come a long way since serving a few days in a Tampa jail in 1993 for misdemeanor theft and battery. With his wife, he's moving into a $660,000, five-bedroom house overlooking a lake in Chandler, Ariz.

The charity's finances surprised the Rev. Jude Duffy, identified in the charity's tax filings as board chairman. He said he had no idea that Held had collected more than $713,000 for the charity until the AP showed him the documents.

Duffy, who lives in St. Lawrence Friary in Beacon, N.Y., said he became suspicious several years ago after Held created a new fundraising project without finishing the quilt. The latest project ? Operation Adopt-a-Soldier ? promises students postcards and posters that they can send to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan if each class will send Held up to $40.

"Is this some kind of scam?" Duffy said he asked Held in an email. "Are you playing on the emotion of the people with this?"

Held responded that he was insulted by the suggestion and assured Duffy that he would finish the quilt project.

"As we look at it today," Duffy said, "certainly it seems to be that we were duped entirely by whatever he had in mind. I don't know what that is. But I would call it a scam or a clever scheme."

Even Held's story of how the quilt project started is suspect.

For years, he claimed he had come up with the idea for a student-led national tribute after hearing that Dominique Deal, a family friend's high school daughter, crafted her own memorial on a bed sheet.

But she says that story isn't true.

"I think he wanted people to think I came up with it. But I just helped," said the woman, now Dominique Greer, 25, and married in Peoria, Ariz. "I guess he thought it would be weird to say he started it."

Held now admits he made up the story because he didn't want to receive credit.

He insists he has accounted for every dime spent by the charity, even if he can't justify all the expenses.

"It doesn't mean I'm a bad person," Held said. "It just means I made a mistake."

___

MINISTER'S MILLIONS

Urban Life Ministries, based in a church not far from the World Trade Center site, is one of many 9/11 charities that have caught the attention of the IRS because it failed to file annual tax returns. The AP review found other issues as well.

The charity's creator, the Rev. Carl Keyes, said that in the initial months after the 9/11 attacks the group raised more than $4 million with the help of a Christian television station telethon. All of that money, he said, went to cover the costs of counseling, feeding and caring for 9/11 victims, first responders and workers at ground zero.

"There were plenty of things to do to ease the suffering of the people," Keyes said.

But there's no way to know how Keyes used donations raised to do that.

The only tax return available from Guidestar ? for the 2001 tax year ? lists just $670,000 raised for his relief work. The New York Attorney General's office said it didn't receive the required filings from the charity after 2001. The IRS withdrew the charity's tax-exempt status in June for failing to file annual returns.

Keyes, an Assemblies of God minister, acknowledged that the nonprofit did not file taxes for all years.

Keyes has not responded to AP's requests to explain how the money raised was spent; some of the information he did provide conflicted with the 2001 return.

For example, Keyes said in the initial interview that he never received a salary from his charity. But the 2001 tax filing reported that he spent $89,500 on compensation to charity directors, including $31,600 paid to himself and his wife in the nonprofit's first months.

Keyes and his wife also received salaries from Glad Tidings Tabernacle, their New York City church. A large amount of the charity's money went to Keyes' church. The nonprofit group gave the church a $23,855 loan and had leases to pay it $192,000 a year in rent, according to financial statements filed in New York.

Keyes said he set up a branch of his charity on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area in 2005, putting his brother-in-law, Mark Jones, in charge. But it's not clear how much money was raised and spent because Keyes has not filed the necessary tax statements with the IRS.

Jones estimated that at least $800,000 was spent by the charity for the Mississippi projects. Jones helped oversee rebuilding and renovations to more than 100 homes, which he said cost between $7,000 and $12,000 each.

Keyes said he knows his charity has not filed all the required disclosures. "We're not very good at that," he said.

But he said he hoped the nonprofit's efforts in response to 9/11 and Katrina wouldn't be tainted by his lack of accounting.

"You're going to beat me up in an article because we're bad managers?" Keyes said.

___

FOR-PROFIT FLAG

At first glance, the Flag of Honor/Flag of Heroes Project looks like any other charity doing philanthropy in the name of 9/11. But people who have bought one of its flags might be surprised to learn that nearly all the proceeds have gone to the charity founder's for-profit flag company, not 9/11 victims.

IRS rules generally prohibit the resources of a nonprofit group from being used to promote a for-profit product.

John Michelotti of Greenwich, Conn., the charity's founder, said one of his goals was to give a framed copy of his flag, which bears the names of all the dead emblazoned on the Stars and Stripes to every family that lost someone in the attacks. He also designed a "Flag of Heroes" with only the names of fallen firefighters and law enforcement personnel.

"The more the flags are out there, the more these people live, the more they are remembered," he said.

Documents filed with the state of Connecticut explain that part of the fund's mission is to create "a national people's memorial" by urging corporations "to hang the Flag of Honor artwork prominently in all of their business locations." In some IRS filings, the charity said its purpose was to sell the memorial flag.

During the last nine years, Michelotti said, he has sold or given away almost 300,000 banners and posters of the Flag of Honor. The project's website lists 10 nonprofit groups as beneficiaries of the flag sales, including the Boy Scouts, a food bank in Oregon and a Manhattan church that narrowly escaped being destroyed in the attacks.

But in an AP interview, Michelotti acknowledged that his for-profit business, BIE LLC, has donated no more than $15,000 to 9/11 charities.

Most of the charities listed as beneficiaries were actually BIE customers that purchased flags to resell during their own fundraising efforts.

For example, Michelotti imported flags from China for about $5 each, he said. The Exchange Group chapter in Salem, Ore., bought about 4,000 flags from his for-profit company to use in a patriotic display for about $7 each, then sold them for $25. About $75,000 was raised for several causes, including the Oregon National Guard Emergency Relief Fund, but none of the money came out of Michelotti's cut.

Michelotti's charity collected $139,332 in donations and other revenue from 2003 to 2009, but it only gave away framed copies of the flag to the families of between 200 and 350 victims of the terror attacks.

Tax returns filed by the group don't list any donations to 9/11 victims or the groups that serve them.

In interviews with the AP, Michelotti said he has never tried to mislead anyone about the nature of his business. "I never tell people, 'Your money is going into a nonprofit,'" he said.

He contended the 10 beneficiaries were listed on the company's website merely to show that some nonprofit groups have used the flag in their events, not to indicate that they are getting a cut of the profits.

"I'm not getting the feedback that people are confused by it," he said.

Some people have gotten the wrong idea, though. When "Today" show host Hoda Kotb promoted the flag on national television in 2009, she described the project as "a contribution fund to help those that were affected."

Several 9/11 organizations have embraced his product. The flag is sold at the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum, and online by Voices of Sept. 11, a leading victims' advocacy group.

Annin Flag Makers, the nation's largest and oldest flag company, also recently signed on to the project. The company said it shipped 170,000 of the flags this summer to stores nationwide, including Walmart.

Under Michelotti's deal with Annin, some money from flag sales will go to charities regularly for the first time ? but it won't be much. Ten percent of the wholesale revenue will be split among the Wounded Warriors Project, the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum, Voices of 9/11 ? and Michelotti's Flag of Honor charity, according to Annin's marketing material.

Michelotti and Annin declined to disclose how much of a licensing fee he will receive or how much retailers are paying for the flag. But if it is close to the $7 wholesale price Michelotti charged previously, roughly 70 cents of a $20 retail purchase would go to charity.

The remaining profit would go to the flag maker, the retailer, and Michelotti's for-profit company.

Asked if he thought the Flag of Honor Fund had crossed the firewall between a charity and a for-profit company, Michelotti said, "One bleeds into the other for me," and then added: "It probably helps, because we have good will, but it doesn't help financially."

___

BIG EVENTS, SMALL RETURN

Weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Theodore Sjurseth of Leesburg, Va., climbed aboard his Harley Davidson and led about 250 bikers to New York City to pay homage to the dead.

Since then, the ride has become an annual charity event, with nearly $2.2 million in gross revenue between 2003 and last year. This year's ride, held last week, had nearly 3,000 registered participants.

Yet in one important respect, it has fallen short in its mission.

The nonprofit group formed to organize the ride, America's 9/11 Foundation, has spent far more putting on the event than supporting its mission of assisting first responders and their children. As of last year, it had donated 10 motorcycles to various police departments around the eastern U.S. and Canada, at a cost of about $200,000, given $150,000 in scholarships to the children of police officers and firefighters, paid some modest grants to police departments struggling to support their motorcycle brigades or canine units, and supported a playground rehabilitation project in Linden, N.J.

The reason it hasn't donated more: lavish spending on the ride itself. The event is now four days long and takes participants from the Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pa., to the Pentagon to ground zero in New York.

The foundation picks up all tolls for the riders, pays for their meals, and in some years has put on concerts.

To attract police officers to the event, it puts them up in hotel rooms for each night of the ride and waives their registration fees. In some years, the foundation has made compensation payments to municipalities along the ride route to make up for the hassle of closing traffic while the bikers pass.

Calculating how much the group ultimately gives to charity is difficult, because the foundation counts the officers' free hotel rooms and municipal compensation payments as donations, rather than ride expenses.

But even under that interpretation, the group has spent less than 20 percent of the money it raised on charitable causes.

Sjurseth, who wanted to be a firefighter as a teenager until a pellet gun accident cost him sight in one eye, agreed the ride could be a more effective fundraiser if it cut costs or raised registration fees ? now at about $120.

But, he said, he thinks the foundation has "done great" for an all-volunteer group.

"Has it blossomed the way I wanted it to? No," he said. "I'd love for this thing to be making millions of dollars."

___

The AP National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate(at)ap.org

___

Follow Brett Blackledge on Twitter at http://twitter.com/brettblackledge

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2011-08-25-US-Sept-11-Troubled-Charities/id-1220fb36def94892b4ef49fe156b05aa

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