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Sunday, November 30, 2014

Where the Magic Happens: Benefits of In-Person Networking

Do you get caught up in, or rely too heavily on digital networking? Do you get into a rut and forget about how important networking in person is?  Big mistake. Without the right blend of online and in-person connectivity, we miss out on many benefits we offer each other as professionals.
I see people fall into this rut all the time, thinking if they send a text, email or social media post then that’s enough. Remember transactions are not relationships. Better to own your time with people more personally, no matter how long or short it may be.


Where the Magic Happens: Benefits of In-Person Networking

7 Things Successful Marketers Do Every Morning

No matter what level you are at in the pecking order or what function you work in, every successful person has one thing in common — an energizing and self-affirming start to their work day. This great start is especially critical for marketing professionals.
Marketers are the face of the company to the outside world. When we are refreshed and energized, we channel that positivity into our brand. This positivity radiates outwards and draws in consumers — the end goal that we all work towards every single day.


7 Things Successful Marketers Do Every Morning

Read Edgy Conversations to Shake Loose From Loser Thinking

I’m entirely too vain to contemplate killing myself. No Matter how crappy I feel, no matter how much of a loser – the idea of ending it all just seems entirely too messy and dramatic to me.
But have I ever done anything so risky, put myself and my family and everything else out there, on the line? Umm, don’t think so. Not like Dan Waldschmidt (@DanWaldo) does in his book Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Can Achieve Outrageous Success.


Read Edgy Conversations to Shake Loose From Loser Thinking

Are we really living in innovative times? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Are we really living in innovative times? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Sony's new movies leak online following hack attack

At least five new movies from Sony Pictures are being devoured on copyright-infringing file-sharing hubs online in the wake of the hack attack that hobbled the studio earlier in the week.
Copies of DVD screeners of four unreleased Sony movies including the upcoming "Annie" are getting some unwelcome early exposure, but nothing compared to the frenzy enveloping "Fury," the war pic still in theaters since bowing last month.


Sony's new movies leak online following hack attack

Indian economy: optimism despite slowdown - YouTube

Video (2:02)



Indian economy: optimism despite slowdown - YouTube

China has ‘wasted’ $6.8 trillion in investment, warn Beijing researchers

"Ghost cities" lined with empty apartment blocks, abandoned highways and mothballed steel mills sprawl across China's landscape – the outcome of government stimulus measures and hyperactive construction that have generated $6.8 trillion in wasted investment since 2009, according to a report by government researchers.
In 2009 and 2013 alone, "ineffective investment" came to nearly half the total invested in the Chinese economy in those years, according to research by Xu Ce of the National Development and Reform Commission, the state planning agency, and Wang Yuan from the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, a former arm of the NDRC.


China has ‘wasted’ $6.8 trillion in investment, warn Beijing researchers

Saturday, November 29, 2014

10 Surefire Signs You’re A Supertasker

One thing at a time? Ain’t nobody got time for that.



10 Surefire Signs You’re A Supertasker

Start Off December With a Ton of Events

The month of December is kicking off with a full week of events. Getting things started Dec. 1 is the Construction Super Conference in Las Vegas. Other events include the Online Educa Berlin Conference on Technology Supported Learning, Holiday Networking and Celebration, and FT Frontier Markets Summit. Check out the full list and see what’s going on near you.
To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit theSmall Business Events Calendar.


Start Off December With a Ton of Events

'Creativity is a team sport' – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

'Creativity is a team sport' – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Kalanick: You can bend reality, but you can't break it – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Kalanick: You can bend reality, but you can't break it – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Rottenberg: You don't need a hoodie to be an entrepreneur – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

Rottenberg: You don't need a hoodie to be an entrepreneur – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs

One Week Marketing Plan: Marketing with $300 or Less

In The One Week Marketing Plan: The Set It & Forget It Approach for Quickly Growing Your Business, Mark Satterfield makes a very bold claim, even for a marketing book. The author claims that he can help most businesses (small to medium sized) improve their marketing in one week with a budget of $300 or less. 
That’s right. Your marketing should be set after just one week. 


One Week Marketing Plan: Marketing with $300 or Less

Journey to Mars

From Lockheed Martin:




Ever wonder what would be included in an owner's manual for human spaceflight? We have a clue! Everything from the font type and size on the displays, to ensuring a radiation-safe haven for the crew. Check out how humans introduce a new element to the space exploration equation: http://lmt.co/1vz3xVo

Ep 27: Black and Blue Friday for Oil Producers and Gold Miners - YouTube

Video (35:52)



Ep 27: Black and Blue Friday for Oil Producers and Gold Miners - YouTube

Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore Sticks to One Topic: Food

When it comes to serving a niche market, Nach Waxman may just take the proverbial cake. For more than three decades, Waxman has owned and operated The Kitchen Arts & Letters bookstore in Manhattan. It’s a store selling books on just one subject: food.
New and vintage, the store is stacked with its fair share of cookbooks, but it doesn’t stop there. There are volumes on the food industry, food science, the restaurant business, the history of food, and more. Basically, if it’s about food and in print, it’s likely to be in this small bookstore.


Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore Sticks to One Topic: Food

Pot sellers push 'Green Friday' - Nov. 28, 2014

Who said Black Friday had to be so materialistic?

Taking a page from their fellow retailers, Colorado's newly legal marijuana stores are offering killer deals on the day they're dubbing "Green Friday."


Pot sellers push 'Green Friday' - Nov. 28, 2014

Best Buy crashes amid Black Friday deals - Nov. 28, 2014

Best Buy crashes amid Black Friday deals - Nov. 28, 2014

Small Business Saturday

From Senator Tim Scott:



Small Business Saturday

Facebook post from Ayn Owens:


Small Business Saturday--In an age of global markets and capitalism, it’s far too easy for small businesses to struggle and fail, even if they have superior products and services. We have the power to change this, and Small Business Saturday encourages people everywhere to shop with small businesses for just one day, and to change the world a little bit.

Friday, November 28, 2014

Three Tactics Let Physical Stores Benefit from Webrooming

Remember when retailers were in a panic about a new trend called showrooming? The showrooming concept where consumers come into your store to look at, touch and try on products, but then search for lower prices and buy them online from your competition struck fear into retailers’ hearts.
However, this year, it seems the concept is flipped around. A recent study by GfKfound that showrooming is actually on the decline. Instead, “webrooming” is on the rise. We’ve addressed this before: Webrooming, the opposite of showrooming, is when consumers research products online, then head into a physical store to make the purchase.


Three Tactics Let Physical Stores Benefit from Webrooming

Kid Inventors Come Up With Environmental Issue Solutions

The De-Waster 5000 is a helicopter that scoops plastic out of landfills and the ocean then uses a flamethrower to melt the trash into beds for homeless people. It’s not a real product. But it is a creative prototype that was thought up by a 10-year-old as part of the Global Childrens’ Designathon.
The event took place on Nov. 15 in five cities around the world, and encouraged children to spend the day designing solutions to improve food, waste, or mobility issues in their hometowns.


Kid Inventors Come Up With Environmental Issue Solutions

Google Offers Buyers of Chromebook 2 Years Storage Free

People who purchase a Chromebook before Dec. 31 could be getting free storage on Google Drive for the next two years. Google announced that customers purchasing Chromebooks from select retailers, online outlets and Google Play will be eligible for the deal.



Google Offers Buyers of Chromebook 2 Years Storage Free

OPEC Decision: To squeeze US shale oil producers by forcing prices down - Nov. 28, 2014

OPEC just fired a shot at the U.S. shale industry.

Despite tumbling prices -- the lowest since 2010 -- the cartel surprised the energy industry by deciding to keep pumping oil at current levels. One motivation is to squeeze higher-cost producers in North America, including the booming U.S. shale industry that has reshaped the global energy landscape.


OPEC Decision: To squeeze US shale oil producers by forcing prices down - Nov. 28, 2014

Owner of Virginia-Based Company Pleads Guilty to Providing Gratuities to Federal Contracting Official

FBI Washington Field Office Press Release:


Owner of Virginia-Based Company Pleads Guilty to Providing Gratuities to Federal Contracting Official
Company Agrees to Pay $300,000 Criminal Penalty for Its Conduct

U.S. Attorney’s OfficeNovember 25, 2014
  • District of Columbia(202) 514-7566
WASHINGTON—Harry I. Martin, Jr., the owner, president, and chief executive officer of a Virginia-based information technology company, Intelligent Decisions, Inc., pled guilty this week to a federal charge stemming from gratuities that he and his company provided to a former contracting official with the U.S. Department of the Army in return for preferential treatment and government contracts.
In a related action, the company, Intelligent Decisions, Inc., has agreed to pay a $300,000 criminal penalty for its conduct. The company was charged in a criminal information with one count of paying a gratuity to a public official. Intelligent Decisions, Inc. agreed to the filing of the information, and is to make the payment and strengthen its internal controls as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the government. In light of that payment, and the company’s willingness to acknowledge responsibility for its actions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will recommend the dismissal of the information in 24 months, provided Intelligent Decisions, Inc. fully cooperates and abides by the agreement.
The developments were announced today by Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Andrew G. McCabe, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Thomas J. Kelly, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Peggy E. Gustafson, Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA-OIG); Robert E. Craig, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and Frank Robey, Director of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU).
Martin, 56, of Great Falls, Virginia, and Intelligent Decisions, Inc., agreed to fully cooperate in an ongoing federal investigation. Martin entered the guilty plea on Nov. 24, 2014, before the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on March 6, 2015.
Martin is the 20th individual to plead guilty in an investigation into domestic bribery, bid-rigging, and federal contracting. His business colleague, Chae Shim, the Director of Acquisition Accounts, Asia/Pacific, for Intelligent Decisions, pled guilty on Nov. 6, 2014, to the same federal charge as Martin stemming from gratuities that Shim and others at Intelligent Decisions, including Martin, provided to the former Army contracting official in return for preferential treatment and government contracts. Shim, 47, of Reston, Va., is to be sentenced on March 20, 2015.
In addition to those individuals, one corporation, Nova Datacom, LLC, pled guilty to federal charges. Also, a South Korean-based corporation, Saena Tech Corporation, has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to pay a $500,000 criminal penalty as part of the investigation.
In the overall investigation, to date, the United States has seized for forfeiture or recovered over $9 million in bank account funds, cash, and repayments, as well as 19 real properties, nine cars, and multiple pieces of fine jewelry.
The guilty plea and deferred prosecution agreement involve gratuities provided to In Seon Lim, a former contracting official for the U.S. Department of the Army. Lim pled guilty in July 2014, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, to federal charges stemming from a scheme in which he accepted over $490,000 worth of benefits, including cash payments and vacations, from favored contractors, including Intelligent Decisions, Inc. In return, he helped these businesses obtain millions of dollars in federal contracts and subcontracts. Lim, 48, who pled guilty to bribery and two other federal offenses, was sentenced on Oct. 24, 2014 to a four-year prison term.
“A corporate CEO has now become the 20th person to plead guilty in this bribery and bid-rigging investigation,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “He joins a long list of public officials and government contractors held accountable for corrupting the integrity of the federal contracting system. This CEO and his company rigged the competition for military contracts by plying an Army official with meals, drinks, entertainment, and golf outings. The fate of this CEO and his company should encourage other contractors to steer clear of crooked dealings.”
“This plea demonstrates that those who engage in illegal gratuities will be held accountable for their actions,” said Assistant Director in Charge McCabe. “Both the company and the public official benefited when contracts were steered and increased almost $4 million. The FBI and our partner agencies will continue to investigate those who abuse the American taxpayer’s money and protect federal funds.”
“The defendant’s actions to pay and authorize the payment of illegal gratuities to a government official are an attack on the integrity of our system of government,” said Inspector General Gustafson of the U.S. Small Business Administration. “With our law enforcement partners, the SBA OIG will guard against such attacks and bring to justice those responsible for such despicable acts. I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its dedicated leadership and professionalism in bringing forth this guilty plea.”
“It is one of the highest priorities of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) to protect the integrity of the government procurement process so that taxpayer money is spent properly,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig. “As this case has again demonstrated, DCIS and our law enforcement partners will work together to uncover and fully prosecute any and all individuals and companies who are not willing to follow government contract and procurement laws.”
“This case should send a very loud and clear message to all who do business with the Department of the Army that if you intend on committing illegal acts for your own greed and personal gain, especially while our nation is at war, we will surely catch you and help bring you to justice,” said Director Robey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit “We have a very robust group of highly-trained special agents in our fraud unit who are masters at combating and uncovering fraud, deception, bribery and other criminal acts associated with government contracting and purchasing.”
According to the government’s evidence, Martin, Shim, and the company provided Lim with thousands of dollars in meals, drinks, entertainment, golf outings, and golf equipment, in return for preferential treatment and the direction of Army subcontracts to the firm.
All told, Intelligent Decisions spent over $10,000 on a variety of expenses, including dinners, golf outings, and other events attended by Lim, who was joined by company officials and others, while one of its employees agreed to pay for a Lexus ES350 automobile worth over $30,000 for Lim.
At the time of this conduct, Lim was an assistant project manager and product director with the Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems, a part of the Army that provides infrastructure and informational management systems. Working in South Korea, Lim’s primary duties were to oversee and implement communications systems upgrades for the U.S. forces there, which included approximately 10 communications centers and various other special projects at military sites throughout the country. Among other things, Lim coordinated work on a major contract, which, in turn, had numerous sub-contracts.
According to the government’s evidence, prior to the awarding of the sub-contracts, Martin and Shim traveled to South Korea in January 2009 to meet with Lim. They provided him with a dinner, drinks, and entertainment. They followed up on the meeting with e-mails expressing their desire for Intelligent Decisions, Inc., to work with him.
Later in January 2009, with Lim’s assistance, the company was awarded two subcontracts. One had an initial value of $525,000, and the other had a value of $67,294.
Over the ensuing months, Martin, Shim, and the company provided Lim with additional meals, entertainment, golf outings, and other benefits. Meanwhile, modifications were made to the sub-contracts increasing their value. The lengths of the two sub-contracts were expanded, along with their value. The $525,000 contract eventually climbed to a value of $3.2 million, and the $67,294 contract later became worth $1.3 million.
This investigation is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office; the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration; the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Defense Contract Audit Agency, and the Army Criminal Investigation Command. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael K. Atkinson of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
This content has been reproduced from its original source.

Fifth Defendant in Eli Lilly Warehouse Theft Case Pleads Guilty

FBI New Haven Division Press Release:


Fifth Defendant in Eli Lilly Warehouse Theft Case Pleads Guilty

U.S. Attorney’s OfficeNovember 25, 2014
  • District of Connecticut(203) 821-3700
The United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced that RAFAEL LOPEZ, 50, a citizen of Cuba residing in Miami, Fla., pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to a federal charge related to the theft of pharmaceuticals from an Eli Lilly Company warehouse and storage facility in Enfield, Conn.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in early 2010, Amaury Villa, Amed Villa, Yosmany Nunez and Alexander Marquez planned to steal pharmaceuticals from the Eli Lilly Company warehouse and storage facility in Enfield. The investigation revealed that, in March 2010, LOPEZ agreed to drive Amed Villa from Florida to Connecticut and back as Amed Villa did not possess a driver’s license. Prior to the theft, LOPEZ rented a hotel room for himself and Amed Villa in Flushing, N.Y. In Flushing, LOPEZ accompanied Amed Villa to a Home Depot where they purchased approximately $757 worth of tools with cash. They then traveled to Connecticut
In the evening of March 13, 2010, individuals involved in the theft dropped off a ladder in the rear parking lot of the warehouse facility and left. That same night, Marquez drove a tractor trailer to the facility. Thereafter, Amed Villa and Amaury Villa carried the ladder to the building, checked for security in the front area, climbed onto the roof, used the tools purchased from Home Depot to cut a hole in the facility roof, dropped down into the facility and disabled the alarm system. Amaury Villa, Amed Villa and Nunez then loaded more than 40 pallets of pharmaceuticals into the tractor trailer, which had been backed up to the loading dock of the warehouse.
The pallets of pharmaceuticals included thousands of boxes Zyprexa, Cymbalta, Prozac, Gemzar and other medicines, valued between $50 and $100 million. Lopez waited outside the warehouse during the burglary and, several times, contacted Amed Villa and Amaury Villa by phone to ask what was taking so long.
After the theft, the participants split up in Connecticut and Marquez drove the tractor trailer to Florida. As LOPEZ drove Amed Villa back to Florida, he was told that Amed Villa and Amaury Villa had stolen a tractor trailer truck.
Certain individuals involved in the theft reunited in Florida so the stolen pharmaceuticals could be transferred from the tractor trailer into self-storage units in the Miami area.
On October 14, 2011, law enforcement authorities searched a storage facility in Florida and recovered pharmaceuticals that had been stolen from the Enfield warehouse.
LOPEZ, who was arrested on April 21, 2014, pleaded guilty today to one count of misprision of a felon, admitting that he was aware of the theft from the Eli Lilly warehouse and that the stolen property was transported across state lines, and that he not only failed to report the offense to the authorities, but took steps to conceal it.
LOPEZ is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arteron on February 18, 2015, at which time he faces a maximum term of imprisonment of three years. He currently is released on bond.
Amaury Villa, Amed Villa, Nunez and Marquez have all pleaded guilty to various charges and await sentencing.
This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Enfield Police Department, with the assistance of several other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that have been investigating large-scale thefts of pharmaceuticals and other products.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anastasia E. King and Douglas P. Morabito.
This content has been reproduced from its original source.

Former Parkland Hospital Employee Admits Stealing Patient Information to Market His Home Health Agency in Garland, Texas

FBI Dallas Division Press Release:


Former Parkland Hospital Employee Admits Stealing Patient Information to Market His Home Health Agency in Garland, Texas

U.S. Attorney’s OfficeNovember 25, 2014
  • Northern District of Texas(214) 659-8600
DALLAS—A former employee at Parkland Hospital in Dallas appeared in federal court this morning and pleaded guilty, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renée Harris Toliver, to a federal felony offense stemming from his theft of patient information from the hospital, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña.
Viju Mathew, 49, of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents, authentication features and information (identity theft). He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. He will remain on bond pending sentencing before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle.
According to plea documents filed in the case, as a registration specialist at Parkland Hospital, Mathew entered patient information into Parkland’s computer system. Mathew used his position to obtain confidential patient information, including patients’ names, telephone numbers, dates of birth, participation in the Medicare program, and government-issued health insurance claim numbers.
Mathew admitted that he knowingly removed the confidential information intending to use it to gain an economic benefit by contacting prospective patients for his home health care business.
The FBI, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Portugal is in charge of the prosecution.
This content has been reproduced from its original source.

Largo Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Stealing $470,000 from Her Employer

FBI Baltimore Division Press Release:


Largo Woman Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Stealing $470,000 from Her Employer

U.S. Attorney’s OfficeNovember 25, 2014
  • District of Maryland(410) 209-4800
GREENBELT, MD—U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Mercy Coffie-Joseph, age 41, of Largo, Maryland, today to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for wire fraud, money laundering, passport fraud and aggravated identity theft. Judge Titus also entered an order that Coffie-Joseph pay restitution of $472,148.52.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Special Agent in Charge Niall Meehan of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
According to evidence presented at her four day trial, from 2010 to February 2013, Coffie-Joseph used her position as an accounting manager at a Maryland company to fraudulently access the company’s bank accounts and transfer approximately $470,000 to bank accounts she controlled. She then used about $120,000 of those funds to buy a home in Ghana.
Coffie-Joseph also stole an individual’s identity and obtained a passport in the victim’s name, using her own picture, and then traveled to Ghana on the fraudulent passport, during which trip she visited the home she had purchased there with the fraudulently obtained money.
Today’s announcement is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF) which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Since the inception of FFETF in November 2009, the Justice Department has filed more than 12,841 financial fraud cases against nearly 18,737 defendants including nearly 3,500 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the FBI and State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Thomas P. Windom, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Margaret Moeser, of the U.S. Justice Department’s Asset Forfeiture & Money Laundering Section, who prosecuted the case.
This content has been reproduced from its original source.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Voluntary Insurance: An affordable Solution for Workers’ Financial Concerns

The United States is known as the land of plenty and, indeed, we’re fortunate to live in our great nation. For many Americans, however, the word “plenty” also refers to the number of bills they receive each month. Our economy is slowly bouncing back but raises and bonuses are still hard to come by, making it hard for workers to set aside funds for inevitable rainy days.



Voluntary Insurance: An affordable Solution for Workers’ Financial Concerns

Think You Can't Afford a Butler? Alfred Could Prove You Wrong

Have you ever wished you had your own butler, like Bruce Wayne’s Alfred? Most people could use a little bit of help with their housework and chores now and again. But few have the money and resources to hire live-in help like Alfred. If you’re one of those people who could use some minor assistance, there’s a new solution that might want to consider.
Startup Alfred, named for the famous butler in Batman, aims to make hiring housework help affordable. At just $99 a month, an Alfred butler will come to your home to perform various chores like cleaning, sorting mail and folding laundry.


Think You Can't Afford a Butler? Alfred Could Prove You Wrong

Remember to Thank Small Restaurants and #DineSmall

A new campaign aims to encourage those shopping on Small Business Saturday to patronize small restaurants too when their shopping day is done. Small Business Saturday, now in its fifth year, is the Saturday after Thanksgiving specifically designated to promote shopping from small businesses and local merchants.
The campaign already has two hashtags. The first, #DineSmall, is helping to spread the word about the new campaign, officially called Small Business Saturday Night. The second, #ShowUsYourMenu, encourages owners and chefs at participating establishments to post special menus for the event via social media.


Remember to Thank Small Restaurants and #DineSmall

FedEx Freight Drivers in Louisville Reject Teamsters

From FedEx:


FedEx Freight Drivers in Louisville Reject Teamsters

FedEx Freight, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) announced that a union representation election was held today at its hub in Louisville, KY.  The city and road drivers in Louisville voted against representation by the Teamsters union and in favor of continuing their direct relationship with the company.
“Our people are our most important asset,” said Pat Reed, FedEx Freight Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President.  “We will continue to work closely with our team members to ensure that FedEx Freight remains a great place to work.”
The results in Louisville mark the third election in which FedEx Freight drivers have demonstrated their desire to remain union-free and come on the heels of the union withdrawing petitions in three other locations.  FedEx Freight drivers in Delanco, NJ, and Newark, NJ, have also voted against union representation.  In addition, the Teamsters withdrew their petitions on the eve of elections in Middletown, PA, South Newark, NJ, and Richmond, VA.  The union would only withdraw its election petitions if it knew it would lose the vote in those locations.
“This pattern of union defeats and withdrawals supports our belief that the vast majority of our drivers do not want union interference,” said Reed.  “We look forward to working with the team members at all service centers to maintain positive lines of communication and continue providing excellent service to our customers.”

About FedEx Freight
With corporate offices in Memphis, Tenn., the FedEx Freight Segment includes FedEx Freight, a leading U.S. provider of LTL freight services; FedEx Freight Canada, an LTL operating company serving most points in Canada; and FedEx Custom Critical, North America's largest time-specific, critical shipment carrier. FedEx Freight also serves Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, visit fedex.com.

FedEx Freight Drivers in Louisville Reject Union

From FedEx:


FedEx Freight Drivers in Louisville Reject Union

A union representation election was held on Wednesday, November 26, at the FedEx Freight service center in Louisville, KY.  We are pleased to report that a majority of city and road drivers at the Louisville facility voted against union representation.  With this vote, FedEx Freight employees continue to demonstrate their strong preference for a union-free workplace.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Ferguson store owner: Fooled into thinking we were safe

Video (3:30)

Ferguson store owner Sonny Dayan of STL Cordless details what happened when his store was looted Monday night.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000334361

JDog Junk Removal Spawns Franchises in Six States

Junk removal isn’t a very glamorous industry. But when Jerry Flanagan was looking for a new entrepreneurial venture, it seemed like the right fit. It turns out that choosing a career in the junk removal industry was a great decision. It helped Flanagan’s business succeed through the recession. And now, JDog Junk Removal & Hauling has even expanded throughout six states through franchising. Read more about Flanagan’s junk removal business venture in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.



JDog Junk Removal Spawns Franchises in Six States

Liberal Asks Mike Rowe How He Could Be “Republican and Christian,” His Response is AWESOME! | The Federalist Papers

Liberal Asks Mike Rowe How He Could Be “Republican and Christian,” His Response is AWESOME! | The Federalist Papers

Partnering to Improve Market Data in Brazil

From the USDA:


The MIOA members also toured the local wholesale market, Centrais de Abastecimento do Distrito Federal S.A (CEASA-DF), in Brasilia, Brazil. Dr. Luis Palmer, Chief of the International Reports Section of AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs Market News (second from right with blue shirt) tours the market with MIOA members. Photo Courtesy of Francisco Stuckert, CONAB.
The MIOA members also toured the local wholesale market, Centrais de Abastecimento do Distrito Federal S.A (CEASA-DF), in Brasilia, Brazil. Dr. Luis Palmer, Chief of the International Reports Section of AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs Market News (second from right with blue shirt) tours the market with MIOA members. Photo Courtesy of Francisco Stuckert, CONAB.
Quality data is paramount when it comes to helping markets reach their full potential. This is especially true in the agriculture industry where businesses are always searching for reliable data that can help them make important decisions like what to produce or how much to buy. I recently joined a team of USDA employees from my agency — the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) — and the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) that traveled to Brazil to share how we collect and disseminate key market data to help buyers and sellers make informed decisions.
Our trip to Brazil presented several opportunities to increase transparency in the inter-connected global marketplace. The primary purpose of the trip to Brasilia was to participate in the Regular Meeting of the Market Information for the Organization of the Americas (MIOA), which brings together a network of 33 member countries to collect, process, analyze, and disseminate information relative to markets and agricultural commodities.
We were invited to hold a presentation about our market collection techniques for senior Brazilian government officials and lead technical specialists. For 100 years, AMS Market News has collected and disseminated price, volume, and other critical data for businesses across the globe. As an independent, third-party organization with employees stationed at wholesale markets, auctions, and similar locations, we can quickly gather and send out reports that accurately capture the pulse of various commodity markets.
The primary purpose of the trip to Brasilia was to participate in the Regular Meeting of the Market Information for the Organization of the Americas (MIOA), which brings together a network of 33 member countries to collect, process, analyze, and disseminate information relative to markets and agricultural commodities. Photo Courtesy of Francisco Stuckert, CONAB.
The primary purpose of the trip to Brasilia was to participate in the Regular Meeting of the Market Information for the Organization of the Americas (MIOA), which brings together a network of 33 member countries to collect, process, analyze, and disseminate information relative to markets and agricultural commodities. Photo Courtesy of Francisco Stuckert, CONAB.
Recognizing the value of our system and how a similar system could benefit Brazilian producers, handlers, and marketers, they asked us to share our methodology and practices for accurately collecting and distributing timely and reliable information. We were honored to meet with the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA), Neri Geller, to discuss the opportunity of a formal cooperative agreement between the two countries. After a successful meeting, the next step will be a letter from Minister Geller to Secretary Vilsack formalizing the arrangement.  For AMS Market News, the first step would be to assess the country’s market reporting capabilities and practices and then make recommendations.
The second largest country in the MIOA and the sixth largest in the world, Brazil is a critical trading partner. While it’s a major competitor with the U.S., it is still the 17th most popular destination for U.S. agricultural exports. Increasing the country’s market transparency can improve trade between the countries in areas such as beef. It can also help Brazil feed its population of more than 200 million people.
Increasing Brazil’s market transparency will also improve the MIOA’s overall standing. Already the strongest economy in South America, other countries in the region can benefit from an improved agricultural sector that can expand its exports of key commodities like coffee, soybeans, and beef thanks to more accurate market data. This type of work has improved the MIOA in the past. Similar agreements made with Mexico and India helped these countries strengthen their agricultural market information systems to the benefit of domestic and international interests.
Both countries left the meeting feeling optimistic about the future. In 2013, the U.S. exported a record $1.6 billion of food and farm exports to Brazil in 2013. This figure stands to improve as both countries benefit from improved market data. AMS and the rest of us here at USDA are committed to finding ways to facilitate marketing opportunities for U.S. agricultural businesses. We will continue to participate in domestic and international groups to realize these opportunities.
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Fruit and Vegetable Program Market News Director Terry Long is interviewed by a member of the local press. AMS was invited to do a presentation about its market collection techniques for senior Brazilian government officials and lead technical specialists. Photo Courtesy of Francisco Stuckert, CONAB.
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Fruit and Vegetable Program Market News Director Terry Long is interviewed by a member of the local press. AMS was invited to do a presentation about its market collection techniques for senior Brazilian government officials and lead technical specialists. Photo Courtesy of Francisco Stuckert, CONAB.

Woman Pleads Guilty to Failing to Report 17-Year-Old Working as Prostitute

FBI Kansas City Division Press Release:


Woman Pleads Guilty to Failing to Report 17-Year-Old Working as Prostitute

U.S. Attorney’s OfficeNovember 24, 2014
  • District of Kansas(316) 269-6481
KANSAS CITY, KN—A Kansas woman pleaded guilty Monday to failing to report that a 17-year-old girl was working as a prostitute, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Brittany L. Morris, 25, Winfield, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony. In her plea, she admitted that on April 11, 2013, she received a call from two officers working undercover who called in response to an advertisement on the Internet. Morris arranged for herself and a 17-year-old girl to meet the officers at a hotel off K-10 Highway near DeSoto, Kan., to exchange sex acts for money.
At the hotel, Morris told the officers the price would be $600 an hour. When Morris was arrested, officers learned that the girl with her was 17 years old. The girl admitted to working as a prostitute in New Orleans, Wichita and Kansas City with Morris. Both Morris and the girl posted advertisements on the Internet offering sexual services.
Sentencing is set for Feb. 18. Both parties agreed to recommend a sentence of between eight and 14 months in federal prison. Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Martin for their work on the case.
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