personal finance and budgeting

If you die owing money, that means you won the game of life. But some folks harbor a silly fantasy of actually clawing their way out of the imploded Chilean mines of debt they've created for themselves. They put themselves on a budget, hope for job security and the eventual reinstatement of raises and map out exactly when they might taste the financial freedom all too few get to taste.

Personal Finance blogger Girl with the Red Balloon, who is chipping away at more than $16,000 of student loan debt on a $24,000 salary says she'll be out of debt June 1, 2013. She uses the far-off date as encouragement to stay focused on her frugality.

How much debt are you in, and if you plan on getting out of it one day, when do you hope that will be?

Debt Free Date [Girl with the Red Balloon]

'Tis the holiday season, and for businesses that means considering how to indulge employees with vacation time, holiday parties and, the most loaded perk, holiday bonuses.

Holiday bonuses are a longtime tradition for industries like finance — think the big Wall Street firms that get Christmas bonuses the size of annual salaries — and the National Labor Relations Board has allowed unionized workers to make holiday bonuses a contractual obligation. But small businesses operate in a nebulous realm of personal discretion, where owners set their own precedent for holiday extras.

Owners can establish gifts around the holidays as an act of goodwill or as part of employees' pay package, says Harry Dannenberg, chairman of the New York City chapter of SCORE, a national nonprofit organization that offers small business counseling and advice. "It's such a personal issue that there's not a precedent for it," he says. "Different industries have different attitudes about it. If you're a mom-and-pop operation and you're part of a business family, you might have a more generous approach to the holidays than if you run a chain."

In a survey last December, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement consulting firm, found that 64 percent of employers planned to give holiday bonuses, up from 54 percent in 2008, when most industries were strained by a bad economy. Greater economic conditions certainly play into whether to give a holiday bonus, Dannenberg says, but it's good form to show employees appreciation for a successful year. "If I had a good year and people worked very hard for me, I might make a statement of how grateful we all are by presenting them with a nice gift," he says. "But it's very individual, especially with small businesses, and how you relate to the people who work for you."

This year's holiday bonus will set the precedent for subsequent years', so structuring bonuses to be affordable yet considerate is key.

How to Structure a Holiday Bonus: Decide its Purpose

What role will a holiday bonus play in your overall, yearlong pay scheme? Is it a substitute for a year-end bonus? Is it a substantial contribution to annual pay? Or is it a token of holiday spirit?

If a business already pays a year-end bonus, a holiday bonus becomes more of a gift of appreciation than part of employees' annual pay and benefits package, Dannenberg says. "If you're in a business where you get year-end bonuses, usually Christmas becomes far less of a significant issue," he says. "If you're a clerk in the store and the owner wants to spread a little cheer and give some money, give families turkeys, it becomes a small thank-you. A big thank-you is a raise or a year-end bonus."

    Ben Hemminger, CEO of Fashionphile, a Beverly Hills company that sells second-hand luxury handbags, says he gives a year-end bonus around the holidays. The family-owned business has 11 employees, mostly part-timers, and the full-time employees "are all related to me," he says. Full-timers get a $500 check — taxes deducted and all — around the last week of December, and part-timers receive a $100 cash card. "There's probably a more intriguing way to do it," he says, "but everybody would rather have the money than something worth the money."

Dannenberg agrees that token thank-yous like cash cards belong at the general employee level, not the management level. "It should be given to employees who provide a service in a business," he says. "In something like auto repair or retail, it becomes more of a gesture of recognition of service."

How to Structure a Holiday Bonus: Budgeting the Bonus

Holiday bonuses meant as tokens of appreciation don't belong in a business plan, Dannenberg says. Rather, he suggests looking at revenue from the first 10 months of the year to decide how to approach bonuses each holiday season. "Say it was a good year, I made money, therefore, on the strength of that performance, I can give 'x,'" he says. But use generosity in moderation, Dannenberg warned. Being too generous in a good year could make for an embarrassing downgrade in a bad year.

Six-year-old Fashionphile spends a few thousand dollars on year-end bonuses and year-end gifts for its part-time employees, but Hemminger says everyone understands the bonus is a small token. "No one gets paid a whole lot to begin with, so it's not like we have high expectations," he says.

Start-up businesses should do some footwork before deciding how to approach bonuses, Dannenberg says. "The issue becomes what is the precedent," he says. "If I were starting a new business, I would go around and chat with other similar merchants to see what they do. Get a feel for how other people make that evaluation and judgment."

How to Structure a Holiday Bonus: Cash versus Gift

If a holiday bonus isn't an established part of annual pay, a gift is just as meaningful as a little cash — sometimes more so if the cash gift is going to be small. "You give someone a really small amount, it's insulting," Dannenberg says. "But give them a nice bottle of wine and something that costs $10, it's nice. With a nice note, it's an expression of thanks, a matter of holiday spirit and cheer."

Hemminger says he's considering giving employees gift cards for the three restaurants they go to for lunch every day — a tax-free and useful gift, he says.

Blurb, a San Francisco publishing company where authors design their books online, during the holidays fields orders from businesses making books for their employees as holiday gifts. The employer designs the book from size and shape to content — photos or photos and text. Square books start at around $13.

When Dannenberg owned a chain of six retail stores, around the holidays he would give employees a big basket filled with fruit and a turkey. "They grew to look forward to it and enjoy it," he says, adding, "I would stay away from giving money at Christmas because of the potential cost.

 "I'd go with a nice box of candy and a bottle of wine, something that you can have uniformity that everyone can enjoy."

So as you decide how to handle the holidays, keep in mind that whether it's cash or wine, to employees, it's your appreciation for their service that counts.

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alpine-payment-systems-c270446.html

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alpine-payment-systems-c270446.html

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alpine-payment-systems-c270446.html

Apple offers &#39;Cyber Monday&#39; discounts | iLounge <b>News</b>

iLounge news discussing the Apple offers 'Cyber Monday' discounts. Find more Apple news from leading independent iPod, iPhone, and iPad site.

Fox <b>News</b> claims anti-fees protests were &quot;rebellion against big <b>...</b>

Rupert Murdoch's Fox News has again been caught misrepresenting video footage, claiming the anti-fees protests were a rebellion against big government.

Guy On Sunday Morning <b>News</b> Show Gets Slightly Abrasive | Best Week <b>...</b>

It is not that rare anymore to see pundits get worked up on news shows. But the Sunday morning network news shows have somehow remained a refuge for civil.

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alpine-payment-systems-c270446.html

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alpine-payment-systems-c270446.html

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alpine-payment-systems-c270446.html

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/alpine-payment-systems-c270446.html

Making Money Internet

Yes folks, that sadly did happen

The image you see accompanying this article sparked a powder keg at about 4 a.m. Irish time Tuesday morning.

For those living under a rock the last few days, Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank opportunity on Randy Orton and won.

Thus begun civil war all over the Internet between Miz fans and those who dislike him.

In the case of the Miz, though, the word "fan" doesn't seem to apply. The fanbase seems entirely split between those who blindly defend Miz and ignore his shortcomings and those who despise his very existence within WWE.

Since he won the WWE title, the two factions have begun a war of words with each other on news sites and forums across the web.

However, this article will scrutinise the self-destructive logic of a Miz mark.

In the last four days, the Miz has been compared to The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Randy Orton and now, astonishingly, "Nature Boy" Ric freakin' Flair.

Now look, I know Miz has improved, but any wrestling fan who in their right mind compares Miz to the above names needs their head examined. Miz's ring skills are far inferior to Cena and Orton's, as is his ability to carry a match. To put his subpar mic skills alongside the genii of Austin, Rock and Flair is madness.

Miz fans talk about Miz as if he is Rocky Balboa—a guy who fought his way up to the top with constant struggle. Miz walked into OVW after appearing on The Real World and for some reason got the call-up one year later. Fast-forward four years (you may as well), and this reality show reject is WWE champion?!?!

That's no Rocky story. That is a silver-spoon story.

They also talk about his build-up. Let's examine previous Money in the Bank winners' run-up to cashing in:

Edge: Had great rivalries with Matt Hardy and Ric Flair, the latter of which solidified the Rated R superstar as a Main Event player.

Rob Van Dam: Series with Shelton Benjamin, rivalry with Cena headed into ONS.

Mr. Kennedy/Edge: Kennedy had named a date and was getting more and more heat, week by week. By this point, Edge had become an opportunist and pounced on both Kennedy and a beaten Taker.

CM Punk: His first cash-in had no build-up, and his reign was a flop. His second was built up through a feud with Umaga and created the super-heel Punk. Punk also beat Chris Jericho and Edge among others in the run-up to his second cash-in.

Jack Swagger: No build-up, flop reign.

Kane: 12 YEARS of build-up to a title reign, which has been magnificent.

Miz: No build-up. Follow the pattern.

Miz has had no rivalry with a top star. He has to compete in multi-man matches to hide his weaknesses.

It amazes me that some people have the levels of stupidity to say Miz is the best WWE has. Miz is far from that; Miz is not even the top heel on RAW, in practice. That would be the man who has done everything Miz hasn't: Wade Barrett.

Vince McMahon is reportedly a fan of Miz. I don't normally have to criticise Vince for making a TNA-like decision. But that is exactly what making Miz champion was.

Even a blind mark can see that.

Guys, I just have to request something. I'm not interested in the comment section turning into a flame war. So constructive comments only. Thanks.

We have had an occasional series here on TNW dubbed “Think it all happens in the Valley? You’re wrong!“ that has been an explosive success. There is so much technology activity around the world that never gets the press or respect that it deserves that we are making a concerted effort to cover as much of it as we can.

Today we are taking a look at a city very dear to me. Chicago, a place where the technology scene is heating up as more money is poured into the incubation and early stage investment community on the backs of some very high-profile local successes. How do I know what is going on here in Chicago? I live here, and I take as much time as possible meet and talk with the area’s entrepreneurs.

That makes this the inside scoop of the companies in the Windy City that you are going to hear from and about again and again over the next few years. Let’s get into it.

midVentures

If there was ever a scrappy startup, midVentures is it. Founded by a group of UChicago graduates, midVentures is a combination community catalyst and consulting shop that works to bring together and build up the Chicago technology scene.

The company specializes in ‘venture development,’ helping baby companies connect to the resources that they need to grow, while also providing guidance to dodge potential pitfalls. The company also runs a well read Chicago-area technology blog and hosts the largest technology conferences in the area. If you live here in Chicago, you know that midVentures is one of the companies that is running the show.

And like any good startup, midVentures always has a small stable of side projects that so far includes a rather violent iPhone app that may or may not see the light of day.

mPayy

mPayy is not the kind of company that wants to think small. To the contrary, the company is attempting to swallow a contract so large that it could take the team from startup to behemoth over night.

The company is bidding to use their online payment APIs to handle all the payments for the city’s public transit system. Crazy? It may sound like it, but the team has put together an impressive technology suite that seems to be well fit for the task.

We can’t get into too much detail here, so be sure and read our previous coverage of mPayy and find out just how they are going to change the future.

SproutSocial

Recently receiving their second funding round, this time a cool $1 million, SproutSocial is Chicago’s social darling of the moment. Their tools are perhaps the internet’s premier social media management suite.

When we first met the founder Justyn we knew that he was onto something big, and now with growing revenues, a crack engineering team, and more positive press than Obama two years ago, SproutSocial is perhaps the next big Chicago success story.

Want our word on it? If you manage a brand and have yet to try SproutSocial, then you are making a big mistake.

Wearables

When Wearables won midVenturesLAUNCH (at which our own Editor In Chief Zee was a judge) we were curious if their AirStash gadget was going to be a hit. This is what it does:

The AirStash is a wireless USB dongle with a built-in media server that you can take on the go. It works like this: take your SD card and fill it up to the brim with the files that you need to take out with you, then plug that SD card into your AirStash. Assuming that you have charged the AirStash (it looks like a USB memory drive), it acts like a portable media server that can deliver content to any WiFi enabled device that you own.

It sure impressed the judges. Will it be a hit with consumers? We’ll know by the middle of next year, but for now the company is pitching them as killer Christmas presents. You don’t see too many ‘gadget’ startups these days, or at least as many as we would like to see. We’ll bring you more as we know it.

A Space Apart

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Jason Goodrich, A Space Apart’s CEO, just a week ago and it was hard to not be impressed with what they have cooked up. Still operating somewhat beneath the radar, working with initial clients to hone their product to a perfect shine, they are laboring to change the location space.

They describe their product like this:

Social commerce platform A Space Apart aims to provide virtual extensions of the places we gather. Think of it as Second Life, but for real life, minus the ambling avatars and virtual currency. We’re talking buying your latte or Leinenkugel via mobile device; seeing everyone in the location regardless of check-in service; private or public posts to anyone, including the cute barista; and the ability to crowd-source the environment by voting on the music and such.

Will it find a niche or perhaps a massive userbase? By targeting customers as they have so far A Space Apart is looking to grow revenues alongside users, something that is a rather ‘Chicago’ thing to do.

ShelfLuv

The mad-child of Pek Pongpaet at a weekend-long hackathon, ShelfLuv has grown from a side project into a very interesting way to visualize books online. The company picks up fat commissions from Amazon for referrals and helps the ever-growing legions of ereader owners to find their next title.

Pek has been fleshing out the user interface since launch, and if the screenshots of the upcoming version that we have seen come out soon, ShelfLuv may just find a new traffic level that will make it into a very profitable enterprise.

UberCMD

A recent launch here in the City of Big Shoulders, UmberCMD is a central point for all your cloud data from a host of services, making it simpler to ‘command’ and search your data.

Taking a top slot at a recent Startup Weekend it is being described as “Greplin meets Launchbar.” There is not enough history yet on UberCMD to dig into specifics quite yet, but if the company’s infancy is any indication, this is a team to watch in the coming months.

CookItFor.Us

While Chicago startups are generally known for being slightly more serious and revenue focused, some do have that classic element of whimsy. One such startup is CookItFor.Us, a team that is looking to “deliver on all the benefits of home cooking, without having to cook.”

How does that work? The company links together people “that want recipes made” with “those that can make just about anything,” creating a virtuous loop of cooking and eating.

Yeah, take that Bay Area.

Poggled

Poggled is Groupon for alcoholics which means that it is going to find both a mass market audience and a strong following in the technology world. The product brings massive discounts on drinks and drinking related activities to people who like to party for extensive amounts of time.

The best part? The deals are usually very steep, meaning that if you want to get wet in a hurry, Poggled might just be your new best friend. Oh, and by using the Groupon business model, Poggled should do just fine when it comes to their bottom line.

Watermelon Express

Usually shortened to WMX, Watermelon Express is a learning company that helps to make test prep a breeze, and we mean it.

The company runs prep for a gamut of tests, including the GRE, LSAT, SAT, GMAT, MCAT Chemistry, and MCAT Biology. If you have never taken any of those tests you might not know the need for help, but for the soon-to-be-tested any assistance is a godsend, and that is why we suspect that WMX is making a pretty penny.

As knowledge becomes more and more powerful, companies like Watermelon Express are going to make a mint.

We could go on and on about other companies from Chicago, and we will in the future, but that is all for today. Be sure and check out each company, they all have something unique and fascinating to offer.

bench craft company reviews

Can Mobile Phones Think?: Tech <b>News</b> «

Nokia's Beta Labs today released a new experimental application called Situations, and it portends a future where context awareness drives the mobile experience, and points to a time when our handsets will do the thinking on our behalf, ...

Miller returns to net tonight - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

<b>News</b> and Notes - Brazil

News and Notes. November 27th, 2010 | by: Duvel | Comments (0). Ganso Return Julio Cesar appears to be out until January with a torn thigh muscle. The Inter Milan keeper has not played for his club since an October 29th start against ...

bench craft company reviews

Can Mobile Phones Think?: Tech <b>News</b> «

Nokia's Beta Labs today released a new experimental application called Situations, and it portends a future where context awareness drives the mobile experience, and points to a time when our handsets will do the thinking on our behalf, ...

Miller returns to net tonight - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

<b>News</b> and Notes - Brazil

News and Notes. November 27th, 2010 | by: Duvel | Comments (0). Ganso Return Julio Cesar appears to be out until January with a torn thigh muscle. The Inter Milan keeper has not played for his club since an October 29th start against ...

bench craft company reviews





Yes folks, that sadly did happen

The image you see accompanying this article sparked a powder keg at about 4 a.m. Irish time Tuesday morning.

For those living under a rock the last few days, Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank opportunity on Randy Orton and won.

Thus begun civil war all over the Internet between Miz fans and those who dislike him.

In the case of the Miz, though, the word "fan" doesn't seem to apply. The fanbase seems entirely split between those who blindly defend Miz and ignore his shortcomings and those who despise his very existence within WWE.

Since he won the WWE title, the two factions have begun a war of words with each other on news sites and forums across the web.

However, this article will scrutinise the self-destructive logic of a Miz mark.

In the last four days, the Miz has been compared to The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Randy Orton and now, astonishingly, "Nature Boy" Ric freakin' Flair.

Now look, I know Miz has improved, but any wrestling fan who in their right mind compares Miz to the above names needs their head examined. Miz's ring skills are far inferior to Cena and Orton's, as is his ability to carry a match. To put his subpar mic skills alongside the genii of Austin, Rock and Flair is madness.

Miz fans talk about Miz as if he is Rocky Balboa—a guy who fought his way up to the top with constant struggle. Miz walked into OVW after appearing on The Real World and for some reason got the call-up one year later. Fast-forward four years (you may as well), and this reality show reject is WWE champion?!?!

That's no Rocky story. That is a silver-spoon story.

They also talk about his build-up. Let's examine previous Money in the Bank winners' run-up to cashing in:

Edge: Had great rivalries with Matt Hardy and Ric Flair, the latter of which solidified the Rated R superstar as a Main Event player.

Rob Van Dam: Series with Shelton Benjamin, rivalry with Cena headed into ONS.

Mr. Kennedy/Edge: Kennedy had named a date and was getting more and more heat, week by week. By this point, Edge had become an opportunist and pounced on both Kennedy and a beaten Taker.

CM Punk: His first cash-in had no build-up, and his reign was a flop. His second was built up through a feud with Umaga and created the super-heel Punk. Punk also beat Chris Jericho and Edge among others in the run-up to his second cash-in.

Jack Swagger: No build-up, flop reign.

Kane: 12 YEARS of build-up to a title reign, which has been magnificent.

Miz: No build-up. Follow the pattern.

Miz has had no rivalry with a top star. He has to compete in multi-man matches to hide his weaknesses.

It amazes me that some people have the levels of stupidity to say Miz is the best WWE has. Miz is far from that; Miz is not even the top heel on RAW, in practice. That would be the man who has done everything Miz hasn't: Wade Barrett.

Vince McMahon is reportedly a fan of Miz. I don't normally have to criticise Vince for making a TNA-like decision. But that is exactly what making Miz champion was.

Even a blind mark can see that.

Guys, I just have to request something. I'm not interested in the comment section turning into a flame war. So constructive comments only. Thanks.

We have had an occasional series here on TNW dubbed “Think it all happens in the Valley? You’re wrong!“ that has been an explosive success. There is so much technology activity around the world that never gets the press or respect that it deserves that we are making a concerted effort to cover as much of it as we can.

Today we are taking a look at a city very dear to me. Chicago, a place where the technology scene is heating up as more money is poured into the incubation and early stage investment community on the backs of some very high-profile local successes. How do I know what is going on here in Chicago? I live here, and I take as much time as possible meet and talk with the area’s entrepreneurs.

That makes this the inside scoop of the companies in the Windy City that you are going to hear from and about again and again over the next few years. Let’s get into it.

midVentures

If there was ever a scrappy startup, midVentures is it. Founded by a group of UChicago graduates, midVentures is a combination community catalyst and consulting shop that works to bring together and build up the Chicago technology scene.

The company specializes in ‘venture development,’ helping baby companies connect to the resources that they need to grow, while also providing guidance to dodge potential pitfalls. The company also runs a well read Chicago-area technology blog and hosts the largest technology conferences in the area. If you live here in Chicago, you know that midVentures is one of the companies that is running the show.

And like any good startup, midVentures always has a small stable of side projects that so far includes a rather violent iPhone app that may or may not see the light of day.

mPayy

mPayy is not the kind of company that wants to think small. To the contrary, the company is attempting to swallow a contract so large that it could take the team from startup to behemoth over night.

The company is bidding to use their online payment APIs to handle all the payments for the city’s public transit system. Crazy? It may sound like it, but the team has put together an impressive technology suite that seems to be well fit for the task.

We can’t get into too much detail here, so be sure and read our previous coverage of mPayy and find out just how they are going to change the future.

SproutSocial

Recently receiving their second funding round, this time a cool $1 million, SproutSocial is Chicago’s social darling of the moment. Their tools are perhaps the internet’s premier social media management suite.

When we first met the founder Justyn we knew that he was onto something big, and now with growing revenues, a crack engineering team, and more positive press than Obama two years ago, SproutSocial is perhaps the next big Chicago success story.

Want our word on it? If you manage a brand and have yet to try SproutSocial, then you are making a big mistake.

Wearables

When Wearables won midVenturesLAUNCH (at which our own Editor In Chief Zee was a judge) we were curious if their AirStash gadget was going to be a hit. This is what it does:

The AirStash is a wireless USB dongle with a built-in media server that you can take on the go. It works like this: take your SD card and fill it up to the brim with the files that you need to take out with you, then plug that SD card into your AirStash. Assuming that you have charged the AirStash (it looks like a USB memory drive), it acts like a portable media server that can deliver content to any WiFi enabled device that you own.

It sure impressed the judges. Will it be a hit with consumers? We’ll know by the middle of next year, but for now the company is pitching them as killer Christmas presents. You don’t see too many ‘gadget’ startups these days, or at least as many as we would like to see. We’ll bring you more as we know it.

A Space Apart

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Jason Goodrich, A Space Apart’s CEO, just a week ago and it was hard to not be impressed with what they have cooked up. Still operating somewhat beneath the radar, working with initial clients to hone their product to a perfect shine, they are laboring to change the location space.

They describe their product like this:

Social commerce platform A Space Apart aims to provide virtual extensions of the places we gather. Think of it as Second Life, but for real life, minus the ambling avatars and virtual currency. We’re talking buying your latte or Leinenkugel via mobile device; seeing everyone in the location regardless of check-in service; private or public posts to anyone, including the cute barista; and the ability to crowd-source the environment by voting on the music and such.

Will it find a niche or perhaps a massive userbase? By targeting customers as they have so far A Space Apart is looking to grow revenues alongside users, something that is a rather ‘Chicago’ thing to do.

ShelfLuv

The mad-child of Pek Pongpaet at a weekend-long hackathon, ShelfLuv has grown from a side project into a very interesting way to visualize books online. The company picks up fat commissions from Amazon for referrals and helps the ever-growing legions of ereader owners to find their next title.

Pek has been fleshing out the user interface since launch, and if the screenshots of the upcoming version that we have seen come out soon, ShelfLuv may just find a new traffic level that will make it into a very profitable enterprise.

UberCMD

A recent launch here in the City of Big Shoulders, UmberCMD is a central point for all your cloud data from a host of services, making it simpler to ‘command’ and search your data.

Taking a top slot at a recent Startup Weekend it is being described as “Greplin meets Launchbar.” There is not enough history yet on UberCMD to dig into specifics quite yet, but if the company’s infancy is any indication, this is a team to watch in the coming months.

CookItFor.Us

While Chicago startups are generally known for being slightly more serious and revenue focused, some do have that classic element of whimsy. One such startup is CookItFor.Us, a team that is looking to “deliver on all the benefits of home cooking, without having to cook.”

How does that work? The company links together people “that want recipes made” with “those that can make just about anything,” creating a virtuous loop of cooking and eating.

Yeah, take that Bay Area.

Poggled

Poggled is Groupon for alcoholics which means that it is going to find both a mass market audience and a strong following in the technology world. The product brings massive discounts on drinks and drinking related activities to people who like to party for extensive amounts of time.

The best part? The deals are usually very steep, meaning that if you want to get wet in a hurry, Poggled might just be your new best friend. Oh, and by using the Groupon business model, Poggled should do just fine when it comes to their bottom line.

Watermelon Express

Usually shortened to WMX, Watermelon Express is a learning company that helps to make test prep a breeze, and we mean it.

The company runs prep for a gamut of tests, including the GRE, LSAT, SAT, GMAT, MCAT Chemistry, and MCAT Biology. If you have never taken any of those tests you might not know the need for help, but for the soon-to-be-tested any assistance is a godsend, and that is why we suspect that WMX is making a pretty penny.

As knowledge becomes more and more powerful, companies like Watermelon Express are going to make a mint.

We could go on and on about other companies from Chicago, and we will in the future, but that is all for today. Be sure and check out each company, they all have something unique and fascinating to offer.

bench craft company reviews

Can Mobile Phones Think?: Tech <b>News</b> «

Nokia's Beta Labs today released a new experimental application called Situations, and it portends a future where context awareness drives the mobile experience, and points to a time when our handsets will do the thinking on our behalf, ...

Miller returns to net tonight - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

<b>News</b> and Notes - Brazil

News and Notes. November 27th, 2010 | by: Duvel | Comments (0). Ganso Return Julio Cesar appears to be out until January with a torn thigh muscle. The Inter Milan keeper has not played for his club since an October 29th start against ...

bench craft company reviews

Can Mobile Phones Think?: Tech <b>News</b> «

Nokia's Beta Labs today released a new experimental application called Situations, and it portends a future where context awareness drives the mobile experience, and points to a time when our handsets will do the thinking on our behalf, ...

Miller returns to net tonight - Sabres Edge - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

<b>News</b> and Notes - Brazil

News and Notes. November 27th, 2010 | by: Duvel | Comments (0). Ganso Return Julio Cesar appears to be out until January with a torn thigh muscle. The Inter Milan keeper has not played for his club since an October 29th start against ...

bench craft company reviews

Affiliate Making Money

bench craft company rip off

bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

bench craft company rip off
bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

More on Fox <b>News</b>, David Henderson | EconLog | Library of Economics <b>...</b>

I had had hopes for the Fox News Channel as an advocate of smaller government, hopes somewhat justified by evidence. But their treatment of Ron Paul has been off the charts. Chris Wallace has been absolutely vicious - at one point, ...

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

bench craft company rip off

The Tools of Ignorance: Friday <b>News</b> - Pinstripe Alley

A big offer, the big man's snub, a little trade, and a call for a dose of sanity.

Middle East violence increases « Liveshots

Another cycle of violence in the Middle East as Israel strikes targets in Gaza in retaliation.

Fox <b>News</b> Commentators Caught On Camera Mocking Sarah Palin&#39;s Show <b>...</b>

WASHINGTON -- The Fox News channel has been something of a safe haven for Sarah Palin, the type of outlet that provided the former Alaska Governor not only with a friendly audience but similarly kind questions.

bench craft company rip off

Democrats Still Struggle on Extending the Bush Tax Cuts - FoxNews.com

FOX News covers politics on America's Election Headquarters. FOX News political coverage on elections, races, foreign policy, candidates, and national security.

GT5 installs while played - Sony PlayStation 3 <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our PlayStation 3 news of GT5 installs while played - Sony.

Middle East violence increases « Liveshots

Another cycle of violence in the Middle East as Israel strikes targets in Gaza in retaliation.

bench craft company rip off

Fox <b>News</b> Decoded - Swampland - TIME.com

What do you do to amp ratings after you've won a big victory at the polls and the public has wandered off to start celebrating the holidays? At Fox News, the answer is obvious: you up the ante.

WGN <b>News</b> Anchors Flip Out

WGN News Anchors Flip Out: Chicago news anchors comically go nuts when a bridge implodes the second they cut away from it...

Movie <b>News</b> Quick Hits: Leonardo DiCaprio to Star in New JFK <b>...</b>

Do you find Wall-E and Eve so adorable you just want to eat them? Now you can thanks to Charm City Cakes. - Warner Bros.

bench craft company rip off

Making Money Secrets

eric seiger

eric seiger

The Newsonomics of <b>news</b> anywhere » Nieman Journalism Lab

News Anywhere, or unified news, or All-Access, whatever we want to call it, demands the singular focus, product development and messaging that Netflix, HBO, Comcast, and Facebook are bringing to it. Those are all skills that have been ...

Good <b>News</b>, College Grads (Except Lawyers)!

Moderately good news, unemployed college graduates! A new report on hiring trends says that hiring of graduates with bachelor's degrees or MBAs will surge by 10% next year. Green shoots! As long as you didn't go to law school.

Sen. Rockefeller: FCC should shut down Fox <b>News</b> and MSNBC « Hot Air

You see, Rockefeller says he hungers for quality news and believes that the FCC should play a part in facilitating that end. He believes that without the extremes of Fox News and MSNBC, the American people would have more faith in their ...

eric seiger

eric seiger

The Newsonomics of <b>news</b> anywhere » Nieman Journalism Lab

News Anywhere, or unified news, or All-Access, whatever we want to call it, demands the singular focus, product development and messaging that Netflix, HBO, Comcast, and Facebook are bringing to it. Those are all skills that have been ...

Good <b>News</b>, College Grads (Except Lawyers)!

Moderately good news, unemployed college graduates! A new report on hiring trends says that hiring of graduates with bachelor's degrees or MBAs will surge by 10% next year. Green shoots! As long as you didn't go to law school.

Sen. Rockefeller: FCC should shut down Fox <b>News</b> and MSNBC « Hot Air

You see, Rockefeller says he hungers for quality news and believes that the FCC should play a part in facilitating that end. He believes that without the extremes of Fox News and MSNBC, the American people would have more faith in their ...

eric seiger

The Newsonomics of <b>news</b> anywhere » Nieman Journalism Lab

News Anywhere, or unified news, or All-Access, whatever we want to call it, demands the singular focus, product development and messaging that Netflix, HBO, Comcast, and Facebook are bringing to it. Those are all skills that have been ...

Good <b>News</b>, College Grads (Except Lawyers)!

Moderately good news, unemployed college graduates! A new report on hiring trends says that hiring of graduates with bachelor's degrees or MBAs will surge by 10% next year. Green shoots! As long as you didn't go to law school.

Sen. Rockefeller: FCC should shut down Fox <b>News</b> and MSNBC « Hot Air

You see, Rockefeller says he hungers for quality news and believes that the FCC should play a part in facilitating that end. He believes that without the extremes of Fox News and MSNBC, the American people would have more faith in their ...

eric seiger

The Newsonomics of <b>news</b> anywhere » Nieman Journalism Lab

News Anywhere, or unified news, or All-Access, whatever we want to call it, demands the singular focus, product development and messaging that Netflix, HBO, Comcast, and Facebook are bringing to it. Those are all skills that have been ...

Good <b>News</b>, College Grads (Except Lawyers)!

Moderately good news, unemployed college graduates! A new report on hiring trends says that hiring of graduates with bachelor's degrees or MBAs will surge by 10% next year. Green shoots! As long as you didn't go to law school.

Sen. Rockefeller: FCC should shut down Fox <b>News</b> and MSNBC « Hot Air

You see, Rockefeller says he hungers for quality news and believes that the FCC should play a part in facilitating that end. He believes that without the extremes of Fox News and MSNBC, the American people would have more faith in their ...

eric seiger
eric seiger

eric seiger
eric seiger

The Newsonomics of <b>news</b> anywhere » Nieman Journalism Lab

News Anywhere, or unified news, or All-Access, whatever we want to call it, demands the singular focus, product development and messaging that Netflix, HBO, Comcast, and Facebook are bringing to it. Those are all skills that have been ...

Good <b>News</b>, College Grads (Except Lawyers)!

Moderately good news, unemployed college graduates! A new report on hiring trends says that hiring of graduates with bachelor's degrees or MBAs will surge by 10% next year. Green shoots! As long as you didn't go to law school.

Sen. Rockefeller: FCC should shut down Fox <b>News</b> and MSNBC « Hot Air

You see, Rockefeller says he hungers for quality news and believes that the FCC should play a part in facilitating that end. He believes that without the extremes of Fox News and MSNBC, the American people would have more faith in their ...

personal finance planning

Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:

DEMOCRATS MORE LIKELY TO PERSONALLY ATTACK OPPONENTS IN ADVERTISEMENTS: According to a recent report by the Wesleyan Media Project, in 2010, �pro-Democratic ads focused on the personal characteristics of Republican candidates in 21 percent of their attack ads� compared to 11 percent of pro-Republican ads. This is up from the 12 percent of Democratic attack ads in 2008 that were focused on personal characteristics. 

The report cautions against claims that this election is unusually negative stating the proportion of negative to positive ads is comparable to 2008. However, the big difference is that among negative ads there is an increase among personal attack ads. Overall, that rate has gone up from 14 percent in 2008 to 20 percent in 2010. The report also mentions that attack ads �are far more likely than other ads to be sponsored by parties and/or interest groups� rather than by candidates themselves.

When making independent expenditures with overt messages in favor or opposition to federal candidates, political groups must tell the Federal Election Commission whether their expenditure is to �support� a candidate or �oppose� a candidate. A Center for Responsive Politics analysis of outside groups� expenditures �opposing� candidates compared to ads �supporting� candidates since October 1st shows �opposing ads� totaling $218 million and supporting ads totaling $42 million. These expenditures include TV ads, radio ads, web ads, fliers, mailings, canvassers, phone banks and other communications:

REPUBLICAN RANKING MEMBERS ARE THE COOL KIDS ON THE BLOCK AGAIN:
Ranking members of House committees are becoming the popular kids. If
the Republicans take over majority in the House, committee ranking
members like Rep. David Camp (R-Mich.) will be the new chairmen. As the
New York Times reported Tuesday, Republicans in positions to become
chairmen of House committees are seeing an influx of cash and popularity
at fundraisers. Camp, the current ranking member of the tax-writing
House Ways and Means Committee is receiving more contributions as
lobbyists plan for the future.



Jennifer Bell, a former Senate Finance Committee aide and a current
health care lobbyist told the New York Times, �You don�t wait until Nov.
3 and say, �What is the plan?� Obviously, it is the majority that sets
the agenda.�



As OpenSecrets Blog reported yesterday, many industries have been
planning ahead and have started to shift contributions to Republicans.
This phenomenon is not unique to this election as contributions have
historically favored the majority party and have fluctuated accordingly.



Below is a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of contributions to
Camp that shows a sharp increase in contributions during the last three
months - through September 30th. The second chart shows the total contributions to all candidates
during the same period for a linear comparison:




U.S. FALLS OUT OF THE TOP 20 LEAST CORRUPT NATIONS LIST: Transparency International released their annual Corruption Perceptions Index on Tuesday revealing that the United States has dropped from the 19th least corrupt nation in 2009 to 22nd place this year. According to Reuters, Nancy Boswell, the President of TI in the United States stated that the United States has lost integrity and public faith about ethics in America due in part to the lending practices in the subprime crisis, �Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme and rows over political funding.�

On the bright side, the United States is perceived to be just less corrupt than Uruguay, France, Estonia and Slovenia.

Have a news tip or link to pass along? We want to hear from you! E-mail us at press@crp.org.

It pays to be original when dreaming up your vacation plans, because if everyone else has the same idea as you, you're sure to be paying the highest rates possible for travel, accommodations and attractions.

A post on Currency, AmEx's personal finance blog recommends planning your trips on off-peak seasons to avoid the crowds and pay as little as possible.

The post says you're best off traveling between April 15 and June 1, as well as Oct. 1 and Dec. 15 - obviously excluding the travel hell that is Thanksgiving - for the best rates.

Granted, there are some disadvantages to traveling during the off-seasons. The San Diego beaches, after all, aren't quite as appealing in December, but Disneyland is still Disneyland during what passes for winter in Los Angeles.

What's your favorite off-season travel destination?

Travel Off-Season for a Cheaper, Better Getaway

alpine payment systems scam

Pharmaceutical <b>News</b> Roundup: Human Genome&#39;s Lupus Drug, Merck&#39;s <b>...</b>

Here's a roundup of some of Wednesday's major pharmaceutical news: An FDA panel gave Human Genome Sciences a boost with a thumbs-up for its lupus drug, Benlysta; Merck's experimental heart drug appears to work well without side effects; ...

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

autosport.com - F1 <b>News</b>: F1 closing on HD coverage for 2011

Formula 1 is close to giving the final green light for High Definition television coverage of the sport to begin from the first race of the 2011 season, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Pharmaceutical <b>News</b> Roundup: Human Genome&#39;s Lupus Drug, Merck&#39;s <b>...</b>

Here's a roundup of some of Wednesday's major pharmaceutical news: An FDA panel gave Human Genome Sciences a boost with a thumbs-up for its lupus drug, Benlysta; Merck's experimental heart drug appears to work well without side effects; ...

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

autosport.com - F1 <b>News</b>: F1 closing on HD coverage for 2011

Formula 1 is close to giving the final green light for High Definition television coverage of the sport to begin from the first race of the 2011 season, AUTOSPORT has learned.

alpine payment systems scam

Pharmaceutical <b>News</b> Roundup: Human Genome&#39;s Lupus Drug, Merck&#39;s <b>...</b>

Here's a roundup of some of Wednesday's major pharmaceutical news: An FDA panel gave Human Genome Sciences a boost with a thumbs-up for its lupus drug, Benlysta; Merck's experimental heart drug appears to work well without side effects; ...

BillBoard - Blogs - The Buffalo <b>News</b>

The Buffalo News updated every day with news from Buffalo, New York. Links to national and business news, entertainment listings, recipes, sports teams, classified ads, death notices.

autosport.com - F1 <b>News</b>: F1 closing on HD coverage for 2011

Formula 1 is close to giving the final green light for High Definition television coverage of the sport to begin from the first race of the 2011 season, AUTOSPORT has learned.

Making Money Cash

Corporate cash does funny things to people. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) got into office by pledging to fight "special interests," but just a decade or so later, he's running one of the biggest special interest shows in Washington. It's easy to see the appeal. As the fancy funding backing the Tea Party demonstrates, big money buys big things—from elections to populist outrage.

In a piece for Mother Jones, Kate Sheppard details some of DeMint's serious campaign finance flip-floppery. During his first bid for Congress in 1998, DeMint denounced the Political Action Committee (PAC) mechanism as a tool deployed by "special interests" that "corrupts" the electoral process. But today, DeMint is the single most important figure and fundraiser for Senate Tea Party races. He has endorsed and pledged millions of dollars to support fringe right-wingers Senate candidates Christine O'Donnell (Delaware) and Rand Paul (Kentucky). DeMint has funneled this money through his own Political Action Committee (PAC) known as the Senate Conservatives Fund. DeMint even pledged to "fight for reforms that allow only individual contributions to campaigns."

But as I note in a blog for Campaign for America's Future, DeMint isn't the only power player pouring money into the Tea Party. DeMint's 12 Tea Party Senate candidates have reaped over $4.6 million from Wall Street for this election—excluding Wall Street cash that has been funneled through DeMint's PAC. So much for all that grassroots rage against bailed-out elites.

The Tea Party bubble

And Wall Street's new Tea Party investment might just be the next big economic bubble. Joshua Holland at AlterNet surveys the campaign contributions of America's bailout barons. The 23 firms that received at least $1 billion in bailout money from taxpayers spent $1.4 million on campaign contributions—in September alone.

And these are just campaign contributions, which are essentially unaffected by the high court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The real corporate money is running through front-groups that run their own ads—not the official campaigns operated by political candidates. And these front-groups don't have to disclose where their money comes from.

Writing for Campus Progress, Simeon Tally highlights a frightening trend toward secrecy in U.S. elections, fueled by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Back in 2004, 98 percent of outside groups disclosed who their donors were. Today, that number is just 32 percent. We're not just fighting corporate money bombs, we're fighting secret corporate money bombs.

Who really has the advantage?

While there's been much debate over who really comes out on top thanks to the post-Citizens United rules, Jesse Zwick notes for The Washington Independent, these stories are only talking about direct campaign contributions. Some might argue that Democrats have an advantage in disclosed funding, but Republicans have a six-to-one advantage money flowing through outside groups.

But wait, there's more!

• Check out Matthew Reichbach and Trip Jennings' reporting for The New Mexico Independent on the fact that all of this spending from outside groups usually means money from outside the states where candidates are running. Outside expenditures have swelled to $5 million in two New Mexico House races—both in relatively cheap media markets.


• AlterNet has been running loads of stories on crooked corporate cash, covering everything from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's dirty dealings with AIG to the political spending habits of bailed-out banks. Joshua Holland rounds up eight of the articles here for AlterNet.


• Comic artist Matt Bors makes light of America's new "growth industries" at Campus Progress, pointing to makers of anonymous political attack ads.

Marc Theissen recently asked some very important questions about where the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is getting the mountains of cash that it spends on Democrat political campaigns. He finds that it is coming from foreign sources, but the SEIU is refusing to yield to requests for transparency.

If the SEIU is getting the millions of dollars it is spending on Democrats from foreign sources, this should put a major dent in the alarmist claims that Obama has been making about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supposedly getting its money from outside the country — a charge that was resoundingly refuted. After all, if one of Obama’s biggest left-wing campaign supporters is suffused with foreign cash, why should it be such a big deal if anyone else is?

Sadly, the Old Media will never play up this aspect of Obama’s hypocrisy, but that is another subject.

In any case, Theissen asked the SEIU where its political cash was coming from because federal financial reporting records seemed to prove that it could not have been coming solely from the dues of American union members. Since the SEIU has thousands of members in foreign nations, Theissen wondered how that factored in.

Initially the SEIU lied to him and claimed that “most” of its political cash came from domestic dues payers. But Theissen persisted with his doubts. It wasn’t long before the SEIU admitted that they were lying previously.

“Most” of the money the SEIU uses for “political purposes” does not come from [the union's Committee on Political Education] COPE (to which you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident to contribute). “Most” of the SEIU’s political spending, he now admits, comes from other accounts.

Theissen still has more questions, ones that the SEIU is still stonewalling.

And who funds those other accounts? “Our own members,” Youngdahl writes. Well, the SEIU’s members include foreign workers and — as an SEIU executive boasts in this video — illegal immigrants. Youngdahl has twice failed to answer my question, so I will ask it a third time: Do the SEIU’s foreign workers and illegal immigrant members (who are by definition foreign nationals) contribute any money to the accounts that the union uses for “political purposes”?

It seems pretty clear that the SEIU is using the dues from illegal workers in the U.S. and foreign workers for its domestic political operations and that those funds are directed solely toward Obama and his Democrats.

Hypocrites extraordinaire.

bench craft company scam

Scripting <b>News</b>: Design challenge: River of <b>News</b> in HTML

The design challenge is this. GIven the latest HTML techniques, do a mockup of a great River of News. If it's really something new, I'll put the software behind it and make it live. Permanent link to this item in the archive. ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

Nintendo hasn&#39;t discontinued Wii Speak Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak.

bench craft company scam

Corporate cash does funny things to people. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) got into office by pledging to fight "special interests," but just a decade or so later, he's running one of the biggest special interest shows in Washington. It's easy to see the appeal. As the fancy funding backing the Tea Party demonstrates, big money buys big things—from elections to populist outrage.

In a piece for Mother Jones, Kate Sheppard details some of DeMint's serious campaign finance flip-floppery. During his first bid for Congress in 1998, DeMint denounced the Political Action Committee (PAC) mechanism as a tool deployed by "special interests" that "corrupts" the electoral process. But today, DeMint is the single most important figure and fundraiser for Senate Tea Party races. He has endorsed and pledged millions of dollars to support fringe right-wingers Senate candidates Christine O'Donnell (Delaware) and Rand Paul (Kentucky). DeMint has funneled this money through his own Political Action Committee (PAC) known as the Senate Conservatives Fund. DeMint even pledged to "fight for reforms that allow only individual contributions to campaigns."

But as I note in a blog for Campaign for America's Future, DeMint isn't the only power player pouring money into the Tea Party. DeMint's 12 Tea Party Senate candidates have reaped over $4.6 million from Wall Street for this election—excluding Wall Street cash that has been funneled through DeMint's PAC. So much for all that grassroots rage against bailed-out elites.

The Tea Party bubble

And Wall Street's new Tea Party investment might just be the next big economic bubble. Joshua Holland at AlterNet surveys the campaign contributions of America's bailout barons. The 23 firms that received at least $1 billion in bailout money from taxpayers spent $1.4 million on campaign contributions—in September alone.

And these are just campaign contributions, which are essentially unaffected by the high court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The real corporate money is running through front-groups that run their own ads—not the official campaigns operated by political candidates. And these front-groups don't have to disclose where their money comes from.

Writing for Campus Progress, Simeon Tally highlights a frightening trend toward secrecy in U.S. elections, fueled by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Back in 2004, 98 percent of outside groups disclosed who their donors were. Today, that number is just 32 percent. We're not just fighting corporate money bombs, we're fighting secret corporate money bombs.

Who really has the advantage?

While there's been much debate over who really comes out on top thanks to the post-Citizens United rules, Jesse Zwick notes for The Washington Independent, these stories are only talking about direct campaign contributions. Some might argue that Democrats have an advantage in disclosed funding, but Republicans have a six-to-one advantage money flowing through outside groups.

But wait, there's more!

• Check out Matthew Reichbach and Trip Jennings' reporting for The New Mexico Independent on the fact that all of this spending from outside groups usually means money from outside the states where candidates are running. Outside expenditures have swelled to $5 million in two New Mexico House races—both in relatively cheap media markets.


• AlterNet has been running loads of stories on crooked corporate cash, covering everything from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's dirty dealings with AIG to the political spending habits of bailed-out banks. Joshua Holland rounds up eight of the articles here for AlterNet.


• Comic artist Matt Bors makes light of America's new "growth industries" at Campus Progress, pointing to makers of anonymous political attack ads.

Marc Theissen recently asked some very important questions about where the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is getting the mountains of cash that it spends on Democrat political campaigns. He finds that it is coming from foreign sources, but the SEIU is refusing to yield to requests for transparency.

If the SEIU is getting the millions of dollars it is spending on Democrats from foreign sources, this should put a major dent in the alarmist claims that Obama has been making about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supposedly getting its money from outside the country — a charge that was resoundingly refuted. After all, if one of Obama’s biggest left-wing campaign supporters is suffused with foreign cash, why should it be such a big deal if anyone else is?

Sadly, the Old Media will never play up this aspect of Obama’s hypocrisy, but that is another subject.

In any case, Theissen asked the SEIU where its political cash was coming from because federal financial reporting records seemed to prove that it could not have been coming solely from the dues of American union members. Since the SEIU has thousands of members in foreign nations, Theissen wondered how that factored in.

Initially the SEIU lied to him and claimed that “most” of its political cash came from domestic dues payers. But Theissen persisted with his doubts. It wasn’t long before the SEIU admitted that they were lying previously.

“Most” of the money the SEIU uses for “political purposes” does not come from [the union's Committee on Political Education] COPE (to which you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident to contribute). “Most” of the SEIU’s political spending, he now admits, comes from other accounts.

Theissen still has more questions, ones that the SEIU is still stonewalling.

And who funds those other accounts? “Our own members,” Youngdahl writes. Well, the SEIU’s members include foreign workers and — as an SEIU executive boasts in this video — illegal immigrants. Youngdahl has twice failed to answer my question, so I will ask it a third time: Do the SEIU’s foreign workers and illegal immigrant members (who are by definition foreign nationals) contribute any money to the accounts that the union uses for “political purposes”?

It seems pretty clear that the SEIU is using the dues from illegal workers in the U.S. and foreign workers for its domestic political operations and that those funds are directed solely toward Obama and his Democrats.

Hypocrites extraordinaire.

benchcraft company scam

Scripting <b>News</b>: Design challenge: River of <b>News</b> in HTML

The design challenge is this. GIven the latest HTML techniques, do a mockup of a great River of News. If it's really something new, I'll put the software behind it and make it live. Permanent link to this item in the archive. ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

Nintendo hasn&#39;t discontinued Wii Speak Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak.

bench craft company scam

benchcraft company scam

bench craft company scam

Scripting <b>News</b>: Design challenge: River of <b>News</b> in HTML

The design challenge is this. GIven the latest HTML techniques, do a mockup of a great River of News. If it's really something new, I'll put the software behind it and make it live. Permanent link to this item in the archive. ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

Nintendo hasn&#39;t discontinued Wii Speak Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak.

benchcraft company scam

Corporate cash does funny things to people. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) got into office by pledging to fight "special interests," but just a decade or so later, he's running one of the biggest special interest shows in Washington. It's easy to see the appeal. As the fancy funding backing the Tea Party demonstrates, big money buys big things—from elections to populist outrage.

In a piece for Mother Jones, Kate Sheppard details some of DeMint's serious campaign finance flip-floppery. During his first bid for Congress in 1998, DeMint denounced the Political Action Committee (PAC) mechanism as a tool deployed by "special interests" that "corrupts" the electoral process. But today, DeMint is the single most important figure and fundraiser for Senate Tea Party races. He has endorsed and pledged millions of dollars to support fringe right-wingers Senate candidates Christine O'Donnell (Delaware) and Rand Paul (Kentucky). DeMint has funneled this money through his own Political Action Committee (PAC) known as the Senate Conservatives Fund. DeMint even pledged to "fight for reforms that allow only individual contributions to campaigns."

But as I note in a blog for Campaign for America's Future, DeMint isn't the only power player pouring money into the Tea Party. DeMint's 12 Tea Party Senate candidates have reaped over $4.6 million from Wall Street for this election—excluding Wall Street cash that has been funneled through DeMint's PAC. So much for all that grassroots rage against bailed-out elites.

The Tea Party bubble

And Wall Street's new Tea Party investment might just be the next big economic bubble. Joshua Holland at AlterNet surveys the campaign contributions of America's bailout barons. The 23 firms that received at least $1 billion in bailout money from taxpayers spent $1.4 million on campaign contributions—in September alone.

And these are just campaign contributions, which are essentially unaffected by the high court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The real corporate money is running through front-groups that run their own ads—not the official campaigns operated by political candidates. And these front-groups don't have to disclose where their money comes from.

Writing for Campus Progress, Simeon Tally highlights a frightening trend toward secrecy in U.S. elections, fueled by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. Back in 2004, 98 percent of outside groups disclosed who their donors were. Today, that number is just 32 percent. We're not just fighting corporate money bombs, we're fighting secret corporate money bombs.

Who really has the advantage?

While there's been much debate over who really comes out on top thanks to the post-Citizens United rules, Jesse Zwick notes for The Washington Independent, these stories are only talking about direct campaign contributions. Some might argue that Democrats have an advantage in disclosed funding, but Republicans have a six-to-one advantage money flowing through outside groups.

But wait, there's more!

• Check out Matthew Reichbach and Trip Jennings' reporting for The New Mexico Independent on the fact that all of this spending from outside groups usually means money from outside the states where candidates are running. Outside expenditures have swelled to $5 million in two New Mexico House races—both in relatively cheap media markets.


• AlterNet has been running loads of stories on crooked corporate cash, covering everything from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's dirty dealings with AIG to the political spending habits of bailed-out banks. Joshua Holland rounds up eight of the articles here for AlterNet.


• Comic artist Matt Bors makes light of America's new "growth industries" at Campus Progress, pointing to makers of anonymous political attack ads.

Marc Theissen recently asked some very important questions about where the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is getting the mountains of cash that it spends on Democrat political campaigns. He finds that it is coming from foreign sources, but the SEIU is refusing to yield to requests for transparency.

If the SEIU is getting the millions of dollars it is spending on Democrats from foreign sources, this should put a major dent in the alarmist claims that Obama has been making about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supposedly getting its money from outside the country — a charge that was resoundingly refuted. After all, if one of Obama’s biggest left-wing campaign supporters is suffused with foreign cash, why should it be such a big deal if anyone else is?

Sadly, the Old Media will never play up this aspect of Obama’s hypocrisy, but that is another subject.

In any case, Theissen asked the SEIU where its political cash was coming from because federal financial reporting records seemed to prove that it could not have been coming solely from the dues of American union members. Since the SEIU has thousands of members in foreign nations, Theissen wondered how that factored in.

Initially the SEIU lied to him and claimed that “most” of its political cash came from domestic dues payers. But Theissen persisted with his doubts. It wasn’t long before the SEIU admitted that they were lying previously.

“Most” of the money the SEIU uses for “political purposes” does not come from [the union's Committee on Political Education] COPE (to which you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident to contribute). “Most” of the SEIU’s political spending, he now admits, comes from other accounts.

Theissen still has more questions, ones that the SEIU is still stonewalling.

And who funds those other accounts? “Our own members,” Youngdahl writes. Well, the SEIU’s members include foreign workers and — as an SEIU executive boasts in this video — illegal immigrants. Youngdahl has twice failed to answer my question, so I will ask it a third time: Do the SEIU’s foreign workers and illegal immigrant members (who are by definition foreign nationals) contribute any money to the accounts that the union uses for “political purposes”?

It seems pretty clear that the SEIU is using the dues from illegal workers in the U.S. and foreign workers for its domestic political operations and that those funds are directed solely toward Obama and his Democrats.

Hypocrites extraordinaire.

benchcraft company scam

bench craft company scam

Scripting <b>News</b>: Design challenge: River of <b>News</b> in HTML

The design challenge is this. GIven the latest HTML techniques, do a mockup of a great River of News. If it's really something new, I'll put the software behind it and make it live. Permanent link to this item in the archive. ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

Nintendo hasn&#39;t discontinued Wii Speak Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak.

bench craft company scam

bench craft company scam

Scripting <b>News</b>: Design challenge: River of <b>News</b> in HTML

The design challenge is this. GIven the latest HTML techniques, do a mockup of a great River of News. If it's really something new, I'll put the software behind it and make it live. Permanent link to this item in the archive. ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

Nintendo hasn&#39;t discontinued Wii Speak Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak.

bench craft company scam

Scripting <b>News</b>: Design challenge: River of <b>News</b> in HTML

The design challenge is this. GIven the latest HTML techniques, do a mockup of a great River of News. If it's really something new, I'll put the software behind it and make it live. Permanent link to this item in the archive. ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

Nintendo hasn&#39;t discontinued Wii Speak Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak.

benchcraft company scam

Scripting <b>News</b>: Design challenge: River of <b>News</b> in HTML

The design challenge is this. GIven the latest HTML techniques, do a mockup of a great River of News. If it's really something new, I'll put the software behind it and make it live. Permanent link to this item in the archive. ...

Google <b>News</b> Blog: Credit where credit is due

News publishers and readers both benefit when journalists get proper credit for their work. That can be difficult, with news spreading so quickly and many websites syndicating articles to others. That's why we're experimenting with two ...

Nintendo hasn&#39;t discontinued Wii Speak Wii <b>News</b> - Page 1 <b>...</b>

Read our Wii news of Nintendo hasn't discontinued Wii Speak.

how to lose weight fast bench craft company scam
bench craft company scam

bench craft company scam