Archive for April, 2009

Affinion Card Patrol Seeks to Boost Bank Transaction Integrity

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Affinion Security Center announced that more than 200 American and Canadian financial companies are now using Affinion Security Center’s Card Patrol in their efforts to thwart identity theft.

Card Patrol monitors and analyzes chat rooms that are known havens for credit card thieves and other identity criminals. Through this real-time, preemptive monitoring, Card Patrol helps stop fraud before it happens. Card Patrol members can register up to ten account numbers, and Card Patrol will scour the web and chat rooms to see if those numbers come up in fraudulent trading and transactions. Clients are also notified for fraudulent use of other coveted identity data, such as social security numbers, mother’s maiden name, and card PINs.

Serge Rivest, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Davis + Henderson, is impressed with Card Patrol’s work. “Card Patrol has been successful in increasing awareness of identity theft as it continues to claim more victims worldwide,” Rivest said. “This service has been a benefit that many of our customers take advantage of.”

Tom Rusin, CEO of Affinion Security Center, warns that identity theft is a growth industry. “The rapid growth of this program indicates consumers’ increased attention to the threat of identity theft, the link to personal finance and consumers’ reliance on trusted financial partners to provide them with reliable solution,” Tom Rusin said.

Affinion Security Center, a division of the Affinion Group, has a long history of providingsecurity, credit monitoring and identity theft protection. In 1969, Affinion Security Center launched HotLine, a pioneer program to stop ID theft and credit card fraud. In 1992, Affinion launched PrivacyGuard, a membership-based comprehensive credit monitoring product which was which is still in wide use today. Today, the Affinion Group offers a full range of security options, including BreachShield, PCSafety Plus, and Identity Secure.

Additional Affinion News:

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The Microsoft-Yahoo Karass

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

A lot of people may have been involved in Microsoft’s $42.1 billion offer to buy out Yahoo, one of the world’s premiere search engines and leading Internet companies.

Their involvement may not be directly superficial but are actually intertwined at certain points, and their bunch is much like that of a karass, a term coined by Kurt Vonnegut in his novel Cat’s Cradle.

The term karass refers to a group of people arranged to work together in accordance to a heavenly design without knowing what their destiny is. Indeed, the people that are bound in the Microsoft-planned takeover of Yahoo are acting as if they are indeed a karass, sans Bill Gates.

The network starts with Blackstone Group’s Jill Greenthal, who functions as an adviser for Microsoft. Greenthal currently stopped any forms of communications with her old Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette colleague, Yahoo’s Susan Decker. Decker happens to share a spot on the board of Berkshire Hathaway with Microsoft’s Bill Gates.

Berkshire Hathaway’s head honcho Warren Buffett is clearly associated with Google and functions like some kind of a spiritual leader for Google founders Larry Page and Sergio Brin. Google happens to be the rival of Yahoo, which Microsoft plans to take over.

Google and Yahoo have been competing to acquire Trader Classified Media, which is based in Amsterdam and owns more than 550 print titles that include profitable ones such as Canada’s Auto Trader magazine as well as Buy & Sell Chinese in the US. On the other hand, Morgan Stanley banker Charles Cory is now an adviser for Microsoft.

Prior to Bill Gate’s venture, Cory also served as an adviser to Hewlett-Packard (HP), which is a high-profile business ally of Microsoft.

To continue with the karass network, HP’s current CEO Mark Hurd now sits as one of the board members of News Corp., which is planning to stage off Microsoft’s plan to get Yahoo. The media giant is willing to exchange its ownership of MySpace and several other online properties for a stake of 20% or more in Yahoo.

Yahoo co-founder David Filo, in his Facebook profile, said that he is friends with former AOL executive Steve Case, who served on the opposite side of the table from Morgan Stanley’s Paul Taubman on the merger of AOL and Time Warner. Tubman now serves as one of the bankers on Microsoft’s list of advisers.

Finance and investment giant Goldman Sachs is also in the Microsoft-Yahoo karass network. The banking firm was on Microsoft’s side last year, mapping out the viable strategies for the IT company on how to cut a deal with Yahoo. Now, Goldman Sachs is the one walking Yahoo through on how to approach the Microsoft bid.

Microsoft’s $42.1 billion quest to take Yahoo has gone through a lot of fascinating twists and turns and revealed a lot of interesting trivia and facts. Some might be tempted to call the profuse interconnections an “IT karass” but the term would certainly be fitting what with the numerous networks of individuals and organizations involved.

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Sony Ericsson Reveals New Strategy: The Entertainment Unlimited

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

On February 15, 2009, during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Sony Ericsson (SE) disclosed a new strategy that the mobile phone manufacturer will be following through in its pursuit of beefing up the company’s communication entertainment brand. Sony Ericsson introduced Entertainment Unlimited, an approach considered as the peak of Sony Ericsson’s primary endeavor of fusing communication and entertainment.

SE’s Entertainment Unlimited is founded on three key promises, namely: to broaden entertainment experiences through the integration of mobile phone into home devices like personal computers and television screens; to blend communication with entertainment through web applications and its Play Now offering; and to join “best in class entertainment experiences into one offering.” The latter incorporates messaging with various applications and services like the Walkman™ music experience, Java gaming, and the Cyber-shot imaging experience.

As part of its new consumer proposition, Sony Ericsson announced MediaGo, a PlayNow Music service extension that allows users to download movies into their computers and then move them over into the Sony Ericsson device.

Moreover, Sony Ericsson introduced the W995 Walkman phone. The product features services allowing users to play feature-length movies, subscribe to podcasts, automatically synchronize their phone’s music library, auto-convert files, and transfer media such as photos, music, and podcasts.

Sony Ericsson also showed another product set to be launched in mid-2009 – Idou, an innovative touch-screen phone that additionally features a 12.1-megapixel camera, Xenon flash, wide-screen format, as well as a selection of videos and music tracks. The phone also allows users to install new applications online and download content from PlayNow.

According to Lennard Hoornik, Sony Ericsson Vice President and Head of Global Marketing, the new strategy laid out by Sony Ericsson is its next evolutionary step. After creating the music phone category in 2005, the company has sold more than 100 million Walkman phones.

About Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson was established in October 2001 as an equal joint venture of Japan-based consumer electronics and entertainment conglomerate Sony Corporation and Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson. Combining Sony Corporation’s expertise in consumer electronics with Ericsson’s dominance over the communications industry, Sony Ericsson aims to continually provide innovative and state-of-the-art mobile multimedia products including mobile phones, mobile broadband, and accessories to consumers worldwide. While its global management is headquartered in London, Sony Ericsson’s Research & Development teams are strategically located in Japan, Sweden, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, China, India, and the United States. From the announcement of its first joint products in 2002, Sony Ericsson has become the fifth largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world by 2008, with sales of approximately 97 million phones, taking pride in world-class products like the Cyber-shot and Walkman series.

Additional Sony Ericsson News:

Sony Ericsson carries out sustainability efforts in its commitment of promoting a safer environment.

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Alli Helps You Lose Weight Through Sensible Dieting, Not Quick Fixes

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

In a recent article published by the site WebMD, the new over-the-counter diet pill alli is given a very detailed profile. The profile reveals a revolutionary take on the role pills role in one’s weight loss program.

The approach many people have towards weight loss medication is that it should work as a quick-fix, making weight loss rapid and effortless. The end result of these unrealistic expectations is an equally rapid return of the weight, or damage to one’s health.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) decided to take a fresh approach to dieting pills with the introduction of alli. Alli is the rebranding of a pre-existing fat-blocker known as Xenical. In fact, it’s the same drug, but at half the strength.

But GSK has envisioned a far more ambitious program for alli. Alli isn’t just a drug; it’s a comprehensive and holistic weight loss program. It must be accompanied by a change in lifestyle. Alli is being sold with the book Are You Losing It? Losing Weight Without Losing Your Mind, along with other weight loss literature and online support groups.

GlaxoSmithKline has gone all out with its marketing campaign, with information-packed websites, online journals of actual alli users, and a media blitz to inform the public of the true nature of alli.

Alli sets modest goals within a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen. For example, if you take alli and faithfully follow its program, you’ll lose 50% more weight than if you did not take alli. The thrust of the alli program is this: you must eat healthy and exercise regularly to lose weight. All alli does is make this weight loss more efficient.

Dr. Gary Foster, director of the Center of Obesity Research and Education, echoes this simple fact. “[Alli] is an exciting new tool and widely available, but to think this is the only thing or some magic quick fix is wrong,” he says. “For the same amount of effort , you get 50% more weight loss. It makes it easier, not effortless,” he told WebMD.

Dr. George Blackburn, director for the Center for the Study of Nutrition, agrees: “Alli is an add-on. You have to have a good lifestyle with diet and exercise.”

GlaxoSmithKline has strongly emphasized alli’s role in weight loss, stressing that alli is “not a miracle pill or a quick fix.” GSK recommends that a person using alli should have a diet consisting of one-third of the calories coming from fat, one-third coming from protein, and the final third coming from carbohydrates.

It is crucial to understand that alli is a fat-blocker, NOT an appetite suppressant.. Alli works by preventing the gastrointestinal tract from absorbing fat.

The fat has to go somewhere, which leads to the side effects of alli, which were the same for Xenical. The side effects of alli can include gas with oily discharge and loose and oily stools. But believe it or not, these admittedly unpleasant side effects can act as a signal that your diet is not low enough in fat.

The alli side effects can let the dieter know they need to modify their eating habits. Dr. Foster puts it this way: “If you think a Quarter Pounder with cheese is low fat compared with Big Mac, you will get some feedback.” A diet high in fat will likely trigger the side effects of alli. Conversely, if you’re not eating enough fat, alli won’t be able to block any fat.

Dr. Arthur Frank, the medical director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program, sums up the use of alli: “You really have to pay attention. There are drugs that you can use and be totally passive about, such as blood pressure or cholesterol medications, but you can’t do that with Alli.”

“You have to be careless to use Alli incorrectly,” Dr. Frank adds, “but some people are careless,” he says. “If you are reasonably careful, it should be reasonably effective.”

Article Source: All About Alli, the Weight Loss Pill (WebMD.com)

More information about alli:

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Laura Schlessinger Honored For Charitable Efforts

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

An article from Newsmax.com titled “Dr. Laura Hits Cover of Talkers Magazine” announced that Dr. Laura Schlessinger was featured on the cover of Talkers magazine. Talkers awarded Laura Schlessinger with the “Outstanding Community Service by a Radio Talk Show Host” award, honoring her for her charitable efforts, particularly citing her Operation Family Fund, which gives assistance to the families of American military workforce. Talkers was all praises for Laura Schlessinger, who has raised over $1 million for the fund, of which every single dollar goes to the military families.

Laura Schlessinger designs and handcrafts her own jewelry, sells them on her website, and gives all the profits to the Operation Family Fund.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger was also commended for her philanthropic contributions to different causes and recipients.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is an American radio host, a best-selling author, and a conservative commentator, who is widely known for her straightforward pieces of advice that are instilled with a firm sense of personal responsibility, accountability, and ethics. Laura Schlessinger currently hosts the internationally syndicated radio program, The Dr. Laura Show, which is being aired via Premiere Radio Network. The show is also heard on XM Satellite Radio and Cellecast, and streamed on podcasts through Streamlink, reaching around 8.25 million listeners each week. Her show has been ranked 3rd highest-rated radio program as of 2007.

Laura Schlessinger started her radio career as a caller to the Bill Balance show in 1974, wherein she was featured in a weekly segment. She then landed her own shows on small radio stations until she began airing regularly on Sunday evenings on KWIZ starting in 1979. By the late 80s, she began filling in for Barbara De Angelis’ popular nighttime talk show on KFI until she finally got to officially host the show when De Angelis moved to a different program. When De Angelis left the station, Laura Schlessinger then got the noontime slot. Dr. Laura also had a brief stint on television when she hosted the talk show Dr. Laura from September 2000 to September 2001.

Laura Schlessinger is author to a number of best-selling advice and religious books, and quite a number of children’s books.

CBS News Interview of Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

Sean Hannity interviewed Dr. Laura to discuss her new book, In Praise of Stay Home Moms.

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Obama Opts not to Name Car Czar to Fix Detroit Mess

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Despite the economic turmoil in Detroit, Michigan, the nation’s automobile industry hub, US President Barack Obama discarded the suggestion of designating a “Car Czar.” Instead, the U.S. President assigned the chairman of the National Economic Council, Lawrence H. Summers, and Treasury secretary Timothy F. Geithner, as co-leaders of a presidential panel tasked to investigate and research remedial solutions for the auto industry. Their focus is on the restructuring of Detroit-based car manufacturers General Motors and Chrysler.

Both appointees will oversee the $17.4 billion loan already arranged in place for G.M. and Chrysler.

Another name is also tapped to act as senior adviser for the presidential auto panel. Ron Bloom, an expert in corporation overhauls with an experience dealing with labor unions of steel and airline companies, is said to be included in the auto crisis panel.

Mr. Bloom will bring in his expertise as an investment banker with prior engagements in Wall Street. With labor unions of both car manufacturers expected to lock horns with the panel the companies’ stakeholders, Mr. Bloom’s credibility will help in coming up with acceptable and productive arrangements with unions.

Initially, the “Car Czar’ slot was tailored for several business executives, among them private equity executive Steve Rattner. It is still unclear why the administration deviated from its original plan or whether Mr. Rattner would have a spot on the panel, which is now named the Presidential Task Force on Autos.

The task force members will be coming from different agencies, including the departments of treasury, labor, transportation, commerce and energy. Several members of the panel have already been working closely with G.M. and Chrysler on the viability of their restructuring plans, which will be presented to the government.

Last January, $4 billion was given to Chrysler. Chairman Robert L. Nardelli revealed that the company will request $3 billion more to keep the operations running. General Motors, on the other hand, already borrowed $9.4 billion and is slated to get another $4 billion if the panel sees their overhaul plan viable.

The Ford Motor Company, another major Detroit-based car manufacturer, did not file for financial aid from the federal government and is not required to submit a revamp plan for approval despite the $14.6 billion loss it suffered last year. The said drop in revenue is the biggest in Ford’s history. The federal government, however, is willing to lend Ford Motors should the company choose to ask for help.

General Motors has stated in an official announcement that it welcomes the new task force and that the company looks forward to sharing its business strategies “to restore our company to viability and to meet the requirements of its loan agreements.”

The government expects the auto industry to sell between 10 million and 11 million vehicles in the United States this year, far below the 16.2 million mark the industry sold two years ago.

New York Times article about President Obama’s decision about the auto industry.

Official Chrysler biography of Robert L. Nardelli.

Robert Nardelli doubts Chrysler would survive bankruptcy.

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Private Equity Firm Blackstone Group Bullish on Wind Energy

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

In July of last year, private equity firm The Blackstone Group announced a partnership with German wind energy corporation Windland Energieerzeugungs GmbH. The Blackstone Group and Windland are teaming up to finish a €1 billion project called Meerwind, which will be one of the North Sea’s largest wind farms, will be located 80 kilometers off the German coast.
The wind farm will be massive. The completed project will have 80 wind turbines, and be capable of producing 400 megawatts of power. The sheer size of the Meerwind Project has been made possible by the German government’s deep commitment to renewable energy. The German government has expressed a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2020. When finished, Meerwind will put out 1.6 billion kilowatts of power each year, or enough to power up half a million households.

The Blackstone Group is excited about Meerwind’s prospects. Blackstone Group Senior Managing Director David Foley said, “We are pleased to join with our partner … to complete the development and begin construction of this well designed project.” Mr. Foley added that this is the Blackstone Group’s second major foray into renewable energy investments, referring to “… the $870 million Bujagali hydroelectric power station project by Blackstone’s 80% owned portfolio company, Sithe Global. We continue to seek out opportunities to invest in large scale energy infrastructure assets.”

Mr. Foley emphasized that the Blackstone Group will continue to seek out green energy opportunities. “We continue to seek out opportunities to invest in large scale energy infrastructure assets,” Mr. Foley said, “applying Blackstone’s capital, relationships and industry expertise to generate favorable returns for our limited partners while benefiting the environment and stimulating the local economy.”

Windland founder Joachim Falkenhagen is also very pleased with his company’s partnership with Sithe Global Power Closes Financing of Goreway Station in Brampton, Ontario.

A profile of Steve Schwarzman and his Blackstone Group Management Team.

Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman says economic crisis has destroyed 45% of world’s wealth.

Steve Schwarzman was recently profiled by CNN/Money.

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The Tesla Roadster – All-Electric Sports Car

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

by Brenda Williams

Given the current movement to ‘go green’ combined with the high cost of gasoline, the electric car is gaining in popularity. The Smart Car has been spotted weaving in and out of New York City traffic. However, the Smart Car is an energy efficient, practical, relatively inexpensive workhorse with a boxy shape.

The Tesla Roadster is a sports car and America loves a sports car. But due to its high price, it is oriented to a different market than the Smart Car.

The Tesla might also be dubbed an international sports car. Norway produces the chassis. The RTM carbon fiber body panels are made by SOTIRA, in St. Meloir and Pouance, France. Siemens in Germany manufactures the brakes and airbags. The motors are produced in Taiwan. And the Lotus factory in Hethel, England assembles the car.

Lotus has had considerable influence since the inception. Lotus provided design assistance and furnished the basic chassis development technology from the Lotus Elise. The styling was developed by Barney Hatt at Lotus’ design studio however he did consult with Tesla engineers. It was Tesla engineers who decided to use resin transfer molded carbon fiber to construct the body panels.

The Roadster is available in two models, the Standard Model and the Sports Model. The Roadster is equipped with a 3-phase, 4-pole AC induction motor that can produce 248 hp. The Sport Model can produce 288 hp. The Standard Model can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds while the Sport model can do this in 3.7 seconds. The electronically limited top speed is 125 mph.

The Roadster’s battery pack is called the Energy Storage System or ESS. It requires three and one half hours to fully recharge the battery. The battery weighs 992 pounds and in 2008, the cost of a replacement was $20,000.

From the very beginning Tesla had transmission problems, which caused several delays in production. Tesla experimented with several transmissions but none were successful. Finally, in September 2008 they decided to use a single speed Borg Warner fixed gear transmission. The Roadster is a rear wheel drive with most of the weight centered in front of the rear axle.
Weighing in at around 2,700 pounds, it is approximately 13 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4 feet high.

All Roadsters are equipped with left hand drive so at this time, Tesla cannot market in England or countries where traffic stays to the left-hand side of the road.

Paul Boutin of Slate gave the Roadster an outstanding review. It also appeals to celebrities such as Jay Leno who dubbed it ‘fun to drive.’

However, owning it will require a celebrity’s income. To date the Roadsters have been sold on a reservation basis. Six hundred fifty were planned for 2008 and all were reserved. In 2009, Tesla plans to market 1500 vehicles. While the 2008 models were priced at $98,000 with a $950.00 destination charge, the price of the 2009 models has been raised to $109,000.

So for people who have $110,000 to $120,000 to spend, are in love with sports cars, and will accept an electric car, the Tesla is the car to buy.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_Williams

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Green Energy Will Enjoy Extensive Tax Breaks

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, there is one part of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that many people have overlooked: tax breaks for renewable energy. Most people are aware of President Obama’s drive for green energy, and the $37 billion earmarked for green energy has been well publicized. What is less known is that the stimulus package offers more to green companies than just mere funding. For the very first time, green energy companies can either accept straight funding from the Energy Department, or select from a menu of tax incentives.

Energy companies can choose between a one-time tax break on their investments, or take a 10-year tax break on their electricity production. In the past, only wind energy companies enjoyed this tax break. These tax breaks came about because green companies were direct victims of the economic meltdown. For example, the now defunct Lehman Brothers were a major investor in clean energy. After the economic crash of 2008, credit became extremely tight for green companies.

Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have published a report to see which is the best alternative for green energy companies. The researchers concluded that overall, the cash upfront and the one-year investment tax break are the best choices. This path will encourage investors to sink money into green energy projects. But the ten-year tax break actually works out to be more money for wind and geothermal energy concerns.

But according to Jeff Davis, the tax transaction specialist with the Washington DC law firm Mayer Brown, these tax breaks actually represents a missed opportunity. “What came out ultimately fell a little short,” Jeff Davis said. He feels that the government and green companies simply did not go far enough to promote green energy. “The stimulus was a great first step, but the government and industry need to do a whole lot more to get us where we need to be.”

Article Source: Green Package II: Building Better Clean-Energy Subsidies.

Additional Information:
Green Energy Scores Big in Stimulus Package.

Database of Tax Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

Mayer Brown’s profile on FindLaw InFirmation.

Mayer Brown wins Sager Award.

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Looking Back to Over 200 Years of Democratic Party History

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

The fathers of the present-day Democrats must have been profoundly happy seeing President Barack Hussein Obama sworn in as the 44th and first African American president of the United States on January 20, 2009. Earlier known as the “party of the common man,” Thomas Jefferson, along with James Madison and others, founded the Democratic Party in 1792. Since its inception, the Democratic Party has been in continuous operation in the United States. The Democratic Party is one of the oldest parties in the world.

In 1798, it took on the name Democratic-Republican Party. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson became the first Democratic President of the United States and served for two terms. James Madison became the president in 1808. James Monroe, also belonging to the same party, became the elected president in 1816.

John Quincy Adams won the presidential elections in 1824. His election led to a four-way division among Democratic-Republicans. The modern Democratic Party arose in the 1830s. The rise to prominence of war hero Andrew Jackson saw the reunification of the Democratic Party. Andrew Jackson, along with his supporters, reunified the Democratic Party and established the national convention process and the party platform. He won the elections in 1828 and 1832. In 1844, the National Convention Party’s name became the Democratic Party.

In the late 1800s, Democratic Party leader William Jennings Bryan introduced agrarian reform, right of women’s suffrage, progressive income tax and direct election of senators. All these resulted to the Democratic Party becoming dominant in urban politics.

In 1912, Woodrow Wilson became the first Democratic president of the 20th Century. Franklin Roosevelt became president while running on the promise of a New Deal. President Harry Truman broke down the barriers of race and gender. Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts began during the time of President John F. Kennedy. In 1984, the Democratic Party became the first party to place a woman on the presidential ticket when Geraldine Ferraro was nominated to be the Vice Presidential candidate. In 1992, Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States on the promise of a New Covenant for America’s forgotten families. In 2009, Democratic Senator Barack Obama became the first African-American President.

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