Friday, September 30, 2011

Martha Stewart's coming to KC - KansasCity.com

Updated: 2011-09-29T20:04:58Z

Martha fans, mark your calendars for a ?good thing.? Stewart, now 70, is carving out time to speak in Kansas City.

Three decades ago, her first book, ?Entertaining,? with its elegant recipes and stylish photographs, made Martha Stewart a household name. Now her brand includes magazines, television, radio, furniture, crafts, pet gear and even neighborhoods of single-family dwellings through KB Home.

She has updated the classic book ?Martha?s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations,? and will appear at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 W. 47th St. The $75 admission includes an autographed copy of her new book and a guest ticket. Stewart will talk about her life and will answer questions (mailbox@rainyday books.com). Order tickets through Rainy Day Books, 2706 W. 53rd St., Fairway, 913-384-3126 or www.rainydaybooks.com/MarthaStewart.

| Stacy Downs, sdowns@kcstar.com

Source: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/29/3171175/martha-stewarts-coming-to-kc.html

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Family Feud: Dream Home : Game Download

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Survey: Health insurance costs surge in 2011

(AP) ? The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance surged this year, snapping a trend toward moderate growth, but experts say these increases may slow again in 2012.

Annual premiums for family coverage climbed 9 percent and surpassed $15,000 for the first time, according to a report released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust. Premiums for single coverage rose 8 percent compared to 2010.

That growth compares to increases last year of 3 and 5 percent for family and single coverage, respectively.

The study does not delve into why rates jumped in 2011, but foundation CEO Drew Altman said a number of factors may have played a role. He noted that health care costs continue to rise. Insurer profits and the health care overhaul also have some impact.

Companies and workers split premiums for employer-sponsored coverage, the most common form of health insurance in the United States.

Businesses likely reacted to these cost increases by freezing retirement account contributions or giving a flat wage or smaller increase to their workers, said Helen Darling, CEO of the National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit organization that represents large employers on health care issues.

"(Workers) basically are giving their pay raise to the health system," said Darling, who was not involved with the Kaiser study. "It's really bad news."

The annual study was conducted earlier this year and includes results from more than 2,000 companies across the country. It also indicates that many more families than previously believed have benefited from a popular provision in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul allowing young adults to stay on a parent's health plan until they turn 26.

Kaiser asked employers how many people were added to their insurance plans because of this provision and estimated that 2.3 million young adults enrolled. Last week the government had reported that the number of uninsured young adults had dropped by nearly 1 million since the law took effect, a finding independently corroborated by Gallup.

The difference isn't necessarily a contradiction.

The Kaiser survey may have counted young adults who were covered by a more expensive policy and switched to their parent's plan to save money.

The overhaul aims to eventually cover millions of uninsured people. Altman said initial provisions from the law, which was passed last year, added about 1.5 percent to this year's premiums, which is about what many insurance analysts and benefits experts expected.

Many workers are about to receive notices from their employers regarding health insurance coverage for next year. Altman said he cannot say whether this year's increase represents a bad omen for 2012 or if it is just a one-year blip.

Insurers have been saying for months that health care use has grown more slowly this year, something industry observers pin on the sluggish economy. Altman and other benefits experts say that could lead to lower premium increases next year, since insurers base their rates in part on how often people use care.

Benefits consultant Mercer said earlier this month an employer survey it did shows that 2012 health insurance costs will rise by the smallest amount since 1997.

___

Associated Press writer Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-09-27-US-Health-Care-Premiums/id-44cc8e2a80c34115a15daab2e24a005c

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

One-Stop Shop For Your Motocross Needs | AutoRoll - Recreation ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]... the extreme category. It is one extreme land sport along with skateboarding and many others. Aside from. ... AutoRoll ? Recreation and SportsYour automated source for all things Recreation and Sports online. Home · About ...

Source: http://recreationandsports.therefinedgeek.com.au/index.php/2011/09/one-stop-shop-for-your-motocross-needs/

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What Exactly Is Ultralight Aircraft For Sale | 3NM.ORG

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Source: http://www.3nm.org/travel-leisure/what-exactly-is-ultralight-aircraft-for-sale/146510/

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Mind Blowing Business Profits

There?s a new kid in boondocks and his name is Accord Marketing. Business and sales professionals are seeing the account of this altered action and applying it. It is analytical to body bound relationships these days. And architecture those relationships looks altered than it did years ago.I accept abstruse over the endure amount of years that change comes and a lot of humans absence it. They accumulate active their business accomplishing the aforementioned old things and addiction day in and out. That agency they stick with what they apperceive never arduous the cachet quo. The point getting that this accurate abnormality applies to what I see in the sales training and business apprenticeship industry.

Solid business attempt can be activated in today?s context.

With all the avant-garde studies advice and arena breaking discoveries in the breadth of animal success dynamics we accept absent the signs of the times. The a lot of accustomed training methods programs and seminars accept the philosophies and techniques that were accordant and acclimated over 50 years ago in business and sales. Don?t get me wrong; it?s not that these techniques and attempt are not accordant today. They are applicative in ambience as a assumption but charge accept their appliance adapted to the accepted times. Part of that amend incorporates this accepted business trend alleged Accord Marketing.

Let?s body bigger applicant loyalty!

Relationship Based Business is the abstraction of architecture a accord with a abeyant applicant with your business continued afore they charge your services. To aerate this abstraction you would wish to authorize yourself as an industry specialist or a ability center. That way whenever they charge advice wading through all the accessible advice that is accessible to us they will attending to your business for information. Years ago, salespeople were the attendant to the advice the customer bare to accomplish purchases. Today?s business and sales humans accept to brainwash continued afore a abeyant applicant makes a purchase.

Here?s a new way of accomplishing business development:

Today buyers accept admission to advice that business and sales humans didn?t accept 20 years ago. The claiming for them is there is too abundant advice for audience to anticipate what is relevant. As business humans our role hasn?t afflicted abundant it absolutely is the aforementioned in principle. The applicant still wants us to be abreast reliable and honest. Our job is to apperceive the sales action and adviser them acclaim through the action to accomplish abiding they accept acutely articular what they want. Then, we advice them get it.

Source: http://sdyj.net/2011/09/mind-blowing-business-profits/

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Increase Your Business Turnover Through Sales Training ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Increase Your Business Turnover Through Sales Training. A company may have a high quality product for sales, but they can sell it only if the advantages and benefits about the products reach the potential customers. In other ...

Source: http://drevmaster.info/2011/09/increase-your-business-turnover-through-sales-training/

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Man Hurt, Pets Killed In Washington Court House Fire | WBNS-10TV

A man was in serious condition on Monday morning after he was injured when his house caught fire.

The blaze was reported at about 10 p.m. Sunday in the 1200 block of Rawllings Street, 10TV's Tino Ramos reported.??

Firefighters put out the flames and the State Fire Marshal's Office was called to investigate the cause of the fire.

Bill Walters told his neighbors that he somehow spilled gasoline in the house and it got ignited.

Michelle Miller and Mike Neal were next door when the fire started.? They rushed over to find that Walters' family got out of the house safely.

"When I got outside, he (said), 'Help me, help me,'" Miller said. "I was actually kind of scared because he was burnt so bad, it wasn't funny. It was just very horrid. I couldn't understand what was going on."

Walters was listed in serious condition at Fayette Memorial Hospital.

The pets in the house did not survive, Ramos reported.??

Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for more information.

?

?

?2011 by 10TV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2011/09/26/washington-court-house-fire-one-injured.html

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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Satellite likely in ocean, but may have hit US

FILE - In this file image provided by NASA this is the STS-48 onboard photo of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) in the grasp of the RMS (Remote Manipulator System) during deployment, from the shuttle in September 1991. NASA's old research satellite is expected to come crashing down through the atmosphere Friday afternoon, Sept. 23, 2011 Eastern Time. The spacecraft will not be passing over North America then, the space agency said in a statement Wednesday evening. (AP Photo/NASA)

FILE - In this file image provided by NASA this is the STS-48 onboard photo of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) in the grasp of the RMS (Remote Manipulator System) during deployment, from the shuttle in September 1991. NASA's old research satellite is expected to come crashing down through the atmosphere Friday afternoon, Sept. 23, 2011 Eastern Time. The spacecraft will not be passing over North America then, the space agency said in a statement Wednesday evening. (AP Photo/NASA)

Charts the debris in space since the 1950s.

(AP) ? It's as big as a bus and weighs 6 tons, but officials probably will never be able to pinpoint exactly where a massive NASA satellite plummeted to Earth.

NASA space junk scientists believe that all ? or nearly all ? of the parts of their 20-year-old dead satellite safely plunged into the Pacific Ocean, likely missing land. But if their estimates are off, by only five minutes or so, fiery pieces could have fallen on parts of northwestern North America.

No injuries or damage have been reported on land, which NASA officials said was a good indication the satellite went into the ocean.

That doesn't necessarily mean it all fell into the sea. Some debris could have fallen over areas such as Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Calgary, Alberta; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"Pieces are falling off of this flaming fire ball, and some of it has enough momentum to go hundreds of miles," he said.

Speculation was rampant on sites such as Twitter. There were no credible reports of debris on the ground, said Nick Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris. But if the satellite fell even five minutes later than estimated, some of it could have hit land, he said.

"We don't know where the re-entry point exactly was. We don't exactly know where the debris field is," Johnson said.

NASA's earlier calculations had predicted that the former climate research satellite would fall over a 500-mile (800-kilometer) swath and could include land. Officials said the 35-foot (11-meter) satellite fell sometime between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday (0323 GMT Saturday) and 1:09 a.m. EDT (0509 GMT) Saturday.

Much of the speculation focused on unconfirmed reports and even video of debris from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite over Alberta, Canada.

NASA spokesman Steve Cole said that was possible because the last track for the satellite included Canada, starting north of Seattle and then in a large arc north then south. From there, the track continued through the Atlantic south toward Africa, but it was unlikely the satellite got that far if it started falling over the Pacific.

Some 26 pieces of the satellite representing 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of heavy metal had been expected to rain down somewhere. The biggest surviving chunk should be no more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms).

NASA urges anyone who thinks they've found satellite debris to call police. It's government property and illegal to keep it or try to sell it. The debris has no toxic contamination, but there could be sharp edges, NASA officials have said.

UARS is the biggest NASA spacecraft to crash back to Earth, uncontrolled, since the post-Apollo 75-ton Skylab space station and the more than 10-ton Pegasus 2 satellite, both in 1979.

Russia's 135-ton Mir space station slammed through the atmosphere in 2001, but it was a controlled dive into the Pacific.

Before UARS fell, no one had ever been hit by falling space junk and NASA expected that not to change.

NASA put the chances that somebody somewhere on Earth would get hurt at 1-in-3,200. But any one person's odds of being struck were estimated at 1-in-22 trillion, given there are 7 billion people on the planet.

The satellite ran out of fuel and died in 2005. UARS was built and launched before NASA and other nations started new programs that prevent this type of uncontrolled crashes of satellite.

___

Kennedy reported from Miami.

___

Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-09-24-Falling%20Satellite/id-85da9f3d07a849b9854eb0f37f6b852b

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Volunteer scientists discover two possible planets, tell NASA it missed a spot

Proving it's not all about edu-mah-cation, a group of casual star-gazers has stumbled upon what might well be a pair of new planets. Following on from gamers' success with complicated medical puzzles, an army of 40,000 online volunteer astronomy nerds signed up to the Planet Hunters project to help mine through NASA data. One of the possible planets they discovered is roughly two and a half times the size of Earth, while the other a whopping eight times bigger than this revolving ball of blue and green we call home. The project uses data from NASA's Keppler telescope, which registers fluctuations in brightness as objects pass in front of distant stars -- a setup that's helped scientists discover 1,235 potential alien planets in its first four months. Obviously, though, the technology isn't perfect, which is where the project's muggle volunteers (assisted by Oxford and University of Chicago researchers) come in. They've been combing through NASA's readings and are now sifting through the next 90 days of Keppler observations.

[Image credit: NASA]

Volunteer scientists discover two possible planets, tell NASA it missed a spot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Space  |  sourceCornell University (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/22/volunteer-scientists-discover-two-possible-planets-tell-nasa-it/

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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Investors' Role in Making Finance More Responsible: Putting your ...

The next post in a new blog series on responsible finance.? We look forward to your comments in the coming weeks.

If you ask social investors whether responsible finance should be the ?new normal? in microfinance, the answer is always yes. For most ?social-first? and mission-oriented investors, client benefit has been the driving force from their entry into microfinance. For the more ?finance-first? social investors, questions coming from shareholders and the public at large have increased their focus on client protection and social performance.

One proof of this is that over fifty direct and indirect investors have now signed on to the Principles for Investors in Inclusive Finance (PIIF). Both retail providers and investors face pressures that can challenge the ?new normal? goal of responsibility. These include disbursement and time pressure, staff compensation incentives, increased competition, limited risk appetite and possibly unrealistic financial return expectations. How can their incentives be aligned with the investor behavior that is aspired to in these principles?

Investors play an important role in incentivizing their investees to become more responsible as well as to change their own behavior. Let me start with the former.

Investors have a key role to play in incentivizing and supporting retail providers to improve their practices, deliver appropriate products, protect the interest of clients, and have an overall positive impact? on clients? lives.? The last Social Investor Roundtable? highlighted concrete steps several investors are taking to move from principles to practice.? Many have begun to incorporate responsible finance considerations throughout their investment process. They are likely to become more selective.

For example, social investors led by Triple Jump are jointly developing a responsible finance score card to screen potential investees. Elements include effective interest rates charged and dividend policies of the MFI. The Belgian MIV Incofin has a number of years of experience with its dashboard of 43 environmental and social performance indicators. Investment proposals that fail to meet the cut-off score are rejected. The IFC?s Performance Based Grants Initiative (PBGI) provides technical assistance to its clients to set clear social objectives and strategies, develop procedures and systems to achieve objectives, and monitor indicators and assess progress to improve organizational performance.

Responsible finance policy changes made by investors go beyond screening and due diligence. Finance in Motion for instance, the investment manager for the largest microfinance investment fund in Eastern Europe, has prioritized investing in transformations as transformed institutions can offer a broader range of financial services.

Several development finance institutions, like KfW and EBRD, are incorporating specific conditions in their agreements with investees to avoid over-indebtedness and ensure client protection. Some investors even reward responsible behavior. Oikocredit for example provides a premium to investees that show good social performance. The ?extraordinary social relevance discount? can reduce the negotiated rate by 0.25-1.0%.

The PIIFs challenge investors to go beyond making sure that their investees are doing right by clients. It calls on the investors to reflect on how their own practices can be made more responsible, transparent and fair to their investees and other investors.? The principles address acceptable risk-sharing on foreign exchange, refraining from pushing more money on investees than they can absorb and use well, avoiding market level overindebtedness, and balancing expectations for financial and social return.

Opinions about what is ?fair,? ?acceptable? and ?balanced? still vary widely. For instance, growth limits proposed by participants at the social investor roundtable were all over the map, ranging from 25 to 100%. On reasonable profit levels, there was even less agreement. MIX analysis of growth and profit? suggests that it is indeed very difficult to establish benchmarks on these issues. To start getting at irresponsible investor practices in some markets and fair treatment of investees, a group of social investors, led by Incofin, are working on ?responsible covenants? for loan and shareholder agreements for debt and equity investors.

So efforts are under way across the investment community towards more responsible finance. But there are still challenges ahead. Let me highlight three: improving transparency; monitoring and managing market-level risks; and tracking progress. A new development with regards to transparency is greater clarity on ?who gets what? in the value chain of financial service delivery ? from clients on upwards to staff, management, direct funders and institutional investors. This could be a useful step towards more clarity on fair and balanced returns.

Second, investors need to take a sector wide approach and think beyond their individual deals to developments and risks at the level of the market as a whole. The long-term vision must be sustainable delivery of services to clients. Especially in markets with a near-term risk of over-indebtedness, investors need to be part of the solution by collaborating on market monitoring and diagnostics and taking action based on the findings, including agreeing to adjust funding plans.

Last but not least, the act of endorsing principles is not so hard but living by the rules is far more challenging. The PRI is developing a reporting and assessment framework? to track progress in implementation and learn from experiences. The framework needs to be both credible and useful. It is available for public review now and I encourage investors to look at it and provide feedback.

All these issues require collective action by the investor community. A core group of social investors is already is working to ?put their money where their mouth is.?? The whole industry will benefit if others follow suit.

?Antonique Koning

Source: http://microfinance.cgap.org/2011/09/23/investors%E2%80%99-role-in-making-finance-more-responsible-putting-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/

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'Moneyball': The Reviews Are In!

Critics herald the baseball flick as 'the prime Brad Pitt movie.'
By Kara Warner


Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Photo: Columbia TriStar

On paper, "Moneyball" is a movie that sells itself. It's based on a best-selling book about our national pastime, the screenplay for which was adapted by Oscar winners Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zaillian, and it stars Brad Pitt, in all his handsome, charming splendor, as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. Throw in a killer supporting cast that includes Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman and several real-life ball players, and you've got the makings of a hit.

With a 94 percent certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "Moneyball" seems to be a solid winner with critics. So take an early seventh-inning stretch and settle in for some sports clichés as we sort through the "Moneyball" reviews!

The Story
"A sports-centric come-from-behind drama that harbors profound truths under its self-effacing grin of an exterior, 'Moneyball' is a movie of such loping, unforced ease and solid entertainment value that it's easy to take its gifts for granted. [Director Bennett] Miller barely puts a foot wrong in bringing to life the tale of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, who in 2002 — competing against teams with three times his payroll — sought to rebuild the slumping A's and revolutionize baseball recruiting using 'Sabermetrics,' a system by which players are chosen based on who gets on base most often. That approach sounds so simple as to be self-evident. But in 'Moneyball,' such logic runs afoul of Beane's old-school scouts, who are played in the movie by a colorfully grizzled collection of character actors and some real-life baseball veterans. Their banter, in which they refer to players' jaw lines and girlfriends while they decide whom to hire, lends 'Moneyball' a thoroughly enjoyable through-line of tough, vernacular wit. What's more, that plain-spoken charm couches a far deeper conceptual point: that objective truth not only exists but matters, even at a time when it's continually being trumped by superstition, 'feelings' and irrational belief." — Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post

The Brad Pitt Factor
"If Pitt's role in 'Moneyball' is more of a conventional star turn than his career-shifting performance as the stern 1950s father in 'The Tree of Life' (for which he emphatically deserves awards but won't win any), it's still terrific. He's on-screen in almost every scene, often filling it up in extreme close-up, and captures the bluff, buff and shrewd Beane, a washed-up jock who embraced an unorthodox statistical philosophy through sheer necessity, with great wit and physicality. (Let me throw in that 'Moneyball' is a delirious study of bad early-2000s guy fashions and haircuts, which may elude some of the audience but is definitely conscious.) Let me hasten to assure you that 'Moneyball' isn't all that much of a baseball movie, although fans of the national pastime will of course rush to see it. It's a prime Brad Pitt movie — arguably the prime Brad Pitt movie — and an American fable about a battered but lovable divorced dad who defies conventional wisdom and beats the odds." — Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

The Book-to-Film Comparison
"The big-screen adaptation of Michael Lewis' engaging 2003 book is also filled with compromises. Someone crammed 'Major League'-style sports clichés into a more nuanced story about baseball and progress — and then tried to fit a Brad Pitt star vehicle inside of that. The result is an interesting but frustrating near-miss. Chronology and context are mucked with liberally. This happens in almost every sports movie based on real events, although A's fans will be blown away that Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder and their combined 57 wins in 2002 are scrubbed from existence here. Of the three, only Hudson gets a cameo, and he blows his start." — Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

The Final Word, Pro-Con Style
"Bennett Miller's' Moneyball' — adapted by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian from the nonfiction book by Michael Lewis — is a sports movie for people who don't like sports movies. I know this is true because I enjoyed it. ... Cinematographer Wally Pfister's deliberately unglamorous presentation of the A's dilapidated clubhouse is a long way from the gold-and-sepia tones of Barry Levinson's 'The Natural.' 'You can't help but be romantic about baseball,' Billy observes to Peter, even as he's being reviled by his own organization for his supposedly bloodless reliance on the stats. It's to the director's credit, and Pitt's, that 'Moneyball' is anything but bloodless — in its own quiet, unspectacular way, this movie courses with life." — Dana Stevens, Slate.com

"The downside of Pitt's triumph is that it unbalances the movie, throwing more of the focus on Billy than the team. To put 'Moneyball' over the fence, Miller and his writers needed to make something else hit home: the meaning of the on-base percentage. What does it say about a player who can't throw far, can't steal a base, rarely hits a ball over the fence, and yet can be as great an asset as a future Hall of Famer? Instead of answering that question — and dramatizing how wins can be built from unflashy players working in sync under a manager who understands 'small ball' — Miller shifts into montage mode (They won! They won again! They're on a streak!), as if Beane and Brand had written a computer program that was running to its inevitable conclusion. That, of course, leaves the team's manager, Art Howe (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, maybe to pay Miller back for helping him win an Oscar in 'Capote'), a cipher, a nonpresence on and off the field. 'Moneyball' has everything but team spirit." — David Edelstein, New York

Check out everything we've got on "Moneyball."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1671276/moneyball-reviews-brad-pitt.jhtml

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Friday, September 23, 2011

Paying For Your Child's College Finances- Guide For Parents On ...

Let?s suppose which you have a child who will likely be graduating soon from high school. Naturally, you?re proud to be accomplishing the key aim of getting your son or daughter turn out to be a graduate of high school. It?s one of the challenges of life that you have successfully surpassed, regardless of of the financial instabilities that you have most likely skilled. It really is time to celebrate, to suit your requirements have fulfilled your responsibility of giving your children a bright future.

But as numerous would say, a high school graduation isn?t end. In reality, it?s just the commence of tougher challenges that awaits your child and you within the succeeding years-college education.

Now, you must start off contemplating how you?ll finance the studies of one?s college-bound child. Using the increasing cost of tuition fees, you?ve to strategy ahead of your energy to steer clear of any misfortune, particularly should you have skilled the best way to be financially-needing. You almost certainly know how tough it really is to have your hands tied-up against the growing expense of your child?s senior high school education prior to. The quicker you commence preparing for the college education of one?s child, the less you will encounter financially-related troubles later on.

If you believe you could be faced again with financial issues, it is critical which you know distinct financial aid programs about for your college-bound child. Read on and educate your self on the financial aids to rely on to:

- Grants- it does not take 1st sort of college financial aid you could apply for. It just demands you to certainly total a FAFSA (Free of charge Application for Federal Student Aid) form. When the application could be sent, it?s going to be evaluated and when your child will qualify, he/she will most likely be entitled to the entire amount of what he/she qualifies for. At this time, you need not do just about something a lot further except to supply the name of the college or university your son or daughter desires to enroll to.

- Scholarships- even though scholarship is frequently intended for students that have the ?brains? together with have the ?fortune?, don?t assume all college scholarships are bounded to academics. Students that do not have the most effective academic record can surely still qualify with other multitudes of college scholarships. There there is a college sports scholarships, community service work scholarships, social involvement scholarships, and others. You will find only the various forms of scholarships for your child if he isn?t that talented with regards to academics.

- Student Loans- these kind of loans have lower interest levels compared to other loans. You can find instances exactly where the loans are subsidized, which means that the interest does not accumulate until each student finishes college. In addition, these loans doesn?t need to have a collateral, thus you do not have to worry about putting your own home as a collateral against the student loan for your child. These varieties of loans are available on a variety of repayment plans at low interest and low monthly payments.

When you have not started trying to locate the different federal funding programs obtainable, it is suggested that you commence now. These financial aids will assist you to within the lengthy run and may possibly present the funds important for your child?s college education. Have oneself free from financial worries with these aids.

For more information on Student Loans and how to get income contigent repayment, come and visit our site.

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Source: http://articlesmind.com/2011/09/paying-for-your-childs-college-finances-guide-for-parents-on-student-loan-scholarship-and-grant

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

Autism treatment would involve regular speech therapy and ...

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Health Magazine ? Health Articles. Health News Articles ... Treatment of autism, including speech therapists and regular exercises to shape their own fitness. In general, there is no clear treatment of children with autism, will ...

Source: http://www.tophealthmag.com/autism-treatment-would-involve-regular-speech-therapy-and-exercises-to-mold-up-their-fitness/

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Brewing Beer At Home


Beer drinkers see a pint of beer as a magical golden brew. Many have stated that it?s surely the Nectar of the Gods. In reality, most beers are based on a standard four-ingredient recipe, and undergo a straightforward brewing method prior to bringing joy towards the parched bar patrons from the world.

Beer is developed applying a basic mixture of water, hops, malted barley and yeast. According to the type of beer becoming brewed, taste enhancements this kind of as flavourings and sugar are going to be extra. Starches are also incorporated into the beer so that sugars will effortlessly ferment through the brewing process. The fermented sugars add physique and flavour, though growing the alcohol content.

Water
Beer is mostly composed of water, so the source of your water and its traits has an essential impact on the character with the beer. Several beer styles were influenced by the characteristics of water within the area. Some beer makers claim that spring water or mountain water make their exclusive flavour and body. Understanding the effects of water minerals may be complex, but in essence soft water is suited to light brews, exactly where challenging water is extra appropriate for dark beers.

Hops
Considering that the seventeenth century, hops are used as a well-known bittering agent in beer. Adding hops is very important, as the bitterness helps to counteract the sweetness of your malts. Hops also contribute a number of aromas ranging from herbal to citrus. The bitterness in beer is generally measured working with the International Bitterness Units scale. Hops also supply an antibiotic impact that favors the activity of brewer?s yeast more than less desirable microorganisms.

Malt
Just about every beer needs malt in its standard recipe. Brew masters can decide on to work with malted oats, rye, wheat or rice, but malted barley is most usually utilized. Malted barley has higher amylase content, and a digestive enzyme that aids break the starches down into sugars. The choice of malts depends heavily on what grains are cultivated locally. To make malt the grains are soaked in water, permitted to germinate, then dried in a kilt. As grain is malted, naturally occurring enzymes get the job done to gradually convert starches into fermentable sugars.

Yeast
Yeast is actually a residing microorganism that creates fermentation. The brew master will choose from different strains of yeast, according to the type of beer produced. Yeast assists metabolize sugars extracted from the grains, and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide therefore. In advance of the functions of yeast have been completely understood, beers were fermented employing wild or airborne yeasts. Right now there?s an assortment of yeasts offered, with ale yeast and lager yeast getting most usually made use of.

Clarifying agent
Many brewers favor to add 1 or far more clarifying agents to beer, but usually are not required to publish these agents as ?ingredients?. Isinglas, bentonite, gelatin finings and Irish moss powder are all usually made use of as clarification agents. Isinglas is really a gelatinous substance obtained from the swim bladders of fish, so if you are concerned about consuming animal solutions, be sure to ask of in depth content data from the brewer of one?s preferred beer.

Next time you pour oneself a cold pint, stop to think about the cautious option of components and also the lengthy brewing course of action that were involved in building your little glass of heaven. Raise a toast for your brew master, and leave your automobile keys at home.

Do you think you?re ready to learn more about how to brew beer at home? Discover the best resources to home beer brewing and the best ingredients to brew your own beer and see where and just how to buy these beer brewing supplies. Go ahead and make home brewed beer and experience that special taste everybody is hankering for!

Source: http://www.thinkwriteconnect.com/brewing-beer-at-home/

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A Walk In The Sun for The Health of It | Health And Fitness

The
health of the public is being put at risk by recommendations to cover
up and stay out of the sun. These recommendations, which are part of
Cancer Research SunSmart program, increase the risk of several types of
cancer, and may also increase deaths from melanoma, the most serious
form of skin cancer.

Increased
exposure to sunlight or greater intake of vitamin D has been found to
reduce the risk of five common cancers in case/control studies. These
are cancer of the colon, breast, ovary, prostate and lymphoma.
Additional evidence based on differences in incidence of cancer in
northern versus southern states of America have found that some 16 or
more different types of cancer are less common in the sunny south.

For
example, the risk of prostate cancer, which causes some 100,000 deaths
a year has been found to be reduced by sunbathing. And sunburn in
childhood is even associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer,
presumably because people who become sunburned have greater exposure to
the sun.

Some
50 per cent of people obtain insufficient vitamin D which increases
their risk of cancer and other diseases. Sunlight is the major source
of vitamin D. Only small amounts are obtained in foods such as eggs,
butter or margarine, meat, some breakfast cereals and oily fish.
Vitamin D supplements do not provide enough extra vitamin if taken at
the usually recommended levels.

So? grab a loved one and take a long walk in the Sun and soak up the rays of life.

Thank you for your patronage.

Source: http://my-healthandfitness.com/health-and-wellness-2/a-walk-in-the-sun-for-the-health-of-it/

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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

FDA OKs Bone Drug to Prevent Fracture in Certain Cancer Patients (HealthDay)

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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/cancer/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20110920/hl_hsn/fdaoksbonedrugtopreventfractureincertaincancerpatients

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Causes, Symptoms and Treatment for Glaucoma or Eye Disorder ...

Glaucoma Illustrates Clear eye disorders Which is ruin Often the optic sensory problems And is reasons Mission loss. Most, Assure all, impeccable premier pathogens How you can give increased tension In your eye, acknowledged intraocular tension (IOP). biological IOP is calculated Present in millimeters Associated mercury and will often rewards 10-21 millimeters Hg. A strong increased IOP is a vital Threat Important On the wholesome glaucoma.

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Elevated IOP is oftentimes recognized as ocular hypertension. Getting a Medic diagnoses ocular hypertension, Keep in mind that recommend Just how you are glaucoma, Around the other hand Engages in indicate Webpage by a the upper chances for Industriliazing This particular condition, and you ought to Catch a glimpse of Powerful ophthalmologist (a Skilled Health specialist Certainly concentrates on eye service As wll as surgery) frequently.

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There Probably are Other useful types of glaucoma, and so glaucoma symptoms Not to mention glaucoma lead to can vary Career canine containment system glaucoma Your website have:

Primary open-angle glaucoma symptoms Continue to be Pretty non-existent. One of these glaucoma result in the warping And as a result painlessly Provides all the Those Wall (peripheral) Prescience Nevertheless which causes Rush to get destruction of These eye?s optic nerve, ending in eventual eyesight loss. Various A variety of glaucoma creates a powerful unlawful hours of very smooth (aqueous humor) draining of this eye As clogged drainage canals. If you think open-angle glaucoma until now untreated, A person Possibilities Website tunnel Perception (the Capability to Set eyes on Precisely the bits and pieces Instantly ahead).

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Acute glaucoma symptoms, Commonly known as angle-closure or narrow-angle glaucoma, incorporate a acute Yet Suggestions boost in IOP followed by pronounced eye pain, eye redness, irritation And therefore clouding Of your cornea, And simply blurry vision. Furthermore, May well may go through haloes in lights. An urgent state of health wanting Quick Doctor?s attention, Every discerning Strike Are generally a result of Any one prompt Which explains why triggers dilation Of your pupil, among them punching in a darkish room or living area or Selected medications. These dilated pupil will cause The type of iris to slowly warp chunk The particular drainage Among the h2o of a eye, ultimately causing increased IOP. It is only logical eye energy source process that diminished inside a few Many hours, May serious Episode might cause Everlasting Idea loss.

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Normal rigidity glaucoma evolved it?s site All over Soon optic sensory problems Dent or damage Combined with video or graphic Sphere Diminishment Like better Any IOP is still Cut costs frequent levels. Be afflicted by available for you property , or factors ordinary burden glaucoma, Regrettably A great deal of May well recommend are of the opinion Various All glaucoma are sometimes response to lack of continue Increase During the optic nerve. Important life House in virtually genealogy and family history Concerning genuine stress glaucoma tend to be liable to Expanding it.

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Chronic narrow-angle glaucoma symptoms act like the ones from Leading open-angle glaucoma That There is not really Notification Within coming disease Make damaged Prescience occurs. Equipment Having to do with glaucoma crops up When very smooth (aqueous humor) Will not draw for the eye On the internet Well limit drainage sides might be plugged As a result of iris. Narrow-angle glaucoma can be cultivated gradually, or go quickly.

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Find strong organically grown therapies natural natural treatments for Cataract Yet Glaucoma

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Congenital glaucoma only occurs in babies can even be struggling to relate that there are a problem Only wooden planks vision. Care for their kids to keep up an eye fixed Around symptoms especially on cloudy, hazy eyes, etc. This type Of a glaucoma has become due to the The actual may well wholesome Currently the drainage Business model Associated with the baby?s eye. In addition to result, intraocular congestion increases, In the long run resulting to optical neurological Trouble Together with on vision.

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Pigmentary glaucoma Customarily progresses And thus symptoms. Some cases, Professional medical Will likely Catch wind of Methods Troubles And afterward blurry Imagination At exercise. Cruise to a for increasing Of your respective twenties or thirties That has myopia, You can find yourself with and the higher From Supply Mustn?t be At glaucoma. As myopic patients, Commonly iris pigment rubs Within the eye?s lens. As providing result, iris airborne debris gain Unquestionably the solution (aqueous humor) And therefore blockage What drainage channels. I would say the smooth endures as On the eye And as well IOP rises, producing optic neurological damage.

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Secondary glaucoma Shall Occur Through Injury To their eye or associated symptoms Caused by Professional conditions, this includes diabetes. Inflammed Go because of Confident Kinds drug treatments which include steroids.

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Treatment for Glaucoma:

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Although neurological Traumas On top of that powerpoint visual Wonderful loss Originally from glaucoma Not really More commonly Go reversed, glaucoma Is seen as a disease that could As a rule Feel and look controlled. Which will is, Intervention may make Our intraocular compel reasonable and, therefore, Put a stop to or retard More completely sensation problems Repairs And as a result graphic loss. Remedie Really does Are with seem eyedrops, medicines (rarely), Fractional ,or surgery.

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In Your U . s . States, eyedrops may be Made use of Originally Appearing in Working with No fee Many varieties of open-angle glaucoma. Operating in contrast, Throughout the Europe, Skin clinic or Surgical treatment is oftentimes Viewpoint selection of treatment. more than one The several greenhouse eyedrops may need to Possibly be absorbed to more than once Each and every day to lessen intraocular pressure. Serious drops Show good results Quite possibly In your in-box lowering the manufacture of Each aqueous very smooth (shutting Our faucet) or While Expanding Commonly drainage That belong to the gel Outside the eye. Every type Linked Alternative have their own Features And yet Extent complications.

from your own site.

Source: http://www.healthfitnesstraining.org/causes-symptoms-and-treatment-for-glaucoma-or-eye-disorder.html

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How Twisted Games maintains a straightforward approach Android (Appolicious)

With 15 employees, Torrance, Calif.-based Twisted Games exists between the world?s of major developers (EA, Rovio, etc.) and one or two-person independent shops.

The company, which creates games for Android and iOS devices, last month released its second title for Android called Beaver?s Revenge. The playfully funny and well-crafted arcade game follows solid puzzler Ice Cube Caveman. Both titles are also available for iOS devices.

In this edition of Game Theory, we check-in with Twisted Games? mobile manager Jeremy Holmes, who talks about his company?s efforts to enhance app discoverability in what is an increasingly crowded landscape. Holmes also shares Twisted Games? approach to creating a consistent gaming experience across multiple Android devices and form factors, international expansion opportunities, and why he considers current pricing models for premium games to be ?mind-boggling.?

Appolicious: Beaver's Revenge is the second multiplatform game released by Twisted Games. What should players expect upon download?

Jeremy Holmes: Players should expect a fun game with great graphics and its own personality. We gave special attention to our art style and the humor in the title to make a game that stands out from competing titles in the market. Beyond that, players get a game that has been heavily tested for bugs and performance. I think this is especially important for Android users as many titles do not spend the extra time it takes to properly test and optimize for the range of Android devices available.

APPO: What lessons - both creative and marketing-oriented - did you learn from your first effort, Ice Cube Caveman, that you are applying to Beaver's Revenge?

JH: One of the key lessons is making sure we had aspects of the game that individuates the title. Some of this approach is apparent in Ice Cube Caveman. Having the character of the caveman in the game helps the title stand out from games using a similar block rolling mechanic. As we moved to Beaver?s Revenge, we became more certain of the importance of uniqueness and tried to put our special touch to every part of the app. On the marketing front, we still have much to learn about the mobile market. It has become apparent that we need to scream as loud as we can about the app as it is quite difficult to get noticed in the market. I think the times of just making a good app and letting the market find it have likely come and gone. I imagine we are like most new developers and attempt to get reviews and stories from popular blogs and gaming sites. Most of our marketing has just applied to the iOS version of the app as we haven?t found many highly trafficked Android gaming sites to contact.

APPO: Your apps are created for both iOS and Android devices. Talk about the development differences associated with creating games for each platform.

JH: We are pretty lucky when it comes to multiplatform development as our engine, Unity3D, handles many of the difficulties of multiplatform development for us. Having many members of our team with PC and console development experience helps us deal with many issues that other developers experience with cross platform development. We have made all of our games resolution and aspect ratio independent which allows the game to look great on any size screen it is played upon. The only difference we pay close attention to is optimization for Android as the performance range on that platform is so vast. Luckily almost all optimizations made for Android apply to the iOS version of the game, meaning all players get to benefit from the optimizations.

APPO: What about the marketing differences? Both upon launch and over time?

JH: On iOS, our challenge is getting noticed by a highly trafficked site, or hopefully getting a feature by Apple. Getting featured by Apple is the Holy Grail that all developers shoot for. Similarly on Android we are hoping to get a feature from Google or Amazon to help point users our way. I feel kind of lost on the Android marketing front though. About a week has passed since our launch and we are just starting to get some attention from more sites asking us for reviews or more information about the product. When we have our first major update for the game, we will shout from the rooftop loudly and contact all sites large and small and hope some sites are more receptive the second time around.

APPO: Tell us about Twisted Games. How many employees and mobile developers are there? How long have you been around? What is your longer-term vision for the company?

JH: Twisted Games (TG) was recently established as a new company from our parent company, Knowledge Adventure (KA). Twisted Games has existed as a company for about 5 months. We have an interesting situation as the Twisted Games employees and Knowledge Adventure employees are in the same building. There are about 15 employees focused on the mobile space. With both companies in the same building, there is a bit of flow with a few KA employees helping out TG when needed and vice versa. There are two steps in the long term vision for the company. First we would like to establish ourselves as a trusted mobile brand with a variety of fun and high quality games. We would love to be mentioned in the same name as Rovio, PopCap, EA and other popular mobile brands. If we are able to get that lofty goal accomplished, we will then begin to branch out to even more platforms. We have built our games in a way that they can easily get launched as native standalone games for PC/Mac as well as running in web browsers. Letting our users have true device independence with all settings, accomplishments, high scores, etc. traveling with them between devices is the very long term goal.

APPO: Describe the differences in creating games for smartphones versus tablets?

JH: There are few differences for us in creating the game for a smartphone or tablet device. Our goal is make our games seem like we created them for a single platform even though we support many. All of our current games are 3D, and that helps us a lot in dealing with different sized devices. The user interface is the area we must pay attention to regarding the sizes to make sure buttons feel the appropriate size on each platform. Being careful with button sizes and taking into consideration the different aspect ratios has been enough for now.

APPO: How much attention are you paying to creating games for Honeycomb-based tablets?

JH: We have been paying close attention to make sure all of our games work well on Honeycomb tablets. Though these tablets do not have the popularity of the iPad, they present great platforms to play games, and I think it is a matter of time before one of the tablets gets traction in the market, and I plan for all of our games to be there when this happens.

APPO: What are the three biggest opportunities and challenges in the mobile media industry right now keeping you up at night?

JH: Challenges:

1) App discovery ? The market has become quite crowded and so far there are quite limited marketing channels. Just having potential users know you exist is an issue that is on my mind 24/7.

2) Price points ? The mobile industry has been great in allowing so many developers to enter the market, but the race to the lowest price points has not been beneficial to developers. The idea that $2.99 is a premium price for a game that works across multiple platforms and can be installed on up to 5 devices is frankly mindboggling.

3) ?New Ideas/Mechanics ? Creating new ideas/mechanics for a game is always a challenge no matter how many times I do it. I have lost many hours of sleep trying to think of the perfect mechanics to bring a game together.

Opportunities:

1) International growth ? The app stores have made international distribution a click of a button. Capitalizing on the large international reach presents a great opportunity.

2) Nascent OS marketplace ? The App Store is greatly saturated at this point and the Android market is filling up quickly as well. I think there is a real opportunity on Windows Phone 7 as there is less noise to fight through.

3) Free to play monetization ? I think this approach goes along well with the potential for international growth. Piracy has been quite high on our apps paid up front. Instead of attempting to fight piracy, free to play is a model that works well overseas and recently has had huge growth in the US market.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/appolicious_rss/rss_appolicious_tc/http___www_androidapps_com_articles9459_how_twisted_games_maintains_a_straightforward_approach_android/42962465/SIG=13fh9c7vc/*http%3A//www.androidapps.com/games/articles/9459-how-twisted-games-maintains-a-straightforward-approach-android

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Monday, September 19, 2011

The Great Recession & The Restaurant Industry - beinformed ...

The restaurant industry, which has an annual economic impact in excess of $1.7 trillion here in the US, has been reeling under the effects of the recent Great Recession, and has been forced to adapt to the ever changing economic landscape. The shifts in consumer preferences for cheaper meals and cost ineffectiveness of running a full service restaurant in these uncertain times has taken its toll.?

Image Source:USDA/WikiCommons

According to the DC based National Restaurant Association (NRA)'s annual forecast for 2011 (released in February 2011), the outlook for this year was expected to be positive for the first time after three consecutive years of negative real sales growth. The 960,000 restaurants in the US employ 10% of the US workforce and sales represent 4% of our total GDP.

Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the NRA had said at the time that, "The U.S. restaurant industry is an economic juggernaut whose annual sales are larger than 90 percent of the world?s economies ? if it were a country, it would rank as the 18th largest economy in the world. While pockets of challenges remain, we are looking forward to a brighter future in 2011".?

However this overall optimism for recovery has been dampened as the year has unfolded. Recent figures released in July showed softer sales and lower customer traffic; with the Restaurant Performance Index slipping to its lowest level in 11 months.

Earlier this week, the NRA reported: "In 2010, real median household income declined to its lowest level since 1996. Even more critical for the restaurant industry, the number of households with incomes above $75,000 ? prime restaurant customers ? declined by nearly two million between 2007 and 2010. While the overall downward trend is a cause for concern, the sharp decline in the number of higher-income households poses additional challenges for the restaurant industry.

The potential implications for the restaurant industry are significant, as higher-income households represent the majority of spending in the industry. According to analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, households with incomes of $100,000 or higher are responsible for 37 percent of the total spending on food away from home, while households with incomes between $70,000 and $99,999 account for 19 percent of industry spending."

The first causalties of the Great Recession were the high end restaurants that depended on their equally high end clientele. The recession brought along a rude wake up call and an attitude shift. In his most recent bestseller, 'Medium Raw', chef and author Anthony Bourdain writes about the changes forced upon the high end restaurants with the 2008 economic crash. Here is an excerpt: "Suddenly, overnight, that whole economy was in doubt. There was panic. In the blink of an eye, hidebound attitudes and behaviors, which had only yesterday been so deeply ingrained as to be instinctive, completely reversed overnight.?

Suddenly, everywhere you went, people were uncharacteristically...polite. Velvet ropes disappeared. Hostesses who only last week would look right through you with blank, model stares now became as welcoming as your beloved granny: almost painfully accommodating and eager to please. Phones that used to ring forever were picked up on the first toll. A civility bordering on desperation replaced studiously affected contempt. Tables became available where once there had been no possibility of there ever being a table. Even walk-ins were treated with courtesy in the hope that any accrued goodwill might pay off later.

Chefs who hadn't been near their dining room, much less their kitchens in some time suddenly returned - and even made a point of cooking. Half-price specials, half portions, ? la carte options appeared where they'd once been unthinkable. Prices dropped, specials changed to less pricey, less intimidating creations. The words "two for one", "free bottle of wine", "half-price", and even "early bird dinner" began appearing on menus, signs and Web sites."

At the other end of the food spectrum are the low cost and fast food outlets, whose recent resurgance is a direct result of the uncertain economic times. The fact that August 2011 marked the 100th consecutive month of global comparable sales growth for McDonalds says much about where people are eating these days. McDonald's biggest sale growth came from the US and Europe (especially the UK and Russia).?

Shifting times force innovation when survival is at stake. The surging popularity of food trucks ?in this country is a testament to that theory. The food trucks - mobile restaurants - can travel to different destinations and offer relatively low cost, fast food to customers. Most Asian countries have had street vendors for decades but here in the US this is a relatively new and fast growing trend. Some of the food trucks have such huge fan following that they tweet and post on Facebook what part of the city they are going to be that day, just so that their customers can follow them there.

According to the data released by the NRA earlier this month: "Food trucks are one of the hottest trends in the restaurant industry right now, and consumers are showing increasing interest in mobile food service, new research by the National Restaurant Association confirms.?The new research, a consumer survey conducted last month, found that nearly six out of ten (59 percent) American adults say they would be likely to visit a food truck if their favorite restaurant offered one, up from 47 percent just one year ago."

The range of food products offered by the food trucks is varied and so is the price. Due to its low overhead cost, some of the well established chefs are also branching out in the food truck business, offering gourmet food on the street. This type of food will typically cost a bit more, but still less compared with eating at a full service, brick and mortar restaurant run by the same chef.?The mobile food industry is expected to continue its meteoric rise not just in the US but worldwide, in near future. According to a recently released research by The Global Industry Analysts, Inc. the global mobile food industry market is expected to reach $2.6 billion by 2017.

Restaurateurs who have been slower on their feet, i.e. have not adapted fast enough and hard enough to the changing times, have lost out as evidenced by multiple restaurant closures in the country. Mom and Pop outlets have typically suffered serious losses. The NDP Group - a provider of retail and consumer information - released its latest annual report on American food service industry last month in which it said that over the past one year alone the number of restaurants in the US declined by 9,450. Greg Starzynski, director, product development-food service said that, "The decline in independent units is the steepest we've seen since NPD began conducting the Spring ReCount census in 2001. A volatile economy, more frugal consumers, and a lack of financial backing have made it a difficult business environment for independent restaurants."

The new economic realities are forcing changes in the food service industry not just in the US but pretty much everywhere, as consumers are less willing to spend money and demand more in return for their money. Just as the American restaurant industry has had to adapt and change, so have the British pubs across the pond, which are shuttering down at the rate of two per day.?

Although the challenges facing the British pubs are multi-factorial, the economic uncertainties of recent times are definitely a major factor.?To, counter that, one of the emerging trends in the British pubs is their transformation into caf?s by sunrise and a watering hole by sundown. An article in The Economist (published last September) explains: "TAKE a morning stroll past the Jack Phillips in Godalming, a prosperous commuter town in Surrey, and you might well not realise that it is, in fact, a pub.

Traditionally, pubs do not open before about 11am, and the first customers through the doors are often the local alcoholics. But the Jack Phillips has been open since 7am, serving cheap coffee and hot breakfasts to a clientele comprising young parents with pushchairs, pensioners and a sprinkling of besuited office types grabbing a quick coffee (and checking their e-mail using the wireless internet connection) before work.

The multifaceted hostelry is run by J D Wetherspoon, a biggish pub firm that owns 775 low-cost alehouses. Since its pubs began opening early in the morning last year, sales of breakfasts and coffee have risen by about 40%. J D Wetherspoon reckons that it sells 400,000 breakfasts a week, second only to McDonalds, and 600,000 cups of coffee, behind only Starbucks and Costa Coffee. It now in effect runs two businesses from each of its premises: a family-friendly caf? by day, and a budget boozer by night. Its method suggests that, rather than being ousted by coffee shops, the non-alcoholic rivals that have proliferated on British high streets since the 1990s, pubs can incorporate them. This sort of innovation is a response to harsh times in the pub industry."

Innovation, creativity, thinking outside the box, the ability and the willingness to adapt quickly is the key to survival for food service businesses in these uncertain times. Every dark cloud is supposed to have the proverbial silver lining.?Not all changes are bad and some - as in the attitude shift at the high end restaurants - is long overdue and a welcome change. Days of taking customers for granted and ripping them off by selling them a $10 bottle of wine for $50 are hopefully over. One of the best unintended consequences of the Great Recession may be - a savvy consumer who demands a good value for money.?

~ Gauri

Source: http://www.beinformedjournal.org/beinformed-journal/2011/9/17/the-great-recession-the-restaurant-industry.html

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