VatorNews - Helpshift gets $3.2M to be mobile customer support

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Helpshift, an in-app customer support service on mobile, announced Tuesday that it's raised a seed round of $3.2 million from True Ventures and Nexus Venture Partnesr to provide customer support for the tens of thousands of mobile app developers who don't offer such help-desk services.

"Mobile is where the Internet was in the late '90s," said Abinash Tripathy, co-founder and CEO of Helpshift, in an interview with VatorNews. At that time, there had already been an established group of companies that were able to sell products and services. But what was lacking in the late '90s was customer service and support for the newly-minted Web companies. In like vein, now that app developers have emerged and become viable businesses, what these app developers lack are help desks.

These companies are in the "I am a real business " phase and the products they need in this are business enablers like CRM (customer relationship management) tools, marketing automation tools, accounting and other backoffice products, said Tripathy, whose background includes 17 years in the software industry at companies, such as Oracle and Openwave.?

To this end, Helpshift, which Tripathy self-funded initially with $300,000, has positioned itself to be the outsourced, SaaS (software as a service) help desk.

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So how is it useful for app developers?

They get a super simple interface for their customers to be able to ask questions and be serviced.?App developers also get a management console to see, among many statistics, how many customers are seeking service.?And, apparently, there are a number of customers seeking service that app developers aren't aware of, until it's too late.

"The biggest problem [for app developers] is that users just delete and replace the app [because they have a lousy experience]," said Tripathy. ?Unfortunately, they miss the boat on keeping those customers happy. ?If you look at app reviews, roughly 50% of reviews are negative, said Tripathy. "What we're trying to do is to help app developers service those customers before they get those negative reviews."?

There are currently 150,000 app development companies (from one-person shops to big brands) that have checked in apps into the app stores, but worldwide, there could be as many as 500,000 developers, Tripathy estimates. Of those, about 75% are small app developers that can't afford to pay for an outsourced help desk.?They can use Helpshift for free. But for developers that have monthly active users between 50,000 and 100,000, they'd pay about $100 per month. Above 100,000 users, Helpshift charges several thousand a month.?

Tripathy wouldn't disclose the customers he's working with today, only to say that large corporations that produce a number of apps, such as Disney, or large national retailers, are their target market. Helpshift currently has a salesperson and a business development person to go after these enterprise relationships. ??

Helpshift is also working with developer forums, such as StackOverflow.com, Reddit.com and iphonedevsdk.com to reach developers. ?

Connecting the end user with the app developer

While Helpshift is focused today on being the help desk for mobile apps, in the future it has a much larger goal: to be the new CRM (customer relationship management) provider on mobile.?

"App stores have worked really hard to abstract the users away from the app developers," said Tripathy. "Those apps can't track who the customerss are... We're providing an in-app channel for app developers to be able contact their customers."

Over time, Helpshift hopes to offer more than help-desk services. ?

"With cloud and SaaS, ?we are truly in an era of high velocity, low-touch sales where sales people are getting dis-intermediated," Tripathy explained. "The mobile app industry doesn't really need any sales people thanks to the frictionless distribution capabilities of the App stores. ?As this trend continues, we are going to see the need for CRM software evolving from being sales tracking tools to more of Customer Service / Experience tools."

Helpshift sees itself as Zendesk, but for mobile. Zendesk, is a cloud-based customer support company that raised $60 million in a Series D round of funding in September (for a reported valuation of $600 million). It is also similar to Assistly, which was bought?by Salesforce last year for $50 million in cash.

Source: http://vator.tv/news/2012-10-30-helpshift-gets-32m-to-be-mobile-customer-support

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Hurricane Sandy may unleash historic floods in NYC

As Hurricane Sandy heads toward the East Coast, storm crews are placing hundreds of sensors to predict the toll of flooding in the region.

1. Science news from NBCNews.com

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"The combination of an extremely dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters," according to a National Hurricane Center advisory.

New York City may see its biggest storm surges in history.

"With the high tide occurring tomorrow night, we are looking at many locations approaching record levels of storm surge," said National Weather Service spokesperson Sean Potter.?

Hurricane Irene, for instance, caused surging tides that reached only 4 feet (1.2 meters). In contrast, Sandy is expected to cause life-threatening flooding in New York Harbor and tides of 6 feet to 11 feet (1.8 to 3.3 meters) in areas of Long Island Sound, according to the National Weather Service. For instance, the Battery in lower Manhattan is expected to see 11.7-foot storm surges, surpassing the 10-foot surges recorded in 1960 with Hurricane Donna, Potter told LiveScience.?

A full moon Monday may intensify storm surges, as the moon's tug will make high tides along the Eastern Seaboard about 20 percent higher than normal, Joe Rao, a meteorologist for News 12 in Westchester, N.Y., told LiveScience sister site OurAmazingPlanet.

The storm's projected duration may also worsen flooding. "We'll still see tropical storm-force winds occurring for 24-36 hours starting into tomorrow morning going into Tuesday afternoon," Potter told LiveScience. "That's one thing that really sets this storm apart compared to Hurricane Irene."

As of 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 28, the center of Hurricane Sandy was located 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., and 575 miles (930 km) south of New York City. The storm is moving toward the northeast near 14 miles per hour (23 kilometers per hour). The current forecast track puts the center of Sandy near the coast Monday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The winds will likely be near hurricane force at landfall, according to the National Hurricane Center advisory.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), along with other federal agencies, are latching 150 storm surge sensors to poles on piers from Massachusetts to Chesapeake Bay. The gauges track wind gusts, rainfall and water levels at the coast, and eight of the sensors track the storm-tide in real-time as it reaches land.

The data could help scientists predict the toll of the storm. (Some 10 million people are predicted to be without power from the storm.) Data from past storms have helped researchers predict which areas will be hardest hit this time around. The sensors were first deployed during Hurricane Rita in 2005 and again during Hurricane Irene in 2008.

Tracking the toll of Hurricane Sandy will help predict flooding in future storms, according to the USGS.

"With Sandy wehave the opportunity to test and improve predictive models of coastal zone impact based on what we previously learned," said USGS director Marcia Hutt in a press release.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

? 2012 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49589316/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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China factories eye stronger fourth quarter, external risks remain

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory output should grow faster in the last three months of 2012 than in the third quarter, though the recovery remains clouded by uncertainty in export markets, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Thursday.

Month-on-month improvements in output growth, an apparent turnaround signaled by a private sector survey of purchasing managers and an uptick in preliminary power generation data were all indications of a burgeoning recovery, the ministry spokesman and chief engineer, Zhu Hongren, told a news conference.

"The industry sector performance has shown signs of stabilization and we can see an even clearer growing trend from the month-on-month figures in the third quarter," Zhu said.

"Therefore, we expect that industrial output growth in the fourth quarter would be faster than that in Q3, which will help the country to achieve its annual economic growth target of 7.5 percent," he added.

But a ministry statement issued before the news conference began was focused more on the risks of weak external demand, rising production costs, financing strains and squeezed profit margins across China's industrial complex.

"The stabilization trend of China's industrial sector is not yet solid and we are still facing many challenges and difficulties to realize stable growth," the ministry's earlier statement said.

"Although export growth rebounded in September, it is still very difficult to see a stable growth in exports of industrial products in future due to shrinking external demand," the statement said.

A festering debt crisis in China's biggest foreign market, the European Union, has dented demand for goods coming off assembly lines in the vast factory sector and ultimately weighed on the domestic economy.

Exports were worth 31 percent of GDP in 2011, according to the World Bank, and supported an estimated 200 million Chinese jobs.

The written statement echoes that from Commerce Ministry spokesman, Shen Danyang, who said last week that one month's solid trade data was not sufficient evidence of a recovery trend given complications in the external sector.

A jump in annual export growth in September to 9.9 percent, roughly twice the rate expected by investors, has led some analysts to conclude that recovery in the external sector is gathering momentum.

The downturn in China's main markets has been the main cause of the rapidly cooling growth in the export-sensitive economy since 2011's 9.2 percent expansion.

Analysts polled by Reuters expect to China's economic growth to slow to 7.7 percent for the full year in 2012 - a 13 year low.

RECOVERY SIGNS TENTATIVE

Tentative signs of recovery in China's vast factory sector though came on Wednesday in the HSBC China Flash Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for October, which showed new orders at their highest in six months and output at a three month peak.

But while the headline PMI index rose to a three month high of 49.1, it was still below the 50-point mark that separates expanding from shrinking business activity.

In the world's second biggest economy where industrial output expanded at a 9.2 percent annual rate in September, it implies that while China's factories are growing, they are doing so more slowly than previously.

The PMI survey also found, however, that stocks of purchases were their strongest since July while stocks of finished goods were at their weakest since March, which implies an upturn in orders will be met by a rise in factory output.

China's annual industrial output growth was 10 percent in the first nine months of 2012, leaving it below the Ministry's 11 percent target for the year.

Premier Wen Jiabao said earlier this month that the economy is showing positive changes and the government is confident it can achieve its full-year economic growth target of 7.5 percent.

Beijing has been following a program of pro-growth fine tuning of economic policies for a year and analysts broadly expect that to remain in place when a new leadership line-up of the ruling Communist Party is unveiled at a Congress next month.

The fine tuning includes two interest rate cuts, three reductions in the portion of deposits banks must keep as reserves (RRR) - freeing an estimated 1.2 trillion yuan ($190 billion) for lending.

There were also approvals in September for infrastructure projects worth about $157 billion, although Beijing has not said explicitly where the money to fund them is coming from.

China's overall economic growth accelerated to 2.2 percent quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter from an upwardly revised 2.0 percent rate in the second quarter, data showed last week, further reinforcing views of some analysts that a recovery is beginning to take hold.

(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/china-says-industry-recovery-trend-not-yet-stable-022540721--business.html

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Families Supporting Adoption: Foster Care and Social Networking

We have a new guest contributor! Meet?Dr. John DeGarmo:

Dr. DeGarmo has been a foster parent for 11 years, now, and he and his wife have had over 30 children come through their home.??Dr. DeGarmo wrote his dissertation on fostering, entitled Responding to the Needs of Foster Children in Rural Schools.??He is a speaker and trainer on many topics about the foster care system, and travels around the nation delivering passionate, dynamic, energetic, and informative presentations.??Dr. DeGarmo is the author of the highly inspirational and bestselling book?Fostering Love: One Foster Parent?s Story.??He also writes for a number of publications and newsletters, both here in the United States, and overseas.?

We are so fortunate that Dr. DeGarmo will be contributing his wealth of knowledge and experience on foster care topics here at the FSA blog.

Fostering Hope: A Foster Care Column

As a foster and adoptive parent myself, I recognize the importance of technology in the lives of children. Indeed, technology is everywhere, and for our children today, it is a large part of their lives. Yet, social network sites, such as Facebook, have opened up a whole new world for those involved in the foster care system. Foster children, foster parents, birth parents, and social workers have all felt the impact of this powerful technological communication tool. Social Networking allows foster children to stay connected to friends and family members from all over. For these children in need, it can very much be a benefit as they stay in touch with birth parents and biological family members.

These sites open up a new way to communicate with birth parents and other biological family members. Facebook and other networking sites allow foster children and birth parents to remain in day to day contact, as it allows the foster child the opportunity to continue in a relationship that is important to him. This may help in allowing him to heal from the separation from his family.?

Social networking does present problems to foster children, though. Some caseworkers may prefer that contact with birth parents be limited. Yet, with social networking, this can be most difficult, and almost impossible, for foster parents to monitor. More and more birth parents are contacting their foster children through social networking sites, many times against the wishes of both foster parents and caseworkers. Birth parents are able to openly communicate with their child unsupervised, which can lead to false accusations as well as false promises from the birth parents. Indeed, social networking is a whole new world for all involved in foster care; a world that can be both wonderful and dangerous at the same time. ?There is the chat component of Facebook,? one caseworker noted, ?where a child and their parent could essentially have a conversation that no one would be able to monitor unless they were sitting right next to the child, which is a grave concern.? Case managers would have to be familiar with the birth parent's Facebook page before the foster child was to even access it. Along with this, there are many reports of foster parents being bullied and stalked by the birth parents through social networking. Another caseworker suggested that, ?I am personally aware of inappropriate things that parents post on their Facebook pages that would not be appropriate for their children to view. Not only might there be inappropriate information and comments on there, there also might be inappropriate photos and other harmful content that the children do not need to be exposed to, not just from the birth parents, but from the internet, in general.? Indeed, social networking is a whole new world for all involved in foster care; a world that can be both wonderful and dangerous at the same time. Much more information and research is needed before the social network explosion engulfs foster care.

Next month, we shall look at some strategies to aid our foster children in this new world of technology.

Dr. DeGarmo can be contacted by email, through his Facebook page, ?or at his website.

Source: http://familiessupportingadoption.blogspot.com/2012/10/foster-care-and-social-networking.html

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Novartis does not expect further sales bans of flu vaccines

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iPad mini: Five reasons to buy one - News - Know Your Cell

Pre-orders for the iPad mini start this Friday, Oct. 26. Here are five benefits to buying one.?

1. Cost

While it sports a higher tag than its Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD rivals, it's still cheaper than Apple's full-sized tablets. Here's a quick price breakdown of the mini's six different configurations:

• iPad mini, Wi-Fi only, 16 gigabytes of storage, $329
• iPad mini, Wi-Fi only, 32 GB, $429?
• iPad mini, Wi-Fi only, 64 GB, $529
• iPad mini, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 16 GB, $459
• iPad mini, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 32 GB, $559
• iPad mini, Wi-Fi + Cellular, 64 GB, $659

2. Size?

It's portable, but at 7.9-inches it is still larger than its rivals.?The extra real estate is a plus on several counts, and the additional screen space doesn't exactly make for a bulky product. iPad mini still weighs significantly less than competing 7-inch tablets, and it's practically paper thin. As a bonus, the smaller size makes it girlfriend- and kid-friendly, so you can finally get your full-size iPad back.?

3. Lightning?

If you already own an iPhone 5, you'll be thrilled to know that iPad mini is equipped with the new port as well. Apple's fourth-generation full-size iPad will sport the Lightning port too, and will also come with a faster A6X chip. That said, if you're a first-time tablet buyer and you're already sold on Apple, you'll want to stick with one of these newer versions to ensure that your device is compatible with the latest accessories.?

4. iOS

If you're debating between the mini and an Android-based tablet, this is your take-it-or-leave-it factor. While our staff splits its time pretty evenly between these two operating systems, iOS always ends up with the most love. Why? Because it's consistent, efficient and generally more secure. Developers typically favor it, which means you get a better selection of apps and games (currently the iTunes Store offers roughly 700,000 combined for iPhone and iPad).?

5. Gifting?

If your loved ones have a tablet marked at the top of their holiday lists, iPad mini is your safest bet. While you'll be spending slightly more than you would on an Android-based tablet of similar size, you'll get some serious props for choosing the more popular brand. And you're still getting off cheaper than you would with Apple's full-size iPad. ? ?

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Source: http://www.knowyourcell.com/news/1648746/ipad_mini_five_reasons_to_buy_one.html

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Job Interviews: What Kind of Impression Does Your Company Make?

Interviewees put a lot of effort into getting ready for their job interviews ? up to and including asking the internet for advice about their outfits. You look great, honey!

A friend got a callback for a job he applied for nine months ago with a tech start-up. He?s now happily employed elsewhere, but I encouraged him to take the phone interview anyway. After all, job interviews are a great way to get a sense for how your skills measure up in the marketplace. What transpired gave him such a shockingly bad first impression that I just had to share it.

Even in a down economy with high unemployment, all prospective employees should be treated well. Think about it: They are individuals in your field who have a high level of interest in your company. They cared enough about your company to consider working for you ? and they were a close enough fit that you invited them in for a one-on-one meeting. That makes them prime stakeholders. During the interview you have a chance to turn them into champions or detractors ? whether or not they end up being successful candidates for your open position.

Beyond your reputation in your industry, it?s also important to remember that employee engagement starts with the interview. Prospective employees will be judging your employee engagement by those crucial first interactions. What kind of message are you sending?

Back to our candidate for worst first impression of the year. This is no two-bit start-up we?re talking about. They?ve received lots of national press for their disruptive idea, the founders are famous former Google employees, and they are well-funded. We don?t expect start-ups to be fully buttoned-up ? their disorder is part of their appeal ? but we do expect a bit of care in the hiring process since first impressions are so important. One would think that these are pretty obvious interview best practices. But apparently not at every company. Does your staff miss any of these when they meet prospective hires for the first time?

Be on time

As job interviewees we expect to be judged by every facet of the first impression: what we wear, how we sound, and whether we?re prompt or not. The same standard applies to your interviewer. In this case, our interviewer was 15 minutes late for a 10-15 minute phone chat.

Sell us a little!

All interviews include a high level overview of both the company and the job, right? Any interviewer worth their salt should share at least the basics of the position ? and try to make them sound appealing. In this case, the length of the contract was unclear, because ?we?re really not sure what the end goal is.? Fair enough ? that?s a common enough situation in start-up mode, but there should be something exciting and interesting to go along with the uncertainty if you are hoping to attract top talent. How else is a potential staff member going to feel excited about working for you? Don?t forget that your prospective employees are hiring you, too.

Be prepared to share it some information about the position

When questioned about the job duties (information as general as you?d find on a typical job description, like the type of degree required for the position), the interviewer claimed that she couldn?t get into details because the interviewee was not under NDA, which is kind of a conversation killer.

First of all, NDAs are practically unenforceable. Suggesting that a prospective hire sign one in order to get the most general information about what a job might entail is pretty amateur.

Second, to suggest an NDA so early in the process hints of a working environment that is cagey and full of secrets. Who wants to work somewhere where even basic information is under lock and key? The best thing about working in a start-up is how small it is: how quickly things happen, how much leeway each individual has for decision making, and how open and transparent leadership is with the staff. Asking for an NDA too early sends the message that your company is not an easy, open place to work.

Unsurprisingly, my friend did not continue on for another interview. And a start-up lost the chance to make a good impression on a key stakeholder.

Have you ever had a job interview that made you want to run? Share your story in the comments!

[Image credit: brixton, Flickr]

Scroll down to see comments.

Source: http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/10/job-interviews-employee-engagement/

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Island Nursing Home Receives Maine Quality Award ? Health ...

At a ceremony held at the Augusta Civic Center on September 13, the Island Nursing Home was honored by the Maine Health Care Association as a recipient of a Quality Award given for performance excellence by providers of long-term care services. The nursing home?s Administrator, Marc Plourde, and other front line staff traveled to Augusta to receive the honor.

Reporting to the Island Nursing Home board of directors at its annual meeting on October 16, Plourde said, ?We can all be proud of the staff working at Island Nursing Home. This is an outstanding testimony to all of our employees.?

The Maine Health Care Association?s Quality Award is the latest honor bestowed on the Island Nursing Home, a non-profit organization that provides nursing care, residential care and adult day care for the island and Blue Hill Peninsula. For the past five years, INH has received a five-star rating from the Offices of Medicare and Medicaid, the highest quality rating that can be given to a long term care facility, and has been given to only a handful of other facilities in the state of Maine.

?Receiving the Quality Award is truly an honor, but I know that it reflects the quality of care that has been provided by our loyal and hardworking staff throughout our almost thirty-year history,? said Pam Siewers, outgoing board president.

At the board?s annual meeting, Siewers was honored by fellow directors for her service as board president for six years. Special recognition was also extended to long-time board member Claudette Kydd who after nine years of board service is stepping down.

New board president Deborah DeWitt expressed gratitude to both women, saying, ?Claudette and Pam exemplify the dedication of our directors and many wonderful volunteers.?

DeWitt also welcomed two new additions to the board, Kathleen Osborn and Deborah Cummins, both of Deer Isle.

Source: http://bangordailynews.com/community/island-nursing-home-receives-maine-quality-award/

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List Building and Free Traffic Webinar! ? World Internet Summit ...

On this webinar you will learn how to drive FREE traffic so you can start building a List and
Making money online today.

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If that isn?t enough to get you to come to this exclusive webinar, then this will! I?m going to show
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Prison, $7 billion fine for French rogue trader

FILE - In this June, 4 2012 file photo, French trader Jerome Kerviel arrives at the Paris courthouse. The Paris appeals court on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, ordered Kerviel, a former Societe Generale trader, to spend three years in prison and pay back a staggering ?4.9 billion (about $7 billion) in damages for one of the biggest trading frauds in history. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)

FILE - In this June, 4 2012 file photo, French trader Jerome Kerviel arrives at the Paris courthouse. The Paris appeals court on Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012, ordered Kerviel, a former Societe Generale trader, to spend three years in prison and pay back a staggering ?4.9 billion (about $7 billion) in damages for one of the biggest trading frauds in history. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)

Former trader Jerome Kerviel arrives at court, in Paris, Wednesday Oct. 24, 2012. The Paris appeals court on Wednesday ordered former Societe Generale trader Jerome Kerviel to spend three years in prison and pay back a staggering euro 4.9 billion (about $7 billion) in damages for one of the biggest trading frauds in history. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

PARIS (AP) ? A former junior trader for France's second-largest bank who was ordered Wednesday to pay back a staggering ?4.9 billion (about $7 billion) in damages to his ex-employer is painting himself as the victim of a financial system that runs on greed.

Only the Bill Gates or the Warren Buffetts of the world could come up with the breathtaking sum an appeals court demanded Jerome Kerviel reimburse to Societe Generale as punishment for committing one of the biggest trade frauds in history. Kerviel says he will fight back with a new appeal to France's highest court.

The court upheld in full the initial 2010 guilty verdict and sentence, which includes a three-year prison term, against the 35-year-old rogue trader.

He sees himself not as a fraudster but as a victim of a system that turned a blind eye to his colossal positions in late 2007 and early 2008 as long as they made money for the bank.

Hours after the verdict, Kerviel announced his plan to appeal, which he has until Monday to file.

"I will continue to fight," he told RTL radio. "I think the judgment is protecting Societe Generale."

Kerviel called on people in banking, notably Societe Generale employees, who have information to come forward and serve as witnesses. "I'm looking for the truth to be told."

Kerviel, who never profited personally from his unauthorized trades, said he had thought the court might acquit him.

"I absolutely didn't expect this ruling," he said in his first comments after slipping out the side door of the courtroom. "What happened today is a call for me to put a bullet in my head," he said. He added, when asked, that he does "absolutely not" envision suicide.

The lawyer for Societe Generale, Jean Veil, called the verdict "a great satisfaction," particularly the court's demand the former trader reimburse the ?4.9 billion ($7 billion at the time) that it cost the bank to unwind his astronomical positions.

Still, Veil acknowledged that full repayment would, in all likelihood, be out of the question.

Banned for life from working in the financial industry, Kerviel was making ?2,300 ($3,150 at the time) as a computer consultant after leaving the bank. Societe Generale had paid him less than ?100,000 ($155,700) with bonuses, a modest sum for what he earned for the bank in 2007 when he amassed ?1.4 billion in profits for the bank.

"Societe Generale will look at it realistically," Veil told reporters. However, he indicated the bank could take over royalty earnings from a book Kerviel published this year about the scandal as well as any income he might earn from movie deals.

"It would have been indecent for Mr. Kerviel to be able to preserve revenues coming from the exploitation of his fraud," Veil said.

The appeals court upheld the October 2010 conviction of Kerviel for forgery, breach of trust and unauthorized computer use for covering up bets worth nearly ?50 billion ? more than the market value of the entire bank. It sentenced him to a five-year prison term ? with two years suspended ? ordered he pay ?4.9 billion in damages.

A new appeal to the Court of Cassation would suspend carrying out the sentence.

Kerviel's lawyer, David Koubbi, called the verdict "absolutely lamentable."

The argument turns broadly on who is the victim in the case.

The Societe Generale lawyer pointedly referred to the bank as "the victim." But for many others, the real victim was the trader, who maintains he was a cog in a financial system that runs on greed and profits.

A colleague from Societe Generale who testified on Kerviel's behalf said the court didn't take into account others at the bank who surely knew about Kerviel's risky bets.

A junior futures trader such as Kerviel "could in no case do what he did without being seen" by his superiors, Philippe Hoube said after the verdict. "If justice had played its role, they wouldn't have sentenced him so heavily," he said.

An internal report by the bank has said managers failed to follow up on 74 different alarms about Kerviel's activities.

By the time his trades were discovered in early 2008, when banks were sliding into a global crisis, had amassed losses of almost ?5 billion on those bets in one of the biggest trade frauds in history.

The sentence ? a five-year prison term, with two years suspended, plus the payback of all the losses he incurred ? shocked many in the French public. After a global financial crisis that many blamed on big banks, many still believe Kerviel's claim that he was a victim of an unjust system.

"I'm someone who believed in French justice. But one day I understood that there is justice for the powerful and another for ordinary citizens," said Jean Debrex, a retiree who attended Wednesday's audience.

A few of the bank's executives resigned in the scandal's aftermath, including longtime Chairman Daniel Bouton. Kerviel's superiors were questioned in the probe, but none of them faced charges.

The bank says Kerviel made bets on futures contracts on three European equity indices. It said at the time that his net position appeared unremarkable because he balanced his real trades with fictitious transactions.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-24-France-Trader/id-be34ed6d323440dfa0bb29179b2003cf

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Is Your Drink Spiked? - Addiction Search

Learn from others and never let your beverage out of your sight. A close relative of mine has been a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for many years now and has had the opportunity numerous times to sponsor and help many people during their recovery. He seemed down when I talked to him not long ago and I asked him what was wrong.

He said one of the members he has been sponsoring for more than four years was only one month away from maintaining 5 years of sobriety. I immediately thought how sad, five years of abstinence is a long time and unfortunately this person must have relapsed.

I was shocked and deeply saddened when he continued with the conversation. While attending a family function one of the guests thought it would be funny to spike the person's soda that was left unattended. Without knowing their beverage had been tampered with, this person took a drink and was completely horrified when they realized what had just happened. Thinking they accidentally picked up the wrong drink, I can only imagine how upset they were with them self because AA members know how easily this can happen.

Unbelievably the person who had tampered with the soda immediately admitted to what he had done because he thought it would be funny, not realizing how serious and crushing this was going to be to the recovering alcoholic. Even though this person didn't intentionally drink alcohol, this compromised their abstinence and because they were so devastated, this led to another drink. This person didn't give up though, this amazing person returned to their AA meetings highly determined to move on.

I'm sure similar situations have happened to others recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. People who have never had a problem with drugs or alcohol don't understand addiction and definitely don't realize what abstinence means to a recovering alcoholic or drug addict. They also don't realize what it takes on a daily basis to remain clean and sober for most people either.

Staying clean and sober for any length of time isn't always easy and whether your path of recovery is Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, another program of recovery or you did it on your own, a year of sobriety is a tremendous achievement. A year of continuous sobriety in 12 Step recovery programs is a huge accomplishment. This is considered a sobriety anniversary or sobriety birthday and a token of some kind, is often given as a symbol of the individuals tremendous success.

WE ALL HAVE TO BE CAREFUL!!!!

In the world we live in today it doesn't matter if you're recovering from substance abuse and addiction or not, we all have to be careful and never leave our beverage out of our sight if we're out. Alcohol isn't the only substance used to spike a person's drink and the intent isn't just because someone is trying to get a reaction out of the victim because they think, 'its 'funny'. Many people have had their drinks spiked with prescription drugs and illegal street drugs with the intent of sexual assault or robbery.

Avoid Being A Victim

1. This doesn't just happen to women, men have also been victims.
2. This happens to people of all ages so don't just assume appearance or age has anything to do with being a victim.
3. This can happen on a blind date or with someone you don't know very well, it doesn't just take place at bars, nightclubs or parties.
4. No matter what kind of drink you have, never let it out of your sight. People have had their drinks spiked when using the restroom or while dancing.
5. Watch how much alcohol you consume, a victim is less likely to be careful after they have had a few drinks.
6. Just because a stranger is charming, well groomed and good looking doesn't mean they're not capable of spiking a person's drink with the intentions of drug assisted sexual assault.
7. Never accept drinks from strangers.
8. Never swap or share drinks with someone you don't know or completely trust.
9. Buy your own drinks.
10. Watch your drink being prepared by the bartender.
11. Avoid going out to bars, clubs or even parties alone.

Most of the time the drug used to spike a person's drink is impossible to detect because there's no change in taste, smell or appearance. Depending on a person's weight, their body shape, age, the substance that was used to spike a drink, how much was used and the level of alcohol a person may have already consumed makes a difference in the symptoms that can be experienced.

Symptoms Associated With Spiked Drinks

1. Feeling oddly dizzy, drowsy, light-headed, faint, nauseous, or vomiting
2. Feeling tipsy or drunk when you've not had any alcohol or only had a small amount to drink
3. Feeling hung over when you had little or no alcohol to drink
4. Loss of inhibitions
5. Speech becomes slurred
6. Vision problems
7. Feeling disorientated (confused)
8. Passing out
9. Memory loss
10. Seizures

Stay Safe: This doesn't mean that we have to become paranoid and stop going out and enjoying ourselves, it means we have to be careful, cautious and aware. Remember this happens to people in all age groups and we have to make sure our adolescents and teens are just as informed, careful and aware.

Source: http://www.addictionsearch.com/treatment_articles/article/is-your-drink-spiked_206.html

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There has been an error of some kind. Ack!

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/googlemoneyscam

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Car Insurance Basics ? DD 54

Auto Insurance Tulsa Each year, more cars and drivers travel the highways. With countless vehicles on the road, crashes will happen. The difference between a small aggravation and major pain can be automobile insurance. But why do you need insurance and just how much should you buy? Auto insurance protects you by covering the cost of damage caused to your vehicle or another person?s vehicle and injury to others, yourself, or your passengers, plus certain other occurrences, such as theft. Auto insurance is required by law in all states and provinces. Without insurance, you risk having to pay the full price of any harm you cause others or of repairing or replacing your car if it is damaged or stolen.It pays for damages due to bodily injury and property damage to others for which you are responsible. Bodily injury damages include medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering. Property damage includes damaged property and loss of use of property. It also covers your defense and court costs if you are sued. State laws usually mandate minimum amounts, but higher amounts are available and usually recommended. Personal injury protection: This is required in some states and is optional in others. It pays you or your passengers for medical treatment resulting from a crash, regardless of who may have been at fault, and is often called no-fault coverage. It may also pay for lost earnings, replacement of services and funeral expenses. State law usually sets minimum amounts. Medical payments: This type of coverage is available in non-no-fault states and will pay no matter who is responsible for the accident. It pays for an insured person?s reasonable and necessary medical and funeral expenses for bodily injury from an accident. Collision: Pays for damage to your car caused by an accident. Comprehensive: This applies if your car is stolen or damaged by causes other than collision, including fire, wind, hail, flood or vandalism. Uninsured motorist: Pays for damages when an insured person is injured in a crash caused by another person who does not have liability insurance or by a person who cannot be identified (usually a hit-and-run driver). Under-insured motorist: Pays for damages when an insured person is injured in a crash caused by another person who does not have enough liability insurance to cover the full amount of the damages. Other coverage, such as emergency road service and car rental, is also available. Insure your Vehicle

Source: http://dd54.net/car-insurance-basics/

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Goldman says "never seriously" looked at selling commodities business

(Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc said on Tuesday the bank's senior management had never "seriously" looked at spinning off all or part of its commodities business, as the bank faces tougher regulations that restrict its trading.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Goldman had held "preliminary internal discussions" in recent years about splitting off its commodities business. The newspaper cited people briefed on the discussions in its report.

"While we constantly evaluate all our businesses, senior management never seriously looked at spinning out all or part of our commodity business," Goldman Sachs spokeswoman Sophie Bullock said in an email.

The news comes as Morgan Stanley , Goldman's traditional rival in commodity markets on Wall Street, is weighing a possible sale of a majority stake in its commodities business to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund.

Wall Street banks, including Goldman, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan , face tougher regulatory restrictions on proprietary trading under the Volcker rule contained in the Dodd-Frank Act.

Their ownership of physical commodity assets, like power plants, oil storage tanks and metals warehouses, are also in jeopardy after Goldman and Morgan Stanley converted to Bank Holding Companies at the peak of the financial crisis.

The Bank Holding Company Act allows banks to trade in physical commodity markets, but restricts their ownership of the underlying assets.

The Volcker rule limits banks to largely trading on behalf of their clients.

(Reporting by David Sheppard; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/goldman-says-never-seriously-looked-selling-commodities-biz-154154065--sector.html

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Boo! Haunted House to benefit First Parish Congregational Church

From Kana Sundblad, Youth Coordinator at First Parish:

"First Parish Gorham's Youth Group produces their 6th annual Haunted House fundraiser on Friday & Saturday, October 26th and 27th at 7pm at 1 Church Street in Gorham, ME. This fundraiser helps fund the Gorham based youth group's ongoing volunteer efforts both at home and away.

This event now in its sixth year has become an annual icon of Halloween activities for the Gorham and surrounding communities. Each year this team of young adults has been frightening both young and old, making this one of the most haunting experiences Southern Maine has to offer. Take a tour of this over 200 year old historic landmark while it is converted to an asylum of dark terrors and frightening scenes of horror. While this event is run primarily by teens, it is not for the faint of heart. The tour is not recommended for anyone under the age of five and all children under 10 require adult supervision. We guarantee you will leave afraid. So bring your friends...you won't want to go alone." ? FMI, contact Kana Sundblad, 839.6751

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Source: http://west.wcsh6.com/news/events/159455-boo-haunted-house-benefit-first-parish-congregational-church

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Israel's PM: No limits on Jerusalem construction

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing to continue building in east Jerusalem, over the objection of Palestinians who claim the territory as capital of their hoped-for state.

Netanyahu spoke Sunday after the European Union's foreign policy chief criticized plans to build 800 new apartments and a military college on contested land.

He told his Cabinet on Sunday, "We are not imposing any restrictions on construction in Jerusalem. It is our capital."

The fate of Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians refuse to negotiate while Israel continues to build settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Mideast war.

Netanyahu has rejected the notion of partitioning the city.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-21-Israel-Palestinians/id-b97fdba9366c4b468b18d2211512a917

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More GI bleeding seen in atrial fibrillation patients on rivaroxaban than warfarin

Public release date: 22-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
jstawarz@chestnet.org
847-498-8306
American College of Chest Physicians

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experienced more major and non-major clinically relevant GI bleeding when taking rivaroxaban than patients taking warfarin. As part of the ROCKET AF trial, researchers from multiple institutions, including Harvard Medical School; Mount Sinai Medical Center; Janssen Research & Development; and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, randomized 14,264 patients with nonvalvular AF to receive either rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Post-hoc analysis was performed on all patients while receiving study medication until 2 days after the last dose. Results showed that GI bleeding events (upper, lower, rectal) occurred more frequently in patients receiving rivaroxaban (n=394) than warfarin (n=290). In addition, major and nonmajor, clinically relevant bleeding occurred more frequently with rivaroxaban use than warfarin use. However, there were fewer fatal GI bleeds with rivaroxaban and the absolute fatality rate was very low. This study was presented during CHEST 2012, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, held October 20 25, in Atlanta, Georgia.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 22-Oct-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
jstawarz@chestnet.org
847-498-8306
American College of Chest Physicians

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) experienced more major and non-major clinically relevant GI bleeding when taking rivaroxaban than patients taking warfarin. As part of the ROCKET AF trial, researchers from multiple institutions, including Harvard Medical School; Mount Sinai Medical Center; Janssen Research & Development; and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, randomized 14,264 patients with nonvalvular AF to receive either rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Post-hoc analysis was performed on all patients while receiving study medication until 2 days after the last dose. Results showed that GI bleeding events (upper, lower, rectal) occurred more frequently in patients receiving rivaroxaban (n=394) than warfarin (n=290). In addition, major and nonmajor, clinically relevant bleeding occurred more frequently with rivaroxaban use than warfarin use. However, there were fewer fatal GI bleeds with rivaroxaban and the absolute fatality rate was very low. This study was presented during CHEST 2012, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, held October 20 25, in Atlanta, Georgia.

###

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-10/acoc-mgb101812.php

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San Diego media baron promotes conservative causes

In this photo taken Oct. 10, 2012, John Lynch, CEO of the U-T San Diego newspaper, poses for a picture outside his office in San Diego. Lynch and his partner Douglas Manchester gave their 143-year-old newspaper a new slogan ? "The World's Greatest Country & America's Finest City" ? ran a front-page editorial that declared their plan to reshape the city's downtown waterfront their highest priority, and forecast doom if President Barack Obama wins re-election. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this photo taken Oct. 10, 2012, John Lynch, CEO of the U-T San Diego newspaper, poses for a picture outside his office in San Diego. Lynch and his partner Douglas Manchester gave their 143-year-old newspaper a new slogan ? "The World's Greatest Country & America's Finest City" ? ran a front-page editorial that declared their plan to reshape the city's downtown waterfront their highest priority, and forecast doom if President Barack Obama wins re-election. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this photo taken Oct. 10, 2012, John Lynch, CEO of the U-T San Diego newspaper, reads mail in his office in San Diego. Lynch and his partner Douglas Manchester gave their 143-year-old newspaper a new slogan ? "The World's Greatest Country & America's Finest City" ? ran a front-page editorial that declared their plan to reshape the city's downtown waterfront their highest priority, and forecast doom if President Barack Obama wins re-election. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

In this photo taken Oct. 10, 2012, a man runs on a path in front of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal in San Diego. The new media barons of San Diego, America's eighth-largest city, are upfront about wanting to use their newspaper to promote their agenda of downtown development and politically conservative causes ? and they are making their points in a brash, bare-knuckle style. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SAN DIEGO (AP) ? The new media barons of America's eighth-largest city are upfront about wanting to use their newspaper to promote their agenda of downtown development and politically conservative causes ? and they are making their points in a brash, bare-knuckle style.

Douglas Manchester and his partner John Lynch gave their 143-year-old newspaper a new slogan ? "The World's Greatest Country & America's Finest City" ? ran a front-page editorial that declared their plan to reshape the city's downtown waterfront their highest priority, and forecast doom if President Barack Obama wins re-election.

Manchester, who became wealthy building hotels during the dawn of San Diego's downtown renaissance and insists on being called "Papa Doug," bought The San Diego Union-Tribune last year and its most serious competitor, the North County Times, this month. As he and Lynch eye expansion to Los Angeles and other major cities, they are frank about seeking to use their new platforms to advance their agenda ? and they think they can make a profit while they're at it.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Lynch said the new owners bought the newspaper in part to promote their views in editorials. He called those views pro-family, pro-military and pro-America, and said "anybody who isn't shouldn't be living here."

"We think our country is on the edge of real, real danger, and you have to stand up, and that was a huge part of why we bought this," said Lynch, vice chairman and chief executive officer of U-T San Diego, the newspaper's new name.

The editorial page named Obama the worst U.S. president and predicted a second term will result in "Arab terror states" attacking Israel, "death panels" rationing health care, income tax rates between 60 and 70 percent for many Californians and an attempt to get taxpayers to pay for late-term abortions. It warned of an effort to erase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.

Manchester, 70, is likened to a smaller market version of Rupert Murdoch and earlier moguls like William Randolph Hearst and Robert McCormick who used newspapers to wield influence. The unusually strong editorial tone stands out in an era when many newspapers are owned by corporations.

"Hard to believe UT could go further to the right and for the developers but now it is owned by the developers!" Ron Belanger, a 70-year-old retired Navy aviator, wrote on a Facebook page for critics of the new owners called "Bring the L.A. Times back to San Diego."

"It's a strong voice for a minority viewpoint in the media," countered Josef Horowitz, a 67-year-old retired college administrator who renewed his subscription in March, having canceled it under previous owners because he felt the editorials were mealy-mouthed and too liberal.

Lynch said editor Jeff Light has complete control of news coverage and that neither he nor Manchester, as chairman and publisher, meddle.

"Aside from the activist stance of the owners, I am someone who is scrupulously concerned with fairness," Light said.

Lynch, a former radio station owner with a linebacker's build at age 65, speaks bluntly. He recently wrote to Scott Peters, a Port of San Diego commissioner and Democratic nominee for Congress, demanding to know his position on a shipping contract to unload bananas that could complicate the publisher's plans for the downtown waterfront redevelopment. He wanted an exit clause.

"Otherwise this will become a major issue in the campaigns and the UT will be forced to lead a campaign to disband the PORT," he wrote.

The email correspondence, dated in early August and released after a public records request by KPBS/I-Newsource, came as Peters wages a bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, a Republican endorsed by the newspaper.

In May, Lynch lashed out when the city warned of a fine for hanging a promotional banner outside its offices. He agreed to take it down while seeking approval for a large video screen atop the five-story building.

"If it weren't for the digital sign pending approval, I would instruct our folks to run a piece on how this is so reflective of this city being anti-business," Lynch wrote a city councilman's aide, according to an email published by the San Diego Reader.

Lynch said his missive about the sign was intended as a joke and questions why other news organizations haven't taken a harder look at the port.

Dean Nelson, director of Point Loma Nazarene University's journalism program, said he hasn't seen blatant examples of editorial views seeping into news coverage and is skeptical how much newspaper editorials shape public policy. The question that will be watched most closely in the beleaguered U.S. newspaper industry, he said, is whether the business succeeds.

Tim McGuire, a journalism professor at Arizona State University, said San Diego is at the forefront of what he predicts will be a major trend of wealthy people buying newspapers to push for their agendas.

"People are going to buy and treat newspapers like sports teams," he said. "It's a toy, it's fun to have, and it gives you great power."

Manchester embraced the "Papa Doug" moniker after a Little League coach used it to distinguish him from a son, also named Doug. "Papa Doug" sold interests in two giant downtown hotels but still has major holdings in San Diego and is pursuing prospects, including a $1.3 billion hotel and office complex on the downtown waterfront.

Lynch said Manchester was unavailable for an interview. The pair are old friends and allies since they led a failed campaign to move San Diego's airport out of downtown in the 1990s.

Manchester spent $550,000 on his 65th birthday bash, as well as traveled extensively around the world and stayed at luxury hotels, according to court documents from his 2010 legal separation from his wife of 43 years. Elizabeth Manchester claimed he had $57 million in the bank.

His $125,000 donation to support a 2008 ballot initiative to ban gay marriage in California drew protests ? a decision Lynch says his partner regrets.

"If you're a Catholic, marriage is between a man and a woman," Lynch said. "He had no idea there would be these kind of ramifications."

Manchester invested in San Diego-area resident Dinesh D'Souza's hit documentary, "2016: Obama's America," which portrays a gloomy future if the president is re-elected, according to Lynch.

Manchester bought the U-T from private equity firm Platinum Equity LLC for $110 million and picked up the North County Times from Lee Enterprises Inc. for $12 million. Last week, the Times' print edition was folded into the U-T.

The U-T has spent $5 million on a television venture with a studio in the middle of the newsroom and 12 hours of daily cable programming that highlights Lynch's radio background. The Sunday edition features more in-depth reports and military coverage.

Lynch said the privately held U-T is "significantly profitable" but declined to be specific about revenue or earnings. One test comes when the Audit Bureau of Circulations releases semiannual paid circulation figures Oct. 30.

Amid a brutal decline in the newspaper business, Manchester and Lynch hope to extend their San Diego empire to other major U.S. cities, eyeing adjacent markets like Los Angeles.

"We're trying to do what we can to change the direction of this country," Lynch said.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-10-21-San%20Diego%20Publisher/id-85473ab551b747129ea2fd3fe2dc520a

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Workout warrior Chris Wong fighting cancer with help of new drug

Chris Wong is a workout warrior.

So when he developed pain in his lower back and left leg early in 2009 he assumed he?d pulled a muscle or pinched a nerve. But the pain kept getting worse.

?I was moaning with pain in the evenings and had great difficulty just getting around,? Wong, now 46, wrote in an account of his battle with what turned out to be anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a very aggressive form of cancer. He got that diagnosis after he finally went to the Baptist Medical Center emergency room on Memorial Day 2009.

By then, the cancer, which had progressed over the course of three months to stage-4, had begun to eat into his skeletal structure. His left femur had deteriorated so severely that he had to undergo surgery to have a titanium rod inserted into the bone.

While Wong was recovering from the surgery, he was visited by oncologist Augusto Villegas who told Wong his cancer was treatable but had a high degree of recurrence.

?It was crushing news,? Wong wrote.

In the next two years, Villegas would treat Wong with two rounds of chemotherapy. The first round of chemotherapy put the cancer in remission in October 2009. Wong then underwent a transplant of some of his own stem cells, which had been harvested and stored, at Shands at the University of Florida.

But in February 2011, following the surgical removal of bumps on his head that Wong had initially thought was acne, a biopsy revealed the lymphoma had returned.

?To have the cancer on my skin caught me completely by surprise,? Wong wrote. ?I was pretty shook-up by this devastating news, but received comfort from my family and friends.?

That was treated with radiation. But after Wong continued to lose weight and suffer chest pain, Villegas ordered a bone scan in early June.

The scan found that the cancer had begun to eat into Wong?s rib and pelvis bones. Starting in mid-June, he checked into Baptist Medical Center every four weeks for five days of inpatient chemotherapy treatments.

A PET scan in late July seemed to indicate the cancer was again in remission.

But Villegas was concerned that the lymphoma might return again. ?Typically, it?s harder to cure non-Hodgkins lymphoma after relapse,? he said. ?Chris is a young guy, healthy as a horse. We needed to do something.?

That something, Villegas thought, might be a new drug just approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Adcetris, unlike most other forms of chemotherapy, targets only the cancer cells while leaving the healthy cells unharmed, Villegas said.

Villegas, who practices with Cancer Specialists of North Florida, called Adcetris ?a smarter way to treat cancer? and said it was designed specifically to be used on patients with anaplastic lymphoma after they have relapsed.

?This drug has a very, very specific niche,? he said.

?I was so relieved to have an alternate treatment approach,? Wong wrote. ?This was much better than dosing my whole body with chemo treatments for 4-5 days.?

In early October of last year, Wong began going to Villegas?s office every three or four weeks for an infusion of Adcetris. Last Nov. 19, a PET-CT scan showed him cancer free.

Then in December, he went to Shands at the University of Florida where he received a stem cell transplant from a donor.

He was allowed to resume his work as an IT coordinator for a health care company in May, working from home. Then in July, he was allowed to return to his office. On his last scan, in August, Wong remained cancer-free.

?I?m enjoying life,? the father of four said during an interview. ?It?s a lot to go through. But it gives you a better appreciation of life.?

And he?s still a workout warrior.

Charlie Patton: (904) 359-4413

Source: http://jacksonville.com/news/health-and-fitness/2012-10-20/story/workout-warrior-chris-wong-fighting-cancer-help-new-drug

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Pregnant NYC woman found slain day before wedding

NEW YORK (AP) ? A woman who was eight months pregnant was found stabbed to death Saturday in her apartment, the day before her wedding, police said.

Vindalee Smith, 38, was found in the basement of her apartment in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn with a gaping wound in her neck. It wasn't clear how long she'd been dead before the body was discovered. Her baby boy did not survive.

There was no sign of forced entry, and no weapon was recovered, police said. Investigators are looking for a possible suspect. They interviewed her friends and family and were looking to speak to her bridegroom, though he has not been named as a suspect.

"I can't even begin to imagine who would want to do that," her friend, Sybil Samuel, told local newspapers. "It would be the devil, to kill a woman with a child in her stomach. They killed two people."

Smith had four other children who were staying with relatives ahead of the wedding, friends said. A baby shower had been planned for Saturday evening, followed by a small wedding Sunday.

She worked for a home health care agency and was a devout Seventh-Day Adventist and attended New Dimension Church, where she was supposed to get married. Congregation members were concerned when she didn't show up for morning service.

"She was always on time? always the first person at church," Tyler Harrigan told the Daily News of New York. "When the news came to the church, the whole church broke down. We started to bawl. All the children were crying."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-20-US-Pregnant-Woman-Killed/id-ac9b78c40f984b0e99562517ca932aef

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Criminal Law Paralegal

I already possess a college degree in criminal justice. I prefer the legal aspect versus law enforcement. I am very interested in becoming a paralegal more specifically, in dealing with criminal law. I currently live in the state of Virginia. I know all states vary in certification rules. I would love to eventually find myself in this career in the state of New Jersey, so even if I have to begin in Virginia at least it?s a start. Does anyone have information on this? Any serious input is greatly appreciated. Basically? Hi, I am in NJ, and I just started a paralegal certification program (I already have a BA). I am not yet familiar with the different areas of law, but I may be able to help you a bit. First, there is no certification requirement here. BUT, you really should consider getting a certificate. You can do what I am, which is attending a community college. The BA was required to enroll, and they also have an Associate?s program. There are several people in my class who are already working in law firms and all of them want the cert. To either move up or have more job options. You want an ABA-approved school-really important. The thing you should be aware of is that you have to have experience to become a paralegal, even if you have had the schooling. That is why I am trying to find an entry-level law firm job now. If I do not, I will still have an internship, which will help me get started. Every ad I see wants experience. So, you will have to start out in an entry-level job, unless you can get into a very small firm that is willing to train you. I knew this going in, but I am hopeful it will work out. There are paralegal jobs here, that is for sure. Having a college degree will put us ahead of those who do not, because the employers are starting to ask for that, as well as the cert. You want to be as marketable as possible. I have seen quite a few ads for criminal law firms and all seem to want at least 2 years of experience. If you can find a job now, even if it is filing, that will help you. You may want to try to find a job now and maybe start school in NJ when you get here. I am not sure it will be a big difference, as long as it is an ABA-approved school. My school will take 2 years going pt at night. It is going to cost about 5K. I hoped I helped a bit. GOOD LUCK.

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Author: jrsy1, Copyright ? 2012, Yahoo Answers

Source: http://deckerlawgroup.com/978/

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