Murdoch's KGB-Friendly Series

In August, Rupert Murdoch's FX picked up a Cold War series set in the 1980s titled "The Americans." Liberals might have braced themselves for the worst. It sounded like some kind of Chuck Norris-style "jingoistic" homage to freedom-loving intelligence agents. But this is Hollywood, so the show instead focuses on KGB spies who speak perfect English, working to destroy Reagan-era America, which is not altogether a bad thing to people in Hollywood.
Joe Weisberg, who worked for more than three years at the CIA, first wrote a script about two CIA case officers stationed in Bulgaria. Fox bought that script, too, but that project was deep-sixed. Boring. But exploring the daily joys and sorrows of undercover Soviet agents, that just thrills the Hollywood Left. Some things never change.
FX couldn't create a series based on real history because that would entail real heroes, and real villains, like CIA traitor Aldrich Ames, who was a drunk who took on a feverishly overspending second wife, and for enough pieces of silver, he sold state secrets to our mortal enemy. There's plenty of drama in that real-life story, but instead FX set out to find nice-looking fictional Marxist-Leninists that Americans could learn to love.
TV Guide previewed the new series, which debuts Jan. 30, like this: "It's the early 1980s, the Cold War rages and President Ronald Reagan's sabre-rattling has the Soviet Union really nervous." The show's writer, Joe Weisberg, let his radicalism out: "Most of us in the U.S. thought Reagan was just being bombastic, but the Soviets thought he was crazy and feared he would initiate a nuclear strike ... This series, to a large extent, is told from the perspective of the KGB and the Soviets. We're making them the sympathetic characters. I'd go so far as to say they're the heroes."
"The Americans" isn't about Americans. It's about heroic defenders of expansionist communist tyranny. The "heroes" are those who killed tens of millions. That's morally sick. But at FX, sickness sells.
The main characters, who are given the names Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, were trained since their teenage years to be communist spies and were placed in an arranged marriage and run a travel agency in northern Virginia as a front. Once placed in America, they have children who have no idea of their treasonous double lives. There's tension in this arranged marriage, since TV Guide explained "she's passionately loyal to the motherland, while he's starting to prefer the American way of life."
FX president John Landgraf sounded apolitical about it: "We're proud to welcome 'The Americans,' a taut series that crackles with incredible performances rooted in character perspectives never explored on a U.S. television series." But focus on the phrase "character perspectives never explored" as code for "sympathetic communist spy characters," words they cannot bring themselves to say.
This is not the first FX series to deal with spies, only the first drama. The animated adult comedy "Archer," soon to launch its fourth season, is centered on Sterling Archer, a vaguely 1960s-era American spy with the International Secret Intelligence Service. Naturally, this agent is comically inept. Last season, Archer was assigned to guard a prominent KGB defector, but the high-value asset was killed in an explosion while Archer left the building for a sexual encounter with a co-worker.
FX is a network stuffed with antiheroes. It has thrived on dramas that glorified corrupt cops ("The Shield"), unethical, oversexed plastic surgeons ("Nip/Tuck"), firemen who rape their wives and pressure their teenage daughters to have sex ("Rescue Me"), mutilating and murderous motorcycle gangs ("Sons of Anarchy") and now domineering, perverted nuns ("American Horror Story: Asylum").
They are not alone. NBC has closed a deal for a pilot about Soviet spies in Israel titled "M.I.C.E." The title is an acronym for Money, Ideology, Coercion and Ego, factors in understanding the motives of spies who betray their own countries.
The show is copied from an Israeli series called "The Gordin Cell." In that show, set in the present, a patriotic and decorated Israeli Air Force officer has no idea his parents were Russian spies. Their handler then appears, demanding they recruit their son into betraying Israel. The officer is left to choose between his family and his country.
Producer Peter Berg (who made "Friday Night Lights" for NBC) said the original plot "lends itself very easily to an American reinvention" as a drama set in the United States. "There are still real issues between the U.S. and Russia — they're spying on us, we're spying on them."
Somehow the Left can never acknowledge the horrors that the Soviet Union visited upon its own people and the people in its puppet states. No network would ever consider a drama about sympathetic Nazi spies undermining America during World War II. Nazi genocide is inhuman. Communist genocide is not.

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The Truth About Bin Laden

At the very beginning of Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty," the audience is told that the movie they are about to see is "based on firsthand accounts of actual events." Then we hear tapes, terrifying if familiar, of those final calls being made by those trapped on 9/11.
Then comes the torture.
Bigelow has defended the scenes, which leave audience members rooting for our heroes (who are doing the torturing) as a "part of our history." If you believe the movie (and you shouldn't), torture was key to finding and killing Osama bin Laden.
Except it wasn't. This is a movie masquerading as a true telling when in fact what it tells is a lie.
Others, including Jane Mayer in The New Yorker and Glenn Carle on the Huffington Post, have detailed what's wrong in "Zero Dark Thirty" — what's wrong about the efficacy of torture (which tends to produce false information or none at all) and what's wrong about the role of torture in the killing of bin Laden. (The key name did not come from a detainee in CIA custody, according to former CIA Director Leon Panetta, who knows more about the "actual events" than Bigelow or screenwriter Mark Boal.)
And contrary to the defense being offered by the filmmakers in the aftermath of such criticism, the film does not, in Boal's words, "show the complexity of the debate" about torture. There is no "debate" in the movie. Everyone in it — hero and heroine and their bosses — is for it. The only contrary voice is a clip of President Obama in the background, whose condemnation of torture seems, while you're watching it, to be the voice of a legalistic priss.
But the problem with this movie isn't just that it's wrong. Plenty of movies are wrong. Oliver Stone's movie about President Kennedy's assassination is wrong.
The problem is that it's dangerously wrong, and not simply because it is distorting the debate here at home about torture ("Look, Mom, it works," you'll hear some conservatives boast.), but potentially and much more seriously because it could endanger the lives of Americans who are already risking their lives for our country.
This movie won't be seen only by those who know that what they're seeing is fiction. It won't be seen only by Americans. Entertainment is America's biggest export. The myth that Americans support torture, that we depended on it for our greatest military operation, will be seized upon not only by those in the world who already hate us but also by those who might grow up to hate us and those who are still not certain about how much they hate us. Just as we are lulled into supporting torture, they will be lulled into hating us for it.
The "myth" — and that is what this movie is selling, pure and simple — that torture is what allowed us to kill bin Laden insults the hard work of the Americans who risked their lives and also endangers those who follow in their footsteps. It arms the extremists with far more powerful propaganda than anything their own machines are capable of producing. It cements the view that there is no limit to the evil we will engage in to suit our goals, and that in this respect we are no different from our enemies.
At one point, one of the heroes/torturers tells the detainee that if he doesn't cooperate, we can send him to Israel. Even in the midst of the film's drama, I cringed. The point was: We'll send you to Israel, and they'll kill you. The danger of gratuitous lies is not limited to Americans.
Another scene in the movie, one of the doctor knocking on the door of the "safe house" in the hopes of collecting information under the guise of giving polio vaccines, provoked a collective chuckle in the theater. Except that there really isn't anything funny about it. There was, reportedly, such a doctor, who is being held in a Pakistani prison. But the myth that polio programs were created by the CIA to gather intelligence has led to the suspension of such programs in Pakistan and elsewhere and has blocked efforts to wipe out that scourge. And we're laughing? We are better than that.
The First Amendment protects the right to make movies, including this one, not because words are harmless but because they aren't. They have power. With power should come personal responsibility for how it is used.
I wanted to see a movie about the hunt for bin Laden. I wanted to feel proud of the Americans who risked their lives to hunt him down. If it's just a movie, as its defenders have urged, it should not pretend to be based on "actual events." It isn't. But God help us if it leads to them.

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Are We Becoming European?

Following the fiscal cliff melodrama, Senator Richard Shelby appeared on television to declare that we are becoming European. "We're always wanting to spend and promise and spend and borrow but not cut. We've got to get real about this. We're headed down the road that Europe's already on."
There's no "heading" about it. We're there. Prof. John J. DiIulio, writing in "National Affairs", outlined the true size of American government. When state and local government expenditures are added to federal outlays, government spending as a share of GDP easily competes with European nations. In fact, per-capita government spending in the U.S. is higher than in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and our debt to GDP ratio is higher than most European states.
The Obama administration has set records for deficit spending in peacetime, but there is no question that the growth of government at all levels has been a decades-long process. In 1960, total government spending (local, state and federal) amounted to 27 percent of GDP. In 2010, it was about 42 percent. State spending has been almost as irrepressible as federal, leaving only nine states that can now boast AAA credit ratings. Many states are facing crises over unfunded pension liabilities that have the capacity to engender strikes and social unrest in the not too distant future.
Though President Obama and the Democrats are fond of citing the "two wars on a credit card" and the Bush tax cuts as drivers of our debt, the truth is that the first Obama term added $4.5 trillion to the national debt in just three years — more than the total debt amassed by the United States government in two centuries. DiIulio writes: "Add our annual debt per capita (about $49,000 in 2011) to total annual government spending per capita (about $20,000 in 2011), and we have a rough 'big government index' of nearly $70,000 for every man, woman, and child in this country."
The difference between Americans and Europeans is that we aren't honest about our appetite for big government. We hide it through a variety of proxies, private contractors, and public/private partnerships. Leaving aside the Department of Defense, which employs 3.2 million Americans, government employs more than 20 million civil servants. Only 2 million of those are full-time federal workers. The Department of Homeland Security, for example, employs 188,000 federal bureaucrats, but also 200,000 privately contracted employees. Medicaid doesn't employ an army of civil servants but instead pays private employees of medical practices, hospitals, and nursing homes.
The EPA employs between 16,000 and 18,000 full time personnel. It has been able to expand its regulatory reach though by cooperating with 50 state EPA equivalents and by hiring tens of thousands of private contractors.
Most non-profits receive few government subsidies. But the largest ones with the biggest budgets are heavily government-dependent. One-third of all non-profit dollars come from government. Catholic Charities USA, for example, a marquee "private-sector" charity, received two-thirds of its funding in 2009 from Uncle Sam.
Americans prefer small government to big government — in the abstract. But 60 million receive Medicaid benefits, 54 million collect Social Security, 48 million participate with Medicare, 45 million receive Food Stamps, 7 million are in prison, jail, or on parole/probation, more than a million have de facto government jobs working for defense contractors, nearly a million children participate in Head Start and about 40 percent of K-12 students receive free or reduced price meals. There's some overlap in those categories, but it still adds up.
Taking a government check goes down much more easily when you can persuade yourself that you're only withdrawing money that you have faithfully paid in over the course of a lifetime. Indignant elderly callers to C-SPAN constantly invoke the "I paid for my Social Security" myth.
They didn't. The average beneficiary will receive far more in Medicare and Social Security benefits than he paid for in taxes.
We are, in short, a socialist-style society just like Europe. And Obamacare has yet to kick in.
The road to recovery begins with admitting you have a problem.

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Can John Boehner regain control of the GOP?

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) narrowly won a second term as Speaker of the House on Thursday, with 12 of his fellow Republicans either voting for somebody else or abstaining from supporting anyone. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) fared much better with her Democratic caucus, says Libby Spencer at The Impolitic, and during the roll call she "was actually tied with Boehner several times and at least once was briefly in the lead before he managed to lock down his win" with a bare 220 votes, teasing the improbable spectacle of "a total GOP meltdown with Nancy winning the gavel by default."
Some commentators, like Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway, dismiss the failed conservative coup against Boehner as "nothing more than a disorganized rant by petulant children." But the defection of a group of vocal conservatives almost sent the House Speakership election to a second round, something that hasn't happened since 1923, and it marks an ominous change from two years ago, when Boehner received all 141 Republican votes. Boehner is well-liked within his caucus but not feared, and this "warning shot from conservatives," says Sheryl Gay Stolberg at The New York Times, was "a sobering reminder that while he may hold one of the most powerful jobs in Washington, his power is greatly diminished. His Republican ranks are thinner in the new Congress, and many of those who retired or were defeated are moderates who ordinarily backed him."
SEE MORE: The culture war is over, and conservatives lost
That raises an important question, with broad implications for the next two years, and not just in Washington: Will Boehner, the country's highest-ranking Republican, be able to control his majority in the House?
No. The Speaker is now toothless: Boehner's pledge to not negotiate with President Obama sounds principled, but it's mostly just a reflection of the new reality, says Greg Sargent at The Washington Post. Combine his narrow speakership victory and humiliating fiscal cliff "Plan B" flop in December, and its clear that Boehner "can't get enough support from within his caucus for negotiating with the president." In practical terms, that means when it comes to big votes on big issues like deficit reduction, immigration reform, and tax reform, Boehner will have to rely on "large blocs of Democratic support" to pass legislation — a big no-no in the GOP. And that will just weaken him further.
"Weakened Speaker Boehner means tough governing road ahead"
SEE MORE: Tim Scott: A 'token' black senator for the GOP?
Boehner will be much stronger this time around: The decision to "stop negotiating secret, back-room deals" is the best thing Boehner has done in two years, says John Hinderaker at Power Line. That bodes well for his future. Forging closed-door compromises with Obama and his Democrats just let them off the hook and blurred the ideological differences between the parties, to the GOP's detriment. Boehner should have realized in 2011 that his Republican-led House should only pass Republican bills, but "let's let bygones be bygones. As far as Speaker Boehner is concerned, better late than never."
"Better late than never: Boehner swears off secret deals"
Check back two months from now: You have to feel a little bad for Boehner, say Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake at The Washington Post. "A pragmatist and institutionalist at heart," the GOP leader "is naturally drawn to making a deal." But as we've learned over the past two years, "he 'leads' a group that is simply not interested in compromise" — the very "definition of a no-win situation." His allies insist that he wanted a second term to get big things accomplished regarding America's fiscal fix, and if that's true he may well "stick around to see if he can regain control of what is a decidedly unruly House conference." But if that fails — and watch what happens in the looming debt-ceiling battle — Boehner might find it more rewarding to "step aside before the next election to pursue a lucrative post-congressional career as a lobbyist/rainmaker.

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5 hopeful signs the 113th Congress will be better than the last

Dispirited Americans don't appear all that optimistic that the new Congress will get much done, either. Well, buck up, America!
With some pomp, a bunch of cute kids, and plenty of entertainment from Vice President Joe Biden, the new Congress was gaveled into session on Thursday. "Welcome 113th Congress!" says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post, summing up the conventional wisdom: "Here's the first thing you need to know: People hate you." Or rather, people really hated the 112th Congress — The Week rounded up 10 of the best insults heaped upon the historically unproductive 112th, and Gallup records it as the most unpopular in modern history — and "there's every reason to believe things in Congress will get worse in the next few months." Public Policy Polling has this bracing reminder, from its new (ongoing) survey:
 PublicPolicyPolling@ppppolls
Congress is less popular than colonoscopies, used car salesmen, and Nickelback but it's at least beating out Gonorrhea and N. Korea so far
4 Jan 13 ReplyRetweetFavorite
But America is not, by nature, a pessimistic nation. We fervently believe in new beginnings. And the incoming freshman lawmakers — 82 new members of the House (47 Democrats, 35 Republicans) and 13 new senators (eight Democrats, four Republicans) — are upbeat about the 113th Congress' ability to work together to solve America's problems. Here, four reasons for optimism about the near-term future on Capitol Hill:
1. The Tea Party era is at an end
There's "rational reason for optimism" that "the ideological excesses and obstructionism of the Tea Party class of 2010 are over," says John Avlon at The Daily Beast. The Do-Nothing 112th "was elected by a narrow but intense slice of the electorate — the anti-Obama, recession-fueled rage of the 2010 midterm election landslide," but this Congress was ushered in with a message from voters to "stop fighting and start fixing." And by all appearances, they got the message. That doesn't erase the stark ideological differences in Washington, but the tone and approach of the Class of 2012 "is likely to be very different from the radioactive 'us-against-them' rhetoric we heard from departing Tea Party stars like Allen West."
SEE ALSO: To boldly slice...
2. Unprecedented diversity makes for less rigidity
"If there is reason for optimism that this Congress might be able to get beyond a 12 percent approval rating and record lows of bills passed, it might rest in the fact that the incoming class is more diverse than any other in history," says Allen McDuffee at The Washington Post. Any way you slice it — religion, gender, sexual orientation, age — "the 113th Congress will be the closest to resembling American diversity thus far." This remarkable shift in demographics, says The Daily Beast's Avlon, "is a good thing in terms of bridging all our interesting differences to find a way to work together based on our shared civic faith as Americans first."
3. The Gingrich crash suggests a coming détente
Perhaps the best reason for "cautious optimism" about the 113th Congress is a look back at the 104th Congress, says Greg Sargent at The Washington Post. Like the just-finished Congress, the 104th (1995-1997) featured "dozens of self-styled revolutionary Republicans, bent on bulldozing a Democratic President of the United States for whom they had little if any respect." Led by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich, they shut down the government — and suffered "a total defeat" to Bill Clinton. The 105th Congress? "The revolutionaries were mostly quieter and almost tamed." Here's hoping that the diminished House GOP "rejectionist caucus" similarly starts to see "that losing symbolic votes, or winning them in the House only to see bills die in the Senate, is pretty much a waste of time," and the lower chamber's larger number of "mainstream conservatives finally decide that the cost of making the House — and the GOP as a whole — an object of ridicule is higher than the cost of risking a RINO label."
SEE ALSO: Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf: Remembering a distinctive military career
4. Numerology
"It has been two centuries since the United States had a Congress enumerated with lucky 13," says Michael Koenigs at ABC News. That would be the 13th Congress, which served 1813 to 1815, during the James Madison administration. That Congress was mostly notable for ratifying the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, but the number 13 is considered charmed in the sports world and in Italy (even if Friday the 13th is considered unlucky by most Americans). As the 113th Congress kicks into gear, says Koenigs, let's "ask ourselves something Clint Eastwood said before he started talking to chairs, 'Do I feel lucky?'"
5. It would be hard to be worse than the 112th
This is the safest reason to expect better things from the 113th Congress: "With only about 10 percent of Americans approving of their lawmakers, there's not much room left to go down," says Taegan Goddard at The Week. The fiscal-cliff battle may have sent the 112th out on an especially low note, says Walter Shapiro at Yahoo News, but actually, Congress' top two Republicans — House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — "deserve credit for the last-minute fortitude they displayed in ending the dispiriting deadlock over extending the Bush tax cuts." Their courage wasn't on par with Lincoln saving the Union, but Boehner and McConnell put "legislating over posturing" and they "deserve muted, but sincere, applause" for giving us hope for more rational days ahead.

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Worldwide Supply Appoints New Inside Sales Account Executives

Experienced inside sales professionals to manage existing accounts as well as prospect new clients for the rapidly growing recognized leader in the secondary networking hardware marketplace.

Franklin, NJ (PRWEB) January 03, 2013
Worldwide Supply, the recognized leader in the secondary networking hardware marketplace, today announced the appointment of Melissa M. Montgomery-Pascual and Alexander A. Pascual to the roles of Inside Sales Account Managers.
With over twenty years of experience in sales, this team will be tasked with growing Worldwide Supply’s existing accounts as well as prospecting new relationships. "We’re excited to have two very dynamic, seasoned sales professional join our team as we expand our reach into new business segments and strive to continue growing market share with current clients," says Jay VanOrden, CEO of Worldwide Supply.
Prior to joining Worldwide Supply, Melissa Montgomery-Pascual held a Senior Account Executive position with Network Hardware Resale. She also is owner of Melimarmonte, a successful line of Women and Children’s luxury garment and accessory fashions. She holds a BA from the University of Arizona, Tucson. Alexander (Ace) Pascual comes to us from Planet Solar, Inc. where he held the position of National Sales Manager. Ace also has significant networking experience from his tenure at Network Hardware Resale. He holds a BA from the University of Arizona, Tucson.
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About Worldwide Supply
Worldwide Supply is a recognized leader in the secondary network hardware marketplace, providing and buying networking and telecommunication equipment to, and from, companies globally. Some companies sell used networking gear to Worldwide Supply. Others may be searching for items ranging from used cisco routers to optics transceivers and beyond.
Headquartered in northern New Jersey, and with offices in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Texas, Worldwide Supply provides a full line of certified pre-owned and new-surplus networking and telecommunication products from major manufacturers such as Cisco, Juniper, Arris, Calix, Extreme and Motorola.

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Fleetwood Mac Tickets Take Off Online at BuyAnySeat.com

Tickets to Fleetwood Mac’s upcoming 34-city North American Tour are creating traffic spikes in search traffic online for seats, said Felina Martinez at ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. The tour kicks off April 4, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio and is the band’s first trek since 2009.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) January 03, 2013
It’s hard to believe that it has been 45 years since Fleetwood Mac’s first album, and 35 years since they band released their best-selling Rumours album, which has sold over 20 million copies in the U.S. to date.
But like other iconic 60’s bands lately, Fleetwood Mac is heading back out on the road again. The group’s 34-city North American tour kicks off April 4, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio. The tour stops in numerous cities including New York, Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The trek’s final concert is slated for June 12, 2013 in Detroit.
“Traffic for Fleetwood Mac tickets has been spiking,” said Felina Martinez at online ticket marketplace BuyAnySeat.com. “Part of this surge of new traffic may be related to the Holiday season and gift giving, but we believe it’s also due to the band’s legions of loyal followers of all ages around the globe.”
“Since Fleetwood Mac fans span all nationalities and age groups from pre-teens to those in their 70’s and 80’s, we’re proud to be able to offer buyers a complete selection of Fleetwood Mac tickets, with a worry-free guarantee to protect their purchase,” said Martinez.
“To access the continuously updated selection of tickets we have available, fans can go to BuyAnySeat.com and search for Fleetwood Mac – then select their tickets,” said Martinez.
Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band formed in London in 1967 by Peter Green, who had been playing in the blues band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. He named the band in an attempt to entice Mick Fleetwood and John McVie to join him. While Fleetwood joined right away, McVie did not join for several weeks.
After years of member additions and departures, and tumultuous times within the band, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the group – and the band finally found mainstream success with the 1975 release of a second self-titled album. The album became the band's first number one album in any country and their first multiplatinum album. This newfound success was repeated two years later with Rumours, which has become their best selling album thus far.
The next two albums, Tusk and Mirage, were not as successful as Rumours, despite an 18-month worldwide promotional tour. The albums still reached number four and number one respectively, and both reached double-platinum status.
The album Tango in the Night was released in 1987 and became the band’s best-selling album since Rumours, and ranked 3x platinum in the U.S. and 8x platinum in the U.K. The 90’s decade was one of limited success for the band, with the two albums released either failing to chart very high in the U.S. The band's fortunes improved again with the release of the 1997 live album The Dance, which reached number one in the U.S. and 5x platinum status. The band also saw a modest success with 2003's Say You Will. (Sources: Official Website, fleetwoodmac.com and Wikipedia.com)
Both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham released solo albums and toured last year. The band itself hasn’t released an album since 2003, but did tour together in 2009. Insiders say Christine McVie unfortunately will not be joining the tour this time. But for fans, there’s always hope.
To shop for Fleetwood Mac tickets, visit BuyAnySeat.com.
About BuyAnySeat.com: An online ticket marketplace, BuyAnySeat.com connects sports, theater and other live entertainment fans to an extensive worldwide network of ticket sellers. The site’s simplified listings and navigational tools enable fans to easily locate, compare and purchase inexpensive, discounted or lower-priced tickets to virtually all advertised sports and entertainment events around the globe. The site, which is PCI-compliant and Norton Secured, also provides customers with a complete Worry-Free Guarantee on all ticket purchases. Based in Denver, Colorado, BuyAnySeat.com is a subsidiary of Denver Media Holdings. For more information, please visit http://buyanyseat.com.

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Wiccan Spells Online: PsychicTarot.us Puts the Power of Wicca to Benefit

The new metaphysical services marketplace, PsychicTarot.us, has announced the creation of their online platform allowing users to tap into the power of Wiccan spell craft and practitioners to sell their services. Followers of Wicca can list their services for sale to the public and people interested in the benefits can shop amongst the listed gigs.

Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) January 03, 2013
The new age services community and marketplace, PsychicTarot.us, today announced the launch of a section dedicated to Wiccan spells. Users of the site can list their beneficial spells for sale to the public and earn money with their talents, while shoppers can compare and purchase from their favored practitioner. The website will allow buyers to request enchantments (white magic only) from real Wiccans to benefit their health, wealth, happiness and other areas of their life.
"The Wiccan community is vibrant and active, we are proud to create this opportunity for people to earn money, have fun, and connect with people interested in their talents," stated Irina Shayk, representative for PsychicTarot.us. "People can list their spells or rituals for $5 and up to $50, and are limited only by their creativity."
For those who aren't familiar with the Wiccan religion, Wikipedia defines it is as a modern interpretation of several ancient pagan religions. It is often referred to as witchcraft because the adherents of the religion believe in the casting of spells to change nature and people's behavior.
According to the site, Wicca is centered around the worship of the masculine and feminine aspects of nature as represented by the moon and the sun and personalized as the moon goddess and the horned man. There are many different branches of Wicca, though many of them have as one of their cores beliefs the ideal of "An ye harm none, do what thou wilt", which derives from an ancient pagan proverb.
In a recent New York Times witchcraft report detailing the success of a local Goddess shop, the belief system is quite popular and there is a demand for the spells. PsychicTarot.us intends to connect these business owners with a global market online.
"The popularity of movies that portray the occult over the past few years have really increased the number of people who are interested not only in Wicca, but in many aspects of metaphysical pursuits. Science in many ways is simply catching up to ancient wisdom," added Ms. Shayk.
PsychicTarot.us provides a few suggestions for people who join and wish to list their services:

Love spells
Prosperity spells
A spell for good luck
Spells for continued or improved health
Success spells
Starting as low as $5, prices are reasonable for someone new looking to dabble, while more in powerful services can be listed for as much as $50 to the public. Whether one believes or not in the power of a Wiccan enchantment, the new online marketplace is sure to be great fun for visitors and professionals alike.

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CTIA-The Wireless Association® Selects WMC Global to Provide Short Code Management in Latin America

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CTIA–The Wireless Association® announces the addition of WMC Global to provide key technology services for its Latin American short code registry. WMC Global, a trusted provider of innovative solutions that deliver digital confidence to the mobile marketplace, brings additional firepower to registry services with their unique ability to develop and manage the backend search and payment transaction functionalities.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100629/DC28223LOGO-a )
By facilitating centralized services for wireless operators, major brands and service providers, the adoption of mobile marketing in Latin America will accelerate since these mobile campaigns are available to nearly 100 percent of the population. In the United States this registry model has enabled the provisioning of nearly 5,000 short codes, running more than 25,000 campaigns and driving revenues estimated between $8-12 billion.
The Latin American short code registry offers five- and six-digit codes, and addresses a long-term need of brands and marketers to create a unified and centralized approach to systematically interact with over the more than 400 million wireless subscribers across 17 Latin American countries.
"By adding WMC Global to the team, the adoption of mobile short codes in Latin America will accelerate as we continue making the process to secure and provision codes for all participants more efficient. As marketers around the world can attest, short codes are an extremely effective and trusted solution to raise brand awareness through customer participation," said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA. "Exporting the tremendously successful model from the U.S. to Latin America will help support operators and brands eager to establish messaging campaigns in the country, especially for upcoming events such as the Confederations Cup, World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics."
"By partnering with CTIA, we will be able to address the needs of the growing Latin American short code market," stated Colin Matthews, CEO of WMC Global. "As the growth of mobile messaging in Latin America continues to outpace many other geographic regions, the short code registry for Latin America will serve the demands for short codes used in advertising, television voting, sweepstakes, mobile coupons or any service through which information needs to be transmitted to and from a large number of users."
For more information, visit www.latinshortcodes.com and www.codigoscortos.com.
About WMC Global
With headquarters in Washington, DC, operational centers in London and Sydney, and regional offices in major cities including Mexico and Brazil,  WMC Global is a trusted name in providing mobile data products that bring compliance, growth, and security to the mobile marketplace. Our competencies in the mobile ecosystem include analytics reporting and In-market monitoring for carriers, partner validation and billing inaccuracies reports for corporations, short code procurement in Latin America for CTIA-The Industry Association® and more.
About CTIA
CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry's voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry's leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, D.C.

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Vt. health exchange gets conditional federal OK

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Vermont has won conditional federal approval for its plan to build a consumer-friendly health insurance marketplace, or exchange.
Vermont is now one of 17 states to have gotten word from a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that they are on track to have a health exchange ready for business by Oct. 1.
Robin Lunge, Gov. Peter Shumlin's director of health reform, says much work remains to get the exchange up and running.
Insurance companies are to submit bids shortly for what kinds of products they want to offer through the exchange and at what prices.
The state also will be requesting proposals for organizations that want to provide navigators — people who will guide consumers through the process of shopping for insurance in the exchange.

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Best Buy exec leaves for COO post at Symantec

 Best Buy's president of digital operations is leaving the struggling electronics chain to become chief operating officer at the computer security company Symantec.
Best Buy has been implementing a turnaround plan as it faces tough competition from discounters and online retailers. The Minneapolis company last week extended until after the holiday season the window for co-founder Richard Schulze to make a buyout offer.
Best Buy Co. announced Wednesday that Stephen Gillett's responsibilities will now be divvied up, with responsibilities going to Chief Financial Officer Sharon McCollam, Scott Durchslag, the president of online and global e-commerce and Shawn Score, senior vice president of U.S. retail.
Gillett also served as executive vice president. He will take on that role at Symantec Corp. in addition to his COO post.
Gillett, who starts at Symantec on Friday, will report to its Chairman and CEO Steve Bennett. He will work at the company's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters.
Shares of Best Buy added 9 cents to $11.99 in premarket trading on Thursday.

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Samsung (005930) is reportedly quietly replacing faulty Galaxy S III devices according to many users on XDA Developers. The issue appears to be related to the NAND becoming corrupted and killing off the Galaxy S III’s mainboard, which causes the phone to essentially “brick” itself. Users have reported the issues have affected some devices after 150-200 days after purchase. Users on XDA Developers and Reddit are also saying Samsung is replacing affected smartphones (rooted or not) with new ones that could potentially be just as faulty in another 200 days. The Galaxy S III made headlines last week when an XDA forum member discovered that a security hole in its Exynos-4 processor was vulnerable to app-based malware attacSC Gov Haley unveils $6.3 billion budget proposal ks. Samsung has since said it will patch the hole as soon as possible.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Gov. Nikki Haley's budget plan she presented Thursday would spend more on computer security, law enforcement and health care. She also asked that not-yet-projected revenue go toward tax relief that saves the average filer less than $30.
Her $6.3 billion budget plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 seeks $47 million for computer security following a massive breach at the state's tax collection agency. More than 40 percent of the money would pay back a loan approved last week by the Budget and Control Board to cover costs incurred so far.
The Department of Revenue is receiving a $20.2 million loan this fiscal year from the state's insurance reserves.
Haley wants $12.4 million to complete computer upgrades at the agency, plus $3 million for security consultants.
The Republican governor also wants to hire 25 agents to supervise parolees, 10 natural resources officers, 18 state troopers and 15 employees at the State Law Enforcement Division, to include agents and lab technicians. She also wants to provide all troopers wireless access in their vehicles and upgrade prison officers' safety.
The only salary increases Haley proposes are to officers that work in the state's eight maximum security prisons for violent offenders. She recommends giving them a 3 percent boost.
She noted that when she visited Lee Correctional in Bishopville, where inmates took officers hostage in June and September, 60 positions were open. Authorities could not fill them "because people are too scared to work there," she said
Her budget would spend $10 million to build two watch towers at Lee Correctional and buy cameras and metal detectors and wands at prisons statewide.
"We are sending them in there every day and not giving them the tools to protect themselves," Haley said. "You are not giving money to prisoners. You're giving money to people who keep prisoners from harming you."
Haley said the budget's top cost driver is health care, with state employee benefits costing nearly $80 million more. Haley adamantly opposes expanding Medicaid eligibility under the federal health care — a decision left to legislators next session. Still, Haley's budget allocates an additional $67 million to Medicaid just to cover already-eligible residents expected to sign up after the law takes effect.
Governors generally release their executive budgets in January before session starts. But Haley said she wanted to get her proposal to legislators sooner this year in hopes they'll use more of her recommendations as they craft the budget. Haley recognized that legislators largely ignored former Gov. Mark Sanford's budget plans.
"We don't do this for kicks and giggles," she said.
Haley's $6.3 billion plan represents a 3 percent increase in spending from the state's general fund, which doesn't include federal money and other sources such as fines and fees that agencies collect.
Haley's budget is based on the Board of Economic Advisors' current predictions for tax collections in 2013-14. The board revises their estimate in the spring, which usually gives legislators more money to work with, though 2008-09 and 2009-10 were exceptions. On average over the last eight years, legislators have had $100 million more to allocate in their final approved spending plan than the governor.
Haley said when the "money tree falls" this spring, legislators should use $26 million of it to cut income taxes. Eliminating the 6 percent tax bracket, would save the average filer $29, according to her report.
She wants the rest spent on roads and bridges, calling that tax relief.
"This is an option not to increase the gas tax," she said.
The state transportation department anticipates needing nearly $50 billion over the next 20 years for infrastructure but only receiving $19 billion under the current system. The state motor fuel tax, which has been 16 cents per gallon since 1987, is the agency's main funding source but is declining due to improved vehicle fuel efficiency and higher costs for gasoline and diesel fuel.
Haley said she will not tolerate any move to increase that tax and considers her plan a start toward addressing the multi-billion-dollar need.

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Samsung is replacing faulty Galaxy S IIIs that are suddenly dying for no reason

Samsung (005930) is reportedly quietly replacing faulty Galaxy S III devices according to many users on XDA Developers. The issue appears to be related to the NAND becoming corrupted and killing off the Galaxy S III’s mainboard, which causes the phone to essentially “brick” itself. Users have reported the issues have affected some devices after 150-200 days after purchase. Users on XDA Developers and Reddit are also saying Samsung is replacing affected smartphones (rooted or not) with new ones that could potentially be just as faulty in another 200 days. The Galaxy S III made headlines last week when an XDA forum member discovered that a security hole in its Exynos-4 processor was vulnerable to app-based malware attacks. Samsung has since said it will patch the hole as soon as possible.

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Insight: Security fears dogged Canada debate on China energy bid

OTTAWA (Reuters) - In September, two months after China's state-owned CNOOC Ltd made an unexpected $15.1 billion bid for Canadian energy company Nexen Inc, Canada's spy agency told ministers that takeovers by Chinese companies may threaten national security.
The rare warning from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which was disclosed to Reuters by intelligence sources, did not stop the takeover. That was approved by Canadian authorities earlier this month.
But the intervention and an influential U.S. lawmaker's warning in October that Canadian companies should be careful about doing business with Chinese telecom equipment companies Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp made the approval process for the deal more difficult than initially expected.
"CSIS did not like the Nexen bid and thought it was a bad idea for Chinese firms to be investing in the oil sands. It all played into their greater fears about firms like Huawei," said one person familiar with the agency's concerns. "They do not want to wake up one day and realize a crucial sector of the economy is under the control of foreign interests."
And after listening to the spy service, which usually keeps a low profile, Canada drew up surprisingly tough foreign investment rules that were unveiled when approving the Nexen deal, China's biggest-ever successful foreign takeover. In a clampdown on companies it deems influenced by foreign governments, Canada will block similar purchases in the future.
CSIS has been silent about what it said to Ottawa on the Nexen transaction, and it declined to comment for this story. It didn't specifically recommend the CNOOC deal be blocked, but rather warned more generally about such deals with Chinese entities, the person said.
In reality, the government was unlikely to want to block the CNOOC bid, given a high-profile push by Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier in the year to boost ties with China, and given that a lot of Nexen's assets are outside Canada, and it has underperformed other energy companies.
SPECIFIC WORRIES
By pushing back aggressively, CSIS ensured that it got foreign investment policy tightened significantly to deter similar such takeovers by companies under the sway of foreign governments.
"I think people at CSIS and elsewhere are going 'Good. That was a very good response by the government'," said Ray Boisvert, a former CSIS assistant director of intelligence, who retired this year after almost three decades at the agency.
"It did reflect some of those deep strategic concerns that practitioners have had about this kind of investment."
Specific worries include theft of Canadian intellectual property, espionage, computer hacking and foreign companies gaining too much influence over crucial sectors of the economy, said the person familiar with the agency's views.
The government could, in theory, nationalize assets if it thought foreign control was problematic. But the pro-business Conservatives would likely find it politically unpalatable to take such a step.
"To be blunt, Canadians have not spent years reducing the ownership of sectors of the economy by our own governments, only to see them bought and controlled by foreign governments instead," Harper said as he announced the new investment rules.
In October, the U.S. House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee urged U.S. firms to stop doing business with Huawei and another Chinese telecom equipment company ZTE on the grounds that Beijing could use products made by the two companies to spy.
The House Intelligence Committee's chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, urged Canada to take a similar stance, and two days later, the Canadian government indicated it would not let Huawei help build a secure government communications network because of possible security risks.
"The Huawei business caused a lot of political complications for the CNOOC bid," another person familiar with the CNOOC deal said of the U.S. committee's report.
Both Huawei and ZTE have repeatedly denied the allegations in the report, and China's foreign ministry dismissed as "baseless" the idea that security concerns could impede commercial ties.
"We hope that the relevant party can objectively and justly treat Chinese companies' overseas investment and cooperation plans, and stop actions which harm Chinese companies' image and do more to benefit the promotion of bilateral trade and business cooperation," said ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
CLANDESTINE SUPPORT
In its annual report, released in September, CSIS noted risks that included espionage and illegal technology transfers, and said some foreign state-owned enterprises had "pursued opaque agendas or received clandestine intelligence support for their pursuits" in Canada.
The agency did not give details, but added: "When foreign companies with ties to foreign intelligence agencies or hostile governments seek to acquire control over strategic sectors of the Canadian economy, it can represent a threat to Canadian security interests."
CSIS, hit by controversy in 2010 after its head suggested China had too much influence over some Canadian provincial politicians, did not mention any country or firm in its report.
It is unclear how much, if any, influence the United States had on the Canadian authorities' foreign investment policy.
Fen Hampson, head of the global security program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario, said he had learned that a U.S. official visited Ottawa in the last few months to discuss mutual concerns about foreign state-owned enterprises.
U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson told Reuters he was not aware of such a meeting, but he noted that officials from the two countries met constantly. "I would be surprised if almost any issue you could think of has not come up in one or more of those conversations," he said. "The United States has not sought to influence Canada's decision with respect to that (CNOOC's bid)... We respect that decision."
The Canadian government did not respond to a request for a comment.
Chinese companies have bought up smaller Canadian energy firms before, but the July 23 bid for Nexen was their first attempt to buy one of the larger players.
Nexen has assets in Canada, the North Sea, Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico. Technology that Nexen and its partners use for deep sea drilling could interest CNOOC. [ID:nL4N09N3R5]
Asked about the CSIS concerns, a spokeswoman for Industry Minister Christian Paradis replied: "The government has the authority to take any measures it considers necessary to protect national security."
Yet two people close to the deal noted that the Canadian government did not exercise its option to do a separate review of the potential security risks of the CNOOC-Nexen bid, again signaling its concerns were tied to overall Chinese investment rather than to this particular deal.
Under the new rules, which Paradis is responsible for enforcing, foreign state-owned enterprises can no longer buy controlling stakes in assets in the oil sands, the biggest reserve of crude oil outside Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Such enterprises can buy minority stakes in the oil sands, or majority stakes in companies outside the oil sands. Companies deemed to have strong government links will be treated with particular caution wherever they propose to invest.
"When it comes to our security and intelligence services, they would rather pull up the drawbridge than let it down," said Hampson, co-author of a report on trade ties between Canada and emerging nations that he discussed with Harper in June.

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Huawei shows off 6.1-inch Android phablet ahead of CES [video]

It looks like things are going to get worse before they start to get better. Further blurring the line between a smartphone that is too big to be used comfortably and a tablet the is too small to be used efficiently, Huawei has plans to unveil a new smartphone-tablet hybrid device at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. The Android “phablet” was recently shown off by a Huawei executive outside of a Huawei store in Guangzhou, China, and Engadget lists among the device’s key specs a 6.1-inch 1080p display with a pixel density of 316 ppi, a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, a 4,000 mAh battery and a case that measure just 9.9 millimeters thick. A video of the device follows below.

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Private Investigator in West Palm Beach Now Offers Child Support Investigations Services to Help Track Down Dead Beat Parents and Collect Back Child Support

South Florida Private Investigators Inc in West Palm Beach, Florida now offers new services, which includes back child support investigations, including employment searches and asset, bank searches to find dead beat parents.

West Palm Beach, FL (PRWEB) January 01, 2013
South Florida Private Investigators Inc now offers full background checks, asset, bank searches, and full child support investigations in securing back child support owed, employment searches, and collection of back child support.
Private Investigator in West Palm Beach, Florida has many tricks to find dead beat parents in relation to collecting back child support. South Florida Private Investigators offers a new service in which the most high tech resources are used to find dead beat parents. Whether the subject is being employed by family members, getting paid under the table, or simply living off the government, South Florida Private Investigators can open a case and get the results needed at an affordable price.
South Florida Private Investigators Inc offers new services and affordable prices. Many new services include pre employment checks, bug sweeps, infidelity surveillance, background checks, and GPS vehicle surveillance. South Florida Private Investigators serves the Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach area.
John Bairunas is the Lead Investigator at South Florida Private Investigators Inc. Author John Bairunas discusses many ways fraud is on the rise in South Florida and tips on how to prevent infidelity, ripoffs, and scams

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Sector Glass Shower Enclosures by DreamLine, SHEN-7031316 and SHEN-7035356 are the Newest Addition to Warehouse USA’s Inventory

The Sector shower enclosures are the newest in style enclosures based on a half-circle shape that have been introduced to Warehouse USA’s inventory.

Aiken, SC (PRWEB) December 31, 2012
The Sector line of shower enclosures by DreamLine compliments the shapes and sizes of shower enclosures already in Warehouse USA’s inventory. The Sector enclosures are designed to be installed in a corner against finished walls; they are crafted from 1/4” tampered glass. The enclosures come in two sizes with three types of glass: clear, frosted, and “rain glass”. The “rain glass” is the newest type of glass introduced by DreamLine; it is semi-transparent with a textured surface on one side. The Sector enclosure is based on a half-circle shape surrounded by an anodized aluminum frame with polished chrome finish. It consists of two stationary panels mounted on both sides adjacent to the walls, and the door (in the middle of the enclosure) is made of two molded pieces that swing open to the sides. The door is sealed with a magnetic door latch running the full length of the door’s edge. The enclosure is 72 7/8” tall, including the frame.
The Sector enclosures come in two sizes:

SHEN-7031316-01 with clear glass (SHEN-7031316-01-FR frosted glass, and SHEN-7031316-01-RN rain glass) is designed to enclose walls (from the inside corner) 30 3/4” x 30 3/4”. Each stationary panel is 8 5/8” wide; when the door is fully opened it leaves a 16 1/2” walk-in opening. This enclosure can be installed on a corresponding DreamLine white acrylic shower base: model SHTR-7032320-00.
    SHEN-7035356-01 with clear glass (SHEN-7035356-01-FR frosted glass, and SHEN-7035356-01-RN rain glass) is designed to enclose walls (from the inside corner) 34 3/4” x 34 3/4”. Each stationary panel is 16 1/2” wide; when the door is fully opened it leaves a 21 1/4” walk-in opening. This enclosure can be installed on a corresponding DreamLine white acrylic shower base: model SHTR-7036360-00.
DreamLine Sector shower enclosures are now available at Warehouse USA – http://warehouse-usa.com. They are on sale with free shipping throughout 48 contiguous states. For more technical information or if in doubt, please do not hesitate to call 888-693-8066.

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Dr. Lou’s 2013 Weight Loss and Fitness Challenge Pays Cash To Get In Shape

Portland, ME chiropractor offers a chance to win big while losing big

Portland, ME (PRWEB) January 01, 2013
Lose Weight, Get Paid. What a perfect way to start off the New Year. For those who made a resolution to trim off that extra weight, Portland, ME chiropractor and acupuncture specialist, Dr. Lou Jacobs is offering all the support you need as well as the extra incentive to win big and help out those in need. It’s win-win all the way around.
For the past six years Dr. Lou’s Weight Loss Challenge has helped hundreds of people lose thousands of pounds. In 2013 participants will pay $50 to enter. Of that $50, $15 will go toward classes and diagnostics. $5 of every entry fee will be donated to The Center for Grieving Children. The other $30 will be put toward the winnings. The cost will rise $5/day after January 1, and all additional fees will be given back to the winner(s). There are three categories. Greatest percentage of original body weight lost, greatest transformation, and new for 2013, the family category. In 2012 a family of four that participated lost a total of 180 lbs and under the guidance of their medical doctors, they were able to come off all of their medications. Previous winners have used the money won for down payments on cars, vacations and a host of other fun things. There is no limit to the amount of prize money that can be won; the final amount is determined by the number of entries.
In order to help people in their pursuits, several supportive meetings are held each month for participants and their guests. Topics include nutrition, exercise, and personal improvement. Meetings are facilitated by a licensed professional in the particular field. The challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to March 31, 2013.
The sixth annual “Dr. Lou’s Weight Loss Challenge” motivates, educates, inspires and holds people accountable for their weight loss and fitness. Last year, hundreds of pounds were lost among the top 5 participants alone. Sixty percent of Maine residents are considered overweight or obese. Obesity is linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and a host of other painful and expensive health problems. Maine’s healthcare system is crumbling, we are first in the country for addiction to pain killers and most of Maine’s healthcare financial burdens are due to preventable disease that are directly related to weight.
Dr. Lou’s 2013 Weight Loss Challenge is poised to help individuals, the community and the state economy!
Details:
$50 Cash or Check

*Shorts or bathing suits recommended for weigh in pictures
Weigh-in

January 1, 2013 from 8 am -12 noon

January 2,3,7,8 from 9-1 and 3-6
Weigh out

March 31, 2013
Location:

138 St. John Street

Portland, Maine 04102
For more information

Dr. Lou Jacobs

Office: (207) 774-6251

Email: drj(at)drloujacobs(dot)com
About Dr. Lou Jacob’s Chiropractic & Acupuncture: Dr. Lou Jacobs is a licensed chiropractor in Portland, ME with an additional specialization in acupuncture treatments. Jacobs Chiropractic Acupuncture helps patients treat chronic pain, various injuries, headaches, and more.

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OverallHealth.org Presents a Detailed Review of Popular Fat Burning Supplement, RealDose Weight Loss Formula No. 1

By removing all four fat burning hormonal barriers, RealDose Weight Loss Formula No. 1 helps the human body burn more fat. This is the claim of RealDose Nutrition regarding their popular weight loss supplement, and today, http://OverallHealth.org releases a revealing product review.

(PRWEB) January 01, 2013
Weight loss and fat burn remain one of the top consumer products in today's retail market, likely because of the emphasis this culture places on image. The result has been a flood of weight loss supplementation onto the market, which makes a purchase decision all the more difficult for sincere weight loss discerners. OverallHealth.org goes over the RealDose Nutrition weight loss supplement, Weight Loss Formula No. 1, with a fine tooth comb, in a review released today.
Summarily, the RealDose supplement unlocks the body's natural fat burning potential by acting upon the hormones that normally prompt weight gain. The result is that real people in RealDose Nutrition's double-blind clinical studies are losing more than twice the amount of weight versus placebo when following the exact same diet plan.
In fact, two separate ingredients in this formula are both proven in human double blind studies to double weight loss, and RealDose has effectively combined them together with a third component, also effective even by itself. For more information about the ingredients and effectiveness, OverallHealth.org has made a detailed review available here.
Further, weight loss seekers also want to know that a product is safe. RealDose Weight Loss Formula No. 1 is stimulant-free, decaffeinated, and non-addictive. It can be taken with any meal plan and weight loss program, without conflict. Finally, it contains only natural ingredients - no GMO, gluten, dairy, eggs, or soy.
It is important to understand what makes the RealDose forumla effective, in contrast to the myriad "gimmicky" and incomplete products burdening the retail shelves these days. To this ends, OverallHealth.org emphasizes a visit to its website for the RealDose Weight Loss Formula No. 1 review.
Here's the RealDose website link, where plenty of information on the product is available.
OverallHealth.org is a free-spirited site where author and chief editor Henry Rearden enjoys profiling and reviewing fresh – sometimes trendy - new products to hit the health market. Anything in the periphery of health and well-being is fair game for Henry to pull off the shelf for a look-see!

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New Dental Marketing Packages From IDA are Field-Tested By Practicing Dentists

The new dental marketing packages from Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA) include targeted websites and internal training that have been tested by practicing dentists.

(PRWEB) January 01, 2013
These days, plenty of web marketing companies claim to build websites for dentists. But there's a big difference between those websites and the new dental marketing packages developed by Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (IDA). The IDA New Patient Marketing Machine™ includes dental websites and other tools that have been successfully field-tested over the past decade by practicing dentists throughout North America.
"My Internet Dental Alliance marketing program is extremely effective and cost efficient. We are currently averaging approximately 20 new patients per month via the website," says Missouri dentist
Dr. Mark Mancin. "The only other form of marketing in my practice that is more effective is my direct referral program for my existing patient base."
IDA takes this kind of feedback seriously, so there's a bonus referral marketing tutorial included in the multi-site versions of its New Patient Marketing Machine™. The tutorial helps dentists train their front desk team how to ask existing patients to refer their friends and family. It provides phone scripts and three videos that role play successful interactions.
According to Jim Du Molin, founder of Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. and a dental marketing expert with 25 years of consulting experience, some dentists can lose up to half of their new patient prospects as a result of poorly trained front desk staff. Therefore, one of the most effective ways to increase cases is to invest time in training that team.
“We designed IDA Portals, or dental websites, to generate leads and encourage new patients to contact the dental office," says Jim Du Molin, founder of Internet Dental Alliance and a dental marketing expert. "IDA's New Patient Marketing Machine™ goes one step further and includes training for the front desk team to convert those leads into new dental patients."
For more information about IDA's New Patient Marketing Machine™ packages, visit http://InternetDentalAlliance.com/
About Internet Dental Alliance, Inc.
IDA is the largest provider of dental directories, websites for dentists and online dental marketing tools in North America. In 2012, it completed its unique Lead Fire lead generation system, which automates dental SEO and content marketing. LeadFire technology allows doctors to begin generating new patient leads within minutes of set up. It uses organic geo-targeted local search which is customized and optimized for each dental office. The Internet Dental Alliance provides dental practices with internet dental marketing services such as dental website design and other dental management advice and resources.

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