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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