Millions of women around the world invest in quality hair straightener, hair dryer, curling irons and hair straightening creams Kraushaar turn in an elegant and natural looking style. Premium brands and companies are also investing in the creation of new products each year, with new features and technology. And among the several new products in the Hair Styling, Hair Straightener by CHI become very popular with these women in an interestedbasic style, which remains in line with today's hairstyling trends.

A survey says that Americans around 7 billion U.S. dollars per year for hair styling equipment visited facilities and general hair care products. Straighteners are now regarded as one of the most popular means to achieve the smooth look and chic, and many Various other hairstyles that will make a statement about you in the eyes of the spectators. And with so many hairLook straightening machine under different brand names and applications, one of the best ways to achieve this is by CHI hair straightener. CHI hair straightener has a reasonable combination of ceramic and ionic hair straightener tourmalilne technology, the use of infra red heat. CHI ceramic coated straighteners are very popular on the market, as they are easy to heat up immediately and leave no damage to the particles of the hair.

WomenWho do not choose to see her hair is the best hair straighteners for their hair type, and what can straighten out as the best hair straightener CHI. CHI irons are excellent in eliminating frizz and creating a flat and elegant look. Chi Hair Straightener first turned to popularity with the use of ceramic coatings. The high quality ceramic plate hair straightener CHI has microscopically smooth surface that will not snap hair and provide an even distribution of heat. You are in a way that they seal, paint and moisture assistance designed. They also offer an adjustable temperature dial, next to a flat differential heating option that intermittent heating for certain parts of the hair and prevents excessive heat damage in advance is available. Another important feature is that the hair straighteners from CHI removable plates, which also contribute to the hair cuticle security products. With so many> Beauty benefits CHI straighteners are becoming the standard of choice for hair salons all over the civilized world.

Available in three different sizes: mini, Chi Turbo, Turbo and Big Chi Chi hair straighteners are precious possession, not only women but also men. It is recommended that you spend some time trying to discover, to hair styling devices among the three available sizes, you best adapt your everyday needs and desires to be creative. It isalso important that once you have purchased your hairstyling device, make sure to read the instructions that come with the package so that you good knowledge about the do's and don'ts have for your new hairstyling tools. Once you go through the manual for a new hair styling tool you will notice that everything is easy and that all your "Bad Hair Days" were the events of the past.

Recommend : DIY home nailsbeauty.wordpress.com

Today I had the luxury of a whole day to myself…attempting to fill out Josh’s disability living allowance form! OH MY GOD ! My dreams of putting my feet up with a family pack of Maltesers and an OK mag were dashed in the first hour of the first attempt at filling out the first page of the blinking thing. My child’s national Insurance Number, apparently VERY important. I waited for a good 25 mins to speak to a real person at the office of Work and Pensions, as recommended in the guide notes. Vivaldi had already notched up three seasons by the time a real person came on the line, only to enter a long cold spell of Winter when I was put on hold once again for the real live person to find a real live number for yet another department….to eventually be told that as he is under 16 he has not been given a number! An hour down the pan, and my detox is standing up well afterall ( no chocolate, no caffeine, no sugar, no wheat, no dairy…am starving!!!).It took all day to complete the first ten  questions, not even half of the form.

I had to repeat, again and again, how J needs to repeat, again, and again, certain rituals, in certain ways. For example, he will only go up the stairs if I stand behind him, and he touches the same parts of the wall each and every time. If I attempt to challenge this need, all hell breaks loose. I’d rather learn the dance instead!

On another page we did it all over again, only this time in the bathroom. J has to wash his hands in a certain way, turn the taps on in a particular order, run them at a particular speed, and turn them off again, just so. It is the same as he dries himself, and so too when he cleans his teeth.

When he gets dressed the operation needs to be performed in a particular order, and tights figure quite a lot!

All of this I had to repeat, over and over, again and again. A familiar pattern emerging, and there I was thinking I had a day off.

And he may still be turned down!

CoachesNetwork provides a forum for coaches to share their coaching philosophy. David Genz, from Stewart County High School in Tennessee, passes on his guidance for Baseball and Football on his Coaches Network web site. Many small town coaches end up coaching multiple sports and David excels at both. With a coaching philosophy of “Academics first”, Coach Genz shows how he has been able to sustain a successful coaching career for over 18 years with over 100 wins.

Your Coaches Network web site allows you to feature your Coach’s profile, including your own professional experience. Andrew Provence, a volunteer assistant for the White Water high school football team in Georgia, has experience at the highest level. Andrew played defensive line for the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos in the 1980s. He has used his impressive background to help lead the strength and conditioning program at White Water, inspiring young athletes to reach similar goals – and all featured on his Coaches Network web site.

Are your projects in a muddle?

A previous post discussed project overload and what to do about it. If you don’t prioritise, you usually fail to achieve your goals. It’s like shooting the alligators rather than draining the swamp.

So can you be confident, that your projects, taken as a whole, will deliver your goals? 

These initiatives are variously called work streams, projects, programmes. These are key questions to consider:

• Are your projects still appropriate?
• Are they still deliverable?
• For example: Do you have, or can you transfer skills and knowledge?
• For example: Do you have the necessary ingredients for project success?
• Will they realise business benefits?
• Is the overall risk acceptable?

The issue is going to be particularly important in the public sector. Many public sector projects are long term, so there is a big legacy of incomplete initiatives. There is also a high spend on projects, in relation to business as usual.  It is also urgent because of changes in public sector financials, political change and structural change. For example, many new agencies have been created in the last few years to create independent organisations. This is now likely to be reversed because of financial constraints.

In my experience as a Portfolio Director, this is challenging stuff because it crosses disciplines like programmes, organisation and strategy and needs engagement with technical experts.  It is also both analytical and emotional. People don’t want to give up projects when they are a big part of their position and power.

But it is vital to actively manage initiatives as a whole, without losing sight of the detail; ’strategic portfolio management’  in jargon. If they degenerate into a muddle, they won’t, taken as a whole, deliver your goals. And you will disrupt your business, waste resources and demotivate your staff.

 Picture by Mykl Roventine

It wasn’t even our dealership. Another company within the group had a customer local to us who was interested in a new car, and they were sending one up for him to see and so that they could have a look at his. Nothing for us to do except introduce them to one another and leave them to it.

I thought no more of it until a low sleek Saab 93 Aero Cabriolet swept onto the forecourt just after the new car had arrived.

Now everyone has their predilections. Some people like art, others are into fine dining or malt whiskies or horse racing or expensive watches (ahem) or foot worship. Hey, whatever floats your boat.

But I like, and I mean really like open top cars. And for strange and unexplained reasons perhaps linked to some bizarre childhood experience involving Swedish furniture I’ve always had a soft spot for Saab Convertibles.

This one was a classic looking 2002 car with only 48,000 miles. Silver with a blue soft top, full leather, air conditioning and the essential heated seats, I could hear it calling me softly from the other side of the plate glass showroom window.

I tried to put it out of my mind, I’ve only been with the company eight weeks, far too early to be spending money on expensive and unnecessary toys. (Yes alright Al, far too early to be spending money on any more expensive and unnecessary toys).

I made a quick call to the sales manager of the other dealership, was it coming in part exchange, any idea how much? Maybe, and not too mad a price.

Half an hour later I watched it glide quietly back out. I can’t, I mustn’t, I shan’t, I won’t.

Probably.

Just like Oscar Wilde, I can resist everything except temptation…

While many of us would love to get away from it all, we often feel guilty about spending our money or our time in leisure. If the idea of a luxury cruise or a resort hotel is frankly unappealing to you, you might realize that it is time for you to take a look at the benefits of ecotourism.

Ecotourism is defined as “environmentally responsible travel to natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and accompanying cultural features, both past and present) that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples” by the Natural Conservancy, and as you can see the benefits of ecotourism are varied both to you as an individual and to the world at large.

One of the first benefits of ecotourism that can be found is that it is specifically low-impact, both on the natural world and on the local communities that support it. No matter where you go, you will find that you will not be damaging the world around you. You will be able to see beautiful vistas and experience amazing things, all without causing any harm the the environment around you. Many people enjoy this aspect of ecotourism, and count it as a large benefit that their grandchildren will be able to see the things that they have seen.

Another benefit of ecotourism is the fact there is a powerful educational aspect to it as well. Whether you are taking a look at a volcano or heading out to the deserts, you’ll find that there is a great deal to learn and that you can learn a great deal on an ecotourism tour. Not only will you get to see flora and fauna as they grow naturally, you will also be able to learn a lot about how they live and what can be done to protect them.

Ecotourism is also something that is specifically geared towards supporting the local culture rather than exploiting it. Far too much tourism seeks to change, sanitize or exploit the native cultures, but ecotourism works in conjunction with the traveler to both put money into the local economy and to do it in a way that allows all parties to profit. You will find that there are many ecotourism opportunities that will allow you to get a look at cultures which are changing very quickly and really understand where they have been and where they are going.

For many people the real benefits of ecotourism are the memories that they will take with them. There is a lot to be said for an experience that allows you to give to a good cause without taking away from it, and you’ll find that the presence of ecotourism is one that supports many countries and many different causes. It can increase awareness of the world around you, both in terms of the natural world and the cultures that live in it, so make sure that you take a look and think of what ecotourism can do for you and your family!

From TheWashingtonPost.com:

One year ago, I stood with city leaders on a hill in Northeast as we broke ground for affordable housing in the District. When the St. Martin’s Apartments are completed, nearly 200 low-income families and individuals will get a fresh start on life in a wonderful example of the type of effective public-private partnerships the residents of our nation’s capital need.

St. Martin’s is being developed by Catholic Charities, on land owned by the Catholic Church and with funding sources that include the District of Columbia.

Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of Washington are committed to continuing to serve the people of the District as we have for many decades. That includes partnerships such as St. Martin’s. Unfortunately, the D.C. Council is considering legislation that could end these kinds of partnerships.

It doesn’t need to be that way. While we do not agree with the council on redefining marriage, we recognize that it is firmly committed to opening marriage to homosexual couples. We are asking that new language be developed that more fairly balances different interests — those of the city to redefine marriage and those of faith groups so that they can continue to provide services without compromising their deeply held religious teachings and beliefs. The archdiocese has not been alone in requesting broader language. Other groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington and nationally recognized legal scholars all called for stronger protections for religious freedom in their testimony on the original bill.

For the archdiocese and Catholic Charities, two core tenets of our faith are at the heart of our concerns: our understanding of the nature of marriage and our commitment to expressing Christ’s love through service to others. Under the legislative language before the D.C. Council, the archdiocese would be forced to choose between these two principles. The archdiocese has long made clear that all people have equal dignity, regardless of sexual orientation. But marriage is reserved for husband and wife because of its essential connection with the creation of children.

The proposed legislation offers little protection for religious beliefs, including no protections for individuals, as is required under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Under the bill, religious organizations would be exempt from participating in ceremonies or from teaching about same-sex marriage in religion classes and retreats in accordance with their faith beliefs, but they would be required to recognize and promote same-sex marriage everywhere else, including in employment policies, and adoption and foster-care policies, against their beliefs.

The proposed legislation offers little protection for religious beliefs, including no protections for individuals, as is required under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Under the bill, religious organizations would be exempt from participating in ceremonies or from teaching about same-sex marriage in religion classes and retreats in accordance with their faith beliefs, but they would be required to recognize and promote same-sex marriage everywhere else, including in employment policies, and adoption and foster-care policies, against their beliefs.

So what does this mean?

The archdiocese and Catholic Charities are committed to continuing to provide services in the District. Despite the headlines, there has been no threat or ultimatum to end services, just a simple recognition that the new requirements by the city for religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages in their policies could restrict our ability to provide the same level of services as we do now. This is so because the District requires Catholic Charities to certify its compliance with city laws when applying for contracts and grants. This includes contracts for homeless services, mental health services, foster care and more. Since Catholic Charities cannot comply with city mandates to recognize and promote same-sex marriages, the city would withhold contracts and licenses.

Each year, 68,000 people in the District rely on Catholic Charities for shelter, nutrition, medical and legal care, job training, immigration assistance and more. This assistance is offered to whoever needs it, regardless of race, religion, gender, nationality or sexual orientation. Many of the programs are offered in partnership with the city, which turns to Catholic Charities and other ministries when it cannot provide social services on its own. Catholic Charities has a proven track record of high-quality service, supported through caring, qualified staff, thousands of dedicated volunteers and millions of dollars in financial support from parishioners all over the region. This legislation won’t end Catholic Charities’ services, but it would reduce unnecessarily the resources available for outreach.

We recognize that the council is likely to legalize same-sex marriage. It is the hope of the archdiocese and Catholic Charities that council members will work with us to find a way to better balance interests so religious organizations that have served this city well for many decades may continue to provide services without compromising the tenets of their faith.

The writer is archbishop of Washington.

Author:
David Bryan – Norfolk Mobility Benefits

Editor’s Note: We are pleased to welcome David Bryan as a Guest Author.  David has extensive experience in international employee benefits, and is currently a Marketing Consultant for Norfolk Mobility Benefits in Naperville, IL.

Change is constant, particularly in the realm of international employee benefits. There is a social time bomb ticking — the number of employees paying into various social security systems around the world is diminishing while the number of recipients is increasing. To defuse this situation, many governments are reducing benefits while raising taxes, thereby shifting the burden to the employer.

Today’s multinational employer is evolving into the transnational of tomorrow as corporations do away with defined headquarters and instead move to regional centers of operations. To meet these and other changes, benefits professionals are implementing global benefits strategies (GBS).  Yet, in recent surveys in which I have participated, nearly 78% of multinational firms have no formal international employee benefits strategy!

Designing Your Strategy
There appears to be more centralization of core corporate functions in light of the global economy.  While authority for certain functions may be retained on a local or regional level, strategy setting is still at HQ.  In the end, as long as the global corporate benefit strategy is being deployed, certain aspects, for example the selection of vendors/contracts, can be left to the local operations.

A Global Benefits Strategy will provide for some of the following benefits:

• A blueprint of your company’s decisions describing what employee benefit strategies should be deployed for the enterprise.  It is a living, breathing document that needs to be adaptable to change.
• Agreed-upon policies to create universal understanding and, hopefully, support from the local subsidiaries.
• A framework for future benefits changes and enhancements.
• A written strategy which allows employees to see how certain benefits decisions were made, and is very helpful when new stakeholders are brought into the process.
• Strategies to manage costs; global benefit costs are substantial.
• An organization-wide reference when trying to understand or drive employee benefits decisions and planning.

Key Elements of a Global Benefits Strategy
Global benefits strategies can take many forms, and range in length and depth, but most successful strategies will include many of the following elements:

• Global Benefits Committee – This team should consist of representatives from HR, legal, treasury/finance, risk management and, when possible, various global business units. Initially, the committee should meet frequently and agree upon a system of review and evaluation for the work as it progresses. Remember: the more senior the committee representation, the stronger the strategy’s influence on upper management.

• Statement of Objectives – The team should develop a written, agreed-upon statement or set of statements that defines the overall objectives of the GBS. Some statements try to benchmark by using outside data from consultants (e.g., having benefits at or above the 50th percentile). While data may be readily available in some countries, it may not be in others. Benchmarking can be a useful measurement tool, but benefits professionals need to be aware of the need to obtain consistent criteria across countries.

• Policy Guidelines – Policy guidelines provide specifics about the various benefits and levels of benefits that support and are tied to the GBS statements. For example, life, accident, disability, medical, retirement and savings plans are outlined with target levels of coverage; and integration with social plans is detailed. Keep in mind, though, that too much detail can lead to guidelines that cannot be applied globally. With medical plans, for example, specific co-insurance percentages may not apply when a supplemental medical plan in a particular country is based on a schedule of fees.

• Implementation and Review – After agreeing on its strategies and supporting guidelines, the GBS committee must put certain processes in place to activate the plan. Typically, an announcement from a senior-level executive to key, local employees helps gain attention and buy-in. Local buy-in should be targeted to management, HR and, in many countries, should include the Works Councils or unions. This step is critical to successful implementation of any global benefits strategy.

Reaping the Rewards
After the announcement of the new global benefits strategy, a benefits audit is often conducted to educate the central benefits staff about what plans are in place.  For a new company, implementing a GBS is easier than for a well-established firm that must harmonize many plans to create a unified and consistent global benefits strategy. The benefits professional’s role is essential at this stage. Many consultants and insurers offer software packages to assist in this process, although many corporations devise their own audit form to meet their specific needs.

Set procedures need to be in place to implement, review and enhance local plans. Usually, one individual has a certain dollar amount of approval authority to exercise any latitude permitted by HQ (for new and/or enhanced benefits). The more senior the individual, the more authority. Local benefit needs — and wants — must be measured against predetermined criteria. This authority can be with corporate, local or both, as set forth in the GBS.

Along with these approval procedures, established communication chains must be followed. In cases of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, reliable benefits data (pension reserve, for example) must be readily available. Pre-established lines of communication will help in this type of scenario.

In most instances, resources are scarce, resulting in a decentralized approach.  In spite of this, there have been more than a few “ideal” GBS roll-outs.  An announcement, then an audit, followed by site visits from benefits staff to bring the local plans into compliance with the new philosophy is a typical, effective approach.

Taking the First Step
While global benefits strategies can be similar, each company must tailor one to fit within its industry and corporate HR philosophy. The first step in this process is creating a shared vision for a GBS that is flexible, simple, legal and tax compliant. Further, it should integrate governmental social plans with new or existing supplemental plans provided by the company.

A multinational enterprise must look after its global employee benefit plans.  We all are under the budget microscope.  However, a well-articulated global benefits strategy will enable HR to manage benefits resources globally and ensure a compliant and competitive benefits approach in every country.

More About David:

• David on LinkedIn
• Norfolk Mobility Benefits
• Contact David

	The best photobomb blogs out there
	Classic Senior Pictures (pics)
	Wine pairings for all your Thanksgiving needs
	Ask a dude: Do you refuse to be a friend with benefits?
	George Clooney gives thanks for Elisabetta
	She got married for health insurance
	Girl with chronic same-pose duckface disease
	Do you have funny, interesting, goofy, awesome pics? Click here and email them to Emily!

…Click HERE if you want your website listed here.

Michael Allen, a basketball coach of 15 years at Norfolk Christian High School in Virginia took advantage of the “invite friends” functionality on his Coaches Network web site. Michael has rapidly expanded his Coaches Network by connecting with other coaches on the site, and initiating his colleagues who had not yet joined the site to do so and connect with him.

Larry Crump, a basketball coach of 25 years at Bishop Kelly in Idaho, uses his Coaches Network web site to communicate with parents of his team members. Larry has added a link to his Coaches Network site on his school website to attract parents to using the blog functionality to communicate with local coaches. Larry also shared the tool with Ryan Lundgren, a fellow coach at Bishop Kelly, who felt it was a great way to share coaching philosophies. Larry is using his Coaches Network site to establish a leadership position at his school.

Editor’s note: Ronald, 21, graduated from the sponsorship program in June of 2008.

I’m Ronald from Hyderabad, India. I come from a family where education was always a daydream. I’m delighted to share a few memories of my life, as I was a fortunate child who has been blessed by God.

CFCA has helped me complete my education and stand on my feet. To make my dreams come true, CFCA came to my aid. Because of their valuable and timely help, my parents were able to enroll me in Mount Carmel High School. CFCA took care of all my educational needs and supported my parents.

Throughout my association with CFCA, I thought all the sponsors belonged to rich families, and helped unfortunate children with their surplus. But to my astonishment, my sponsors, John and Bobby, were an elderly couple who were not wealthy, and were no longer in touch with other family members. I was very joyful to know that they treated me as their grandson.

I remember in one of the letters John told me he had made a big board in his room where he preserved my letters, photographs and paintings, and he read them whenever he felt lonely. I was taken aback by his affection for me.

Sadly, John passed away, but Bobby continued to sponsor me. She also shared with me that after John died I was the only one with whom she could express all her feelings. I’m happy that I was able to know such adoring people.

After I received my education, I got a job with an information technology company. Today, I have everything I need: loving parents, a good education and a fine job. And the two most important people responsible for my life being so good today are my dear sponsors, John and Bobby.

Welcome coverage from The Guardian today: Benefits conundrum fuels the cash-in-hand economy “Welfare reform should recognise that harnessing people's desire to work is more effective than the threat of jail or poverty"

Living on benefits is tough. Tony McNulty, former employment minister, admitted to Radio 5 Live earlier this year that he couldn’t survive on the money his department gives out to people. The minimum income standards for Britain estimates that a person needs £158 a week in order to have the opportunities and choices necessary to participate in society. A single adult receives £60.50

As the article points out, most benefit fraud is committed by people who are trying to earn that extra £100 they need to cover their basic needs. As Oxfam asked, could YOU live on £60 a week? (People on disability benefits get a little more, almost £90 a week, but that’s still a far cry from £158 and current government reforms have made it ridiculously difficult for people with mental illness or chronic fatigue to qualify.)

Oxfam also points out how the system penalizes people with mental health problems:

It is never unpopular for politicians to say they will be tough on people on benefits; but in our experience, people on benefits are often not lazy and milking the system, but claiming because they are in genuine need. By being tougher these people, some of the 40% of those on incapacity benefits because of mental health problems will fall through the cracks as their illnesses are less easy to prove.

The Labour government’s ESA “work capability test” focuses on physical abilities like reaching and bending. However it ignores questions about energy, stamina, illness, or mental state, making it far more difficult for people with mental health problems or illnesses like ME to get enough points to pass. The people failing this test aren’t faking an illness, they have an illness which the test does not even attempt to measure. Disability organizations say the ESA tests penalize many who are genuinely ill.

In other news, last night the Mind Mental Health awards celebrated positive contributions from the media on breaking the stigma about mental illness – congratulations to all the winners! Former Labour party Director of Communications and Press Secretary Alastair Campbell was amongst them, for broadcasting his own personal story of mental illness. Wonder if he’d care to broaden the scope of his admirable work with mental health charities, and stand up for the people being harmed by Labour’s Employment Support Allowance tests?

By: Various authors and journalists

The bank that coined the phrase, “we listen, we understand, we make it work” seemed to forget that public relations slogan during the large CAW labor protest at 500 Woodward Avenue, in Detroit, MI.  As you recall, Canadian workers of Adraco and Aramco a division of Catalina Precision, have been denied their severance, termination, and vacation pay by the Catalina’s creditors Comerica Bank.  Numerous coalitions were there to demand justice for workers who just want to be paid what they are owed and Comerica controls the purse strings.  They feel that workers being paid is more important that Comerica executive bonuses.  Participants signed a letter to the company’s executives asking Comerica to live up to the so called “code of ethics” that is posted on Comerica’s website.  The code of ethics seems like a great public relations spin tool but the workers with children to feed were more interested in Comerica showing action; not just empty public relations gimmicks.  As one of the participants read from Comerica’s code of ethics, looks of disgust and frustration fell over participants faces.  There appeared to be a huge disconnect between corporate marketing propaganda and the daily reality that the workers were facing.
At one point a protester challenged the CEO, Ralph Babb and the Michigan President Tom Ogden to respond to the workers concerns.   Comerica executives were challenged to answer the following questions:

• Do they think it was fair that Comerica was rewarded $2.25 billion in TARP money approximately 30 days after the Michigan attorney general Mike Cox forced Comerica Securities to pay fines and restitution of over $1.5 billion to shareholders?
• Is it fair that the banking industry has received $23.7 million in subsidies, bailouts and backdoor corporate welfare while homeowner forclosure rates are at 15% and property values have collapsed?
• Is it fair that the citizens labor under disasterous debt burdens while the banking industry has been given subsidies that could have paid off personal mortgage debt three times over?
• Workers have alleged fraud by the company owners.  Should law enforcement launch an investigation into what Comerica knew and when they knew it?  Are there possible fraudulent conveyance issues regarding the collateral?
• Is if fair that US banks are speculating with the TARP money, including foreign exchange trading that is driving the US dollar lower?
• Is if fair that Comerica CEO Ralph Babb got a raise in 2008?
• Is it fair that Comerica stock holders have lost money over the past 5 years while Comerica executives have gotten extremely wealthy?
• Is it fair that Comerica Bank has so much taxpayer TARP money and at the same time ranks in the top ten banks for loans to company insiders?
• Is it fair that these loans to corporate insiders are not fully transparent?
• Is it fair that Comerica has refused to give an account of exactly where the $2.25 billiion in TARP money went and why?
• Is if fair that Comerica executives seem to hide in their plush offices and refuse to answer the public’s questions?  Perhaps the next protest should be at the home of a Comerica executive like Michigan President, Tom Ogden in Grosse Pointe?   Perhaps neighbors should have a chance to see exactly what serous issues Comerica executives are dodging?

No Comerica executives were willing to address these questions.  To the contrary, a goon from Comerica’s security staff came outside to harrass the protesters and interfere with the protest.  A Comerica security goon constantly interfered with the groups right to free speech and free assembly.  At the same time various Comerica employees watched the protesters from the lobby of the building.  Many protesters commented on the arrogant smirks from the “Comericasuits” that watched the workers appeal for fairness.  After letter to Comerica management had been signed by all the attendees the CAW made an attempt to deliver it to someone in the lobby.  To our surprise, Comerica had locked the doors and therefore could not receive the signed letter.  Even Comerica customers and employees were unable to get into the front door after Comerica locked them out at approximately 12:45 pm.  Participants thought this as an act of wholesale cowardice and arrogance.   The signed letter had to be left at Comerica’s front door while the various journalists continued to take notes.  This is what $2.25 billion of your tax dollars now sit.  What will Comerica plan as an encore at future protests?

Disclaimer:

Views and opinions of varous authors and journalists are not necessarily those of www.bankingwhistleblower.wordpress.com or Circle Point LLC. No warranties expressed or implied. Feel free to express your comments, suggested revisions, corrections and/or dissagreements to the editors.  All reader input will be viewed objectively.

When an injured worker is returned back to work at less pay or less hours than he worked before the injury, he is owed temporary partial disability (TPD) benefits. 

The figure is calculated as two-thirds of the difference between his pre-injury earnings and his current earnings.  Typically we have to furnish the insurance company proof of the current earnings on a regular basis to keep those TPD checks coming. 

The paperwork and the logistics of it can become a bit daunting, but it’s one of the services we perform for our clients.

They burst through the door in a noisy explosion of pushchairs, Primark and under fives. Seems she’d just dropped her fourth and they needed a bigger motor. A brand new twenty two grand S-Max people carrier fits the bill rather well they’d decided, very nice too.

The finance appraisal was revealing. She didn’t work, he’d been working a few months as a building labourer, part time mind, don’t want to overdo these things. House all provided for them, naturally.

The new S-Max was out of reach, but a nice four year old low mileage model was within their monthly budget. At late twenties and with a couple of their kids happily destroying the showroom behind their oblivious parents I couldn’t help rather bitterly musing that maybe they were only another sprog and a nice ADHD carers allowance away from that new S-Max after all.

Those who’ve been with this blog from the beginning will recall my ruminating on the benefit system in this country before. It seems to me that very quickly into adulthood (and sometimes before) you’re designated a giver, or a taker. Either you relax into a warm bath of benefits, council houses and kids, and reward yourself with a shiny ten grand S-Max once you pass four sprogs, or you get labeled a worker bee and you get out there and you earn and you pay and you pay and you earn. And you pay. After all, someone has to keep the system afloat.

I had good reason to reflect on this a day or two after the S-Max family. Twenty five years of giving had entitled me to the princely sum of £64/week and a bit of help with the council tax when I lost my job. Not enough to finance a pair of roller skates. Or live on. Pretty clear which category I fall into.

Indeed, over my nearly six month period of unemployment I was able to claim the princely sum of precisely £1,240-08. A rather exact figure, but there’s a good reason why I know this. And it’s because a day or two after the S-Max family were in choosing their new wheels I received a letter from the Department of Work and Pensions.

It seems that now I’m back to my rightful place on the treadmill they’d like some of it back please. And to that end they’ve informed me that the entire amount is now liable for income tax and will be added to my earnings for the purposes of claiming it back from me.

A rough calculation suggests that £385 will be clawed back. Over a quarter of it! Absolutely staggering!!!

And bear this in mind, I’m earning much less than I was. Had I secured a job at my previous pay-scale I could have been taxed on some or all of it at 40%!

Still, I suppose someone has to keep the takers in fags, booze, satellite TV’s and five figure motorcars.

Benjamin Franklin once postulated that “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

He was right. Especially about the taxes.

Innit.

Today I stumbled upon an email marketing platform called MailChimp, which allows users to send up to 3,000 emails per month to up to 500 contacts for free.  Forever.  This is just perfect for a smaller organisation with a limited communications budget.  

So why would you bother using an email marketing campaign manager rather than just sending a bog standard email from outlook, hotmail, yahoo etc?  

Here’s why:

It’s pretty
You can create attractive HTML emails (with pictures and links) alongside plain text alternative versions.  Creating an attractive email campaign is usually done in a WYSIWYG editor, so it means that you don’t have to know lots of fiddly html code either.

It’s personal
You can personalise your email campaign – for example, addressing it as ”Dear Laura” rather than “Dear Colleague” (effectively a mail merge online).  With an email you can opt-in and opt-out functions, and functions whereby your reader can forward to a friend or update their details. 

Measurable Results
Sending an email campaign means that you can monitor who opens your emails and which links they click.  It also helps you to manage your contacts by reporting on the number of  “soft bounces” (i.e. out of office replies) or “hard bounces” (i.e. email address no longer in use) that you receive.  You can also compare reports and effectiveness of archived campaigns.

Time Effective
Email communication is quick to set up and is instant in its delivery (no postal strikes!) – plus you can usually time your campaign to send at a specific time / day.  Email is global and it’s 24 hour.

Cost Effective
Sending an e-marketing campaign is also very cost effective.  As with the example of MailChimp – there are free offers out there (although sending options can be limited), but there are also many other platforms that offer a variety of different pricing options.  

Of course there other things to take into consideration as well. Such as;

The high “noise to action” ratio of email communications (people receive a lot of email during the course of a day – much of which gets forgotten about / ignored)

Data protection – make sure you aren’t spamming people! (read the Email Marketing Council’s best practice guidelines here)

You won’t be able to communicate with people who have no access to the internet

As mentioned previously, the MailChimp system caught my eye as it seemed quite a generous free offering.  However, there are many organisations that can help with email marketing, as you can see from this extensive list from the Direct Marketing Association