Monday, December 31, 2012

What is this Fiscal Cliff Everyone is Talking About?


What is this Fiscal Cliff Everyone is Talking About?

by  | on December 31, 2012
Fiscal cliff
photo by hangoutnetworks.com

What is the fiscal cliff?

Remember the Roadrunner cartoons?  Wile E. Coyote chased the Roadrunner like mad and at the last minute the Roadrunner would jump out of the way and the coyote would go flying off the edge of a cliff.
Fiscal cliff
photo by motherjones.com
Well that is like the fiscal cliff.  The Roadrunner (the government) has a set of laws called the Budget Control Act of 2011 which we will discuss in detail later.  The government can leave the Act alone and let it come in to effect on Jan. 1, 2013 or they can make adjustments or cancel it altogether.  No matter what course they take, the coyote (the American people) is going over the fiscal cliff in one way or another because most American families will see a tax increase under any scenario.
Here is a great educational explanation of the fiscal cliff from YouTube by the Wall Street Journal:
Even though this explanation is simplified and meant to be humorous, it’s important to keep in mind that the concept of “going over the fiscal cliff” has been created and hyped by the media.

The “fiscal cliff” suggests an immediate disaster, but even if a deal isn’t reached by December 31, it doesn’t mean that a recession and financial market crash has to occur. Any deal that is reached after Dec. 31 will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2013.

Now back to the Budget Control Act – it is a set of laws that will go into effect after midnight on Dec 31/2012.  These laws include:
  • The end of last year’s payroll tax cuts (this will be a 2% tax increase for workers)
  • The end of certain business tax breaks
  • Shifts in the alternative minimum tax
  • Rollback of the “Bush tax cuts” from 2001-2003
  • Beginning of the taxes related to Obama’s health care law
Along with these, the spending cuts from the debt ceiling agreement of 2011 will come into effect (see the next crisis at the end of the article).  This means more than a thousand government programs will automatically be cut including Medicare and defense.
The Democrats and Republicans have three choices and none are easy:
  1. If they let the scheduled changes happen in 2013, the tax increases and spending cuts will negatively affect the economy and may cause a recession, but the deficit would be reduced.
  2. They can cancel some or all of the planned tax increases and cuts to spending, but this would add to the deficit and the US might face the same kind of financial crisis we have seen across Europe or the nation’s debt would keep growing.
  3. They could take a middle of the road approach and change the tax increases and spending cuts, but the threat is a less than optimal growth.
Fiscal cliff
photo by willitsnews.com
The Next Crisis
The next crisis facing the United States will again be hitting the “debt ceiling”.  If you recall, the same thing happened in the summer of 2011 and really upset the stock markets.  This caused the spending cuts that are now making up a portion of the fiscal cliff.
VERY FEW people make as much fiscal COMMON SENSE as John Stossel and most of the people he has on his show, like Ron Paul in this case.  Enjoy this YouTube video by LibertyPen and FoxNews:
 
God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
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The 2013 Calendar is So Hot Right Now: Wait, People Still Use Physical Calendars?


The 2013 Calendar is So Hot Right Now: People Still Use Physical Calendars?

by  | on December 31, 2012
2013 Calendar
photo by vectorgraphicsblog.com

Isn’t it funny in our online, technical, connected world that we still like to have a physical calendar?  And the 2013 calendar is certainly no exception.

Maybe it is easy to understand if you have ever committed every piece of your schedule to a computer or handheld device such as a blackberry or smartphone and either lost the device or had it fail or crash without warning.
It is a terrible helpless feeling because your whole life’s schedule is temporarily lost and you struggle through the next few days missing appointments and being late for meetings until you can reconstruct your life.  In the meantime you look like an unprofessional fool going around apologizing for not knowing what is going on.
At this time of year, a lot of people are shopping for their 2013 calendar.  We like to mark down dentist and doctor’s appointments, school holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and every other event that comes along.
2013 Calendar
photo by 123rf.com
People also choose 2013 calendar to suit their personalities – cat lovers, dog lovers, flower lovers, etc., etc. all choose calendars that match their hobbies or passions.  Or, perhaps decorative, and in other languages as pictured left.
Even if we don’t actually hang it up in the kitchen, like mom used to, we have them at our desk or in a drawer or in a purse or pocket to refer to and “Day Timer” type calendar books are still popular with business professionals.

The 2013 calendar are still a popular item for businesses to give away to their customers.

This actually makes sense, because their advertising is in front of you for the entire year. Many charities recognize how calendar sales help them raise money – who doesn’t like to look at the hunky firefighters’ calendars, or for the men – the pretty bikini clad gals.
If you were going to create a 2013 calendar, how would you set it up?  Would you use 7 days a week and 12 months a year?  Interesting thought, isn’t it?
Most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar which replaced the Julian calendar in 1582 and has been in use in the US since 1752.  The biggest difference of the two types is that the Gregorian calendar designates a leap year as a century year that is divisible by 400.  For instance 2000 was a leap year but 1900 was not.
For every century year that is not divisible by 400, the Julian calendar would fall one day behind the Gregorian calendar.  The change occurred to correct the Julian calendar which was slightly too long and consequently Easter was slowly drifting forward in the calendar … that means eventually the Jesus’ Resurrection celebration would have been arriving on the same day as the celebration of His birth!
 
God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Hope you Truly had a Merry Christmas, here in 2012!


Hope you Truly had a Merry Christmas, here in 2012!

by  | on December 30, 2012
Merry Christmas
photo by engagefamilyminute.com

Merry Christmas – what is the reason for the season?

It is safe to say that the overall accepted message of “Merry Christmas” is “peace on earth, goodwill to men”.  Regardless of the religious part of the season, there is always an agreement that people will try to be in good spirits at Christmas time.
As we all know, most of the world’s Christians celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, while the Eastern Orthodox Christian church celebrates 13 days later, usually on Jan 7.  Regardless of the date, in both branches of Christianity, it is the observation of the birth of Jesus Christ.
More and more non-Christians are joining in the celebrations around Christmas.  An indication of this is how Christmas is increasing referred to as the Holiday Season.  Because many of the traditions and customs around marking Christmas in North America and Europe are not actually based in religion, it is easy for non-Christians to join in without offending their religions.
For instance, decorating the house with lights and garlands is not a religious act.  Nor is exchanging Christmas cards or putting up a Christmas tree.  While giving is considered a part of the religious celebration of the birth of Christ, Santa Claus is completely a non-secular invention.  Most of the non-religious celebration of Christmas is driven by commerce as they bombard us with the message – buy and consume more.  They are also responsible for setting high expectations of what everyone should wear, eat, give and feel at Christmas.

Christmas, whether we like it or not has become a major economic factor in many businesses.  It is estimated that on average at least 25% of the yearly profits are made during this time.  In some cases, the “Merry Christmas” shopping season will make or break a company.

It is now considered normal for stores to put up decorations and start their Christmas advertising as early as the day after Halloween and continue the theme through the January sales period.  Their message is spend, consume and live up to the expectations of the season and they will do whatever it takes to align themselves with your “Merry Christmas” celebration with pre-Christmas, Christmas and after Christmas sales.
Here’s hoping that no matter what your religious beliefs are or if you mark Christmas in December or January that you have a Merry Christmas and enjoy some “peace on earth, goodwill to men” during your celebrations.  Try not to set your expectations too high – no one can achieve the “perfect”, or Merry Christmas, and attempting to will cause more grief than happiness. One of the best ways to feel blessed and thankful is to give to others who are less fortunate than you now and throughout the year.

God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
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Stormin’ Norman Reached the End of a Distinguishing Career and August Life


Stormin’ Norman Reached the End of a Distinguishing Career and August Life

by  | on December 30, 2012
stormin' Norman

Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one: be without the strategy. – General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
photo by wikipedia

There are few words in the English language that describe stormin’ Norman’s exceptional military career.   Dignified, extraordinary, distinguished, and brilliant are a few of the most apropos.

Retired US Four star General Norman Schwarzkopf (stormin’ Norman) died on Thursday Dec 27 at the age of 78 from complications of pneumonia.
The moniker, stormin’ Norman, apparently came from his “no-nonsense”, “get it done now” personality.  But he preferred to be called “The Bear”, which is how his army troops referred to him.
stormin' Norman
photo by armedforcesmuseum.com
When you look at Norman Schwarzkopf’s life it is easy to see that he was almost destined to lead the US army in the Desert Storm war.  So many things in his life pointed to it.  He has often been compared to the great American General George Patton.
Stormin’ Norman was born in 1934, in Trenton, N.J. while his father Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. (who founded the New Jersey State Police) was in the midst of the kidnapping case of the Lindbergh baby.
When he was a teen, Norman went to Iran where his father was training Iran’s national police force and also acting as an adviser to the Shah of Iran.

Young stormin’ Norman studied in Iran, Switzerland, Germany and Italy, before finally following his father’s footsteps to West Point Academy where he graduated in 1956 as an engineer.

Young Norman spent periods in the U.S. and abroad, before earning his master’s degree in engineering at the University of Southern California.  He went on to teach missile engineering at West Point.
Starting in 1966 he volunteered to serve two tours in the Vietnam War where stormin’ Norman earned three Silver Stars for valor – including one for saving his troops from a minefield, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and three Distinguished Service Medals.
At the end of the Vietnam War many disillusioned officers left the military. Schwarzkopf was one of few who decided to remain in the Army to help restore the dilapidated forces into a strong, modernized all-volunteer force.  He did not believe the draft created a powerful army.
Stormin’ Norman became commander in chief of U.S. Central Command at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base in 1988, where he oversaw the headquarters for U.S. military and security concerns in many countries from the Middle East to Afghanistan and the rest of central Asia and Pakistan.
Enjoy this recent report and short summary of Norman’s career by FoxNews on YouTube:
“I’ve always felt that I was more than one-dimensional. I’d like to think I’m a caring human being. … It’s nice to feel that you have a purpose,” he once told The Associated Press. To those who knew stormin’ Norman well, he was friendly, talkative and even cheerful and will be remembered for his many charitable acts, particularly with chronically ill children.
stormin' Norman
photo by mirror.co.uk
In part of his tribute to stormin’ Norman, President Barack Obama said, “With the passing of Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, we’ve lost an American original … Gen. Schwarzkopf stood tall for the country and Army he loved.”




Nobody filled a room quite like General Norman Schwarzkopf.
 
God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
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Friday, December 28, 2012

A ‘Trojan Horse Cancer Strategy’ Exciting Breakthrough


A ‘Trojan Horse Cancer Strategy’ Exciting Breakthrough

by  | on December 28, 2012
Trojan Horse Cancer strategy
photo by medicineworld.org
There is an exciting breakthrough in cancer research announced by scientists from the University of Sheffield Medical School.  The project was sponsored by the Prostate Cancer Charity and Yorkshire Cancer Research.



It is being called the Trojan Horse cancer strategy and has been proven successful in eliminating prostate cancer in mice in the treatment study.

Researchers are very optimistic that this can be translated into a human cure, but state that human trials are the next step.
You may remember the story of the Trojan Horse from mythology.  Ancient Greeks wanted to conquer the city of Troy but couldn’t penetrate the high walls and locked gate that the Trojans had built.  The Greeks built a huge wooden horse and hid soldiers inside it before pulling it up to the front of the Trojan gates pretending it was a gift.  The Trojans opened their gate and pulled the wooden horse inside the city.  At night the Greek soldiers came out of the Trojan Horse and opened the gates for the rest of their army to enter, which allowed them to conquer the city of Troy.

The Trojan Horse cancer strategy works the same way, but in order to understand it you need to know how macrophages work.

Macrophages are large white blood cells that are part of the immune system.  They occur in the bloodstream and ingest foreign particles and infectious microorganisms. It is known that the number of macrophages increase in a cancerous tumor after standard chemotherapy and radiation treatments because the macrophages are drawn to the tumor sites.
Researchers injected a tumor destroying virus into macrophages and used them to hide the virus and deliver it to the tumor site.  The virus had to be hidden because the immune system will normally find and destroy any virus in the body.  The macrophages naturally go to the tumor site and multiply and attack the tumor cells.  This treatment kept the tumors in mice from re-growing and spreading.  Since they are sneaking the virus into the tumor, the nameTrojan Horse cancer strategy seems appropriate.
Enjoy this YouTube video by the NewsyScience folks:
While the results of the Trojan Horse cancer strategy research are very promising for human cancer treatments, the researchers were quick to point out that human trials must be done.  There have been other instances where cancer strategies that worked successfully on animals didn’t translate to a human cure, however, this is definitely to be regarded as an important step in the development of new cancer treatments and provides evidence that the concept does work.
Please leave your comments, concerns or questions about the Trojan Horse cancer strategy in the comment section below.
God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
FIND your way to making $1000 PER DAY (I'm not kidding).   DISCOVER the WEIRD marketing tricks of the Empower Network.   WATCH this FREE Video.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Want to Know Some More about the Mayan Calendar?


Want to Know Some More about the Mayan Calendar?

by  | on December 26, 2012
Mayan Calendar
photo by redorbit.com

Well, we are still here even though some said the end of the world would be on Dec. 21, 2012 according to the Mayan Calendar.

The Mayan Calendar (the Mayan empire was made up of what is now known as Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador) is 5125 years old and Dec. 21, 2012 is the end of this cycle.  So this was interpreted by some to mean the Earth would cease to exist or would have a catastrophic collision with another planet on this date.
Enjoy this related YouTube video chosen for its popularity (view count):

Some professional Mayan Calendar experts say that the Mayans did not account for leap years in their calendars.

If you figure in the leap days that were not recorded, the end of the world would really have been about 13 years ago.
In true entrepreneurial spirit, there were some who found ways to profit from this event years before it was supposed to happen.  Just about anything you could think of was for sale.  Of course, none of them were actually needed.
Here are some examples:
  • You could buy a guide to tell you the locations you should move your family to in order to survive the Earth’s wobble.
  • Instruction manuals on how to build an underground shelter, how to keep it a secret and what to put in it to survive for a year.
  • Courses on how to read and predict the weather without newspapers or radios (which theoretically would not be available after the end of the Earth)
  • 72 hour survival kits, so you could ride out the end of the Earth at home.
  • US Army survival manuals
  • How to interpret the Mayan Calendar
  • Portable generators, water storage tanks and water treatment tablets
  • 2012 music
  • List of items to start hoarding
  • Trips, tours and cruises going to Machu Picchu – the lost city of the Incas, known as the crystal city in the clouds.  (It was very interesting that one of these tours had a return date of Dec. 22 – the day after the Mayan Calendar predicted the end of the Earth.)
Mayan Calendar
photo by howstuffworks.com
Of course there were also websites, Facebook pages, Twitter groups and YouTube videos all dedicated to Dec. 21 2012. It is amusing to note, that some 2012 websites are now having “blowout sales” on their products.  One ad even offered free shipping of a survival book until Dec. 31 (10 ten days after the proposed end of the world)!

God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
FIND your way to making $1000 PER DAY (I'm not kidding).   DISCOVER the WEIRD marketing tricks of the Empower Network.   WATCH this FREE Video.

Tim Tebow and the Jets


Tim Tebow and the Jets

by  | on December 26, 2012
Tim Tebow
photo by cbsnews.com

It was probably the last chapter of Tim Tebow’s book with the New York Jets, as he watched last Sunday’s game from the sidelines.

Fans are asking why the Jets didn’t even try to win the game, as quarterback Mark Sanchez took 11 sacks in the losing game.  Many pundits felt it would have been Tebow’s game to win or lose. Jets’ fans also feel cheated, and say they were fooled again by The Jets as they had promised great things this season and didn’t deliver.  In the case of Tebow, they didn’t even try.

The Jets had a miserable season of only 6 wins and 9 losses and Tebow was hardly even given an opportunity to contribute.

Their fans are feeling ripped off. The Jets originally traded for Tim Tebow, but it is puzzling why Coach Rex Ryan hasn’t used him fully.  It was not that he did not perform he was not given the opportunity to play.
Enjoy this ESPN related YouTube video about Tebow’s near future:
 
Always the nice guy, Tim Tebow showed he no longer wanted to be a part of the Jets’ season, as he took the high road when asked about not playing in the game.  He said, “I was just trying to help the team any way I can. Try to be encouraging. Try to be a leader on the sidelines”.  Tim Tebow, who has been mostly silent on being sidelined recently, finally told the coaches not to put him in any more games.   He must have suspected that something was wrong earlier in the season when the Jets let him play with a rib injury, and then used that injury to sit him out while McElroy played.

It is wildly speculated that Tim Tebow will join the Jacksonville Jaguars who have wanted him for a while.

They tried to trade for him during the last offseason. Tebow is from Jacksonville, so it will undoubtedly be a business move to fill the stands.  The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to have an open quarterback competition, no matter who is the coach.
Tim Tebow Jets, Girlfriend Call it Quits? Is Quarterback Looking for a Move Out of New York?  YouTube video by ABCNews:
 
No one expects that there will be a lot of competition for Tim Tebow who is unlikely to get a better chance to play anywhere else, even if he becomes a free agent.  It is seen by some as a solution to the situation that has been painful to watch.
The Jaguars’ general manager Gene Smith and coach Mike Mularkey have uncertain futures in Jacksonville, so it is plain to see that this position is coming down from the teams’ top brass.

God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
FIND your way to making $1000 PER DAY (I'm not kidding).   DISCOVER the WEIRD marketing tricks of the Empower Network.   WATCH this FREE Video.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Instagram Allowed to Sell Member's Photos to Third Parties?


Instagram Allowed to Sell Member’s Photos to Third Parties?

by  | on December 24, 2012
instagram
photo by instagram.com

Instagram is a free photo sharing online service that started in October 2010 and combines photo sharing with social media.

It was originally an app for Apple products such as iPhone, iPads and iPods, but in April 2012 it became available for Android and camera phones.
Instagram users take a picture and use filters to change the look of their photo and then post it to the Instagram site and it can also be easily shared on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter and people can “like” your picture(s).
Gut splitting YouTube video by College Humor.  ”Look at this Instagram (Nickleback parody)”
*Advisory:  a couple explicit words used, and a couple guttural references*
With its success and over 100 million users, Instagram became very attractive to Facebook who purchased it and finalized the deal in September 2012 for about $1 billion in stock and cash.

In December 2012, Instagram changed the terms of service, allowing it to sell the members’ photos to third parties without permission, notification or compensation as of January 16, 2013. There was immediate widespread criticism particularly from privacy advocates.  One large user, National Geographic even suspended its Instagram account.

Instagram responded to the backlash and retracted the plan and is now working on producing a new policy statement.
Users are worried about their photos (and themselves) being used for advertising.  There is also the typical expectation of financial compensation which has been eliminated with the new policies.  For some, it is seen as a form of stealing.  Many feel this is also a privacy issue and this will make advertisers think twice about how they would use Instagram photos.
The ironic part of the backlash is that people are posting on Facebook to complain about another Facebook product (Instagram).  It is likely that this is a use that wasn’t foreseen.
The biggest advantage of Instagram is that it is one of few social programs that is almost exclusively used by mobile users.  Now, marketers are feeling threatened about how to use it.  They are hoping that the repercussions of the public’s anger will not backfire on their plans to put their ads out to the Instagram users.
For instance, if you “liked” a number of photos of cars, you might get ads sent to you from new car manufacturers or parts suppliers.  But this will not work if the public’s perception is poor and the trend to quit Instagram over the latest controversy continues.
Even though many users have not fully understood all the facts, it will not stop them from rebelling against Instagram and its marketers.  It will be very interesting to see how the PR and spin for this situation is presented.

God bless you!
 
Adrian and Jocelyn Frank
CEO/Owners of Adrian Frank Consulting
eMail: adrianfrank@gmail.com, jocelyntranfrank@gmail.com
www.BeEmpoweredHere.com 
 
FIND your way to making $1000 PER DAY (I'm not kidding).   DISCOVER the WEIRD marketing tricks of the Empower Network.   WATCH this FREE Video.