Rs. 48,000 Crores Business Opportunity in Mobile Value Added Services - Sify

New Delhi, Delhi, India:Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will be launching video on demand for its mobile phone subscribers in a month’s time. The announcement was made by Chairman & Managing Director Shri Rakesh K Upadhyay, BSNL while inaugurating VAS ASIA 2012, 12th International Conference & Exhibition at New Delhi, organized by Bharat Exhibitions.

“The MVAS industry is expected to create a business opportunity worth around INR 48,000 crore by the year 2015. This in itself is a clear indication of the future of VAS services in India. No doubt this has created a new excitement for all those who are in this space and for those who are entering,” said Shashi Dharan, Managing Director, Bharat Exhibitions.

During his address, Shri A. K. Bhargava, Executive Director (Wireless Service) Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) said that the story of the value added service on the mobile phone is just the beginning. “All products on the mobile phone are for the masses, there is a requirement of creative innovation, which should be cost effective and for masses Shri Bhargava added.

The emergence of the mobile phone as the single device for a host of services has changed the paradigm in the communication and entertainment industries with several discreet devices being displaced in favour of a single device, said Mr. Rajan S. Mathews, Director-General of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). He drew attention to some emerging problems in the telecommunication area where customer charges needed to be as low as possible for the mass communication device to be affordable to the last man. “The “exploding cost of regulation” is a critical issue. The increasing introduction of regulatory issues into what is actually market driven service is affecting the growth of this sector, “said Mr. Mathews.

“Mobile internet users are expected to surpass the desktop Internet users 2014. The disparity in the time spent on mobile (10 per cent) and the advertisement spend (1per cent) would also rebalance soon, thereby boosting revenue from the mobile VAS for the operators. With advertising revenue rising by at least three times in two years from now this sector will also bridge the social media and location based marketing with personalization that was not possible till now, “ said Mr. Alex Moukas, CEO Velti, while delivering the keynote address at the VAS Asia 2012. He further added that explosive mobile Internet adoption will surpass the desk top users.

“India’s Internet users penetration will rise to 35 per cent by 2015 and more than three quarters will choose mobile phone access,” said Mr. Sukesh Jain, head VAS & Content, Bharti Airtel. The total Internet access capability by 2015 is expected to rise from 100 million to 450 million, of which 41 percent will be using mobile only and another 38 per cent both cell phone and PC. Data service on the mobile is expected to broaden and deepen customer experience with the cell phone with the consequent improvement in the operator revenues. Revenue contribution from current VAS services is expected to come down as revenues from data increase as a percentage of total revenue.

What was holding back the prospect of huge revenues from mobile VAS was the fact that smart phone base was growing slowly till recently. In the first quarter of this year out of 50 million new devices sold, smart phones constituted only 2.7 million and the total smart phone base in the country is around 27 million, while the total subscribers base have crossed 950 million. The population that needs to be addressed is the regional language speakers who are the large majority compared to only 7 per cent knowing English speaking population.

“Mobile VAS has huge revenue potentials, the global average share of MVAS revenue is leading user countries is pegged at approximately 23 per cent ,” said Mr. Chandan Ghosh, Head -Global Wholesale & Carrier Business , Aircel Limited. The drive to increase average revenue per user and gain customer loyalty in a highly competitive market has led operators to liven up their mobile portfolios. Operators are looking at various means to use MVAS as a growth driver and key differentiator. According to him the industry falling prices of handsets and increasing competition was forcing manufacturers to shift focus to services. For operators falling voice revenues, increasing competition and heavy investments in 3G have made them to turn to VAS to secure their business.

New opportunities were emerging for banks, educational institutions and health care providers to use value added services over their mobile. This could be the game that operators would have to address to improve their revenues. The broad categories for successful monetization of MVAS were in M-education, M-commerce, M-Health and M-Infotainment. “The end game is not about generating new revenues. It’s about delivering compelling customer experience in order to extract new value from existing customers”, said Mr. Ghosh.

“The opportunity for the technology players to play a critical role in the further expansion of the Indian VAS Market has become more crucial now”, said Mr. John He, CEO, DONJIN Communication Technology Co. Ltd.

About Bharat Exhibitions:

In a world where technology is erasing borders, it is indeed ironical that professionals find it increasingly difficult to maintain peer to peer contact on regular basis. Bharat Exhibitions fills in this space by managing and hosting some of India’s premier Telecom & IT events. We own niche and prestigious conference properties in the new generation technology arena such as VAS Asia, LTE India, Broadband Tech India, Enterprise India, Cloud Computing India, Data Centre India, Green Telecom India and Mobile Payment India. We have a simple mission: Establish & deliver contacts that create value for your business.

For more details, please visit http://www.bharatexhibitions.com.
Contact:
Rajesh Prothi, Absolute Factor, +91 9810209123

View the original article here

Online Small Business opportunities in the USA 2012, Jobs online at Home

http://www.budurl.com/G2Sniper/ Are you looking for online business opportunities in the usa? You can start to work smarter not harder, making your income from your online small business working online from home. To make money at home online you have to follow guide, that has proven to be very successful! GSniper websites do not require any technical knowledge or coding, it is best job online without a degree for everyone. Sniper web sites do not take weeks to setup. In fact you could have your 1-st one setup today. Then you never have to touch it again. It does not matter who you are, No Experience Needed to start. It takes a desire and commitment and is required for anything you do, give it a little time and lots of dedication and you will win every time at anything you do. The more you put into something with the right tools and legit guidance the more rewards you will recieve. http://www.budurl.com/G2Sniper/

------------------------------ignore--this---------------------------
One of best jobs 2011 in the world to do working online.
part time jobs from home career development plan
career advice, part time jobs for students online in 2012.
jobs online at home in canada using your computer. best careers of 2012, working online from home to earn more money.
job search techniques career advice for young people australia.
online business opportunities in usa in 2012.
work from home ideas with google sniper to work smarter not harder.
best way to set up an internet business how to {work from home} online, the best job in the world without any expirience.
work from home with multiple income streams work smart not hard.
best job in the world case study, road to financial freedom.
work from home 2012, how to become wealthy and successfully manage your personal finances, "best careers of 2012" how to work from home online career opportunities.
find something to sell online, best jobs without a degree for women. How to make extra money working from home online, how to find a second job with good income, careers of the future in uk.
ways to find good online business opportunities in usa to work smart.
Starting to work from home with multiple income streams for everyone. set up an internet business in uk, how to work from home 20 min per day.
highest paying jobs out of college 2012, online earning money at home. To learn how to be wealthy in life, part time work at home, highest paying jobs 2012; how to become wealthy in america, best careers of 2012. Starting a business from home ideas {work from home online} the best job, how to make money on the web 2012.
good small business internet marketing australia to start today.
work from home with multiple income streams
highest paying jobs in the world, create your small business in australia fast online and build small websites, [how to work from home] online 2012 jobs Australia, income at home ways on how can I be rich slowly and work smart, earn money online from home become entrepreneur in canada. Best jobs 2012 in america, how to become wealthy on a small budget; the best job in the world, best paying careers for men, to work at home, career opportunities australia.
Starting an internet business from home in texas, highest paying careers for women using pc, best jobs without a degree 2012 for everyone to do without any expirience working online to earn extra money with online small business starting today.
the best job in the world, small business internet marketing australia.
Work from home ideas with google sniper work smarter not harder, online business opportunities in the usa working using your pc.

View the original article here

Small business opportunities workshop at ABIA - The Business Journal

The city of Austin will hold a workshop next week to discuss small business opportunities at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport    Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Latest from The Business Journals Delta fined nearly M for alleged violationsAustin launches F1 website with business sectionExpedia study: International arrivals up at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Follow this company .

The free event on June 26 will cover business contract opportunities with car rental agencies and other concession businesses at ABIA.

“This workshop is designed to connect concessionaires at ABIA with small, minority and women-owned firms that can provide local food, office supplies, maintenance and repair to name a few scopes of work,” said Debra Dibble, acting director for the Small and Minority Business Resources Department.

The workshop will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 2800 Spirit of Texas Drive in the Learning and Research Center near the airport’s cell phone lot.

Want to stay up to date? Sign up for our DailyUpdate news blast email. Follow us on Twitter @MyABJ and on Facebook.

Manages the website, news emails and social media sites.

See all your followed company news on your personalized dashboard.

To access the full benefits of bizWatch and receive a weekly email with aggregated news on all the companies you are following, please provide your email address below.

View the original article here

After the Arab Spring, a Rush to Do Business in the Middle East

More than a year has passed since the Arab Spring, the catchall name for the revolutions sweeping the Middle East. The political and economic changes have closed some doors and opened others for business people willing to tolerate risk.

“I have seen a flurry of activity because of the Arab Spring that was not happening before,” said Naava Mashiah, an Israeli who is the chief executive of M.E. Links, a consulting company that she described as working “to nurture economic relationships between Israel and other places.”

Ms. Mashiah, who works out of Geneva, said much of the activity is in soft diplomacy and informal development meetings, often coordinated with human rights and nongovernmental organizations. She mentioned helping clients develop contacts in or from locations that include Tunisia, Qatar, Egypt and Libya.

“It is bringing people together, even if it is a think tank,” she said, adding: “A lot of networking goes on in the corridors.” She described the current back-channel activity and potential as akin to the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, which touched off an economic boom.

Chuck Dittrich, executive director of the U.S.-Libya Business Association, said he thought that American business people needed to “just get over there and get a feel for the place,” even if it did not seem immediately productive.

Mr. Dittrich said that association members were meeting Libyan government officials and business people, and that they were “not so much there to sell, as more developing relationships as they do their planning process and decide where to go now.” He mentioned Libyan trade shows focusing on oil, transportation and infrastructure development, health and education.

Mr. Dittrich said the Libyan economy had begun to be liberalized in 2005, when Muammar el-Qaddafi, then president, began courting the West. From a business perspective, he said, that means “the glass is more than half full,” adding, “The ingredients are all there for them to pull this off in a very good way.”

American businesses that wait too long, fearing the risks, could be left behind, he said. Mr. Dittrich said his group visited in April, and “we were the first organized U.S. business organization to go to Tripoli since the conflict.” But, he said, “Turkish and European delegations were there right from the early days.”

But a business traveler briefly stopping in the region has to make different preparations from someone who is based in a country in the midst of change. Marshall L. Stocker, a chartered financial analyst with the Boston hedge fund manager Emergent Property Advisors, moved to Cairo in June 2010, and temporarily fled after the mass protests began on Jan. 25, 2011.

“In Egypt, cells were off, the Internet was off. Obviously there was no business to be done. I was barricaded in my apartment,” he said, adding, “I self-evacuated to the airport with tickets for three different flights” that his wife had arranged for him from the United States.

Mr. Stocker returned in February 2011, after Hosni Mubarak resigned as president. Despite the disruptions, he said, Egypt presents business opportunities. “Now is a great time to buy assets,” he said. “Conceptually, and in practice here, assets are falling in value.”

He said his company was interested in Egypt because of the direction its business climate was moving. “One of the things that attracted us to Egypt was that the World Bank had improved its ‘ease of doing business’ rating,” he said. “Egypt had become more hospitable to investment. From 2004 to 2007, it had the single greatest improvement in ‘ease of doing business’ of any country in the world.”

While things have generally settled, he said he was prepared for emergencies. “As a result of the Arab Spring, I bought political evacuation insurance, and I have a satellite phone,” he said. He uses Global Rescue, a company that provides medical evacuation, security services and other emergency assistance. Still, Mr. Stocker said some Cairo business travel costs had decreased, including hotel rates and airfares.

View the original article here

Profit Mastery Announces New Agent Opportunity for Business Consultants to Expand Service Offerings - Newswiretoday.com

Profit Mastery announced today the launch of a new Profit Mastery Agent program, offering business coaches, consultants and advisors the opportunity to generate incremental revenue and create expanded consulting opportunities by bringing the highly-acclaimed Profit Mastery financial education curriculum directly to their clients for the first time.

A study done by Inc. magazine and the National Business Incubator Association revealed that 80 percent of new businesses fail within the first five years. The business experts at Profit Mastery believe this failure is most often caused by the poor financial management of companies.

Over the past two decades, hundreds of thousands of business owners have completed the Profit Mastery program, and those that have applied Profit Mastery to their businesses have proved to be better credit risks for banks, hired more staff, opened more locations, and operated their businesses more profitably. Increased profit provides the resources necessary for small businesses to take advantage of new opportunities and promote economic growth in their communities.

"The many requests we've had from business coaches and advisors led us to create this new Profit Mastery Agent opportunity," said Steve LeFever, Chairman of Profit Mastery. "Agents can now dovetail long-term consulting relationships with their clients to implement these critically important financial tools into their businesses -- thereby expanding their consulting revenue opportunities and extending the client lifecycle."

A Profit Mastery Agent has four sources of direct delivery income: selling online registrations to the Profit Mastery University online streaming video portal, conducting live/facilitated classes, selling monthly Profit Guard reports, and engaging clients in ongoing monthly consulting. Commission revenues can also be earned through the sales of performance groups, benchmark studies, and keynote presentations delivered by Profit Mastery staff. Additional commissioned revenue comes through recruiting/referring new agents.

The Profit Mastery Agent program includes:

? Unlimited access to the Profit Mastery University (PMU) online streaming video curriculum for both online self-study and live/facilitated programs that Agents present;
? A facilitator guide and certification upon completion of the online PMU training;
? A customized landing page for each Agent?s website with promotional link to the Profit Mastery website;
? A customized shopping cart exclusively for Agent clients;
? All fulfillment services for Profit Mastery online registrations;
? Marketing collateral materials to help promote the agent business and ongoing support from Profit Mastery staff3.

Complete information regarding the Profit Mastery Agent opportunity is located at brs-seattle.com/agent

About Profit Mastery

Profit Mastery (profitmastery.net) is a team of former business owners, bankers, and finance professionals that help small business owners deliver a bigger bottom line ? by linking financial management education, benchmarking and peer performance groups. We are passionate about delivering practical financial management tools to improve the profitability and cash flow of those we serve.

View the original article here

Research and Markets: Business Opportunities in the Rail & Road Infrastructure Construction Industry in China: Market ...

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fvs354/business_opportuni) has announced the addition of the "Business Opportunities in the Rail & Road Infrastructure Construction Industry in China: Market Profile" report to their offering.

The report provides detailed market analysis, information and insights into the rail and road infrastructure construction market in China, including:

- A comprehensive and specific analysis of market attractiveness, covering the key trends and drivers across China

- Detailed market sizes for a period of ten years (2007-2016), including category level analysis by construction activity and by cost type

- Detailed insights into the regulatory frameworks, market entry strategies and expansion strategies relevant to the rail and road infrastructure construction market

Reasons To Buy

- Make strategic business decisions using historic and forecast market data related to the rail and road infrastructure construction market in China and each category within it

- Identify the key market trends and opportunities for both existing companies and prospective new market entrants

- Assess the competitive landscape in the rail and road infrastructure construction market enabling the formulation of effective market-entry strategies

- Gain insights into the marketing strategies used by rail and road infrastructure construction companies

Key Topics Covered:

BRIC Countries Comparison

1.1 Rail Infrastructure Construction - Industry Attractiveness

1.2 Road Infrastructure Construction - Industry Attractiveness

1.3 Macroeconomic Drivers

China

2.1 Analyst Opinion and Future Outlook

2.2 Infrastructure Construction Market Dynamics

- Market share of transport infrastructure

- Key trends and emerging areas

- Regulation

2.3 Analysis of Market Drivers

- Economic activity

- Reforms undertaken by the government

- Additional government initiatives

- Foreign direct investment

- PPPs in infrastructure development

- Chinese authorities planning to build more highways over the forecast period

2.4 Chinese Rail Infrastructure Construction -Market Opportunity

- Rail infrastructure construction market by construction activity

- Rail infrastructure construction market by cost type

2.5 Road Infrastructure Construction - Market Opportunity

- Road Infrastructure construction market by construction activity

- Road Infrastructure construction market by cost type

2.6 Key Chinese Rail and Road Infrastructure Construction Projects

- Project name: HDOT/GDOT - Qiongzhou Strait Bridge - Hainan

- Project name: MoR - Hefei Urban Rail Transit System - Anhui

- Project name: MoRC/MoRP - Kashgar-Gwadar Railway Line - Xinjiang

- Project name: MoR - Second Trunk Railway Line - Xinjiang

- Other active projects

2.7 Industry Structure and Competitiveness

- Industry structure

- Major companies

2.8 Business and Operational Strategy

Appendix

Companies Mentioned

- China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation

- China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd

- China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd

- Shanghai Construction Group Co.

- Shanghai Urban Construction (Group) Corporation

For more information, including full table of contents, please visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/fvs354/business_opportuni.

View the original article here

Travelers and NYSE Euronext CEOs Co-Host “Small Business – Big Opportunity” Symposium with SBA Chief Karen Mills as Keynote Speaker - StreetInsider.com

Bloomberg and Christie Administration Officials Discuss Ways to Spur Economic Growth and Job Creation

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), today convened a discussion at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to raise awareness of issues impacting entrepreneurs and recommend solutions for success. Today's event culminates the national, multi-year “Small Business - Big Opportunity” symposia series, and U.S. Small Business Administration head Karen Mills delivered the keynote address.

At the event, Travelers Chairman and CEO Jay Fishman proposed specific solutions, including developing a three-year incubator period during which small businesses would face lower taxes and fewer regulatory requirements and penalties. He also recommended that cities and states consolidate overlapping and redundant regulations to reduce red tape.

“As one of the largest insurers of small businesses, we have a first-hand view of the challenges they face, and we feel a responsibility to advocate for their success,” said Fishman, whose father was a small business owner. “In addition, sound economic policy that promotes small business growth and job creation is important for our nation's economic success and preserving and promoting the American opportunity.”

NYSE Euronext CEO Duncan Niederauer discussed the company’s jobs-growth initiative, “The NYSE Big StartUpSM is a joint partnership to fuel new business creation, capital-raising activity and employment growth.”

“By connecting small businesses with established corporate enterprises, we are creating a thriving hub for collaboration and entrepreneurship offering startups and small enterprises new resources for boosting procurement, networking, business development, training and more job opportunities,” Niederauer said. “We applaud Travelers leadership in identifying ways to spur economic growth and job creation, and we welcome the opportunity to co-host the Small Business – Big Opportunity Symposium at the NYSE.”

In addition, Tokumbo Shobowale, who was recently appointed as the Chief Business Operations Officer by Mayor Bloomberg, detailed New York City’s successful efforts to reduce burdens on small businesses.

“New York City is working hard to consolidate regulations and reduce the time it takes to open a small enterprise,” he said. “To ensure the city continues to be a hub of opportunity and success for new entrepreneurs, Mayor Bloomberg has created, for example, a one-stop shop to help small restaurants obtain permits and satisfy other requirements. This step alone has helped open 546 restaurants, saving them an average of 72 days by cutting through the city bureaucracy. The effort has assisted in the creation of more than 6,000 jobs in the food-services industry.”

Elizabeth MacKay, Senior Policy Advisor to the New Jersey Department of State, discussed Gov. Chris Christie's bi-partisan “Red Tape Commission," which was created to identify and resolve onerous regulatory impediments. After the event, Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno said the following in a statement: “We’re delighted that Travelers and the NYSE are helping to advocate for small businesses. For America’s economy to fully rebound and create jobs, we need to help small businesses by cutting needless and destructive red tape and reforming our regulatory process so that it’s sensible and predictable."

Speaking from her own experience building Lafayette 148 New York from a small business into a successful and significant U.S.-based employer, Deirdre Quinn noted that, “Starting and running a small business requires constant dedication, focus and attention to every detail. It is reassuring to know that business and government leaders alike are intent on finding solutions to the challenges that small business owners face. These efforts will further clear the way for the next generation of small businesses to achieve success and spur economic growth.”

The full panel consisted of nationally recognized economic and small business innovators and leaders:

Moderator: Joan Woodward, Executive Vice President of Public Policy and President, Travelers Institute Kate Mitchell, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Scale Venture Partners Deirdre Quinn, Co-Founder and President, Lafayette 148 New York Tokumbo Shobowale, Chief Business Operations Officer, City of New York Elizabeth MacKay, Senior Policy Advisor, New Jersey Department of State

The symposium at the NYSE is the eighth small business forum the Travelers Institute has hosted over the past 15 months. Last year, the company released a white paper, “Small Business, Big Opportunity,” outlining its principles for advocacy. Travelers commemorated today’s event by ringing The Opening BellSM on the floor of the NYSE.

About the Travelers InstituteThe Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies, Inc., engages in discussion and analysis of public policy topics of importance to the insurance marketplace and the financial services industry. The Travelers Institute draws upon the industry expertise of Travelers' senior management and the technical expertise of many of Travelers' underwriters, risk managers and other experts to provide information and analysis to public policy makers and regulators. Travelers is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. For more information, visit www.travelers.com.

TravelersAshley Maagero, 860-277-2954amaagero@travelers.com

Source: Travelers

Press Releases Duncan Niederauer

Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!

View the original article here

Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunity in the UK Recommended by WebTrafficToolkit.com - SBWire

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Video Five: How Safe is Buying a Franchise Business?

If you are considering starting a business, buying a business or purchasing a franchise, consider your options and take a good look at a franchise business. Learn the surprising success rates of our franchise clients and discover why franchising may be a safe and wise career choice for you. FranNet is the top franchise consulting firm in the US and Canada and with our free services we can help you safely select, evaluate, finance and succeed in a franchise business in Central Oregon, Idaho and Washington.

Contact us at:
Michael Sipe
Northwest Franchise Network
541.610.5799
www.FranNet.com/MSipe

View the original article here

Healthy Vending Franchise Reviews: Why I Chose HUMAN Healthy Vending

Healthy Vending Franchise Reviews Find out more at http://www.healthyvending.com/ & read about our Healthy Vending Franchise Reviews.
Healthy Vending Machine Business owners talk about why they chose HUMAN Healthy Vending over the competition. To learn more about our unique Healthy Vending Franchise program, sign up to download our exclusive guide "The Healthy Vending Handbook" at http://www.healthyvending.com/contactus/operators

Healthy Vending Franchise Reviews http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5Hch4cGU08

Healthy Vending Franchise Reviews

tags:
"Healthy Vending Franchise Video" "HUMAN Healthy Vending" "healthy vending machines" "healthy vending machines video" "healthy vending business video" "childhood obesity" "child nutrition act" "Food Franchise" "Food Vending" "Franchise Business" "Healthy Vending" "Vending" "Vending Business" "Vending Companies" "Vending Machines Business" "Vending Machines" "Vending Machines in Schools" "Business Opportunities" "Coffee Service" "Coffee Vending" "Food Franchise" "Food Vending" "Franchise Business" "Franchise Business video" "Franchise for Sale" "Franchise Opportunities" "Franchises"

View the original article here

Video Two: Succeeding in Your Franchise Business

If you are considering starting a business, buying a business or purchasing a franchise, consider your options and take a good look at a franchise business. FranNet is the top franchise consulting firm in the US and Canada and with our free services we can help you safely select, evaluate, finance and succeed in a franchise business in Central Oregon, Idaho and Washington.

Contact us at:
Michael Sipe
Northwest Franchise Network
541.610.5799
www.FranNet.com/MSipe

View the original article here

After the Arab Spring, a Rush to Do Business in the Middle East

More than a year has passed since the Arab Spring, the catchall name for the revolutions sweeping the Middle East. The political and economic changes have closed some doors and opened others for business people willing to tolerate risk.

“I have seen a flurry of activity because of the Arab Spring that was not happening before,” said Naava Mashiah, an Israeli who is the chief executive of M.E. Links, a consulting company that she described as working “to nurture economic relationships between Israel and other places.”

Ms. Mashiah, who works out of Geneva, said much of the activity is in soft diplomacy and informal development meetings, often coordinated with human rights and nongovernmental organizations. She mentioned helping clients develop contacts in or from locations that include Tunisia, Qatar, Egypt and Libya.

“It is bringing people together, even if it is a think tank,” she said, adding: “A lot of networking goes on in the corridors.” She described the current back-channel activity and potential as akin to the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians, which touched off an economic boom.

Chuck Dittrich, executive director of the U.S.-Libya Business Association, said he thought that American business people needed to “just get over there and get a feel for the place,” even if it did not seem immediately productive.

Mr. Dittrich said that association members were meeting Libyan government officials and business people, and that they were “not so much there to sell, as more developing relationships as they do their planning process and decide where to go now.” He mentioned Libyan trade shows focusing on oil, transportation and infrastructure development, health and education.

Mr. Dittrich said the Libyan economy had begun to be liberalized in 2005, when Muammar el-Qaddafi, then president, began courting the West. From a business perspective, he said, that means “the glass is more than half full,” adding, “The ingredients are all there for them to pull this off in a very good way.”

American businesses that wait too long, fearing the risks, could be left behind, he said. Mr. Dittrich said his group visited in April, and “we were the first organized U.S. business organization to go to Tripoli since the conflict.” But, he said, “Turkish and European delegations were there right from the early days.”

But a business traveler briefly stopping in the region has to make different preparations from someone who is based in a country in the midst of change. Marshall L. Stocker, a chartered financial analyst with the Boston hedge fund manager Emergent Property Advisors, moved to Cairo in June 2010, and temporarily fled after the mass protests began on Jan. 25, 2011.

“In Egypt, cells were off, the Internet was off. Obviously there was no business to be done. I was barricaded in my apartment,” he said, adding, “I self-evacuated to the airport with tickets for three different flights” that his wife had arranged for him from the United States.

Mr. Stocker returned in February 2011, after Hosni Mubarak resigned as president. Despite the disruptions, he said, Egypt presents business opportunities. “Now is a great time to buy assets,” he said. “Conceptually, and in practice here, assets are falling in value.”

He said his company was interested in Egypt because of the direction its business climate was moving. “One of the things that attracted us to Egypt was that the World Bank had improved its ‘ease of doing business’ rating,” he said. “Egypt had become more hospitable to investment. From 2004 to 2007, it had the single greatest improvement in ‘ease of doing business’ of any country in the world.”

While things have generally settled, he said he was prepared for emergencies. “As a result of the Arab Spring, I bought political evacuation insurance, and I have a satellite phone,” he said. He uses Global Rescue, a company that provides medical evacuation, security services and other emergency assistance. Still, Mr. Stocker said some Cairo business travel costs had decreased, including hotel rates and airfares.

View the original article here

Video Four: How Much Does It Cost to Buy a Franchise?

If you are considering starting a business, buying a business or purchasing a franchise, consider your options and take a good look at a franchise business. You may be surprised at how affordable franchising is and that owning your own business may be a wise career choice for you. FranNet is the top franchise consulting firm in the US and Canada and with our free services we can help you safely select, evaluate, finance and succeed in a franchise business in Central Oregon, Idaho and Washington.

Contact us at:
Michael Sipe
Northwest Franchise Network
541.610.5799
www.FranNet.com/MSipe

View the original article here

Video Six: What are Today's Best Franchise Businesses?

If you are considering starting a business, buying a business or purchasing a franchise, consider your options and take a good look at a franchise business. Find out what smart entrepreneurs are investing in and why franchising may be a wise career choice for you. FranNet is the top franchise consulting firm in the US and Canada and with our free services we can help you safely select, evaluate, finance and succeed in a franchise business in Central Oregon, Idaho and Washington.

Contact us at:
Michael Sipe
Northwest Franchise Network
541.610.5799
www.FranNet.com/MSipe

View the original article here

NAACP Misses Major Opportunity With Mitt Romney - Huffington Post

Mike Green: NAACP Misses Major Opportunity With Mitt Romney HPFB.init();
HuffPost's QuickRead...ShareBox.ad = function (tag_id){if ($(tag_id) == undefined) return; if ($(tag_id).innerHTML != '') return;ad_spec = {"zone_info": "huffpost.black-voices","ord": 1342550646,"tile": 3,"width": 300,"height": 250,"el_id": tag_id + "_js","class_name": "ad_block ad_wide top","type": "iframe"}HuffPoUtil.WEDGJE.write(ad_spec, tag_id);};Loading... HuffPost's QuickRead... Loading... Jada Pinkett SmithPop Culture EntertainmentBlack Voices Life More Log in Create Account Notifications Profile Settings Logout #topnav_margin_btm { margin:0 !important } July 17, 2012
Edition: U.S. CA Canada  Québec FR France ES Spain US United States UK United Kingdom FRONT PAGEPolitics WATCH: Obama Booed For Not Kissing First Lady At Basketball Game7kMitt Romney Bain Capital Filings Link Him To Politically Problematic Companies After 199922kGOP Mocked For Protecting Own Health Care In Repeal Vote6kMega GOP Donor Being Investigated For Suspicious Activities6kRomney Appears On Brink Of VP Decision1k Like 143k   Go to Politics More in PoliticsPollster2012 BlogSpeculatronOff The BusElection DashboardYou might also likeWorldGreenTechBusiness 10 Nations Rapidly Losing Faith In Capitalism2kPrison Releasing Nearly 100 Inmates, Including Accused Killers1kTop Google Exec Named Yahoo CEO318Treasury Officials Met With Prostitutes, Accepted Gifts From Regulated Institutions: Report1kWATCH: The Naked Truth About Go Daddy's New Ad44 Like 34k   Go to Business More in BusinessSmall BusinessMoneyYou might also likeWorldTechMediaCultureSportsWeird NewsCrimeEntertainment Westboro Baptist Church Plans To Picket Sage Stallone's Funeral 4kThe Reviews Are In ...600WATCH: Six-Year-Old Is A Drumming Prodigy340WATCH: Beyonce Really Loves Michelle Obama557WATCH: Justin Bieber Look-Alike Taunts Girls At Hotel 134 Like 72k   Go to Entertainment More in EntertainmentCelebrityTVYou might also likeComedyArtsBooksCultureStyleWeird NewsMoviefoneLatino Voices Woman Says George Zimmerman Molested Her For More Than A Decade12kSheriff Arpaio To George Lopez: 'Come Say It To My Face'899J. Lo Reveals Post-'Idol' Plans61Victor Cruz Memoir Hopes To Inspire Teens Singer Opens Up About Sexual Abuse And Domestic Violence In New Memoir (EXCLUSIVE)39 Like 6k   Go to Latino Voices More in Latino VoicesCulturaHeritageImmigrantsLatino PoliticsProsperityYou might also likeVoces (en español)Black VoicesKitchen DailyReligionGay Voices Westboro Baptist Church Plans To Picket Sage Stallone's Funeral 4kTarget's Latest Gay Move: Greeting Cards For Same-Sex Newlyweds 1kFlorida Lt. Gov's AWKWARD Response To Sex Accusation1kBad News For Madonna2k'Black Swan' Breaks Dubious Record For Lesbian Sex Scene 110 Like 18k   Go to Gay Voices More in Gay VoicesTransgenderBisexualLesbianGay MarriageDon't Ask, Don't TellVoice to VoicePoll PositionYou might also likeBlack VoicesLatino VoicesKitchen DailyMedia Troubles Ahead For Martha Stewart253WATCH: Bob Schieffer Objects To Appearance In Romney Attack Ad6kWATCH: CNN Host's Blunt Warning To Romney7kLimbaugh: Obama Hates America7kBacklash Against Savannah Guthrie? 300 Like 46k   Go to Media More in MediaEat The PressCalderone: The BackstoryYou might also likeEntertainmentTVComedyArtsBooksReligionMoviefoneWomen Kate Upton: 'I'm Not Going To Starve Just To Be Thin'190Top Google Exec Named Yahoo CEO318'Like Punching A Kitten': Jon Hamm On THAT 'Mad Men' Scene44Does The Word 'Vagina' Offend You? 871WATCH: Couple Meets In Person For The First Time111 Like 15k   Go to Women More in WomenLove & SexCareer & MoneyWomen's HealthYou might also likeStyleWeddingsDivorceParentsHealthy LivingBlack VoicesLatino VoicesComedy 13 Products That Can't Possibly Work, Right? 201The Best Of The 1890s Problems Meme29Hilarious Old Words That Need A Comeback84WATCH: Kitten vs. Doberman192PHOTOS: 90s Stuff We DON'T Want To Revisit Like 105k   Go to Comedy More in ComedyFunny VideosComedy ClubPolitical HumorOriginal VideosCrossing The LineYou might also likeEntertainmentWeird NewsCollegeArtsCultureALL SECTIONS NewsPoliticsWorldBusinessSmall BusinessMoneyMediaSportsEducationCrimeWeird NewsGood NewsEntertainmentEntertainmentCelebrityCultureComedyArtsBooksTVMoviefoneLife & StyleHealthy LivingGPS for the SoulStyleFoodKitchen DailyWeddingsTravelParentsDivorceHuff/Post 50StylelistStylelist HomeTech & ScienceTechScienceGreenTechCrunchEngadgetTUAWJoystiqVoicesWomenBlack VoicesLatino VoicesVoces (en español)Gay VoicesReligionCollegeTeenImpactLocalChicagoDCDenverDetroitMiamiNew YorkLos AngelesSan FranciscoPatch.comMapquestAOLDaily FinanceAol JobsAol AutosAutoblogAol MusicAol VideoGames.comHeidi KlumAol ShoppingReal EstateBlack VoicesPower & PoliticsPop CultureFashion & BeautyLifeSunday MagazineTrayvon MartinVideoTravelistas
Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributorsHot on the BlogBen AffleckSen. Tom HarkinAl FrankenCharles Ferguson HuffPost Social Reading Some error occurred Login with Facebook to see what your friends are reading Enable Social Reading i Settings Read Share Settings Share everything I read Share only things safe for work Dont share what I'm reading Read Share History Learn More
Mike GreenAward-winning journalist; Public Speaker on Black Education & Innovation

GET UPDATES FROM Mike Green   Like 76 NAACP Misses Major Opportunity With Mitt RomneyPosted: 07/17/2012 12:02 pm React Amazing
Inspiring
Funny
Scary
Hot
Crazy
Important
Weird
Follow Mitt Romney,  Congress,  Democrats,  Economy,  GOP,  Health Care,  Barack Obama ,  Republicans, Presidential Election, Election 2012, Entrepreneurship, Naacp, Obamacare, Presidential Candidate, Black Voices News
#news_entries #ad_sharebox_260x60 img {padding:0px;margin:0px} share this story Submit this storydiggredditstumble

A chorus of boos reverberated among the crowd in Houston, Texas at the NAACP convention on July 11 in response to Mitt Romney's public pledge to repeal the new healthcare law, which the Republican presidential candidate referred to as "Obamacare."

Despite the display of discontent, it wasn't Mitt Romney who missed the mark at the NAACP convention, it was the NAACP.

Consider the setting for the meeting of two presumed diametrically opposed political perspectives:

Romney stood in front of a photo setting backdrop of flags on an elevated stage spotlighted behind a transparent podium branded with the logo of the NAACP. He looked down upon a crowd of mostly Black Americans while delivering a 20-minute canned speech that included a divisive term deliberately designed to incite the crowd.

My question is simply, why?

Mitt's Message

I don't wonder why Romney intentionally dropped the term "Obamacare," a political misnomer that has become the nasty mud-slinging calling card of the GOP in its effort to brand the new healthcare law as the linchpin of an aggressive attack upon the president -- as though he alone were responsible for the decisions of the majority of representatives in both houses of congress, the majority of the American people and the Supreme Court.

I naively expected Romney to show common courtesy and respect of the president in a room filled with presumed core constituents, but I wasn't surprised at the inflammatory rhetoric from a candidate who views President Obama as an enemy on a battlefield of influence. Romney didn't come to the NAACP convention to speak to the NAACP. He was there to leverage the moment to speak to his own core supporters -- those who coined the derogatory term, "Obamacare," and sharpened the rhetoric Romney was happy to launch into the crowd. Romney didn't disappoint them.

But I was disappointed by the NAACP.

NAACP Faux Pas

Inviting Mitt Romney to the convention was the right thing to do. Standing him above the crowd, bathed in bright spotlights beneath which he was free to deliver 20+ minutes of a scorched brand of vague milquetoast political promises, was unconscionable.

Instead, the NAACP should've invited Romney to give a five-minute speech followed by a chat with the NAACP president, Ben Jealous. Both should've been on stage. Romney should have had no script and no 20-minute dish-and-dash opportunity.

Mr. Jealous might've been equipped with a set of questions, most of which could've been curated from a crowdsourcing tool on the NAACP website that invited questions from its members nationwide. Mr. Jealous would've asked each selected question and one followup based upon Romney's responses.

The NAACP might've scheduled Romney for a 30-minute live online engagement following his stage appearance in order that hundreds of thousands of online users might've participated in a Q&A following the live broadcast of Romney's convention appearance.

The setup would've empowered the NAACP to have a real engagement with the real presidential candidate. If he had refused the invitation based upon the setup, Mr. Romney would've faced the PR nightmare of dodging accusations that he was unwilling to have a real discussion with NAACP members, preferring only a bully pulpit.

Questions for Mitt Romney

In a discussion setting, the NAACP could've asked questions that no media have asked Mitt Romney:

Mr. Romney, you proclaim your policies as president would be better for Black Americans than those under President Obama. Would your record as governor of Massachusetts support that premise and could you provide data on the education and economic welfare of Black Americans in your state that supports your premise?

Mr. Romney, you promise to provide low-income parents a choice of where to send their children to school. But what have you done -- not going to do -- to ensure all public schools are effective in preparing all students, regardless of income, for a 21st century marketplace dominated by a demand for science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM-educated, workers and entrepreneurs?

Mr. Romney, your background is in venture capital, which is a major part of a relatively new risk capital industry that claims responsibility for rapid job growth and has ballooned since its inception in the 60s when Black Americans were still fighting for Civil Rights. The risk capital industry, which has incorporated public pension funds into investments in hundreds of thousands of companies, is an industry in which the percentage of Black Americans, lumped in with Latino Americans in the latest National Venture Capital Census, is less than 2 percent, as is the spectrum of companies into which more than a half-trillion dollars has been invested over the past several decades. What have you done to ensure non-Whites are included in the innovation economy as entrepreneurs with access to risk capital and as risk capital investors?

Mr. Romney, let's talk about something you know a lot about, job growth and wealth creation. In 2007, there were 1.9 million Black-owned businesses in the U.S. that produced $137.5B in revenue, which amounts to LESS than 1% of the $14T GDP of the nation. More than 1.8 million of those 1.9 million businesses were sole proprietors. That was before the economic collapse that started in late 2007 and escalated through 2008. Were you aware of the extreme disconnection of Black entrepreneurs from the venture-fueled fast-paced tech-driven innovation economy? What have you done to address this issue in the past and what will you do about it regardless of whether you become president?

I'm saddened by the NAACP's missed opportunity to engage in a real discussion and debate with Mr. Romney. My hope is the NAACP is interested in engaging in such an ongoing discussion with both Republican and Democratic parties and will produce a stage for debate in the very near future to discuss these and other extremely important issues.

And I'm hopeful the NAACP will invite me to moderate and ask the questions that no one else has thought to ask.

 

Follow Mike Green on Twitter:www.twitter.com/amikegreen2

FOLLOW BLACK VOICES Like 63k   Get Alerts #ad_bottom_article_text {margin-bottom: 15px} Election 2012CongressMitt RomneyEconomy   Loading... TOP LINKS ON THIS TOPIC 1 of 2

Romney and the NAACP: A Missed Opportunity

I uploaded a video Heartless Mitt Romney's 'Missed Opportunity' at The NAACP

Benjamin Jealous: Mitt Romney's NAACP Speech Was A 'Missed Opportunity'

Heartless Mitt Romney's 'Missed Opportunity' at The NAACP: Heartless Mitt Romney's 'Missed Opportunity' at The N...

More in Black Voices...
Woman Says George Zimmerman Molested Her For...Young Buck Sentenced To 3 Years In...The 'Real Black Man' Is Dead: Frank...Obama Kiss Cam: Cheering Crowd And Arena...    Comments2Pending Comments4 View FAQ Previewing Your Comment. This comment has not yet been posted You have exceeded your word limit by    words. Please click the "Edit" button and shorten your comment.

Post Comment Edit Cancel

You can post to us this information Contact us Click here to leave a comment.HuffPost High School welcomes a lively, thoughtful debate in the comment section. Keep in mind that the articles here are penned by young authors, so please keep criticism respectful, and help us to keep this a safe and supportive place for writers of all ages to contribute.Post CommentPreview Comment To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to. Post Comment Preview Comment To reply to a Comment: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to.

Share your Comment:

Post to Facebook. Post to Blogger. Post to Twitter. Post to WordPress. Post to TypePad. Post to Tumblr. Post to Yahoo! Blogger login: Blogger password: Select blog: refresh list Remember me: Wordpress host: Wordpress login: Wordpress password: Remember me: TypePad host: TypePad login: TypePad password: Select blog: refresh list Remember me: Tumblr login: Tumblr password: Remember me: Community Notice:  We've made some changes to our badge program, including the addition
of our newest badge: Community Curator. View AllFavorites Recency |  Popularity HUFFPOST SUPER USERJondrea Smithuntied dog in a dogmatic society307 Fans 19 minutes ago ( 1:48 PM)I agree that there should have been a more intellectual discussion, but given the Mr. Romney's willingness and ability to answer such discussion effectively, it would've been much like me arm-wrestling a three-year-old...Jondrea_Smith: I agree that there should have been a more intellectualhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Jondrea_Smith/naacp-mitt-romney-missed-opportunity_b_1670705_169241870.htmlHistory |Permalink |Share itThis comment has been down-ranked into oblivion. View comment You have not right to carry out this operation or Error this operation. Loading comments… HUFFPOST SUPER USERGiglawyerI'm a conservative, and you may not like that.364 Fans 54 minutes ago ( 1:13 PM)I suer will be interested to see you ask those same questions of Obama when he sits down with the NAACP for his chit-chat. Oh, wait...Giglawyer: I suer will be interested to see you ask thosehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Giglawyer/naacp-mitt-romney-missed-opportunity_b_1670705_169228705.htmlHistory |Permalink |Share itThis comment has been down-ranked into oblivion. View comment You have not right to carry out this operation or Error this operation. Loading comments…    new comment(s) on this entry — Click to refreshLoading comments… California Strong Obama 55 electoral votes Connecticut Strong Obama 7 electoral votes Washington, D.C. Strong Obama 3 electoral votes Delaware Strong Obama 3 electoral votes Hawaii Strong Obama 4 electoral votes Illinois Strong Obama 20 electoral votes Massachusetts Strong Obama 11 electoral votes Maryland Strong Obama 10 electoral votes Maine Strong Obama 4 electoral votes Minnesota Strong Obama 10 electoral votes New Jersey Strong Obama 14 electoral votes New Mexico Strong Obama 5 electoral votes New York Strong Obama 29 electoral votes Oregon Strong Obama 7 electoral votes Pennsylvania Strong Obama 20 electoral votes Rhode Island Strong Obama 4 electoral votes Vermont Strong Obama 3 electoral votes Washington Strong Obama 12 electoral votes Colorado Leans Obama 9 electoral votes Iowa Leans Obama 6 electoral votes New Hampshire Leans Obama 4 electoral votes Nevada Leans Obama 6 electoral votes Ohio Leans Obama 18 electoral votes Wisconsin Leans Obama 10 electoral votes Florida Tossup 29 electoral votes Michigan Tossup 16 electoral votes North Carolina Tossup 15 electoral votes Virginia Tossup 13 electoral votes Missouri Leans Romney 10 electoral votes Alaska Strong Romney 3 electoral votes Alabama Strong Romney 9 electoral votes Arkansas Strong Romney 6 electoral votes Arizona Strong Romney 11 electoral votes Georgia Strong Romney 16 electoral votes Idaho Strong Romney 4 electoral votes Indiana Strong Romney 11 electoral votes Kansas Strong Romney 6 electoral votes Kentucky Strong Romney 8 electoral votes Louisiana Strong Romney 8 electoral votes Mississippi Strong Romney 6 electoral votes Montana Strong Romney 3 electoral votes North Dakota Strong Romney 3 electoral votes Nebraska Strong Romney 5 electoral votes Oklahoma Strong Romney 7 electoral votes South Carolina Strong Romney 9 electoral votes South Dakota Strong Romney 3 electoral votes Tennessee Strong Romney 11 electoral votes Texas Strong Romney 38 electoral votes Utah Strong Romney 6 electoral votes West Virginia Strong Romney 5 electoral votes Wyoming Strong Romney 3 electoral votes Electoral Outlook 2012 Based on HuffPost Pollster charts and analysis Romney 191 Electoral Votes Obama 274 Electoral Votes Election Map TOP VIDEO PICKS1 of 7 You've Got Jimmie Walker You've Got Sherri Shepherd Huffington Post Sports: Jerry Rice Interview FOLLOW US Connect with your friends Check out stories you might like,
and see what your friends are sharing! Loading twitter module... Most Popular on HuffPost VJS6rbaHumMmYeVFg8Vz37WIotY9E5IWO1rIEYau6CpRikyqNgNfnx3ZOzwuxSzZYKAJuflEcAaDkyrnaxeBzqZXOcdgsb0xN3f2gixUAESQJ06dW0twnfqDq43CY5bnIfCtx7g3X%2FRr%2BFKEOHqg5DfIjV0s3rNx1 of 2 Woman Says George Zimmerman Molested Her For More Than A Decade
Like 1k Cory Booker Slams War On Drugs As 'Ridiculous Game'
Like 5k PHOTO: Cheering Crowd And Arena Camera Get Obamas To Kiss
Like 52 Origin Of Ex-Slave's Letter To Master Revealed
Like 880 PHOTOS: Zoe Sizzles In Sheer Dress
Like 3 Rihanna To Design For U.K. Clothing Line
Like 32 PHOTOS: Naomi Wants To See Your Best 'Face'
Like 119 50 Cent's Former Artist Sentenced To Three Years In Prison
Like 55 Childbirth In Guinea-Bissau: What Mothers Go Through In One Of The Deadliest Places To Give Birth
Like 86 Don't Miss HuffPost Bloggers1 of 5Ben AffleckChild Survival in the Democratic Republic of CongoSen. Tom HarkinDisability Employment: Are We at the Tipping Point?Al FrankenPutting an End to Secret Campaign ContributionsCharles FergusonBanking is a Criminal Industry Because its Crimes Go UnpunishedAl GoreExtreme Weather Disaster Area: This Is What the Climate Crisis Looks LikeGeorge LakoffThe Sacredness of Life and LibertyLeo W. GerardCasper the Friendly Ghost Can’t Control Wall StreetPeter DiamandisAn X PRIZE for Jobs: Can We Radically Reinvent How We Create, Finance and Find Jobs in America?Michael MooreI Built a Movie Theater -- and a Film Festival -- and I’d Like You to Come to ItNorman LearCan It Be We’ve Overlooked This? MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW2RgnQXLokElFimSGDV8i8a43pip0bdKPiJKomeBLqmM3QvAVQ0trgKQA9zRBn5c91 of 2 Woman Says George Zimmerman Molested Her For More Than A Decade
Trayvon Martin Case: Newly Released Evidence Suggests No Racial Bias
HOT ON FACEBOOK2RgnQXLokElFimSGDV8i8TKPvBq8xPkmgYINREC4w8w%3DiJKomeBLqmM3QvAVQ0trgPTAYkCdRanfpr%2BnvSQA9QM%3DjpeKJKgSs0bJPlRX0pV4Fss35VaaM%2Fhsd5ArrOAf1yA%3Dgf1U5FUucuho6%2Bs7tCzw2A%3D%3D1 of 3 Tea Party Group Pushes For Sunnier Side Of Slavery In Textbooks
Origin Of Ex-Slave's Letter To Master Revealed
HOT ON TWITTER2RgnQXLokElFimSGDV8i8f8ym0hHXTufiJKomeBLqmM3QvAVQ0trgDrc%2BaNUFZ3B1 of 2 RT @aol Why French kids eat EVERYTHING http://t.co/v0qmSyMZ via @huffpostparents aol Why French kids eat EVERYTHING http://t.co/v0qmSyMZ via @huffpostparents Retweet RT @ariannahuff Charles Ferguson: Banking Is a Criminal Industry Because Its Crimes GoUnpunished http://t.co/M3nDv8bv ariannahuff Charles Ferguson: Banking Is a Criminal Industry Because Its Crimes Go Unpunished http://t.co/M3nDv8bv Retweet HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Jerry Springer: Barack Obama Is ‘Truly Exceptional'Rob Shuter Hyundai Fuel Economy Lawsuit Filed Alleging Misleading AdsVideo Red Background Encourages eBay Shoppers To Bid Higher: StudyeBay Livestock Liquidation: Extreme Drought Forces Ranchers To Sell HerdsExtreme Weather Rachael Claire Martin, Barclays Bank Clerk, Allegedly Stole Money For Plastic Surgery (PHOTO)Banks Destination Of The Week: Virgin Islands National ParkBeaches The Top 15 States For Female EntrepreneursVirginia Indianapolis Tries To Curb Hotels' Reliance On Temp WorkersOutsourcing Parker Posey To Host Ali Forney Center's Oasis Benefit For Homeless LGBT YouthLGBT more big news pages »   Sign up to report for OfftheBusBecome a citizen journalist and help us make election reporting better.Join Our Team of Citizen JournalistsAre the campaigns using the WI recall to their advantage?Report on election buzz in your community - or lack of itWhat was the impact of Obama's stance on gay marriage?#ofb_widget{top: 0;}#ofb_widget.fixed {position: fixed; top: 15;}var OffTheBus = {post_join_actions_url:'/gadgets/campaigns_post_join_action.php?campaign_id=',Init :function() {jQuery('#ofb_widget').css('display','');},Report:function(){if (!HPUser.is_logged_in()){QuickLogin.pop();}else{jQuery.get(OffTheBus.post_join_actions_url + "114",function(data){huff.use('modal', function(m){ m.show({ content: data, width: 750, })});HPUtil.EvalScript(data);});}},Mail:function(){huff.use('modal', function(m){ m.show({ url:"/web-services/offthebus/signup.html", width: 585,height:525, })});},Join:function(id){//add contributor to campaignsjQuery.get(OffTheBus.post_join_actions_url + id,function(data){huff.use('connect/modal', function(connect_modal){connect_modal.init(function(){huff.use('modal', function(modal){modal.show({theme:'connect_modal',content: data,width: 750,height: 550});});});});});},};jQuery(document).ready(OffTheBus.Init);jQuery(document).ready(function () { jQuery(window).scroll(function (event) {var top = jQuery('#otb_module').offset().top - parseFloat(jQuery('#otb_module').css('marginTop')); var y = jQuery(this).scrollTop();if (y >= top) { jQuery('#ofb_widget').addClass('fixed'); } else { jQuery('#ofb_widget').removeClass('fixed'); } });});
Advertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Part of HuffPost Multicultural
HuffPost Lightbox

View the original article here