Archive for April, 2018

MMS comes to American iPhones

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18
Apr

Friday, September 25, 2009

Today, after two years of waiting, American iPhone users are finally able to send and receive MMS messages. This long awaited feature has caused Apple and AT&T a great deal of grief from its user base. Originally the grief was directed at Apple for the lack of inclusion on the device, but as time progressed AT&T was faulted for lack of support.

When the iPhone was released in June of 2007, it lacked one feature that was widely available on other devices: MMS or Multimedia Messaging Service. This standard, similar to the all text SMS standard, allows users to send and receive video, audio, and picture files on their mobile phones. MMS was launched in 2002 and by 2007 was a common feature on most new mobile phones. It was not until June 2009, with the release of iPhone OS 3.0, that the devices also had the capability to send and receive these multimedia messages. Unfortunately for American iPhone users, all of whom use AT&T because of an exclusive agreement between the phone company and Apple, AT&T did not allow iPhone users to use this feature; that changed today.

Current iPhone users simply need to update (from iTunes) and reboot their device in order to enable MMS. AT&T was originally concerned about not having the network capacity to handle the data demand of all the MMS messages and in Wikinews’ own testing this seems to be a valid issue. The ability to send and receive MMS messages was functional, but by midday Friday (PST), AT&T’s network was extremely slow, with messages taking in excess of two minutes to send. Tests over AT&T’s 3G network showed upload and download speeds nearly halved what they were just a few days prior.

Albano Stock Transfer Services Hong Kong: How to Measure Your Investment Risk Tolerance

by

David D. ShadeYouth brings with it the adrenaline drive to risk life, limb and property; whereas age succumbs to the comfort and safety of less-challenging and more family-oriented diversions.Nevertheless, while majority of us improve our skills at evaluating risk as we mature, we somehow fail to assess financial risk as much as we should. In seems that in the stock market, we remain like tots unaware of the dangers that lurk in the forest.Until the winds blow high and hard upon us, we feel unconcerned about the risks even to the point that we totally give up on investing.Appreciating your risk tolerance is vital. Beginner investors often take so little risk and end up with un-invested and unproductive money lying around. Meaning to say, your money grows at a lower rate or is earning nothing whatsoever. The loss of time is a loss of opportunity which might never be recovered in the future.This is exactly what happens to those who try to recover lost time in their later years by saving and trying to make up for the lost time. This results in the investor tending to take more risk than necessary, endangering their investment and their personal future.Just like people who have beginner’s luck, an investor can be lulled into thinking that a few early successes prove one’s ability to make future consistent gains. Blind luck does not mean solid investment skills. You will realize this when your luck runs out. And then we put the blame on others except ourselves — the markets, the banks, the government and everyone else. How do you measure your risk tolerance? You may be surprised how easy it is. Ask yourself these four essential questions and see how financial experts do it:1. When will you need the money?If your time frame is, say 30 years in which you save and invest, you have high chances of weathering a few setbacks along the way. But if you are five years away from retiring, the assumption will drastically change.2. How many years will you spend in productive work? How many years in retirement?Many people reach retirement age unable to quit working because they have no savings. For those who plan to work during retirement, they make have higher risk levels compared to those who will not. Likewise, consider how long you might end up living in retirement. Oftentimes, running out of money in your later years is inevitable.3. How do you respond when markets rise?Do you celebrate and go on a shopping binge? People forget that they have not even made money on their investments, not until they sell those assets many years from now. Also, there are investors who see a rising market as a go-signal to invest more heavily, not realizing they are actually buying at much higher prices.4. How do you respond when markets fall?Do you feel depressed? Or fearful? In the same token, why should you feel down when you have not lost any money until you sell at a lower price than that at which you bought the stocks? Moreover, investors do not take the opportunity to buy as stock prices decrease, not the applying the vital rule to buy low and sell high.Properly assessing investment risk and determining your risk tolerance level is a crucial factor in any long-term retirement strategy. But if you learn the basic tricks, you can protect yourself from the common emotional trading pitfalls that retirement savers often experience.

The Vision of Albano Stock Transfer Services Hong Kong is to create model for record keeping that meets the needs of growing companies. Albano Stock Transfer Services Hong Kong provide flexible solutions tailored to meet customer needs.

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5NfajPHypI[/youtube]

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English court jails policeman over insurance fraud

Posted by: in Uncategorized
18
Apr

Thursday, July 1, 2010

A court in England, UK has jailed a policeman for ten months after he was convicted of defrauding his car insurance company.

Police Constable Simon Hood, 43, arranged for a friend who dealt in scrap metal to dispose of his Audi TT, then claimed it had been stolen.

Hood had been disappointed with the car’s value when he tried to sell it two years after its purchase in 2008. He arranged for friend Peter Marsh, 41, to drive the vehicle to his scrapyard in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Marsh then dismantled the vehicle with the intent of disposing of it, but parts were later found wrapped in bubblewrap at Ace Tyre and Exhaust Centre.

Marsh picked up the TT from outside nearby Gorleston police station. Records show mobile phone conversations between the conspirators that day in March, both before and after the vehicle was reported stolen. The pair denied wrongdoing but were convicted of conspiring to commit insurance fraud after trial.

The fraud was uncovered after Hood told former girlfriend Suzanne Coates of the scheme. It was alleged before Norwich Crown Court that he had confessed to her in an effort to resume their relationship. Coates said that after the pseudotheft, Hood told her “he didn’t want to look for it. He said it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, which I thought was a bit strange.”

You knew throughout your career that policemen that get involved in serious dishonesty get sent to prison

Shortly afterwards Hood suggested they should become a couple once more, she said; she challenged his version of events regarding the car: “He said he did it but I couldn’t tell anyone. He said he did it with Peter. Peter had a key and took the car away and it was going to be taken to bits and got rid of so it was never found.”

Hood was defended by Michael Clare and Marsh by Richard Potts. Both lawyers told the court that their clients had already suffered as a result of the action in mitigation before sentencing. Clare said Hood had resigned from the police after fifteen years of otherwise good service and risked losing his pension. “It is not a case where his position as a police officer was used in order to facilitate the fraud,” he pointed out. “His career is in ruins.” Hood is now pursuing a career in plumbing.

Potts defended Marsh by saying that he, too, had already suffered from his actions. His own insurers are refusing to renew their contract with him when it expires and his bank withdrew its overdraft facility. His business employs 21 people and Potts cited Marsh’s sponsorship of Great Yarmouth In Bloom as amongst evidence he supported his local community.

Judge Alasdair Darroch told Marsh that he did accept the man was attempting to help his friend. He sentenced Marsh to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service. He was more critical of Hood:

“As a police officer you know the highest possible standards are demanded by the public. You have let down the force. You knew throughout your career that policemen that get involved in serious dishonesty get sent to prison.”

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Journalist, counselor, painter, and US 2012 Presidential candidate Joe Schriner of Cleveland, Ohio took some time to discuss his campaign with Wikinews in an interview.

Schriner previously ran for president in 2000, 2004, and 2008, but failed to gain much traction in the races. He announced his candidacy for the 2012 race immediately following the 2008 election. Schriner refers to himself as the “Average Joe” candidate, and advocates a pro-life and pro-environmentalist platform. He has been the subject of numerous newspaper articles, and has published public policy papers exploring solutions to American issues.

Wikinews reporter William Saturn? talks with Schriner and discusses his campaign.

Submitted by: David Duford

Would you like to know what kind of final expense commission level you are entitled to as a new final expense agent?

The answer, of course, is, “It depends!” And this article will set out to define what to expect regarding commission levels and also to further investigate what details final expense agents need to be concerned with that factor into what they will ultimately NET (which is different from what they will GROSS).

For the most part, there is an inverse relationship between your gross commission level and the level of support you receive as an agent. However, many agents will attest that this is not always the case, as there are plenty of low-brow final expense agencies that con agents into low gross commission contracts yet do not provide a high level of support in return. Hopefully, with the knowledge gained from this article on final expense commissions, you will be able to determine which outfits will provide the best balance of value and gross commission levels.

Another reason I have written this article is that most agents get involved in the final expense business through the first person they meet; they have no benchmark to judge an offer against. Simply put, new final expense agents don’t know what they don’t know.

The Benchmark – Street Level Contracts

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WA3-KD4igc[/youtube]

Street level contracts are defined entry-level contracts any agent can get without requiring proof of production. These are the highest no-production proof contracts new agents can get. Normally, agents can anticipate gross commission levels in the 100 to 120 first year commission percentage rate ranges.

So why don’t all agents simply pick up street-level contracts? Because with the exchange in a higher gross, comes less involvement from the upline to train that agent. Additionally, there is rarely any support in the form of marketing for the street level agent, either. The agent is left up to his own abilities to find a marketing program, learn how to sell, and learn the nuances of the final expense business.

Most new final expense agents shack up with an agency on lower-than-street level contracts in exchange with the expectation of training, support, and access to a proven lead-generation system. Many of these organizations will require the new final expense agent to purchase his own leads, while others do all the lead management for the agent.

Agents that are responsible for purchasing leads usually have a better gross commission contract than those who have the agency manage the lead program to reflect the added investment on behalf of the agent purchasing the leads.

A good rule of thumb for new final expense agents is to work with a final expense agency that will provide training, support, and a lead program (optimally using your own money) and in return, you should have a gross first year commission level between 80 and 100 percent.

Smart final expense agents understand that there is a lot of training he’ll have to undertake, from product selection, lead selection, underwriting, to salesmanship. all of this factors into where your commission rate should be. Finding a final expense agency that will provide all of this to you, along with you getting a feel that you get along with the manager responsible for you, is a great way to get started in this business.

Blue Sky and Unfair Contracts

Beware! Always be suspicious of the agencies that sell you on “blue sky” – IE, they show you money, cars, material possessions, et cetera. Many times these agencies gloss over the extreme level of hard work and emotional discipline that it takes to succeed, and excite you with the possibilities of being rich and famous.

Also, beware of agencies with super-low first-year commission levels in the 50 percent to 70 percent range that actually require you to buy leads at full pricing.

These agencies are committing highway robbery; the truth of this business is not everything you sell will actually stick, and you are at some financial risk from business that falls off the books and any advanced commissions you receive have to be repaid out of new business placed. Couple that with a full price lead bill, mostly likely in the several thousands, you have a recipe for financial disaster.

Ultimately, if you value support and training, and understand that you don’t know what you don’t know, you want to find a final expense agency that will provide you the tools to succeed in exchange for a short-term commission level reduction to reflect the value the agency is giving you. Yes, you do want to be at a street-level contract down the line, and if the agency is intelligent, they will show you to plan on how to earn you way to a top commission contract. Because, as first mentioned, your success is determined not just by what you make (your gross first year commission), but what you keep, which can be dramatically altered in a positive way by controlling lead costs, and optimizing your skill level to see more people and sell more insurance.

About the Author: David Duford is the owner of Final Expense Agent Mentor, specializing in helping agents new to the final expense life insurance business master the business through intense mentorship and guidance. Visit

feagentmentor.com

for more information.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=1935940&ca=Finances}

Ahmadinejad sends letter to George W. Bush

Posted by: in Uncategorized
17
Apr

Tuesday, May 9, 2006For the first time in three decades, direct and at least partially public diplomatic communication will commence between the United States (US) and Iran. Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sent a letter to the U.S. president George W. Bush proposing “new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation of the world”.

Mr Gholam-Hossein Elham did not say whether the letter mentioned the nuclear dispute, one of the diplomatic problems currently straining relations between Iran and the USA. This information arrived one day after the Iranian parliament announced that it might retract from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if Western pressure over its programme was to increase.

Differing reports have been made as to whether or not the letter will be made public, and if so, when. In its online report of 8 May 2006, 09:25 GMT, the BBC quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as saying that the contents of the letter would be made public once Bush had received it. The updated version of the report of 8 May 2006, 14:52 GMT, quotes Asefi as saying that the contents would be made public “at the right time”. An ABC report quoted Gholam-Hossein Elham as saying “it is not an open letter.”

Iran’s foreign affairs minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, delivered the letter to the United States’ interests section in the Swiss embassy in Tehran on Monday. The United States has not held diplomatic relations with Iran since the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said “this letter isn’t it. This letter is not the place that one would find an opening to engage on the nuclear issue or anything of the sort.”

“It isn’t addressing the issues that we’re dealing with in a concrete way,” she added.

John R. Bolton, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, also read the letter, saying, “I think it is typical of Iran that when major decisions are about to be taken … that they have tried to throw sand in the eyes of the proponents of the action. That’s what this may be.”

The letter has since been put on an official Iranian website, and on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad said “the letter to US President George Bush carries the Iranian nation’s views and comments on international issues as well as suggestions for resolving the many problems facing humanity.”

Sunday, March 27, 2005

After almost a decade off the air, the science fiction television series Doctor Who returned with new episodes to BBC airwaves on Saturday night, drawing a large audience.

Starring movie actor Christopher Eccleston, the ninth actor cast to play the Doctor, as the newly reincarnated Time Lord, the new series showed off a bigger budget with expensive special effects and a much darker — and sexier — tone. The new star and series got a blessing from actor Sylvester McCoy, who played the Doctor in the 1980s.

“I am very envious about not being in it. The writing is terrific and the toys they play with are much more sophisticated than they were in my day,” McCoy wrote in a column for BBC News. “My only criticism was about the TARDIS. It was far too clean. It needs to look a bit more battered and bruised as if it’s been through the odd asteroid or two,” he said.

The Doctor’s new sidekick is played by Billie Piper, whose marriage to Chris Evans ended during filming.

“We’re pleased so many people sat down as a family to watch the return of the Doctor,” a spokesperson said. Families apparently sat down in droves. Preliminary ratings figures show Who wooing 10.5 million viewers at its peak, or more than 44 percent of all television households in the United Kingdom, for the debut episode.

This made it the most-watched show of the evening, easily outpacing second-place Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway on ITV, which attracted an average of 7.2 million households.

The series will run for another twelve episodes.

One of the longest-running dramas in British history, Doctor Who has been airing sporadically since its debut in 1963. Ironically, the series cancellation in 1989 was due to low ratings.

The Newcastle haulage company you need to know about by Declan EllisIf you ever require a company that will offer you top class, speedy haulage Newcastle services, Mann Haulage is the organisation to contact. They offer a range of solutions depending on what you need and are known all over the country for being extremely reliable and friendly. Their services range from haulage to storage Gateshead and courier Newcastle work. Whatever you need transporting, no matter how large or small the job, this companys team will deliver.Haulage ServicesMann Haulage has a mixed fleet of vehicles and trailers that are used for haulage Newcastle, including: Artic Tractor Units, Fleet of Curtainside trailers of varying heights (including Tallboys), 26-tonne Flat Bed rigid with Hi-Ab, Fleet of Flat Bed Trailers including Coil Carriers, Fleet of Sprinters including both Curtain, Panel Sides and Flat Bed and thats just to name a few. They present themselves as a one-stop shop for all your haulage Newcastle needs, as they can offer a tailored service no matter what you need, and have dedicated vehicles that can help you with both collection and delivery all over the UK.Courier ServicesTherell be a time when you find yourself in need of a dedicated, same-day delivery to your customers that youre just not able to carry out yourself. You can rely on this companys courier Newcastle services to offer you a quick delivery that will keep your customers happy, though. All of the vehicles used for courier services are fitted with trackers, so they are able to give accurate and helpful estimated times of arrival and driver locations to their customers. With 24/7 service and vehicles always on standby and able to deliver anything from an envelope to a full trailer of cargo, you can rely on these courier Newcastle services over any other organisation.Storage ServicesAs well as brilliant courier and haulage solutions, this business offers storage Gateshead for a diverse range of customers. The storage solutions available can be long or short term to suit the customers needs, and their drivers are able to pick up and distribute items to and from their storage Gateshead unit nationwide. The storage site is operated 24 hours a day, so you can be confident in the knowledge that whatever it is you need to put away will be in good hands.About the CompanyThis haulage company is a family-ran business that was established in 2004. Theyre proud to have an outstanding reputation for punctual deliveries and wonderful customer service all over the country. Their service is personal to each of their customers and they proud members of the RHA, as well as being Bronze-accredited FORS members not forgetting that they recently became sponsors of the training shirts for Gateshead FCs U13 team. They are in partnership with a number of blue chip companies and offer dedicated vehicles and account management.To find out more about this business and the excellent services on offer, visit the Mann Haulage website or give a member of the team a call.Article Source: eArticlesOnline.com

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5WgE0gHpV0[/youtube]

Eric Bogosian on writing and the creative urge

Posted by: in Uncategorized
15
Apr

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Eric Bogosian is one of America’s great multi-dimensional talents. “There’s sort of three different careers, and any one of them could exist by itself, on its own two feet. There was that solo stuff, and then I started writing plays in the late seventies.” Although his work has spanned genres, most readers will recognize Bogosian for his acting, which has included a memorable performance in Woody Allen‘s Deconstructing Harry to co-writing and starring in the Oliver Stone movie Talk Radio (based upon his Pulitzer Prize-nominated play) to playing the bad guy in Under Siege 2 to his current role in Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Captain Danny Ross. They may not know, however, that he had collaborated with Frank Zappa on a album, worked with Sonic Youth, and was a voice on Mike Judge‘s Beavis & Butthead Do America. He started one of New York City’s largest dance companies, The Kitchen, which is still in existence. He starred alongside Val Kilmer in Wonderland and his play Talk Radio was recently revived on Broadway with Liev Schreiber in the role Bogosian wrote and made famous.

Currently at work on his third novel, tentatively titled The Artist, Bogosian spoke with David Shankbone about the craft of writing and his life as a creative.

Contents

  • 1 Bogosian’s view of his work
  • 2 How Bogosian approaches his writing
  • 3 How Bogosian works himself into his writing
  • 4 The future of the narrative
  • 5 Collaborations with Steven Spielberg and Frank Zappa
  • 6 Source

Wednesday, December 24, 2014With the English-language Wikinews continuing to increase the amount of original content published, we take a look back at some of the eighty-plus original reports from our contributors during 2014.