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Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.
Back when the PlayStation 2 was the world's most popular game console, the original Xbox was struggling to gain a post-Halo audience and the GameCube was a cute diversion with a couple decent titles, I trolled gaming message boards. I was so sure that anyone who bought anything other than a PS2 was out of their mind that I set on the most immature mission in history: to inform the masses, proselytize the word as handed down by Hirai-san, and ridicule those who were wasting their time with The Wind Waker.
Those who were active gamers at the time probably read that paragraph and are now either annoyed or cracking a wry smile in understanding. The latter are the ones who played Ico. Those who weren't gamers at the time can insert their own products into the mix for context.
Filed under: Internet
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/why-we-troll/
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11 hrs.
While Google Maps feels like a solid mapping solution, it has some blank spots?? ?particularly when it comes to regions such as?North Korea. But that's all changing thanks to a group of "citizen cartographers" and a tool which allows Google to incorporate crowd-sourced map data into its product.
As?Jayanth Mysore, a senior product manager working on the Google Map Maker project,?explains in a post on the official Google Maps blog, the Map Maker tool?has been around since 2008 and allowed users to "update the maps of the areas they know, and improve their level of detail and accuracy." Crowdsourced data like this is how Google "will build the modern map," Mysore adds, reiterating that without these details, map data is currently "very limited" in some parts of the world.
Efforts to map out North Korea have been made over the last few years, but on Monday, Google was finally ready to officially update the region on Google Maps. "We know this map is not perfect," Mysore acknowledges. "We encourage people from around the world to continue helping us improve the quality of these maps for everyone with Google Map Maker." He adds that, from now on, any further "approved" updates to the North Korean maps will also appear on Google Maps.
The Wall Street Journal's Evan Ramstad points out?that the update of North Korea on Google Maps comes about three weeks after Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt visited the area (though a Google spokesperson tells NBC News that the visit was unrelated to the timing of the Google Maps update).?During his time in the country, "Schmidt encouraged officials he met in North Korea to make the Internet available to its citizens and end its attempts to restrict information," Ramstad writes.?The Verge's Sam Byford reminds?that Internet access in North Korea remains quite restricted nonetheless, and that odds are that the "vast majority of North Korean citizens" won't be able to access Google's freshly updated maps.
The crowd-sourced cartography includes mass transit, monuments and parks, as well as North Korea's massive gulags, which are signified on Google Maps with a slightly different shading. ?As?the Atlantic notes, "Naturally, the Hwasong Gulag, like any place on Google, already has some jokesters reviewing its?accommodations."?
Mysore dances around these detail in his blog post, and instead focuses on who will be able to take advantage of the information. "While many people around the globe are fascinated with North Korea," he writes, "these maps are especially important for the citizens of South Korea who have ancestral connections or still have family living there."
Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/google-maps-out-north-korea-crowd-sourced-data-1C8157346
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We've heard plenty of rumors about Apple's intentions to start offering a higher capacity fourth-generation iPad, but now the new gadget is official: You can snag a 128GB iPad with Retina Display beginning on Feb. 5.
The Wi-Fi-only version of the higher capacity iPad will cost $799 while the LTE-capable version will go for $929. As usual, you'll be able to choose a white or black model.
It's worth pointing out that, at $929, the LTE-capable 128GB iPad costs you nearly as much a base MacBook Air model.?Alternatively, you could also snag ?an iPad Mini ? which starts at $329?? or three for the same price. (Mind you, neither of those devices will have a high-resolution Retina Display like the fourth-generation iPad.)
Want more tech news?or interesting?links? You'll get plenty of both if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on?Twitter, subscribing to her?Facebook?posts,?or circling her?on?Google+.
Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/apple-makes-128gb-ipad-retina-display-official-1C8156546
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Not that a view over the Thames ever gets old, but commuters should soon find it a bit easier to check their inboxes while they're on or next to the water. Californian WiFi specialist Ruckus says that its wireless steering technology -- which increases network range by up to 4x by directing signals around obstacles and interference -- has just been picked for an upgrade to BT's Thames WiFi service. The new "carrier-grade" equipment should be activated within the next couple of months and will stretch out along the full 27 meandering miles of river that are already covered by traditional antennas. With better hotspot access spreading across the Tube network, black cabs and now the water, EE's central London LTE service will have even more to prove in terms of raw speed.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
Global Reach Technology Selects Ruckus to Bring Smarter, High Capacity Wi-Fi to Users on Land and Water within the UK
Smart Wi-Fi Enables High-Speed Wi-Fi Access for Millions of Passengers Along 27 Miles of the Thames River and Reliable Public Wi-Fi Access in Leeds and Bradford
LONDON, ENGLAND (UK) and SUNNYVALE, CA - January 28, 2013 - Ruckus Wireless, Inc. (NYSE: RKUS) today announced that Global Reach Technology Ltd., an innovative supplier of Wi-Fi, cloud- and IP-based policy management services, has selected its ZoneFlex[TM] Smart Wi-Fi system for a number of high profile Wi-Fi projects in the UK that address the explosive demand for reliable, high-speed data access in densely trafficked areas around the city.
Global Reach has deployed carrier-grade Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi indoor and outdoor ZoneFlex products for its public hotspot infrastructure along 44km (27 miles) of the River Thames and onboard Thames Clippers London River Ferries to support more than 30 million people accessing the river each year. In addition to providing public Wi-Fi access through its own Thames Wi-Fi hot zone branded service, planned for Q1 2013, Global Reach is leveraging its high capacity infrastructure to offer wholesale and international roaming services across the 27 miles of river coverage.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) gives public Wi-Fi access free of charge to all its BT Broadband subscribers via the white-labeled Global Reach service to the Thames River network, while the Transport for London (TFL) authority is using the Wi-Fi infrastructure for private services such as real-time location-based information, tracking boats, network monitoring, timetables, CCTV surveillance and other services.
In addition, Global Reach has selected Ruckus Smart Wi-Fi as the standard underlying technology for the City Wi-Fi services it provides for Virgin Media Business in both Leeds and Bradford.
Carrier-Grade Wi-Fi Solutions with a difference
Global Reach has established a unique position in the market, offering a total managed infrastructure solution coupled with a complete portfolio of value-added network services such as key data on network monitoring, management information systems and customer usage behavior; architecture planning; security; content portal capabilities and gateway functions, and sophisticated policy management.
For mobile network operators and service providers, Global Reach provides bespoke wireless infrastructure and services. Additionally, its policy engine provides seamless and secure 3/4G off load to manage customer's traffic and eCRM, including content filtering, lawful intercept, bandwidth shaping, port and website blocking. Intuitive dashboards allow operators to manage their infrastructure as well as the end user customer experience with complete visibility and precision.
"To effectively deal with the demands and capacity required to deliver service on this scale, we needed a carrier-grade Wi-Fi network in which our customers could have complete confidence," said Nigel Wesley, Chief Executive Officer for Global Reach Technology. "At the end of the day, customers don't really care about how the infrastructure works - they simply want a fast, reliable and affordable Wi-Fi experience that's easy to access and use. That's precisely what we're delivering with Ruckus."
Wesley noted that while providing a reliable Wi-Fi experience in the UK is no easy task, operators are looking for value beyond vanilla connectivity. "Global Reach has developed a different model that not only delivers a carrier-grade Wi-Fi infrastructure at a much lower cost, we are also reducing the time to market for service providers and enterprise customers, allowing them to focus on monetization and bringing value to the subscriber experience."
Smarter Wi-Fi on the Water
Global Reach's Smart Wi-Fi network is one of the world's largest outdoor mesh deployments along a key transport artery weaving through the UK's capital. Four million people travel on the Thames Clippers river ferries every year, with millions more living and working along the riverbank, offices, hotels, cafes and tourist locations.
Global Reach has used new Ruckus ZoneFlex 7782-N, carrier-class 2.4/5 GHz 802.11n outdoor access points (APs) to deploy at main piers crisscrossing the Thames River. 24 Thames Clippers London river ferries are being equipped with ZoneFlex 7363 802.11n indoor dual-band Smart Wi-Fi access points, along with 3G backhaul and ZoneDirector controllers at the Global Reach network operation centers, to provide centralized administration and remote management.
"While we are fundamentally hardware agnostic, we are building carrier-quality Wi-Fi networks that mandate carrier-quality equipment," said Chris Spencer, Chief Technology Officer for Global Reach.
"With its adaptive antenna structure and high-capacity designs, Ruckus has clearly differentiated itself by delivering among the most reliable systems on the market that are distinctly designed for carriers. With the kit we've seen a significant increase in the signal strength as well as the number of concurrent users and sessions we are able to support at any one given time."
City Wi-Fi in Leeds and Bradford for Virgin Media Business
In Leeds and Bradford, Ruckus ZoneFlex 7762 outdoor dual-band 802.11n APs are being deployed on street furniture by Global Reach to provide a completely free City Wi-Fi service that is open to everyone. Global Reach manages and operates the network for Virgin Media Business, building on a partnership that was originally formed for the rollout of the acclaimed London Underground Wi-Fi service.
"There is a massive wireless land grab taking place all over the UK," concludes Wesley. "The super-connected city initiative means a great deal for places like Leeds and Bradford as they focus on growth and regeneration for local businesses, visitors and residents. The Wi-Fi networks we are building are great examples of projects that are making the vision of super-connected cities a reality and enabling future prosperity and innovation."
Filed under: Transportation, Wireless, Internet, Mobile
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/-w0Ojdr2m98/
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Erin Trieb for NBC News
Monica Velez, pictured in Austin, Texas, had two brothers, Jose "Freddy" Velez and Andrew Velez, both of whom served the U.S. military and both are now dead -- Freddy was killed in action in Iraq, and Andrew took his own life.
By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor
Before Army Spc. Andrew Velez left Texas for the final time, he asked his fragile sister to write him a promise ? a vow he could carry with him to Afghanistan.
Monica Velez knew she owed him that much. In the horrid weeks after each had lost their beloved brother, Freddy Velez, to enemy fire in Iraq, Monica tried to end her life with pills and alcohol. Now, she put pen to paper: ?I will not hurt myself. I will not do anything crazy. I know that Andrew loves me. I know that Freddy loved me.? Andrew folded her note and slipped it into his pocket.
?Don?t break your word to me,? he told her before heading back to war.
Seven months later, Andrew, 22, sat alone in an Army office at a base in Afghanistan. He put a gun to his head and committed suicide. Back in Texas, word reached Monica Velez who, once again, found herself in a dangerous place. Only now, she was alone. Days of alcohol and anti-depressants. Nights of dark thoughts: ?It would just be better if I was gone.?
'The storm' is coming
As the U.S. military suicide rate soared to record heights?during 2012, the families of service members say they, too, are witnessing a silent wave of self-harm occurring within their civilian ranks: spouses, children, parents and siblings.?
Some suicides and suicide attempts ? like those that ravaged the Velez family???are spurred by combat losses.
Others?may be?triggered by exhaustion and despair: As some veterans return debilitated by anxiety, many spouses realize it's now up to them???and will be for decades???to hold the family together.
Specific figures are lacking as no agency tracks civilian suicides within military families.
However, Kristina Kaufmann, a long-time Army wife, knows of three other Army wives, all friends, who took their lives in recent years.
Courtesy Kristina Kaufmann
"When you know that you are the anchor ? and if you go down, the family's going down ? the problem is that you can only do that for so long," said Kristina Kaufmann.
One was Faye Vick, described by Kaufmann as ?the perfect picture of an Army wife???pretty, nice, always with a smile.? Vick and her family lived around the corner from Kaufmann and near Fort Bragg, N.C. In 2006, when Kaufmann?s husband was in Afghanistan and Vick?s husband was deployed overseas, the 39-year-old mother placed herself, her infant and her 2-year-old son in a car inside a closed garage and started the engine, asphyxiating all three with carbon monoxide, according to Kaufmann and to local news reports at the time.
?And I know of too many others through the grapevine,? said Kaufmann, executive director of Code of Support, an Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit that seeks to bridge the gap between civilians and military America.
?When you know that you are the anchor???and if you go down, the family?s going down???the problem is that you can only do that for so long,? said Kaufmann. ?That population (of spouses) is at the most risk. Because the storm is going to happen when everybody comes home. That?s where we are, unfortunately, going to see an uptick in lots of negative outcomes, including suicide, including suicide among the spouses.?
On Jan. 14, Department of Defense officials acknowledged that during 2012, service members committed suicide at a record pace as more than 349 people took their own lives across the four branches.?The military suicide rate is slightly lower than that of the general public. However, one active-duty member died by suicide every 25 hours last year.?
The Army sustained the heaviest branch toll at 182 suicides, which ??as NBC News reported Jan. 3?? meant that soldier suicides outpaced combat deaths for the first time, according to Pentagon officials.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta informed Congress last July that American armed forces are in the grip of a suicide "epidemic."?
One of the darkest undercurrents of the glaring statistics is that one suicide in a family boosts future suicide risks for everyone else inside the home.?They can be contagious, say experts like Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, a psychologist in the Washington, D.C., area and the founder of Give an Hour, which develops networks of mental-health volunteers who respond to both acute and chronic situations.
Numerous researchers have explored the so-called contagion effect of suicides within families and ?there?s no question the data supports there?s at least a doubling of risk,? among surviving family members, said Dr. Alan L. Berman, Ph.D., executive director of the American Association of Suicidology. The organization strives to better understand and prevent suicide.
?It?s understood that risk, in part, is biological,"?Berman said, given that disorders like depression have a genetic component.?
?But it?s also based on social modeling behavior: The suicide of a parent presents a model (for children in that family) of how to deal with problems, and that?s no less true for a spouse.?
Added Van Dahlen: "The closer that family member is to you, the greater risk you?re at. We believe, psychologically, it opens the possibility and ends a taboo."
?The thousands of service members who have killed themselves,? she added, ?they leave in their wake thousands of family members who are now at risk for that same kind of decision."
'I completely lost myself'
The cascade of Velez family tragedies began with pure valor.
On Nov. 13, 2004, Army Cpl. Jose ?Freddy? Velez, 23, sprayed bullets at insurgent forces???covering fire to allow other U.S. soldiers time to retreat from an enemy strong point in Fallujah, Iraq. After his ammo ran dry, Freddy Velez was shot and killed. The Army awarded him the Bronze Star and Silver Star.
Courtesy Monica Velez
"There are days I'm still overwhelmed. And if I sit and think about it, I feel like I wouldn't have to live through all this pain if I just let myself go," said Monica Velez, who shared family photos of brothers Freddy and Andrew.
Andrew, then serving with another unit in Iraq, told Monica of escorting his brother?s body home to Lubbock, Texas ? a job, he said, that required unzipping his brother?s body bag at every stop to re-verify Freddy?s identity.
During the trip, Andrew called his sister repeatedly while en route home and screamed into the phone for nearly two consecutive hours, ?like somebody was killing him,? she said.
?There was nothing I could do,? Monica Velez recalled. ?The operator kept cutting in (to request additional payment for the call) and I just said, ?Add it to my credit card.? He just wailed. That travel home, I think is what eventually broke him.?
Weeks later, Monica broke.
She doesn?t know how close she came to death the first time she tried to end her life. She never was told how slow her pulse became that night. She just remembers regaining consciousness at a hospital in Killeen, Texas???home to Fort Hood, where Freddy was based. She awoke with an IV plugged into her arm. A doctor handed her a list of local psychiatrists then discharged her.
Velez tried, she said, to seek help for her deepening depression but was told that her health insurance would not cover counseling.
Her grief was rooted in a difficult childhood, she said, that forged "tighter than tight" emotional bonds between Velez and her two brothers, turning the siblings into a mutual support group.
?When Freddy passed away, I went through a really hard depression,? she said. ?I went to the emergency room for anxiety attacks. I couldn?t breathe. But nobody knew how to deal with me so they just gave me Ativan (an anti-anxiety drug) and Hydrocodone (a pain killer).
?I started drinking heavily and taking the prescriptions. And one day, I just felt it would be better off if I wasn?t around and decided to take all of the pills. Grief can bring you to that breaking moment.?
Soon after, in February 2005, Andrew sent his older sister (then 25) an email: ?We need to be stronger. We need to protect each other.?
Though he was the youngest of the siblings, Andrew always was ?the strong one,? his sister said. ?But he and Freddy were inseparable.? Near the end of 2005, Andrew told his sister he was redeploying to Afghanistan because, she said, ?I think he felt closer to Freddy there.?
From March through July of 2006, the two swapped calls and emails. In Afghanistan, Andrew grew increasingly despondent, she said, over the unraveling of his marriage and family in Lubbock. He had three children. But he worried, too, about his sister?s state of mind.
?We could both hear it in each other?s voices. He was scared I was going to do something. I was scared he was going to do something.?
He did. Andrew?s suicide on July 25, 2006, drove Monica, at first, into 20-hour workdays at a domestic violence shelter. She wasn?t sleeping or eating. Eventually, she was drinking again, ?from the morning until I passed out,? she said. ?Then, doing it again the next day.
?I completely lost myself. I resigned my job. I stopped paying my bills. I got evicted. I was prescribed anti-depressants. I noticed taking the pills and drinking got me out of the emotions. So I found myself in a dangerous place very quickly.
?Again???several trips to the ER (for overdoses). I?m not sure why I wasn?t ever held there. In my down periods, I would tell myself it would just be better off if I was gone.?
In 2008, a friend at Fort Hood, Texas, connected Velez with the Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS), a resource for anyone who suffers the loss of a military loved one.
?That was the first time anybody had offered to help me with the depression and the grief.? she said.
'Family units breaking down'
Kaufmann, who lost three Army-spouse friends to suicide, argues that military-family suicides should be tracked and researched by the Department of Defense to help mental-health experts begin to slow or stop the problem. She knows, however, such an accounting is not likely.?
?I get the sense that people in the military think that by including families into this kind of discussion ? particularly when you?re talking about the (broader) mental-health impacts on family members ? they look at that as something that will only add to the problem. Whereas, we believe that it would prove to be a solution,? Kauffman said.
?We?ve approached this very myopically. More than half of soldiers are married. Soldiers come with families. And the military has a maddening way of both dismissing families and holding them accountable at the same time. It?s frustrating for us, not only when we?re trying to get our husbands help, but also when you have the family units breaking down,? she added.?
NBC News requested to speak with officials at the newly formed Department of Defense suicide-prevention office about the issue of suicides within military families and whether tracking is needed. A DOD spokeswoman said, however, that the office is only working to address active-duty suicides. The interview request was not granted.
Van Dahlen, meanwhile, believes that asking DOD to track military families is an unreasonable expectation to place on the agency when it already is facing budget cuts.
Even if the DOD wants to ? and many of my colleagues there desperately would want to devote resources to this???those resources are not going to be there,? she said. Rather than putting "the screws to DOD" and doing "even more with even less," Van Dahlen believes public-private partnerships should be encouraged "to figure out how we can (address) this together."
'Like an airborne disease'
More than eight years after Freddy?s combat death, and more than six years removed from Andrew?s suicide, Monica Velez annually runs the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., in honor of her fallen brothers.
Matt Slocum / AP file
Monica Velez cleans her brother's name, engraved in a memorial at Fort Hood, Texas.
But, now living in Austin, she acknowledges she still struggles with what she calls, ?those thoughts.?
?There are days I?m still overwhelmed. And if I sit and think about it, I feel like I wouldn?t have to live through all this pain if I just let myself go. It doesn?t just go away. But you learn how to cope. You learn better coping skills,? she said, adding she gained those tools from TAPS.
Army officers at Fort Hood have occasionally asked her, she said, for ideas to help them prevent the rising military suicide rate. She watches that tally, too.
?The numbers take my breath away. I know it can be overwhelming for the Army generals on the other end of the table trying to figure this problem out. Because it?s like an airborne disease going through the building and you?re trying to figure out how to stop it before it gets to you," she said.?
?But it?s coming at a really fast rate, and it?s inevitable.?
Related stories:
Military suicide rate set record high in 2012
The enemy within: Soldier suicides outpace combat deaths in 2012
Some wounded vets shine on 'Alive Day,' others wear black?
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FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, Jennifer Tyrrell, right, arrives for a meeting at the Boys Scouts of America national offices in Irving, Texas, with her son Jude Burns, 5, second from right, partner Alicia Burns, and son Cruz Burns, 7, left. The Ohio woman was ousted as a den mother because she is a lesbian. The Boys Scouts of America announced Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, that it is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, Jennifer Tyrrell, right, arrives for a meeting at the Boys Scouts of America national offices in Irving, Texas, with her son Jude Burns, 5, second from right, partner Alicia Burns, and son Cruz Burns, 7, left. The Ohio woman was ousted as a den mother because she is a lesbian. The Boys Scouts of America announced Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, that it is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
FILE - In this July 18, 2012 file photo, Jennifer Tyrrell hugs her son Cruz Burns, 7, outside Boy Scouts national offices in Irving, Texas, after a meeting with representatives of the 102-year-old organization. The Ohio woman was ousted as a den mother because she is a lesbian. The Boys Scouts of America announced Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, that it is considering a dramatic retreat from its controversial policy of excluding gays as leaders and youth members. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
NEW YORK (AP) ? The Boy Scouts of America may soon give sponsors of troops the authority to decide whether to accept gays as scouts and leaders ? a potentially dramatic retreat from an exclusionary nationwide policy that has provoked relentless protests.
Under the change now being discussed, the different religious and civic groups that sponsor Scout units would be able to decide for themselves how to address the issue ? either maintaining an exclusion of gays, as is now required of all units, or opening up their membership.
Monday's announcement of the possible change comes after years of protests over the no-gays policy ? including petition campaigns that have prompted some corporations to suspend donations to the Boy Scouts.
Under the proposed change, said BSA spokesman Deron Smith, "the Boy Scouts would not, under any circumstances, dictate a position to units, members, or parents."
Smith said the change could be announced as early as next week, after BSA's national board concludes a regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 6. The meeting will be closed to the public.
The BSA, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2010, has long excluded both gays and atheists. Smith said a change in the policy toward atheists was not being considered, and that the BSA continued to view "Duty to God" as one of its basic principles.
Protests over the no-gays policy gained momentum in 2000, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the BSA's right to exclude gays. Scout units lost sponsorships by public schools and other entities that adhered to nondiscrimination policies, and several local Scout councils made public their displeasure with the policy.
More recently, amid petition campaigns, shipping giant UPS Inc. and drug-manufacturer Merck announced that they were halting donations from their charitable foundations to the Boy Scouts as long as the no-gays policy was in force.
Also, local Scout officials drew widespread criticism in recent months for ousting Jennifer Tyrrell, a lesbian mom, as a den leader of her son's Cub Scout pack in Ohio and for refusing to approve an Eagle Scout application by Ryan Andresen, a California teen who came out as gay last fall.
Tyrrell said she's thrilled for parents and their children who've been excluded from scouting and "for those who are in Scouts and hiding who they are."
"For me it's not just about the Boy Scouts of America, it's about equality," she told The Associated Press. "This is a step toward equality in all aspects."
Many of the protest campaigns, including one seeking Tyrrell's reinstatement, had been waged with help from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
"The Boy Scouts of America have heard from scouts, corporations and millions of Americans that discriminating against gay scouts and scout leaders is wrong," said Herndon Graddick, GLAAD's president. "Scouting is a valuable institution, and this change will only strengthen its core principles of fairness and respect."
The Scouts had reaffirmed the no-gays policy as recently as last year, and appeared to have strong backing from conservative religious denominations ? notably the Mormons, Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists ? which sponsor large numbers of Scout units. Under the proposed change, they could continue excluding gays.
Prior to Monday's announcement, the BSA conferred with some leaders of these religious groups, although there were no official statements as to how they would respond.
Said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "The bishops hope the Boy Scouts will continue to work under the Judeo-Christians principles upon which they were founded and under which they have served youth well."
Were the change adopted, said Deron Smith, "there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization's mission, principles, or religious beliefs.
"BSA members and parents would be able to choose a local unit that best meets the needs of their families," he said. "Under this proposed policy, the BSA would not require any chartered organization to act in ways inconsistent with that organization's mission, principles, or religious beliefs."
The announcement came shortly after new data showed that membership in the Cub Scouts ? the BSA's biggest division ? dropped sharply last year, and was down nearly 30 percent over the past 14 years.
According to figures provided by the organization, Cub Scout ranks dwindled by 3.4 percent, from 1,583,166 in 2011 to 1,528,673 in 2012. That's down from 2.17 million in 1998.
The Boy Scouts attribute the decline largely to broad social changes, including the allure of video games and the proliferation of youth sports leagues and other options for after-school activities.
However, critics of the Scouts suggest that its recruitment efforts have been hampered by high-profile controversies ? notably the court-ordered release of files dealing with sex abuse allegations and persistent protests over the no-gays policy.
The BSA's overall "traditional youth membership" ? Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers ? totaled 2,658,794 in 2012, compared to more than 4 million in peak years of the past. There were 910,668 Boy Scouts last year, a tiny increase from 2011, while the ranks of Venturers ? a program for youths 14 and older? declined by 5.5 percent.
In addition to flak over the no-gays policy, the Scouts have been buffeted by multiple court cases related to past allegations of sexual abuse by Scout leaders, including those chronicled in long-confidential records that are widely known as the "perversion files."
Through various cases, the Scouts have been forced to reveal files dating from the 1960s to 1991. They detailed numerous cases where abuse claims were made and Boy Scout officials never alerted authorities and sometimes actively sought to protect the accused.
The Scouts are now under a California court order, affirmed this month by the state Supreme Court, to turn over sex-abuse files from 1991 through 2011 to the lawyers for a former Scout who claims a leader molested him in 2007, when he was 13. It's not clear how soon the files might become public.
The BSA has apologized for past lapses and cover-ups, and has stressed the steps taken to improve youth protection policy. Since 2010, for example, it has mandated that any suspected abuse be reported to police.
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Associated Press writers John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.
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Boy Scouts: http://www.scouting.org/
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David Crary can be reached at http://twitter.com/CraryAP
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If you have a complicated product or service, video marketing can provide you with an excellent way to explain your product in depth, and provide potential customers with a better understanding of exactly what it is that you do. Explaining your products, company, and employees to the potential customers that come across your video can be a great way to break the ice, and allow them to become more familiar with your company and exactly what it is that you do. There are a wide range of different video sharing websites available today, each of them providing you with a unique opportunity to connect to different customer bases.
Reach New Customers
You have to look at each video sharing website is a new opportunity to connect with potential customers, and individuals that could be interested in the products or services that you provide. As videos become more consistently utilized online, more people join video sharing websites as a way to research companies, learn about a variety of different subjects, and share their own videos. You do not have to release each video as a commercial for your business, and instead can utilize these videos to spread information that is relevant to your industry and establish your business as a leader and expert within the industry in which you work.
Be More Professional
Also, the fact of the matter is that companies that utilize video marketing heavily simply appear to be more professional to potential customers. Would you rather work with the company that lazily runs a twitter account, or a company that provides insightful and informational videos about the subjects that they deal with, allowing potential customers to learn about their company, and gain insight into the industry completely for free? Also, you can add these videos to your website in order to appear more professional to the potential customers that might stumble upon it. In all, video marketing allows you to explain your products, reach a huge base of new customers, and appear more professional than your competition.
If your business is not utilizing video marketing to the best of their ability, you certainly need to look at all of the available options, and realize the huge profound benefit that it could have for your business.
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Source: http://www.workoninternet.com/business/reviews/miscellaneous/223793-article.html
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Franchising is relatively simple because there?s no product to invent or a business model to test. A business that has opened its doors to franchising already has the track record of earning profits. All the franchisee has to do is choose the location and run the franchise efficiently.
Still, success is not guaranteed even with a franchise. And if one is not careful, a franchisee can easily lose his or her capital because the business proved lackluster for some reason. So choosing which franchise business to pursue is very important. There?s not a lot of freely available data which can help investors decide which business will succeed. Mostly it?s about gut feel.
If you feel like creating a checklist for this purpose, make sure you?ve got the items that we will discuss below covered. It?s not everything there is to check but it?s an essential list that I have learned from experience running a business franchise. It wasn?t ultra-successful but the franchise I owned taught me quite a lot about running a business.
If you know your friends will like your product, you would eagerly endorse it. Because even without any selling experience, we all sometimes vouch for good products that easily convince others to buy. It?s a matter of being genuinely amazed by a product that ultimately attracts others to it as well.
For inexperienced entrepreneurs, seeing a product sell in one place can lead them to wrongly conclude it can sell everywhere. But if you?re going to be really smart and careful, you?ll have to know the consumers who are drawn to the product. Study who they are and how you can reach them. Considering your franchise business prospect and the market that it serves, where would be the best place to locate your business?
Just because location is very important, a future franchise owner should assess a business based on the locations he is able to tap. Usually, distance from the owner and rental costs will dictate what locations are possible. Given the possibilities, you can eliminate franchises that will not suit any of the locations you can think of.
Knowing where the expenses will go can also help with ideas for cost-reduction measures later on. But ultimately, it will help in assessing the risk of not selling well by showing how much loss you may incur. Knowing these things can really help you to decide if the business is something your risk appetite is ready for.
As a future franchise owner, understanding how your products will get to the attention of your buyers is necessary. Foot traffic will only get you so far. Getting serious attention as opposed to a useless glance from potential customers can only be achieved with good marketing. The franchisor should present their marketing plan and also help you create one for those nearer your location.
A product that doesn't have a competitive edge based on your assessment should be avoided. Even if the terms of the franchise are favorable, it shouldn't lure you to make the wrong judgment.
Perfect information will never be available in any decision-making process. Same is true in choosing a franchise business. But it shouldn't stop you from knowing as much as you can before you go ahead. Oftentimes, your chances of success are made better because of it.
*Photo Credit: ekkun (Creative Commons)
Source: http://www.perakoto.com/2013/01/how-to-choose-best-franchise-business-philippines.html
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Do you have a tax challenge you need help solving? Are you worried about paying higher taxes under the new tax deal? Are you a parent of a college-age child and unsure of which tax breaks you qualify for? Are you self-employed and concerned that you're missing out on valuable deductions? MONEY magazine may be able to help.
For a story that will run in MONEY's April 2013 issue, the magazine will be pairing different people with a financial planner or accountant for a free tax makeover. In each case, a professional adviser will suggest steps to cut the family's tax bill now and over the long run.
To participate, you must be comfortable with sharing details of your financial life in the magazine, and you will be photographed for the story. To get an idea of what these makeovers are like, you can check out the Financial Fixes of Paul & Linda Schilling and of ?Doug & Sheryll Evans.
If you're interested, please fill out the confidential form below. Along with your contact information please include a brief description of the tax challenge you're facing. Please also tell us about a little about your family's finances, including household income, assets and debts. All of this information will be kept private unless we get in touch with you and you agree to appear in the magazine.
We'll follow up with potential candidates.
Thanks!
Find MONEY on Facebook. Follow @MONEY on Twitter.
Source: http://moremoney.blogs.money.cnn.com/2013/01/26/free-tax-help-money-magazine/
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CHICAGO (AP) ? Chicago didn't get much snow Friday, but it was record-breaking nonetheless.
The 1.1 inches that settled on Windy City streets and sidewalks marked the latest first seasonal snowfall of at least an inch in the Midwest metropolis since at least 1884, when records were first kept, National Weather Service forecaster Matt Friedlein said. The previous record was set on Jan. 17, 1899.
Friday also broke Chicago's longest streak of consecutive days without an inch of snow. The city went 335 days, or about 11 months, without at least an inch, Friedlein said.
For some people, Friday's snow was significant for another reason: They finally got to work.
"This is the first time we've had a blade down this year," said Clara Mark, a dispatcher at Chicago Snow Removal Services, which plows parking lots at condominium complexes, strip malls and factories.
"It's been rough," she said. "Last year was a bust, too. We only plowed three times."
But Mark said Friday's snowfall also was bittersweet for drivers "crying for work." Some clients don't want their parking lots plowed until there's two inches of snow.
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Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Mark Strong Sr., right, and his attorney, Dan Lilley, leave the Cumberland County Court House, on Jan. 18, in Portland, Maine.
By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News
It takes 12 to tango.
The prosecution of Mark Strong, who has been accused of helping a Maine woman run a prostitution ring from her Zumba workout studio, has run up against an unexpected series of complications this week as the court failed to seat a jury.
Topping the problems off on Friday, Judge Nancy Mills unexpectedly dropped 46 of the 59 misdemeanor counts against Strong ? spurring an immediate appeal by attorneys for the state.
Prosecutors say that the men of Maine were knocking down the doors of Alexis Wright?s Pura Vida dance and exercise studio between Oct. 2010 and Feb. 2012, and that Strong helped Wright run a prostitution ring from the storefront in the seaside town of Kennebunk.
Strong pleaded not guilty in October to 59 counts including promotion of prostitution and conspiracy to commit promotion of prostitution.
All of the 46 counts against Strong dropped by Mills on Friday were invasion of privacy charges related to allegations that Wright videotaped herself with clients.
A separate trial for Wright, who has pleaded not guilty to 106 counts, including 45 counts of engaging in prostitution, is not expected to begin until May.
But four days after Strong?s case was supposed to get under way, the high-publicity, slow-simmering case of small-town indiscretion still does not have a jury.
As of Friday, zero jurors had been seated out of a pool of 140 after a series of closed-door selection proceedings, director of court information Mary Ann Lynch confirmed in an email.
The case in Mills? court also drew into itself, lobster pot-like, a new round of court filings as Maine Today Media, which owns the local Portland Press Herald, filed to put a stop to the secret voir dire hearings.
After Maine Today Media protested on Tuesday, a trial court at first agreed to open the proceedings, but Strong and his attorney objected, expressing ?concerns about the ability to draw an impartial jury if the process used by the court were changed,? according to court documents.
In an affidavit filed Tuesday by Maine Today Media, reporter Scott Dolan said that jury selection went on in the courthouse?s basement while members of the press sat in the hallway outside an empty courtroom.
The closed door sessions were finally halted on Thursday, when the state?s highest court ruled in a 6-1 decision that they had to be opened to the public.
?Everything I?ve done in the past few days has been appealed,? Justice Mills said in court at one point Thursday, according to the Press Herald.
The decision to open up the hearings was precedent-setting for Maine, said Sigmund Schutz, counsel to the Press Herald.
??It?s going to ensure that all aspects of the Alexis Wright trial are conducted in public, at least unless the court makes a decision to the contrary,? he told NBCNews.com.
While it is unclear how long it may take to prepare the court-ordered transcripts of the jury hearings held so far, a confidential juror questionnaire given to the pool was released on Wednesday.
The questionnaire listed 47 people accused of being clients of Wright, and asked if the potential jurors had ever discussed the individual?s cases with friends, family, or co-workers. It also asked if they knew or were related to any of the 72 people who may be called as witnesses in the case.
?You may be shown explicit videos and photographs depicting individuals engaged in graphic sexual acts,? the questionnaire asked. ?Would viewing this evidence make it difficult for you to listen to the law and evidence and render a fair and impartial verdict??
The questionnaire warned of as many as three weeks of testimony, from Wednesday of this week through Friday. Feb. 8. Court broke for the day Friday without a clear date for when testimony may actually begin, Lynch confirmed.
Also in the questionnaire: ?If the evidence shows that Alexis Wright was a prostitute, would the fact that defendant Mark Strong had a sexual relationship with her, not for money, make it difficult for you to find defendant Mark Strong not guilty of the crime of promotion of prostitution??
And: ?Do you know Alexis Wright or any member of her family??
That question gets to the crux of problem with finding jurors: Many townspeople may have gotten to know Alexis Wright all too well -- or known someone who has.
And putting a lid on rampant gossip about the trial might be beyond Mills? powers. The superior court in Alfred, Maine is only about 15 miles from where Wright operated her Zumba studio in Kennebunk.
The close-knit town of 10,000 was rattled when police began releasing the names of Wright?s alleged clients in October, in one case leading to a local high school hockey coach stepping down from his job.
??Are you a close friend or family member of any other member of the jury pool?? asked the questionnaire jurors were given. ?Do you work with any member of the jury pool??
In fact, Strong?s attorney argued in a motion filed earlier this month that it would be ?impossible? to find a York County jury free of some sort of bias against his client.
NBC News correspondent Katy Tur contributed to this report.
Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/25/16700275-accused-zumba-pimp-trial-begins-in-disorder?lite
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As promised, Sony's delivering its web accessible Sony Entertainment Network store before the end of January, today lighting up the store for North Americans and Brazilians. Beyond just games, you can snag any content available on SEN and snag it later for full download and install on your PlayStation 3, Vita, PSP, and Xperia devices. Sadly, it's not anywhere near as convenient as its Xbox 360 equivalent -- after queuing up downloads, users have to dig around in the My Downloads section of their XMB and manually select which content to pull down. Still, a step in the right direction (and only two months after Europe got the service). Head over and check it out right here.
SONY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK'S ONLINE STORE FOR GAMES, MOVIES, TV SHOWS AND MORE COMING SOON TO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, MEXICO AND BRAZIL
Features Simple Navigation and Convenient Way to Discover and Purchase Content Via the Web for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Sony Android Devices, and PCs
FOSTER CITY, Calif., January 24, 2013 - Sony Network Entertainment International and Sony Computer Entertainment America, today unveiled a new online store in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil that enables PlayStation(R)Network and Sony Entertainment Network users to conveniently discover and purchase games, movies, TV shows, and more from the web.
The new online store features rich product pages that offer an easy way to browse the store's integrated catalog, which offers millions of pieces of game-related content - including downloadable games, add-ons and themes, as well as movies and TV shows1. With an unprecedented amount of content now available in the PlayStation(R)Store (PS Store), the online store delivers a convenient and visually compelling destination for users to access, discover and enjoy digital entertainment.
For PlayStation users, content purchased in the new online store from a PC (Mac and Windows) is added to My Downloads within the PlayStation Store. Users can then download games, movies and TV episodes directly onto their PlayStation(R)3, PlayStation(R)Vita, or PlayStation(R)Portable systems. Users can also purchase movies and TV episodes via the online store from any PC and watch them via the Media Go application (Windows-based PC only), or on Sony Xperia smartphones and tablets.
The launch of the online store follows the recent release of the new PS Store for the PS3 system and is part of an on-going initiative of redesigning the various device user experiences. Sony Entertainment Network will continue to update the PlayStation Store and online store with new features that improve usability and convenience for finding, purchasing and accessing content. For example, users of the new online store can look forward to the future addition of advanced recommendation functionality and automatic remote download of purchased content, as well as mobile phone and tablet browsing.
The online store was first available in European territories in December 2012. Today, the online store expands to the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. The new online store can be accessed at https://store.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com.
The company also recently announced that Sony Entertainment Network account holders can now add funds to their wallets via PayPal2. The wallet can be used to purchase games, movies and TV episodes from the PS Store and more.
Additional information about Sony Entertainment Network can be found by visiting: blog.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com, www.facebook.com/sonyentertainment, and www.twitter.com/sonyentnet.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/24/sony-entertainment-network-web-store/
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Silver Linings Playbook
"Silver Linings is consistently entertaining, with its scrappy, well-drawn characters, offbeat humor and indefatigable positive outlook." Claudia Puig of USA Today. Full Review
"Ultimately, this is an engaging, uplifting, and life-affirming motion picture that reminds viewers that it is possible to do interesting things with a romantic comedy while still sticking to some of the conventions." James Berardinelli of ReelViews. Full Review
Do you plan on seeing this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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Hansel & Gretel
No reviews are available for this film at this time.
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Movie 43
No reviews are available for this film at this time.
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Broken City
"It's pretty trashy and sometimes stupid. But there was never a moment when I wasn't entertained on one level or another." Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times.
"In spite of some punchy scenes, crackling dialogue, and fine performances, Broken City is hopelessly overmatched. It has Academy Award dreams, but a detective-show heart." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club.
Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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The Last Stand
"The Last Stand delivers -- up to a point. Keep those expectations reasonable and try not to be disappointed." Mark Zhuravsy of The Playlist.
"Despite his acknowledged age, creaking bones, and reduced nerve, Schwarzenegger still delivers quite a performance in this fun, straight-ahead action film." Louis Black of The Austin Chronicle.
Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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Mama
"Plenty of horror movies are willing to settle for making audiences jump. Mama is more ambitious by far: It makes sure viewers are emotionally committed even when they aren't clutching their armrests or covering their eyes." Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club.
"Expertly conjured atmosphere only gets Muschietti so far, but there's enough genuine promise here that you're willing to cut this talented newcomer some slack." Keith Eulich of Time Out New York.
Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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Zero Dark Thirty
"Telling a nearly three-hour story with an ending everyone knows, Bigelow and Boal have managed to craft one of the most intense and intellectually challenging films of the year." The Guardian. Full Review
"Bigelow delivers an acute realization of the mission's execution that's eerily in sync with the way it played in the popular imagination. Visually, the events unfold as a mashup of shadowy movements with flashes of green night vision. It's simultaneously predictable and tense." Eric Kohn of indieWIRE. Full Review
Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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Les Miserables
"Stirring and striking, Hooper's epic musical won't be wanting for awards and plaudits. Danny Cohen's cinematography is stunning and Hathaway's Oscar is guaranteed." Neil Smith of Total Film.?Full Review.
"Russell Crowe's pained vocal stylings (they sound more like barks) as relentless Inspector Javert can be forgiven after hearing Hugh Jackman's old-pro fluidity in the central role of Jean Valjean, hiding a criminal past." Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York.?Full Review.
Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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Parental Guidance
"Parental Guidance is an engaging comedy that bridges multiple generation gaps, making it that rare movie that grandparents, their kids, and their kids can enjoy." Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer.
Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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This is 40
"This Is 40 isn't always hilarious, but it's ticklishly honest and droll about all the things being a parent can do to a relationship. And why it's still worth it." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly.?Full Review.
"Judd Apatow's instincts have rarely been sharper, wiser or more relatable than in This Is 40, an acutely perceptive, emotionally generous laffer about the joys and frustrations of marriage and middle age." Justin Chang of Variety.?Full Review.??
Have you seen this movie? Leave a review of the film with a comment below.
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Any of these spark your interest? Marcus Theaters in Iowa City and Coralville will be showing all or most of these movies.?Showtimes here.
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Year of the Snake 2013
?
Hi there, dear friends 
Oh, I am so busy with getting the house ready for Chinese New Year that I am running behind in posting the respective steps on ?How To Feng Shui 2013? 
? as such, I am providing the direct link to Master atan?s instructions below for your reference 
===>
How To Feng Shui 2013 ? Step 3 to Step 8
With best wishes,
choesf
Be the first to like this.
Source: http://happyhomemaker88.com/2013/01/24/how-to-feng-shui-2013-step-3-to-step-8/
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Guest writer Gabriel Popescu covers the selection of the right insurance broker and how brokers earn their commissions, explaining how things work in Romania.
After having discussed in a previous article the general precautions wise managers should be aware of in the process of buying and maintaining insurance ? the next step is selecting the insurance broker.
This is the natural step for a manager already endowed with adequate knowledge about how our insurance market works and the status of the insurance brokers on this market. Unfortunately, many managers that have neither the knowledge nor subordinates skilled in insurance rush to select their insurance broker based on beliefs and assumptions that do not always match the harsh reality, often working against their own interests.
A crucial aspect of successfully employing and using an insurance broker that should be clearly understood by managers striving for well balanced cost-benefit insurance is the way the broker gets paid for services. Controlling this aspect can make policy holders masters of their own insurance; ignoring it turns them into cash cows for brokers.
Let?s examine further this critical aspect of insurance brokers? remuneration by firstly going back in time a bit. In September 2007, the EU Commission released the Business Insurance Sector Inquiry, in which it highlighted the potential for conflicts of interest as a result of the role and remuneration of the insurance brokers. The report showed that the remuneration based on commission included in the insurance premium causes conflicts between the interests of the brokers and the impartial nature of the advice provided to their clients. The report also stated that the practice of the insurance companies to compete based on the level of the remuneration paid to the insurance brokers does not promote fair competition.
This conflict of interests specific to brokers paid on commission included in the insurance premium also contributes to the ambiguity of the broker?s role. The broker can be either in situations in which it acts for the insured (e.g. obtaining insurance offers, explaining insurance terms, concluding insurance policies) or in situations in which it works for the insurer from which it receives payment (e.g. acting as a distribution channel for the insurer, collecting premiums). Furthermore, the role of the broker could be affected by uncertainty in case of strong collision between the interests of the insurer and the insured, as it is sometimes the case in large and unclear losses.
A revised draft of the Insurance Mediation Directive (IMD) released by the European Commission in 2012 has confirmed the brokers? worst fears regarding the commission disclosure, which is intended to be made mandatory in EU starting with 2017. To easily understand their concern, just imagine that you are a broker with a client that pays hundreds of thousands or millions of euros as an insurance premium, your broking commission is 15-20 percent of the premium, you effectively work some tens of hours for that client each year, and you are not quite sure about your ability to justify considerable hourly rates.
The current practice in EU regarding the insurance broking commission is quite different. Some markets (e.g. Sweden, Norway and the UK) already require mandatory disclosure for some insurance policies. Other countries such as Finland and Denmark have legally prohibited intermediaries from receiving commissions from insurance companies, thus going much further than introducing simple transparency requirements. There might not be a simple coincidence that these countries are also among those with the lowest levels of corruption world-wide.
In Romania, the Insurance Supervisory Commission (ISC) ? the Romanian regulatory authority for the insurance market ? has made an attempt to limit the level of the brokerage commission related to the compulsory motor liability insurance, a coverage where the insurance brokers cannot add much value for the insured, as the insurance conditions are established by law. After years when the broking commission for this mandatory insurance amounted in Romania at an astonishing level of 40-50% of the insurance premium, in 2008 the ISC set its maximum level at 15 %, a rule that was withdrawn in 2011. According to current information, the broking commission for this type of mandatory insurance designed to respond to a social need has increased again, currently reaching an average level of around 20 percent of the insurance premium ? a good starter for a discussion about corporate social responsibility on the insurance market.
However, the good news is that some brokers operating on the Romanian insurance market have already included remuneration transparency in their competitive edge, at least towards some their customers, thus either trying to gain new clients or keep existing clients from moving away to competitors. Nevertheless, there are no mandatory disclosure requirements on the local insurance market and there is no insurance broker in Romania working entirely on fees paid by the insured, at least not yet.
From what has been exposed above, in may be concluded that the Romanian insurance market might not be exactly the ideal friendly environment for the manager looking to get good insurance against fair price. Nevertheless, decisions regarding insurance have to be made. Here are some thoughts about what you can do to try to ensure a fair and transparent remuneration of the insurance broker when planning to employ an insurance provider or make adjustments if you already use one.
Have always in mind the inherent conflict of interest surrounding the brokers remunerated by insurance commission.
From an insured person?s perspective, it is an irrefutable reality that an insurance broker remunerated by insurance commission is paid by the insurer, which is the other party of the insurance contract. That party is a partner when you conclude the contract, but may also become an opponent in case it delays or refuses to indemnify a loss occurrence.
Look for evidence of openness and honesty in the behavior of your broker.
You have the right to know how much revenue your broker makes from representing you on the insurance market. You are equally entitled to align its revenue (part of the insurance premium you pay) with the services you effectively receive, as you probably do with any other service provider.
For instance, you can ask your broker to provide evidence regarding the level of its remuneration in the insurance policy. If the broker denies your request for openness or tries to avoid the disclosure of its revenue whatever the reason (e.g. unwillingness of the insurers, confidentiality of the commission contract), you may be sure that as in Hamlet?s Denmark, something is rotten.
Try to understand the cost structure of your insurance.
First, look behind the insurance price communicated by your broker. You may have heard stories about insurers that do not pay losses well, delay payments, and so on. You might have not previously known that, as a rule of thumb, the insurers with poor loss payment behavior are often among those that offer the highest commissions to the insurance intermediaries also. From the insured person?s point of view, the underlying mathematics is fairly simple: the cheaper the insurance and the higher the brokerage commission, the less money left to the insurance company to pay losses, and vice-versa.
Secondly, you may not want to tolerate different levels of insurance commission received by your broker from different insurers, for the same insurance line. Most probably, you may expect the same service from your broker, irrespective of who your insurer will be. A leveling of the remuneration of your broker when you order a market survey for an insurance line may increase the objectivity of the broker.
A little preparation for the next session
We have seen in the previous article and in this one the general precautions when contracting insurance and the importance of carefully understanding remuneration aspects of the value chain underlying the business of insurance mediation based on commission included in the insurance premium.
You are now armed with the necessary basic knowledge to perform a reliable and cost-conscious process of selecting an insurance broker. We will see how next time, check back on Romania-Insider.com for more in this series on insurance.
By Gabriel Popescu, Guest Writer
Gabriel Popescu is AMBCI (Associate Member of the Business Continuity Institute), management consultant and founder of Esentum Business Management SRL, a consulting firm dedicated to promoting the art and science of Risk Management and Business Continuity Management, based in Bucharest. Before starting his own consulting business, Gabriel worked for more than 20 years in industry (technological equipment and aircraft) and financial services (banking and insurance brokerage).
(photo source: sxc.hu)
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