About one-quarter of the so-called sandwich generation already has a second slice on top since they care for two or more seniors.
Balancing the demands of family life for today?s parents can be difficult at the best of times. Times are even tougher for many a parent suddenly tasked with the responsibility of caring for their own parents as well. These people make up the sandwich generation ? those raising their children and simultaneously looking after their parents.
But today?s changing demographics ? many of them highlighted in census data released recently by Statistics Canada ? are resulting in a sort of super-sizing of the sandwich generation.
There are incentives to consider the option of moving Mom and Dad into your home or moving your family into their home
The increase in rates of senior or ?grey? divorce means higher odds of caring for divorced parents and maybe even their new partners. As if caring for your married parents isn?t tough enough, we might see a generation of Baby Boomers providing elder care for parents in multiple locations.
About one-quarter of the so-called sandwich generation already has a second slice on top since they care for two or more seniors.
The trend towards having children at a later age also puts more people in the position of having to care for both children and parents. And since people are simply having fewer children period, there are less children to care for the growing ranks of the elderly.
The term ?sandwich generation? was coined by American social worker Dorothy Miller in 1981. A generation later, more than one-quarter of today?s Canadians aged 45-64 have children living with them and also perform some sort of elder care.
Since eight out of 10 in the sandwich generation are also working, it?s not surprising to see more and more retirement homes and nursing care options becoming available to provide the care they may not have the time to provide themselves. In some cases, it?s just not an option for the elderly to live on their own. That said, not all seniors have the resources to afford these facilities ? nor do all of their children.
Beyond the stress of physically caring for parents comes the stress of caring for their money
Statistics Canada reports the number of seniors living with relatives or non-relatives in a private dwelling increased from 285,370 to 393,150 from 2001 to 2011.
There are incentives to consider the option of moving Mom and Dad into your home or moving your family into their home. Selling your parents? home or your home could provide funds to use towards their care. It could also reduce the commuting costs of going back and forth from your home to theirs, since they are not likely to live close by.
And given that Statistics Canada reports that 15% of sandwiched workers have to reduce their work hours, having your parents in your home could mean more time to get the job done ? both your day job and your night job. After all, there are only so many hours in the day.
Beyond the stress of physically caring for parents comes the stress of caring for their money. And practically speaking, there are typically two different problems when it comes to Mom and Dad?s money ? they either have too little or too much.
Too little means they might become a financial burden on you. And if you have siblings, deciding how to split the cost of care can be a delicate subject. Should the cost be split equally? Should the oldest child step to the plate? Should the wealthiest child bear more of the burden? Or the one who makes more money? Or the one who got more financial support from their parents over the years?
Having too much money, while seemingly less of a problem, isn?t always so. One child may want to keep the funds intact in their parents? names, while others might push for an early advance of their inheritance. Beyond that, it?s common to see situations where strategies to move money from one generation to the next or to reduce taxes or probate defeat the original intention or lead to significant costs ? both financially and on family ties ? ranging from mistakes to disagreements to litigation.
The good news on the tax front is that the Canada Revenue Agency provides incentives to Canadians who are caring for elders. It?s possible a senior (or anyone, for that matter) may qualify for a tax credit called the ?disability amount? if they suffer from prolonged symptoms that inhibit their performance of the activities of daily living. Nursing home and caregiver costs may be claimed as medical expenses for another tax credit. And beyond that, there are additional tax credits for ?infirm dependents? as well as ?caregivers? depending on whether or not a senior lives with you or depends on you financially for support.
Having three generations under one roof is more common elsewhere in the world, but perhaps less so here in North America ? right now. One problem with this option is that it could raise an interesting dilemma ? that is, what if you take in your divorced parent and subsequently need to provide care to your other parent? Or maybe your parent has remarried and they require help as a couple? What if your parent passes away and their spouse still requires assistance? Maybe you inherit the house that the spouse is living in?
Odds are moving more in favour of being presented with such situation and Baby Boomers have some decisions to make in the not-so-distant future to ensure they can digest the double-decker sandwich they could soon be served.
Jason Heath is a fee-only Certified Financial Planner and income tax professional for Objective Financial Partners Inc. in Toronto.
National Coffee Day 2012 is Saturday, Sept. 29, and coffee purveyors across the country are celebrating. Here's a list of 16 places you can get a free or discounted coffee on National Coffee Day 2012
By Karla Bowsher,?Contributor / September 29, 2012
A bird rests on a coffee cup in the parking lot of Pat's Little Red Barn in Belfair, Wash.in this 2011 file photo. National Coffee Day, celebrated Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012. means one thing to North Americans: a free cup of joe.
Larry Steagall/Kitsap Sun/AP/File
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Whether you call it Coffee Day, National Coffee Day, or International Coffee day, this?global ?holiday??means one thing to North Americans: a free cup of joe.
Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition
So in honor of the sacred day, we?ve rounded up every caffeinated freebie and discount we could find. (If you know of one we missed, leave a comment below or share on?Facebook.)
No coupons or purchases are necessary to redeem these offers unless specified. But not all chain locations participate, so you may want to call ahead.
Besides these chains and big brand names, it also can?t hurt to ask ? or?haggle?with ? your local coffee place about National Coffee Day freebies and discounts. This year, you?ll find them everywhere from theSouthern Food & Beverage Museum?in New Orleans to the?Friends Business Source?office supply store in Findlay, Ohio.
7-Eleven:?Free large coffee?on?Sept. 28 between 6 and 10 a.m.?7-Eleven has?locations?in the U.S. and Canada.
Dutch Bros. Coffee:?All coffee drinks and Dutch Bros. Blue Rebel energy drinks are free?on?Sept. 29at the location at 7225 Martin Way East, Olympia, Wash. Take?$1 off any coffee drink?on?Sept. 29?at the eight locations across Central Oregon, all located in Bend, Redmond, or Sisters.?Free coffee drinkson?Sept. 29?at the three locations in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Dunkin? Donuts:?Printable coupon for a?99-cent hot or iced latte?through Sept. 30.
Dunkin? Donuts:?Printable coupon for?six free doughnuts?with the purchase of a Box o? Joe?through Sept. 30.
Dunkin? Donuts:?Printable coupon for?$1 off?the purchase of a dozen K-cups?through Oct. 28.
Eight O?Clock Coffee products:?Printable coupon for?$2 off?at any store that sells this brand and accepts manufacturer coupons.
Einstein Bros. Bagels:?Pumpkin?lattes are buy-one-get-one-free?on Sept. 29. They?re also offering other coffee-related discounts earlier in the week. Einstein has?locations?nationwide.
Kangaroo Express convenience stores:?Get a 12-ounce cup of Bean Street?Coffee for 1 cent?onSept. 29 between 8 a.m. and noon. Kangaroo Express has more than 1,500?locations?in 13 southeastern U.S. states.
Krispy Kreme stores:?Free 12-ounce cup of their new House Blend Coffee?on?Sept. 29. Krispy Kreme has?locations?in 39 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.
Krispy Kreme online:?They?re giving away?free coffee for a year?to 75 people as part of their 75th birthday celebration. To win, enter once?between now and Sept. 29?by completing the form. The winners will receive two bags of coffee every month for the next twelve months ? plus a free T-shirt and coffee mug. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents age 18 and older.
McDonald?s:?Free cup of coffee every day?through Sept. 29. Rumor has it this freebie is limited to locations in the eastern U.S., so be sure to call your?location?before making a trip. (Thanks to reader Jolene for writing to us about this offer.)
Punchbowl.com:?Send a?free National Coffee Day e-card. This freebie is available now, but they don?t say when it expires.
Seattle?s Best Coffee products:?Printable coupon for?$1 off?at any store that sells this brand and accepts manufacturer coupons.
Ten Thousand Villages:?Look for free samples or discounts at the stores in?Charlottesville, Va., and?Philadelphia?and?Lancaster, Penn., on?Sept. 29.
Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop:?Printable?buy-one-get-one-free coffee?coupon good on?Sept. 29. The coupon is good at their U.S.?locations.
Wawa Inc. convenience stores:?Sign up to receive an immediate coupon for a?free 16-ounce iced latte?through Oct. 2. Wawa has?locations?along the eastern U.S. coast.
Karla Bowsher covers consumer, retail, and health issues?for?Money Talks News, a consumer/personal finance TV news feature that airs in about 80 cities and around the Web. This column first appeared in Money Talks News.
The Movie Geeks speak with acclaimed actor Vincent D'Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket, Men in Black, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) about the highlights of his extraordinary career, and his new film Chained, which is now available on DVD and blu-ray.
Butz and Butz Sports Radio broadcast live from the bar at the One Crazy Fan Tailgate Truck at Lincoln Financial Field with former Eagles Pro Bowl linebacker William Thomas.
At only 20 years old, J. Anton Boykin is already affectionately known as the "Sax Sensation." Since the age of eight he has been mastering the craft of music. Come listen to him talk about what inspires him.
EGH Media presents Rowan Galagher who is The Mad Pride. A singer, songwriter and instrumentalist who doesn't read music and also successfully controls Tourette?s syndrome.
MGN Radio welcomes Author Ngozi Achebe to discuss her new book, Onaedo - The Blacksmith's Daughter on our show. Her debut novel has already been nominated for several literary awards.
The Gridiron Chefs with TP Tymless and James Greenwood break down the weeks games in the NFL, the pressing topics around the league and listener questions.
This week Tim and Jill will finish the discussion on LGBT and Marriage Equality, this is a hot topic that has been trending on social networks and is an important issue for voters as we near election time.
Francy and Friends will be LIVE from The Days of Terror Convention, be sure to tune in as they will be meeting some of the biggest names in horror films. You never know who you might run into.
It's open-wheel racing and NASCAR on this episode, as Dustin Parks will be joined by guest co-host Glenn Locke. These two always bring great conversation, and this will be no different.
Grab your Saturday morning coffee and tune into "Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys" hosted by those eggs over easy riders Garrison Leykam and Scot Doane. "Those Diner and Motorcycle Guys"...talk radio was never like this!
BGE Radio welcomes Playboy Model Crissy Henderson to the show. Crissy is an actress, model and philanthropist. Tune in as she speaks about her life and upcoming work.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar's economy grew 5.0 percent from a year earlier in inflation-adjusted terms during the second quarter of 2012, as strong expansion in non-energy sectors including finance and construction largely offset a slacker energy sector, government figures showed on Saturday.
Gross domestic product growth slowed from the first quarter, when it was 6.9 percent year-on-year. Second-quarter GDP climbed 2.5 percent from the first quarter, the figures released by Qatar Statistics Authority showed.
The OPEC producer's economy is dominated by energy production, which accounts for roughly half of output. But that sector grew in real terms by only 0.8 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter and shrank 0.1 percent from the first quarter, because of softer global oil prices.
By contrast, the financial services sector grew 12.1 percent from a year earlier, transport and communications output rose 18.0 percent, and the construction sector increased 10.0 percent. Qatar has embarked on a major infrastructure building programme, partly in preparation to host the 2022 soccer World Cup.
In June, Qatar's state planning authority said it expected economic growth of 6.2 percent this year, slowing to 4.5 percent in 2013, the weakest rate in a decade.
Last year, growth was 14.1 percent. The slowdown is due to the fading impact of two decades of rapid expansion of natural gas production.
Google's new Field Trip app is a virtual local tour guide that's always running in the background. It pops up interesting local information???from local history and architecture to the best restaurants and shopping???without you having to ask for it.
After you choose whether you want just occasional notifications or frequent ones, Field Trip runs quietly in the background, looking for anything notable around you. The app pulls in information from a ton of sources, including Zagat and Eater in the food and drinks category; Architizer for architecture; and The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations and Atlas Obscura for unique (and possibly bizarre) finds.
When it finds something, Field Trip notifies you with a ringtone and/or vibration. It can even read the title and description to you. View the event, place, or thing on a map and read more about it within the app. You can also choose to get more or fewer notifications from individual sources.
The Android?app has a really pleasant interface and definitely encourages you to step out and go explore (as the video above suggests). Google says the app is like having a local friend with you as you explore a city. You can download this virtual friend on Google Play now; an iOS version is coming soon.?
NOTE:?If Google Play?says?your phone is incompatible, it might not really be. I got the incompatibility warning too on my Galaxy S2, but was able to download it directly from the phone and it works!
Field Trip?| on?Google Play?via?The New York Times
A celebration of first time filmmakers ? is the new and unique film festival, event and opportunity taking place in New York City from March 1-March 4, 2013. Just as Quentin Tarantino had ?Reservoir Dogs,? Orson Welles his ?Citizen Kane,? Sam Mendes? ?American Beauty,? Rob Reiner with ?This Is Spinal Tap,? and John Huston had ?The Maltese Falcon? as their first works, First Time Fest?s mission is to discover and present the next generation of great cinema by first time screenwriters, producers, directors, editors, composers and cinematographers to a cinema-loving public and to select and present these films and filmmakers in a most unique and dynamic fashion. FTF is currently seeking submissions for its inaugural event.
First Time Fest will be a four-day, multi-faceted event based in New York City?s Gramercy Park at the celebrated Players Club, founded by Edwin Booth and Mark Twain, the oldest and most exclusive arts organization of its kind. Films will be screened at the Loews Village VII (on 11th St. & 3rd Ave).
First Time Fest represents a hybrid between a traditional film festival and a highly motivated audience participation event. The featured films of First Time Fest will embody the work of 12 finalists, selected from a submission pool of potentially thousands of films. Each of the 12 finalists will have his or her feature screened during the Festival before an audience of industry professionals and the general public. A panel of five jurors will then decide the Grand Prize winner. Four of these judges will be of the film industry elite, while the fifth judge, unlike any other festival in the world, will be the collective ?Voting Public? or ?VPs.? These VPs ? 120 on each of the Festival?s days ? will be selected by lottery from the thousands of moviegoers expected to attend First Time Fest. Additionally, 12 special VPs will be selected in a nationwide contest to represent the country at large.
The Grand Prize winner of First Time Fest will be presented at an exclusive gala on the final day of the Festival, and will receive an offer of theatrical distribution arranged through a partnership between First Time Fest and Cinema Libre Studio, a successful international entertainment company based in Los Angeles, California. Cinema Libre has produced over 15 award-winning international films, and has distributed more than 100 films in its 20 years of operations. Beyond distribution, the winner will be provided international sales representation by Cinema Libre and will receive a host of other major prizes. First Time Fest will also present other prizes during the Awards Ceremony, including: ?Outstanding Direction,? Outstanding Screenplay,? ?Outstanding Cinematography,? ?Outstanding Editing,? and ?Outstanding Score.?
Each of First Time Fest?s twelve finalists will receive a one-year, high-level industry mentorship.? This mentorship will involve regular contact with prominent members of the independent filmmaking community: producers, distributors, sales agents, talent representatives (agents and managers), lawyers, consultants, and, most importantly, respected cinema artists: directors, writers, editors, cinematographers and composers. First Time Fest deeply believes in the artistic and professional development of its participants, and will coordinate these intensive mentorship opportunities on their behalf. And, as each finalist is granted a one-year membership at the Player?s Club, they also have a fantastic opportunity to regularly interact with the Player?s entertainment industry members.
First Time Fest will also include a series of panels called ?How They Did It,? in which a diverse group of award-winning filmmakers will moderate filmmaking case studies which spotlight some of the most successful and accomplished masters of the industry.
In addition, First Time Fest and the Players Club will be presenting the first John Huston Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Cinema. The Award will be presented to an individual who has made s significant contribution to the art of cinema, and whose presence in our community has offered leadership and inspiration to other cinema artists. The Award is named in honor of one of America?s greatest filmmakers, who was an esteemed member of the Players Club (John Huston?s membership in the Club was sponsored by his friend and colleague, Humphrey Bogart).? It will be an extraordinary event.
We will also be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Morris Engel?s ?The Little Fugitive.? This film, a cinema v?rit? classic from 1953, was shot entirely on Coney Island and has inspired countless filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, Fran?ois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, who credit it for launching the French New Wave. Unfortunately, few members of the public (and even many filmmakers) know of Engel?s work, and we hope that this tribute curated by renowned film historian Foster Hirsch, along with a panel to scheduled to include his daughter Mary Engel,? and the star of the film, Richard Brewster, will redress that..
Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward serve as co-founders of First Time Fest. As an accomplished philanthropist, actor and social entrepreneur, as well as the daughter of singer Tony Bennett, Johanna has immersed herself within the entertainment and artistic community her entire life. Mandy has worked in the film industry for nearly 10 years in varied capacities, namely as a film producer of several projects. Mitch Levine, CEO of The Film Festival Group, is serving as an active advisor and consultant to the team. Through his company, Mitch offers consulting services and expertise to film festivals, film commissions, distribution companies and filmmakers around the world, and was formerly the CEO and Executive Director of the renowned Palm Springs International Film Festival. David Schwartz, the Artistic Director and Head Curator of Museum of the Moving Image, has come on to become the Director of Programing for First Time Fest.
FILE- In this Oct. 6, 2011, file photo, Gan Golan, of Los Angeles, dressed as the "Master of Degrees," holds a ball and chain representing his college loan debt, during Occupy DC activities in Washington. With college enrollment growing, student debt has stretched to a record number of U.S. households ? nearly 1 in 5 ? with the biggest burdens falling on the young and poor, according to a study based on the Survey of Consumer Finances released Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE- In this Oct. 6, 2011, file photo, Gan Golan, of Los Angeles, dressed as the "Master of Degrees," holds a ball and chain representing his college loan debt, during Occupy DC activities in Washington. With college enrollment growing, student debt has stretched to a record number of U.S. households ? nearly 1 in 5 ? with the biggest burdens falling on the young and poor, according to a study based on the Survey of Consumer Finances released Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
FILE - In this April 4, 2012, file photo, Scott Richards of Saint Anselm College looks over possible jobs during a career fair for college students in Manchester, N.H. With college enrollment growing, student debt has stretched to a record number of U.S. households ? nearly 1 in 5 ? with the biggest burdens falling on the young and poor, according to a study based on the Survey of Consumer Finances released Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012. Because of the sluggish economy, fewer college students than before are able to settle into full-time careers immediately upon graduation, contributing to a jump in debt among lower-income households as the young adults take on part-time jobs or attend graduate school. (AP Photo/Jim Cole, File)
Chart shows households with student loans
WASHINGTON (AP) ? With college enrollment growing, student debt has stretched to a record number of U.S. households ? nearly 1 in 5 ? with the biggest burdens falling on the young and poor.
The analysis by the Pew Research Center found that 22.4 million households, or 19 percent, had college debt in 2010. That is double the share in 1989, and up from 15 percent in 2007, just prior to the recession ? representing the biggest three-year increase in student debt in more than two decades.
The increase was driven by higher tuition costs as well as rising college enrollment during the economic downturn. The biggest jumps occurred in households at the two extremes of the income distribution. More well-off families are digging deeper into their pockets to pay for costly private colleges, while lower-income people in search of higher-wage jobs are enrolling in community colleges, public universities and other schools as a way to boost their resumes.
Because of the sluggish economy, fewer college students than before are able to settle into full-time careers immediately upon graduation, contributing to a jump in debt among lower-income households as the young adults take on part-time jobs or attend graduate school, according to Pew.
As a share of household income, the debt burden was the greatest for the poorest 20 percent of households, or those making less than $21,044. In all, 40 percent of U.S. households headed by someone younger than age 35 owed college debt, the highest share of any age group.
"Comparing the debt to their economic resources, the lowest-income fifth of households are the ones experiencing the greatest stresses," said Richard Fry, a senior economist at Pew who analyzed the numbers.
Noting that college enrollment has continued to climb since 2010, Fry added: "Until college enrollment peaks, I would not expect the amount of outstanding student debt to level off."
The study released Wednesday is based on the Survey of Consumer Finances, conducted every three years and sponsored by the Federal Reserve. The numbers are as of 2010, the latest available for that survey. Separate Fed data have pointed to subsequent increases in student loans since 2010 that totaled $914 billion in the April-June quarter, but don't provide demographic breakdowns on who shoulders the biggest burdens.
Both President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger in this year's election, Mitt Romney, have been seeking to court young voters with differing visions on how to address rising tuition and growing college debt. Obama wants to make tax credits for college expenses permanent and expand Pell grants for lower-earning families. Romney says that making government the direct source of federal student loans has not worked and simply drives tuition higher. He stresses the need to curb college costs.
The Pew report found that the richest 20 percent of households, or those with annual income of $97,586 or higher, owed the biggest share of outstanding student debt ? 31 percent, up from 28 percent in 2007. The poorest 20 percent of households also saw their debt grow, to 13 percent from 11 percent.
The richest households saw significant increases in per-household debt. For those with annual income of $97,586 to $146,791, college debt rose from $25,921 in 2007 to $31,989. For the richest 10 percent, making at least $146,792, college debt increased from $36,033 to $44,810.
Across all households, the average outstanding college debt increased from $23,349 to $26,682. For the poorest 20 percent of households, the average debt rose from $19,018 to $20,640.
In recent years, Americans have cut back on several other types of borrowing such as credit card use, with average household indebtedness falling from $105,297 in 2007 to $100,720 in 2010. Broken down by income levels, however, average total indebtedness for the bottom 20 percent of households by income actually rose from $17,579 in 2007 to $26,779; for the higher income groups, average indebtedness either was unchanged or declined.
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Online:
Pew Social & Demographic Trends: http://pewsocialtrends.org/
Computer terminology can be one of the hardest things to wrap your head around. It?s can all seem like mumbo jumbo, with made-up or adopted words. Some of the more confusing terminology comes from programs and software with harmful intent. Is the program infecting your computer a Trojan horse, worm or malware though? It can be hard to differentiate them sometimes.
Here?s an overview of the most commonly used terms for malicious software.
Malware ? Malware is a portmanteau of malicious and software. When we, or any other IT professional, talks about malware, we are generally speaking about any software that is designed to steal information, disrupt operations or gain access to a computer or network. In tech, and indeed many news articles, malware is used as a general term. It can also be referred to in legal circles as a ?computer contaminant?.
Virus - A virus is a malicious code that is spread from one computer to another. Computer viruses are usually introduced to a system by a user downloading and opening an infected file. They can also be spread by removable hard drives, if an infected file is put onto a drive which is then plugged into a new computer and opened. For malicious software to be labeled as a virus, it has to be spread through human action, usually in the form of the user unknowingly opening an infected file.
Trojan horse ? A Trojan horse takes its name from the Greek story where a wooden horse was used to hide Greek soldiers who secretly entered Troy. In a similar way this computer virus is a program that is disguised as a useful program that when installed will do damage to your system. The severity of a Trojan horse varies from annoying to completely destructive, and while they are malicious, they will not replicate or transfer to other computers. Many modern Trojan horse programs also contain a backdoor (more on that below).
Worm ? Worms are similar to a virus. In fact, many experts consider a worm to be a subclass of virus. Worms, like viruses, spread from computer to computer; the major difference being that worms can spread themselves. Computer worms also have the ability to replicate on a host system and send these copies to other users. The most common way of transmission is through email, or via a company?s network, often causing computers to run slowly while using a ton of bandwidth, ultimately leading to a system crash.
Spyware ? Spyware is a malware program that captures user activity and information without the user?s knowledge or consent. Some can even go so far as to capture every single keystroke a user makes ? this is commonly known as a keylogger. Spyware infects computers either through user deception (i.e., ?You?ve won 1,000,000,000 dollars? ads) or through exploits in programs. Some spyware has been known to redirect users to websites or even change computer settings.
Adware ? The main purpose of adware is to show ads and gain the hacker ad revenue. These ads can be pop-ups, extra banners added to web browsers, or ads shown during the installation of third party software. While generally not a form of malicious software on its own, it can, and often does, come with spyware.
Rootkit ? Rootkits are all about stealth. When installed they hide themselves from detection while allowing an unauthorized user to access and control your computer. Nine times out of ten, the unauthorized user will have full administrative access, which means that if they were malicious enough, they could really do some damage.
Backdoor ? Backdoors are similar to Rootkits, in that they allow an unauthorized user to access your computer. Many Trojan horses install a backdoor for the hacker to access and remotely control your system.
Bug - Some users think that a bug in software is a form of malware, placed there by the developer to ruin the program or a system. In fact, bugs aren?t malware, they are an error or fault in the software?s code. It?s true that hackers have exploited bugs to infect systems, but the bug was the way in, not the malicious software itself.
In the early days of the Internet, viruses were often installed separately from Trojans and worms. With the rising complexity and effectiveness of malware prevention software, hackers have started to blend their attacks together, often using a combination of one or more types of malicious software to infect systems. These combination malware infections are normally complex, but have been incredibly effective.
While malware is usually malicious towards single users, a new form of warfare that utilizes malware has arisen. Cyberwarfare is rumored to have been used by governments and companies to steal information or completely disrupt a countries information networks. While most Cyberwarfare is conducted at the country or conglomerate organization level, it is only a matter of time before small to medium companies are targeted.
Tools like Microsoft?s Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), which is meant to fix bugs in Internet explorer, as well as strong anti-virus measures, timely virus scans and an efficient Internet use policy will go a long way toward preventing malware from infecting your computers. If you?re worried about the security of your computers and network, please give us a shout, we may have a solution for you.
So there you are, walking around on the world's most advanced aircraft carrier. Everything around you is a multi-million dollar machine packed with advanced technology. Then something propped in the corner catches your eye. Is that an old wooden ladder? What the hell is that doing here? More »
The Fujisawa City project in the Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo brought together nine companies and the government to develop an energy-smart community. Image: Panasonic
In this interview by Singapore?s Energy Market Authority, Panasonic Asia Pacific managing director Yorihisa Shiokawa reveals how manufacturers can contribute to an energy efficient society through innovation, collaboration and careful management.
Energy Market Authority: Panasonic?s ambition is to be the leading ?Green Innovation Company? in the electronics sector. What steps is Panasonic undertaking to achieve this target? What impact will this have on consumers and the environment?
Yorihisa Shiokawa: We want to become the number one Green Innovation Company in the electronics sector by 2018. Through our ?eco ideas? strategy, we create innovative businesses, products and services that are energy-efficient or have smart energy features, and therefore are more environmentally-friendly. But they also help consumers save money. We are on track to achieving 80 per cent of our total sales in Asia Pacific from these eco products.
Panasonic Group is also focused on developing Total Energy Solutions that involve energy creation, storage, savings and management. We set up the Panasonic Energy Solutions Development Centre Singapore in July this year to develop total energy solutions not only for the region, but also to commercialise them globally. Panasonic is working closely with the local authorities in Singapore to test-bed some of our urban solutions at the?Punggol Eco-Town project.
We have a Panasonic Eco Learning Programme, which will help 200,000 students across Asia Pacific to develop environmental awareness and an understanding of how virtually zero CO2 emissions can be achieved through technology. We will continue to spread the word so that more will come together to create a positive impact on the environment.
Panasonic applies the ?eco ideas? strategy to our own business. We aim to reduce the environmental impact of our business operations by making the best use of resources and energy through green innovation. We have set a goal of a 600,000-tonne CO2 reduction in our operations versus a ?business-as-usual? level (based on our fiscal year ending March 2005).
We are also developing three more ?eco ideas? factories by March 2013, which will demonstrate our sustainability solutions and capabilities. These factories adopt green solutions and exemplify how reductions in CO2 emissions, managing waste generation and chemical substance releases and maintaining energy efficiency can be achieved in manufacturing facilities.
EMA: In difficult economic times, some consumers may not be inclined to pay for green-certified appliances. What role can global manufacturers play in raising the awareness of the importance of such appliances?
YS: Global manufacturers can take the lead to help imbue eco-consciousness among consumers though championing environmental awareness programmes and education initiatives. Industry players must work with governments worldwide to ensure their products are compliant with the energy regulations of each country. In Singapore, Panasonic?s air conditioners and refrigerators meet the standards which are required for The Energy Label, mandated by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
Asia Pacific also has many environmental challenges in emerging and rapidly growing markets. Economic growth can create environmental pressures ? especially in creating and providing a stable supply of energy and meeting the demand for improved living standards. Product customisation for particular markets is important. In India, for example, the CUBE air-conditioner takes into account specific Indian climatic conditions and space limitations. This kind of product customisation will encourage customers to purchase green-certified appliances.
EMA: Businesses, especially manufacturing companies, are some of the biggest consumers of energy. How do you think businesses can and should conserve energy through their own business practices?
YS: Business growth must be achieved with an eye on conserving the planet for future generations. We are committed to promoting environmental sustainability and reducing the impact of our business operations. There are two ways to achieve this:
First, look at reducing CO2 emission. Panasonic has been using meters and gauges to manage energy consumption during production, as well as replacing fluorescent lights with energy-efficient Light-Emitting Diode (LED) lights in our factories. By doing so, we have been able to reduce CO2 emissions by 560,000 tonnes in our Asia-Pacific operations as of the end March this year.
Second, companies should set assessment criteria on the environmental impact of their products. This needs to be done right from the planning and design stage. Improved environmental performance can be based on criteria such as energy savings, resource savings and chemicals management.
EMA: There is much being said about public-private partnerships in developing solutions that lower energy consumption. How have Japanese companies, for instance, collaborated with the Japanese government to help meet nationwide energy intensity goals?
YS: In Japan, such collaborations are increasingly important for a nation that is dependent on imports of virtually all fossil fuels. For decades, Japanese energy policy has focused on efficiency, diversity and development of indigenous energy sources.
One such recent project is Fujisawa City in Kanagawa Prefecture, situated about 50km west of Tokyo. This collaboration sees nine companies coming together with the government to build an innovative smart town deploying services and energy systems based on Panasonic?s ?eco ideas? for green lifestyles. The companies include developers, manufacturers and service providers and will see an eventual actual operation of the town with about 1,000 households. The smart town is to be built on the vacant lot of Panasonic?s former factory site and is targeted to open in the fiscal year ending in March 2014.
Apart from these large-scale collaborations, there are other ways to contribute to the nation, especially in times of crisis. At the end of March 2011, Panasonic donated a Life Innovation Container to the Miyagi Prefecture, which suffered widespread devastation in the Great East Japan Earthquake. The container is a standalone power system equipped with solar panels and rechargeable batteries to deliver electricity to areas without access to electricity.
But such collaborations are picking up in other parts of Asia as well. For example in Singapore, we are partnering with the Housing Development Board (HDB), Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Economic Development Board (EDB) to test-bed total energy solutions on an existing public residential building in Punggol Eco-Town. This project aims to achieve zero CO2 emissions for common areas of public housing in Singapore, and provide residents with a complete total energy solutions package that helps monitor and better manage their energy consumption.
EMA: Do you think companies can combine making contributions to the environment with business growth? Do you think legislation, such as those enacted in Japan and soon to be enacted in Singapore, will push companies to be more energy-efficient?
YS: Our belief is that we must integrate environmental conservation with business growth.? As such, we strive to achieve the highest achievement levels in reducing CO2 emissions, recycling resources, the size of our energy systems business and the sales ratio of environmentally-friendly products. These are our ?Green Indexes? and they are just as important as our Global Excellence Indexes, which look at sales, operating profit and return of equity.
Legislation also has a role to play in driving mindset changes in energy consumption and the nation?s energy mix.? In July 2012, the Japanese government rolled out feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for renewable energy. The Japanese FiTs are significantly higher than those offered in both Germany and China. Such clean energy investments shift Japan?s reliance on nuclear energy. Government subsidies benefit solar panel makers such as Panasonic, spurring them to manufacture even more energy-efficient products and services.
We also applaud the Singapore government for introducing the Energy Conservation Act, which comes into effect in 2013, to improve energy efficiency across different sectors. It will also drive energy efficiency in business. The legislation requires factories that consume more than 15GWh of energy a year to implement minimum energy management standards, such as the appointment of an energy manager, reporting of energy use and submission of energy efficiency improvement plans.
This is likely to help households make more informed choices about purchasing energy-efficient appliances since the legislation stipulates the minimum energy performance standards and energy labelling scheme for common household appliances such as air-conditioners and refrigerators.
Yorihisa Shiokawa is Managing Executive Officer, Regional Head for the Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa of Panasonic Corporation, as well as Managing Director of Panasonic Asia Pacific. He assumed his role from April 2011, after three decades of building the brand name Panasonic in markets such as Europe, notably its digital audio-visual product and home appliance businesses.
This article was originally published on the Singapore International Energy Week 2012 website, and has been republished with permission.
Spending within the U.S. Communications Industry will increase 5.2% in 2012 to reach $1.189 trillion as consumers and businesses increasingly embrace digital technology and return to spending levels not seen since before the recent worldwide economic downturn, according to the 2012 Forecast released by Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS).
The 26th edition of the VSS Communications Industry Forecast 2012-16 found that U.S. Communications Industry spending grew 4.4% in 2011 to $1.129 trillion despite a sluggish economy in which nominal Gross Domestic Product expanded 3.9%. Spending rose at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.7% in the 2006-2011 forecast period, surpassing GDP by a 0.3 percentage point. VSS expects the Communications Industry to grow at a 5.2% CAGR to $1.455 trillion by 2016, almost two times the growth rate during the past five years. At that pace, the Communications Industry will remain the fifth-largest industry among 15 economic sectors in 2016.
Once seen as a trend in only selected pockets of the U.S. Communications Industry, digital communications and services ? encompassing content, technology and user access ? has firmly established itself as the driving force of growth across all of its sectors, segments and subsegments. Through the use of ever-evolving platforms and channels, digital is giving a rising number of communications companies the power to more effectively target and connect with both consumer and business customers. Demand for digital and mobile devices continues to grow steadily, ensuring that there will be a similar increase in the number of end users. Traditional communications companies that relied heavily on print products continue to make the transition to digital, and those that fully embrace it are the ones most likely to remain relevant to their audiences.
In 2006, VSS found that digital-related expenditures represented 16.7% of total Communications Industry spending; it reached 26.5% in 2011, and VSS projects it will grow to 39.3% by 2016. Last year, digital-related expenditures accounted for 25.1% of consumer and advertising spending and 34.6% of institutional spending, and VSS expects those percentages to increase to 39.3% and 48.9%, respectively, by the end of the forecast period.
The importance of digital adoption is fully reflected in the 2011-2016 forecast period. Long-term growth in two Industry Sectors ? Targeted Media and Business & Professional Information & Services ? is expected to be robust. Targeted Media, which includes Branded Entertainment Marketing, Business-to-Business Media, Direct Marketing, Outsourced Custom Content, and Pure-Play Consumer Internet & Mobile Services, will post a 7.4% CAGR in the 2011-16 period, while Business & Professional Information & Services spending will produce a 7.0% CAGR. Consumer and institutional end-users will maintain their strong demand for continuous and faster digital access to information through traditional and emerging channels. This will fuel the desire for the latest computer, internet connectivity and wireless mobile technologies and devices. VSS data confirms the strong growth prospects that exist thanks to digital; for example, spending on Business & Professional Information accessed through mobile devices, particularly vertical industry-specific applications rose 95.6% in 2011 to $2.28 billion.
?Digital?s influence is now a constant and significant factor in every sector, segment and sub-segment of the US Communications industry,? said John Suhler, Co-Founder and President of VSS. ?At the same time as digital technology and innovation continue to spur growth in the industry or propel the communications industry forward, emerging digital media and services are significantly changing consumption habits among both institutional and consumer end-users. These developments will drive digital-related expenditures to constitute nearly 40% of the overall U.S. Communications Industry spending by 2016.? Communications Industry and Its Sectors and Revenue Streams
The VSS Forecast provides the only 10-year, multi-lens view of the communications industry by six Industry Sectors, four Revenue Streams, 20 segments, more than 100 subsegments, and an exclusive Consumer Media Usage Index tracking time spent with media by consumers, businesses and other institutions. Industry Sectors include Targeted Media, Business & Professional Information & Services, Entertainment & Leisure Media, Education & Training Media & Services, Traditional Marketing, and Traditional Consumer Advertising Media. Revenue Stream components include Advertising, Marketing Services, Institutional End-User, and Consumer End-User. Together, the VSS Forecast and the annual VSS Mid-Term Forecast Update ? to be issued in the [second quarter] of 2013 ? provide the most comprehensive and in-depth views available of the U.S. Communications Industry. VSS defines Communications spending as dollars invested by advertisers, marketers, consumer end users, and institutional end users in ad-based communications and marketing services, as well as entertainment, information, business and education content, subscriptions, access and services. It does not include spending on hardware, such as videogame consoles; spending on one-on-one telecommunications services, such as landline and mobile phone usage; sales generated by brand marketers through the redeemed value of coupons; or sales through direct marketing vehicles, such as direct response TV.
Digital Has Become a Rising Tide for the Entire Communications Industry
The VSS Forecast defines in detail how digital activities has become intertwined with all aspects of the Communications Industry, and will continue to grow. Within certain, fast-growing areas ? such as the Targeted Media sector ? digital communications is the accelerant. In segments with weakened growth prospects, digital has become a saving grace. For example, VSS projects overall spending on Consumer Book Publishing will decline 2.4% in 2012 and experience a drop in CAGR of 1.1% in the forecast period, but spending in one of its subsegments ? e-books and other digital downloads ? will increase from $1.91 billion in 2011 to $9.40 billion in 2016, representing a CAGR of 37.6%.
Digital communications? growing influence is also witnessed in media consumption rates. Among institutional users, daily media consumption rose 5.3% in 2011 to 1 hour, 41 minutes and 2 seconds per employee, propelled by increased use of business information outside the office through wireless devices. Meanwhile, time spent by persons age 12 and above accessing consumer and business mobile content soared in 2011, rising 46.7% to 15 minutes and 7 seconds daily per person. VSS attributed the jump to increased penetration of wireless devices ? including smartphones, computer tablets and e-readers ? among consumers and institutions.
Media consumption has leveled out, but consumer and business mobile content are taking strong hold. During the forecast period, VSS expects media that exhibited deep declines during the substitution-caused shift to digital platforms, such as Recorded Music and Books, will stabilize as the digital segments of those industries account for the majority of units sold. Technological advancements will continue to drive growth in the consumption of institutional business media, with more companies providing employees with computer tablets and e-readers. Information and services will become more readily available through wireless devices, such as dedicated mobile content specific to a vertical industry.
Key Trends in Forecast Period for Industry Sectors
VSS added the Industry Sector analytical perspective to the Forecast in 2009 in recognition of the communications disruption caused by digital technology and innovation, which has caused the Communications Industry to diverge into six distinct communications ecosystems.
Digital communications platforms exist throughout all six Industry Sectors. VSS expects mobile advertising and marketing segments and subsegments will continue to grow dramatically as mobile and tablet technologies allow for a more dynamic interactive experience, while Internet access spending will remain about flat during the forecast period as household broadband penetration reaches saturation. Pure-play and related traditional related content sites that primarily provide text information will add online video to monetize the fast-growing video advertising market, and display ads will increasingly be bundled with this content as advertising dollars continue to shift to online. VSS projects that all six Industry Sectors will post CAGR gains in the 2011-2016 period, with the biggest percentage increases coming in Targeted Media, and Business & Professional Information & Services, and the largest increase in spending coming from Targeted Media, which will increase from $200.38 billion in 2011 to $285.97 billion in 2016.
Spending on Targeted Media will increase 7.7% to $215.81 billion in 2012, with overall gains led by strong growth in Branded Entertainment and Pure-Play Internet & Mobile Services. Outsourced Custom Publishing will strengthen, while Direct Marketing and B-to-B Media will post steady but modest gains. Targeted Media will experience a 7.4% CAGR in the forecast period, reaching $285.97 billion in 2016, and fueled by Branded Entertainment and Pure-Play Internet & Mobile Services.
Traditional Marketing spending will grow 4.2% in 2012 to $75.91 billion, buoyed by political campaign spending in certain segments and subsegments, including Public Relations & Word-of-Mouth Marketing, and Promotional Products. Three even-year political campaigns, strong growth in Public Relations & Word-of-Mouth Marketing, and a turnaround in B-to-B Promotions will contribute to a 4.2% CAGR in the forecast period, reaching $89.34 billion in 2016.
In the Business & Professional Information & Services sector, spending will rise 7.2% to $204.43 billion in 2012 and post a 7% CAGR in the forecast period, fueled by solid growth in both Business & Professional Information and Business & Professional Services, particularly those relating to marketing, financial & economic and scientific & technical Information, as well as technology services, such as wireless data access, Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing.
VSS projects spending on Education & Training Media & Services will increase 4.4% to $252.46 billion in 2012 and post a 4.2% CAGR in the forecast period. Solid gains in College Media and Outsourced Corporate Training will offset more modest growth in K-12 and declines in For-Profit Postsecondary Educational Services.
Spending on Entertainment & Leisure Media will increase 4.9% to $293.49 billion in 2012, with strong gains in Subscription TV spending expected to offset weaker growth in Entertainment Media and declines
in Consumer Books. Steady growth in Subscription TV spending and a resurgent Entertainment Media will produce a 4.9% CAGR in the forecast period despite protracted declines in Consumer Book spending. Traditional Consumer Advertising spending will post a 2.0% gain in 2012 to $146.57 billion. Even-year political and Olympics spending on Broadcast Television and accelerated growth in Broadcast & Satellite Radio and Out-of-Home Media will drive the gain. Broadcast TV, Broadcast & Satellite Radio, and Out-of-Home Media will also drive a 2.1% CAGR in the forecast period. Newspapers, Magazines and Local Consumer Directories will continue to struggle during the forecast period.
Key Trends in Forecast Period for Revenue Streams
All four Revenue Streams ? Advertising, Marketing Services, Consumer End-User and Institutional End-User ? are projected to see positive CAGR in the forecast period, with Advertising posting the largest CAGR at 6.1%. The slower growth will come in spending on items such as home video, box office, books, newspapers and magazines, adding further weight to digital communications? influence and growing impact on the overall picture. Digital will continue to play a key role in the faster-moving Revenue Streams in the forecast period. VSS projects spending in the Advertising Revenue Stream will grow 5.9% in 2012 to $200.76 billion ? driven by political and Olympics spending on Broadcast Television; growing interest by advertisers in lower-cost Subscription Television; accelerated gains in Out-of-Home Media and double-digit growth in internet, mobile and entertainment media. Advertising spending will posted a 6.1% CAGR in the forecast period to reach $255.23 billion in 2016. This will be fueled in part by three years of Olympics and political ads, and the ongoing shift to alternative advertising, including digital Out-of-Home Media and the brand-related internet and mobile platforms of traditional communications.
Institutional End-User spending is projected to grow 6.0% to $546.63 billion in 2012, with a 5.8% CAGR in the forecast period, reaching $682.41 billion in 2016. Gains in 2012 and the forecast period will come from growth in Business & Professional Information, Business & Professional Services, TV programming, B-to-B live events and related digital platforms, and Outsourced Corporate Training.
Spending in the Consumer End-User Revenue Stream is expected to increase 3.7% to $237.29 billion in 2012, and post a 4.2% CAGR in the forecast period to reach $281.20 billion in 2016, primarily as a result of consumer spending on pure-play and related traditional digital platforms, enhanced Subscription TV services and satellite radio. In the latter part of the forecast period, new console videogame titles will also contribute to growth as the next generation of hardware is released.
Marketing Services spending will increase 4.4% in 2012 to $203.98 billion, and post a 3.9% CAGR in the forecast period to reach $236.16 billion in 2016. VSS projects higher spending on alternative marketing vehicles such as Branded Entertainment and Word-of-Mouth Marketing will lead to increased face-to-face engagement with consumers and drive a return on investment.
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BENGHAZI, Libya, Sept 26 - The leader of one of Libya's most powerful militia groups played down the prospect of changes in its operations now that the central government has put a military officer in command, saying the group's role would continue as before.
Rafallah al-Sahati is one of the three most powerful armed groups in eastern Libya, operating with the permission of the central government while the mainstream security forces remain weak a year after the civil war that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
The continued might of the militia groups has provoked public unrest, most recently on Friday night when a mob of pro-government demonstrators first swept the armed Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia out of its Benghazi bases and later turned against Rafallah al-Sahati.
The crowd stormed a Rafallah base, looting weapons and provoking clashes. Eleven people were killed.
The government announced on Monday it was putting uniformed army colonels in charge of Rafallah al-Sahati and the larger February 17 brigade as part of measures to regularize the forces.
But Rafallah al-Sahati leader Ismail al-Sallabi told Reuters on Wednesday the officer who had now assumed command, Colonel Salahadeen Bin Omran, had already been a member of the militia group and was simply being promoted internally to a higher-profile role.
"That colonel is one of us. We have a lot of army colonels with us. He is one of the army colonels who is also a revolutionary, and once of the first colonels that came to fight with us," said Sallabi, who entered his living room walking with a limp from a bullet wound he received in his leg in Friday night's clash.
Sallabi, whose leadership of the militia has made him one of the most powerful men in eastern Libya, described himself as "a student and a businessman", and made no attempt to deny that he would continue to play some kind of leadership role for now, despite the formal change of command.
"I am not going to lie to you: I will have a role, either within Rafallah al-Sahati or outside it," he said, without giving more details.
"I am a civilian. I am not a military man, and personally, I do not want to be a military man. At some stage things will calm down, and I will be able to withdraw from public life."
TWO-TRACK APPROACH
The weak Libyan government's campaign to rein in the militias has received a stronger impetus since the killing of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on September 11.
The government has since pursued a two-track approach, dissolving those militias like Ansar al-Sharia that lacked official permission, while announcing less confrontational measures to increase control over those armed groups that have accepted an official role.
"You must know that Rafallah al-Sahati is part of the government itself. Rafallah al-Sahati is part of the core of the new army. We have started integrating Rafallah al-Sahati into the army a long time ago," Sallabi said, a theme that he repeated several times during the course of his interview.
He accused officers from the regular army with what he referred to as ties to the former Gaddafi government of sending the crowd to attack his group on Friday night.
"They had loudspeakers with microphones telling people to go to Rafallah al-Sahati," Sallabi said.
"The army people who want to quarrel with us are not following the orders of the military chief of staff and are not satisfied with the revolutionaries becoming the core of the army."
He suffered his wound after meeting the approaching crowd to try to calm them down, two kilometers (one mile) from the gates of his compound, he said. The crowd had greeted him warmly, he said, but someone opened fire on his car when he got back in.
Arrests by militia, which are seen by many Libyans as semi-official abductions, are the cause of much of the public hostility to the groups.
Sallabi said his group did not operate its own jail. It had captured 113 suspected looters and attackers before dawn on Saturday after the overnight clash, including 30-40 military officers, and had turned them over to February 17, a larger militia which has an agreement with the government allowing it to hold detainees, he said.
"From the very beginning we have been working to get legal legitimacy, and that is what distinguishes us from the other revolutionaries," he said.
Tibco has?a new enterprise social graph that includes a partnership with Box and a Klout style service for the enterprise.?What a contrast to Salesforce.com and its new Chatterbox. Instead of building its own file storage technology, Tibco has moved to partner with Box and offer integrations through an API. The move gives Tibco a deeper third-party play, and Box gets an installed base of 1 million Tibbr customers.
Using an advanced 3-D time-lapse imaging system, a group of physicists and plant biologists from Cornell University and the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research have discovered how certain plant roots exhibit powerful mechanical abilities while navigating their environment.
The research, published in this week's online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could eventually assist in breeding crop plants optimized for growth in areas where climate change or over farming has led to difficult soil conditions.
The researchers grew Medicago truncatula plants in a transparent gel consisting of two layers ? a soft, top layer and a stiff, lower layer. The roots grew straight down until reaching the lower layer, where they began to twist and buckle into spring-like shapes, much like a string begins to curl if it's continuously twisted in one direction.
Combining 3-D movies with measurements and mathematical modeling, the research sheds new light on root growth revealing the role mechanics plays in determining the root shapes. Ultimately, this led to a previously unknown connection between root geometry, growth, and force generation.
"When the roots hit the stiff barrier, growth causes them to buckle like a wire or rod that's been compressed. But by twisting, the buckled roots become helical, allowing the root to push off more gel and get more force at the tip," said Jesse Silverberg, a Cornell graduate student in the Department of Physics and lead researcher for the study.
"Suppose the plant is growing along and finds itself stuck at a layer of clay or tough clump of soil. The root needs an extra force to push through these barriers, and the mathematical model tells us how large of a helix the root needs to grow to do just that. Roughly, the stiffer the barrier, the larger the helix," said Silverberg.
The researchers also used the 3-D technology to discover that 74 percent of the plant roots twisted in a counter-clockwise manner. Silverberg says further research may reveal similar behavior in other plant species.
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There are several different options available when it comes to the financial structure of commercial truck financing. If you are looking to finance a used semi truck, there are a few things that you should be aware of. One of the things you should know is that you should take good care of your credit. When your credit score is good, you will so much more flexibility and many more choices as to the structure of your financial agreement. The lower your credit score, the fewer and fewer options you will available to you. Commercial truck financing pretty much breaks down into two forms ? a loan or a lease.? A commercial truck loan generally requires a down payment of anywhere from 10%-20% and could be more if your credit is really bad. One of the ways that you could finance a used semi truck if you?re lucky enough, is to get a commercial truck loan with 100% financing. Of course, in order to do this, your credit score needs to be superior and you should realize that your monthly payments will be higher if you put nothing down towards the purchase of the truck. Another way that you can finance a used semi truck is to obtain a commercial loan by putting down 15%-20% of the total sales price. This is usually a more feasible option for those people whose credit score is in the average-to-good range. Yet another option with several different avenues of financing is a commercial truck lease. A commercial truck lease often times does not require a down payment upfront, instead, it may require the first and last month?s payments to be made upfront. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your monthly payment low, you can obtain a commercial truck lease with a substantial residual at the end of the term. The last and final way to finance a used semi truck is a ?lease-purchase? option. This is a fantastic option for many truck owners. A lease-purchase works just as a standard commercial truck lease does throughout its term. You can put money down if you want, or if required by the leasing company due to your credit score, or you can put down only the first and last month?s payments. ?The best part of a lease-purchase is the residual at the end of the lease term. Instead of paying a residual of thousands of dollars, most times the residual at the end of a lease purchase is only $1. There are many different ways to buy a used semi truck by using commercial truck financing. Speak with a commercial truck lender today to find which option is the best for you and your business.
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A celebration of first time filmmakers ? is the new and unique film festival, event and opportunity taking place in New York City from March 1-March 4, 2013. Just as Quentin Tarantino had ?Reservoir Dogs,? Orson Welles his ?Citizen Kane,? Sam Mendes? ?American Beauty,? Rob Reiner with ?This Is Spinal Tap,? and John Huston had ?The Maltese Falcon? as their first works, First Time Fest?s mission is to discover and present the next generation of great cinema by first time screenwriters, producers, directors, editors, composers and cinematographers to a cinema-loving public and to select and present these films and filmmakers in a most unique and dynamic fashion. FTF is currently seeking submissions for its inaugural event.
Computer terminology can be one of the hardest things to wrap your head around. It?s can all seem like mumbo jumbo, with made-up or adopted words. Some of the more confusing terminology comes from programs and software with harmful intent. Is the program infecting your computer a Trojan horse, worm or malware though? It can be hard to differentiate them sometimes.
Spending within the U.S. Communications Industry will increase 5.2% in 2012 to reach $1.189 trillion as consumers and businesses increasingly embrace digital technology and return to spending levels not seen since before the recent worldwide economic downturn, according to the 2012 Forecast released by Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS).
