http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/business-chat/ en-us Mon, 4 Jan 2010 06:46:44 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420412/posts While the technology world waits anxiously for Apple's foray into the Internet tablet market, rival consumer electronics companies are jumping in, betting that the thin, keyboard-less electronic slate will be the next "it" device.Apple is mum on its plans, though reports have leaked about a possible 10-inch slate device headed toward a late January unveiling. It's unclear what, if anything, Apple has in store, though most observers believe it will build off the iPod Touch, offering access to iTunes Store content. Apple's tablet would take its place among a handful of competing gadgets that are seeking to reshape the way... SF Gate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420412/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 06:46:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420404/posts Artist's conception of what an Apple iTablet might look like. When rumors of an Apple tablet started surfacing again, I thought, “Why would I want that? I have a 15″ Macbook Pro and an iPhone. What could a tablet do that my laptop and phone can’t?” The idea of a tablet seemed pointless and cumbersome. We have laptops, feature-rich mobile phones, eBook readers and netbooks – why would anyone want another device to throw into the mix? Instead of acting like a crotchety curmudgeon, I gave it some serious thought and realized that I was being just as shortsighted as... True Slant http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420404/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 06:27:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420267/posts Despite the lingering demonstrations and disorder in Tehran, Iran’s ruling mullahs are confident anew in their country’s ability to surge to a hegemonic position in the Middle East without a major war. The main reason for the mullahs’ confidence is their interpretation of the appeasement policies of the US Barack Obama Administration. Most significant is the undeclared – yet widely projected – profound change in US policy regarding Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran and all other regional governments are convinced that the US now strives to “contain” a nuclear Iran rather than continue the declared objective to prevent the nuclearization of... OilPrice.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420267/posts#comment Mon, 4 Jan 2010 00:25:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420121/posts Almost a quarter of voters in Iceland have signed a petition against plans to repay money lost by foreigners when an Icelandic online bank collapsed. The petition urges the president to veto the bill that allows the move, and calls for a referendum on the issue. Iceland's parliament has approved the plans to reimburse 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn) lost by Dutch and British savers when the Icesave scheme failed in 2008. Many taxpayers say they are being made to pay for the bank's mistakes. The compensation amounts to some 12,000 euros for each citizen on the island nation of 320,000. Staggering... bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420121/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 19:29:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420106/posts Holidays, staff furloughs and an increasing number of unemployed workers have made it difficult to file a claim by telephone with the Connecticut Department of Labor. Unemployment claims in the state are up 40 percent over last year at this time, Nancy Steffens, a labor department spokeswoman, said Tuesday. On top of that, the last two weeks of the year are typically the busiest, since school bus drivers and cafeteria workers who are not working during the winter break can file for unemployment, she said. The phone lines were particularly jammed Monday because last week labor department employees were on... New London Day http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420106/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 19:11:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420023/posts Taking the Fifth. What an apt metaphor for today's healthcare debate. As respect for the truth and law has plummeted in the governing class, so too has respect for the general boundaries of government. In the nineteenth century, the idea that the U.S. government might ever even consider nationalizing a fifth of the economy would have been unthinkable… but in 2009, both houses of Congress voted to do so, with all the dishonesty that a politician's use of the Fifth Amendment traditionally implies. In their so called "reform" of a fifth of our economy, the Democrats are spinning every yarn... The Illinois Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420023/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:40:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420021/posts An amazing VIDEO creation that all conservatives will enjoy. The build up to the 2:26 mark is priceless. =) YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2420021/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 16:36:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419896/posts Apple's rumored tablet computer cannot live up to the hype, which has reached almost ridiculous levels of rumor, speculation and anticipation. The rumored tablet will fall short of expectations, because they are simply too unrealistic. What surprises me most about the excitement and early analyst sales projections: No one is talking about addressable market.So I'll assert what should be obvious to anyone thinking rationally and not emotionally: Tablet is a nowhere category. For all the hype about an Apple tablet , it is at best a niche product. The world doesn't need an Apple tablet, no matter what the hype... Beta News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419896/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 11:35:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419789/posts When you bang the drum long enough someone eventually removes the cotton from their ears to try to figure out what in the Sam Hell all that noise is about. It appears the NY Times has finally done so. Since President Obama announced the program in February, it has lowered mortgage payments on a trial basis for hundreds of thousands of people but has largely failed to provide permanent relief. Critics increasingly argue that the program, Making Home Affordable, has raised false hopes among people who simply cannot afford their homes. As a result, desperate homeowners have sent payments to... Market Ticker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419789/posts#comment Sun, 3 Jan 2010 02:20:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419686/posts OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., Jan. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Redbox, the fully-automated DVD rental provider located at the nation's leading grocery, mass, drug and convenience stores, rented more than two million DVDs on New Year's Eve surpassing the Company's previous one day rental record by more than one-hundred-seventy-thousand rentals. "District 9," "G-Force," "Paranormal Activity" and "Julie & Julia" were among the night's top rentals. With more than 19,000 locations nationwide, consumers have embraced the convenience, fun and value of redbox. "With many Americans celebrating New Year's Eve at home and many more resolving to save money in 2010, redbox proved a great... PR Newswire http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419686/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 21:27:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419672/posts Sorry to post a vanity. I want to post a press release. I am familiar with some of the players like PR NEws and others. Anyone know a simple and cheap or free PR news service tool? Vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419672/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 21:01:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419637/posts uests: Gerald Celente, Joe Meyer, Catherine Austin Fitts, Robert Chapman Ian Punnett welcomes experts in finance and the economy including Gerald Celente, Joseph Meyer, Catherine Austin Fitts, and Robert Chapman to discuss the outlook in 2010 for markets, commodities, and the U.S. dollar. Coast-to-Coast AM http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419637/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 19:35:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419589/posts How difficult is it to pronounce "Orion"? During a March 23, 2009 speech on green energy, Obama manages to mispronounce it several times --- despite the fact that the firm using the name (Orion Energy Systems) had just finished a presentation to Obama a few minutes earlier. He asks the crowd if he pronounced it correctly, and no one corrects him. Youtube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419589/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 18:13:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419550/posts The coming year: 2010, will see a growing clash of conflicting mega-trends in the Afghanistan-Pakistan theater; trends which will ultimately have long-term impact not only on the region, but on all of Eurasia and global energy and political arenas. These main mega-trends are: 1. Obama’s Needs: The desperate efforts of the US White House of Pres. Barack Obama to appease and negotiate with any element of the “Taliban” — and the label “Taliban” is used with great looseness by most observers of the Afghanistan and Pakistan scene — willing to in order to expedite a US withdrawal and legitimize a... Oilprice.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419550/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 16:59:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419524/posts OK, so today I drive by the Monoliths and notice the dates on the lower corners of each side. I start googling them and finally go to the website and find the following... ...some elements of the artwork remain elusive — including a cryptic series of dates ranging from September 23, 1899 to January 15, 2096. According to Morgan, there is no right or wrong answer for what the dates mean, everyone will come up with a different solution. “I want to spur a variety of thoughtful interpretations, rather than a quick and intuitive reaction,” Morgan says of his work,... The Village Shopping http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419524/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 16:12:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419461/posts “Can you beat the IMF?” invites the board game box, emblazoned with a top hat decorated in the stars and stripes and stuffed with dollars, on shop shelves in Argentina. While the world has been devouring reality television shows, many Argentines have been opting this Christmas for reality board games, such as Eternal Debt, involving the International Monetary Fund. Among the wave of reality board games to have hit the Argentine market in recent years, Eternal Debt has remained a niche favourite among those who still blame the IMF for leading the country into a nearly $100bn default eight years... Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419461/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 14:03:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419433/posts (With the ever looming possibility of economic failure on a global level, it's hard to know where to turn when the financial downturn hits home.) Today's economy has got parents pressure-strapped financially and mentally and it's leaving us physically exhausted. In many homes across the country, a large percentage of parents are forced to maintain a two-income household (sometimes more unfortunately) just to make ends meet. Unfortunately with the cost of daycare in many major metro areas it's a tough decision to have both parents out of the home because childcare can eat up as much as 75% of middle-American... Associated Content http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419433/posts#comment Sat, 2 Jan 2010 13:11:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419117/posts Architecture clearly illustrates the social, environmental, economic, and aesthetic costs of ignoring beauty. We are being torn out of ourselves by the loud gestures of people who want to seize our attention but give nothing in return. ___ When it comes to beauty, our view of its status is radically affected by whether we see it as a form of self-expression, or as a form of self-denial. If we see it in this second way, then the assumption that it is merely subjective begins to fall away. Instead beauty begins to take on another character, as one of the instruments... Americna Enterprise Institute http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419117/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 20:29:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419030/posts "Low reimbursements have led one West Valley medical facility to stop taking certain Medicare patients, a pilot program that an Arizona health-care expert says may become a long-term trend in the industry." "For Mayo Clinic, the cost of providing services to Medicare patients exceeded the total amount paid on behalf of Medicare patients by $840 million in 2008, according to the hospital." "Mayo Clinic was the first health-care system to go in this direction, and I don't think they will be the last," Rivers said. "Everyone else is facing the same pressures as Mayo Clinic, and I won't be surprised... The Arizona Republic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2419030/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 17:52:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418887/posts Alisa was robbed on the subway a couple of weeks ago, and now someone else has contacted Apple about replacing the phone due to a software malfunction. Alisa found out about this because her email account is still associated with it, but neither she nor the police can persuade Apple to return the phone to her once the other party sends it in for replacement. Check out her story below. Do you think there's anything Apple can do at this point? Also, if there's anything to learn from this it might be that you should follow through with filing a... The Consumerist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418887/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 12:02:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418877/posts Fox programs were still playing on Time Warner cable early this morning -- a hopeful sign that the media giants would strike a deal. Carmen Electra and "American Idol" singers Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta -- stars of Fox's New Year's Eve show -- rocked past the midnight deadline on local Time Warner Channel 5 with no interruption, as negotiators worked into the early hours of 2010. "We're still negotiating and going to give it a little more time," said Scott Grogin, senior vice president of communications for the Fox Networks Group. Harriet Novet, regional vice president for Time Warner's... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418877/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 11:03:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418875/posts Steve Jobs and Apple appeared in an extraordinary number of 2009's "Best of" listsOur favorite: "There's an app for that," the Yale Book of Quotations' No. 3 quote of the 2009, right before Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie" and after Captain Sully Sullenberger's "We're going to be in the Hudson."Some other citations… Steve Jobs: CEO of the Decade. Fortune magazine.Steve Jobs: Best Performing CEO in the World. Harvard Business Review.Steve Jobs: Person of the Decade. Wall Street Journal.Apple: Brand of the Decade. Adweek's Best of the 2000s.Steve Jobs: Marketer of the Decade. Adweek's Best of the 2000s."Get a Mac": Campaign... CNN / Fortune Brainstorm Tech http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418875/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:49:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418867/posts Metallica rock band leader James Hetfield has donated to Marin County a 330-acre agricultural conservation easement near his home on land overlooking Lucas Valley. The Marin Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously accepted donation of the easement, which precludes development on the land known as the Luiz Ranch. "This is a really exciting offer," said Supervisor Steve Kinsey. He said Hetfield was "taking a break from heavy metal to become a heavy contributor to our agricultural conservation efforts. "It's another indication of a continuing effort to improve our partnerships on that important ridge and I think it reflects very positively... San Jose Mercury News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418867/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 10:00:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418783/posts Today's Apple tablet rumor has an optimistic zing to it--and maybe that's a great way to close out a dreary 2009. According to a blog post by former Google China president Kai-Fu Lee, Apple plans to produce nearly 10 million tablets in the still-unannounced product's first year. Lee worked for Apple more than ten years ago and left Google earlier this year, according to published reports. That figure--10 million--seems awfully high for a consumer product that's charting unknown territory. The tablet (or iSlate or iPad, if you prefer) would target an untapped market, if rumors of the device's form and... PCworld http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418783/posts#comment Fri, 1 Jan 2010 03:45:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418339/posts Saving for retirement is not easy, especially for young people. But these simple steps can get you started. A November report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows that fewer than 30 percent of workers between the ages of 21 and 24 whose employer sponsors a retirement plan participate in it. That's less than half the percentage of workers in their mid-40s and older. But when you think about it, this reluctance to get a head start on retirement planning isn't exactly surprising. After all, the younger you are, the more retirement seems like a hazy mirage in the far-off... yahoo cnn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2418339/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:10:19 GMT