Romney pauses debate prep to officiate football game

Romney officiates a coin toss between his staff and reporters at a football game (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images??

DELRAY BEACH, Fla.?Mitt Romney emerged from a weekend of debate preparations on Sunday to take in a grudge match that had been in the works for weeks: a flag football game between his senior staff and the reporters who cover him.

Dressed in black shorts and a black t-shirt, the Republican presidential nominee made a brief appearance at the top of the game, which was held on the beach opposite the hotel where Romney has been holed up doing debate prep with his senior staff and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. The senator also hit the gridiron, briefly playing for the Romney staff team.

"Shake hands, shake hands," Romney told the teams' captains Gail Gitcho, Romney's communications director who was heading up the staff team, and the New York Times' Ashley Parker, who represented the media.

He then officiated the game's coin toss?which went for the media.

'That's the last call you guys are getting," Romney joked.

Romney then called his staff to a quick huddle, dispensing some advice.

"Figure out which of their players are best and take them out early," Romney said, as his staff laughed. "Don't worry about injuries guys. This counts? Win!"

Standing along the sidelines, Romney cheered on his aides and ignored questions about Iran and the latest round of polls in the presidential race. Asked if he was ready for Monday's debate, Romney replied, "I'm ready for some football."

Soon the candidate was en route back to his hotel, narrowly missing his wife, Ann, who arrived a few minutes later? in the unofficial staff team uniform--a t-shirt that said, "I Built My Business"--and joined her husband's staff on the playing field.

After a few snaps, Ann Romney, standing in as the Romney team's quarterback, threw a touchdown?which briefly pushed her husband's staff into the lead. But it wasn't enough to put the Romney team over the edge. The game ended in a tie, 14-14.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/romney-pauses-debate-prep-watch-staff-play-reporters-195410666--election.html

north country brian mcknight sbux nfldraft asante samuel salton sea arizona immigration law

Wonderland in Ruins

Wonderland in Ruins

Wonderland has changed over the years of Alice's life, but not for the better. Can you survive this new Wonderland.

Owner:

Game Masters:

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Wonderland in Ruins?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

online roleplay roleplay online -->

HTML, for websites and MySpace:

BBcode, for forum posts and signatures:

--> Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Wonderland in Ruins"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

Last edited by Lainpinky131 on Sun Oct 21, 2012 4:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Lainpinky131
Member for 1 years



Hello, can I reserve Twee Dee and Twee Dum? Thanks. I'll have them up tomarrow or so.

User avatar
Choclate~Pyrus
Member for 1 years




Okay I either want the duchess or the cheshire cat, I can't make up my mind....

EDIT: Okay, I really like the premise for this RP but i have too much on my plate right now, sorry :)

User avatar
ali_rox96
Member for 0 years


MaliceInWonderland: It is reserved.
ali_rox96: It's alright.

User avatar
Lainpinky131
Member for 1 years




Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Who is online

Registered users: Adantas*, Ahri*, AngelJoyeuse*, AntleredRabbit, Aradia, Aramay*, Arcayne*, Archailist*, Ashes, AzricanRepublic*, Bromander Shepard*, Byte*, Caeruleus Lupis, CarliaRhian123*, Cayleen*, CriminalMinds*, Crooked Thoughts*, danm36*, delfiler*, Digital_Muse*, DustAndEchoes*, elena_dragonsborn, Eyliel*, freakofnature*, Gamer_Templar, Google [Bot], Google Adsense [Bot], Google Feedfetcher, hellgirl**, Hendrixx*, Horseygirl*, iCat*, Islew*, Jadeling Hawkins*, kexia, KrazyTigger, Lady_Blood92243, Layla*, LDCloud*, Lingeringrepose*, LitaKnix*, Lloyd999*, Lord Saladin*, macheteshark*, Majestic-12 [Bot], MaliceInWonderland*, MarchHare*, Mela*, Mephisto, Merchant, MiraMija, Mituna*, MSN [Bot], MSNbot Media, muketsu_bara*, NeonWingedPhoenix*, Nevermore90*, nightwolf*, noonshine*, Oblixxis*, Orion Vryce*, Patcharoo*, PreachingLegionary, Princess Awinita*, raindrops_autumn, RedWolfe*, RoseAmedori*, rpannier, Rulke*, Script*, Seirei*, Sench*, smellie_catt*, Starryskies*, Stella11, StormRider*, Tainted Twinkee, Temperance*, The Black Death*, The Great Thundorz*, The Illusionist*, The(Doctor)Horrible, Thorait*, Tiko, TnevdaNai*, tornadofan2*, TRUE-ASSASSIN*, Vejisama*, ViceRicePres*, WadeJackel, WhySoSerious?*, Wudgeous, Xiiver*, YoureStillAnInnocent*, zeno3111*, Zero Reaper*, zolarix*

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/p4QASO3GyAs/viewtopic.php

brian wilson storm chasers david blaine gotye divine mercy cabin in the woods the legend of korra

Obama chides GOP: Help homeowners

{ttle}

{cptn}","template_name":"ss_thmb_play_ttle","i18n":{"end_of_gallery_header":"End of Gallery","end_of_gallery_next":"View Again"},"metadata":{"pagination":"{firstVisible} - {lastVisible} of {numItems}","ult":{"spaceid":"2145892301","sec":""}}},{"id": "hcm-carousel-1223729155", "dataManager": C.dmgr, "mediator": C.mdtr, "group_name":"hcm-carousel-1223729155", "track_item_selected":1,"tracking":{ "spaceid" : "2145892301", "events" : { "click" : { "any" : { "yui-carousel-prev" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"prev","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } }, "yui-carousel-next" : { "node" : "a", "data" : {"sec":"HCMOL on article right rail","slk":"next","itc":"1" }, "bubbles" : true, "test": function(params){ var carousel = params.obj.getCarousel(); var pages = carousel._pages; // no more pages, don't beacon again // if same page, don't beacon if(("_ult_current_page" in carousel) && carousel._ult_current_page==pages.cur) return false; // keep track of current position within this closure carousel._ult_current_page = pages.cur; return true; } } } } } } })); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {(function() { try{ if (Math.floor(Math.random()*10) == 1) { var loc = window.location, decoded = decodeURI(loc.pathname), encoded = encodeURI(decoded), uri = loc.protocol + "//" + loc.host + encoded + ((loc.search.length > 0) ? loc.search + '&' : '?') + "_cacheable=1", xmlhttp; if (window.XMLHttpRequest) xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest(); else xmlhttp = new ActiveXObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP"); xmlhttp.open("GET",uri,true); xmlhttp.send(); } }catch(e){} })(); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings = '"projectId": "10001256862979", "documentName": "", "documentGroup": "", "ywaColo" : "vscale3", "spaceId" : "2145892301" ,"customFields" : { "12" : "classic", "13" : "story" }'; Y.Media.YWA.init(Y.namespace("Media").ywaSettings); }); Y.later(10, this, function() {if(document.onclick===YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.newClick){document.onclick=YAHOO.Media.PreventDefaultHandler.oldClick;} }); }); });

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-weekly-address-urging-gop-lawmakers-help-homeowners-100200221--abc-news-politics.html

the shins atomic clock daylight savings time john mccain game changer selection sunday corned beef recipe

Locked in tight race, Obama and Romney trade jokes at dinner

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Locked in a tense race with time running out, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney took time off to exchange light-hearted jabs and make fun of each other on Thursday in a joint appearance at a high-profile charity dinner.

Two days after a brutal debate in which they exchanged verbal blows and stalked each other on stage, Obama and Romney greeted each other warmly, dressed formally in white tie and tails.

But the combativeness of the campaign trail was ever-present as the two foes gave back-to-back speeches at the 67th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner.

Romney, speaking first, said Obama, who wants to increase taxes on the wealthy to help fund government programs, must have had some thoughts as he looked out at the crowd of wealthy people at the dinner.

"You have to wonder what he's thinking: So little time, so much to redistribute," he said.

Obama, when it was his turn, made fun of Romney's vast wealth.

"Earlier I went shopping at some stores in Midtown. I understand Governor Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown," he said.

The Al Smith dinner is a glittering affair at the Waldcrf-Astoria hotel where New York's high society dined on poached lobster and rack of lamb and contributed $5 million for various children's charities.

Obama and Romney, facing a third and final debate Monday in Florida, sat close to each other at the dinner, separated only by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York who spoke at both the Republican and Democratic conventions in late August and early September.

The event is an annual speaking opportunity for presidents or president aspirants to test their comic skills with self-deprecating jokes usually written up by clever speechwriters.

Obama made light of his much-panned performance at his first debate with Romney on October 3. He said at the second debate, where he was judged the winner, he had been well-rested because of the "nice long nap I had at the first debate."

BIDEN A TARGET OF BOTH

Romney also was self-deprecating, noting that the way he prepared for the debate was to "refrain from alcohol for 65 years." As a practicing Mormon, the former Massachusetts governor abstains from alcohol.

Obama, who frequently credits himself with ordering the mission that led to the death of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011, noted that the last debate is about foreign policy.

"Spoiler alert: We got bin Laden!" he said.

Romney tweaked Obama on the high jobless rate, saying its recent small decline meant only one thing: "You're better off now than you were four weeks ago."

Obama said he and Romney have some things in common, like their unusual middle names. Romney's is Mitt. "I wish I could use my middle name," said Obama, whose middle name is Hussein.

If there was one thing they had in common, it was their ability to make fun of Vice President Joe Biden, Obama's gaffe-prone No. 2.

Obama said he sometimes hears that he is getting old and has lost a step and when he does, he says, "Settle down, Joe, I'm trying to run a Cabinet meeting."

Romney said when Biden speaks, it usually is to Romney's benefit, so much so that whenever his remarks are on TV it should be accompanied by a recorded message like those used in campaign ads: "I'm Mitt Romney, and I approve this message."

Obama got in a jab at the Republicans' use of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood at Romney's convention. Eastwood was panned for talking to an empty chair on stage as if Obama was sitting in it.

"Please take your seats," Obama told the crowd, "or else Clint Eastwood will yell at them."

The tone of the evening was set with introductory remarks by Al Smith IV, who could not resist teasing Romney for saying at the debate that he sorted through "binders full of women" in trying to put together a diverse cabinet as governor of Massachusetts.

"I want to say a special welcome to all of the accomplished women here tonight. It's good to see you made it out of those binders," Smith said to laughter.

The dinner started in 1945 in tribute to a former Democratic New York governor Smith, who lost the 1928 presidential election to Republican Herbert Hoover in a landslide.

Among the 1,600 guests were representatives from two of New York's major industries - media and Wall Street money. Spotted in the crowd were ABC television talk show host Katie Couric and Fox News executive Roger Ailes, as well as Steve Schwarzman, chief executive of private equity firm Blackstone Group, and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.

(The story corrects spelling of Schwarzman's last name in final paragraph.)

(Editing by Bill Trott)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/locked-tight-race-obama-romney-trade-jokes-dinner-030738770--sector.html

newt gingrich wives weather gina carano at last al green burger king delivery etta james at last

CRTC approves Hudson/St. Lazare radio station ? Fagstein

Coverage area of proposed FM station in Hudson/St. Lazare provided by Dufferin Communications

The Montreal area is getting another radio station. On Friday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved an application from Dufferin Communications Inc. for an English-language radio station in Hudson/St. Lazare.

The station would be a local one, with 500 watts of effective power, operating on 106.7 MHz and playing easy-listening music, similar to that of its other stations that are part of the Jewel network. (Dufferin says the station's branding hasn't been decided yet, but "Jewel" is an option.) The application called for 110 hours a week of local programming, including four hours and 22 minutes a week of "pure news", of which half would be local to the area.

I summarize the decision in this story for The Gazette's new Off Island section, which targets this community.

This will certainly mean jobs for journalists and radio workers in the region. Dufferin vice-president Carmela Laurignano tells me they plan to hire 15-20 people in total to work at the station.?The proposed station's financial projections show revenue gradually growing from $480,000 the first year to $1 million in the seventh year of its license. Expenses would start at $700,000 (including a $90,000 startup cost) and reach $850,000 in the seventh year.

About 95% of its advertising revenue is expected to be local, with 20-30,000 minutes sold a year at an average rate of between $22 and $34 a minute. ?Under these projections, the station would start making money in Year 4 and pay for itself in the seventh year.

The application was not without opposition:

  • Cogeco objected that there wasn't an open call for applications for what can be considered Montreal's last available FM frequency. (The frequency was used by Aboriginal Voices Radio until it shut down here, then on an unlicensed basis by Kahnawake Keeps It Country until it got a formal licence for 89.9FM.)
  • Groupe CHCR, which owns ethnic stations CKDG-FM and CKIN-FM in Montreal, objected that the station would negatively affect its station and others
  • CJVD-FM, which is a French-language commercial station in Vaudreuil, objected that the region could not accomodate two local stations that would have to compete with the larger stations in Montreal.
  • Groupe Radio Enfant told the CRTC it planned its own application for a station at 106.7 (the group had a temporary permit to operate a transmitter on that frequency in late 2009). The CRTC says it has received no such application.

In the end, the CRTC dismissed the objections. The commission found that the station's pattern would not significantly compete with large Montreal radio stations because the signal does not reach far into Montreal. It did not compete with CJVD-FM because they're in different languages, and most importantly 106.7 FM is not a viable frequency to use in Montreal itself because it is too close to CHCR's CKIN-FM 106.3 and would cause too much interference. (Though CHCR itself applied to move CKDG-FM to that frequency from 105.1, thinking it would get a better signal. It later withdrew that application.)

Dufferin Communications is also the company behind Radio Fiert?, a French-language music and talk station aimed at Montreal's LGBT community that?got CRTC approval to broadcast at 990 AM?after CKGM vacates that frequency. Laurignano said they expect to get moving on that station in the new year.

Though Radio Fiert? has already been approved, the Hudson/St. Lazare station's application predates it. It was first filed in February 2010.

Dufferin Communications has two years to get the station running unless it asks for an extension from the CRTC. That means it must be up by Oct. 19, 2014. The licence expires on Aug. 31, 2019. Laurignano said they expect to have it on the air by the fall of 2013.

And by the way, fans of National Public Radio can breathe. Dufferin had listed as an alternative frequency in its application 107.9FM, which is the frequency used by the Vermont Public Radio transmitter that covers northern Vermont and much of Montreal. Unless someone else applies for that frequency (which isn't protected from interference here), VPR can still be heard on it.

.

Source: http://blog.fagstein.com/2012/10/19/crtc-hudson-st-lazare-radio/

meteor showers 2012 ufc 145 jones vs evans marian hossa philip humber red sox white sox

Meet Technical Architect Simon Grant | Smart Futures Ireland ...

Simon Grant, Senior Technical Architect at Trilogy Technologies, talks to us about his work

Simon Grant from Trilogy TechnologiesWhat is your main role in your job?

My job has two main elements. The first is consultancy and design around new installations and the second is the actual delivery of these designs for our clients.

The design and consultancy role is a very important one for me. Some of the design work will be in response to detailed tender requests but much of it involves working as a Technical Account Manager with our key clients.

I take technical ownership of the customer?s infrastructure and act as a ?trusted advisor?, making recommendations and giving advice on the direction their IT infrastructure should take to best match the business?s needs. The other element is the actual implementation of the designs.

I have delivered mission critical projects for customers in a broad range of sectors, from food manufacturers such as Largo Foods (home of Mr Tayto) to hi-tech Wellman International. This is a very exciting part of my job as I get to work with a variety of Trilogy clients.

What?s a typical day like?

I tend to start work from home at about 7.30am and plan what I am going to do before heading out to a customer site.

Depending on the client, I could find myself liaising with people from different backgrounds, from management to administrators, to ensure the project meets the needs of the organisation and the people who will be using it and/or implementing a technology infrastructure and disaster recovery solution in a virtual environment, working closely with the Trilogy team.

What are your areas of expertise and particular skills?

My main areas of expertise revolve around virtualisation, storage and active directory. Working with these technologies and using them to meet customers? business requirements is always satisfying.

The role of the Technical Architect is varied, so it requires a wide range of skills including:

  • Good communication skills with clients ? listening and providing answers
  • Up-to-date knowledge of technologies
  • Strong problem-solving skills
  • Good knowledge of quality standards and best practice
  • Strong project management skills
  • The ability to think ahead and anticipate problems, issues and solutions

Because I work from start to finish on each project, it is essential to understand all aspects of that project, from both a business and technical point of view.

This means having a full working knowledge of technologies such as VMware, Veeam, Microsoft Active Directory and Exchange, Cisco and many others and maintaining up-to-date qualifications for the above ? so learning is continuous.

My role is about understanding what each customer wants to achieve and building them a solution that best meets these requirements.

We regularly meet with our customers to review progress, so I keep the Trilogy Technical Services Manager constantly informed. Often calls logged through our support centre can indicate a need to begin the process of planning an upgrade ? more disk space, improved WAN links and so forth.

This is a very interesting process which has involved me in the entire lifecycle of some customers? infrastructure for many years.

What do you like best about your work?

As a techie I get great joy from unpacking new, shiny technology and from working with clients to meet their business objectives. Everything from improving a company?s mission critical systems resilience and availability, while at the same time reducing its carbon footprint to implementing a virtualized private cloud infrastructure and disaster recovery solution to future-proof and improve performance of a company?s IT environment.

Depending on where I am working and the traffic conditions I will often work on beyond 5.30pm ? but I try to be home by 7pm for bath and bedtime with my son.

Source: http://smartfutures.ie/2012/10/18/technical-architect-simon-grant/

gla republican candidates mike martz hokies quadrantid norv turner jerry angelo

Barbara & Shannon Kelley: On Presidents, Aprons and Second Shifts

I'm starting to wonder if this presidential election might hinge on aprons.

In the wake of the last debate, we've all been caught up in binders and trapper-keepers and funny Facebook memes -- along with some hijinks on Amazon, where a bunch of smartypants hijacked several binder pages. I think we're missing the point.

According to the New York Times, both Obama and Romney are in hot pursuit of the women's vote. Which is to say, they seem to think that Double Xers may determine the next president of the United States:

On the campaign trail and on the air, the candidates and their allies argued intensely all day over who would do more to help women. At the same time, the topic of whether the heated encounter Tuesday night had alienated the very female voters they were seeking to connect with became fodder for cable TV discussions.

The level of intensity left little doubt that the election was coming down not only to a state-by-state fight for territory, but also to one for the allegiance of vital demographic groups, chief among them undecided women.

Whew. Whether the chattering class is right or wrong, it appears we have a lot more power than we've had in quite the while. Let's think this through.

The bedrock issue in the debate over the women's vote has had to do with reproductive rights: abortion and contraception. Key issues. Agreed. Especially because the next president will more than likely be appointing one, or maybe two, justices to the Supreme Court, justices who may hold the future of Roe v. Wade in their hands.

And then there's the funding of Planned Parenthood, which not only provides family planning services, but also provides women without health insurance life-saving care for breast cancer, among other medical issues. My friend was one of them.

But the real issue as I see it is the vision of women's role in the workplace and the home. I found one of Gov. Romney's responses in the debate to be key. The question had to do with inequalities in the workplace, including the pay gap (Click here for a state-by-state chart of gender pay inequity) which the Governor side-stepped with the unfortunate comment about binders. What I found revealing, not to mention troubling, was the end of his response, which related to the woman he had hired as chief of staff while governor of Massachusetts:

Now, one of the reasons I was able to get so many good women to be part of that team was because of our recruiting effort, but number two, because I recognized that if you're going to have women in the workforce, that sometimes they need to be more flexible. My chief of staff, for instance, had two kids that were still in school. She said, I can't be here until 7:00 or 8:00 at night. I need to be able to get home at 5:00 so I can be there for -- making dinner for my kids and being with them when they get home from school. So we said, fine, let's have a flexible schedule so you can have hours that work for you.

On the surface: flexible schedule. Good. One of the issues we've been writing about is the challenge faced by working women, who put in the same hours as their male counterparts and then have to dig into the second shift when they get home. But look again at the governor's answer, then ask yourself this: Where was the chief of staff's husband and/or kids' daddy at 5:00?

That's it, right?

Why is it that in 2012, some folks still assume that household and childcare duties are women's work? And why, as one of the sources in our book fumed, do we plant work life balance smack in the middle of the "women's issues" silo? Shouldn't this be a human issue? A family issue?

Now, don't get me wrong. I cook dinner most nights, no matter what time I get home from work. And I'm damn good at it. No, scratch that. I'm really good at it: I inherited my culinary mojo from a long line of incredible Italian cooks (ask me about my aunts' gnocchi or cannoli sometime, or my mother's ability to throw together anything fantastic without a recipe). Plus, I like to eat good food. But that's my choice. Proscribed gender roles have nothing to do with it.

The issue here, as the presidential election heads down the home stretch, has to do with perception as well as policy. And I suspect that the nuances of the latter are often driven by the former. And in this case, the perception in question is gender roles in the home as well as the workplace.

Cue the aprons.

The most recent time-use survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that women still own the second shift. Most telling stats?

On an average day, 19 percent of men did housework -- such as cleaning or doing laundry -- compared with 48 percent of women. Forty percent of men did food preparation or cleanup, compared with 66 percent of women.

All of which, presumably, is on top of a 52 hour work week.

Now, can a president do anything to change all that? Probably not. But given that I have been given a lot of power in this election, my vote goes to the guy who doesn't assume my place is in an apron.

Speaking of which, my husband is wearing one right now. I've got one eye on the Giants game as I write this. He's firing up the barbeque and throwing together a salad.

?

?

?

Follow Barbara & Shannon Kelley on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@undecidedbook

"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannon-kelley/women-voters_b_1988550.html

weather gina carano at last al green burger king delivery etta james at last john king

Dragonthorn Leatherworks Pocket Carry System (PCS) review

A few weeks ago Dave Hauser of Dragonthorn Leatherworks contacted me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing his PCS. What is a PCS you ask? It stands for Pocket Carry System and if you like keeping your EDC (everyday carry) items organized, you’re going to appreciate his design skills and craftsmanship. Let [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/10/18/dragonthorn-leatherworks-pocket-carry-system-pcs-review/

bachelor pad FedEx Green Coffee Bean Extract the voice september 11 adam levine 9/11 Memorial

Average debt up again for new college grads

It's the latest snapshot of the growing burden of student debt and it's another discouraging one: Two-thirds of the national college class of 2011 finished school with loan debt, and those who borrowed walked off the graduation stage owing on average $26,600 ? up about 5 percent from the class before.

The latest figures are calculated in a report out Thursday by the California-based Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) and likely underestimate the problem in some ways because they don't include most graduates of for-profit colleges, who typically borrow more than their counterparts elsewhere.

Still, while 2011 college graduates faced an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent in 2011, even those with debt remained generally better off than those without a degree. The report emphasized research showing that the economic returns on college degrees remain, in general, strong. It noted the unemployment rate for those with only a high school credential last year was 19.1 percent.

"In these tough times, a college degree is still your best bet for getting a job and decent pay," said TICAS President Lauren Asher. "But, as debt levels rise, fear of loans can prevent students from getting the education they need to succeed. Students and parents need to know that, even at similar looking schools, debt levels can be wildly different. And, if they do need to borrow to get through school, federal student loans, with options like income-based repayment, are the safest way to go."

The latest figures come at a time of increasing alarm about the sheer scope of student debt nationally, which by some measures has surpassed $1 trillion. Recent government figures show nearly 10 percent of borrowers of federal student loans in the most recently measured cohort had already defaulted within two years of starting repayment.

The issue has come up on the presidential campaign trail, though the candidates' specific plans haven't become a major issue. President Barack Obama has touted his record of ending $60 billion in subsidies to private lenders, directing the savings to student aid and implementing an income-based repayment plan that caps federal student loan payments at 15 percent of income and forgives repayment after 25 years.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger, argues the flood of federal student aid spending unleashed in recent years has led colleges to raise tuition prices. He wants to return to a system in which the government supports private lenders, arguing it's more cost-effective, and his campaign has called the income-based repayment program flawed.

In Tuesday night's second presidential debate, Romney repeated an assertion he'd made previously that "50 percent of kids coming out of college (are) not able to get work." That is not accurate, though twice earlier in the debate he made an important qualification, indicating he was referring to graduates who couldn't get "college-level jobs." Figures analyzed by Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market studies last spring did find 53.6 percent of bachelor's degree holders under age 25 were either unemployed or working in positions that don't fully use their skills or knowledge.

The latest TICAS report also cites studies that found more than one-third of recent graduates were in positions that did not require a degree, depressing wages, though other government figures cited by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce put the so-called "underemployment" rate for young college grads much lower ? at around 10 percent.

As for those who have no job at all, according to Georgetown the latest monthly unemployment figure for college graduates under age 24 is 10.5 percent (the figure typically jumps each spring as a new class graduates and declines over the course of the year; last March it was 5.4 percent).

"Increasing student debt in a weak economy can be a knock-out blow to many considering college," said Rich Williams, higher education advocate with U.S. Public Interest Research Group, which advocates for students. "As our economy is recovering, lawmakers must send every signal that college is a good investment. "

Among other finding in the TICAS report:

?Private (non-federal) student loans, which generally have weaker borrower protections but have been diminishing as a source of student borrowing, accounted for about one-fifth of the debt owed by the Class of 2011.

?Debt levels vary widely by state, ranging from $17,250 in Utah to $32,450 in New Hampshire.

?Debt at individual schools ranged from $3,000 to $55,250 though not all schools report that data.

?Among colleges, the percentage of graduates with debt ranged from 12 percent to 100 percent. At 64 schools, more than 90 percent of student graduated with debt.

___

Online: Companion interactive map with details for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 1,000 public and private nonprofit four-year colleges is available at www.projectonstudentdebt.org/state_by_state-data2012.php

___

Follow Justin Pope at http://www.twitter.com/JustinPopeAP

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/average-debt-again-college-grads-040244925--finance.html

arkansas razorbacks trisomy 18 ozzie guillen ozzie guillen buster posey eric holder eric holder

Buying and Selling E-Commerce Businesses | Travel

Recently, e-commerce has catapulted to the very top of the business world as the avenue used to promote an entrepreneurs? fresh ideas and savvy business sense. Owners use e-businesses to provide them with room for growth and advancement. Their hard work also encourages smaller companies to start up by setting a good example. Buying and selling businesses can be yet another way of providing profitability to owners. Knowing when the right time has arrived to dispose of your own business is key. People who fail to obtain a complete understanding of e-businesses are at risk of taking a loss. An internet-based business differs completely from a traditional brick-and-mortar store.

Proper planning and excellent decision-making skills are a must when operating a business. The target population has to be considered when arriving at decisions that will affect them and customer satisfaction. Traditional businesses often elect to employ several avenues where marketing and promotion are involved. Most e-businesses, unfortunately, never explore this channel. Selling an e-commerce business can be extremely cumbersome, but proves to be effective in most cases. Since site traffic has the potential to drive customers to particular businesses, the marketing budget can be significantly lower. The comparison in money allocated to marketing for those located on the internet rather than physical stores is unparallel. Physical stores need to spend money on billboards, commercials, storefront displays, and other approaches to generate customers. It?s not the situation with virtual retailers and owners. Those wishing to target a specific group only need to use online marketing strategies to get the word out. Their costs are minimal when this is the situation.

In terms of franchising sales, owners must comprehend that appealing ideas that will create the most revenue. Only those that will evidently produce positive results stand a chance. There are several steps needed to ensure that selling your business is worth your while:

* Keeping accurate financial records adds credibility and validates the goals and achievements of the business.

* Using a variety of reliable software tools adds validity to your business operations. These tools may make the need for expensive account managers obsolete.

* Understanding of current market activity is likewise important and can be accomplished by doing current research on the topic.

Investors and potential buyers will appreciate these extra steps and may even show greater desire for purchasing because of this. These invaluable tools can really help potential buyers make a decision they can live with and you?ll benefit from.

Because e-commerce is constantly changing and evolving, adjustments are constantly happening in each and every facet of their operations. It is important to remember the way the market differences play a role in their worth and earning potential. Making sure to utilize the proper software and marketing tools is extremely important and should be researched appropriately before making any major decisions.

Paul Ash used to own three businesses before selling them in order to write full time. Paul Ash has written articles for Kazooga, who can be contacted at (877) 716-9528 or online at www.Kazooga.com

Source: http://nicoleevaemery.com/business/buying-and-selling-e-commerce-businesses/

j.k. rowling axl rose google earnings pat burrell hilary rosen grilled cheese allen west