Las Cruces High School head football coach Jim Miller will open fall practice this Monday with a proven championship formula in place for his program.
With fall football practices opening Monday, the annual question of which local program will compete for a state championship will be asked, continuously, well into the fall semester.
Las Cruces High's coming off a state title performance last season, and Mayfield should bring back talent, starting at quarterback, where Kavika Johnson returns after opening eyes during his sophomore campaign.
Perhaps O?ate can show improvement, and Gadsden can continue it's progression under second-year head coach Roy Gerela.
With that being said, this district always seems to come down to the Bulldawgs and Trojans. And while there's been plenty of pre-season chatter regarding Mayfield's returning talent, lets not overlook the Bulldawgs successful program, winning ways, or championship pedigree.
This is a team coming off yet another state title in 2013 - the fifth for head coach Jim Miller, who holds a 5-0 record in such championship affairs.
The Bulldawgs do have to replace some key pieces off last season's squad: namely, an offensive line that dominated New Mexico High School competition, and an All-State quarterback in Jonathan Joy. Those two areas were primary contributing factors for Las Cruces High's offense being virtually unstoppable a year ago, a fact that was no more apparent than late in the season, when LCHS
rolled the state playoff competition in it's path.
With that being said, this team does bring back some very good football players to it's roster.
Running back J.J. Granados was a touchdown machine last year, and he'll be asked to carry a heavy load once again. He'll be flanked by some other talented pieces in the backfield: Austin Salas and do-it-all threat J.R. Hernandez to summarize some of the supporting cast.
Sam Denmark is also primed for a monster season, after being a front-line performer at tight end and linebacker a season ago.
Perhaps the Bulldawgs 2013 season could rest on two entities, however: for one, the ability of Miller's sophomore son, Kameron, to replace Joy at quarterback. No doubt the younger Miller has talent, and if he ends up being close to what his father was (a former state-championship quarterback at Roswell High and later a star for the New Mexico State Aggies), he'll be a heckuva player. With that being said, Miller did in fact look like a freshman player last year, and will have to grow up quickly entering his sophomore campaign for LCHS to compete at a similarly high level.
The other will be the Bulldawgs' ability to make up for their losses along the offensive line although, while the unit shouldn't be as dominant as a season ago, perhaps it can pick up adequately enough to protect Miller and company.
Will the 2013 campaign bring back-to-back state championships to the Bulldawgs football program? That could be a tall order. But don't count them out either, as one of the state's top teams. Or as the team to beat in district, for that matter.
Sports Editor Teddy Feinberg can be reached at 575-541-5455
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 2, 2013) -- A group that got its start in Army Entertainment is the driving force behind the American Military Spouses Choir, an "America's Got Talent" quarterfinalist scheduled to perform Aug. 6 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The show will be televised live at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
The American Military Spouses Choir competing on "America's Got Talent" consists of 37 spouses of active-duty military personnel, including 10 Army wives whose husbands range in rank from sergeant to major general. All told, there are 50 military spouses in the choir, ranging in age from 19 to 54, whose husbands range in rank from corporal to two-star general.
The group is the brainchild of Victor Hurtado, an Army Entertainment veteran who has performed in and directed programs such as the U.S. Army Soldier Show, Operation Rising Star, Military Idol and Stars of Tomorrow, among others, for nearly three decades. Hurtado also founded CAMMO, a non-profit Center for American Military Music Opportunities, which supports the military wives choir.
The group was assembled for a May 6 performance at the 2012 Kennedy Center Spring Gala: An Evening with David Foster & Friends in Washington, where they sang "The Promise That We Make," an original song co-written by Charlie Midnight, who penned "Living in America" for James Brown, and Bernie Herms, who arranged the Natalie Grant version of "Joy to the World."
"They were supposed to do a one-night performance at the Kennedy Center," Hurtado deadpanned. "And, oh, by the way, I put them together over the Internet while directing the last two weeks of Soldier Show last year."
Several clips of Foster introducing the American Military Spouses Choir are available on YouTube, as is footage of them singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on "America's Got Talent."
The lead vocalist for that number, Melissa Gomez, won Army Entertainment's 2010 Operation Rising Star, a military singing contest about to embark on its ninth season.
"Melissa has risen to the top from the very beginning," Hurtado said. "Her training that she got over the years with Army Entertainment was extremely evident."
The military wives climbed their first mountain, which obviously was not high enough, May 10 in Chicago, and advanced to the second round in Las Vegas, where they were told July 16 to pack their bags for a trip to New York City.
"Their performance was strong enough to put them through," said Hurtado, who explained that 60 acts advanced to the "America's Got Talent" quarterfinals in New York, where 12 will perform each week for five weeks. "There were a few that were put through without having to perform again [in Las Vegas]. It's going to keep going because these ladies ain't playin'."
Vicki Golding, Army Entertainment's 2006 Military Idol champion, is the choirmaster for the American Military Spouses Choir.
"She is the reason why we're able to do what we do," Hurtado said. "I send her the arrangements, she writes out the parts, and then Joey [Beebe] checks our work. She has become a real viable music director/choirmaster."
Beebe, another former Soldier Show performer, currently serves as music director of Army Entertainment's marquee program. He also works with Soldiers and military family members competing in Operation Rising Star.
"Joey Beebe is the music director for CAMMO, so that makes him the music director for all the artists that fall under CAMMO," Hurtado said. "When the ladies first met -- they actually met the night before the gig at the Kennedy Center. They had never met before. And Joey has had that choir since that night. He taught them the song. He made it sound amazing. And they performed the next day at the Kennedy Center.
"David Foster said it was some of the best vocal choral work, dynamically, musically, pitch-wise, everything, that he had ever experienced in his life. And he told Joey that himself. Joey just stood there and listened. I've never seen Joey at a loss for words like that before."
Ron Henry, another former Army Entertainment performer and original member of the 4TROOPS recording group, also helps the American Military Spouses Choir.
"He's in line to work with the ladies when one of us is not there," Hurtado said. "Vicki, Joey, Ron and I have all groomed so well that we can all sing, fill in for 4TROOPS, or conduct a choir. To have that sort of stable, that we are all interchangeable like that, is pretty satisfying for someone who had Sgt. Henry coming to Alaska with me, and Spc. Beebe coming to be the first assistant director, or Vicki Golding, who won Military Idol and sings so beautifully and is such a skilled music director. Who knew, right?"
And then there are the ladies getting it done on stage for their troops.
"I have been a military spouse for 34 years and this choir experience validates what I have learned about all military spouses," said Karen Gravlin Bartell of Fort Eustis, Va. "They are strong, loyal, resourceful, supportive, kind-hearted, honest and, of course, talented. "America's Got Talent" and Radio City Music Hall are giving us the chance to show that to America."
"I love being part of a choir that sings in tribute to our military," said Michelle Gable of Fort Meade, Md. "I sing to say 'thank you.' I sing to say 'I love you.' I sing so that those who are silent will be remembered."
"Being in the choir is a dream come true for me," said Gomez, an Army veteran and spouse with the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "I feel I am part of something so special that is afforded to me because I am a military spouse. Being in New York is still surreal! Performing at Radio City Music Hall solidifies our status as true artists in the music industry and our cause is one worthy of recognition."
"First and foremost, I am in total awe, total shock of where we are now: New York City!" said Yari Dominguez of Fort Rucker, Ala. "And we'll be performing at Radio City Music Hall, where the big dogs perform - where legends have paved that path for others' dreams. It's a true honor to be singing with such an amazing group of ladies, knowing we all represent and stand for the same reason. It's a blessing - a once in a lifetime experience."
"This experience for me is more than just a competition," said Crystal Wood of Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. "This choir has given me a sisterhood and a support system that I have never had. The love and support we have received from not only military families, but also from the public, is incredible. So many times as a military family, we are isolated and struggle alone. Since being on the show, so many families have said that we have inspired them, when in fact their support has inspired us. We are representing not only military families but also anyone who has been separated from their loved ones or experienced difficult situations. We are a beacon of hope for so many, that no matter how difficult the journey may be, you can always find a glimmer of light and the end of even the darkest tunnel. Performing at Radio City Music Hall is affirmation that as a society we all should support each other and we can overcome even our darkest moments."
"What it means to me to be in this choir is that I'm not alone," said Stephanie Holberg of Fort Leavenworth, Kan. "It's a blast being in New York City, beyond a dream to perform at Radio City Music Hall, and a huge honor to give military spouses a voice. In a world where you hear so much negative news, this is such an amazing forum to share our stories and share something positive and patriotic like military spouses singing for their husbands and choir."
The remaining Army wives in the choir: Brandy Albert and Rachael Smith, both of Fort Belvoir, Va., Deidra Lee Stubbs of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and Sonjia Perry of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, dropped by to visit during one of the American Military Spouses Choir rehearsals and his wife, Deanie, personally thanked the ladies.
More than 35,000 auditioned last autumn for this season of "America's Got Talent," which will culminate in September.
Once again the mainstream media has demonstrated in a big way the they are just completely devoid of any ability to report on the Church. Apparently "The Vatican" and Pope Francis have announced that if you follow the Pope's Twitter feed you will go straight to heaven - "do not pass go, do not collect $200." Of course this is ridiculous on its face, but does anyone try to get the facts straight - of course not. Why would we try to get it right when that may get in the way of a sexy headline. Here is just a sampling of the headlines.
Twitter Might Get You Into Heaven a Little Faster, Vatican Reveals ABC News
Pope Francis: Vatican's Twitter Followers Can Now Spend Less Time in Purgatory FOX NEWS
Vatican: Shorten Time in Purgatory By Following Pope on Twitter CBS News
Pope Francis Offers Catholic Forgiveness for Their Sins on Twitter During World Youth Day UK Daily Express
Pope to Grant Plenary Indulgences by Twitter Des Moines Register
And my favorite: Follow the Church on Twitter...Or Burn In Purgatory Huffington Post
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Read this from the Register for the REAL story.
National Catholic Register
LINCOLN, Neb. ? In contrast with media reports of ?time off of purgatory? for Pope Francis? Twitter followers, a canon lawyer explained that indulgences are a way that the Church encourages Christians to prayer.
?Because the Church has the spiritual authority that Christ has given it, the Church can invite us to particularly sanctifying moments and particularly sanctifying opportunities,? JD Flynn, special assistant to Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Neb., explained to CNA July 18.
An indulgence is defined as the remission of the temporal punishment ? the required atonement by which an individual makes reparation ? due to sins that have already been forgiven.
The Vatican announced July 9 that Pope Francis had mandated that the faithful can receive indulgences through participation in World Youth Day.
A plenary indulgence is offered once a day to those who ?devoutly participate in the sacred rites and exercise of devotion? taking place as part of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro from July 22 to 29. The announcement was made June 24 by decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican office dealing with indulgences and confession.
Plenary indulgences are also offered to those who cannot attend the event yet who ?participate in spirit in the sacred functions,? provided they follow the rites and exercises by television, radio, or ?always with the proper devotion, through the new means of social communication.?
Some mainstream media outlets proclaimed Twitter followers were getting out of purgatory.
Flynn, who holds a licentiate in canon law from Catholic University of America, explained that ?a better way to say it would be that the Vatican recognizes that the more time we spend in prayer, the less time we spend in purgatory.?
Allowing indulgences to those who follow World Youth Day through ?the new means of social communication,? is ?really an invitation to spend time in prayer with the pilgrims of World Youth Day,? he said.
?And because of the Church?s authority, that prayer comes with the special graces of an indulgence.? Indulgences are based on the Church?s ?special recognition ? that certain activities, and activities especially at certain times, can be particularly sanctifying,? Flynn said.
Source: www.bizjournals.com --- Thursday, July 18, 2013 The region's financial savvy was on display Thursday as the Washington Business Journal honored eight leading chief financial officers at its annual CFO of the Year Awards luncheon. Longtime American University CFO Don Myers received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his three decades at the D.C. higher education post. A former U.S. General Accountability Office audit investigator, Myers, 68, came a long way from his Boy Scouting days when he'd originally thought he'd be a forest ranger when he? ...
Apr. 19, 2013 ? A monoclonal antibody targeting a protein known as SFPR2 has been shown by researchers at the University of North Carolina to inhibit tumor growth in pre-clinical models of breast cancer and angiosarcoma.
In a paper published in the April 19 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a team led by Nancy Klauber-DeMore, MD, Professor of surgery and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, used a monoclonal antibody to target SFRP2 expressed in cells from triple-negative breast cancer and the aggressive blood-vessel malignancy angiosarcoma, reducing the rate of tumor growth. The antibody, created at the University of North Carolina, is the first therapeutic discovered that targets SFRP2.
"We showed in this paper that targeting SFRP2 with a monoclonal antibody in pre-clinical models inhibits tumor growth. This demonstrates that SFRP2 is a therapeutic target for cancer" said Dr. DeMore.
The DeMore lab first discovered the role of SFRP2 in tumor growth while looking to develop an alternative to the FDA-approved anti-angiogenesis drug known as Avastin (bevacizumab). Avastin targets the protein VEGF, which has also been tied to angiogenesis (the production of new blood vessels). Although Avastin is of benefit to some patients with cancer, not all tumors respond to Avastin, and of those that respond, some eventually progress. To find a solution for patients whose tumors are resistant to Avastin, DeMore began looking at other proteins linked to angiogenesis that could be used as therapeutic targets.
"We previously microdissected blood vessels from malignant human breast cancers and compared gene expression to blood vessels microdissected from normal tissue. We found a number of genes that were highly over-expressed in the malignant blood vessels compared to normal. One of those genes was SFRP2," said Dr. DeMore.
The DeMore lab found that SFRP2 is expressed in a variety of human cancers, including breast, prostate, lung, pancreas, ovarian, colon, kidney tumors, and angiosarcomas, DeMore, working with Dr. Cam Patterson, Ernest and Hazel Craige Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, discovered that SFRP2 acted as a potent stimulator of angiogenesis, leading their team to hypothesize that targeting SFRP2 could inhibit tumor growth. In collaboration with Dr. Russ Mumper, the John A. McNeill Distinguished Professor in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics, their group developed a drug to target SFRP2.
"Demonstrating that a monoclonal antibody to SFRP2 inhibits tumor growth in pre-clinical models opens up a new potential for drug development. This treatment is not presently available for human studies, but our efforts are focused on obtaining funding for further drug development that would lead to a clinical trial" said DeMore.
This work was supported by National Institute of Health (P50-CA58223, 1R01CA142657-01A1 and R01 HL61656), North Carolina TraCS Large Pilot Award, University Cancer Research Fund, Nancy DeMore Foundation and North Carolina Kickstart Commercialization Collaboration Award.
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Journal Reference:
Emily Fontenot, Emma Rossi, Russell Mumper, Stephanie Snyder, Sharareh Siamakpour-Reihani, Ping Ma, Eleanor Hilliard, Bradley Bone, David Ketelsen, Charlene Santos, Cam Patterson, and Nancy Klauber-DeMore. A Novel Monoclonal Antibody to Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 2 Inhibits Tumor Growth. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, April 19, 2013 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-12-1066
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Microsoft Research, Microsoft?s department for experimental computer science projects, has unveiled the ?IllumiRoom,? a projector system that extends the action in video games beyond the edge of the TV screen. What?s most impressive about it is that it doesn?t require a flat white background to work properly. Microsoft is currently demoing the project at this year?s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). From the Microsoft Research website:
IllumiRoom is a proof-of-concept Microsoft Research project designed to push the boundary of living room immersive entertainment by blending our virtual and physical worlds with projected visualizations. The effects in the video are rendered in real time and are captured live ? not special effects added in post processing.
The system uses a Kinect for Windows camera and a projector to create the effects seen in the video below. It scans the geometry of a room using the Kinect, then uses its measurements to adapt its projected visuals ?in real-time without any need to custom pre-process the graphics.? Microsoft claims the feature can extend the field of view beyond the TV, change the appearance of a room, or induce apparent motion.
It sounds silly, yes, but give the video a look. This is the sort of impressive technology that gamers should hope is part of the next generation of console hardware. Also, it may very well be a precursor to the holodeck-style gaming experiences of the future.
FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2006, file photo, an Iraqi army soldier closes the door of a cell, in Abu Ghraib prison after the Iraqi government took over control from U.S. forces, on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq. A defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to engage in torture at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has paid $5.28 million to 71 former inmates held there and at other U.S.-run detention facilities between 2003 and 2007. The settlement in the case involving Engility Holdings Inc. of Chantilly, Va., marks the first successful effort by lawyers for former prisoners at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers to collect money from a U.S. defense contractor in lawsuits alleging torture. Another contractor, CACI, is expected to go to trial over similar allegations this summer. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2006, file photo, an Iraqi army soldier closes the door of a cell, in Abu Ghraib prison after the Iraqi government took over control from U.S. forces, on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq. A defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to engage in torture at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has paid $5.28 million to 71 former inmates held there and at other U.S.-run detention facilities between 2003 and 2007. The settlement in the case involving Engility Holdings Inc. of Chantilly, Va., marks the first successful effort by lawyers for former prisoners at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers to collect money from a U.S. defense contractor in lawsuits alleging torture. Another contractor, CACI, is expected to go to trial over similar allegations this summer. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2006, file photo, Iraqi army soldiers stand guard at the Abu Ghraib prison, after taking over from U.S. soldiers, on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq. A defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to engage in torture at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has paid $5.28 million to 71 former inmates held there and at other U.S.-run detention facilities between 2003 and 2007. The settlement in the case involving Engility Holdings Inc. of Chantilly, Va., marks the first successful effort by lawyers for former prisoners at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers to collect money from a U.S. defense contractor in lawsuits alleging torture. Another contractor, CACI, is expected to go to trial over similar allegations this summer. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A defense contractor whose subsidiary was accused in a lawsuit of conspiring to torture detainees at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has paid $5.28 million to 71 former inmates held there and at other U.S.-run detention sites between 2003 and 2007.
The settlement in the case involving Engility Holdings Inc. of Chantilly, Va., marks the first successful effort by lawyers for former prisoners at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers to collect money from a U.S. defense contractor in lawsuits alleging torture. Another contractor, CACI, is expected to go to trial over similar allegations this summer.
The payments were disclosed in a document that Engility filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission two months ago but which has gone essentially unnoticed.
The defendant in the lawsuit, L-3 Services Inc., now an Engility subsidiary, provided translators to the U.S. military in Iraq. In 2006, L-3 Services had more than 6,000 translators in Iraq under a $450 million-a-year contract, an L-3 executive told an investors conference at the time.
On Tuesday, a lawyer for the ex-detainees, Baher Azmy, said that each of the 71 Iraqis received a portion of the settlement. Azmy declined to say how the money was distributed among them. He said there was an agreement to keep details of the settlement confidential.
"Private military contractors played a serious but often under-reported role in the worst abuses at Abu Ghraib," said Azmy, the legal director at the Center for Constitutional Rights. "We are pleased that this settlement provides some accountability for one of those contractors and offers some measure of justice for the victims."
Jennifer Barton, a spokeswoman for L-3 Communications, the former parent company of L-3 Services, said the company does not comment on legal matters.
Eric Ruff, Engility's director of corporate communications, said the company does not comment on matters involving litigation.
The ex-detainees filed the lawsuit in federal court in Greenbelt, Md., in 2008.
L-3 Services "permitted scores of its employees to participate in torturing and abusing prisoners over an extended period of time throughout Iraq," the lawsuit stated. The company "willfully failed to report L-3 employees' repeated assaults and other criminal conduct by its employees to the United States or Iraq authorities."
One inmate alleged he was subjected to mock executions by having a gun aimed at his head and the trigger pulled. Another inmate said he was slammed into a wall until he became unconscious. A third was allegedly stripped naked and threatened with rape while his hands and legs were chained and a hood was placed on his head. Another said he was forced to consume so much water that he began to vomit blood. Several of the inmates said they were raped and many of the inmates said they were beaten and kept naked for extended periods of time.
In its defense four years ago against the lawsuit, L-3 Services said lawyers for the Iraqis alleged no facts to support the conspiracy accusation. Sixty-eight of the Iraqis "do not even attempt to allege the identity of their alleged abuser" and two others provide only "vague assertions," the company said then.
A military investigation in 2004 identified 44 alleged incidents of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib. No employee from L-3 Services was charged with a crime in investigations by the U.S. Justice Department. Nor did the U.S. military stop the company from working for the government.
Fifty-two of the 71 Iraqis alleged that they were imprisoned at Abu Ghraib and at other detention facilities. The other 19 Iraqis allege they were detained at detention facilities other than Abu Ghraib.
The Abu Ghraib prison scandal erupted during President George W. Bush's re-election campaign in 2004 when graphic photographs taken by soldiers at the scene were leaked to the news media. They showed naked inmates piled on top of each other in a prison cell block, inmates handcuffed to their cell bars and hooded and wired for electric shock, among other shocking scenes.
In the ensuing international uproar, Bush said the practices that had taken place at Abu Ghraib in late 2003 were "abhorrent." Some Democrats demanded that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld resign. Eventually, 11 U.S. soldiers were convicted of crimes including aggravated assault and taking pictures of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated.
Rumsfeld told Congress in 2004 that he had found a way to compensate Iraqi detainees who suffered "grievous and brutal abuse and cruelty at the hands of a few members of the United States armed forces." But the U.S. Army subsequently has been unable to document a single U.S. government payment for prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib.
This week, the U.S. Army Claims Service said it has 36 claims from former detainees in Iraq, none of them related to alleged physical abuse. From the budget years 2003 to 2006, the Defense Department paid $30.9 million to Iraqi and Afghan civilians who were killed, injured, or incurred property damage due to U.S. or coalition forces' actions during combat.
In the aftermath of Abu Ghraib, lawyers for the Iraqis filed a number of lawsuits against L-3 Services and another company, CACI International Inc. of Arlington, Va., but the cases were quickly hung up on an underlying question: whether defense contractors working side by side with the U.S. military can be sued for claims arising in a war zone. The U.S. government is immune from suits stemming from combatant activities of the military in time of war.
Courts are still sorting out whether contractors in a war zone should be accorded legal immunity from being sued, just as the government is immune.
But a turning point in the cases involving L-3 and CACI came last May. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., ruled 11-3 that more facts must be developed before the appeals court could consider the defense contractor's request to dismiss the lawsuit.
In the case against CACI, four Iraqis who say they were tortured are seeking compensation from the company, which provided interrogators to the U.S. military during the war. CACI has chosen to continue its fight against the lawsuit. Azmy said a trial is expected this summer.
In its defense four years ago against the lawsuit, L-3 said the fact that the claims in the case "cannot be brought against the government means that they also cannot be brought against L-3."
"No court in the United States has allowed aliens ? detained on the battlefield or in the course of postwar occupation and military operations by the U.S. military ? to seek damages for their detention," the company told the federal court four years ago. "Yet these plaintiffs bring claims seeking money damages for their detention and treatment while in the custody of the U.S. military in the midst of a belligerent occupation in Iraq."
Allowing the case to proceed "would require a wholly unprecedented injection of the judiciary into wartime military operations and occupation conduct against the local population, in particular the conditions of confinement and interrogation for intelligence gathering," L-3 added.
___
Associated Press investigative researcher Randy Herschaft contributed to this report.
Do you want guaranteed income for life? Who doesn?t? That?s why insurance companies are ramping up their marketing of annuities.
But before you buy in, you should know what you?re getting into. Annuities are not that easy to understand and they may not be right for every retirement situation.
Here are some basics to understand, plus some pros and cons.
What are Annuities?
Annuities are financial contracts issued by a life insurance company that offer tax-deferred savings and a choice of payout options ? income for life, income for a certain time period or a lump sum ? to meet your retirement needs.
Because an annuity contract gets tax-deferred treatment, the IRS may impose an early-withdrawal penalty of 10 percent for some distributions if they?re taken before age 59 ?.
Types of Annuities
When buying an annuity, you?re trading a lump sum of money in return for a stream of income, but annuities come in many flavors, which can make them confusing.
The two major categories of annuities are ?immediate? and ?deferred.?
With an immediate annuity, payments to you start immediately or within one year of the policy?s issue. You use this type when you want to start taking income as soon as possible.
A deferred annuity has two phases. During the accumulation phase, you defer those income payments, letting your money grow on a tax-deferred basis for several years.
Then there?s the payout phase, when you start receiving scheduled payments.
There are a few types of deferred annuities to consider:
Fixed annuity. The insurance company agrees to pay you no less than a specified rate of interest during the time your account is growing. It also agrees that the periodic payments will be a specified amount per dollar in your account. These payments may last for a definite period, such as 20 years, or an indefinite period, such as the lifetime of you and your spouse.
Variable annuity. ?If you want more access to more investment options, you can choose from among a range of them, typically mutual funds, to invest your purchase payments. The rate of return on your payments, and the amount you eventually receive, will vary depending on the performance of the investment options you have selected.
Indexed annuity. A blend between a fixed and a variable, where the insurance company invests in a mix of stocks and bonds designed to credit you with a return based on changes in a particular index, such as the S&P 500. In a falling stock market, indexed annuity contracts guarantee a minimum return, typically three percent.
The Pros and the Cons of Annuities
Regarding immediate annuities, guaranteed income for life is a great benefit, but it comes at a cost. First, you?re giving up access your money in exchange for the income stream.
Therefore, your wisest move is to invest with only a portion of your total portfolio.
Additionally, most immediate annuities provide for fixed payments, which aren?t adjusted for inflation.
While we may be in a low-inflation environment today, what happens if prices rise substantially during your annuity?s payout period?
Also to consider: By investing in an annuity, you?re also investing in the company that issues it. That guaranteed stream of income is only as good as the financial stability of the company writing the contract.
As we all learned just a few years ago, insurance companies ? even the biggest ones ? can run into major problems.
Deferred annuities also share the same lack of liquidity as immediate annuities, and they also have some additional downsides.
While insurance companies market their tax advantages, there are four big issues surrounding those benefits:
Tax rate: When you start withdrawing money, the earnings (but not the principal) will be taxed at your ordinary income rate, not the lower capital-gains rate typically applied to investments held for more than one year, like stocks, bonds and mutual funds.
That can add up to big tax payments, especially for those in high tax brackets.
Tax-advantaged accounts: There are some financial advisers or insurance agents that recommend variable or indexed annuities for accounts that are already tax deferred, like IRAs and 401(K)s. That?s absolutely unnecessary, because those accounts are already tax advantaged.
If someone tries to sell you a variable annuity to hold in a tax-deferred account, head for the exit.
Estate planning: When it comes to annuities and estate planning, proceeds from most deferred annuities don?t receive a ?step up? in basis (when an asset?s value is priced at the higher market value at the time of inheritance rather the value at which it was originally purchased.
Other investments (like stocks, bonds and mutual funds again) do provide a step up in basis at the owner?s death, which can limit tax liability for the heirs. Deferred annuities can?t offer that benefit.
Fees: But the biggest con for this annuity type is the sky-high costs. Mortality and expense charges, administrative fees, fund expenses, charges for special features and the salesperson?s commission can eat up 2% to 3% of your investment value every year.
Questions to Ask
If an insurance salesman or financial advisor brings up the subject of annuities, here are six questions you should ask right straight away:
What type of annuity is this, and why are you recommending it for me?
How much will I pay in the first year of the contract, and then how much in subsequent years?
What will be your first-year commission on the contract, and then what will you earn in subsequent years? (You want to understand the total costs, from ?mortality and expense? charges to the admin fees.)
Have I already maxed out my IRA, 401(k) and other tax-deferred vehicles?
Should I tie up my money with this annuity? Will I have ample liquidity outside of it if I do?
How is this insurer rated by AM Best, S&P, Moody?s and Fitch?
If you?re still considering annuities to secure income in retirement, make sure you weigh the potential benefits as well as the risks, and understand the complications of these saving vehicles before handing your money over.
Vanessa Richardson is a freelance writer in San Francisco who writes about small business and?personal finance.
Was one of your New Year?s Resolutions to do more crafts at home? If so you?ll want to check out the Celebrate Crate by Celebrations.com. Even if you don?t consider yourself a crafter, you?re gonna love the easy DIY ideas that come straight to your doorstep.
I?ll admit it. I?m a little bit of a craft addict. I love creating new objects out of nothing and tweaking something that?s store-bought so that it becomes a semi-homemade project.
But I have a dirty little secret. I have a wee problem actually finishing craft projects.
I perpetually start projects, stop midway, get inspired by something else (darn you Pinterest!) and then pick up more supplies for a new project. The result is a bunch of half-made creations.
And even though I enjoy little DIY projects, I find that life sometimes gets in the way and it becomes hard to prioritize time for creative ventures. Between coming up with ideas to try, running to the store for supplies and then finding time to actually sit down to get crafty, it?s just too easy to get distracted.
Does this sound like you too?
Enter the Celebrate Crate from Celebrations.com.
For $20 a month you can sign up to receive a box full of crafting supplies delivered right to your doorstep. The 4-6 items in each box range from party ideas to creative cooking tools to seasonal craft supplies.
Not only do you get an assortment of goodies that will help you put together your own custom DIY project in a snap, but it also contains some ideas in case you need a little help getting the inspiration going.
The best part?
Unlike other craft-in-a-box subscriptions that are geared for kiddos, this one is designed with adults in mind ? both guys and gals. Plus, the ideas are family-friendly so it?s likely that your little ones will want to join in on the fun (yes, even the hard-to-please teens and tweens).
I recently had an opportunity to review one of these little gems and was blown away by the goodies it contained. The theme was based around the concept of a ?Mustache Party? and included a variety of mustache cookie cutters (that doubled as stampers), temporary mustache tattoos, a package of self-adhesive mustaches, striped black and white straws, and a bottle of Jack Daniel?s mustard.
The moment I opened the box, my wheels started turning with all the fun ways to use the items. It would be a breeze to put together a ?Stache Bash.
Some ideas:
The mustache cookie cutters could be used to trace various mustaches on card stock that could be used for simple homemade invitations.
While the cookie cutters could be used to make cookies (obviously), they could also be used to make bite-sized sandwiches (or ?stache sammies) with the Jack Daniel?s mustard as a condiment.
Kids would love the mustache finger tattoos as-is, but they would also make super cute wine tags for adults by simply cutting them out and gluing them to a piece of card stock that gets tied on to stemware.
And the piece de resistance would be to set up a little DIY photo booth where party guests could take pictures of themselves in the various self-adhesive mustaches. To allow guests to switch mustaches instead of just wearing the same one, secure them to a skewer, or use one of the cute black and white straws that came in the box, so they could hold it up to their faces. Include a few props like hats, nerdy glasses, pipes and ties so that guests can get creative with their shots.
The box I received was for editorial review only, but the January 2013 Celebrate Crate?contains similar items.
The beauty of the Celebrate Crate is that it helps you put together a fun, coordinated idea with just a few other extra items making it super easy to actually finish your DIY project.
Make this the year to get your craft on (and actually finish it).
JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israel's election campaign entered its home stretch on Tuesday with the beginning of a quirky two-week period of televised political advertisements, giving candidates a final chance to attack front-running Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Derided by many as archaic and irrelevant, the state-subsidized blocs of ads are a legendary part of Israeli election campaigns, providing a rare platform for candidates from the more than 30 parties contesting the election to take their messages to the masses. With a firm lead in opinion polls, Netanyahu has rejected calls to debate his opponents.
Under Israeli election law, TV stations must set aside time each evening for two weeks to air the advertisements free of charge. The election is set for Jan. 22.
In the first ads broadcast Tuesday evening, Netanyahu portrayed himself as a strong leader who has protected Israel's security and represented his country proudly on the world stage. The ads show images of a stern-faced Netanyahu speaking to the U.S. Congress, meeting President Barack Obama and addressing the United Nations.
His main opponents from the center and left attacked him for failing to advance peace efforts with the Palestinians and for ignoring the plight of the middle class.
Yair Lapid, a telegenic former anchorman who leads the centrist Yesh Atid, or "there is a future," poked fun at Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations last fall in which the prime minister displayed a cartoon-like drawing of a bomb as he lectured the international community about Iran's suspect nuclear program.
In Tuesday's ad, Lapid held up a similar-looking diagram, warning that Israel's middle class was on the verge of exploding under the pressure of the high cost of living. "This is the bomb. This is the fuse," Lapid says in accented English.
Former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, whose "Movement" Party has made Mideast peace its top priority, aired a series of slick ads portraying her as the only candidate with the vision and international stature to take on Netanyahu.
While Netanyahu has claimed his tough positions toward the Palestinians have guaranteed Israel's security, Livni says he is putting the country's future in jeopardy.
Without creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, she says Arabs living under Israeli control will soon outnumber Jews. "To remain a Jewish and a democratic state, we need a political agreement" with the Palestinians, Livni says in her ad.
Netanyahu would appear to be vulnerable after four stormy years marked by deadlock in peace efforts with the Palestinians, clashes with the international community over Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, growing gaps between the nation's rich and poor and a failure to end a much-criticized policy of exempting young ultra-Orthodox men from military service. Netanyahu's top priority, halting Iran's suspect nuclear program, also remains a question mark.
But these issues have been largely pushed aside during the campaign, overshadowed by domestic issues and personalities leading the many parties. The centrist parties, including the Labor Party, which have been critical of his handling of peace and social issues, have been plagued by fighting among themselves and unable to put forward a coherent message.
Under Israel's proportional representation system, parties receive a number of parliamentary seats based on the percentage of votes they receive. The leader of the party with the best chance of forming a majority coalition in the 120-seat chamber serves as prime minister.
Opinion polls have repeatedly forecast that Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu bloc will receive about 34 seats, making it the largest faction in parliament and positioned to form a majority coalition with hard-line and religious parties.
With the centrist parties all trailing far behind, Netanyahu's biggest challenge appears to be coming from the ultranationalist "Jewish Home" Party.
Led by a former aide to Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett, the party opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state and espouses annexation of occupied territory.
In its ads, "Jewish Home" shows a dove spreading its wings as a way to poke fun at other parties' promises of peace and touts the military backgrounds of its members, several of whom, like Bennett, served in elite commando units.
It remains questionable whether the ads will make any difference in the age of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
Baruch Leshem, a lecturer in media studies at Israel's Sapir College, said less than 5 percent of households are expected to tune in to the ads, compared with 39 percent in 1999.
___
Daniel Estrin contributed to this report.
Federman can be followed at www.twitter.com/joseffederman.
We first caught wind of Delphi and Verizon's new Vehicle Diagnostics service a couple of days back. Today we got to see the thing in action at the Pepcom event here at CES. The hardware is a small black plastic box that should plug into most cars sold in the US after 1996. Once inserted, it communicates wireless with your Android or iOS handset or tablet. The Delphi rep we spoke with started things off by pointing out that it does more than just the diagnostics implied by its name -- and that's certainly the case. There's a long laundry list of functionality here. He certainly had a lot to talk about.
On a base-level, we're talking geo-fences, performance alerts and map tracking -- it can also mimic key functionality, so you can lock / unlock and remotely start up the engine if your vehicle supports such things. As we said, there's a long list of functionality here -- pretty impressive all in all. In fact, the Connected Car Service app takes a bit of getting used to, due to all the features. We'll let the Delphi rep take you through it the app after the break.
PARIS - European scientists say they have found further evidence that how you serve food and drink matters hugely in the perception of taste.
Researchers at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the University of Oxford recruited 57 volunteers and asked them to taste hot chocolate served in plastic cups with four different colours - white, cream, red and orange with white on the inside.
The chocolate was the same in all the samples, but the volunteers found that the flavour was better when the drink was served in the orange or cream-coloured cups.
"The colour of the container where food and drink are served can enhance some attributes like taste and aroma," Betina Piqueras-Fiszman of the Polytechnic University of Valencia said in a press release.
The findings could be beneficial to chefs and food manufacturers, Piqueras-Fiszman added.
Previous research has found that yellow containers boost the perception of flavour of lemons in soft drinks; beverages with cold colours, like blue, seem more thirst-quenching than warm colours like red; and if drinks are pink, they are perceived as being more sugary.
The study appears in a specialist publication, the Journal of Sensory Studies.
>>>in an interview with
oprah winfrey
, funny man,
david letterman
opens up about some of the most controversial and emotional moments in his life. a rare glimpse into the life of a man most of us have followed nor years but know little about.
>>>in now, in all his splendor, "
david letterman
."
>> reporter: for more than 30 years, he has made us laugh.
>>did the kids really enjoy the christmas activities?
>>not really.
>> reporter: the comedian used to answering questions now finds himself answering them to oprah.
>>i have read about your struggle with depression, yeah.
>>do you still get depressed?
>>i never knew what depression was. i am kind of sad today. i am kind of blue today. this, i'm telling you, you get on an elevator and the bottom drops out. i went through this for about six months.
>> reporter: in a sit-down with winfrey, set to air
later today
, letterman tells all, including speaking openly about his infidelity. in
2009
after a former cbs producer tried to blackmail letterman for $2 million. the then recently married talk show host revealed a string of affairs live on the air.
>>having living through that
sex scandal
.
>>just to say
sex scandal
, you want to get through your whole life and not have the word
sex scandal
attached to your name.
>>you didn't mapke it?
>>did not make it.
>>letterman who has a child with wife, regina lasco speaks openly of repairing his marriage.
>>did you think she would stay with you through the whole thing?
>>doesn't know. wasn't certain.
>>did you have to sleep on the coach?
>>i slept a wide variety of places.
>>this is the worst
super bowl party
ever.
>>letterman for years feuded with winfrey herself.
>>now, dave, be nice.
>>he is just saying that because i'm here.
>>also spoke of his long-time rivalry with
jay leno
.
>>i am happy to say, he is the funniest guy i have ever known. just flat out, therefore, the fact that he is also maybe the most insecure person i have ever known, i could never reconcile that.
>>a rare glimpse inside the life of a private man so many of us know. for "today," miguel almaguer, nbc
The idea of the "internet of things" is fine and well, but when was the last time your smartphone had a chat with the fridge? Technicolor is aiming to solve those communication breakdowns with Qeo, a software system to bridge connected devices of all types and brands. While you may be thinking, "Technicolor? That company at the end of the movie credits?" it turns out that the post-production outfit also does items like set-top boxes and DSLR routers through its acquisition of Thomson. Qeo will allow those types of devices, along with smartphones, computers, tablets and even "dumb" systems like intercoms or appliances to all communicate, regardless of the OS or protocol used by each. That'll create scenarios where your doorbell can notify your smartphone that someone's waiting to be let in, or allow you to switch a video call from your Android tablet to a Qeo-enabled TV screen, according to Technicolor -- providing the right manufacturers, software developers or network operators are using the protocol, of course. Fortunately, the company claims that it's already signed up a bevy of companies in all those categories, meaning a device-agnostic connected home may be soon within your grasp. Check the PR after the break to see all the details in glorious, er, Technicolor.
Rushing in the door with yet another way to rent/buy movies over the internet, M-GO is promising it's the "people friendliest" service we've seen so far. Backed by Technicolor and DreamWorks Animation, it's ready to stream movies PCs through their web browser, as well as connected devices preloaded with its apps including Vizio, Sony and Intel ultrabooks. To live up to that friendly moniker, M-GO promises that if you're looking for a movie it doesn't offer, it will search other stores to find it for you, Flixster style. It also builds a profile of content you like and provides suggestions, sports an "easy as pie" interface as well as support for up to 5 profiles per account to help households browse through their preferred and owned content.
On top of that it supports Ultraviolet -- and potentially other digital lockers -- to let users access the content they've already paid for, and has licensed content from NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. We couldn't pull up our Ultraviolet content just yet when we tried it, but with an Android app and plans to show up on LG and RCA devices soon we'll probably have more opportunities to test it soon. Check after the break for the press release with all the details and a preview video, or hit the source link to give it a shot yourself.
Bipolar Disorder was an unknown malady to me until I married a lady with Bipolar. Possibly this is the life experience that lead to development of the Bipolar Cure website.
Sure, over the years I had encountered people who had mood swings. In fact, I was possibly one of them that had mood swings as well. But, I never paid attention to the issue as I believed that such is life. Everyone has mood swings.
This is what is so insidious with this physiological health issue; all of the symptoms appear to be the same as normal mood swings but sometimes the swings go wider and deeper.
Life had been good for me until financial circumstances beyond my control forced me into an involuntary chapter seven bankruptcy. My wife of 26 years folded. The pressures were just too great. In our mutual love for each other she simply asked if she could go her own way in life from that point. We signed papers, hugged with tears and moved on. Such is what happens with many of us experiencing painful financial setbacks.
After a few years I found myself attracted to a lovely lady who brought joy back into my life. She was fun, intelligent, accomplished and was anxious to experience a new life together. Our love was real.
Unbeknown to me was an underlying condition that would surface like a sleeping volcano. I didn't realize her condition and she never spoke of it. I guess that was her way of protecting what she and I were both hoping would be wonderful, life lasting relationship.
A year of wonderful marriage followed when out of the blue came a personality that I had never seen. A personality revealed itself that was violent, angry, frustrated and intentionally reaching out to hurt others. Never were the words of a disorder whispered. Believing that this was the real person coming out I retreated and waited hoping that the original lady I had married would return. It didn't. After useless discussions and damaging arguments I chose to get out of the relationship and filed divorce. Obviously, I was reluctant to do so as I was so fond of the person I had known in our first year.
It wasn't until later that I heard through family that she had a physical condition known as Bipolar Disorder. Obviously, my mind drifted to the question of if there was a Bipolar Cure. In searching I found that there was none.
Then, it hit me. She was medicated during our dating and first year but then chose, for whatever reason, to stop her medication. That was like a light switch for immediate personality change.
In hindsight I wish that she had been honest with me and let me know. I would have helped her with the issue and been the first in her life to assure that she had proper medication.
Such is life. I'm hoping that my website helps those who have the condition to know that it is ultra important to be honest and open about it. There is no shame. Many famous people have Bipolar Disorder and continue with a normal life when they're honest with their loved ones and themselves.
Brad Near is a writer who specializes in technical articles concerning all of humanity. You can check out his latest website at http://bipolarcure.net where the focus is on Bipolar Disorders.
Luxury and comfort. For many prospective homebuyers these two descriptions can mean very different things. With this spectacular four year-young colonial on Rice Rd., they translate to a lifestyle where families can experience warm, inviting accommodations and entertaining can be both eventful and lavish. This home is a great example that cozy does not necessarily signify small and plush does not mean stuffy.
Every space within this magnificent 4,500 square foot home was given generous dimensions to properly create a grand preliminary canvas for personal embellishments, beginning with its introduction of the formal two-story front foyer. A formal living room and dining area provide formal settings for entertaining while the 18 x 20 square foot fireplaced family room offers a comfortable space for relaxed events, especially during warmer months where activities can easily be bought outside through a slider leading to the rear deck. The sprawling 24 x 28 square foot eat-in kitchen will impress both veteran and novice cooks with its premier level of culinary accessories that includes an abundance of granite surfaces, upgraded cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. A home office on this level provides valuable bonus space and can be adapted to accommodate a variety of uses.
The second floor hosts a luxurious 18 x 18 square foot fireplaced master suite with a deluxe full bath, a spacious guest or in-law suite, three bedrooms and a laundry area. The large walk-out lower level adds an additional 1,300 square feet of living space to the listed 4,500 dimensions and opens into the lush backyard with layers of stone walls, a pond and views of protected neighboring conservation land.
While a showcase can provide a fitting introduction to a prospective piece of real estate, this property needs to be personally experienced through a personal tour to truly absorb its magnificent and versatile accommodations. Start the new year with style and grace with a move into this exceptional Wayland property.
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Location: 31 Rice Rd.
Price: $1,185,000
Rooms: 11
Bedrooms: 5
Baths: 4 full, 1 half
Living Area: 4,500 sq. ft.
Lot Size: 116,741 sq. ft. (2.68 acre)
Listing Agent: Barbara Miller, Ellen Curran Karrassik, William Raveis R.E. & Home Services, 508-380-3831
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If you are a Realtor or a home owner selling a home and want to be featured in an upcoming Home of the Week, please email Michele Taranto at m.taranto@aol.com.
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama may round out his new national security leadership team next week, with a nomination for defense secretary expected and a pick to lead the CIA possible.
Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is the front-runner for the top Pentagon post. Acting CIA Director Michael Morell and Obama counterterrorism adviser John Brennan are leading contenders to head the spy agency.
White House aides said the president has not made a final decision on either post and won't until he returns from Hawaii, where he is vacationing with his family. Obama is due back in Washington Sunday morning.
Obama nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state in December, his first step in filling out his second term Cabinet and national security team. Kerry, as well as the nominees for the Pentagon and CIA, must be confirmed by the Senate.
Hagel, the former senator from Nebraska, is a contrarian Republican moderate and decorated Vietnam combat veteran who is likely to support a more rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. If confirmed, Hagel would give Obama a whiff of bipartisanship in his Cabinet.
Even before his nomination, Hagel's consideration for the top Pentagon job raised concerns among some of his former Senate colleagues, who questioned his pronouncements on Iraq, Israel and the Middle East. Troubling for some lawmakers are Hagel's comments and actions on Israel, including his reference to the "Jewish lobby" in the United States.
Hagel has also been criticized for comments he made in 1998 about an openly gay nominee for an ambassadorship. In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald in 1998, Hagel said he believed that for a U.S. ambassador, "it is an inhibiting factor to be gay" and referred to James C. Hormel as "openly, aggressively gay". He has since apologized for those comments.
If nominated and confirmed, Hagel would replace current Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Morell has served as the CIA's acting director since early November, after David Petraeus resigned after admitting to an affair with his biographer.
Brennan, Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, worked at the CIA for 25 years, including a stint as station chief in Saudi Arabia. He also served as chief of staff to then CIA Director George Tenent from 1999 to 2001, when he was named the agency's deputy executive director.
Social customer service is one of the most important domains of social business and social CRM. Here is why.Popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter have traditionally been used to air grievances about a company. Those who could not get proper customer service from a business found that social media provided a way for them to overcome their frustration and get what your business owed them.
These complaints not only helped them feel better, but other people who had also been mistreated by the company, loved hearing ?someone speak up.? Before too long many other people began to join them and voice their grievances.
This new use of social media as a way to vent consumer indignation even created a new profession?reputation management and digital crisis management. Companies alarmed at their dwindling market share, declining customer base, and falling profit margin would hire marketing firms for purposes of damage control.
Beyond reputation: social customer service and social CRM
Social customer service, social CRM and social media in general start with listening, using the proper processes and tools, and defining ? ideally proactive ? response processes. However, we must get past that defensive attitude and just worrying about reputation and damage control. People expect good customer service and they use social media to seek it so you should offer it.
This doesn?t mean social customer service should be only treated on social media, on the contrary. You have to prioritize and answer the social customer service question where it fits best. The negative connotations regarding social customer service (bad reputation, criticism, trolls, etc.) should not be an excuse to not provide it. Customer service more than ever is integrated with marketing, CRM and other business functions. One even wonders if the ROI of customer service can be higher than that of marketing.
Customer service is also about turning existing customer into loyal customers. It?s an opportunity.
Some people confuse social customer service with social CRM. However, social CRM is not just about customer service. CRM in general has moved beyond the simple customer service processes in this social era.
Customer experiences define your brand. And word-of-mouth thrives on good customer service. The link between social customer service, CRM and marketing is obvious. There is also the business case: profit. Within a few years, social media will be channels that are used to seek customer service in the same ways other channels are used. They will become common place. On top of the usual suspects such as Twitter, businesses will use specific social technologies and community platforms for social customer service.
If you ignore the call for social customer service, the price will be negative word-of-mouth; poor brand perception but most of all a higher customer churn percentage.
According to Gartner, not responding via social channels can lead up to a 15% increase in churn rate. That?s huge, especially if you consider the impact on the bottom-line of existing and satisfied/dissatisfied customers. More about the business case in the infographics.
Social customer service expectations
Instead of focusing on damage control, progressive social media savvy companies are beginning to focus on increasing their quality of service in a visible way. In addition to this proactive customer support, positive reviews about experiences with the company have further boosted respect for the company and earned approval for its business ethics and practices. Again, social customer service and marketing have become integrated. However, in order to do this type of indirect marketing and indirect reputation management, a company needs to have a set policy on how to approach customer service on social media.
Successful companies, those who have mastered this new way of communicating with their customer base offering social customer service, offer three main suggestions on how to do it well as mentioned in a blog post by Michael Brito (actually a guest post by Rachel Tran, based on Conversocial?s Definitive Guide to Social Customer Service).
The three social customer service elements as Rachel Tran outlines them:
Be timely. The customer service team has to act fast when complaints show up on social media platforms. This does two things: one, it stops the fire from spreading; and two, it impresses people with how well the company treats its customers.
Be helpful. Customer service has to actually provide redress, rather than verbal appeasement. If, for example, someone ordered a product after prepaying for it but never received it, the customer service rep not only has to promise delivery, but also has to contact the shipping department to find out why the customer did not receive their products. In other words, the customer service team should be empowered to follow up on promises made to customers online.
Be cordial. Although someone who is upset may rant and rave about how they have been ripped off by the company, the customer service representative has to take on a completely different tone, responding in a cordial friendly and helpful way to redress the customer issue.
Encouraging social customer service
A company that actually encourages people to contact them through social media about service issue problems will quickly lead the field in its industry and inspire trust, one of the cornerstones of social business and certainly one of the cornerstones of collaboration, which is often the key component of social business as it is embraced today.
There are two primary benefits to this proactive approach:
It becomes convenient for consumers to quickly take care of an issue because they know exactly where to go to get help. Moreover, the growing proliferation of mobile devices allows for consumers to contact the company immediately.
The company is transparent. People do understand that businesses have problems: products are not manufactured according to specifications, service delays occur due to unexpected events, and sometimes products are not properly priced or shipped according to schedule. By becoming transparent, a company not only wins sympathy for its side of business problems but also wins approval for conscientiously working to fix things.
Using social media to provide customer support is a way for a company to quickly build a solid reputation as reliable and trustworthy. By using the three steps outlined?timeliness, helpfulness, and cordiality?and by proactively encouraging customers to seek redress for everyday business problems, it is easy for any company, small or large, online or offline, to build an enviable reputation.
Social customer service is not an option anymore. It?s a must. And by integrating it in a broader social business, social media marketing and social CRM context with the customer at the centre, it gets the place it deserves. However, don?t forget to integrate with other customer service channels, customer data systems and marketing processes as well!
The region's financial savvy was on display Thursday as the Washington Business Journal honored eight leading chief financial officers at its annual CFO of the Year Awards luncheon. Longtime American University CFO Don Myers received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his three decades at the D.C. higher education post. A former U.S. General Accountability Office audit investigator, Myers, 68, came a long way from his Boy Scouting days when he'd originally thought he'd be a forest ranger when he? ...
Social customer service is one of the most important domains of social business and social CRM. Here is why. Popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter have traditionally been used to air grievances about a company. Those who could not get proper customer service from a business found that social media provided a way for them to overcome their frustration and get what your business owed them.