Bibliophile Stalker: Press Release: Tales to Terrify announces The ...

The Bram Stoker Awards? are a staple and institution among horror writers and horror fans around the globe. As the Horror Writers Association and its members gather to celebrate the exemplary fiction, poetry and scripts of 2011, we at the Tales to Terrify podcast want to show our support for this award by bringing the Short Fiction nominees to a wider audience.

Tales to Terrify has made a commitment to showcase only the best in horror fiction and raise the public profile of the short story as a format. We wish to represent the world wealth of this genre and with this goal in mind, we could not ignore the significance of The Bram Stoker
Awards?.

Without further ado, Tales to Terrify is proud to announce The Bram Stoker Awards Short Fiction Initiative. It is a great honor and privilege to host two consecutive shows reserved entirely for the nominees in the Superior Achievement in Short Fiction category.

The initiative will begin with our Show number 10 on Friday, the 16th of March, and will end with our 11th show on Friday, the 23rd of March. Please find enclosed the show program with the nominees below:

Show 10: March 16th
O?Neill, Gene ? ?Graffiti Sonata? (Dark Discoveries)
Castro, Adam Troy ? ?Her Husband?s Hands? (Lightspeed Magazine)
Warren, Kaaron ? ?All You Can Do Is Breathe? (Blood and Other Cravings)

Show 11: March 23th
Lillie-Paetz, Ken ? ?Hypergraphia? (The Uninvited, Issue 1)
Saunders, George ? ?Home? (The New Yorker Magazine, June 13, 2011)
King, Stephen ? ?Herman Wouk Is Still Alive? (The Atlantic Magazine, May 2011)

Don?t forget to tune in at Tales to Terrify Friday March 16th and allow us to haunt your feed.

Source: http://charles-tan.blogspot.com/2012/03/press-release-tales-to-terrify.html

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Commercial Construction: From the Perspective of the Builder ...

Home ? Construction ? Commercial Construction: From the Perspective of the Builder

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

David Martin

We?ve been talking about construction for the past few weeks. Our first blog of this series offered steps involved in building and the importance of hiring a qualified commercial real estate professional to aid in the process. Last week, we discussed the pre-approval and entitlement process.

Now we have a chance to look at a ?build in progress.? Today?s blog features an interview with a builder who is managing a construction project in Harrisburg. Next week, we?ll talk with the owner about the same property in order to gain perspective from both sides.

Below is an interview with David Martin of Michael L. Martin, Inc.

What percentage of home building, commercial building and renovation makes up your business?

Currently renovation/remodeling/additions make up 75 percent of our business; the other 25 percent is commercial.

What makes Michael Martin Builders different than other builders?

Quality, integrity and value engineering go into every project.? We put a lot of pride into our service.

How have the economic conditions affected your industry?

Like most in our industry, we?ve had to adapt to the market.? We have gone from building custom homes to performing renovations, building additions, finishing basements, remodeling homes and small commercial jobs.

Pennsylvania adopted a $650 million energy bill was passed in 2008, giving builders access to several grant and loan programs. Have you been able to access these funds for ?green? building?

We have been able to pass on tax rebates and discounts to clients on heating systems, windows, etc.

Briefly tell us about the process of constructing a property such as Dr. Beachy?s.

The process involves designing a building that is functional for the client.? Once the design is agreed upon we execute a contract and obtain the necessary permits.? Construction is a 4-5 month process for a building such as theirs once we have obtained the permits and begin.

Is there anything unique or memorable about Dr. Beachy?s property? For example, something that made it different from other properties?

Each project presents new and exciting challenges, some bad and some good!? The Beachy?s is a smaller scale commercial project that is much like building a Ranch home.

Do you have a date for the completion of this job?

We will complete this building sometime in May.

How does your business work with a commercial real estate professional, such as Mike Kushner of Omni Realty?

We rely on and appreciate the work of those like Mike Kushner.? Mike was extremely helpful in getting us this project.?

If you were to relocate today, would you prefer leasing, buying, or building office space? Why?

Source: http://omnirealtygroup.com/omni-group/2012/03/14/commercial-construction-from-the-perspective-of-the-builder/

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Exercise vs Diet For Inner Thigh Fat Reduction | New Health and ...

New Health And Fitness.Org - Health Information You Can Use

Conflicting information is plentiful within this golden age of info. Two people are able to get shocking gains with fitness programs with wholly antagonising philosophies which often manages to bewilder everyone. Some folk vouch for the efficacy of a healthy eating plan in lessening body fat in unwelcome spots such as the inner thighs, arms and buttocks.

Some say that hardcore exercise is a better path to take. So let?s imagine you possess a lot of bothersome fat reserves within your thighs therefore you would like to get burn them QUICKLY. How does one go about this? Would you diet right until it melts away or do you set up camp at a gym near you? Which is more effective? Allow us to analyze each of those and let?s see which lets you to achieve your mission of reducing inner thigh fat.

Diet.

You might have perhaps heard it all over. ?You are what you eat?. And it?s totally authentic. Feed a duck merely fish for 21 days and its meat will start to taste just like fish. It?s practically nothing new, yet people still fail to consider the benefit of food and the factor it plays in the physiques we have now. That unsightly fat in your inner thighs? It did not randomly show up. You consumed food and it built up. Consequently, the initial thing you have to do is adjust what you eat and the way you eat and the fat will begin to melt off.

Your current aim isn?t just to begin the process of eating more healthy more authentic food items but to additionally eat it regularly, in the proper portions. Having small-scale meals regularly is superb for your metabolism. It also means your body uses up the food efficiently instead of piling up fat reserves.

I?m won?t insult your intellect by suggesting which food items are better to eat. You know the sort of food you have to be taking in simply because it is the exact stuff you never enjoy taking. Cabbages, greens, aubergines, squash e. t. c. Become very friendly with that and sit back and watch the excess fat disappear.

Exercise.

So we have now witnessed how necessary diet is. It seems as if diet is the greatest method to get rid of excess inner thigh fat, no? I mean, if all that?s necessary for you to do is eat and see the extra fat dissolve away, why should you try out a gym? Ahh, don?t let yourself be so short-sighted. If we understand this in scientific terms, diet will start the response that melts the fat away. Exercise is the catalyst. It speeds everything up.

Should you not mind waiting several months for your inner thigh fat to disappear altogether then ignore exercise. On the other hand in order to change as soon as you can, like yesterday, then you Really need to train the inner thighs.

So there you have it. To lose the body fat, you?ll want to alter your diet ? which is a given. However, exercise by itself achieves nothing if you keep consuming a lot more than what your body requires.

Having said that, if you choose to diet and overlook exercises for your inner thighs, you will discover that your inner thighs could very well be thin but they?re going to lack the muscle tone that makes them aesthetically alluring. All in all, you require both to realize the optimum results. As a benefit, exercise not only enables you to look good, it accelerates the fat loss process as well!

Discover more about diet and exercise, by visiting Tank Armstrong?s site on fitness.

Source: http://newhealthandfitness.org/2012/03/14/exercise-vs-diet-for-inner-thigh-fat-reduction/

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Transformer fire plunges Boston into darkness

BOSTON (Reuters) - A three-alarm fire in an electrical transformer in a popular Boston neighborhood caused a massive blackout on Tuesday, plunging part of the city into darkness, disrupting public transport and briefly prompting authorities to urge residents to stay indoors because of fears of toxic fumes.

Firefighters responded to a fire in a 115,000-volt transformer at an NSTAR substation located in a garage close to the Back Bay Hilton, a 390-room hotel. The densely-populated, upscale neighborhood affected by the fire is usually crowded with residents as well as tourists frequenting shops, bars and restaurants on Newbury and Boylston Streets.

Many were out on the streets enjoying unusually mild March weather when the fire broke out in early evening and the fire department cut power. At that point, patrons at dozens of restaurants were forced to flee into the streets.

City buses helped evacuate the area. Fire department spokesman Steve McDonald said that "thick, black, acrid smoke" poured from the scene of the fire. The smoke billowed overhead as city streets were closed down, power was cut to buildings and traffic lights, underground trains were diverted and part of Interstate 90, which runs through a tunnel directly under the Back Bay neighborhood, was closed.

One of the neighborhood's best known buildings, the main branch of the Boston Public Library, reported that its power had been cut off. The 60-story John Hancock Tower, Boston's tallest building, also went dark.

At least 20,000 residents were said to be without power. Besides the Back Bay, power outages spread to the adjacent Theater District, Chinatown, Kenmore Square and the South End.

The affected area is also home to colleges including the Berklee College of Music.

"The public is urged to stay away from this area. Stay indoors please!'' the Boston Fire Department said on Twitter. The police department chimed in, asking pedestrians to seek alternate routes around affected areas.

Police cruisers were stationed at many intersections in the eerily dark city streets.

Later, firefighters added that "the transformer that was on fire is cooled with mineral oil. While not toxic, it is never good to inhale any kind of smoke." A number of people were being treated for smoke inhalation, local media reported.

In another tweet, the department reported: "Massive blackout in area. In order to stop fire, power has to be turned off. Sheraton Hotel is now dark except for emergency light."

The fire was extinguished by late evening but was still smoldering. Crews from NSTAR were on the scene. No firm estimate was available about when power would?be fully restored.

"Lots of people (are) working hard to get the area back up. Expect a very long night," the fire department said. The city of Boston said power outages would continue until the morning, having an impact on business, transit and the morning commute.

"We hope that most of (the power) will be on by Wednesday morning, by the time businesses open at 9 or 10 o'clock," Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said, adding, "That's a guesstimate."

(Reporting by Scott Eisen; Writing by Ros Krasny; Editing By Cynthia Johnston)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/transformer-fire-plunges-boston-darkness-063538981.html

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Small Business Marketing Tips That Can Stretch Your Dollar

If you just take a look around, you?ll see a ton of small business marketing tips you can use. However, the most important for small business owners will be advice on how to make the most out of a limited budget. Small business owners know that they can?t market and run their business the same way a medium or big sized business can. So here are some tips that you can take to the bank.

1. Focus on building relationships through as many mediums as possible. Send out email newsletters, interact with your prospects and customers in your blog, have a presence on social media sites, and even use postcard marketing. People are doing business they feel they can relate to and if feel they received some kind of value of from you, they?ll likely make the investment.

2. Build referral systems to help leverage your existing prospects and customers. There are many ways to bring in more people to your business through referrals. There are affiliate marketing programs online, customer rewards, contests, and more. The best part of running referral systems is that they are very inexpensive and there are many ways to entice people to send you more customers.

3. Invest in Internet marketing if you haven?t already. The Internet can be one of the most cost effective ways to market your business. Rather than trying to do everything on the Internet, focus on one or two ways to market online and try to get the most out of that strategy. The big mistake many businesses make is trying to do everything online.

4. Joint ventures work well if you have some leverage and don?t have a lot of money to work with. Try finding businesses that are related to yours but not in direct competition. You can do simple things such as referring your businesses to each other?s customer list. You can also cross promote products and services. There are many ways you can work with other businesses. It?s all about being creative here and figuring out how to make it worthwhile for both parties.

5. Advertise small then grow from that. Don?t try to invest a huge sum of money on an advertising or marketing campaign. Test out your campaigns smalls and see if it works out. If it does, you can start scaling up from the results. If not, you can figure out what?s wrong and if it?s worth spending more money. Too many businesses spend a big budget from the get go rather than testing.

6. Set up follow up systems and follow up marketing strategies. They say that most people purchase after 7 contacts but most businesses give up by the third or even after the first. You want to keep following up in as many ways as possible and through multiple mediums. That will increase your ROI for whatever campaign you are running.

So those are some of the best small business marketing tips you can use to maximize your dollar. On a small budget, the small actions make the big difference. There are many ways that small businesses can work around their weaknesses. All it takes is to be as creative as possible and look at things from multiple angles.

Tagged as: direct email marketing for small business, online advertising, small business marketing tips

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Source: http://theboardmagazine.com/2012/03/small-business-marketing-tips-that-can-stretch-your-dollar/

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Health Care Reform Rule Offers Preview of New Insurance Market

The Obama administration released a 643-page regulation today spelling out how states can establish health insurance "exchanges" under health reform, but it doesn't spell out what happens if Republican-led state governments continue to progress in an effort to obstruct the law.

The health insurance exchanges are a centerpiece of the reform law President Barack Obama enacted in 2010. These exchanges will allow people and small businesses to compare insurance plans available in their states and find out whether they qualify for tax credits or for government benefits like Medicaid. By 2019, more than 24 million Americans will buy health insurance through the exchanges in their states, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The exchanges will operate as Web-based marketplaces for consumers to review health insurance benefits and prices, and to apply for financial assistance. Toll-free telephone numbers and counselors called "navigators" will be available to help insurance shoppers, said Tim Hill, the deputy director of the federal Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, during a conference call with reporters Monday.

The rule is intended as a road map for states, which are supposed to set up and run their own exchanges under federal guidelines. But what if states simply refuse to carry it out?

Most states have been reluctant to throw themselves into the process of implementing health reform. Indeed, the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments this month in a case brought by 26 states claiming that the law's mandated expansion of Medicaid and requirement that nearly everyone obtain health insurance violate the Constitution. The high court is expected to decide on the case by the end of June.

The possibility of the entire law being struck down by the Supreme Court, means Republican governors and Republican-led state legislatures have resisted moving ahead with exchanges in their states. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli suggested last week that even a ruling in favor of the law might not bring an end to state protests.

If the Supreme Court upholds health reform, or only strikes down parts of it and leaves provisions about the exchanges in place, delays at the state level could hamper the success of the overall law. "It?s hard to imagine how a state could take all the necessary legislative, policy, operational, and IT system development steps needed to meet this compressed timeline if it doesn?t start work until the summer," Dave Chandra, a senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, wrote last month.

Under the regulation, states are given latitude to make decisions in a number of areas, including whether to limit their exchanges to certain insurance companies and whether to run the exchange through a state agency or a nonprofit.

Twelve states have engaged in "no significant activity" on exchanges while 12 states and the District of Columbia have established them in advance of 2014, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The rest of the states either plan to establish an exchange or are "studying options," the Kaiser Family Foundation reports. Nearly all states have accepted some federal funding for exchanges, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The health reform law permits the federal government to set up exchanges in states that aren't ready (or refuse to participate) but today's announcement doesn't explain how. "We are moving forward to set up a federally facilitated exchange" for states that aren't prepared, Hill said. States have to be ready by Jan. 1, 2013, or the federal government can step in, according to the health reform law.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/12/health-care-reform-rules-insurance_n_1339517.html

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How The Affordable Care Act Could Quash The GOP's Dream Of Medicare Privatization

Sahil Kapur March 12, 2012, 5:40 AM

What if ?Obamacare? not only helped save Medicare from fiscal doom, but also quashed the GOP?s longstanding goal of privatizing the program? It?s too early to know what will ultimately happen, but new evidence suggests that nightmare scenario for conservatives is within the realm of possibility.

In a development with potentially profound implications ? both for Medicare itself and for the broader ideological fight between the two parties over the role of government ? researchers writing in the New England Journal of Medicine believe that the growth in per patient Medicare costs has slowed, contra earlier projections that spending would soar at an unsustainable rate. More importantly, the researchers believe this trend will hold over time, thanks largely to the Affordable Care Act?s sweeping cost-control policies.

It?s not yet clear whether the trend will be permanent ? one key reason cost growth has slowed has nothing to do with policy or innovation, but rather that the economy has been depressed for years. But the ACA expanded on provider payment savings policies from the 2000s and adopted a plethora of new measures, some of which are already proving successful at reducing spending. On top of that, U.S. medical cost growth, long having exceeded other areas of the economy, is currently at a five-decade low and more closely in line with GDP.

?On the whole, we do not believe that the recent slowdown in Medicare spending growth is a fluke,? wrote the researchers Chapin White and Paul Ginsburg. Thanks to the cost-control reforms over the last decade, they added, ?the CBO projects that over the next decade Medicare spending per enrollee will grow substantially more slowly than the overall economy.? They argued that the ACA in particular lays the framework for longer term cost-control by transitioning the provider reimbursement system from paying for quantity to paying for quality, something even Republicans quietly believe is a good idea.

If the cost-growth slowdown continues into the foreseeable future, it could have dramatic implications on the future of health care policy.

The conservative movement has disliked Medicare ever since its inception in the early 1960s, when Ronald Reagan argued it would spell the end of freedom in America. Half a century after enactment, Republicans have found a potent pretext to dismantle the senior safety-net program: impending fiscal doom. Indeed, official projections in recent years have found that Medicare spending is on course to swallow the entire federal budget in half a century. And that has been the central justification for the GOP?s plan, written by Rep. Paul Ryan, to phase out traditional Medicare and replace it with a subsidized private insurance system.

But if the NEJM projections hold, the threat of fiscal catastrophe would lose steam. And that means Republicans would have to resort to ideological arguments against Medicare if they want to end its basic structure ? a hard sell given the program?s immense popularity. Prior efforts to dramatically scale back Medicare benefits have fallen flat, and without being able to portray privatization or ?premium support? as critical to avoiding fiscal apocalypse, as Ryan does on a regular basis, there?s no reason to expect a different outcome.

Ironically, the news of the changing trend line comes amid a congressional debate over the future of Medicare. House committees last week cleared GOP-sponsored legislation to repeal the health care law?s Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel of 15 appointed experts who will be charged with limiting Medicare per-enrollee spending to per-capita GDP growth plus 1 percent ? it would do so via provider cuts, which if too steep could restrict access to care. Part of the reason Republicans want to repeal IPAB is that it may render their push for a privatized system irrelevant.

But the kicker is that if the NEJM study?s projections prove to be correct, neither approach may be necessary, and Medicare as we know it will be alive and healthy for the foreseeable future.

Barack Obama, IPAB, Medicare, Medicare Privatization, Obamacare, Paul Ryan

Sahil Kapur

Sahil Kapur is a congressional reporter for TPM. He previously covered politics and public policy for numerous publications including The Guardian and The Huffington Post. He can be reached at sahil [at] talkingpointsmemo.com.

Source: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/03/how-the-affordable-care-act-could-quash-the-gops-dream-of-medicare-privatization.php

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