Monday, December 3, 2012

Video: North Korea: We found a unicorn lair



>>> now an eyebrow-raising announcement out of north korea . the state news agency there claims archaeologists have just located an ancient unicorn layer. nbc's michelle kosinski has more on that. michelle, explain, please.

>> reporter: yes, matt. we mere mortals only know unicorns in legend and song, but in north korea also in some way something of a mythical place in so few ever see it they claim to have found what purports to be a real unicorn hideout. in the secrecy-shrouded land of revered dear leaders who point at things, elaborate military demonstrations, missile tests and an enormous empty hotel, north korea now adds another feather to its dictatorial cap, this one explosive only in its weirdness. the korean central news agency at the same time as reporting nuggets as banquet given and new kind of saunas in pyongyang reports something else has appeared, an ancient unicorn layer. something to point out. the article quotes archaeologists are reconfirming the finding.

>> the intent behind this is to bolster up the credentials of the young leader who is still in his 20s. north korea likes to make the claim that heroic blood runs in the family.

>> reporter: references to unicorns do appear throughout history across many countries. ancient greece , the bible, european literature , toys r u.s.

>> hey, charlie.

>> reporter: and, of course, the web. and as much as we've all hoped since childhood they and their lairs did indeed exist this news agency has shared other stories with the world from from far more recent times reporting that kim jong -il was born under a rainbow, once climbed a mountain and stopped a blizzard with his outstretched arms or on one day shot 11 holes in one in golf. china's state news agency reported korea's leader was named sexiest man alive, not realizing it was a joke, by man satire news outlet "the onion," oops, but who needs sexy when you've got an old, old unicorn lair right there in your town? in case, you're wondering no evidence exists that unicorns as we've seen them depicted have ever existed. north korea experts say this all highlights a very sad truth that north korea is still one of the poorest, most repressive countries on the planet, and its leaders still use propaganda to try to seem superhuman. matt?

>> all right. michelle kosinski in matt in london for us so we tread lightly.

>> we will.

>> you know you were upset to learn unicorns aren't real. i'm sore

>> announcement followed the announcement that they have also legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

>> and sasquatch is right next to the unicorn.

>> anyway, still ahead, an 8-year-old girl bitten by a dolphin at seaworld. what her parents and the park are saying about that incident this morning.

>>> and david beckham ends his u.s. soccer career as a champion so what's next for the international icon? we'll hear from him, but first, this is "today" on nbc.

>>> still ahead this morning, why was a case against a professional tennis referee accused of

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/50054562/

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Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Problem With Revocable Living Trusts (in California)

By Zoran K. Basich, Elder-Care Attorney

More and more ?investment advisers? are selling Trusts as vehicles for preventing probate, avoiding taxes and providing for estate management. Approximately 40 million baby boomers soon will require increasingly expensive medical care during a longer life expectancy than their parents. As they become ill with Cancer, Strokes, Alzheimer?s disease, Parkinson?s disease and other debilitating illnesses care will, in many cases, be delivered in a Skilled Nursing Home setting.

The average stay at a nursing home can easily exceed $100,000 a year, and in some cases can last 10 or more years.

Often with proper planning for middle class families, most nursing home expenses can be paid for under the Long-Term Medi-Cal Program (the State equivalent of the Federal Medicaid program), without impoverishing the patient?s spouse and without depleting the Family Estate. Medi-Cal is not just a poverty program. Middle-class taxpayers suffering a catastrophic illness can often qualify, if they comply with applicable rules and regulations, which are complex and subject to frequent amendment.

Living Trusts can be a part of good Estate Planning for Long-Term Care. The ?income and principal clause? in most of today?s Trusts obligates the person administering your Trust to take whatever steps necessary to make certain you are cared for. This clause can force you or your spouse to use all Trust Assets for healthcare until the Trust is depleted. Assets held in a Revocable Trust at death are subject to an Estate Recovery. The State Director of Health Services is entitled to reimbursement for every cent of Medi-Cal benefits paid to the patient after age 55. That claim takes priority over any other Trust terms for payments to others, including spouses and children.

Under Medi-Cal regulations, typical trust assets ? real property, stocks, bank or investment accounts, vehicles and income ? are not exempt from Medi-Cal reimbursement claims. Those same assets, if held in a manner other than a Revocable Living Trust, could be exempted from reimbursement. California has the authority to place an estate claim against the property of a Medi-Cal recipient, including property that passes upon death to the recipient?s heirs through a Revocable Living Trust. This means that Trust Assets are viewed as cash available to privately pay the cost of a Nursing Home stay.

A Living Trust is not automatically compatible with effective Estate Planning for Long-Term illness and inheritance preservation. Living Trusts can, and will, interfere with your ability to rely on excellent government benefits. The good news is that, with appropriate advice and competent Advisers, other options are available to preserve your Estate and ensure your loved ones? financial stability.

For additional information, to order a FREE video or DVD about planning for Long Term Care, or to make an appointment, click on Zoran K. Basich in PRO?s WELLNESS VILLAGE at ParkinsonsResource.org/wellness-village/.

Source: http://parkinsonsresource.org/professionals-for-parkinsons/the-problem-with-revocable-living-trusts-in-california/

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The importance of Developing (CSR) in a Competitive Global Market ...

Corporate social responsibility emerged mainly because of the confluence of two processes: the awareness and commitment to resolve problems that affect society and a growing impact of businesses? activities on society in general. Society now considers that the different players need to commit to managing and resolving problems that affect it and requires that they come up with not just the economic terms and conditions but also a range of social and environmental responsibilities.

Corporate social responsibility is where companies choose to integrate social and environmental concerns and the guarantee of human rights into their commercial operations, and in terms of their relationships with agents and stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility aims to combine and reconcile an organisation?s growth and economic competitiveness with a commitment to social and environmental development, so that the company?s activities are aligned with sustaining its immediate surroundings.csr

Formalising social responsibilities policies involves and benefits an organisation?s stakeholders ? that is, the people and agents that make up the company and interact with it: workers, consumers and members of the public that are affected by the activities of the company, competitors, government organisations and social agents with jurisdiction in the company?s area of influence.

What types of socially responsible policies are implemented?

  • Responsible companies and their workers make commitments in the areas of professional development, participation, guaranteeing equality of opportunities, and assuming responsibility for work-related health and safety. In addition to respect for workers? constitutional, contractual and collective rights, responsible human resource management involves a commitment to promotion without discrimination on the basis of gender or race (among other things), and reconciling professional and personal/family life.
  • Facilitating lifelong learning of an organisation?s staff is a responsible policy as is encouraging employees? professional development.
  • Responsibility to customers and consumers requires the company to offer maximum quality, maximum safety and true and complete information.
  • The principles of quality of service or product, protecting vulnerable target groups, and open dialogue with individual customers are the key elements of corporate responsibility to consumers.
  • Respect for industry codes and declarations in the area of advertising and marketing ethics forms part of a company?s responsible management.
  • Social responsibility strategies also cover relationships with government organisations and competitors.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility involves a relationship of trust and cooperation with regards to government organisations as well as a positive attitude towards complying with regulations.
  • Loyal competition and contractual transparency are basic principles of trading law and commercial ethics.
  • Responsible corporate management also affects suppliers. A company?s commitment to supplier organisations goes beyond good contractual faith.
  • A commitment to suppliers is a commitment to stability of employment and to the continuity of small businesses, whose continuity may depend on the commercial relationships that the company establishes. Therefore, socially responsible companies have a commitment to their immediate social environment. Companies, as players in the local area?s sustainability, can make it a priority to recruit people that live nearby geographically.
  • Respect for the environment is also an important part of corporate social responsibility.
  • Socially responsible companies apply economic models of growth that are environmentally sustainable. They research and apply efficient models of production that respect the environment, and apply appropriate corrective measures to avoid or minimise the impact of their activity and their products.

What are the benefits of companies employing responsible management techniques?

Implementing a social responsibility plan offers a source of competitive advantage for the company and is a strategic factor in its business success, reflected both within and outside the organisation.

Internal advantages include:

  • Staff identifying with the company?s strategy.
  • Generating loyalty among staff.
  • Improved internal communication.
  • Improved working environment.
  • Promoting the company?s philosophy and values.
  • External advantages include:
  • Raising loyalty among customers.
  • Communication flow with the company?s external stakeholders.
  • Improved corporate image and credibility.
  • Promoting sustainability (both economic and environmental) of the local area.

Conclusions

  • ?Corporate social responsibility aims to align a company?s financial and commercial objectives with the economic, social and environmental sustainability of its area of influence.
  • Responsible management involves and affects staff, suppliers, customers, partners, the local area, and the environment.
  • ?Implementing a social responsibility plan offers companies a competitive advantage while also benefiting all of their stakeholders.

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Source: http://barnatalent.com/2012/12/02/csr/

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Get Your Finances in Order: a Few Tips | Personal Finance Blog ...

As we linger in the midst of post-recession and mild austerity, making and saving money may seem a tough task for many. However, there are a few canny little tricks that can be used to our advantages to make this task somewhat easier for many. Here?s some advice on getting your finances in order.

Say No to Payday Loans!

Due to the current economic climate and of course, the individual and personal throes of life, many Brits are struggling to make ends meet. Jobs are scarce, even many of those lucky enough to be working feel as if they?re being underpaid. Furthermore, rising living costs make most wages hard to survive off in the United Kingdom. In fact, recent reports have highlighted that more and more children are being forced to go to school hungry, due to a lack of resources at home.

To make things even worse, bank lending has somewhat subsisted since the recession and so, many Brits are unable to borrow off banks.

In such a climate, payday loans may seem to be an enticing option. However, a combination of immoral practices and extortionately high interest rates render payday loans as the worst option someone in financial difficulty could turn to. Payday loans may put food on the table and alleviate some of your financial distress for a moment, but this will only be a fleeting moment, which will end with you having even more money problems than prior to taking out the loan.

Say no to payday loans.

Tax Refunds

It may come as somewhat of a surprise, but a significant amount of business people miss out on thousands of pounds owed to them by the HMRC each year. In cases where the tax liability is less than the amount paid, money is likely to be owed to the payer in the form of tax refunds.

This can happen through a wide variety of circumstances and it may be best for you to hire expert assistance to discern whether or not you?re owed anything. However, rather than going for an expensive accountant, opt for one of the cheaper specialist firms that can be found online, such as RIFT at www.RIFTCapitalAllowances.com.

Work Harder, Earn More Money

The harder you work the more money you?ll earn. It really is as simple as that. Of course, the current situation in Britain at the moment is one of mass unemployment and a lack of job opportunities. However, working harder also applies to the unemployed, who have a responsibility to work harder in finding work.

After all, the more time you spend looking for a job, the more chances there?ll be of finding one.

Source: http://www.personal-finance-blog.com/2012/12/02/get-your-finances-in-order-a-few-tips/

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Saturday, December 1, 2012

More than 100 graves robbed in Benin for voodoo rituals

COTONOU (Reuters) - Tomb raiders have dug up more than 100 graves at a cemetery in Benin since Saturday for what authorities suspect is a black-market trade in human organs and skulls for voodoo ritual fetishes.

The incident is the most serious case of grave-robbing in the West African state, the world capital of voodoo where most of the country's 9 million residents practice a benign form of the official religion.

Authorities in Dangbo, a village 10 km (6 miles) from the capital Porto-Novo, began an investigation after a mason working at the cemetery said he spotted several masked men digging up the graves, from which organs and skulls were removed.

"The desecration of graves is about money in this region," said Joseph Afaton, director of the cemetery. "It is for sacrifices, or for bewitching."

Body parts of humans and rare animals are prized by some people in central Africa for their supposed supernatural powers, and are used in occult ceremonies. Traffickers often obtain human remains from grave robbers, but a recent spate of killings has also been linked to the gruesome trade.

Authorities in Cameroon in September arrested five people suspected of trafficking human body parts after they were discovered at a checkpoint carrying a severed human head.

(Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/more-100-graves-robbed-benin-voodoo-rituals-115728143.html

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Feng Shui Colors for the Bedroom | Voooz.com

Feng Shui is about balance and harmony in our environments. The bedroom is a really critical space (we invest the majority of our day there), so several people naturally ask how to enhance their bedroom using color selection according to Feng Shui. As we talk about bedroom colors, it is also crucial to recognize the importance of the other rooms in your house. Enhancing your bedroom with out enhancing the other helpful places of your home does not offer you with the total benefits of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is about balancing the energy in your total and total environment.

With that mentioned, right here are some Feng Shui guidelines to take into account for your bedroom

Dont overdo the bright colors in your bedroom. Vivid colors are alive and moving, so the a lot more bright colors that are utilised, the harder it will be to stay asleep. This also applies to plants and particularly water. Plants and water manifest yang energy, and result in the exact same concerns in the bedroom as bright colors. The colors associated with plants and water are green, black, and blue. Vivid colors to steer clear of are reds, powerful oranges or vivid yellows. Florescent colors are out of the question!

Photos of moving water can also result in troubles. If youve got a picture of a waterfall, river, or ocean in your bedroom, its a smart concept to move it. Unfortunately, aquariums in the bedroom can also result in sleeping issues and really should be moved. Though you should stay away from red in the bedroom, a little touch of red can spice up your sex life! (Red is fire, so lit candles count as red.)

Dark colors (shades of brown) ought to be utilised in the dcor of the bedroom, but not on the walls. Painting the bedroom walls a dark color may aid you sleep, but wont assist you really feel rejuvenated in the morning. Darker colored dcor must be used to the point of tilting the rooms ambiance yin, without having making you really feel like youre celebration to a funeral. You dont have to just use browns, pick darker colors and styles that are relaxing for you.

If youre space is already quite dark (wood paneled, for example) and you cant make modifications to it, you may want to take into account modifying any yellow light generating light bulbs to brighter, whiter bulbs. Opening the blinds for the duration of the day will also dramatically improve the rooms feeling. If its dark at night, balance it with brightness in the course of the day. (Clearing any space sometimes by opening all the blinds is really useful.)

In painting the bedroom, utilizing pastel colors is your very best bet. The greatest colors to use depend on the compass path of the rooms place. To decide the compass course of your property, draw your homes outline on a piece of paper, and split the home into 9 equal sections (3 down, 3 across). Use a compass to find which course is north, and label each and every box according to that compass direction (North can be in a corner). Right here are the color combinations:

- NE, Center, or SW: Rooms positioned here really should be painted pastel earthy colors, which includes light shade of yellow.

- NW or W: Rooms positioned here benefit from metal, so use a shade of white.

- SE or E: The SE and East advantage from the color green, but you may want to only use these colors if the room will be utilised as a study. Then a shade of green would be excellent. Otherwise, use pastel earthy colors such as shades of yellow. White is not beneficial here, as it destroys the productive properties of the SE and East. These directions are connected with wealth.

- S: The South positive aspects from red. If you want to use red right here, use it sparingly as too considerably will cause restlessness in bed. Use shades of white for the walls.

- N: The north positive aspects from blue and black (water). Since you cant use water, try white instead, as white (metal) will assist with the rewards of water with no using water.

I know this might be a letdown, as some of you reading this have been hoping to hear painting a room florescent orange would make you an international movie star overnight! But Feng Shui is about balance and harmony, so making use of light, pastel colors is your greatest bet when painting the walls.

There are some other essential Feng Shui suggestions that you really should be conscious of, like determining which compass directions will bring you the most luck ? and which ones you ought to steer clear of at all expenses. Go to www.FengShuiByTroy.com to learn more.

For more, please go to: feng shui consultant information

Source: http://voooz.com/2012/12/01/feng-shui-colors-for-the-bedroom-2/

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ANALYSIS: Mexico president seeks new start with US

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Mexico's President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto prior to their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012.

Maria Camila Bernal, Telemundo

News analysis

Mexico's new president Enrique Pe?a Nieto is surely hoping his inauguration on Saturday will help his country turn a new page in the relationship with its huge northern neighbor.

After all, Mexico is dogged by a six-year drug war that has claimed about 60,000 lives, pervasive corruption and an image problem around the world. So Pe?a Nieto will want to emphasize what the violence and the negative headlines obscure: Mexico's growing economy, swelling middle class and deepening economic and social ties with the U.S.

A recent editorial by Pe?a Nieto, who is returning to power the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional),?the authoritarian party that ruled Mexico for more than 70 years, shed light on the new president's pivot.

"It is a mistake to limit our bilateral relationship to drugs and security concerns,"?he wrote in The Washington Post ahead of Tuesday's meeting with President Barack Obama. "Our mutual interests are too vast and complex to be restricted in this short-sighted way."

Pe?a Nieto hopes to reframe US-Mexico relations in meeting with Obama

Indeed, the fact that Pe?a Nieto was the first foreign leader to visit the White House since Obama's reelection highlights the importance both countries place on their ties.

"This is a longstanding tradition where ? we meet early with the president-elect of Mexico because it symbolizes the extraordinary relationship between the two countries," Obama told reporters at a joint press conference.

De-emphasize drug war?
Pe?a Nieto's predecessor Felipe Calderon made the war on drugs his most important domestic issue, former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Casta?eda told NBC Latino.

"What I think Pe?a Nieto wants to do is emphasize reducing violence and violent crime in Mexico -- kidnapping, extortion, homicide, holdups -- and not so much the drug trade," he said.

Latin America expert: US-Mexico relations to focus on trade, not drug war

While Mexico's new president has promised to expand the federal police by at least 35,000 in order to deal with crime, Pe?a Nieto and the PRI will have a brief period to show the United States and the world that they are truly tackling lawlessness and corruption.

"The honeymoon will end when the United States realizes that he will continue to allow corruption," Mexican economist Rogelio Ramirez de la O, who advised left-wing challenger in the presidential race, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

But there is no denying that significant ties bind the two countries. Already, Mexico and the United States are part of NAFTA, the world's biggest trading bloc, with Canada.

Mexico's president wants to change country's name to the one 'we sing'

"Perhaps the most important issue is finding new ways to bolster our economic and trade relationship to attain common prosperity in our nations," Pe?a Nieto wrote in the Washington Post article.

Mexico markets itself as a manufacturing base for foreign companies, and already Coca-Cola, GM, DuPont and Nissan, among others, have operations in the country. Pe?a Nieto has also promised to open the country's?sizable?energy sector to private investment, although he has said that energy resources and the country's state-run oil company PEMEX will not be privatized.

The country's economy is also expected to continue growing faster than the United States. Mexico's GPD is projected to have grown by 3.9 percent in 2012, compared to 2.1 percent in the United States during the same period, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Mexico's drug war is also part of a drug culture with roots in music, movies and even religion.

Immigration reform
Both presidents acknowledged another major issue facing both countries during Tuesday's meeting: immigration.

Despite constant bloodshed, Mexico is ignored during White House race

"I know (Pe?a Nieto is) interested in what we do as well on issues like comprehensive immigration reform," Obama said.

At an estimated 12 million, Mexicans are by far the largest immigrant group in the United States. And around 7 million, or 59 percent of undocumented immigrants, are thought to have come from Mexico.

While Obama decreed earlier this year that hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants who went to the United States illegally as young children would be entitled to remain, the promise he made in 2008 to reform immigration has not been fulfilled. On the flip side of the migration coin are the estimated 1 million Americans living in Mexico, and the estimated 10 million who visit every year.

Read more on NBCLatino.com

Barbara Franco, director of The American Benevolent Society, a 140-year-old aid organization for Americans living in Mexico, acknowledged the many issues facing the new president, and said solutions did not lie only with Pe?a Nieto or the PRI alone.

"There is an economic concern, the need of transparency and the overall legal system in the application of law starting form traffic violation to everything else," said Franco. "But the problems are so huge that it's not about political party or a specific person, it's about a general attitude in solving these problems."

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/30/15564555-mexico-seeks-to-pivot-relationship-with-us-as-new-president-takes-office?lite

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