Posted on November 29th, 2012 by Reginald Bailly in Leadership
Insurers might be forgiven, in light of recent events, for thinking that the world has become a more risky place.? Natural disasters ranging from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami to Hurricane Sandy have demonstrated the destruction that nature can wreak.? As if natural disasters weren?t enough of a problem, property and casualty insurers must also address new categories of risk, ranging from cyber crime to sophisticated automobile claims fraud, carried out in some cases by organized crime rings.
Since the creation of the first actuarial table, insurers have used some form of analytics to assess the levels of risk their clients face and to determine how to manage such risk.? In the last few years, however, risk analytics have become much more powerful, driven in part by advances in areas such as modeling and testing, but also by the explosion of data available for analysis.? Both P&C and life insurers now typically have access to quantitative and qualitative tools and techniques designed to estimate the impact and frequency of specific business risks and to deliver positive business outcomes.?
Risk analytics can augment more traditional reporting, business intelligence and data warehousing capabilities with newer techniques in modeling, claims analytics and fraud analytics.?? To determine how effectively insurers are taking advantage of risk analytics designed to meet the challenges facing their industry, we recently completed a global risk analytics study capturing and synthesizing insights from both P&C and life insurers.
We found that insurers surveyed are strongly committed to improving their capabilities in risk analytics. They are investing in analytics to improve their risk management capabilities, and they are already seeing results.? For example, 58 percent of P&C insurers, and 65 percent of life insurers, surveyed said that the use of risk analytics has significantly improved the quality of decision-making and has also enabled proactive risk monitoring.?
In general, insurers are under pressure from their investors and they are trying to find ways to conduct their businesses more efficiently.? Ongoing high costs are pushing insurance carriers to make better use of capital, but, to do that, they typically want more confidence about their exposure to risk.? Effective risk management can help a carrier free up capital, as well.?
Compliance is another major factor fueling the interest in risk analytics.? Insurers face multiple regulatory initiatives, including the Solvency II directives aimed primarily at European insurers. We also anticipate that Solvency II?s main elements, including capital calculation models, governance, Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA) internal controls and new norms for supervisory reporting and public disclosure, will be adopted by a variety of regulators around the globe.?
Our research indicates that insurers surveyed recognize the importance of risk analytics for a range of business processes including investment selection, risk selection and pricing, fraud management and loss reserving.? Risk analytics, in particular, can support more precise calculations of risk exposure to support growth.?
Insurers can benefit from a company-wide integration of risk management so that information used to assess risk in one core insurance process is available to assess other business opportunities from a risk/reward perspective.?? Firms should also think about integrating risk considerations more widely into decisions regarding operations, capital management and management processes.? Enabling a risk-adjusted operating model can help companies align their risk management programs with business and regulatory concerns.???
This approach can deliver numerous benefits to insurers seeking to generate growth while dealing with regulatory pressure, including:
Better value generation through a broader application of risk management capabilities to support decision making and the pursuit of business opportunities.
Improved decision-making through alignment of overall risk appetite and business strategy, helping increase the efficiency of capital utilization.
Improved business results through integration of risk and core insurance processes and the alignment of processes and systems.?
Enhanced operational efficiency through an integrated IT landscape, with a comprehensive and common IT architecture for multiple functions.?
Greater economic volatility in the markets, accompanied by increased uncertainty, has generated pressure to improve risk management capabilities in the insurance industry.?? In response, insurers are typically investing in more sophisticated risk analytics tools to improve the measurement of rare risk events that can severely affect their portfolios.?
Our research indicates that insurers are committed to making the investments necessary to improving their risk analytics capabilities.? Over time, an integrated approach to modeling and risk management can provide firms with better abilities to identify and predict risk.? As real-time analytics are incorporated into insurers? business and management processes, insurers may be better able to manage their exposures and also in a better position to explore opportunities for long-term, profitable growth.?
TSA Blasted for Exposing Breasts of Texas Congressman's Teen Grandniece
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TSA Blasted for Exposing Breasts of Texas Congressman's Teen Grandniece The New American ^ | 28 November 2012 | Alex Newman
Posted on 11/28/2012 7:53:42 PM PST by VitacoreVision
The Transportation Security Administration is under heavy fire after publicly exposing the breasts of a teenage girl during its controversial ?screening? procedures.
TSA Blasted for Exposing Breasts of Congressman's Teen Grandniece
The New American 28 November 2012
The Transportation Security Administration is under heavy fire after publicly exposing the breasts of a teenage girl during its controversial ?screening? procedures. Of course, passengers routinely complain of TSA abuse and molestation ? some 17,000 formal complaints have been lodged against the widely ridiculed and despised unconstitutional Homeland Security agency just since 2009, documents show.
The latest scandal, however, has turned into an international firestorm for the embattled bureaucracy, largely because the then-17-year-old victim was the grandniece of Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas). More than a few analysts noted that countless regular Americans suffer similar abuse and humiliation every single day; virtually nothing is ever done.
Now, though, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are crying foul while demanding investigations. Rights activists from across the political spectrum, meanwhile, have jumped on the opportunity to rein in the federal abuses once and for all.
According to official documents obtained by reporter Scott MacFarlane with an Atlanta TV news station, the girl was traveling to Australia on a trip with her classmates at Southwest Christian School in Texas. An internal investigation by TSA noted that after being selected for ?secondary screening? and a so-called ?pat-down,? which critics regularly equate with sexual molestation and assault, the screener "removed minor passenger from the corral." Yes, the report uses the word corral, defined as an enclosure or pen for domesticated animals.
The girl was not offered a ?private screening,? the report noted, though passengers often prefer to be screened publicly anyway to ensure that there are witnesses to the controversial procedure in case of extraordinarily inappropriate fondling or other incidents. As the teen was enduring a ?pat-down of the stomach area,? the top of her dress came loose and slipped down to her stomach, according to the internal investigation at least, revealing her breasts to everyone in the vicinity. Analysts suggested the dress had actually been pulled down, a far more plausible scenario.
Surveillance cameras caught the humiliating event on film, but TSA claimed the footage was not good enough to determine whether its screener had ?properly conducted? what commentators said sounded a lot like ?sexual assault.? The girl?s chaperones, according to the report, became ?visibly upset? about the event and notified her parents. On the following day, her father filed a formal complaint.
The incident happened at the international airport in Los Angeles (LAX) some two years ago. However, it came to light only in recent days after journalist MacFarlane obtained the internal TSA report about the investigation using the Freedom of Information Act. When the findings were publicized, outrage quickly ensued.
News of the scandal has since gone viral, attracting headlines across America and beyond. Major press outlets from the United Kingdom to Iran have also covered the resulting uproar. Meanwhile, countless victims of TSA abuses took the opportunity to vent their fury in online comment sections over the lawless but routine violations of the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution?s Fourth Amendment.
Rep. Hall, describing the incident as ?brutal? and saying his grandniece had been ?badly mistreated,? called on the TSA to fire the screener responsible for exposing his relative?s body at the airport. The 17-term congressman from Texas is also seeking a proper federal investigation of the incident, according to news reports.
?We have no desire to revive a painful event of the past, one that we abandoned any effort for litigation for privacy reasons,? Hall said in a statement quoted in the press. ?We did not want to hurt our niece any more than she had already been hurt.?
Other lawmakers have also entered the fray. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), for example, contacted the massive screening bureaucracy to ask for a review and to express concerns about ?potentially invasive screenings.? Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters of California, whose district includes LAX, also complained to TSA about the suffering and humiliation endured by her colleague?s young relative.
It is also not the first time lawmakers have had unpleasant experiences with the TSA. Earlier this year, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) missed a flight to Washington, D.C., after being detained by screeners for refusing a full-body pat-down. The incident happened at the Nashville, Tennessee, airport when a so-called ?naked-body scanner? found some sort of alleged ?anomaly? around the conservative senator?s knee.
Sen. Paul?s father Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a hero to millions of Americans for his devotion to liberty and the Constitution, has been a foe of the TSA and its lawless abuses from the start. ?Why is the TSA permitted to abuse the rights of any American traveling by air?? the congressman wondered in his farewell address this month. ?Victims of TSA excesses never consented to this abuse.?
Last year, meanwhile, a congressional report determined that despite squandering close to $60 billion in taxpayer funds on the TSA, screening is based on ?theatrics? and has failed to catch a single terrorist. Passengers and crew, the investigation found, are actually the most effective line of defense. Ironically, perhaps, the explosive report said air travel is no safer now than it was before September 11, 2001.
The out-of-control agency has become ?an enormous, inflexible and distracted bureaucracy, more concerned with human resource management and consolidating power,? according to the report, released in November of 2011. ?Today, TSA's screening policies are based in theatrics. They are typical, bureaucratic responses to failed security policies meant to assuage the concerns of the traveling public.?
This week, a stinging investigation by Charles Kenny, a fellow at the Center for Global Development and the New America Foundation, found that the TSA actually makes air travel less safe. Still, despite the facts and the growing surge of public revulsion, the Department of Homeland Security continues purporting to usurp new powers for itself, with the TSA still seeking to expand its ?mission? far beyond the confines of ?corrals? at airport terminals.
In typical fashion, the widely loathed screening agency attempted to blame the teenage victim after the latest scandal exploded into the global press, claiming the girl?s dress being too loose was the problem ? not the molestation. ?We regret that the incident of more than two years ago was one that caused embarrassment to the young lady; however, an investigation concluded that the event was accidental,? TSA claimed in a statement cited in media reports.
According to the official report about the internal investigation, the bureaucrat responsible for disrobing the girl was ?counseled on the expectation of our agency for professionalism and customer service.? By ?customers,? TSA was presumably referring to its hapless victims who are lawlessly forced to submit to the violation of their rights in order to board an airplane, and more recently, sometimes even a bus or train.
Aside from the wanton violations of Americans? constitutionally guaranteed, unalienable rights, the TSA has also refused to respect federal court decisions. In August, for instance, a U.S. appeals court demanded that the agency promptly explain its brazen failure to obey the law and a judicial order issued a year earlier.
With Americans across the political spectrum becoming increasingly outraged by TSA abuses, some state lawmakers are taking action. In Texas, for example, a bill to criminalize the ?screening? procedures as sexual assault was passed overwhelmingly as Democrats and Republicans united to protect the rights of Texans.
Now, the celebrated Texas Travel Freedoom Act, HB 80, recently pre-filed by state Rep. David Simpson, aims to put an end to TSA lawlessness in the Lone Star State once and for all. Activists, however, are hoping to end the abuses nationwide, and with a congressman?s grandniece becoming the latest high-profile victim, analysts say achieving that goal just got a big boost. Indeed, the entire unconstitutional Department of Homeland Security is increasingly in the crosshairs, too.
Related articles:
TSA Makes Travel More Dangerous
Court Orders TSA to Explain Lawless Use of Naked Body Scanners
Texas Bills Would Nullify NDAA's Indefinite Detention, TSA's Intrusive Screening
2 posted on 11/28/2012 7:57:32 PM PST by G Larry (Which of Obama's policies do you think I'd support if he were white?)
To: VitacoreVision
I was wondering why they would remove her bra in public. But it appears from the story that she was not wearing one.
Doesn?t excuse the TSA. Just answers the question.
To: CharlesWayneCT
The girl was not offered a ?private screening,? the report noted, though passengers often prefer to be screened publicly anyway to ensure that there are witnesses to the controversial procedure in case of extraordinarily inappropriate fondling or other incidents. As the teen was enduring a ?pat-down of the stomach area,? the top of her dress came loose and slipped down to her stomach, according to the internal investigation at least, revealing her breasts to everyone in the vicinity. Analysts suggested the dress had actually been pulled down, a far more plausible scenario.
To: VitacoreVision
5 posted on 11/28/2012 8:08:14 PM PST by Jyotishi (Seeking the truth, a fact at a time.)
To: VitacoreVision
If this happened to my family, no one would care.
But wait!! This happened -- to a family member of the political class?! That's not supposed to happen!! That is wrong!! Oh, someone is going to pay for this! You do not mess with the political elite!! They will crush you, you peasant!
6 posted on 11/28/2012 8:09:23 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Global Warming is a religion, and I don't want to be taxed to pay for a faith that is not mine.)
To: VitacoreVision
?The incident happened at the international airport in Los Angeles (LAX) some two years ago.?
What? And Hall is getting upset NOW?
7 posted on 11/28/2012 8:10:38 PM PST by DBrow
To: VitacoreVision
8 posted on 11/28/2012 8:11:12 PM PST by lightman (If the Patriarchate of the East held a state like the Vatican I would apply for political asylum.)
To: VitacoreVision
This kinda crap would cease if the wussified American public would stop flying and make it known to the airlines why.
9 posted on 11/28/2012 8:11:56 PM PST by biff (WAS)
To: VitacoreVision
The TSA, and astronomical national debt, and entitlements are sure signs of a country and its people are voluntarily accepting slavery.
10 posted on 11/28/2012 8:12:09 PM PST by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
To: VitacoreVision
Today, I flew from Dallas to Newark with a layover in St. Louis. I was on American for the first leg and United for the last. Although I suffered no particular humiliation during the security checks, I was a bit taken aback by the fact that I had to exit Terminal C in St. Louis and re-enter Terminal A to catch the United flight, and had to pass through security again. According to one of the locals there, pre-9/11 there was a walkway between the terminals, but since then, changing terminals means taking off your shoes and belt and playing the TSA game a second time.
11 posted on 11/28/2012 8:14:02 PM PST by TruthShallSetYouFree (July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence. Nov 6, 2012: Declaration of Dependence. R.I.P. America.)
To: VitacoreVision
For what the TSA costs, there could be an armed air marshal on every flight.
12 posted on 11/28/2012 8:16:58 PM PST by PieterCasparzen (We have to fix things ourselves)
To: VitacoreVision
Personnel conducting screens wear gloves. The screener probably dragged his/her hands down the torso, thus putting excessive tension on the top of the garment - pulling it down/off the shoulders. It is supposed to be a pat-down not heavy petting or a caress.
13 posted on 11/28/2012 8:17:59 PM PST by ThunderSleeps (Stop obama now! Stop the hussein - insane agenda!)
To: ClearCase_guy
This times 1000. It?s happening everyday and it?s only a story with the priviledged classes are affected. As long as it?s just the serfs is business as usual.
14 posted on 11/28/2012 8:24:22 PM PST by mykroar (BAD-ANON: One Game At A Time)
To: VitacoreVision
Since this intrusive behavior has started, I vow never to board another plane except in a case of extreme emergency.
My motto is: if I can?t drive there, I won?t go there.
15 posted on 11/28/2012 8:24:25 PM PST by basil (Second Amendment Sisters.org)
To: VitacoreVision
TSA needs to be abolished
16 posted on 11/28/2012 8:25:17 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
To: biff
I too am amazed at who still flies. I simply don?t do cattle treatment, cattle prodding, cattle loading, short of impending death.
Fascinating to me the humans who tolerate it. The young never got to see flying done well, so they put up with anything. Scary.
17 posted on 11/28/2012 8:27:11 PM PST by RitaOK ( VIVA CHRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming.)
To: VitacoreVision
To: G Larry
C'mon.
Pictures. Now.
Or it didn't happen.
19 posted on 11/28/2012 8:30:16 PM PST by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
To: VitacoreVision
the then-17-year-old victim was the grandniece of Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas).
Congressman Hall is the oldest serving Rep. A WW2 veteran, he started as a conservative Democrat in 1980, and has served ever since.
Hall switched parties in 2004. He voted against NAFTA. He voted for the Bush tax cuts. He voted for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Nothing is coincidence involving the Chicago Way. This was a message to Hall: "Resign. Today. Get it?"
20 posted on 11/28/2012 8:31:02 PM PST by Old Sarge (We are officially over the precipice, we just havent struck the ground yet...)
To: VitacoreVision
Jan the Man TSA pervert alert! Homeland inSecurity should be famous for it?s sexual pervert harassment policies and lawsuits.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson
TSA Blasted for Exposing Breasts of Texas Congressman's Teen Grandniece
Skip to comments.
TSA Blasted for Exposing Breasts of Texas Congressman's Teen Grandniece The New American ^ | 28 November 2012 | Alex Newman
Posted on 11/28/2012 7:53:42 PM PST by VitacoreVision
The Transportation Security Administration is under heavy fire after publicly exposing the breasts of a teenage girl during its controversial ?screening? procedures.
TSA Blasted for Exposing Breasts of Congressman's Teen Grandniece
The New American 28 November 2012
The Transportation Security Administration is under heavy fire after publicly exposing the breasts of a teenage girl during its controversial ?screening? procedures. Of course, passengers routinely complain of TSA abuse and molestation ? some 17,000 formal complaints have been lodged against the widely ridiculed and despised unconstitutional Homeland Security agency just since 2009, documents show.
The latest scandal, however, has turned into an international firestorm for the embattled bureaucracy, largely because the then-17-year-old victim was the grandniece of Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas). More than a few analysts noted that countless regular Americans suffer similar abuse and humiliation every single day; virtually nothing is ever done.
Now, though, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are crying foul while demanding investigations. Rights activists from across the political spectrum, meanwhile, have jumped on the opportunity to rein in the federal abuses once and for all.
According to official documents obtained by reporter Scott MacFarlane with an Atlanta TV news station, the girl was traveling to Australia on a trip with her classmates at Southwest Christian School in Texas. An internal investigation by TSA noted that after being selected for ?secondary screening? and a so-called ?pat-down,? which critics regularly equate with sexual molestation and assault, the screener "removed minor passenger from the corral." Yes, the report uses the word corral, defined as an enclosure or pen for domesticated animals.
The girl was not offered a ?private screening,? the report noted, though passengers often prefer to be screened publicly anyway to ensure that there are witnesses to the controversial procedure in case of extraordinarily inappropriate fondling or other incidents. As the teen was enduring a ?pat-down of the stomach area,? the top of her dress came loose and slipped down to her stomach, according to the internal investigation at least, revealing her breasts to everyone in the vicinity. Analysts suggested the dress had actually been pulled down, a far more plausible scenario.
Surveillance cameras caught the humiliating event on film, but TSA claimed the footage was not good enough to determine whether its screener had ?properly conducted? what commentators said sounded a lot like ?sexual assault.? The girl?s chaperones, according to the report, became ?visibly upset? about the event and notified her parents. On the following day, her father filed a formal complaint.
The incident happened at the international airport in Los Angeles (LAX) some two years ago. However, it came to light only in recent days after journalist MacFarlane obtained the internal TSA report about the investigation using the Freedom of Information Act. When the findings were publicized, outrage quickly ensued.
News of the scandal has since gone viral, attracting headlines across America and beyond. Major press outlets from the United Kingdom to Iran have also covered the resulting uproar. Meanwhile, countless victims of TSA abuses took the opportunity to vent their fury in online comment sections over the lawless but routine violations of the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution?s Fourth Amendment.
Rep. Hall, describing the incident as ?brutal? and saying his grandniece had been ?badly mistreated,? called on the TSA to fire the screener responsible for exposing his relative?s body at the airport. The 17-term congressman from Texas is also seeking a proper federal investigation of the incident, according to news reports.
?We have no desire to revive a painful event of the past, one that we abandoned any effort for litigation for privacy reasons,? Hall said in a statement quoted in the press. ?We did not want to hurt our niece any more than she had already been hurt.?
Other lawmakers have also entered the fray. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), for example, contacted the massive screening bureaucracy to ask for a review and to express concerns about ?potentially invasive screenings.? Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters of California, whose district includes LAX, also complained to TSA about the suffering and humiliation endured by her colleague?s young relative.
It is also not the first time lawmakers have had unpleasant experiences with the TSA. Earlier this year, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) missed a flight to Washington, D.C., after being detained by screeners for refusing a full-body pat-down. The incident happened at the Nashville, Tennessee, airport when a so-called ?naked-body scanner? found some sort of alleged ?anomaly? around the conservative senator?s knee.
Sen. Paul?s father Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a hero to millions of Americans for his devotion to liberty and the Constitution, has been a foe of the TSA and its lawless abuses from the start. ?Why is the TSA permitted to abuse the rights of any American traveling by air?? the congressman wondered in his farewell address this month. ?Victims of TSA excesses never consented to this abuse.?
Last year, meanwhile, a congressional report determined that despite squandering close to $60 billion in taxpayer funds on the TSA, screening is based on ?theatrics? and has failed to catch a single terrorist. Passengers and crew, the investigation found, are actually the most effective line of defense. Ironically, perhaps, the explosive report said air travel is no safer now than it was before September 11, 2001.
The out-of-control agency has become ?an enormous, inflexible and distracted bureaucracy, more concerned with human resource management and consolidating power,? according to the report, released in November of 2011. ?Today, TSA's screening policies are based in theatrics. They are typical, bureaucratic responses to failed security policies meant to assuage the concerns of the traveling public.?
This week, a stinging investigation by Charles Kenny, a fellow at the Center for Global Development and the New America Foundation, found that the TSA actually makes air travel less safe. Still, despite the facts and the growing surge of public revulsion, the Department of Homeland Security continues purporting to usurp new powers for itself, with the TSA still seeking to expand its ?mission? far beyond the confines of ?corrals? at airport terminals.
In typical fashion, the widely loathed screening agency attempted to blame the teenage victim after the latest scandal exploded into the global press, claiming the girl?s dress being too loose was the problem ? not the molestation. ?We regret that the incident of more than two years ago was one that caused embarrassment to the young lady; however, an investigation concluded that the event was accidental,? TSA claimed in a statement cited in media reports.
According to the official report about the internal investigation, the bureaucrat responsible for disrobing the girl was ?counseled on the expectation of our agency for professionalism and customer service.? By ?customers,? TSA was presumably referring to its hapless victims who are lawlessly forced to submit to the violation of their rights in order to board an airplane, and more recently, sometimes even a bus or train.
Aside from the wanton violations of Americans? constitutionally guaranteed, unalienable rights, the TSA has also refused to respect federal court decisions. In August, for instance, a U.S. appeals court demanded that the agency promptly explain its brazen failure to obey the law and a judicial order issued a year earlier.
With Americans across the political spectrum becoming increasingly outraged by TSA abuses, some state lawmakers are taking action. In Texas, for example, a bill to criminalize the ?screening? procedures as sexual assault was passed overwhelmingly as Democrats and Republicans united to protect the rights of Texans.
Now, the celebrated Texas Travel Freedoom Act, HB 80, recently pre-filed by state Rep. David Simpson, aims to put an end to TSA lawlessness in the Lone Star State once and for all. Activists, however, are hoping to end the abuses nationwide, and with a congressman?s grandniece becoming the latest high-profile victim, analysts say achieving that goal just got a big boost. Indeed, the entire unconstitutional Department of Homeland Security is increasingly in the crosshairs, too.
Related articles:
TSA Makes Travel More Dangerous
Court Orders TSA to Explain Lawless Use of Naked Body Scanners
Texas Bills Would Nullify NDAA's Indefinite Detention, TSA's Intrusive Screening
2 posted on 11/28/2012 7:57:32 PM PST by G Larry (Which of Obama's policies do you think I'd support if he were white?)
To: VitacoreVision
I was wondering why they would remove her bra in public. But it appears from the story that she was not wearing one.
Doesn?t excuse the TSA. Just answers the question.
To: CharlesWayneCT
The girl was not offered a ?private screening,? the report noted, though passengers often prefer to be screened publicly anyway to ensure that there are witnesses to the controversial procedure in case of extraordinarily inappropriate fondling or other incidents. As the teen was enduring a ?pat-down of the stomach area,? the top of her dress came loose and slipped down to her stomach, according to the internal investigation at least, revealing her breasts to everyone in the vicinity. Analysts suggested the dress had actually been pulled down, a far more plausible scenario.
To: VitacoreVision
5 posted on 11/28/2012 8:08:14 PM PST by Jyotishi (Seeking the truth, a fact at a time.)
To: VitacoreVision
If this happened to my family, no one would care.
But wait!! This happened -- to a family member of the political class?! That's not supposed to happen!! That is wrong!! Oh, someone is going to pay for this! You do not mess with the political elite!! They will crush you, you peasant!
6 posted on 11/28/2012 8:09:23 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (Global Warming is a religion, and I don't want to be taxed to pay for a faith that is not mine.)
To: VitacoreVision
?The incident happened at the international airport in Los Angeles (LAX) some two years ago.?
What? And Hall is getting upset NOW?
7 posted on 11/28/2012 8:10:38 PM PST by DBrow
To: VitacoreVision
8 posted on 11/28/2012 8:11:12 PM PST by lightman (If the Patriarchate of the East held a state like the Vatican I would apply for political asylum.)
To: VitacoreVision
This kinda crap would cease if the wussified American public would stop flying and make it known to the airlines why.
9 posted on 11/28/2012 8:11:56 PM PST by biff (WAS)
To: VitacoreVision
The TSA, and astronomical national debt, and entitlements are sure signs of a country and its people are voluntarily accepting slavery.
10 posted on 11/28/2012 8:12:09 PM PST by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
To: VitacoreVision
Today, I flew from Dallas to Newark with a layover in St. Louis. I was on American for the first leg and United for the last. Although I suffered no particular humiliation during the security checks, I was a bit taken aback by the fact that I had to exit Terminal C in St. Louis and re-enter Terminal A to catch the United flight, and had to pass through security again. According to one of the locals there, pre-9/11 there was a walkway between the terminals, but since then, changing terminals means taking off your shoes and belt and playing the TSA game a second time.
11 posted on 11/28/2012 8:14:02 PM PST by TruthShallSetYouFree (July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence. Nov 6, 2012: Declaration of Dependence. R.I.P. America.)
To: VitacoreVision
For what the TSA costs, there could be an armed air marshal on every flight.
12 posted on 11/28/2012 8:16:58 PM PST by PieterCasparzen (We have to fix things ourselves)
To: VitacoreVision
Personnel conducting screens wear gloves. The screener probably dragged his/her hands down the torso, thus putting excessive tension on the top of the garment - pulling it down/off the shoulders. It is supposed to be a pat-down not heavy petting or a caress.
13 posted on 11/28/2012 8:17:59 PM PST by ThunderSleeps (Stop obama now! Stop the hussein - insane agenda!)
To: ClearCase_guy
This times 1000. It?s happening everyday and it?s only a story with the priviledged classes are affected. As long as it?s just the serfs is business as usual.
14 posted on 11/28/2012 8:24:22 PM PST by mykroar (BAD-ANON: One Game At A Time)
To: VitacoreVision
Since this intrusive behavior has started, I vow never to board another plane except in a case of extreme emergency.
My motto is: if I can?t drive there, I won?t go there.
15 posted on 11/28/2012 8:24:25 PM PST by basil (Second Amendment Sisters.org)
To: VitacoreVision
TSA needs to be abolished
16 posted on 11/28/2012 8:25:17 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
To: biff
I too am amazed at who still flies. I simply don?t do cattle treatment, cattle prodding, cattle loading, short of impending death.
Fascinating to me the humans who tolerate it. The young never got to see flying done well, so they put up with anything. Scary.
17 posted on 11/28/2012 8:27:11 PM PST by RitaOK ( VIVA CHRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming.)
To: VitacoreVision
To: G Larry
C'mon.
Pictures. Now.
Or it didn't happen.
19 posted on 11/28/2012 8:30:16 PM PST by billorites (freepo ergo sum)
To: VitacoreVision
the then-17-year-old victim was the grandniece of Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas).
Congressman Hall is the oldest serving Rep. A WW2 veteran, he started as a conservative Democrat in 1980, and has served ever since.
Hall switched parties in 2004. He voted against NAFTA. He voted for the Bush tax cuts. He voted for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Nothing is coincidence involving the Chicago Way. This was a message to Hall: "Resign. Today. Get it?"
20 posted on 11/28/2012 8:31:02 PM PST by Old Sarge (We are officially over the precipice, we just havent struck the ground yet...)
To: VitacoreVision
Jan the Man TSA pervert alert! Homeland inSecurity should be famous for it?s sexual pervert harassment policies and lawsuits.
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Nothing much has changed in this year's mobile carrier satisfaction survey from Consumer Reports, with Verizon again being rated the best of the major providers, netting good scores for voice and data service quality, staff knowledge and issue resolution. The other big players also ranked in the same order this time around, with Sprint and T-Mobile following behind Big Red, and AT&T staying in last position. None of the bottom three scored particularly highly, especially in relation to voice service quality, and only four points separated them in the ratings. While AT&T had the worst value and data service quality scores, its LTE network was ranked the best of any carrier, and the least problematic. MVNO Consumer Cellular, which piggybacks on AT&T's network, didn't disappoint after last year's overall first place finish, keeping the top spot and receiving great scores all round. Full results of the survey, which polled 63,253 subscribers, will be available in Consumer Reports' January 2013 issue.
Argentina is refusing to budge in its billion-dollar debt showdown in a New York federal court, preparing an appeal yesterday that it hopes will stave off another devastating default.
Judge Thomas Griesa left Argentina without any wiggle room, ordering the government of President Cristina Fernandez to pay US$1.3 billion to the so-called "vulture funds" by December 15, even as it pursues its final appeals.
If Argentina pays the plaintiffs, lawyers representing other holders of defaulted debt, totalling more than US$11 billion, are expected to demand immediate payment as well.
If it refuses, the judge said the Bank of New York Mellon must stop payment on the quotas Argentina has religiously honoured to a much bigger group of bondholders who agreed to provide the country with debt relief in 2005 and 2010. That group, together, holds more than US$20 billion in restructured debt.
The ruling was issued just before the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and the consequences for Argentina were severe. The value of Argentina's restructured bonds slipped in Monday trading, and the cost of insuring this debt against default jumped 51 per cent on Friday alone, according to data from Factset.
This insurance - in the form of credit default swaps - now reflects a 75 per cent probability that Argentina will stop paying within the year, Argentina's El Cronista newspaper reported Monday.
Argentina's Economy Ministry was closed Monday for another national holiday, Sovereignty Day.
But Economy Minister Hernan Lorenzino told the pro-government Pagina12 newspaper that the appeal will restate the same arguments Argentina and others made already: that by enabling holdouts who refuse to go along with debt restructurings to tap into payments made to other innocent parties, the ruling endangers the US financial system as well as the ability of any government to rescue its people from economic crisis.
These arguments were already made by the US Federal Reserve, the Clearing House trade group of commercial banks and other interests holding US$20 billion in restructured Argentine debt, and Griesa dismissed them. Now Argentina is counting on a long-shot appeal.
Meanwhile, the judge's ruling has already made borrowing much more expensive in Argentina, not only for the government, but for any enterprise that needs financing.
And that has some analysts predicting dire consequences. Economist Arturo Porcenanski at American University in Washington told The Associated Press that he believes this could be the beginning of the end of the Fernandez government, as Argentina's deepening recession and financial turmoil lead to growing social unrest and to political crisis.
If the ruling is upheld, the Argentine government will need to pay out a total of nearly US$5.5 billion in December alone. That is more than 10 per cent of the total reserves for a country already struggling to pay salaries to public employees and maintain subsidies that have shored up vast sectors of the economy.
what's at stake
Fernandez and her ministers didn't offer any comments Monday on the case, but the president described what's at stake earlier this month as she inaugurated the opening of another factory, part of her long campaign to use reserves to revitalise Argentina's domestic economy before rewarding what she calls international speculators.
Argentina's history shows that only through growth can a country emerge from a default and pay its debts, she said.
"We won't pay debts at the cost of hunger and the exclusion of millions of Argentines, generating more poverty and social conflict so that the country explodes again," she said. "We won't pay if it means more Argentines are denied access to education, health, housing, a decent job.
"We know that debt is a key problem, but we won't pay it in any way they want. And this isn't a matter of ideologies. It's not stubbornness," the president said. "It's a cold and rational reading of the numbers and the economy. It's acknowledging with realism what the situation indicates."
Barnes & Noble's Nook unit didn't have its greatest quarter. The $160 million in revenue the new Microsoft-backed spin off raked in was slightly better than last year's $152 million, but still a significant drop from $220 million. In a sign of the growing ubiquity of e-readers however, digital content sales were up 38 percent while the units overall revenue was up just 6 percent. Of course the Nook is still losing money, having cut $51 million from the company's bottom line. If you step outside of the digital realm things are looking slightly better for the book purveyor, as profits were up to $65 million -- a 15.6 percent increase over the same time period last year. As we enter the holiday season things should start to look up for B&N and there were good signs during the four day shop-stravaganza from Black Friday to Cyber Monday as sales of Nook hardware doubled from last year. For all the fun financial details hit up the source.
Finding talented employees is a significant problem for the construction industry. The recent recession impacted the industry substantially, and many experienced and skilled employees left the industry for other opportunities. A construction consultant can assist contractors and clients in keeping construction injury lawsuits down by finding the right employees for a particular project. More importantly, they help contractors understand when they do not have the right employees.
The Right Skills
In commercial construction, contractors and clients alike will often use existing employees to complete work on a project. Many commercial sites have maintenance personnel employed at the location prior to initiating a project, and using the employees to work on the project may seem to be an attractive idea. The idea behind using an existing employee is that the cost will be reduced over hiring outside laborers, the laborers are familiar with the existing chain of command, and the workers are familiar with the site.
This is a common mistake. Many in-house personnel are not contractors or individuals accustomed to working for contractors. As a result, the employees often do not understand the methodology of a particular phase of the project, and hence will not complete their assigned tasks. Skilled welders and electricians will not perform optimally when assigned complicated tasks outside their existing knowledge base. This frequently results in the employer or the contractor having to direct every action of every employee. Such a requirement will add stress to the contractor and client and delay the project.
Time Constrictors
Poor quality work performed by employees is worse than incomplete work. If the work is detected immediately, employers can direct the employee to complete the task again. Even a quick detection will cause a delay in time and a loss of material. In some circumstances, the work may not be detected until an inspector reviews the site at a later date for code compliance; addressing structural defects on a site under construction can bring the project to a halt and increase costs dramatically. The contractor may also gain a reputation for poor work, which can destroy his business.
Delays are common in the construction industry, and, as advised by our building trade sources at?Construx Solutions, labor problems are one reason why this is the case. Unskilled laborers or skilled laborers without relevant skills can be a false economy. Most contractors and workers in the construction industry would never use the wrong tool for a task, and workers are assets like any other. Rather than hammer a round peg into a square hole, clients and contractors must find the right employees from the start.
Legal Problems
Poor hiring decisions can not only delay a project, but also expose contractors and clients to liability. If an employee does not have the skills required to complete a task, the employee will either not complete the task at all or will return low quality work. Employees without experience in certain areas can also become injured, exposing the builder to huge legal costs.
Injuries are common in construction. If the contractors and clients have used unskilled employees for skilled tasks, the unskilled employee may expose the contractor and client to liability in the event that an accident occurs. If an injury occurs as a result of an inept worker, the injured party?s attorney will argue that the contractor and clients were liable vicariously and for their own negligence. The cost savings of having unskilled employees perform skilled tasks can be eliminated by a single lawsuit or workers? compensation claim.
Critical Solutions
With an experienced overview, construction consultants can help contractors and clients avoid regulatory pitfalls. As compliance costs continue to increase, understanding worker rights and employer obligations becomes increasingly complex. Protective equipment can be required by law, different categories of waste must be disposed of properly, and changing building codes can inflate costs. Failing to report employees properly can also cause tax consequences and problems with workers? compensation claims.
For an independent contractor or home builder, keeping abreast of these various issues may be impossible. An experienced consultant with years working in the industry can help guide small business owners through the legal and practical hazards associated with completing a project. A consultant can help builders avoid delays, civil liability, and administrative issues.
Ann Bailey reports on legal issues in the building industry to benefit workers and owners in the trade.? The creatively-tuned consulting team at Construx Solutions, based in Atlanta GA, assist their clients who own and manage construction businesses with all aspects of the building processes that involve legal and personnel elements.
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Tagged as: construction liability, labor law blog, labor liabilty
Let?s face it: times are tough. The powers that be may have announced that the credit crunch is behind us but many people are still feeing the pinch. With prices rising ? even for everyday expenses such as grocery shopping ? many people are finding that the uneasy pause before the next paycheck gets a little more uneasy every time. We?ve all seen the advertisements for payday loans, very short-term loans designed to bridge the gap before payday. Are they ever a good idea?
Shortfall
It?s not unusual to find oneself struggling at the end of the month, particularly if some unexpected expense has reared its head. It?s particularly difficult to cope financially if your credit isn?t in good shape. Many of us have struggled to keep a good credit rating during these uncertain times, as rising costs and tighter credit limits make meeting existing obligations increasingly difficult. You can have a weak credit rating even if you?ve never had a loan or a credit card; this means that as far as credit card companies and banks are concerned, you?re an unknown quantity. Not everyone can simply stroll into their friendly high-street bank and get an overdraft or sign up for a shiny new credit card.
Standard financial advice holds that one should try ?taking a second job? or ?selling items you no longer need?. If neither option is available to you, however, what can you do? On paper, short-term loans of this type tend to be more expensive than conventional loans or credit cards. They can save you money, however, if the alternative is paying hefty bank charges or late fees. If you have pressing but temporary financial needs, a payday loan could be the answer.
Short Term
Although they have something of a poor reputation amongst conventional lenders, payday loans are a lifeline for countless people who would otherwise find themselves in serious financial difficulties. The most important thing to remember is that a payday loan is designed to be a short-term measure and you need to be ready to pay it back in the agreed time period.
For this reason, it?s important only to borrow the minimum that you need and to be certain that you?ll be able to pay everything back comfortably; ?comfortably? means ?in line with your current spending patterns?. Making yourself a hostage to fortune by devising a plan that involves a major change in your habits ? giving up smoking or making some other dramatic change ? can get you into hot water.
Solution
Before you agree to a loan, look carefully at the small print. Be absolutely certain of the amount you?ll need to pay back, how often you?ll need to make payments and how big each payment will be. You also need to go over your financial incomings and outgoings to make sure you?ll be able to pay off your loan. If you miss the deadline and your payday loan is ?rolled over? into a new loan, you could end up paying more than you bargained for.
If you follow these tips, a payday loan can be a convenient and simple solution to a temporary financial problem.
Darren Bechard is an independent finance researcher. He has been following consumer trends with regards to short term finance and reporting his findings on various personal finance blogs. Find out more about Wonga.com short term loans.
Heather is a full-time Realtor and a consistent top producer in the local Crested Butte, Almont and Gunnison markets.
Heather takes great pride in giving unparalleled customer service and is dedicated to her clients and their individual needs. Her number one priority is to provide service above and beyond her clients? expectations. She will dedicate her time, attention, energy and knowledge during and after each transaction. Read More
G?day lovelies, logging in with pretty pics and pretty food this morning!
I love simple salads and I need them in my life, especially ones like this easy radish salad recipe and I will tell you for why.
Bottom line I am a tad on the lazy side and somehow my brain seems unable to handle anything that is too complicated?it happened when nappy brain occurred and never went away.
So simple salads are the way to go for me, one veggie is how I like it the best, dressed with easy everyday ingredients and a few herbs.
I think I have rambled on here before about a trip to France and a stop in a restaurant where the first course was a few lettuce leaves and the most amazing vinaigrette I have ever tasted in my life and have yet to taste since?.it made me change my view on salad for like ever.
This requires nothing more than a big old bunch of radishes and even if you think that you could never eat a big old bunch of radishes I think you might be surprised with this little beauty in your life.
?
When I first came across this slicing of radishes and not much else I thought it sounded wonderful but what about the Beach Cottage Crew and the distinctive tang of radish and not much else?? Not so much, I knew it would not work for them.
So I fiddled around a bit, tried a couple of other recipes from the internet, most seem to include cucumber which didn?t really cut the mustard with me, found some that involved Italian dressing from a bottle?but now have settled on this?
This is just light and fresh and easy and lovely?it pairs up very nicely with some roast meat or indeed on the side of the big open sandwiches we often have the day after roasted meat?
1 bunch radishes finely sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper
bunch chives chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sugar
1. combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, chives in bowl
2. add radishes, season and mix
3. garnish with chives
** I don?t always have chives growing in the garden or in the house, if you don?t either use Parsley (my go-to herb) *I am not a lover of sugar in salad dressings, it works here
?
don?t want to forget?
pin me here!
?
Rightio I?ll be off ladies.
Yours in radish slicing
Sarah
Barley blogged here this morning, he has the life I want xo
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Cyber Monday is no longer a drop in the bucket,? it's very big business.?
According to the National Retail Federation, Cyber Monday sales are expected to hit $1.5 billion this year.? Small local businesses count on cyber sales to help boost the bottom line,? but they have to go after your business in a different way.?
Reno Menapace helps run Zeko shoes, a three-year-old business. It's headquartered in a northwest side Indianapolis warehouse.? It's the place orders are filled, the place where the company finds ways to convince you that Zeko is worth a few minutes of your online shopping time.?
"You've got to be unique. You cannot compete with the big dogs head to head. So, we have to provide something different," says Menapace.?
That something is a special shoe. It can be worn in the water, drying out quickly enough to keep wearing once you hit dry land.? It's a specialty shoe targeted at a specific market.? And the internet is an important part of their marketing, says Menapace.?
"Our internet market has grown.? It's 30 percent of our business now.? Which we, going into it, expected to be around ten.? We're triple where we thought we would be," he says.?
And Cyber Monday brings another opportunity to capture customers who might not normally see the company website.? According to the National Retail Federation 85 percent of online retailers offer cyber Monday deals, with half , including Zeko offering free shipping.
"I've got a bunch of orders going out today as a result of that.? And the free shipping we have on our website, that has helped," says Zeko IT specialist Bill Goldsmith.? Goldsmith says for small businesses competing for a few minutes of your online time, simplicity is crucial.?
"You've got to make it easy for people to navigate the site, that's the main thing: Be able to find what they want, be able to easily checkout as soon as they want to," he says.
Zeko has an extra hurdle to overcome on Cyber Monday.?
The company sells its shoes not just online, but to retailers as well.? So, it has to be careful not to undercut the price you'd find in the store. While Cyber Monday is important,? Zeko says it is ultimately just one day in a year of luring customers to give their shoes a try.? But, it's a day where millions of eyes are on the internet and even if they don't get your business today, you might remember them later in the year, and come back and make a purchase. ?
It sounds like rookie quarterback Ryan Lindley will get another shot? to start for the Cardinals, after his four-interception debut.
But as with all things Cardinals quarterbacks this year, that comes with an asterisk.
Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday that Lindley would start again if Kevin Kolb wasn?t healthy, making it reasonable to wonder if John Skelton will ever see the light of day again.
Two of Lindley?s picks were returned for touchdowns in the Cards loss to the Rams, their seventh straight after a 4-0 start.
?Yes. We stay with Ryan,? Whisenhunt said of the non-Kolb condition, via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. Listen, let?s start this thing off by saying you can?t have those interceptions. But in the first half, I thought he did a really nice job. He moved in the pocket, was decisive, managed it, made some good throws. We had three scoring drives in the first half, 17 points and over 200 yards of offense, possession time, was good on third down. I felt that we did a lot of good things, even with the pick-six.
?And the first pick-six, that was a mistake in his read. That can happen. The one in the second half, you have to learn from those. He made a bad decision. That?s what you have to see, can he learn from that? There was nobody more upset about than him, especially after the game. He was torn up because he knows he can?t do that.?
In Arizona he can, because they?re running out of options.
Asked if Kolb might be ready to return from a rib injury this week, Whisenhunt said he wasn?t sure yet.
?I don?t know where Kevin is health-wise,? Whisenhunt said. ?He?s making progress but as far as being ready for a game, that?s something we can?t determine until we see where he is Wednesday.?
Short of Kurt Warner coming back, it?s hard to imagine how any shuffling of the current deck chairs is going to matter that much.
The road to true love may not be? smooth!? When you first find someone to love, it is very exciting. He/she is all you can think about. You get a funny feeling in your stomach. Love is very sweet and fun.
Then, time passes and reality sets in. All relationships face challenges. Some big. Some small. A psychic relationship specialist should be able to assist you in making the best positive choices for your situation.? Sorting out karma, spirituality, and the influence of free will may be confusing.? The relationship is not just about you.? There are probably a lot of factors to consider.
A psychic is an objective third party who may be able to assist you in sorting out your relationship. Perhaps there is something blocking you or your partner. Is someone else interfering? Are you interpreting signals correctly? Is there something in the past/present/future influencing your relationship?
With the holidays approaching, people are often busy and stressed and may inadvertently neglect themselves and their love connection. An in-depth spiritual review of your relationship may be just the thing to insure a rewarding, happy holiday season.
Are you headed down the right spiritual path? One of the tested psychics readers at Paramount Solutions, Inc., www.THEpsychicline.com should be able to assist you with your issues regarding your love relationship.? If you have issues, we have insight.
Readers usually have many tools at their disposal in order to assist you.? Have a hapy and safe holiday season!? Give us a call.
The Original Solutions at The psychic line known for quality would love to help.
1-800-966-2294
?We just knew you were going to call.?
Entertainment only.? 38+
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This entry was posted on Monday, November 26th, 2012 at 5:02 pm and is filed under Sandy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
The Honda lift kits are used to raise the body of a car. They are routinely fixed in sport cars or motor cycles. These gadgets give sporting cars a muscle look. People have embraced car racing as a recreation thus require reliable cars with high speed. They use these spare parts to perform modifications on these cars. The modifications vary according to the distinctive taste. However, it is important to buy quality spare parts such as this brand for safety purposes. Experts are advised to use genuine and compatible spare parts to prevent breakdown.
Interested parties can ask for recommendations from the suppliers of this brand. There are dealers that have been given the mandate to supply this brand of goods. The procedure of installation can easily be understood by a mechanic. A client should hire the services of a professional when seeking to raise the body of a motor.
Experienced mechanics have the know-how of using this trademark to mount these parts in golf cars. They are capable of recognizing fake or genuine auxiliary parts which will help you avoid incurring additional cost. This means that they will use their knowledge to make sure that only genuine parts are used in your motor vehicle. In addition, there expertise will help to choose parts that are compatible with the car to be modified.
Fixing of suspension gears is highly involving and requires special knowledge and experience. Demand for these gears is ever growing in the car sporting industry. Most people who purchase these lifting gears are drivers who do the driving as a recreation. It is, therefore, advisable to buy these parts from a registered dealer shop to make your car have a muscle look.
The procedure is begun with raising the body of the motor. The body is lifted and suspended to a higher level. The level of rising depends on the size of tires that are going to be fixed. When raising the body a jack is used, and bolts are put on the springs of the motor. When they are, being fixed immense caution should be taken not to use a lot of pressure. If possible they should not be adjusted with welding or cutting.
Moreover, the diameter has to be measured on the space between the tires. This will determine the size of tires to be used on the sport car. Wide tires are very reliable in golf cars. The size of rims should march the tires to boost strength. This will enable your golf car mover faster than usual because of the circumference on the tire.
After the tires have been successfully fixed, they need to be aligned. The balancing of the motor is improved by this procedure. The wheels and the steering are carefully checked. Alignment reduces friction when the car is moving. This enables a driver to navigate a motor with ease even in high levels of speed.
Therefore, if you want to modify your golf car for a race, do not just pick any spare parts. This might cost you. Conduct an online research to get the best suspension gears. The Honda lift kits will be the most reliable for your car to participate in any race. They can withstand tension and are cheap.
The homepage at www.strongmade.com offers info on Honda lift kits that people require for their vehicle needs. For more details check out http://www.strongmade.com right now.
Heather is a full-time Realtor and a consistent top producer in the local Crested Butte, Almont and Gunnison markets.
