Marc Benioff Has Swagger But What About That Salesforce.com Balance Sheet?

barbossaSalesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff is a charismatic guy for someone who leads a company that serves the stodgy world of the enterprise. He's so well-recognized that he was put on stage this past week in Las Vegas to give a keynote at CES, the world's largest consumer electronics show.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Gm6mQK-yQdo/

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A win-win for the NCAA, Penn State and potential child abuse victims

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Following the defeat of Germany in WWI, the Treaty of Versailles was implemented to punish Germany for the wrongs they had inflicted on the world. Many of the provisions were purposely designed to inflict harm on the German people as retribution for what their leaders had done. These penalties were unprecedented and many at the time considered them too harsh and counterproductive.

As we all know, Germany and the world did not benefit from this punishment and in fact, within two decades these sanctions had indirectly spawned one of the most tyrannical regimes in modern history, Adolph Hitler's Nazi Party.

Following the defeat of Germany in WWII, the United States implemented the European Recovery Plan (ERP) also known as the Marshall Plan. The plan was designed to aid economic recovery in Europe after the devastating destruction of the war. Many framers of the recovery wanted retribution and initially that is how things began. But eventually clear thinking leaders came to realize earlier mistakes and considered that a productive German industrial base would help Europe and the world move on from the devastation of WWII.

The evil men who were responsible for atrocities were hunted down and held accountable. But the allies bravely put the innocent people of West Germany in a situation where they could thrive and become a vibrant, productive and peaceful member of the world community.

In modern parlance, we call this a win-win.

To a lesser scale but no less appalling, children were victimized by an evil man and a bafflingly complacent Penn State University leadership. Rather than working to help the innocent students, athletes, faculty and alumni of Penn State overcome the evil that had been inflicted upon them, the NCAA fueled by a sensationalist media, went full-on Treaty of Versailles.

The NCAA vacated wins to destroy Penn State past. They attempted to destroy the present team by allowing players to be free agents. Scholarship limits and the bowl bans were implemented to keep the program down in the future. Some of the aspects of these sanctions will be in effect until 2018 at which time it will take several more years to recover fully.

The fines which could actually help children are sitting in escrow as politicians wrangle over how to spend the money.

The sanctions imposed on the Penn State community have not and will not help one sexually abused child.

As a result of their hasty actions, the NCAA now finds itself in the crosshairs of multiple lawsuits from anti-trust to possible defamation. The NCAA could spend the next five years and millions of dollars fighting and potentially winning these lawsuits. But what would that accomplish for any abused child?

The NCAA's announced objective to ensure that something like the Jerry Sandusky scandal never happens again at any university is certainly laudable and is attainable. But not by destroying a football program that has been a model program of academic success and following NCAA rules. And not by indicting an entire community that had nothing to do with what happened and whose track record of doing things for others including children (Thon, Lift for Life, Hershey Children's Medical Center) is nothing short of stellar.

Rather, the NCAA can take this opportunity to reaffirm the intent of their actions while announcing a better path towards achieving those objectives.

First, destroy the controversial and likely coerced consent decree. Announce the lifting of the sanctions with the expectation that Penn State will self-sanction. The NCAA has admitted that no NCAA rules were violated so they should remove themselves from the process completely allowing Penn State to consider due process and their overall reputation as they attempt to move forward.

Second, form an alliance with Penn State to make a real impact to help children. Just as the Germans rose above what their leadership had done, the proud faculty, students and alumni of Penn State would move mountains to help make things right. Leverage the Penn State community's desire to restore their image to the advantage of future generations of children. ?

Finally, the NCAA should announce they will use the fines to start a program at Penn State that will be used as a model to be implemented at all universities to keep evil from ever impacting our children again.

The NCAA allowed the media fueled public outrage to drive their actions. They now have the benefit of hindsight to lead and make a dramatic and more positive impact.

The NCAA should work with Penn State to implement a Marshall Plan.

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Bill can be reaced via?Twitter?@psbengel?

Source: http://blog.pennlive.com/pennstatefootball/2013/01/a_win-win_for_the_ncaa_penn_st.html

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THE NEXT BUSH?George P. Bush Weighing Statewide Run in Texas

George Prescott Bush is gearing up to run for a little-known but powerful office in a state where his family already is a political dynasty and where his Hispanic roots could help extend a stranglehold on power Republicans have enjoyed for two decades.

The 36-year-old Fort Worth attorney says he is close to settling on campaigning for Texas land commissioner next year. He doesn't expect to make up his mind until he knows what Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a fellow Republican, decides to do.

"We for sure are running, the question is the office," Bush told The Associated Press during the first interview about his political future since filing paperwork in November to seek elected office in Texas.

Bush's father is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, his grandfather is former President George H.W. Bush and his uncle is former President and Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Perry has been governor since George W. left for the White House.

Land commissioner traditionally has been a steppingstone to higher office, but Bush said little about any plans to eventually become a national political force.

Instead, he spoke of how his past experience as an asset manager would help him manage the Permanent Schools Fund, which pays for public education and is managed by the land commissioner. He also said his perspective as an Afghanistan war veteran will help him use the post to become a leader in veterans' affairs.

Bush said he would announce his final decision after the Texas Legislature adjourns in May but added that his choice will depend "where the governor's thinking is." Perry, who flamed out as a presidential candidate but remains popular in Texas, says he'll reveal this summer if he will seek another term.

Some have speculated that Bush could challenge Perry for governor -- and even if he doesn't, what Perry decides will trigger political dominos falling.

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson plans to run for lieutenant governor next year, creating a vacancy in his office. But Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican, may himself run for governor in 2014, meaning his post could be open too.

Bush suggested he'd be willing to wait his turn politically rather than immediately seeking top positions coveted by others in the state GOP.

"We've said that we want to be team players in the party, providing a younger, fresher vision for our values," he said in the interview Friday.

Bush speaks Spanish, and his mother Columba is from Mexico. Conservatives view George P. Bush on the ballot as a way to solidify support among Hispanics.

A Democrat has not won statewide office in Texas since 1994, but Hispanics tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic and accounted for two-thirds of Texas' population growth over the last decade. Bush noted: "We'll be majority Hispanic in six years."

"I don't necessarily agree with the idea that having a candidate of Hispanic origin, or someone who can speak Spanish, can automatically obtain these votes," Bush said of Hispanics. "Having said that, it's important tactically to have candidates that understand issues of the community."

Bush's mother has said that one of the reasons she and Jeb Bush left Texas for Florida in the 1970s was because she felt like she had experienced racism here. But George P. Bush said, "the way I view it, rather than an issue of discomfort, is economic opportunity."

"This has been, at least for our generation, the best place to be economically," he said of Texas and its record of strong job creation.

He said he didn't think there was more intolerance toward Hispanics in Texas.

"Obviously, I think that issue exists wherever you go," he said. "I don't think it's just unique here."

Bush said of trying to stand out among his famous political family, "It's always been the thing of my grandmother to say, `Go out and make a name for yourself' and that's something that I've followed."

"But who better to ask for advice on politics than two former presidents and a former governor?" he said. "They're not involved in the day-to-day operations. They're not involved in formulating my ideology. It's more of an informal advice."

Bush said his grandfather inspired him to join the military, and he was deployed to Afghanistan as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He said that before enlisting, he knew politics was in his blood but felt he was too inexperienced to run for office.

It wasn't until the last few months, however, that "I felt it was time for my generation to step forward in state politics," Bush said.

Bush now spends his time crisscrossing Texas and the country, raising money and meeting with supporters. He was in Austin on Monday and posed for pictures outside the state Capitol before disappearing into meetings with legislators.

Someone he didn't see, however, was Perry. The governor said Bush's seeking elected office is a good thing for Texas and the Republican Party, and that he would like to speak to him about it adding: "He knows my phone number."

But then, Bush has his uncle to turn to for Texas gubernatorial perspective.

"It's much like starting a business," Bush said, "and having people who have been there and done it and run statewide, it's definitely been helpful."

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/12/george-p-bush-weighing-run-in-texas/

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Did Ravens kicker break NFL rule before kicking game-winning field goal?

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Denver Broncos in the NFL playoffs on Saturday 38-35 on a 47-yard field goal by Justin Tucker in double overtime. An interception by Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning gave the Ravens great field position, and they didn?t squander it.

But they may have broken an NFL rule on their way to the win.


After the end of the first overtime, the teams changed directions. ?During the stop in play, Tucker came onto the field and had an assistant coach hold for him while he lined up a long field goal. ?In the video above, you see Broncos corner Champ Bailey question it. ?CBS color commentator Dan Dierdorf said that the whole officiating crew was watching Tucker kick it.

Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely is sure that it?s against NFL rules:

Jay Feely tweet 1

However, the almighty Mike Pereira (Former Vice President of Officiating in the National Football League turned current Rules Analyst at FOX Sports)?confirmed otherwise?

Mike Pereira tweet 2

Mike Pereira tweet 3

Then the two had a back and forth?

Feely to Pereira

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Pereira to Feely

Then Pereira put his foot down (in the sand)?

Pereira final

So they?re told ?not to do it? but it isn?t a penalty. ?Interesting concept. ?It sounds like a pretty giant grey area and of course it would only happen in a giant-sized playoff game ? the only games where there?d be a second overtime. ?Get Mr. Goodell on line one please?

About the Author (Author Profile)

Tim is the founder and author of It?s Always Sunny In Detroit. Born and raised north of "The D", he was hands down the fastest kid on the playground (go ahead, race him). In his glory days as a Big Ten baseballer, Tim often thought about dating Jennifer Love Hewitt. After he hung ?em up and got real, he graduated from law school and came back to Detroit to keep it sunny. Tim knows his stuff ? and his stuff is sports (the games), sports (the business), funny clips, pretty ladies...and of course, sports.

Source: http://itsalwayssunnyindetroit.com/2013/01/did-ravens-kicker-breaks-nfl-rule-before-kicking-game-winning-field-goal/.html

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Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization SEM SEO service ...

Search engine optimization is an effective way to give your website an advantage. In order to accomplish this, you must learn the essentials behind this method. This article will show you ways to make yourself visible, it will also tell you things you should stay away from.

Take the time to consider what keywords would be associated with your content, and use these keywords throughout your website. You want to use them strategically in both content and the titles, but be wary of over saturating your site with the keywords. You don?t want to be flagged as a possible spam site.

If you are managing a business website, encourage the CEO or the owner of the business to become involved online. The CEO acts as the spokesperson for the entire company, and is someone whose thoughts people want to hear.

Have a non-profit or education site link to you. If you are linked to a valid business, search engines will take this into consideration when ranking your site. If your site contains information that is useful to readers, reputable websites will want to link to it. Provide the kind of articles and information that reputable organizations find trustworthy.

Research keywords before you begin. You should determine what the most effective keywords to incorporate into your content and titles will be. Keyword research will allow you to understand what search terms people use to navigate in your particular categories. To get higher up in search engine results, emphasize these items in your site.

Make sure you know all about the company when paying someone to do SEO for you. SEO has become big business, and there are many unqualified scammers ready to take your money and run. Peruse their portfolio and see what past clients have said about their work before you make any decision regarding hiring them. You will be happy you did.

Be sure to position your keywords within your site map. A good site map helps your viewers by acting like an index of all your site?s pages. Site maps also allow websites to rank higher in search results since the maps make navigating the websites easier, which is one factor search engines use to rate pages.

Duplicating content on your site will penalize you, by reducing the rank of your page. Try to come up with some unique things to write about and find another audience.

There are many ways to improve results you get from search engines. A site that utilizes techniques designed to maximize search efficiency will produce the best results. In the end, better search functionality translates to a better user experience.

Surveys and even games can be included on your site to help draw your target audience. Many people enjoy taking short and fun surveys to find out more about themselves. Ask them serious questions about their lives and their purchasing habits. People enjoy taking surveys and you will be able to find a lot about your consumers.

When looking to optimize your website, it is a good idea to consider using the services of a company whose primary business is SEO. Doing so helps market your site and raise your position in search engine rankings. Today there are many companies that sell the service of search engine optimization. Depending on what they provide and various promotions available, these tools and services can represent an affordable option for many businesses.

Assist the web spiders in their mission if you expect to be ranked highly. Web spiders are designed to crawl your site for keywords, but without the ability to easily navigate your site, they cannot rank your site properly. To help the spiders understand the hierarchy of your website?s pages, craft a site map highlighting the most important factors of your site.

Coding is an important aspect to consider when you are using SEO. For instance, if most of your site relies on JavaScript and is poorly coded, search engine spiders cannot index it. Your website won?t be indexed if it contains a great deal of Flash content and does not have alternate textual descriptions.

Infuse the power of your SEO by using off-site links that connect to the highest possible quality content you can find. This is really important when it comes to linking. Search engines will rank off-site links full of good content higher than links connecting various pages of your own website. When choosing which websites to link to from your website, you should opt for websites that are willing to link to your website in return. This will further improve your rank.

Putting your website in a prime place to be found is what search engine optimization is all about. The article you have just read gave you multiple tips on how to make this happen for you. Applying these simple tricks will get your website noticed in no time, so increase your traffic today!

Search Engine Optimization, SEO

Source: http://www.websitehostdirect.com/bring-more-traffic-to-your-website-with-these-search-engine-optimization-tips/

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Humane Society raising funds for new building : News : UpNorthLive ...

Read?more: Local, News, Community, Charlevoix Humane Society, Humane Society, Humane Society Fundraiser

The Charlevoix Area Humane Society is hoping to open a new building to better serve the animals of Northern Michigan.

CHARLEVOIX CO. -- The Charlevoix Area Humane Society is hoping to open a new building to better serve the animals of Northern Michigan.

The Executive Director of the Humane Society tells 7&4 News that the new shelter will have more housing options so the shelter can take in more animals.

The building will be more than 8000 square-feet with space for the shelter and a boarding facility.

There will be a new pole barn behind the shelter that will allow animals to get exercise outside and go through agility training.

A space for the new building has been donated to the Humane Society and now the next step is fundraising.

Staff members hope to have enough money to start construction by the end of this year.

To see plans for the new building, click?HERE.

Source: http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=846838

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Sony Pictures executive: "Zero Dark Thirty" "does not advocate torture"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Pictures executive Amy Pascal lashed out on Friday at a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) who accused Osama bin Laden film "Zero Dark Thirty" of promoting torture and said he would not vote for it in the Oscars race.

In a strongly worded statement, Pascal said the "attempt to censure one of the great films of our time should be opposed."

"We are outraged that any responsible member of the Academy would use their voting status in AMPAS as a platform to advance their own political agenda," said Pascal, who is co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and chairman of its Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group.

"This film should be judged free of partisanship," she said, adding that the film "does not advocate torture."

Pascal's comments followed an opinion piece by Academy member, actor David Clennon, who said the film "condones torture," and the surprise omission of director Kathyrn Bigelow from the Oscar best director shortlist this week.

"At the risk of being expelled for disclosing my intentions, I will not be voting for 'Zero Dark Thirty' - in any Academy Awards category," Clennon wrote on progressive news website Truth-out.org in a January 9 posting.

"'Zero' never acknowledges that torture is immoral and criminal. It does portray torture as getting results," added Clennon, who appeared in 1980s TV series "thirtysomething."

The 6,000 members of the Academy are urged not to reveal who they cast their votes for. Academy Award winners are revealed at a ceremony in February, the highlight of Hollywood's award season.

The Academy on Friday declined to comment on Clennon's remarks.

The thriller was Oscar-nominated for best picture, despite coming under attack in Washington over its source material and claims by politicians that it depicts torture as helping the United States find and kill the al Qaeda leader in May 2011.

It also got nominations for actress Jessica Chastain and screenwriter Mark Boal.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is a unit of Sony Corp.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sony-pictures-executive-zero-dark-thirty-does-not-021237816.html

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Ford doubles dividend to seven-year high

(Reuters) - Ford Motor Co doubled its quarterly dividend to 10 cents per share, its highest in seven years, on the back of strong sales in North America and a healthy balance sheet.

The first-quarter payout, which will cost No. 2 U.S. automaker about $370 million, comes despite recent market share losses and weakness in its European business.

"Ford's plan is to grow its dividend, consistent with earnings and liquidity growth, to a level that is sustainable through all business cycles," the company said in a statement.

Ford last paid a 10-cent dividend in May 2006. Shortly after that, the company reduced and later suspended its dividend as it struggled to avoid bankruptcy. It restored dividends in December 2011.

"We had thought that a dividend increase was likely but this announcement is larger than we expected," RBC Capital Markets analyst Joseph Spak said.

"Today's announcement shows strong confidence in their outlook, balance sheet and liquidity."

Ford shares jumped 3 percent in premarket trade to $13.88.

The company said it increased its liquidity position by $2 billion through the first three quarters of 2012.

Earlier this month, Ford said its U.S. sales crossed 2 million cars in 2012 and reported its strongest December sales since 2006. It beat Wall Street profit forecast when it last reported results in October.

The automaker, however, has acknowledged losing market share as it struggles to keep up with consumer demand. Losses from Europe are expected to be at least $3 billion over the next two years, and the company has announced plant closures and job cuts to save costs.

Ford's market share fell to 15.5 percent in 2012 from 16.8 percent in 2011.

The dividend is payable on March 1 to shareholders of record on January 30.

(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi in Bangalore; Editing by Sreejiraj Eluvangal and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ford-doubles-dividend-seven-high-142405957--finance.html

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Tips: Behind Satellite TV - ninacordey's posterous

It is with no doubt that technology has become an integral part of your living. The sights and sounds of your everyday activities are remarkably enhanced due to the contributions of the different innovations and inventions. But do you ever wonder how these magnificent developments come into being? Come with and venture behind the scenes of the globally encompassing science of satellite television.

Satellite television or simply satellite TV is brought right at the very center of your living room via communication satellites situated around the planet. The feed from these satellites are received by a satellite dish and a set-top box. Viewing entertainment and information means are made possible because of this technology especially in areas around the globe that are not reached by your known cable TV providers. Take a step back and look at how this technological breakthrough came into life. It all started on that fateful year of 1962 when Telstar satellite of Europe gave North America its first satellite television signal.

Then things started to pick up. 1963 saw the launching of Syncom 2. It was considered the first geosynchronous communication satellite. Commercial satellite communication made its way through the Intelstat I on April 6, 1965. It was tagged as the Early Bird. The Soviet Union which was s technological power during this time sent the Orbita flying to the skies in 1967. This marked the beginning of satellite TV in a national network. Its technology worked on the concept of Molniya satellite which delivered TV signals towards stationed links on the ground.

The Canadian Anik 1 which took off in 1972 was recognized as the first carrier of television in North American homes. Two years later the ATS-6 became the first direct broadcast satellite. In this year the Soviet struck again by boosting a geostationary satellite that can direct-to-home television. Its name was Ekran.

After browsing the history pages let?s move forward to how things rack up in satellite television. Television signals are powered through your homes by utilizing satellites that are either highly elliptical or in geostationary orbit. These satellites are situated on top of the equator of the Earth. Transmission is made possible by uplink facilities. These facilities have antenna that carry the transmissions.

There are uplink satellite dishes that can have diameters as huge as 30 to 40 feet. The large size is necessary in order to facilitate precise aiming and stronger signal to the satellite. A certain satellite and an uplink dish are oriented face-to-face. A specific frequency range is then set and it is up to the transponders placed on the satellite to make communication possible.

The transponders function by redirecting signals back to the earth this time using a different set of frequency band. This method is called as translation. It is used in order to prevent interference with an uplink signal. The downlink that you may be familiar of is known as the path of signal received by the planet from the roaming satellite. Basically there are about 32 transponders for your typical satellite. These transponders work in bandwidths ranging from 27 to 50 megahertz.

Technology comes in different shapes and sizes that is why it is important for you to somehow have familiarity in how things work. Don? just be contented on knowing what?s behind satellite television go on and explore more.

Source: http://lo-puedes.blogspot.com/2013/01/behind-satellite-tv.html

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Source: http://ninacordey.posterous.com/tips-behind-satellite-tv

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