MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice | How to Prepare ...

It?s never too early to begin thinking about your New Year?s resolutions for 2013.? If one of those resolutions is to buy a home, then now is the right time to begin preparing for perhaps the most cumbersome of all loan types: The home mortgage.

I got the idea to write about this from a question I got on my Facebook page.

Question: John, I?m 24 and I?d like to buy a house in the next six months. The rates are so low right now and my parents are telling me that I may regret missing the unprecedented combination of low rates and competitive home pricing.

I pulled my credit reports last week and was surprised to see my FICO score around 680. All I have are some retail store credit cards and one old collection from when I was in college and forgot to pay a final utility bill after I moved.

I paid the collection in full yesterday, so I?m expecting my score to go up quite a bit. Is there anything else to do to prepare for a mortgage loan?

Validate Your Credit Score

For the sake of clarity, I traded several messages with this Facebook fan of mine and got further details on some issues surrounding her credit.

Her credit score is 680, but it wasn?t her FICO score. To help validate the 680, I asked her to pull her scores from other free sites like CreditSesame and CreditKarma and it looks like she?s in the 680-715 range across the board. Her legit FICO scores will likely be in the same neighborhood.

The two issues she is dealing with are the collection that?s still on her credit report and the fact that all of her retail store cards have balances. The collection is not going to go away simply because she paid it. It will be on her credit file for two more years.

Still, the fact that it?s so old is helpful because as negative items age they lose value and don?t impact your FICO scores as much as they did when they were newer. And, the fact that it?s the only negative item on her credit report is great because she hasn?t exhibited a pattern of negative credit management.

Take Action on Credit Cards

The issue with the retail store cards is actionable ? right now. I recognize we?re on the front end of the holiday shopping season and using credit cards to buy gifts is a necessity for some.

The good news is because credit card balance reduction is so actionable, she (and you) can go right ahead and take care of all your holiday shopping on credit cards if you?d like. Just know that you?ll have to pay them off right away if you are planning on going through the pre-qualification process any time soon.

And when those credit cards do get paid off, they?ll need to be shelved during the underwriting process.?This will ensure the highest possible FICO scores for a slightly blemished credit report, which should lead to very attractive terms for the new loan.

Shelve Credit Usage for 45 Days

Once you pay off the cards, leave them unused for at least 45 days before you apply. This will ensure the balances on your credit reports will be $0. Sometimes it can take a full billing cycle to update accounts on credit reports.

Paying the cards off 45 days in advance is plenty of lead-time.? You can continue to use your debit, prepaid debt, or gift cards because those don?t show up on your credit reports.

After you?ve applied for the loan (have fun filling out all that paperwork!) you?ll want to make sure your credit reports don?t go through any significant changes while the loan is being underwritten.

Now That You?ve Been Approved?.

Just because you?ve been approved for a loan doesn?t mean you?re out of the woods yet.

It?s possible that your credit reports and scores will be pulled again just before your closing date. The purpose is to make sure that nothing has happened with your credit and debt that could cause the lender to change their minds.

Don?t apply for any new credit until AFTER your loan has closed. And, if you want to charge stuff like expensive furniture or a new TV for your new home?s basement, again, wait until the loan has closed.

Taking on new debt can lower your scores and will definitely change your debt-to-income ratios for the worse.

John Ulzheimer?is the President of Consumer Education at?SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for?Mint.com, and a contributor for the?National Foundation for Credit Counseling.? He is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. The opinions expressed in his articles are his and not of Mint.com or Intuit.?Follow John on Twitter.

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Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/housing/how-to-prepare-your-credit-for-a-mortgage-loan-in-2013-122012/

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Social media to tear traditional power structures inside business ...

December 3, 2012, 4:06 AM PST

Takeaway: A report by analyst house Gartner predicts that over the next 10 years social media will help dissolve top-down hierarchies inside businesses, leading to more meritocratic organisations.

Social media will transform businesses from top-down, hierarchical organisations into meritocratic ?social capitalist? communities, according to analyst house Gartner.

The report predicts that as people increasingly cooperate through social media they will expect businesses to take a similarly collaborative approach in the way the take decisions.

?While capitalism won?t collapse, there are fundamental changes under way as it morphs to a new form that is more in tune with the technology and attitudes of the 21st century,? says Nigel Rayner, research vice president at Gartner.

?The coming capitalist era is that of the Facebook generation, in which the values and?behaviours?that pervade the internet and social media will also be adopted by innovative and disruptive businesses. With half the world?s population under the age of 25, this may happen sooner than many think.?

Social media will break down the walls between a business? leadership and its staff, customers, suppliers and other interested parties, the report predicts. The constant dialogue between these groups and the business via social media will result in them having a stronger and more direct influence on a businesses? decision making and strategy than today.

As a result businesses will move away from a hierarchical command-and-control structure to more democratic and meritocratic alternatives, the report says. It predicts that employees will increasingly be judged, and granted influence, based on their contribution in the eyes of this community of interested parties - rather than on job title, age or social background.

Elements of Gartner?s ?social capitalist? organisation exist today. Businesses have been experimenting with opening up decision-making to staff and customers for years by building community-led idea pools. Initiatives such as Dell?s IdeaStorm and the Department for Work and Pension?s?DWPeas add elements of game design to stimulate contributions, where good ideas are rewarded with points that can be invested to take an idea further.

Not every enterprise can follow a social capitalist model, the Gartner report says but it forecasts those that can will be the ?most admired companies? over the next 10 years.

Businesses need to prepare for the impact that social media will have on the corporate world, it says, by ensuring that social media is incorporated into their business and IT plans.

?IT and business leaders must identify how soon their industries and companies will be affected by these changes,? says Rayner.

He says organisations should find a senior executive who supports the greater integration of social who can work with the IT department to trial social technologies ahead of wider adoption throughout the organisation.

Source: http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/cio-insights/social-media-to-tear-traditional-power-structures-inside-business/39749679

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Crystal Sugar workers reject contract 4th time

FARGO, N.D. (AP) ? Their ranks thinned by a 16-month lockout, American Crystal Sugar Co. workers on Saturday rejected a contract for the fourth time.

Contract opponents say the sugar beet processor's five-year contract offer would cut health care benefits and weaken job security and seniority protections. The company says the offer would raise worker pay by 17 percent over five years when a $2,000 signing bonus is taken into account.

Leaders of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International union said in a news release that the workers voted 55 percent to reject management's contract offer.

"By now it should be clear that (company CEO) Dave Berg and Crystal Sugar's management team has no interest in ending a fiscally irresponsible lockout that has been disastrous to farm shareholders, put the federal sugar program in jeopardy, and hurt countless families in the Red River Valley," said John Riskey, the head of a union local that represents employees at three American Crystal factories.

"It's time for shareholders to reclaim their company and send management back to the table for real give-and-take negotiations," he said in the release.

He told The Associated Press later on the phone Saturday that union leaders will be following up with workers on how to deal with the contract issues from this point. He said no plans have been made for another meeting.

Company officials said in a statement Saturday after learning about the workers' vote that the package is "solid and generous" and "similar to what we are offering our current employees."

"We're finding the pay and benefits included in it are attracting high quality area workers who are now creating a productive and successful new workforce for our Company," the statement said. "The Company continues to move forward and focus on running our business, processing beets and delivering sugar to our customers."

The lockout began in Aug. 1, 2011, and affected about 1,300 workers at plants in Drayton and Hillsboro, N.D., and Minnesota factories in Moorhead, Crookston and East Grand Forks. More than 500 of those workers have since left, said Brian Ingulsrud, an American Crystal vice president.

The company has used replacement workers to continue operating the plants.

Moorhead, Minn.-based American Crystal is a cooperative owned by about 2,800 sugar beet growers. It is the nation's largest sugar beet processor, selling 90 percent of its production to industrial customers, including candy makers, bakeries and breakfast cereal makers.

The lockout began after 96 percent of the workers voting on the company's contract proposal rejected the offer on July 31, 2011. In subsequent ballots, 90 percent of the voting workers turned down the proposal in November 2011, and 63 percent rejected it in June.

In October, the AFL-CIO called for a boycott of Crystal's products. Some of the company's sugar is sold in grocery stores under Crystal's own label. It is sold as "Market Pantry" sugar in Target Corp. stores in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-12-01-Crystal%20Sugar%20Lockout/id-d1056a342e0f4968b5e28469d3b7f5c0

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Give Your Brand A Kick WIth These Affiliate Marketing Top Tips

A lot of enterprises and single people use online marketing to make their services or products available for sale. By using search engine optimization techniques, targeted advertising and other Online marketing techniques, your sales will grow. By using the tips given in this article, you will find that website marketing is a little more simple.

Try getting interviews with knowledgeable people in the industry. Ensure that you have the right to publish so you do not get sued. With that permission, you can turn your interviews into website content and off-site articles. This will help drive traffic and sales to your site as well as boost your credibility.

Create an appealing ?Link to our Site? button that will persuade other people to put a link to your website on theirs. That makes it easy for those who are so inclined to click and link back to your site, thus allowing their visitors to easily find you as well.

When you use Social Media Marketing it is essential that you update it often! Stagnant profiles are useless and are often seen as spam.

TIP! If done right, an Internet marketing campaign will create the need for more Internet marketing. If you can make a cycle that includes customers and a search they often use, they can locate your business and purchase your products.

Create unique banner ads, and do not make them look like other banners. Try to create an interesting and unique banner ad to entice potential visitors.

Consider including a forum on your website or setting up a page on a social networking site for your customers to gather and socialize. You can have more site traffic if people are communicating with others! People will remember the interaction, and come back for more again and again. Create interesting logos related to your company that customers can place on their website or blog to help get the word out about your product or service.

It is quite helpful to have a 500 error webpage that is user friendly. You will need that when your database code stops working. Avoid the typical basic error message that lacks any real information. There are lots of different ways you can inform your visitors that there is a known problem and you are working to correct it.

TIP! Here is a great tip for successful internet marketing. Your site?s landing page needs to lay out a clear objective.

The internet is an effective free resource to help evaluate your market approach since you may not be able to afford a marketing consultant. Some examples including attending local conferences and workshops on business development, participating in online business forums, finding e-books on the subject and reading blogs about marketing.

When you utilize an internal link, be sure to include a relevant keyword. The longer people stay on your website, the more likely they are to buy something, so make sure interesting, older content is easy to find. Internal linking to previous articles will keep visitors on your site which will increase your ranking on a search engine.

Making and uploading a viral video and including tags in your video will aid in your internet promotion success. Also put a link back to your site within the description of the video. You can significantly increase your website traffic by using this strategy.

You could easily find an email marketing service to help you with your internet marketing, but you should at least attempt to learn the methods yourself. Auto responders, mass mailers and creating a mailing list are all relatively simple once you learn how. You will be better prepared for the future when you learn what works best for your business.

TIP! Provide evidence and testimonials to support whatever you advertise. Many people don?t trust what they?re reading.

An FAQ page is a great way to familiarize people with your products. Offer an answer to each question, and mention products you offer as a solution to the problem when it is appropriate. Write the questions down in a way that you have an opportunity to mention specific products without actually making it appear that way.

GIve your support to a charity or good cause. When picking a charity, choose one that would be popular with your customers, and announce that you will be donating a percentage of all profits to them. A bonus is that the charity will likely show you gratitude by advertising your business for you. You could support several charities and allow your customers to choose their favorite.

Try to work phrases such as ?limited edition? and ?special edition? into ads that you put online. People go gaga over limited-edition items, and the rush to buy means you will sell out quickly.

Consider implementing mobile marketing in your business. Offer customers the chance to sign up for texts alerting them to sales, product launches, or other happenings on your site. Mobile marketing is a relatively new trend and is closely linked to Internet marketing.

TIP! Every company should have both an interesting slogan and a professional logo, no matter the size of the company. These will ensure your customers will know your brand.

Make your customers aware of your privacy policy and let them know how you will protect their confidential information. People are wary of sending personal information over the Internet, so make sure you ease these fears by letting customers know that their information is secure.

Any content you have that has user polls to the side of the page gives your users the chance to express their emotions about your content. This will make readers feel included, and it will also help you maintain popular content on your site.

In conclusion, many businesses use Online marketing to sell products and services. Internet promotion uses methods such as search engine optimization and advertising to generate sales interest. If you remember the advice in this article, you can use Internet marketing to seriously boost interest in your own products and services.

You can gather information from viewers about why they chose to not make a purchase by including a form on the bottom of your ad. Perhaps they didn?t like the product, your articles or it may be something else.

TIP! A smart way to give good content to your customers and market your business is to interview experts in your field. Having an authority figure speaking well of your product/business is a great way to entice others to try it.

Source: http://www.monopolizingmarketing.com/469/give-your-brand-a-kick-with-these-affiliate-marketing-top-tips/

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RolePlayGateway?

(Random Scene I typed up from a book I'm getting ready to preform.)

It was as if time had stopped completely, frozen along my own skin and traveling over my flesh like small bubbles of water being pushed back over the windows of a car?s windshield. My mind seemed like a movie theater while the eyes that portrayed images were staring at the crimson mess I had witnessed inside Damien?s room, watching the liquid pour down plastic sheets underneath the entire length of his elaborate and dark bed. Damien was leaning over it, and his eyes?. Oh, those beautiful blue eyes were now radiating with a rose colored iris that seemed to glow inside the dim lighting of the entire perimeter. But now, he was nothing more then a monster staring back at me with long, sharp teeth protruding from blood stained lips while his limp victim had her neck laying awkwardly on the bed with her eyes staring lifelessly back at me. Drool stained her mouth, and her nails were covered in blood as splatters of her life force had found its way onto her clothes. I had never seen someone dead before. It made my heart leap up into my throat as my stomach clenched, and sweat started to form around my clenched fists. Silence.

?A-Audrey? don?t move?? Damien said after a few moments of silent terror, his bended knees slowly becoming straight as he wiped the blood from his face onto the sleeve of a dark coat, but my hands had already started to shake from adrenaline. Time, had started to move forward again when I could finally feel the breath in my chest come back to me with a gasping start of realization. ?Audrey?? His hands were towards me in a timid way. Was he trying to assure me that this was normal? Trying to prevent panic? How could he be so stupid.

?Y-you? you?? The words barely stuttered from my mouth as my feet took slow steps backwards from the doorway, my scarf falling from my shoulders as he took another hesitant step towards me with an expression that obviously read ?Oh shit? I?ve been caught.?

?Audrey, please. Just?. Just don?t run. Let me explain-?

My back had come to face him as I bolted down the hallway away from him, my feet slipping and sliding as a hand gripped me to swing around the edge of the stairs, practicially stumbling my way down the wooden steps as my heart rate had spiked to jump into my throat. My chest was swelling with panic and fear while the thoughts of death and the fear of dying couldn?t leave my head. He had been eating that woman! Drinking her blood! Was he a cannibal?! Some sort of insane vampiric cult member?! Of course, this one incident had masked the entire times of lovely company he had masked over my eyes. All I was worried about now was getting out of his house, and back into town. Where it was safe.

?Audrey! Come back here!? I could hear him yelling after me as my hands grabbed the door knob, but a pale set of digits slammed it closed as he appeared next to it with his chest heaving slightly and a glare on his face. How in the world? had he gotten here so quickly? He stared down at me, so intimidating with his tall figure hunching over my own 5"4 physique as his nails pressed into the wood with sharp indents. "Audrey. Please... don't make this harder then it has to be. Just sit down... and we can talk." He said, his voice slowly growing more and more angered as his chest became still and his red eyes had started to fade to their usual alluring ice color.

My efforts were quick while I slammed my foot into his crotch, his hands flying around his pelvis as he cried out in pain and my back once again became his visual as I sprinted into the small bathroom through the kitchen's passage, slamming the door with adrenaline pumping in my veins while the lock was flicked shut by my fingers. What do I do? What do I do? My eyes frantically moved around the bathroom to the window near the shower, the dark curtains falling off as I ripped them apart and struggled to undo the window locks when loud banging came from outside the door and forced the wood to bend and almost break at each hard blow. "AUDREY! Open the damn door!" Damien yelled angrily, vicious tones spreading into my ears as I flew the sill up and my body quickly slithered through the opening into the cold air. The door broke open.

On my feet again, I started to run across the darkening field with my eyes set on the little piece of forest that separated me from the main road that led into town. I now realized why Damien had chosen to take up a rural home; it was clear he was trying to hide himself... whatever he even was. I didn't want to stop. I couldn't stop. My hands flew through the air in motion as my legs viciously tore through grass and shrub with my boots digging into the frozen ground, the wind forcing my skin to turn red at the nose and cheeks while it stung into my green eyes. Tears forced their way out of the corners, and I struggled to wipe them away as the treeline became closer and closer in my vision while my heart continued to pump with more adrenaline fueling my legs to keep going even though my muscles trembled from the start of exhaustion. The sound of a window being broken made me turn my head back for a moment, my eyes going wide to see Damien's figure standing in the distance and it seemed like his eyes were piercing straight into my own even though he was standing from such a far distant... but I lost his form as my feet stumbled into the treeline, my legs struggling to catch themselves over the roots as I angled myself towards the cars in the distance going along the road into the highlights of buildings that represented my safety from this.... insane man. I had to keep running.

But the clouds were darkening, and my eyes glanced back to see how far he was to coming up on me. His figure was gone. My feet slowed for a moment while my legs thanked me for a small rest, my hands resting on a tree trunk as I breathed heavily with my hair falling in my face from the wind's wrath and my arms starting to tremble as my entire body felt like it had been hit by a large tremor. Where was he? Where had he gone? Was he... was he getting his car to drive after me? "W-What the hell..." I breathed out as my red hair continued to fall in tangled by my ears, my eyes narrowed until a spot of black made my eyes widen. He was at the treeline... I could see his eyes, his face perfectly. How had he ran so fast!? With an instant bolt, I started to run again, my breath coming up short as my heart jump started with the fear. I had to run faster!

But his figure was a blurr in front of me, causing me to skid to a stop as he vanished again and the woods became dead silent, the few calls of crows fading as the wind seemed to drop in mid air. Why... had I stopped? I took a step forward, my own feet crunching leaves making them sound like I was breaking glass and the sounds growing in my ears forcing me to jump in fear as I looked up and around me, trying to spot him as the blurrs of black and wind went to my right, and then my left, causing me to jerk one way and then another with fear swelling inside of me. It was like a dark force was slowly sneaking up on me, like a snake waiting to strike it's prey with its fangs and my legs didn't want to move now as they trembled and slowly started to take steps backwards with a hand stretching to touch a tree trunk and grip it for support that I didn't even realize I needed.

"You make things so difficult when you don't listen, Audrey." Damien's soft and alluring voice was now laced with something more then a mortal tone, and it came from all around me, making her turn my head left and right to find out where he was... but I couldn't see him. "Of course, maybe that's one of the reasons I like you so much. You're stubborn, independent. You want to live, you want to thrive in your own way. Danger scares you, and you run from it because you want to keep breathing this air in. I admire that." He sounded so calm, so serious.... and amused. My hands clenched, sweating and cold with clammy written all over my palms and digits. "But, this time. I really wish you had just sat down... and talked it out with me. Isn't that what lovers do when complications occur?"

"We aren't lovers. You killed someone, Damien... you... were... w-were eating her. You think I was going to let you talk to me about it?" I stammered out in a voice that I tried to make sound brave, but the fear and exhaustion I was feeling was smothered in it. Silence followed with a few leaves crunching, but his figure remained invisible to my eyes.

"You weren't supposed to see that, Audrey. Besides, she was a nobody. It's not like anyone would of missed her. And correction, love. I was drinking her blood, not eating her. Flesh is unappetizing to someone of my nature." He explained. My eyes narrowed slightly as I chewed on my lower lip, my muscles tight and my heart racing in my chest as I struggled to reply.

"W-Whatever! You're a psychopath!" I blurted out irrationally, my hands curling and uncurling at a faster rate.

"Am I? Well, I suppose to you mortals, we could be considered that. But really, it's my life source. I need blood to survive. Didn't I once hear you say you thought vampires were real? Doesn't your speech clearly state you think vampires killed your mother?" My blood froze. How.... how did he find my speech? Emotions started to swell up inside of me as I struggled to hold back tears of the past, images of my mother's bloody body and her derranged screams and wild eyes flashing in my mind before I forced them out with anger coming as my defense.

"W-What are you saying?" I said with a tight throat, the lump in my neck forming and making it hard to swallow. Don't cry. Don't cry...

"Vampires didn't kill your mother, Audrey. In fact, if Demetrius had done his job correctly, I wouldn't be here trying to swoon you off your feet. Which I did, until you came in. But what a shame, you have turned this into something that is going to be much harder to accomplish then I had planned." His voice became more sour, obviously brooding in a way. He was avoiding my question... he wasn't telling me something.

"W-What did you do to my mother!? What are you!?" I screamed out, my nails digging into my palms as anger and pain burrowed into my veins and caused tears to gloss my eyes. My head was frantically looking around for him while the wind started to pick up again. Boots landing on the ground forced me to turn, and his stature became visible over me as I stared to his 6 feet and 5 inch height with intimidation crawling over my skin. He was perfect though... the sculpted face, that pale and flawless skin... his lean physique and fluffy, long black brown hair falling in layers around his neck with it parted towards the middle and those lovely eyes staring onto my face. But his glamour was no more.

"Audrey, your intuition was always right. Vampires... well..." He leaned forward slightly, a small but charming and sinister smile forming on his pale lips. "We do exist." A flash of white blinded my eyes for a second as the silvery gleam of sharp fangs and sharpened teeth appeared with his smile, and my blood seemed to grow cold while I stumbled backwards slightly and he chuckled softly with a dark and heavy aura started to take over the forest. It felt like gravity was trying to force me to my knees, the feeling of fear and sorrow overtaking my heart with his eyes freezing my limbs over. My feet continued to stumble, until a blurr made him vanish again and I slammed into something behind me.

Arms wrapped around me like ribbons, a strong hand forming over my mouth with cloth pressing into my parted lips and into my nostrils as I struggled not to breath. I could feel an iron grip keeping my upper body from budging as my legs squirmed and kicked, hair flopping in my eyes while I struggled to twist and turn. But I froze when feeling two needles grazing part of my throat, pressing lightly against my skin and almost breaking my soft barrier but they didn't. He was teasing me, scaring me... trying to get me to scream and breath in. I could already taste the chloroform seeping into my mouth as his cold lips pressing into my ear. "Shhh....Shhh..." It was like a ghost whispering to me.

I was forced to breath in when I felt his fangs bite into my earlobe, drawing slight blood as the twinges of pain caused my heart to leap and my lungs contract while I sucked in a breath of air and the strong smell took over my nasal cavities and went into my throat. The chemical seeped its way into my head, causing my eyes to slowly close while his hands loosened a bit around my torso and slowly remove the fabric as fog took over my thoughts and scattered them this way and that. I couldn't feel, I could only let my body go limp against him as my vision blurred with my hues becoming covered by my own eyelids. The last thing I saw was his face. His perfect face, those beautiful eyes. The sounds of crows scattered across the sky in my ears as the wind started to blow violently again.

Before I stopped seeing him, I saw the face of a monster. Fangs, red eyes... shadows on a sickly pale face as his perfect image seemed to break apart. It was his broken mask.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway

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L.A. port strike triggers fears, lobbying by businesses

(Reuters) - A national coalition of U.S. business groups is urging an end to a strike at the twin California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach amid fears that a prolonged stand-off will cost the American economy many billions of dollars, and could even spread to the east coast.

Trade groups led by the National Retail Federation have sent letters to U.S. President Barack Obama and leading members of Congress asking them to intervene and help end the strike at America's two busiest container harbor facilities. Those industry groups say the strike, which entered its sixth day on Sunday, is already costing $1 billion a day.

The labor dispute has been triggered by 500 clerical workers at the ports, members of the relatively small Office of Clerical Union Workers. Their industrial action and clout has been significantly strengthened because some 10,000 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have supported them, refusing to cross the clerical workers' picket lines.

Their action has effectively shut down 10 of the two ports' combined 14 container terminals. Four other container terminals have remained opened, along with facilities for handling break-bulk cargo such as raw steel and tanker traffic.

Industry groups say they have fresh memories of a 10-day lockout at West Coast ports in 2002. They estimate that dispute cost the U.S. economy $1 billion a day and that it took six months before the supply chains fully recovered.

Groups are also warily monitoring an ongoing labor dispute between the International Longshoremen's Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance which could affect ports from Maine to Texas.

The employment contract between the two groups expired at the end of September without a new agreement. The contract was temporarily extended for 90 days, until the end of this year. A federal mediator has stepped in to oversee negotiations to try an avert a strike that would hit at least 14 ports along the East and Gulf coasts.

"Our members are very nervous and very upset about the impact of the (Los Angeles) strike on their businesses," said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation.

"We have had a lot of feedback. They have very fresh memories of what happened in 2002 and what is happening on the east coast."

Gold said his organization has been working with groups including the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the Retail Industry Leaders Industry Association and the Harbor Truckers Association to pressure lawmakers in Washington to end the stand-off.

The NRF sent a letter to Obama last week asking him to intervene. Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, California's two Democratic senators, have also urged both sides to resolve the dispute.

Negotiations ran late into Saturday and continued Sunday. The clerks had been without a contract for more than two years when labor talks with management broke off on Monday. The chief stumbling block has been the future of union representation for jobs that are lost through retirement.

ILWU leaders are demanding that jobs traditionally performed by their members remain classified as union work and subject to the union's contract terms, even after individuals holding those jobs retire. They accuse the management of seeking to outsource union clerical jobs to overseas workers paid far less in wages and benefits.

The Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest container harbor facility, and second-ranked Long Beach together handled more than $400 billion in goods arriving or leaving the West Coast by ship, L.A. port spokesman Philip Sanfield said.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/los-angeles-port-strike-triggers-fears-lobbying-businesses-025151606.html

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roomaroger: perfect-body: Best Cardio Exercises

After a holiday, it is the perfect time to step up your fitness
routine with more cardio workouts. Which cardio exercises are best? I
can give you some of the top cardio workouts to get your heart and lungs
in shape.

Why is this important?

Well, other than burning fat, cardiovascular fitness is important for the health of your heart. Heart disease doesn't just affect the heart but the vessels of the body as well. Peripheral vascular disease can lead painful joints and fluid retention in the tissues. The best way to keep this from happening is to keep the body healthy.
If you are looking for cardio exercises, here are some of the most effective.

Aerobics - Like the name says, it uses oxygen to improve your fitness level. As you get better, you will lower your heart rate and blood pressure while increasing your oxygenation throughout the tissues. That means less lactic acid build-up in the muscles, which causes cramps and muscle soreness. But aerobics is a general name for several types of activities: kickboxing, dancing, step aerobics and more. Many of these are so effective because they cause you to work in an interval fashion, changing the intensity of your workout to keep pace.

Bicycling - This can be done outside or inside (think Spin classes). This is a low-impact, high-energy workout that takes you up hills and down them again by adjusting the tension on your bike. Music keeps you moving even when your legs want to give out. Outside, you can bike trails and even go mountain biking. Some friends of mine have been biking trails recently and all seem to be getting leaner.

Swimming - Swimming is a low impact workout that isn't hard on your joints, and can burn significant fat if you do it in an interval fashion. For example you could swim at a medium intensity for two minutes and sprint for 30 seconds. Swimming freestyle, backstroke and butterfly laps all require power and good lung capacity. Just remember, if you are a beginner, you will increase your ability to swim farther and faster the more you practice.

Jogging - Jogging is among the top exercises in terms of calories burned. For those who have trouble with their knees, you can get the same jogging workout on the elliptical trainer. It increases your heart rate without all the wear and tear on your joints.
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Walking - This is one of the best overall exercises and is often recommended by health and fitness organizations, particularly for beginners or those new to exercise. Pumping your arms increases the involvement of your heart and lungs. It strengthens your entire body and burns calories.

If you are looking for some cardiovascular exercises that can burn some fat, give these a shot. Remember to try interval training by changing the intensity and watch the weight come off.

Want a free calculator that will tell you how many calories your workout burns? Go to http://www.20minutefatloss.net/free-report/ and sign up for free. You also get my 2 Week Fat-Burning Workout free.

Josh Gwin is a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer though the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and holds a black belt in martial arts. He has a degree in Biological Sciences/Pre-Med and a Master's Degree from Louisiana State University. He has been a competitive swimmer and martial artist for 15 years.

He has been in the fitness industry as an operator and personal trainer for several years, and is the founder of 20 Minute Fat Loss dot net. He is also the author of 10 Dirty Secrets of Fat Loss. He is currently finishing his program, 20 Minute Fat Loss, which he used to cut his body fat by 54% in just 3 months.

Source: http://perfect-body2002.blogspot.com/2012/12/best-cardio-exercises.html

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Source: http://roomaroger.blogspot.com/2012/12/perfect-body-best-cardio-exercises.html

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