You can't say God at a funeral in Houston?

You can't make this stuff up, people. It seems Obama's National Cemetery policy, at least in Houston, Texas, does not allow family members or anyone attending a funeral to use the word God or the name Jesus, or to bring a Bible, to the cemetery without direct consent of the direct, Arleen Ocasio.



Where's the ACLU now? Bet you don't find them defending this one!

Amplify’d from www.jersey-texan.com

God Bless Our Military! Just not at the Houston National Cemetery.

As I sat today and listened to the Michael Berry Show today, I overheard a story that has left me disgusted.  Seems the Houston National Cemetery Director is requiring grieving families they cannot use the words "God" or "Jesus" at any funeral ceremony without her approval.

Thanks to the Berry Brigade, here is how YOU can help STOP this disrespectful and unacceptable "requirement" put forth by the Houston National Cemetery Director Arleen Ocasio.  How dare she require families to submit their prayers to her in writing for approval?!   Oh.  And there's more.  And no bibles.  And no chapel.  Oh wait.  The chapel was closed.  Read on. Read more at www.jersey-texan.com

 

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Government spies on medical professionals?

I'm not sure what you call this, I know what I call it, when a government employee calls a medical service provider "pretending" to be an actual customer when they aren't.



If this is okay with you then please move to a more suitable European nation, preferably Italy or Spain. Goodbye.

Amplify’d from spectator.org

Obama's Medical Mystery Shoppers

On Tuesday evening, after being outed by the New York Times, the Obama Administration abandoned plans to have "mystery shoppers" call primary care physicians to determine how easy or difficult it is to get a doctor's appointment and whether being part of a government health insurance program impacted that ease or difficulty.

As the Times noted, "the decision [to abandon the "mystery shopper" plan], after criticism from doctors and politicians, represents an abrupt turnabout. On Sunday night, officials at the health department and the White House staunchly defended the survey as a way to measure access to primary care, and insisted that it posed no threat to privacy." Read more at spectator.org

 

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Consumer confidence heads for shelter, in the basement

There are a lot of storms this year. Tornadoes have ravaged parts of the country where they are rarely spotted. Floods have covered the plains states and there seems to be no sign of slowing.



What did we expect from the economy with the storm brewing in DC? The jobless rate is astronomical, gas prices - holy cats! Food prices up, up and up. And now home sales down yet another 2%.



Here's your change. Hope it's what you expected ...

Amplify’d from www.bloomberg.com

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Unexpectedly Falls to Six-Month Low on Job Outlook

Consumer sentiment unexpectedly decreased in May to the lowest level in six months as Americans grew concerned over the outlook for jobs and the economy, while a measure of home prices dropped to a nine-year low. Read more at www.bloomberg.com

 

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Apple wins wide ranging patent suit

Apple owns the patent to the mobile touch screen...



If you want to dance with the devil sue the bugger. Or at least as close as you can get. Nokia and Samsung have been sparring in court with no-holds-barred Apple over various technology patents for the last several months and one by one they are coming before the judge.



In technology and art it's not who actually did something first it's who patented or otherwise protected it first. In a few of these cases it appears apple may have been the first to submit the paperwork. Unlike a business name or trade-name patents go by date filed not the date first used in commerce. (I'm not a lawyer, I'm a multiple lawsuit winner

Amplify’d from www.zdnet.com

In wireless lawsuit fray, Apple snags mobile touchscreen patent

As computer maker Apple battles several patent-related lawsuits with Nokia, Samsung and other competitors related to the wireless functionality of its popular iPhone, iPod and iPad products, the company was awarded a patent on Tuesday involving how a user interacts with a mobile device’s touchscreen display. Read more at www.zdnet.com

 

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Facebook "fatigue"? That's a new one.

Has Facebook reached the natural cap for users? This article seems to assert that possibility. Then again maybe all of Roger Ebert's fan(s) quit.



Speaking of which, what about his page being deleted then re-opened? Think the kids at FB thumbed him because they didn't know he had clout with a couple of people? Or how did he get turned back on so quickly?

Amplify’d from news.sky.com

Decline In Users Hints At 'Facebook Fatigue'

Facebook is said to have suffered a second successive slump in users in America and Britain, leading some to suggest people are tiring of the ubiquitous social media site.

Roughly half the UK population has signed up Read more at news.sky.com

 

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Advice: Think mobile

Get yourself prepared for the switch to mobile. Video and audio will become vastly more important in your strategy and operations. I am also still amazed to see how many people do not have mobile ready web sites and blogs. Save yourself embarrassment and missed opportunity. 877-700-0536

Amplify’d from www.marketingcharts.com

Smartphone Data Usage Grows Rapidly

Smartphone owners, especially those with iPhones and Android devices, are consuming more data than ever before on a per-user basis, according to monthly cellphone data collected by the Nielsen Company. In just the last 12 months, the amount of data the average smartphone user consumes per month has grown by 89%, from 230 Megabytes (MB) in Q1 2010 to 435 MB in Q1 2011. Read more at www.marketingcharts.com

 

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Successful Social Selling

When I ask people to raise their hands if they think they spend too much time online for the value they get in return it is never a surprise when as many as 50% of the people raise their hands.



The goal of this workshop is to cure that for those who attend. Quite literally these presenters are some of the very best in the industry and have actually proven they know what they are talking about. This is not theory or some sales weasel trying to get you to buy a system or even a book (books are good, don't take that wrong).



How about eBay's top female seller? How about the man who wrote the first book on Twitter? This is only a sample and the early bird gets much more than worms - save 35% by registering early. It will be available for replay but only to the paid registrants!

Amplify’d from www.eventbrite.com

Successful Social Selling Using the talent of some of the best known names in online engagement this 3.5 hour session includes many time proven techniques in the psychology of selling and how to translate those to both offline and online social settings. With the recent explosion of online social tools such as Facebook and Twitter and less than 4% of the small businesses in America taking advantage of these opportunities this is a very unique opportunity to learn from the best. Every presenter has proven their skills in the industry and is known for what they can bring to the conversation. GOAL OF THIS WORKSHOP: To help the user who already has a social media presence take it to the next level and start seeing more transactional results from their online presence. There is a science to successful online selling and to omit it from the process may result in a less than satisfactory return on the time and resources invested into social media with the intent of meeting prospects and leading those relationships to sale. Learn how to: Establish a real, achievable social media plan and implement it Gather, access, understand and use social metrics to measure your success Tie all of your social media together with accurate branding Write content that sells and gets others to sell for you Create a Facebook ad campaign that yields results Actually use SEO and SEM techniques and not just hear those words Create eye-catching titles that get people to click your link and open your email without misleading Use graphics and fonts to create more sales motivating content Use audio and video to share the word even with mobile surfers Prepare for the future with upcoming changes and how to "surf on top of the wave" Much more! The lineup: Irene Koehler @IreneKoehler Bay Area, California How can I help you use social media for your business or career? Speaker, consultant, all-around nice person. Part of @SMC_SV team, Official Blogger for LeWeb10 http://bit.ly/8Aav4F         Warren Whitlock @WarrenWhitlock Las Vegas, NV Author of 1st book on Twitter, Publisher, Blogger and Social Media Radio Show Host http://BestSellerBookExpert.com Stacy Kinney @StacyKinney Hollywood, FL Social Media Marketing & Personal Branding, Real Estate Investor & Eco Friendly Gal. Driven to succeed & help others. Wine lover. Attitude of gratitude! http://www.StacyKinney.com Caroline Barry @TweetCaroline Baton Rouge, Louisiana Confirmed genius, crazy redhead, single mom being raised by 3 amazing children. Social Media / PR Director for @GeauxChevy http://bit.ly/carolinebarry James Ball @NotEasyToForget Georgia Digital Marketing Director & Corporate Social Strategist at AroundAbout Local Media, Inc. The views here and on my personal blog (linked) are my own. http://noteasytoforget.com Paul Chaney @pchaney Lafayette, LA Internet marketing and social media consultant, speaker and author of The Digital Handshake. The Social Media Handyman. http://facebook.com/paulchaney http://www.thesocialmediahandyman.com Hosted by: Ken Cook @thekencook Marietta, Georgia Not a guru or a big deal. I'm on safari. Host and founder of http://SocialMediaEdge.com radio since 2008. New Media lead for mortgage/real estate enterprise. http://about.me/kencook THIS IS AN ONLINE EVENT ONLY Access to a computer with speakers or a computer and telephone is required to participate. Slides may be used by the presenters as necessary to complete their presentation. Read more at www.eventbrite.com

 

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With the Groupon IPO the hot topic of the day - what happened to the first $1Billion?

If you were going to lend your cousin $100 wouldn't you want to know what he did with the $50 he just got a few minutes ago?



I'm not interested in Groupon for myself. If I had the power to get in big then get out quickly, perhaps within hours, maybe I'd go in. Maybe Groupon can outbest the competition but everybody has a freakin' Groupon knockoff today. I know 7 people personally who run one fairly successfully and I just developed one scratch for a company with a really nice looking plan to dominate a huge sector of the market.

Amplify’d from allthingsd.com

Where Did Groupon’s Billion Dollars Go?

In January, Groupon raised $950 million. By the end of March, it had $209 million in cash.

What happened to all that money? Read more at allthingsd.com

 

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We’re on the verge of a great, great depression. The [Federal Reserve] knows it.

Interesting words. Not mine. But I definitely agree. What I called "smoke and mirrors" under the Clinton administration was held in check throughout the second Bush's administration in part because nothing really changed.



And the cause is a massive 2 year build up of debt and increase in the size and scope of the federal government.



The unprecedented debt load under which we have been shoved by Congress and the White House over the last 2 years has broken the back of the US economy. This is clear evidence socialism never works. Those of you who are not aware of my political bent or who are afraid to face the facts need to really take a close look at what you have been supporting.



What a slight majority, mostly un-informed and un-educated, voted for in 2008 is coming home to roost. Redistribution of wealth means everyone is poor and the nation suffers greatly because of it. Poor people are not generally smart enough, organized enough or driven enough to create and manage wealth.

Amplify’d from www.cnbc.com

Wall Street Baffled by Slowing Economy, Low Yields: Trader

"What we’ve got right now is almost near panic going on with money managers and people who are responsible for money," he said. "They can not find a yield and you just don’t want to be putting your money into commodities or things that are punts that might work out or they might not depending on what happens with the economy.

"Interest rates are amazingly low and that, thanks to Ben Bernanke, is driving everything," Yastrow said. "We’re on the verge of a great, great depression. The [Federal Reserve] knows it. Read more at www.cnbc.com

 

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How to miss a free chance to reach 13% of American adults

This only requires 1 simple step: Don't "get" Twitter.



How many people have said, "I don't get Twitter" or "Twitter is a time suck"?

Amplify’d from pewinternet.org

13% of online adults use the status update service Twitter, which represents a significant increase from the 8% of online adults who identified themselves as Twitter users in November 2010. 95% of Twitter users own a mobile phone, and half of these users access the service on their handheld device.

See more at pewinternet.org

 

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