Stop Snoring Now With These Easy Tips - Health Care

Snoring poses a serious inconvenience and can be incredibly aggravating. No matter if you are the person who snores or it is someone sleeping nearby, it can be difficult to handle. Snoring has an annoying sound, and can affect whether someone is able to get a sufficient amount of sleep. Luckily, there are things you can do about it! This article is filled with tips that will help you handle your snoring issues.

Singing can help cure snoring. The reason for this is that singing makes the muscles in your throat a lot stronger over time. Once your throat muscles are strong, the chances that you will snore will be less. Musical instruments, such as the saxophone or trumpet, may also strengthen throat muscles.

If you snore often, watch what you eat prior to going to sleep. Things such as muscle relaxants and alcohol can cause the throat muscles to relax. These tissues can collapse inward, causing snoring by restricting your air flow. Stick to water if you need to drink something to rehydrate yourself before going to bed.

If you want to reduce or eliminate snoring, try laying on the left side of your body while you sleep. Snoring can cause your partner to lose sleep and be less refreshed and happy in the mornings. This solution hasn?t been clinically proven to work, though. However, according to many snoring sufferers, sleeping on the left side does open nasal passageways and helps reduce snoring.

Snoring exercises may help eliminate your snoring issue. Surprising as it might seem, there are some effective, medically-formulated exercises that can prevent the unwanted muscular relaxation that can cause snoring. Talk to your doctor about these exercises. If he thinks they are appropriate, engage in them every night before bed.

If you?re having trouble sleeping due to snoring, perhaps the best place to search for a solution is right in your own bed. It?s possible that you are allergic to synthetic materials that your sheets and bedding are made from. These allergies may be the cause of the swollen airways and stuffed up nose that cause snoring. Try using plain cotton bedding or even special ?non-allergenic? bedding that can be found at specialty bedding stores.

If you have a loved one that is a snorer, this old wives tale may offer some relief. Because sleeping on your back can cause snoring, you can try attaching a tennis ball to the rear of your pajama shirt, so that you?ll roll to one side or the other while sleeping.

Many people are advocates of a cure aptly named ?tennis ball cure?. This unique method involves putting a tennis ball on your back, by sewing a pocket on your shirt for it or putting it in a sock and pinning it to your back. If you roll over on your back during your sleep the tennis ball will make it very uncomfortable. Over time, it will become natural for you to sleep on your side or stomach; at that point, you can ditch the tennis ball.

One option for snorers is a procedure that can trim or take out the uvula. This is a flap of tissue which bends downward in the back part of the throat. You need to realize that removing the uvula can help alleviate snoring but your risk of choking will increase.

Snoring is hard to cope with. It sounds horrible, and can wake both you and your partner up, meaning you never get enough sleep. The good news is that effective treatments exist to help reduce snoring. This article has shown you different techniques you can use to stop snoring. Use these tips to help you get snoring problems under control.

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Source: http://www.healthcarecenteradvice.com/2012/12/31/stop-snoring-now-with-these-easy-tips-2/

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Iranian President Sacks Iran's Sole Female Lawmaker

According to the BBC, no reason has been given for the dismissal, but it is being linked to her call for drug price rises to fight shortages caused by international sanctions.

Ahmadinejad rejected her comments, saying her budget needs had been met, the state-run media reported.

Prior to her dismissal, Dastjerdi said that because of the rise in the foreign exchange rate, there would be an inevitable increase in the price of medicine.

She complained of her department's inability to get access to foreign currency she had been promised, the report said.

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Source: http://feeds.medindia.net/~r/allhealthnews/~3/_t0Rn7v7zWc/iranian-president-sacks-irans-sole-female-lawmaker-112185-1.htm

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The Nikki Rich Show talks with Nitres 12/29 by Nikki Rich | Blog Talk ...

On his show, Comedian Rodney Perry covers arts and entertainment, everything from comedy and politics to music and acting, with his signature comedic slant.

MashUp Radio is a 30-minute podcast that discusses the fusion of technology, life, culture and science. Host Peter Biddle, engineer and executive for Intel?s Atom Software, dishes up a thought-provoking discussion.

Joy Keys provides her listeners with insight to improve their lives mentally, physically, monetarily and emotionally. Past guests on the show have included Meshell Nedegeocello, Blair Underwood, in addition to an impressive list of CEOs, humanitarians and authors.

Host Barry Moltz gets small businesses unstuck. He has founded and run small businesses with a great deal of success and failure for more than 15 years. This is a business radio show where he shares all the craziness of small business. It?s that craziness that actually makes it exciting, interesting and totally unpredictable.

The Bottom Line Sports Show is hosted by former NBA stars Penny Hardaway, Charles Oakley, Mateen Cleaves. Tune in to get the inside scoop on what's happening in sports today.

Deepak Chopra Radio provides an online forum for compelling and thought provoking conversations on success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being and spirituality.

Hits Radio covers basketball, sports culture and entertainment with past guests including Jason Kidd, Robin Lundberg and Chris Herren.

Listeners get an earful on The Halli Casser-Jayne Show, Talk Radio for Fine Minds. Whether it?s the current political cocktail or the latest must-read award-winning book, Halli tackles all topics and likes to stir ? and sometimes shakes ? things up.

Official Internet radio show of forthcoming epic paranormal investigation book by Eric Olsen and "Haunted Housewife" Theresa Argie.

Award-winning World Footprints is a leading voice in socially responsible travel and lifestyle. Hosts Ian & Tonya celebrate culture and heritage and bring a unique voice to the world of travel.

Football Reporters Online is a group of veteran football experts in the fields of coaching, scouting, talent evaluation, and writing/broadcasting/media placement. Combined, the group brings well over 100 years of expertise in sports.

Host John Martin interviews the nation's leading entrepreneurs and small biz experts to educate small business owners on how to be successful. Past guests have included Emeril Lagasse and Guy Kawasaki.

The Movie Geeks share their passion for the art through interviews with the stars of and creative minds behind your favorite flicks and pay tribute to big-screen legends. From James Cameron and Francis Ford Coppola to Ellen Burstyn and Robert Duvall, The Geeks have got'em all.

Sylvia Global presents global conversations pertaining to women, wealth, business, faith and philanthropy. Sylvia has interviewed an eclectic mix from CEOs and musicians to fashion designers and philanthropists including Randolph Duke and Ne-Yo.

Seasoned entertainment reporter Robin Milling gets up close and personal with the world's most compelling celebs. From Michael Douglas to Katie Holmes to Kevin Kline to Ashley Judd to America Ferrera, she sits down in person each week with each and every A-lister.

Mr. Media host Bob Andelman goes one-on-one with the hottest, most influential minds from the worlds of film, TV, music, comedy, journalism and literature. That means A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Christian Slater, Kathy Ireland, Rick Fox, Chris Hansen and Jackie Collins.

Paula Begoun, best-selling author of Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, separates fact from fiction on achieving a radiant, youthful complexion at any age. She?s regularly joined by health and beauty experts who offer the latest on keeping your skin in tip-top shape.

Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thenikkirichshow/2012/12/29/the-nikki-rich-show-talks-with-nitres

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Next Minneapolis mayor will inherit challenges (Star Tribune)

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African Union head visits Central African Republic

Map locates the Central African Republic and city of Sibut

Map locates the Central African Republic and city of Sibut

BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) ? The leader of the African Union, Benin's President Thomas Boni Yayi, has proposed a government of national unity to resolve the rebel conflict in Central African Republic.

Boni Yayi arrived here Sunday to try to find a negotiated resolution to the country's crisis. The president of the African Union met with President Francois Bozize and then made an appeal to the rebels.

"I beg my rebellious brothers, I ask them to cease hostilities, to make peace with President (Francois) Bozize and the Central African people," said Boni Yayi at a press conference in Bangui, the capital. "If you stop fighting, you are helping to consolidate peace in Africa. African people do not deserve all this suffering. The African continent needs peace and not war."

Boni Yayi said that Bozize had pledged to have an open dialogue with the rebels with the goal of establishing a government of national unity, which would include representation from the rebels and the Bozize government.

Bozize also addressed the conference and said, although he plans to stay in power until his term ends in 2016, he is not against having the rebels enter a coalition government with him.

"We'll probably be able to set up a national unity government. I apologize to the suffering Central African people," said Bozize. "It is a message of peace to my brothers of Central African Republic, "said Bozize.

The African Union's leader arrived in Bangui when many feared there would be a fight over the capital, Bangui, a city of 600,000.

According to several families in Bangui, members of the Presidential Guard have kidnapped people suspected of supporting the rebels who have seized 10 cities in the country's north over the past three weeks.

A rebel spokesman, Col. Juma Narkoyo, warned Bozize: "We warn the head of state and his family to stop abducting our parents. They have nothing to do with it. If he wants to solve its problems, he comes to meet us on the ground. We expect firm feet. " H0e said that a dozen people have already been arrested in Bangui.

On his arrival in Bangui, Yayi Boni had a private meeting for more than two hours with Bozize in the VIP lounge of Mpoko airport, which is secured by French troops.

So far Boni Yayi has no meetings scheduled with rebels or with the democratic opposition.

Boni Yayi's diplomatic effort comes as France has deployed an additional 180 troops to protect its interests.

The French reinforcements arrived Sunday from nearby Gabon, bringing the total French military force in the capital, Bangui, to nearly 600, Col. Thierry Burkhard told The Associated Press Sunday. The troops are to protect French residents in the capital, which many fear will be attacked by the rebels.

As fears mounted that the rebels would attack Bangui, Bozize imposed a curfew from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Bozize earlier appealed to France for help against the rebels, but French President Francois Hollande's government said it would only protect French interests and would not prop up the Bangui government.

As the rebels have made a rapid advance across the country's north, residents in the capital now fear the insurgents could attack at any time, despite assurances by rebel leaders that they are willing to engage in dialogue instead of attacking Bangui.

On Saturday the rebels seized the city of Sibut, 185 kilometers (114 miles) from Bangui.

Sibut, a key transportation hub, fell without a shot being fired because the Central African Republic army and forces from neighboring Chad had pulled back to Damara, 75 kilometers (46 miles) from Bangui on Friday, said Minister of Territorial Administration Josie Binoua.

Neighboring African countries have agreed to send more forces to support the Bozize government.

Representatives from the 10-nation Economic Community of Central African States, or ECCAS, agreed at a meeting in Gabon Friday to send forces to CAR, but did not did not specify how many troops would be sent or how quickly the military assistance would arrive.

The ECCAS states, with more than 500 soldiers via their regional peacekeeping force in Central Africa, over the weekend warned the rebels to halt their advances.

"ECCAS forces are on high alert, and the city of Damara is the limit not to cross," said Antonio Di Garcia, the ECCAS representative in Bangui. He urged the government forces and the rebels to hold to their current positions and to begin dialogue.????????????

?The ongoing instability prompted the United States to evacuate about 40 people, including the U.S. ambassador, from Bangui on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya, said U.S. officials who insisted on anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the operation.

The United States has special forces troops in the country who are assisting in the hunt for Joseph Kony, the fugitive rebel leader of another rebel group known as the Lord's Resistance Army. The U.S. special forces remain in the country, the U.S. military's Africa Command said from its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

The evacuation of the U.S. diplomats came after criticism of how the U.S. handled diplomatic security before and during the attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11. The ambassador and three other Americans were killed in that attack.

French diplomats have remained in Bangui despite a violent demonstration outside its embassy last week. Dozens of protesters, angry at France's lack of help against rebel forces, threw rocks at the French Embassy in Bangui and stole a French flag.

This landlocked nation of 4.4 million people has suffered decades of army revolts, coups and rebellions since gaining independence in 1960 and remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The current president himself came to power nearly a decade ago in the wake of a rebellion in this resource-rich yet deeply poor country.

Bozize's government earlier reached out to longtime ally Chad, which pledged to send 2,000 troops to bolster Central African Republic's own forces.

The rebels behind the most recent instability signed a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army, but insurgent leaders say the deal wasn't fully implemented.

The rebels say they are fighting because of their "thirst for justice, for peace, for security and for economic development of the people of Central African Republic." The rebels also are demanding that the government make payments to ex-combatants.

Despite Central African Republic's wealth of gold, diamonds, timber and uranium, the government remains perpetually cash-strapped.

The United Nations Security Council condemned the violence and reiterated its demand that the armed groups "immediately cease hostilities, withdraw from captured cities and cease any further advance towards the city of Bangui."

___

Associated Press Writer Greg Keller contributed to this piece from Paris.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-12-30-AF-Central%20African%20Republic-Rebel%20Advance/id-2e96d9f34e4943e19cf752fcb5c7d46a

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Yale under fire for new campus in restrictive Singapore

NEW HAVEN (Reuters) - For more than 300 years, Yale University has prided itself on training top students to question and analyze, to challenge and critique.

Now, Yale is seeking to export those values by establishing the first foreign campus to bear its name, a liberal arts college in Singapore that is set to open this summer. The ambitious, multimillion-dollar project thrills many in the Yale community who say it will help the university maintain its prestige and build global influence.

But it has also stirred sharp criticism from faculty and human-rights advocates who say it is impossible to build an elite college dedicated to free inquiry in an authoritarian nation with heavy restrictions on public speech and assembly.

"Yale's motto is 'Lux et veritas,' or 'Light and truth,'" said Michael Fischer, a Yale professor of computer science. "We're going into a place with severe curbs on light and truth ... We're redefining the brand in a way that's contrary to Yale's values."

Yale President Richard Levin describes the new venture as a chance to extend Yale's tradition of nurturing independent thinkers to a dynamic young nation at the crossroads of Asia. In the 19th century, Yale scholars fanned out to launch dozens of American colleges, Levin noted in a 2010 memo presenting the concept to faculty. "Yale could influence the course of 21st century education as profoundly," he wrote.

Levin, who spent years expanding Yale's campus in New Haven before initiating the Singapore project in 2010, has announced plans to retire at the end of the academic year. His successor, Yale Provost Peter Salovey, also supports the Singapore venture.

Working with the National University of Singapore, or NUS, Yale is building a comprehensive liberal arts college from scratch. The school will offer majors from anthropology to urban studies, electives from fractal geometry to moral reasoning, and a rich menu of extracurricular activities -- sports, drama, debate, even a juggling club.

Scheduled to open this summer with 150 students, it is slated to grow to about 1,000 undergraduates living in a high-rise campus now under construction.

While American universities have been venturing overseas for decades, they have mostly offered tightly focused degree programs, often for graduate students. The closest analogy to the Yale project may be New York University's branch campuses now under construction in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.

But the new NYU campuses are extensions of the university. The Yale venture, which targets top students from around the globe, is an unusual hybrid.

It will be called Yale-NUS College. It will draw some faculty -- and its inaugural president, Pericles Lewis -- straight from New Haven. Students will spend the summer before freshman year in New Haven, attending seminars with Yale faculty. When they graduate, they will be welcomed into the Association of Yale Alumni.

Yet Yale officials are emphatic that the new school is not a branch campus. The degrees it issues will not be Yale degrees.

"It is not Yale," said Charles Bailyn, an astronomy professor on leave from Yale to serve as the founding dean of Yale-NUS.

OPPORTUNITY OR "FRANKENYALE"?

The new college will be funded entirely by the Singapore government, which will also subsidize tuition. Singapore citizens will pay about $18,000 a year, including room and board. International students will pay about $43,000 unless they secure a discount by committing to work for a Singapore company for three years after graduation.

Yale and Singapore will get an equal number of seats on the new college's governing board -- but Singapore's education minister must approve all the Yale nominees.

The arrangement exposes Yale to risk because its name is on the college, yet the university does not have control over the end product, said Richard Edelstein, who studies trends in higher education at the University of California at Berkeley. One angry member of Yale's faculty, Christopher Miller, a professor of French and African American studies, has dubbed the venture "Frankenyale."

Those involved in the project say the novel structure is a boon that will enable educational experimentation, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary seminars and student research. It's a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a new college program from the ground up," said Yale anthropologist Bernard Bate, who has signed on to teach in Singapore.

He and others say they will bring the best of their new approach back to New Haven. And they contend that fears about censorship in Singapore are wildly overblown.

That issue came to the fore last spring, when Yale faculty voted 100 to 69 for a resolution raising concern about the venture in light of "the history of lack of respect for civil and political rights" in Singapore.

Human Rights Watch, the international advocacy group, subsequently accused Yale of "betraying the spirit of the university." This month the American Association of University Professors weighed in, expressing concern about the project's implications for academic freedom.

Singapore, an island nation in southeast Asia, is a democracy but has been dominated by one political party since securing independence from Britain half a century ago. In the name of stability and security, the government restricts public demonstrations to a corner of one park and heavily regulates news and entertainment, according to the U.S. State Department.

Last year a British author was jailed for writing a book critical of Singapore's judiciary. This spring the government prevented an opposition politician from leaving the country to speak at the Oslo Freedom Forum.

Still, Yale faculty working on the new college said they had spoken with foreign professors teaching on other campuses in Singapore and came away convinced that academic freedom would be respected.

George Bishop, a Yale PhD who been teaching psychology at the National University of Singapore since 1991, says he has never felt restricted. In a class on the AIDS epidemic, he and his students freely discuss how Singapore's anti-sodomy laws hinder the nation's public-health response.

"We criticize the government all the time in class," said Bishop, who has joined the faculty of the new college.

PLENTY OF APPLICANTS

Yet Yale-NUS will not be free and open in the way American students may expect.

Singapore bans speech deemed to promote racial or religious strife. As long as they toe that line, students will be free to hear speakers and express views inside campus buildings. But many outdoor assemblies will require a government permit, Yale-NUS President Lewis said. Singapore law defines "assembly" quite broadly, to include a single protester holding a sign or an open-air debate.

"Can you march on City Hall?" asked Bailyn, the Yale-NUS dean. No, he answered -- but said that didn't trouble him, as "that's not really an educational matter." Bailyn said he had been promised complete freedom with "the core mission of the college -- researching, teaching, unfettered discussion."

Indeed, Yale-NUS faculty say they expect Singapore to be cautious about interfering with the new college for fear of provoking an incident and prompting Yale to withdraw its name.

"We know what a liberal arts education is, what intellectual freedom is," said Keith Darden, a political scientist at Yale, "and we'll accept nothing less than that for ourselves and our students."

Under the philosophical questions lies a pragmatic one: Will the new college succeed?

For all its wealth, Singapore has not always proved an ideal marketplace for higher education. Australia's University of New South Wales opened a campus in Singapore in 2007 -- only to shut it after one semester because of low enrollment. This fall, NYU announced it would close its graduate film school in Singapore because of financial trouble.

Other American ventures in Singapore have done better, including a music conservatory developed by Johns Hopkins University.

Interest in Yale-NUS is running high. Almost 2,600 students from around the globe have applied for the initial 150 spots. Several dozen have already been accepted -- among them, Singaporean students who suggest Yale's faculty might do well to back off the criticism and trust in the value of the liberal arts education they hold so dear.

"Ideological purity and moral righteousness from these critics will not make Singapore a free society, but education and the spread of ideas will," Jared Yeo, a Singapore native accepted to Yale-NUS, wrote on the college's blog.

Perhaps the most pointed critique of the New Haven protests came from E-Ching Ng, a Singaporean who earned an undergraduate degree at Yale and remained on campus to study linguistics. In a column in the Yale Daily News last spring, she urged faculty to respect the rules Singapore has developed to maintain public order.

"Qur'an burning is illegal in Singapore, and we like it that way," she wrote. "We prioritize our values differently, and different doesn't mean wrong. At least, that's what I learned from a Yale liberal arts education."

(Reporting By Stephanie Simon in New Haven. Additional reporting by Kevin Lim in Singapore. Editing by Jonathan Weber and Douglas Royalty.)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/yale-under-fire-campus-restrictive-singapore-060555413.html

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Deal reached to avert East coast port strike ... for now

(Reuters) - The union representing nearly 15,000 dockworkers at U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coast seaports stretching from Boston to Corpus Christi, Texas, reached a tentative contract deal with shipping companies on Friday, averting a strike that threatened to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy.

The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance clinched a deal in federally-mediated talks less than two days before a strike deadline set by the union to coincide with expiration of the contract on Sunday.

The threatened walkout would have brought container cargo operations to a halt at 15 ports along the Eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast, marking the first such work stoppage in 35 years. Friday's announcement came hours after the White House urged the parties to settle their dispute.

Under Friday's deal, the two sides agreed to extend the terms of their expiring labor pact for 30 more days while negotiators finalize details of their settlement, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said in a statement.

The breakthrough came as the parties agreed "in principle" on the contentious issue of "container royalties," or bonus payments earned by ILA dockworkers based on the tonnage of cargo moved through their respective ports.

The new contract does not eliminate the royalty payments, as the shippers had demanded, according to Benny Holland, an executive vice president for the ILA.

"The royalty will stay intact. We have worked out a formula for it," he said in an interview. He did not elaborate and the shippers declined to comment. No further details were disclosed in the government's statement.

LONG-TERM AGREEMENT AWAITED

Established in 1960, the royalty payments to ILA workers are based on the tons of container cargo that move through a port. That tonnage has risen from 50 million tons in 1996 to 110 million tons last year, according to the alliance.

Total payments last year were $211 million, according to the USMX, or an average of $15,500 per worker.

The original idea of the royalty payments was to protect longshoremen from wage losses expected as a result of "containerization," in which more and more goods are packed in the now-familiar 20- and 40-foot long boxes. Those take less manpower to offload than the less-standardized containers they replaced.

The two sides also fought over the guaranteed eight-hour workday in the current contract as well as the seven-man "lashing gang." Lashing crews, or gangs, secure the cargo containers to the vessel using metal lashing rods to keep them from moving while the vessel is at sea. The maritime alliance wanted to eliminate each.

A new long-term agreement has an 80 percent chance of happening by January 28, Capital Alpha Partners analyst Loren Smith said in a research note.

The temporary agreement comes as labor forces felt emboldened by recent victories by other unions across the United States. At the same time, shipping companies and port operators have been using more automation, but have seen profits shrink.

The Baltic Dry index, which tracks the cost to ship materials overseas, is down 55 percent in the past year and currently trading at levels it has not seen in a decade.

(Additional reporting by Kevin Gray in Miami and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, editing by Mary Milliken; desking by G Crosse)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mediator-says-deal-reached-avert-port-strike-now-171126727.html

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The Importance of Customer Service Surveys for Call Center ...

We?ve recently surveyed our customers to see if our call center services were meeting their expectations.?? I?ve found to provide excellent customer service?it?s best to proactively obtain information from our customers whether the their input is complimentary or expresses concerns about our service.

A customer satisfaction survey is an important component of any relationship.? It shows

Customer Satisfaction!

that you value your customer and the experience provided to them.? ?Ehow.com article states: Although many businesses are quick to placate customers who voice complaints, a business that pre-emptively strives to satisfy the customer makes an even better impression. This consideration of the customer?s opinions can foster loyalty in the long run and translate to repeat sales.

In another article it describes: A customer satisfaction survey is a very important tool that can provide benefits for businesses of every size. Surveys can assist business decision-makers in developing strategies to achieve the all-important goal of gaining and retaining customers. Results can play a key role in identifying areas of the business that require corrective action and improvement. Surveys can also identify areas that can be leveraged to achieve business growth and expansion.

As I stated in an earlier blog on the customer experience: Customer impact is worth?s its weight on gold.? Usually, the first impression is a lasting one, so we need to make very impression count.?

Whether a customer is paying for call center,? telephone answering service or other services, we believe it?s our responsibility to provide nothing less than what they pay for!? Customer satisfaction surveys help us gain our customers prospective of our service, while helping us to find what?s?working and what?s?not working in delivering services that will meet or exceed?our customers? expectations.

Comments

comments

?

Cheryl L. LaBaw recently joined Sound Telecom as Director of Customer Relations. She is responsible for maintaining a high standard of service quality through ongoing monitoring and coaching of our call center agents. Cheryl also assists with marketing and social media. Prior to her arrival at Sound Telecom, Cheryl invested over 31 years in the customer care and service areas with United Airlines. She brings a wealth of knowledge and ideas from her experiences there in addition to working over 13 years in their call center. Cheryl?s skills in conflict resolution and customer satisfaction make her an excellent addition to the management team. As a Flight Attendant and Safety Professional she provided a more personal touch to customer concerns and safety issues. Mrs. LaBaw is passionate about health issues and has served her community by volunteering at Swedish Medical Center for three years in the Community Health Education Department. She also supports various youth organizations and child health and welfare organizations.

Source: http://www.sound-tele.com/blog/the-importance-of-customer-service-surveys-for-call-center-outsourcing

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Deep emotions run beneath Russia's adoption ban

The Duma's bill to ban US adoptions of Russian children, which passed another legislative hurdle today, appeals to Russian pride and concerns about the US.

By Mike Eckel,?Correspondent / December 22, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday. Putin says a draft bill banning US adoptions of Russian children is a legitimate response to a new US law that calls for sanctions on Russians deemed to be human rights violators.

Misha Japaridze/AP

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You usually can judge Vladimir Putin?s dislike of a reporter's question by the intensity of his expression. Such was the case this week at his annual news conference, when he greeted with a hard scowl the subject of pending Russian legislation that would ban Americans from adopting orphaned children. Mr. Putin unleashed invective on the fact that consular representatives aren?t allowed to visit adopted Russian children in the United States.

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?I believe that is unacceptable. Do you think this is normal? How can it be normal when you are humiliated? Do you like it? Are you a sadomasochist or something? They shouldn?t humiliate our country,? he told reporters in Moscow.

As is often the case in Russia, there is the issue of what is going on versus what is really going on. And as is often the case in Russia, it?s complicated.

There is very little doubt as to the goal of the legislation, which passed its third and final reading in the lower house of parliament Friday and must still be signed by Putin. The bill is named after Dima Yakovlev, the toddler who died of heat stroke in 2007 after his adopted father forgot him in a locked car in Virginia for nine hours. The father, Miles Harrison, was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Dima, whose adopted name was Chase. His acquittal in 2008 sparked banner newspaper headlines, incendiary TV news reports, and howls of outrage in Russia.

Lawmakers in the State Duma made it clear that today's legislation is a direct response to the US ?Magnitsky Act,? a law designed to sanction a particular group of Russian officials connected to the death of a whistle-blowing lawyer in a Moscow prison.

In other words, a law designed to punish people tied to a lawyer?s prison death has been answered with a law to prevent people from adopting orphaned children, many of whom have have developmental or other disabilities and will otherwise end up living much of their lives in orphanages that often resemble state mental hospitals of a bygone era.

Adoption is a searingly emotional issue for Russians, and one easily manipulated by the Kremlin. The institution of adoption is relatively uncommon in Russia, for cultural and other reasons. And judging by headlines in the Moscow tabloids, and the rhetoric of some state lawmakers, you?d think that Americans adopt Russian children to eat them.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/V_elSV87HO8/Deep-emotions-run-beneath-Russia-s-adoption-ban

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Vanguard cut fees on dozens of mutual funds, ETFs

(Reuters) - Vanguard Group, the largest U.S. mutual fund manager, reduced fees across dozens of its index-tracking stock and bond funds, following similar moves by competitors.

The fee reductions range from five-hundredths to one-hundredth of a percentage point per year. With many of the funds already charging low fees of less than 0.20 percent Of assets, some of the reductions were the equivalent of a 20 percent fee cut.

Intense competition among managers of index mutual and exchange-traded funds has led to sharp price cutting across the industry over the past few months. BlackRock , the largest ETF manager, and brokerage firm Charles Schwab both announced price cuts earlier this year.

At Vanguard's line of broad equity sector funds, such as the firm's Consumer Discretionary ETF and Health Care ETF , fees declined to 0.14 percent from 0.19 percent. Vanguard, based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, posted a full list of the fee cuts at http://link.reuters.com/cut84t.

Vanguard raised fees slightly on three actively managed equity mutual funds, including on both share classes of the $17.6 billion Vanguard International Growth Fund. Fees on the "Investor" share class rose to 0.49 percentage point from 0.47 while fees on the fund's "Admiral" class rose to 0.36 point from 0.34.

(Reporting by Aaron Pressman; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vanguard-cut-fees-dozens-mutual-funds-etfs-150523583--sector.html

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20 Tips And Tricks To Get The Most Out Of Your ... - Yahoo! Finance

Provided by Business Insider

iPhones are great at doing basic things like making phone calls, sending text messages, and checking emails. But did you know that they can do so much more to automate our lives and make tasks easier?

If you got a new iPhone for the holidays, here are some essential tips and tricks to get you started. By the way, most of these tricks will also work on your new iPad too!

#1 If you have an iPhone 5, know how to turn LTE off to save battery.

This tip will save some battery life when you're in a pinch.

Start by going to settings, next head to general, and finally tap cellular. The second option is a toggle for "Enable LTE." When you need to save some battery and can spare internet speed, switch this option off.

#2 Lock your phone's screen orientation

To lock your screen orientation, double tap the home button and swipe to the right. You'll see a gray circle opposite the rewind button.

Tap that one time and a lock will appear. Now when you turn your phone sideways the orientation will stay put.

#3 Set an alphanumeric passcode

Setting an alpha numeric password can add an extra layer of protection to your phone.

To enable, first head to Settings.

Next, tap general, navigate to the middle of the page, and select passcode lock.

Turn "Simple Passcode" off and you will be prompted to enter your alpha numeric password.

#4 Tweet a photo directly from your Camera Roll

Head to your camera roll and select a photo. In the bottom left hand corner you'll see an arrow icon. Tap that and a menu will come up.

Choose "Twitter" in the middle row and a menu will come up with the photo attached in the top right corner.

Type your tweet, tap Send, and you're done.

#5 Make the iPod app stop playing music after a set amount of time

This tip is handy if you ever fall asleep listening to music.

After you've selected a song in the Music app, head to the the clock app.

Select the timer option in the bottom right hand corner and set a specific time.

Below the time, there is an option that says, "When Timer Ends ..." tap that.

At the very bottom of the list is an option for "Stop Playing." Select this and when the timer is up it will stop the iPod from playing.

#6 Automatically download new apps directly on your iPhone

This is a handy feature if you have a lot of Apple devices. You can make it so that apps and music automatically download on all your devices.

Head to settings and navigate to the middle of the page. After that select the "Store" option.

Once inside under "Automatic Downloads" switch on the options for Music, Apps, or both.

#7 Change the font in your Notes app

If you're tired of the note app's marker font, you can quickly change it.

Start by going to Settings, then navigate to Notes.

In this menu you can easily switch between three fonts.

#8 While in Apple's Mail app you can just pull down from the top to check for new messages.

#9 Speaking of Mail...

If you want to get back to a draft quickly, touch and hold the Compose button to switch to your last saved draft.

#10 Add PDFs from Safari to your iBooks or other apps. From a Mail message or a web page, touch and hold the PDF icon or link, then select ?Open in iBooks.?

#11 Speed up your phone by selecting what Spotlight indexes.

Spotlight is a useful tool for finding stuff on your phone, but if you've set it to search your entire phone for every single item present then it can take some time.

Have it only search items you care about by starting at Settings, then select General, and finally choose Spotlight search.

You can select what your phone indexes and speed up the interface.

#12 Change your phone's name, directly on your device

You couldn't do this in previous versions, but iOS 5 introduced the ability to change your phone's name directly on the device. Before you had to do this through iTunes.

Changing your phone's name can give it personality. (SAI editor Jay Yarow calls his "Tumor Toy." We dare you to do better.)

You have to dig a little to get to this one. Start by going to Settings. Next head to General, and then About.

At the top of the page you'll see your iPhone's name?tap it and you can change it to whatever you like.

#13 View websites in full screen...

This ones easy...while browsing a web site in Safari, turn your iPhone to the side (landscape) and tap the full-screen icon (arrows coming together in the bottom right) and you can view a website without distraction.

#14 Create a custom vibration

Creating a custom vibration can let you know who is calling or texting you without having to look at the phone.

You can make a vibration as long or short as you like.

To do this one, head to Settings, then tap "Sounds" at the bottom of the page. You'll be able to select custom vibration or record your own.

#15 Enable Private Browsing for Safari

Make sure that your browsing stays private by turning this option on.

Start in settings, next head to Safari, and in the middle of the page switch Private Browsing on.

#16 Use the Emoji keyboard to give your email or texts some flair.

To enable Emoji first head to the settings app. Tap general, scroll down and tap keyboard, from there you'll see another option a bit down the page, and you'll see "Keyboards," tap that.

From there you'll want to select, "Add new keyboard," once inside that menu you'll scroll down until you see "Emoji".

Select Emoji. Leave out of settings by pressing the home button and head to a text, note, or new email message.

Start typing and you'll see a globe icon in the bottom left corner tap that once to toggle between the alpha-numeric keyboard and the Emoji keyboard.

#17 Take advantage of iOS 6's 'Do Not Disturb' feature.

Right inside the settings menu is one of Apple's latest iPhone features, "Do Not Disturb." You can switch this on at night or when you do not want to be bothered by your phone.

Right below Do Not Disturb is an option for Notifications.

The Notifications menu will allow you to tweak Do Not Disturb allowing it to turn off at a certain time or who you can receive calls from.

Optional settings for Do Not Disturb:

• Scheduled: Automatically enable Do Not Disturb between the hours you specify.
• Allow Calls From: Allow calls from everyone, no one, your favorites, or specific contact groups.
• Repeated Calls: If someone calls you twice within three minutes, the call will not be silenced.

#18 Take a screenshot of your screen

Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button, then press the Home button. Your screen flashes and the picture appears in your Camera Roll.

#19 Use Siri discreetly...
In case you don't want to yell out your question to Siri and have her broadcast it back to you try this trick:

Head to settings, next general, then Siri.

The last option in the list will be "Raise to Speak." Switch that on and the next time you raise your phone to your ear Siri will activate.

#20 Use Siri to set location-based reminders
This tip comes straight from Apple:

You probably know Siri can be used to set a reminder, like saying "Siri, remind me to call mom at 4pm today." But did you know you can set location-based reminders on your iPhone 4S? Say "Remind me to call mom when I leave here" or "Remind me to call mom when I get home" and you'll be notified accordingly.

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/20-tips-tricks-most-iphone-155034799.html

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Brendon McCullum pleased with young T20 side ? Cricket News ...

Brendon McCullum pleased with young T20 side ? Cricket News Update

Despite losing the three-match T20 series against South Africa 1-2, the New Zealand Captain, Brendon McCullum, was pleased with the progression of the young side in his first assignment since taking over the reins from former skipper Ross Taylor.

Losing the first game at Durban by 8 wickets, the Black Caps bounced back in the second fixture to keep the tournament in check. Winning at East London courtesy Martin Guptill (who completed his century on the final ball of the innings), lifted the spirits of the young Kiwi side which entered Port Elizabeth eyeing a series win.

However, losing the final game at St George's Park by 33-runs following the absence of their prime-bowler, Tim Southee, and veteran all-rounder, Daniel Vettori, McCullum was still happy with the way the young side responded.

?The introduction of the new guys, playing in front of big crowds, is a positive. We have seen some good performances from the new guys, especially Mitchell McClenaghan, and it is encouraging. Although, we didn't get the results, we took significant strides in the series. The key thing is to continue to build the team inside out. We saw some guys step up, and they would now know what's required in international cricket. Progression of where we were a couple of weeks ago and where we are now, it's good,? shared the skipper.

Coming into the final game, the Black Caps were confident of their batting, having Guptill back in the side and in good form (in the second game after recovering from illness and missing the first clash). Nonetheless, losing Rob Nicol, Martin Guptill and skipper Brendon McCullum early, chasing South Africa?s 179, was too big a blow for the Kiwis to recover from.

Following the captaincy controversy and losing Ross Taylor (who withdrew himself from the entire South Africa tour after having a dispute with Coach Mike Hesson over the transfer of Captaincy to McCullum) right before the start of the tour, the Kiwis were still able to provide their fans an impressive show throughout the tournament.

New Zealand is now scheduled to play 2 Tests against the top ranked side, starting January 2 in Cape Town. Winning the second Test against Sri Lanka in their previous outing, the Kiwis will be hopeful of giving the Proteas a tough time.

Source: http://blogs.bettor.com/Brendon-McCullum-pleased-with-young-T20-side-Cricket-News-Update-a211325

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Make Some Noise for Singapore and Win $5,000 Grant & Prizes ...

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Source: http://calvintimo.com/2012/12/27/make-some-noise-for-singapore-and-win-a-5000-grant-prizes/

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Los Angeles police offer gift cards to take guns off streets

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police traded gift cards for guns in Los Angeles on Wednesday, in a buyback program Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced as a crime-fighting response to the deadly shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut.

Police officers handed out $200 grocery store gift cards to people who turned in an automatic weapon, and $100 gift cards to those who provided a handgun, rifle or shotgun.

Los Angeles has held an annual gun buyback since 2009, and similar events have been organized in years past in several other cities, including Detroit and Boston. Police in San Diego had a buyback earlier this month.

Some experts say the buybacks have little effect in reducing gun violence, but Villaraigosa touted the buyback program as one step that can be taken in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14 that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adult staff members.

The shooter, Adam Lanza, killed himself and also shot to death his mother at the home he shared with her, police said.

Los Angeles normally has its gun buyback in May, but Villaraigosa announced last week that the city would have this special buyback in response to the Newtown tragedy.

"There are a number of things we can do. This is just one of them," Villaraigosa said on CNN. "We've got to also address the culture of violence that we've got in this country."

At last count, the Los Angeles gun buyback had collected 1,366 firearms, including 477 handguns and 49 assault weapons, said Vicki Curry, a spokeswoman for the mayor.

The buyback ended at 4 p.m. local time, but a final tally of guns collected was not expected to be released before Thursday. In May, the city's annual gun buyback program collected 1,673 firearms at six locations, compared to two locations used for the program on Wednesday, Curry said.

At each of the locations where the buyback was held, a line of cars stretched around the block, Curry said. People dropping off their guns were asked to leave them in the trunks of their cars, where officers retrieved the weapons. Those surrendering their guns were allowed to remain anonymous.

While officials in Los Angeles and elsewhere have said the gun buybacks help keep streets safe, a 2004 report by the National Research Council of the National Academies questioned that conclusion.

Among the report's findings were that guns surrendered in buybacks tend to be old or inherited from previous owners, and not likely to be used in crime. Also, gun owners find it easy to replace their firearms, according to the report, which was titled "Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review."

(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; editing by Todd Eastham)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/los-angeles-police-offer-gift-cards-guns-off-012126480.html

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Obtained The Home Owner Blues? Jazz Your Residence Using ...

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Source: http://sharebit.net/obtained-the-home-owner-blues-jazz-your-residence-using-these-home-improvement-recommendations/

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Netflix back online after disruption | TribLIVE

By Bloomberg News

Published: Tuesday, December 25, 2012, 8:55?p.m.
Updated 5 hours ago

Netflix Inc., the world?s biggest video-streaming service, said access to its movies and television shows was restored after a disruption caused by Amazon.com Inc.?s Web storage and computing system.

Many customers in the Americas weren?t able to access online content from approximately 3:30 p.m. EDT until late Christmas Eve, according to Joris Evers, a spokesman for Netflix. The blockage was caused by issues with Amazon Web Services, a business hosted on the Internet that?s separate from the online retail store, he said.

Subscription and on-demand services are becoming an important source of revenue for Netflix, which first offered DVD rentals via mail. Streaming services made up 70 percent of sales in the third quarter. Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings has led a push to make Los Gatos, Calif.-based Netflix available around the world, arguing people will pay for near-instant access to content online.

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Source: http://triblive.com/business/headlines/3194380-74/netflix-online-access

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27 killed in military plane crashes in Kazakhstan - World News ...

Twenty seven people were killed after an Antonov An-72 military plane crashed Tuesday near Shymkent, the administrative center of the Southern Kazakhstan region, the National Security Committee said.

Seven crew members and 20 servicemen were aboard the plane, including acting head of the border guards service Turganbek Stambekov, when the incident happened, according to a statement issued by the committee.

Local emergencies authorities told reporters the plane disappeared from the radar screens at about 5:00 p.m. Moscow time (1300 GMT) en route to Shymkent from the capital Astana. It crashed while making a descent near the city of Shymkent, according to local media report.

Rescuers and firefighters reached the scene later from a nearly city. An investigation into the incident was underway.

The plane was destroyed severely in the fire with only debris left, local media reported.

The plane reportedly belonged to the country's security service.

Source: http://english.sina.com/world/2012/1225/541823.html

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Facts about alcohol | Maximized Living

Ethanol is a colorless, flammable liquid and is produced by fermentation. On the one hand, on the human body, alcohol has an intoxicating effect. On the other hand he is greatly harmful to health and can cause serious illness when excessive consumption

Alcohols are organic hydrocarbon compounds such as butanol, propanol, methanol, or ethanol. The applications are diverse. Among other things, they find use as a solvent in the chemical industry, as a part of medicines or in various alcoholic beverages. In the latter case, it is ethyl alcohol (ethanol). This is produced by fermentation. This is kohlenydratreiches cereals, potatoes or fruit with the help of special strains of yeast that ferments.

Already in ancient times, it has known of the intoxicating effect of alcohol and wine as a drink was an important commodity in the Greek and Roman culture. Today, alcohol in Germany is part of everyday life. Whether as a white wine to food, herb to stimulate digestion, or one or two bottles of beer for the evening. Alcohol promotes sociability and is usually an integral part in celebrations and festivities, the man reluctantly waived.

Many people use alcohol to relax or conflict resolution. Just in dealing with problem alcohol consumption as the solution is but counterproductive. Because those affected in many cases are no longer able to objectively assess the problems and resolve them worsen even further.

Alcohol (ethanol) is a dangerous and addictive advertising immune and neurotoxin. Overall, every year more than 70,000 people die in Germany according to Federal Centre for health education on the adverse health effects of chronic alcohol consumption. In addition, a large number of deaths in road traffic on drinking and driving is due.

The high number of acts of violence that take place under alcohol is frightening. in 2008 were approximately 32% of the enlightened violence cases (equivalent to about 50,000 cases of violence absolutely) perpetrated under the influence of alcohol.
Alcohol effects

Alcohol is a substance (psychotropic substance) affect human consciousness. In addition, alcohol affects on feelings. After taking alcohol relatively quickly overcomes the blood-brain barrier and produces a sense of well-being at specific binding sites (receptors) in the brain.

The effects of alcohol on the body are manifold. The effects get worse with increasing amounts of alcohol, which was recorded. At worst it may be unconsciousness, the respiratory failure and ultimately death.

0.2 ? 0.5 Per mille: difficulty concentrating and increased risk willing sheep
from 0,5: balance, reaction time, inhibitions are removed and
from 0.8 per thousand: increasing balance, restricted field of vision, tunnel vision
1-2 Per thousand: Disorder of speech and orientation ability, responsiveness significantly reduces
can occur from 2-3 thousandth: insensitivity to pain, loss of consciousness, amnesia
4 Per thousand: respiratory failure, coma, heart circulatory failure, death
The listed limits with the corresponding effects in the body only apply to adults and are variable. You cannot be transferred to children and young people. So a blood alcohol concentration of 0.5 can be in infants already fatal.

Especially young people are vulnerable to the effects of alcohol, because the brain maturation lasts until the age of 20. Your brain is more sensitive to alcohol, and so thinking, feelings and perception can change faster and more intense.

Be forgotten should not, that alcohol in addition to dietary fat of the fattening foods is no. 1. So 1 g of alcohol contains already 7 kcal of energy; that?s twice as much as 1 g of protein or carbohydrates. In addition, the calories absorbed by alcohol flow in the daily energy intake with a. That?s why more frequent and excessive alcohol consumption usually leads to obesity.

Alcohol consumption

In 1999, 10.6 litres of pure alcohol were consumed in Germany per capita. This number was statistically elevated, and involves all persons of the child up to the old man. Therefore, there must be categories of persons taking much greater amounts of alcohol to. The number of alcoholics in Germany is estimated at around 2.5 3 million people.

On average each citizen takes approximately 23 g of alcohol per day ? actually intake especially for men of middle age is probably significantly higher. Mainly beer is followed in Germany drinking, wine and spirits. In 2008, 9.9 litres of pure alcohol per capita were drunk on the other hand. In the form of alcoholic

Source: http://www.maximizedlivingdrjudge.com/facts-about-alcohol.html

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