Valuable Data Recovery

You’re ready to make a big career change. You really want to get going. But youre held back by fear. So you wait…and wait.

Fear leads to paralysis. Then you start what psychologists call “catastrophizing:” imagining the worst that can happen, then magnifying the consequences till you’re predicting a major, irreversible disaster.

Then you feel even more fear…you do nothing…so you feel even more fear. You’re tempted to go hide in the closet, maybe forever.

Career change begins by breaking the fear cycle. Here are 3 steps to start.

(1) Recognize the consequences of doing nothing.

You really hate your job and you’re long overdue for a change. But you like the security of a pay check. Maybe you have family (and dogs) depending on you.

Hang on long enough and you’ll probably start sabotaging your own security. You’ll find yourself making dumb mistakes, missing deadlines, losing important documents and more.

Some people handle this sort of thing better than others. Some live for 20 years with jobs they despise with no outward appearance of problems. My theory is

(a) you just don’t see what’s going on: doctor visits, anti-depressants, stomach trouble, family grief, or more;

(b) they don’t hate their job as much as they say; or

(c) they were born with a certain temperament with high tolerance for frustration.

(2) Do some reality testing.

‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ is a good first question. Once you have the answer you can often create plans to cover your worst case scenario.

Here’s where a career coach can help: not someone who administers a handful of tests, but someone who knows the ins and outs of careers.

(3) Take a small 10-minute step.

What should you do? It doesn’t matter. Take just 10 minutes to deal with your frustration.

Action means getting off the couch. It doesn’t include introspection (”what do I really want”), reciting mantras and affirmations (although you can do that too) or talking to friends on the phone. It doesn’t mean reading books and surfing the Internet for more ideas.

Examples of action include phone calls to people who can help (such as experienced professionals in your field), attending meaningful networking events (not mechanically attending lunches), and meeting contacts for coffee.

If you can’t think of a single action step, or you’re taking steps but aren’t seeing results, find a professional who can help. The sooner you get moving, the faster your fear will dissipate and the faster you’ll find yourself in a good space.

Just one note. Sometimes you’ve just been through a traumatic experience: a death of someone close to, the loss of a career you loved, break-up of a relationship, sale of a business or loss of your biggest customer. Any of these experiences require time for recovery.

Each person will handle loss differently: formulas (even the famous Kubler-Ross stages) do not apply to everyone.

In my experience, it’s best to wait 30 days before making any big moves or taking any significant risks. But at some point, you really do have to get off the couch and spring into action.

Cathy Goodwin
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/career-change-begins-by-taking-these-steps-against-fear-425297.html

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is a federal law enacted in 1996 as an attempt at incremental health care reform and experts consider it to be the most significant health care legislation since Medicare in 1965.

HIPAA’s intent is to reform the healthcare industry by reducing costs, simplifying administrative processes and burdens, and improving privacy and security of patient’s information.

There are two separate and distinct laws that fall under the HIPAA umbrella: HIPAA Privacy and HIPAA Security.  HIPAA Privacy relates to the protection and privacy of individuals’ protected health information (PHI) while HIPAA security relates to the protection and privacy of individuals’ protected health information in electronic form (ePHI).  HIPAA Privacy is what most of us think about when we hear the term HIPAA ( HIPAA Awareness Training, Notice of Privacy Practices, Authorization forms, etc )whereas HIPAA Security tends to be more the focus of an organization’s IT department because it deals with encryption, electronic security, disaster recovery, etc.

Do you have to worry about HIPAA?  There are two main classifications under HIPAA: Covered Entities and Business Associates.  Covered Entities are those types of organizations/individuals that deal directly with protected health information and consist of healthcare providers, health insurance providers, and employer sponsored group health plans. Anyone outside of those categories is considered a business associate.  Business associates include medical billing companies, medical storage, marketing organizations, software companies, medical device manufacturers, etc. 

While the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) regulates covered entities, business associates are regulated by the covered entities they work with through a business associate agreement (alternatively called business associate contract).

HIPAA compliance involves two main components: one being HIPAA training of employees and the other implementing processes, procedures, and forms related to HIPAA.

While alot of regulations in HIPAA may seem like common sense, think of them as just providing some level of standardization so an individual and the organizations involved in their care can know what to expect of each other.

HIPAA compliance does not have to be a complicated process and once setup, can be relatively little effort to maintain.

John Grisham
http://www.articlesbase.com/regulatory-compliance-articles/what-you-should-know-about-hipaa-and-hipaa-compliance-592407.html

Happily, our children may never know that the bald eagle, the proud symbol of the United States, was once nearly extinct. In the 1960s, there were fewer than 500 pairs in the United States, because of shootings, pesticides, habitat destruction and pollution.

Thanks to the endangered species and environmental protection laws and other conservation efforts, the bald eagle, though still considered “threatened,” has been brought back from the edge of extinction.

As a business leader, what can you learn from the eagles about coming back from setbacks, big or small? Are you facing the total “extinction” of your organization or do you want to avoid that possibility before it gets any closer?

Consider what eagles can teach you about regaining or maintaining your company’s status from your perch high atop the cliffs overlooking your vast corner of the world!

Develop an Eagle’s Eye

Eagles are renowned for their excellent eyesight. They can scan thousands of acres as they soar up to 10,000 feet above the ground. Eagles actually have two centers of focus, which allows them to simultaneously see forward and to the side. An eagle can spot a single fish while flying several hundred feet up in the air.

Such keen vision could come in handy even if you never make it out to a lake. Honestly assess how observant you are: Are you able to look below the surface of an issue to see the source of conflict? What is your level of insight into the people and problems in your organization? If you have difficulty are you willing to hire the professional resources you may need so that you can accurately visualize the situation?

You must develop the eagle’s dual vision to recover from business difficulties. First, seek to see clearly in the present, observing honestly the current realities of your situation. Then simultaneously develop a positive vision of the organization’s future. In other words, to get through setbacks, you must be in the present moment but also able to look beyond the moment. Do not allow yourself to get caught up in anxiety and self-pity about the obstacles you face.

To pull yourself out of a crisis you must make a realistic assessment of where you stand and determine how you got there as honestly as possible. Get as much information as you can from others. Determine both how you got off course and what strengths your organization has that may allow you to compete again. Gather those around you whom you believe can offer fresh insights and ideas for recovery and listen closely to what they have to say.

Adapt by Adopting an Action Plan

Eagles’ nests are between five and ten feet in diameter - some can weigh up to a ton! They are built in trees or cliffs near coasts for easy access to fishing. If a natural disaster destroys the nest the eagle pair will not spend time arguing about who or what is to blame for their loss. Instead, they work together to rebuild the nest in time for breeding season.

Assess with your team what brought you to your current state of crisis. Form a united vision for your future and get to work on building your nest. Make your vision happen. Many organizations have vision statements that serve little purpose other than to adorn a plaque in the lobby. Others may have once lived by their stated vision and mission but got caught up in daily crises and have lost sight of their original goals and have no action plan to attain them.

Revisit your organization’s existing vision and determine if it is applicable to the current realities. Can it be adapted? Or must you create a new vision of the future altogether, given the current state of affairs and the prospects for the future? Always keep in mind the necessity to move forward. Action is strength.

Sharpen Your Talons of Determination

When an eagle hunts, it swoops down to seize its prey with powerful, sharp talons that produce approximately 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch in each foot.

Do you have the same degree of strength within yourself? You need that sort of determination to succeed even when you’re not in a struggle to avoid extinction. When you are threatened you need it all the more.

When you can say with certainty that you have the desire to lead your organization to success, you then need to look at top managers and see whether they, too, share this strength and desire. Your key people must be fully invested in your efforts in order for the team and the organization as a whole to succeed.

Negative naysayers among your key players aren’t likely to ever buy into your vision. You can still use your own strength to try to convey the message to them once you’ve determined how long you can wait for their buy-in. If your naysayers aren’t on board within a reasonable amount of time you may have to use those talons to lift them up and deposit them on the farthest shore so you and your team can fly on to success.

Protect Your Fledglings and Your Nest

Eagles are very progressive by human standards in terms of their sex roles. They mate for life and both parents share all hunting, egg incubation, nest watch, and eaglet feeding and brooding duties until their young can fly at about 12 weeks. In spite of their fierce protectiveness and tender attention to the eaglets’ needs only about 50% of eaglets hatched survive their first year.

That figure is reminiscent of an often-quoted statistics about business failure, isn’t it? Consider the fledglings as analogous to your “new” organization which is emerging from your new attention to the vision, goals, and action plan to attain them. Just as the care, feeding, and training of eaglets is not a solo sport nurturing and growing the organization after crisis will require everybody to make it work.

Your protection must be diligent. Guard your organization fiercely from predators in the form of your competition. They may be looking to pick off a newly reorganized institution. You may find other businesses trying to recruit your top talent, for example, while your organization struggles to retain them. So tend to your talent with a careful eye on operations and resources.

Throughout this process, you must remain constantly vigilant in order to know everything - good and bad - that’s happening so you can avoid being blindsided by a sudden storm or marauders bent on destroying your work.

Survive, and Thrive, the Eagle’s Way

From the beginning of the history of the United States the bald eagle has faced struggles. Ben Franklin originally proposed the wild turkey as the nation’s living symbol of Freedom, Spirit & Democracy. Fortunately, he didn’t get his way and the rest of the founding fathers prevailed in naming the bald eagle as the national icon. “After all, a ‘Nation of Eagles’ has such a better ring to it than a ‘Nation of Turkeys”, says Al Cecere, President of the American Eagle Foundation.

Then, after nearly wiping eagles from the face of the earth mankind turned its efforts to saving the noble birds. After four decades, this attention has paid off in a revived eagle population. Such patience and determination are yet another metaphor you need to follow if your organization is faced with “extinction.” You shouldn’t expect a complete, overnight change in the circumstances that caused your difficulties. You must have a strong sense of purpose even when prospects seem grim. You must also rely on a trusted team to help you accomplish the goals that support your vision for the revitalized organization. Although it may take awhile, you can soar in the thermals once again!

(c) 2007, Dan Stockdale, Adventures In Leadership

Dan Stockdale
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/soaring-with-the-eagles-rebounding-your-business-from-the-brink-of-extinction-95367.html

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John Dote’ The Las Vegas Bullet

“THEME MAN ESTABLISHES HIS OWN NAME” / As I See It / By Bob Stupak

Look out Las Vegas, the “Theme Man” has arrived and he’s vowed to not only make his mark on the entertainment scene, he hopes to change it’s face. Those positive feelings were expressed by Las Vegas Disc Jockey John Dote’ as he sat in the living room of his home where no less than 10 gold records cover the walls.

Dote’ is the first to admit that “it isn’t easy” but in the record buisiness, he’s considered hot stuff. The New York-born singer, drummer, actor and television host is also a record producer and arranger who is credited with helping create some of television’s top themes ranging from Dallas to Dynasty.

One of his gold records, in fact, is for an album he produced called Hooked On Themes, which includes an amazing number of TV show themes that he’s been involved with. But all that’s behind him now. These days, Dote’ is striking out on his own as an entertainer, disc jockey and his current album Hard Life reached number 1 on internet radio airwaves and is starting to take off in several markets. Most notably in Europe.

The confident sounding Dote’ has his foot in the door, is off and running-and expects to bring the local entertainment scene to even higher levels. His concert on the fourth of July at Nellis Airforce Base in North Las Vegas was sold out to 10,000 screaming spectators. Dote’ made quite an entrance in his Rolls Royce with the Colonel of the United States Airforce as his Chaffuer. “I want to contribute to this town”, said Dote’, who may come off sounding brash but, in reality, seems sincere in his goals.

“I have helped do it for all the big stars-now I want to do it for this town” Dote’ can back up his words. He’s been involved in record production for such names as Tony Bennet, Pearl Bailey, James Darren and Liberace, just to name a few. And other themes that he’s worked on include Charlie’s Angels, Hawaii Five-0, The Untouchables, Perry Mason and Rockford Files. Dote’ comes by that producing and arranging naturally.

His father was also in the buisiness-and his biggest claim to fame was discovering The Doobie Bros. in, of all places, a San Francisco laundromat. He went in to do a load of wash and heard The Doobie Bros. jamming in a back room, the son said. Now the son has followed those guidelines with his own record-with growing success.

If his approach to the TV show is anything like he put’s his music together, it has certainly proved to be different, that’s for sure. “I design music” he said. “That’s because I go from one extreme to another (when writing)-like combining rock and reggae. Contending that “when you dress with color”, Dote’ said he does the same with his music.

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As I See It By Bob Stupak

Bob Stupak (born April 6, 1942 in Pittsburgh) is a well-known Las Vegas casino owner and entrepreneur. He is the son of Chester Stupak, a man who operated the longest running floating craps game in Pittsburgh.

Once the younger Stupak reached legal age, he moved to Vegas and started a coupon book venture. He sold books full of two-for-ones and other items. Stupak later moved to Australia to pursue a similar business venture, only to be asked to leave the country for questionable business practices.

While in Australia, Stupak was briefly married to Annette Suna, and they had a daughter, Nicole. From 1971 to 1985, Stupak was married to Sandra Joyce Wilkinson, and had two more children, Nevada and Summer.

Stupak moved to Las Vegas in 1971, eventually raising enough money to acquire a small, 1.5 acre (6,000 m²) parcel north of Sahara Avenue at Las Vegas Boulevard South. On March 31, 1974, Bob Stupak’s World Famous Historic Gambling Museum officially opened for business. “The name was about 10 feet [3 m] longer than the casino,” Stupak recalled years later. On May 21, an air conditioner caught fire and burned the building down. Arson was suspected, but the insurance company eventually settled the claim.

In 1979 Stupak opened Vegas World, a casino known for its crazy promotions and new twists on games. At its peak in the mid 1980’s, Vegas World grossed $100 million per year.

In 1989, Stupak won a widely publicized million dollar wager on Super Bowl XXIII. Later that year, he won the Deuce to Seven Lowball championship at the World Series of Poker.

In 1995 Stupak suffered a horrendous motorcycle accident, breaking every bone in his face and going into a coma. Although the initial prognosis was that he would not survive, Stupak made a full recovery.

At the time of his motorcycle crash, Stupak was at work developing The Stratosphere, a massive observation tower that would be the largest sign in Las Vegas. The tower opened in late April of 1996 at a cost of $550 million but was a financial disaster. Many came to see the tower, but few stopped long enough to gamble, dine or shop. The Stratosphere went bankrupt soon thereafter, was sold, and is now profitable.

Stupak continues to plan Vegas projects, including a purchase of the Moulin Rouge Hotel and a huge hotel shaped like the RMS Titanic, but to date these endeavors have not borne fruit.

Stupak appeared in the first season of the GSN series High Stakes Poker. He also appeared at a final table during the first season of the World Poker Tour.

Stupak is nicknamed “The Mayor” because of unsuccessful campaigns for the office of mayor of Las Vegas in 1983 and 1987. Locals have also nicknamed him “Bob Stupid” for his many zany business failures.

As of 2006, his total live tournament winnings exceed $556,000

[edit] Campaign for Lieutenant Governor

On May 1, 2006, Stupak unexpectedly filed to run as a Democrat for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. [1] Also running were Republican Treasurer Brian Krolicki and Stupak’s former girlfriend and former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Janet Moncrief who was originally a Democrat but ran as a Republican. On November 7, Krolicki was elected to the post, with Stupak placing third with 17% of the vote.

By Dana Farber
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/john-dote-the-las-vegas-bullet-134241.html

In this White Paper we will examine a dilemma faced by many companies implementing Advanced Print Spooling solutions across multiple geographic locations. That is, how to deploy the Advanced Print Spooler software across multiple sites in a way that allows them to have the advantages of both a distributed and centralized implementation.

While this customer is in the health care industry, we have seen similar situations across many industries. For example, this situation can apply to Banking (branches), Retail (stores), Health Care (hospitals), Insurance (offices) and Manufacturing (production facilities).

Company - The customer described in this white paper is a multi-billion dollar, Fortune 100, nationwide health care organization with the following profile:
• Two large data centers (one on west coast and one on east coast of the United States) each running mainframe and UNIX applications
• Multiple regional centers around the United States running UNIX and Windows applications
• Over 5,000 printers, of various types, spread across the sites listed above, printing patient care and other business related documents
• Document volume in the tens of millions of pages per month

Business Requirements – Given the size and complexity of this customer environment, managing a reliable and secure print infrastructure was more than the customer could handle without an Advanced Spooling solution. Their basic Print Spooler requirements included:
• High availability and delivery fidelity
• Print from any location to any printer anywhere in the organization
• Printer device management tools including automated failure notification
• Intuitive user interface capable of enterprise wide view and job management tools
• HIPPA level security
• Support for multiple O/S’s, applications, document format types
• Local control and centralized control
• Lowest possible license fees
• Efficient network bandwidth management
• Integrate with electronic forms, archiving and other document related software

While assessing the products available in this space, it became apparent to the customer that there were two schools of thought regarding Advanced Spooling software implementation strategy. The two strategies are to use a single centralized print server or installing Print Spooler software onto the various distributed application servers. Both of these approaches have advantages and disadvantages.

Centralized Print Server Model
Advantages:

• Single point of control and enterprise view of all jobs/queues
• Fewer printer definitions to maintain
• Single standard solution
• Less administrator training
• Potentially lower software license fees
Disadvantages:
• Loss of autonomy in local sites
• Implementation requires multiple hops over the network consuming bandwidth and related latency of print times
• Single point of failure (disaster recovery implications)

Distributed Print Server Model
Advantages:
• Local control of local jobs and queues
• Less dependence on centralized support
• Less network traffic
• Improved performance
• Built in redundancy
Disadvantages:
• Loss of centralized control
• Potentially higher software license fees
• More printer definitions to maintain
• Additional training required

The advantages of these print management solutions appear to be largely mutually exclusive of each other. However, this customer desired the advantages of a centralized as well as a distributed model. Specifically, they wanted:
• Fewest possible printer definitions to maintain (implies central)
• Lowest network traffic (implies distributed)
• High printing performance with little latency (implies distributed)
• Local printing control (implies distributed)
• Print from anywhere to any printer (implies central)
• Lowest possible license fees (implies central)
Their most pressing business requirement was how to implement a single solution that gave them everything they wanted, “The best of both worlds”.

Technical Solution
The technical solution implemented by Plus Technologies was based on the latest version of OM Plus, called OM Plus Version 2. This solution allowed the customer to implement a truly distributed print environment while maintaining the advantages of a centralized installation. They have much fewer printer definitions to maintain, an enterprise view of job/queues, a single standard solution, less administrator training, and low license fees.

In an OM Plus V2 implementation, the software is installed on a server in each center. Only the local queues are defined in each center (minimal administration and upkeep). Each OM Plus V2 server has the ability to automatically “advertise” its queues to all the other OM Plus V2 servers on the network. In this way, all queues are available to all systems even though they are defined only once. Each OM Plus V2 user interface allows users (with the appropriate security) to view all jobs and printers on the network from a single status screen. Through OM Plus V2 security, system administration privileges are set up to limit the functions performed locally vs. centrally, giving administrators the control they sought.

When a print job is spooled, the printer definition is looked for on the local server. If the printer is not found locally, then the OM Plus Version 2 server searches the other OM Plus Version 2 servers for the printer and delivers the print job accordingly. This functionality allows all printers to be available to all systems. All local jobs are printed locally ensuring efficient use of the network and low latency/high performance. Software license fees are minimized. Since license pricing is based on number of queues defined on each server, only small licenses are required locally. This means the number of queues and the associated price remained low.

As a result, OM Plus Version 2 provided a true distributed print management solution that eliminated redundant printer definitions across the enterprise, while allowing printing to both local and remote server’s printers.

Implementation
• On site services including installation, system configuration, testing and user training were delivered by service engineers from Plus Technologies.
• The entire implementation was completed and in production within three weeks of the order.
Customer Quote
“Through the use of OM Plus Version 2 we have the flexibility to configure our print server architecture in the most appropriate way for our printing needs. We implement OM Plus on servers where the documents are produced, economically and still can print efficiently from any application server to any printer in the enterprise.”
-CIO

Plus Technologies White Papers
The Plus Technologies white paper series includes real examples of how companies use Advanced Spooling Solutions to streamline operations, reduce cost and/or add functionality to existing business processes. For more information on these white papers, contact Plus Technologies.

Nicole Summerfield
http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/the-best-of-both-centralized-and-distributed-print-spooler-solution-models-in-one-implementation-93951.html

In the modern world today many people have large debts hanging over their heads and consequently suffer from having a bad credit rating. Because of the shear number individuals with a bad credit history, lenders have been forced to change their lending criteria to accommodate them.

There are a number of issues that will have an affect over your credit record, these range from the obvious to the not so obvious. These issues will become known to you when you go and apply for a mortgage or loan.

Bad debt management is the most obvious factor that will affect your credit rating such as missing your monthly payments on your mortgage or loans. This in turn will lead to higher borrowing costs at a later date.

It is extremely difficult to generalise but two major factors in having a bad credit history can be unemployment and matrimonial disputes. There are, of course, many other causes:

- Bad money management. Some people are unable to plan their finances wisely or prioritise their debts correctly
- Over-borrowing
- Bankruptcy
- Death of the breadwinner. A large number of borrowers have no life assurance even though a simple mortgage protection policy costs very little
- Imprisonment
- Over-commitment. The borrower may have taken a bigger mortgage than he can afford
- High interest rates for variable rate borrowers, high interest rates can be a disaster, particularly if the borrower could only just afford the mortgage when interest rates were low
- Will not pay. There are some borrowers who will not cooperate with the lenders

There are however many other factors that to the average person may seem completely irrelevant but to the credit scoring companies say a lot about how you are likely to manage your finances.

For example, an applicant with a mobile phone but no telephone landline might be seen as a fairly high risk to the lender. This is because lenders worry that if you only have a mobile phone, you would be harder to locate if you were to default your secured loan payments.

Whether you rent or own your own home could have a great influence. Being a tenant is not looked upon favourably. If you are a temporary worker, unskilled labourer or self employed, this could also count against you.

Another circumstance which could affect your score is down to where you live in the country. Postcode profiling is becoming an important part of the credit scoring process. In this way lenders can look to avoid lending to those who live in less desirable neighbourhoods.

The following gives a list of the common ways to blacklist your credit rating:
- Living abroad
- Not staying on the electoral roll for long enough
- Moving frequently
- Renting a flat
- Becoming a victim of identity fraud
- Reapplying for a secured loan immediately after you have been refused one
- Not paying your yearly car tax to the DVLA on time
- Signing up for lots of credit cards within a short period of time for the free gifts and special offers

Most high street banks and building societies will only grant secured loans to those who have either good or excellent credit. There are specialist lenders however that would be willing to accept applicants with poor credit records. These are know as bad credit loans.

For those with an impaired credit history, the process of credit repair is achievable over time. The first step to recovery is to settle your bad debts and meet payments on your existing mortgage and secured loans.

All unpaid credit and county court judgements (CCJs) will stay on your credit file for 6 years. These will be marked as settled as and when they are paid. This is usually taken into account when youre making future credit applications.

Lenders will often allow you to write a statement to balance out a bad report, which could explain circumstances that might have tarnished your credit rating.

So next time you are looking for bad credit loans make sure you understand the factors that will affect not only your chances of being accepted but also the rates.

James Copper
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/your-credit-rating-and-loans-the-facts-95158.html

Despite the distressing state of GM’s finances it still can afford to be generous. Hummer a GM brand of sport utility vehicles and recipient of quality Hummer exhaust system has one again showed its caring side when it has donated child-sized Hummer battery-operated vehicles to the pediatric units of its chosen hospitals across the United States.

The mini Hummers were donated under the program called “Courageous Kids” which aimed to make hospital experience for kids less traumatic especially for children who are to undergo surgeries and other medical procedures which may prove a little frightening for them. The mini Hummers are to be used by children patients to drive themselves into surgery and hopefully reduce the anxiety that frightened kids often experience when undergoing medical treatment.

According to Martin Walsh, Hummer General Manager, “We believe this mode of transportation definitely beats a gurney ride and can help take young patients’ minds off their fears.” To date hospitals in Louisiana, Washington, Wisconsin, Texas, and Michigan have begun replacing gurney rides with self-driven Hummer rides in style. The mini Hummers are also 100 percent eco-friendly and this is not because of advanced Hummer exhaust technology but more of the fact that its battery operated.

This project of donating mini Hummers to pediatric units of hospitals across the country is not developed just now. This might come as a surprise but the said project was developed last year at the General Motors plant in Shreveport, La, where the Hummer H3 is built. The first donation of the two ride-on Hummers were made to the local Sutton Children’s Hospital at the suggestion of GM Shreveport employee David Burroughs, an environmental engineer.

Burroughs was familiar with diversion therapy which is a strategy often employed at children’s hospitals. Using diversion therapy medical professionals and volunteers often bring with them dogs as well as other pets when visiting patients since animals are known to have therapeutic effect. Other children hospitals make use of rides in wagons and golf carts to distract children from worries about their upcoming medical examinations. Burroughs said, “So I thought why not do the same thing with Hummers?”

So far the results have been overwhelmingly positive. As a matter of fact according to the Sutton hospital’s medical staff, even the most anxious kids totally forgot about their fears of surgery tanks to the excitement brought about by driving a Hummer. “Local surgeons have told us that some kids even require less anesthesia when they ride into surgery in the Hummers. It’s a rather remarkable phenomenon,” stated Burroughs.

Medical workers as well as parents have discovered that a ride in a Hummer toy is also a great motivator during recovery and according to Amanda Hays, Child Life manager at the Louisiana State University Health Services facility, “I worked with one patient who used to take thirty minutes to swallow his medications. Now he takes them in about five minutes so that he can ride!”

This is not the first charitable work that Hummer has given. The history of Hummer is loaded with charitable works such as:

In the year 2005 Hummer together with the GM Foundation announced that they would be giving the American Red Cross with 72 Hummer vehicles and $600,000 in cash over six years. The first vehicles were used in the Gulf States to aid those who are affected by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Hummers that were donated at Red Cross were also used in responding to the floods in Orange County, NY, and wildfires in San Bernardino Country, CA last year.

Hummer has also provided the state of Louisiana with 12 H3s at their request to aid local and state agency disaster response organizations in 2005 and 2006.

Hummer has also supported the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) which is a non-profit organization committed in maintaining the Rubicon Trail in California. Hummer is the only vehicle manufacturer that gas donated funds, materials, and staff man-hours to help the group’s restoration projects.

Hummer is also a multi-year sponsor of the After-School All-Stars which was founded by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1992. After-School All-Stars aims to keep kids safe and to help them achieve in school and in life. The ASAS provides high quality, comprehensive after-school programs that emphasize pro-social activities, academic excellence, and enrichment opportunities. Nationwide more than 600,000 high-risk youth has been able to benefit from these programs in 13 cities in the US such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Columbus, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, San Diego, San Antonio, South Florida, and San Jose.

Starting 2003 Hummer has been providing $100,000 annual endowment to Tread Lightly as part of its Hummer Helps program. The annual endowment is managed as a grant-giving initiative to selected outdoor enthusiasts clubs who are Tread Lightly members and given to sustain the lands where outdoor enthusiasts enjoy off-highway activities.

Jerick Brooks
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/hummer-dealers-to-distribute-mini-hummers-to-hospitals-across-the-country-134362.html

If the borrower has committed to staying in the property and fighting through the difficult period of pending foreclosure many lenders and their servicing agent are offering possible solutions. Early on, with mortgage lates, borrowers are being contacted with possible workout solutions to get caught up on their payments. However, many mortgage products with accelerating payments make it difficult for any mortgage borrower to recover. In the past, forbearance was the tool of choice to be utilized for a borrower to get caught up with payment arrears. For example, if a mortgage payment of $1,500/month is three months down and soon to be four, the mortgage company might take this arrearage of $1,500 x 4 = $6,000 and spread it out over say a years time and a catch up payment of $6,000/12= $500/month. The regular payment of $1,500/month needs to be made plus the $500/month in the forbearance portion for a total of $2,000/month to get caught up and avoid foreclosure. In the past, this might have worked, now however, many borrowers are being crippled with accelerating payments of the first of say an Option ARM, or a 2/28 ARM that is adjusting way up and forbearance won’t do the job. Rather, in many cases, a whole new loan product has to be put in place to even have a chance of rectifying the adverse mortgage situation.

Now the “old” forbearance has been modified to become even more flexible. Mortgage companies, with the current inventory of unsold homes, do not want to foreclose and end up taking an even bigger hit when and if the home sells after foreclosure. The writing has been on the wall for many lenders in this past year, work out the loan or eat huge losses. If someone is in the home and making payments, it can soften the massive write-downs that will follow in this extremely soft market.

Things were going ok for Jim and Terri until the auto accident that put Jim out of work and laid up with a broken leg and a disc problem. What savings they had were burned through in less than a month. The auto insurance covered very little of the medical bills and Jim’s insurance at work carried a sizable deductible. The biggest challenge came for their family when Jim was not able to work for what was predicted for six months. The luxury items were the first to go. Because Jim was upside down on his car that was totaled there wasn’t enough insurance settlement to pay for the debt. Jim was still on the hook for the difference and monthly payments were being demanded by the auto finance company. Jim’s attorney shared that there might be a chance for some type of settlement until he discovered the driver of the other car that had caused the accident was not insured due to a recently lapsed policy. The insurance carrier was not going to pay anything. Jim’s attorney, a high school buddy, was going after the assets of the at fault driver but it would take some time to even begin the process. Jim and Terri had worked hard for five years to buy their first home and were just getting ahead when the auto accident occurred. With several months passing, the young couple was not able to pay even the minimum payment of their four credit cards. The mortgage payment had not been made for the past three months. The phone was now ringing off the hook for medical collections, the auto finance company and the mortgage company was now threatening to foreclose. Terri took a part time job in addition to her full time job as an office manager at a collection agency. She knew that game inside out. With two kids it was becoming very clear that bad things were under way and if something didn’t happen to turn the situation around, her family would be moving back into a small apartment again with trashed credit to boot.

Fortunately, Jim and Terri’s families were close by and could help out with babysitting while Terri worked. Both of their parents were of modest means and not able to offer any financial help but were happy to pitch in with the kids and some of the maintenance work around the house. Jim was flat on his back with recovery time many months down the road. Jim had the phone close to his bed and he had been screening telephone calls for bill collectors and such. On a Friday, Jim received a call from the mortgage company that held their loan and at first Jim was going to ignore it. Jim figured he had quite enough “gut calls” for the day. The caller was in the process of leaving a message on the answering machine and was going on at length over the details of a plan from the mortgage lender that would help Jim and Terri get back on their feet. In the middle of the message, Jim lifted the phone and spoke with the caller. It was a friendly voice. Jim spent almost an hour on the phone with explaining his situation and sharing the tale of woe and their streak of bad luck. The caller’s name was Toby and after the conversation concluded, he suggested he would call back by Monday and would give Jim and Terri a concrete proposal to try and mediate the mortgage short fall. After Jim hung up, he could only wonder if anyone could help him out of this financial mess. Sure enough, Toby called back Monday with a proposal. Toby explained his mortgage company decided to be very proactive with customers who had fallen behind and found it in their best interest to try and bridge the gap between their current situation and possible foreclosures. Another hour was spent going over Jim and Terri’s family budget just to determine the short fall and rank what items could be quickly cut to generate a better monthly cash flow. At the conclusion of the call, Toby suggested that if Jim and Terri could tighten up their budget and eliminate in the short term, cable, cell phones, eating out, sell the one remaining car that had some equity and get a transportation vehicle the bank would substantially help with the payments. This would allow Jim and Terri to bridge to a time when Jim could get back on his feet and return to work. Since the loan in question was an FHA loan, the lender was going to advance an interest free loan in the amount equal to twelve months of principal and interest payments including taxes and insurance. This was made possible by the lender making a “partial claim” to the FHA insurance fund, that is borrower funded, to help Jim and Terri get back on their feet. This was not a gift. Every penny would need to be paid back down the road. When borrowers use the FHA program they normally pay 1.5% of the mortgage amount up front called the UFMIP (Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium) plus they pay .5% of mortgage amount spread out among monthly payments. The bulk of these insurance premiums are by and large used for foreclosure actions. Loans that are insured by FHA pay the lender the difference of the foreclosure sale and the loan balance plus costs. This can be 25% to 30%+ loss for FHA. The thinking here by FHA is that if they can extend a hand and get these folks back on their feet in say a years time, it would be saving FHA a ton of money. This proactive approach is showing positive results. Jim and Terri seized on the proposal and in time were able to work out their financial situation and Jim was able to return to work. FHA was made whole in time; the credit card companies cancelled the accounts and agreed to take smaller payments for as long as necessary to get them settled at a reduced nominal interest rate. Terri was a good negotiator. Jim’s attorney was able to get a judgment and squeeze enough money out of the ticketed driver and get some funds from the uninsured motorist fund. This allowed Jim to payoff the “up side down” portion of the totaled vehicle with enough additional cash to buy an older pick up truck with the remainder monies. Terri was able to give up her part time job and the family slowly pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and they got back on their feet. The trailing medical bills were negotiated down after several over charges were discovered and a low monthly payment was set up. All in all, Jim and Terri considered themselves lucky in that the mortgage company stepped forward to offer a workable plan to save their home. It could have gone the other way very easily.

Lenders have recognized that the “bottom line strategy” of trying to work with borrowers who are in trouble pays off. From specially trained customer service representatives, like Toby, who are engaged counselors and not just adversaries. A customer service representative armed with tools like forbearance plans, to reworking old loans to new loans, to FHA, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, all pitching in to help resolve and mitigate any salvageable financial situations. The borrowers will need to make an effort to meet the lender half way and do what they need to do to keep their home. For any homeowner, financial disaster can be just a car crash away. Fortunately, lenders are now stepping up their efforts to help families in trouble with paying their mortgage. Again, bottom line, the lender and the borrower can win.

Dale Rogers

http://www.brokencredit.com

Dale Rogers
http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/lenders-get-aggressive-to-help-borrowers-that-are-at-default-status-on-their-mortgages-132826.html

Crisis is visibly recognised when the company faces credit squeeze, negative profitability, cash flow problems and collection concerns. However, before the full crisis manifests itself the management of failing companies goes through a four stage of crisis development: Hidden or ignorant crisis when senior management overlooks the signals of impending failure; denial and excuse crisis, when the crisis is explained away in the belief that it will disappear and so no action is necessary; financial and blaming crisis, when some token actions are taken as ’stop-gap’ measures without implementation of large-scale or radical change; and bankruptcy or surrender crisis, characterised by the inability to take action as the situation may be beyond redemption.

Necessity is the mother of invention. It often requires a crisis to stimulate new initiatives and to persuade management to take radical measures and accept new approaches that they would not normally be prepared to consider. When a man knows that he is going to die in a month, usually his mind becomes much more focused as he has limited time to resolve outstanding issues in his life.

Once the awareness of the onset of a crisis, the company needs to adopt changes similar to those of a sick and dying patient. As outlined by Elisabeth Kubler Ross, MD, in her classic book On Death and Dying, those stages begin with denial and progress through anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Hidden and denial crises might first surface when shareholder or subordinates question the company’s latest results or when a creditor such as a banker points to a disturbing decline in sales. The management’s normal reply may be “We have seen this before. There is a little hiccup in the economy and our business is seasonal. Nothing has gone wrong.” There is a prevailing ignorant and apathetic response towards the impending crisis.

Anger on management’s part, during the financial crisis, is sometimes manifested in defensive posture, particularly when the level of criticism becomes amplified. Bargaining is a last-ditch effort on management’s part to regain control. This stage shows itself as a variation of blaming, because the remedies that management contemplates are beyond its means and the management blames it on the poor economy. The CEO may be asking for some more credit from the bank or waiting for a white knight to save the company from certain death.

When bargaining has failed, depression sets in. Creditors and bankers start to demand payments; next customers, suppliers and good employees defect. As the bankruptcy stage sets in, managers begin to accept its fate. They simply give up. The acceptance stage is marked by a sense of forthright preparedness for the inevitable. This is the time when management has to accept that it is unable to do the job and surrender to the unpleasant circumstances. They are either to be ousted unceremoniously or let the company enter into bankruptcy proceedings. Thus this final stage is usually followed either by failure or successful recovery usually led by a new management team.

In today’s market, crises are very rampant and can hit at any time. No one in Asia in 2004 have predicted or pre-empted the devastating economic impact of SARS epidemic. Several Asian economies were literally crippled as people feared for their lives and shunned public places and curtained all overseas travels. The crux of a good crisis management is to be prepared at all times. The Asian governments got wiser in 2004 and although there were some isolated reports of SARS infections, another major disaster or crisis was averted due to better control and preparation.

Wake up and be prepared for crisis can strike at anytime

Mike Teng
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/a-company-in-crisis-is-in-a-nightmare-92578.html

Get back my accidentally saved over game-If so what is some good software that would safely do this?
Thanks

My Answer may not be the best, and have never done it. And this Link can help most of your question.

http://www.psu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124597

Window only usually read NTFS format for hard drive. The only way to get it to FAT32 (Which Format that Linux,PS3, USB storage device use) is to make your HD into a 32GB storage space only.

PS3 use special kind of FAT32 format which you cannot easily go and just drag ps3 file out. You need special kind of software to do able to read PS3 files i believe.

And no, there is no way to restore the file you accidentally overwrite. Is like computer file, once you overwrite something you cannot reverse it. Unless the program itself save each file individually automaticlly.

Only 2 way to get back your from your overwrited saved game.. Either play it from start all over again or you can look for a saved file over the web to see if anyone saved in the same spot as you

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