Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/273883298?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Monday 31 December 2012
Pa. railroad calendar delivered 63 years late
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) ? A northeastern Pennsylvania newspaper has just received a calendar to help ring in the new year ? except the year is 1950.
Scranton's The Times-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/S23ykD ) a mail carrier delivered it 63 years late without explanation on Friday.
The large tube contained a 1950 Pennsylvania Railroad calendar addressed to James Flanagan, former general manager of The Scranton Times.
The calendar includes a holiday greeting from a railroad executive dated December 1949. Flanagan died that month.
A U.S. Postal Service spokesman says lost mail is sometimes found when a machine is dismantled or office space is renovated.
Times-Tribune publisher Bobby Lynett says he'll see if the Steamtown National Historic Site railroad museum is interested in the calendar. If not, he'll display it in the newspaper's offices.
___
Information from: The Times-Tribune, http://thetimes-tribune.com/
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LIVE: Final Day Before The Fiscal Cliff - Business Insider
Lawmakers are very close to reaching a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, and stave off at least some of the tax hikes and budget cuts that are set to go into effect at midnight.
Both parties have reached an agreement on the tax part of the deal. According to reports, that includes a compromise on a $400,000/$450,000 threshold for extending the Bush tax cuts on individuals and households, respectively. The same threshold will apply to capital gains and dividends, with rates going up to 20 percent. Personal tax deductions would also be limited for high-income earners, and both sides have also agreed to a small increase on the estate tax.
The sticking point, however, is what to do about the across-the-board budget cuts that will hit the federal government tomorrow. But leaders from both parties have indicated they might just move ahead with a vote on the tax issue, and continue hammering out a deal on spending.?
Still, the agreement has angered members of both parties. Democrats have argued that President Barack Obama is giving away too much on taxes, and leaving himself open to another cave on the debt ceiling. Republicans, on the other hand, have been tweaked by the President's political grandstanding, which some have said may make it more difficult for any deal to pass the divided House of Representatives.?
Follow below for all the developments.
*This post was updated at 3:29 p.m.
4:32 PM | Now Republican aides are saying a vote could still happen...
Several House Republican aides are now saying that a vote could still happen tonight, despite Cantor's announcement. Republican sources say members are being told to stay near the Capitol in case of a last-minute fiscal cliff vote.?
While it remains unlikely that a vote will be held tonight, it's worth noting that Republican House leaders moved Sunday to give themselves expedited authority to bring a vote to the floor in the event that the Senate passes a fiscal cliff bill Monday evening.
4:28 PM | DEM DRAMA: Fox News is reporting that Harry Reid hasn't signed off on the revenue deal
Fox News reporter Chad Pergram tweets:?
4:01 PM | It's official: We're going over the cliff
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office just announced that no vote will be held tonight on the fiscal cliff.?
The House GOP conference will reportedly meet at 5 p.m.?
3:14 PM | Markets are surging after McConnell's announcement.
2:50 PM | MCCONNELL: "We are very, very close" to a deal
Speaking on the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says that both sides are "very, very close" to a deal, and that both sides have reached an agreement on the threshold for raising income taxes.?
McConnell urged the Senate to move forward with the deal on taxes, while both sides continue negotiating on a deal to cut spending and avoid the sequester.
"Let's pass the tax relief portion now," McConnell said. "Let's take what's been agreed to and keep moving."?
"We?ll continue to work on finding smarter ways to cut spending but let?s not let that hold up protecting Americans" from tax hikes, he said.?
2:28 PM | Sen. John McCain is ripping into Obama for his fiscal cliff speech.
Just minutes after Obama's remarks, McCain launched into an epic rant on the Senate floor, slamming the President for not taking the fiscal cliff seriously.
"It's time to stop the cheerleading, it's time to stop the campaigning ? the President won," McCain said, slamming his podium for emphasis. "Isn't it time to govern?"?
Obama, McCain said, "laughs and jokes and ridicules Republicans. Why?"?
"That's not the way presidents should lead!"
2:08 PM | Reports say Senate Democrats are rebelling against the deal
BuzzFeed reporter Rebecca Berg tweets that Democratic sources say liberal Senators, including Al Franken, Sherrod Brown, and others, marched into Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office this afternoon to voice their dissatisfaction with the deal.?
2:02 PM | Republicans aren't too pleased with Obama's political grandstanding...
Here's a tweet from Doug Heye, an aide to Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor:?
1:40 PM | Sen. John Cornyn, the Senate GOP's No. 2, tweets that Republicans have delayed a 2 p.m. meeting to discuss the latest cliff negotiations.
1:19 PM | REPORT: The two sides have reached an agreement on tax rates
CNBC and other news outlets are reporting that the two sides have reached an agreement on the threshold for extending the Bush tax cuts.?
Sam Stein and Ryan Grim have more details on the emerging deal here. Here are some of the key elements, according to their report:
1. The Bush-era tax cuts will be extended permanently to 39.6 percent for individuals earning more than $400,000 and households earning more than $450,000.?That same threshold would be applied for capital gains and dividends, with the top rate going up to 20 percent.?Estimated revenue: $370 billion over 10 years.?
2. ?The estate tax will go up slightly for estates over $5 million, from 35 percent to 40 percent. Estimated revenue: $25 billion in revenue over 10 years.?
3. Personal tax exemptions would be capped at $375,000 for individuals and $425,000 for households. Itemized deductions would be capped at $250,000 and $300,000 respectively. Estimated revenue: $185 billion over 10 years.?
4. A permanent patch in the alternative minimum tax (AMT) and a five-year extension of stimulus tax policies.?
The main sticking point is still what to do about the sequester. Stein and Grim report that both sides are still negotiating the cost of an extension of unemployment benefits and how to pay for a one-year resolution to postpone changes in Medicare payments to doctors.?
12:42 PM | Obama to speak at the White House at 1:30 p.m.
The White House just announced that President Obama will speak in the South Court Auditorium at 1:30 p.m.?
According to the schedule update, Obama will "deliver remarks at an event with middle class Americans," so it doesn't sound like he will be announcing a deal, although reports indicate that a deal is imminent.?
We'll be liveblogging Obama's announcement here >?
12:27 PM | There are reports a deal is emerging, but there's major Democrat drama over the sequester
The AP reports that a deal could be imminent, but that both sides are still at odds over how to deal with the sequester,?the package of dramatic budget cuts scheduled to go into effect at midnight.?
According to the AP, the deal would include returning tax rates for households earning over $450,000 to 39 percent, the same rate that they were under President Bill Clinton. The deal would also extend unemployment benefits and raise the tax on estates over $5 million from 35% to 40%.?
But Republicans are pushing for the fiscal cliff deal to include a three month delay of the sequester, and want to use the Chained CPI to offset the cuts. Democrats want to push back the sequester until 2015, and use new revenues to pay for the cuts.?
CNN reporter Dana Bash tweets that Democrats are pushing hard against Republican demands, and are now?saying they will block any bill that includes a three-month delay, part of a ploy to keep Vice President Joe Biden from agreeing to the measure.?
12:04 PM | Everyone is saying that Obama got rolled on fiscal cliff talks.
Washington Post blogger Ezra Klein has a pretty brutal takedown of the White House's leadership on the fiscal cliff. The gist of his argument is that while Obama entered the fiscal cliff negotiations with the apparent advantage, he has caved every step of the way.?
Here's the key passage:?
The Republicans plan to say that now that they broke their pledge and voted for a tax increase, they?ll insist on a dollar of spending cuts for every dollar of debt-ceiling increase ? the so-called ?Boehner rule?. The White House plans to insist that it won?t negotiate over the debt ceiling at all.
Republicans I?ve spoken to laugh at this bluster. Obama is already negotiating over the debt ceiling, they point out. He began the fiscal cliff negotiations by saying he wanted a permanent solution to the debt ceiling. Then it was a two-year increase in the debt limit. Now he?s going to sign off on a mini-deal that doesn?t increase the debt ceiling at all. Does that really sound like someone who?s going to hold firm when faced with global economic chaos? The White House always talks tough at the beginning of negotiations and then always folds at the end. Republicans are confident that the debt ceiling will be no different.
Slate blogger Matt Yglesias has a similar take here. The White House, Ygelesias argues, lost any credibility it had by putting the debt ceiling on the table despite insisting that Obama wouldn't negotiate on raising the debt limit. Even worse, by including the debt ceiling in a "grand bargain" package delayed until 2015 , the Obama White House is actually institutionalizing the practice of negotiating on the debt ceiling.?
11:23 AM | Sen. Tom Harkin (D-ID) just blasted Democrats for giving up the farm on the fiscal cliff.
Harkin, a staunch liberal, took the Senate floor after Reid, and blasted his party for making too many concessions on the fiscal cliff ? specifically by raising the threshold for extending the Bush tax cuts to $450,000, up from the $250,000 that President Barack Obama campaigned on.?
"This looks like a very bad deal."?
Harkin's sentiments have been echoed by many Democrats, who are frustrated with last night's developments. After talks failed in the Senate yesterday, fiscal cliff negotiations turned into a backroom affair between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Joe Biden. According to reports, Biden also agreed to concede to Republican demands on the estate tax, in addition to agreeing to raise the income threshold for the Bush tax cuts.?
11:09 AM | Harry Reid: Negotiations Are Continuing As We Speak, Still Issues To Be Resolved
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took the floor briefly to inform lawmakers that negotiations are still ongoing, but that they don't have anything to vote on yet.?
"There are still some issues that need to be resolved before we can bring legislation to the floor," Reid said. "Negotiations are continuing as we speak."?
"We really are running out of time," he added. "Americans are threatened with a tax hike in a few hours."
11:07 AM | The Senate is back in session...
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/fiscal-cliff-live-2012-12
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Sunday 30 December 2012
The 9 Best Video Games Of 2012
2012 has been pretty good to us neckbeards now that the year is almost in the books. Sequels flourished and floundered, indie games made waves and some surprising titles caught gamers off guard. What's most important is, despite the usual holiday season heavyweights, there's been plenty of worthy of titles released to add to your catalog. That is, unless you're one of those forum-dwelling whiners pining for the days when games "belonged" to gamers or whatever.
Anyway, now's not the time to be jaded; not with all these great vidya games lying about. TSS's resident geeks felt compelled to share their favorite games with you, the readers, for you to agree, disagree and bicker about in the comments. Check out our picks and give them a try if you haven't yet.
Walking Dead: The Game (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac OSX, iOS) ? Tell Tale Games
The Walking Dead is an emotional roller coaster where the story compels you so much that you actually question your own morals and values. Its objectives and decisions range from who gets the last rations, to who do you save first before their intestines are ripped out by a group of bloodthirsty zombies. The quick time events, art direction, storyline, game stability and sound are all perfect: rendering this adventure title a sure classic. And once you?re done you will understand how the game moved 3.8 million units and the Twitter phenomena #ForClementine (click at your own risk.)
Mass Effect 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) ? EA Games
This epic Sci-Fi space saga not-named Star Wars was all the rage in 2012. ME3 went down as being the most anticipated game this year, as well as the most infamous. The gameplay was even better than before, with more fluid controls, intense action and cream-of-the-crop graphics, all coated with its well-crafted story. All controversy aside, this title was damn good from the beginning; making this trilogy something gamers can be proud of for years to come.
The Last Story (Wii) - Xseed Games
With the Wii on it's last leg in 2012, the port of The Last Story to North America bought much surprise. This was because we here stateside don't generally get JRPG games with a plot we can relate with or gameplay that keeps our short attention spans. This game, though, incorporated many of Final Fantasy's in-depth story style and real-time battles. Compile a fun control-scheme with the Wiimotes, the best graphics the Wii has to offer, a not-so-weird-Japanese love story and you got yourself one of the best games in 2012 and in the Wii's catalog.
Hotline Miami (PC, Mac OSX) - Devolver Digital
This game right here... is one of the most gruesome and violent games released commercially in the US since Manhunt 2 in 2007, and embodies graphics from the 8-bit era. It's got an eerie, good Fight Club-style story with twitchy, fast-paced gameplay, tons of unlockables, strategy elements and a learning curve that will have you pulling your hair out and kicking the dog. On top of that the original 80's theme soundtrack is excellent: placing you right in the action of this crazy game. Once you start, you will not want to quit until you beat it.
Far Cry 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - Ubisoft
The third entry in the Far Cry series sinks its devious hooks into the gamer within the first twisted cut-scene, and doesn't let go. Great gameplay, a beautiful, expansive sandbox-style island to explore and one of the most compelling stories of the year deftly combine to create a clear-cut Game Of The Year. The diehard crowd might try to throw rocks at Ubisoft over a multiplayer that doesn't measure up to Call Of Duty*, but get over it. The amount of polished content packed into the single player more than makes up for it.
*Why the hell would you go anywhere but COD or maybe Halo for multiplayer shooters? Let's just stop making unfair comparisons.
FIFA 2013 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android, Mac OSX) - EA Games
Same ol' song and dance for EA Sports' flagship? Hardly. FIFA continues to improve, implementing small, subtle additions to gameplay and presentation that add to the game's touted realism. No longer do players on the pitch react uniformly to through balls, lob passes and headers, as decided by EA's newly-implemented first touch system. When paired with teams that are constantly changing with their real-life counterparts, the result is the most realistic depiction of soccer we've ever seen.
Borderlands 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - 2K Games
Half shooter, half RPG and all awesome, Borderlands 2 easily gives you one of the best bang for your buck values in games this year. The lengthy campaign comes fully fledged with well designed missions, a great villain and plenty of laugh out loud moments via its writing. Good times await potential vault hunters especially if you have friends to play with. Couch and online co op yield all kinds of memorable moments and may make you wonder why you bothered raging at COD all this time.
Forza Horizon (Xbox 360) - Microsoft Studios
Horizon's stupendous blend of sim and "arcade" handling makes for plenty of fun races and hours of enjoyable joy riding at your fingertips. Occasional rubber banding kind of sucks later in the game. However adjustable difficulty settings and online play will hold you down if the campaign gets rough. The game world is easy on the eyes and a joy to roll through at your leisure. Heck, even the hipster-trash soundtrack might grow on you. Give the game a chance and, before you know it, you'll start singing Tesla Boy's "Spirit of the Night" in your Miami Vice '88 Countach.
Trials Evolution (Xbox 360) - Microsoft Studios, Ubisoft and RedLynx
Ridiculous courses, a great map share feature, on/offline multiplayer support and a carefree, humorous vibe easily make Trials Evolution a must play for any 360 owner. Trials Evo is also a riot as the jumps, crashes and wacky physics WILL make you laugh like few games can. This downloadable title is so well made you might accidentally open your disc tray a few times whenever your through.
Source: http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2012/12/2012-best-video-games
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Still No Agreement on Fiscal Cliff: Sen Reid tells Senate that Dem & GOP leaders still "apart on some pretty big issues?
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Source: https://twitter.com/markknoller/status/285463165255438336
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Days before deadline, Obama urges Congress to act on 'fiscal cliff' (Washington Bureau)
Clean Up Broken Ornaments with Paper Towels and Lint Rollers
Every few years a Christmas ornament will break in my household when it's time to pack away the tree. When this happens, sweep the shards onto a wet paper towel and use a lint roller to pick up any tiny fragments of glass left behind.
This tip comes from cleaning weblog Clean My Space in their 12 Days of Clean video series. The reason for wetting the paper towel is that glass sticks to a wet paper towel better than a dry equivalent.
12 Days of Clean: Safe & Quick Broken Ornament Clean-Up | Clean My Space
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Saturday 29 December 2012
Judge denies prison delay for Myrtle Beach developer Ford Shelley
MYRTLE BEACH -- Condominium developer Ford Shelley will have to report to federal prison on Wednesday after a judge on Friday denied Shelley?s request to postpone his sentence while he appeals his case.
Judge Terry Wooten, in a written order, stated that ?after careful consideration, the motion to stay [Shelley?s] reporting date ? is denied.?
Shelley was sentenced to 20 months in prison after pleading guilty last year to one felony charge of mail fraud related to sales at his Pineapple Bay condo project on Porcher Drive. Shelley is to report to the Bennettsville Federal Correctional Institution, a medium security facility for male inmates.
Shelley had asked Wooten to delay his sentence because he claimed his lawyers misled him into pleading guilty to a crime he now says he did not commit. Shelley said in court documents that he pleaded guilty because his lawyers told him he would not serve any time in prison.
Shelley also claims prosecutors intimidated him into pleading guilty by threatening to file charges against his wife, Gina, and ?throw the book at him? if he didn?t sign a plea agreement, according to court documents.
Shelley?s appeal will continue while he is serving his sentence.
Shelley waived his right to appeal his sentence when he signed a guilty plea in October 2011. The only way he can avoid that waiver is by proving he had ineffective counsel or that there was prosecutorial misconduct in his case. Shelley?s appeal focuses on what he calls bad advice he received from his lawyers and their assurances that he would not get prison time prior to pleading guilty.
?Shelley would not have pled guilty to the crime charged, but for trial counsel?s assurance of a no-jail-time sentence,? Shelley?s court filing states, adding that his lawyer urged him ?to accept the agreement because if he didn?t ?they [prosecutors] will dig something up?.?
When Shelley?s pre-sentencing report was completed in February, it showed the bank that provided mortgages at Pineapple Bay lost nearly $1 million due to Shelley?s fraud. That loss amount increased the amount of prison time Shelley could get under federal sentencing guidelines.
Shelley said in court documents that prosecutors promised they would recommend a light sentence to the judge, stating at one point that they were not opposed to probation and ?did not want Shelley to go away because he was the only one that told the truth in the investigation.?
However, John Potterfield ? the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case ? did not recommend probation at the sentencing hearing and Wooten sentenced Shelley to prison followed by three years of supervised release and restitution of at least $1,000 per month upon his release from prison.
Shelley?s appeal followed documents he filed in October claiming he was duped by a GMAC Mortgage loan officer who assured Shelley that an illegal plan to sell the townhomes was, in fact, legal. That plan called for Shelley to refund buyers 10 percent of their purchase as an ?incentive? that was not shown on HUD-1 settlement statements. Shelley said GMAC also approved loans for Pineapple Bay purchases even though it knew the mortgage applications contained false information.
Shelley said in court documents that he did not know he was doing anything wrong and was acting on the advice of the loan officer.
Shelley also is disputing the nearly $1 million that GMAC claims it lost on the Pineapple Bay deals. Shelley said GMAC immediately sold the condo loans into the secondary market as mortgage-backed securities, thereby profiting from the deals rather than losing money.
Four Pineapple Bay buyers previously pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud charges and each were sentenced to between three years and five years of probation plus restitution.
Most of the buyers at the 12-unit Pineapple Bay project included Shelley?s family ? including Shelley?s wife, his brother-in-law and sister-in-law ? and friends or business associates. The original sale price for each of the 2,250-square-foot condos ranged from $625,000 to $700,000 in 2006, according to county property records. The most recent sales have been for between $135,000 and $157,500, according to statistics from the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors.
Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2012/12/29/3244701/judge-denies-prison-delay-for.html
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Friday 28 December 2012
Sales Consulting, Training and Coaching: Sales Success and More ...
?
What is price elasticity and how does it work?
I have a client who wants to increase their profitability by selling at higher prices.? Their challenge is simple; how much can they increase the price, what effects will a price increase have on their volumes and where is optimum profitability found?
What is price elasticity?
The concept of price elasticity is a measure of how the sales volume will change in relation to a change in the selling price.? So as you reduce the price, theoretically the sales volume will go up.? And as you increase the price, the sales volume will reduce.
The interesting bit is that the changes are usually not linear.? So if you half the price, you won?t double the volume.? Or double the price, you won?t half the volume.
The effect of this is that at some point there will be an optimum combination of price and volume that creates the greatest profitability.? And it is that combination my client is seeking.
An example
My client is selling a software product with a licence fee price of $750.? At this price, they sell an average of 40 licences a month.
They plan to increase the price initially to $800, and expect a minor change in the volume to an average of 38 licences a month.
If the thinking is correct, the new price/volume combination will increase profitability by $400/month.? Here?s how:
- Current situation:? 40 licences/month at $750 each generates total revenue of $30,000
- New situation:? 38 licences/month at $800 each generates total revenue of $30,400
- All other factors unchanged
If the thinking is wrong, and the volume actually reduces to 37, then profitability will be reduced by $400.? Or if the volume remains unchanged, the profitability will be increased by $2,000.
Testing
You might be wondering where the idea of a volume reduction from 40 to 38 came from.? Is it just an assumption, or is there some basis for the theory?
In this case there is a basis of theory.? To test the idea, the company did a simple A/B test in which it emailed an offer to a segment of its existing mailing list.? The offer went in two forms where the only variation was the price.? In 50% of the emails it was the current $750, in the other 50% the price was the increased $800.? The response rate of the two was then compared to come up with the volume of the reduction.
Here?s what to do next
If you?re interested in how this could help you, or feel I may be able to help you with some of the challenges you?re facing, please get in touch for an informal discussion.
There?s no commitment, we?ll just discuss your situation to see if working together might be a good fit. ?Contact me?now.
Best regards
Source: http://www.salessuccessandmore.com/what-is-price-elasticity-and-how-does-it-work
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Insert Coin: 2012's top 10 crowd-funded projects
This trip around the sun has been a monumental one for crowdfunding, marked by big projects and astronomical numbers. Take Kickstarter wunderkind OUYA, for example, which raised more than $8.5 million in funding from 63,416 backers. Kickstarter itself has even grown and matured, expanding to the UK and putting its foot down when it comes to pitching hardware by requiring working prototypes and assessments of risks and challenges. Out of the 60 crowdfunding efforts that crossed our desks as Insert Coins in 2012, 47 were successfully funded, four still have time to rake in funds and nine fell short of their goals or were otherwise stymied. We've handpicked and placed the top 10 projects that won our hearts and, on occasion, our hard-earned scratch after the break.
Continue reading Insert Coin: 2012's top 10 crowd-funded projects
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Gaming, Wearables, Storage, Software
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/j_svFCVqdwQ/
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January 2013 Deadline for Mandatory Adoption of Intelligent Mail ...
To complete its trifecta of major changes in January 2013, the United States Postal Service is rolling out the mandatory adoption of the Intelligent Mail Barcode for bulk mailers who want to receive the automation discount. The effective date is January 28, 2013.
The other big USPS changes taking place in January 2013 include the new tabbing regulations for letter-sized self-mailers and the postage rate increase. Are you up to speed with these changes?
What's all the fuss about the Intelligent Mail Barcode? If you're a bulk mailer and you don't know what the Intelligent Mail Barcode is, or you know what it is, but don't have software that will generate an Intelligent Mail Barcode, fear not; the world is not coming to an end.
There are two basic tiers of discounts within bulk mail: basic presort and automated presort.
To receive the additional discount associated with automation, you'll need to imprint Intelligent Mail Barcode on your bulk mail. You will still be able to send bulk mail without an Intelligent Mail Barcode after the January 28, 2013 deadline, but you'll pay higher postage than people who use the Intelligent Mail Barcode because they will qualify for the automation discount as well.
Besides postage savings of as much as 5 cents apiece, utilization of the Intelligent Mail Barcode has other benefits. The main, largely unmentioned, benefit of using the Intelligent Mail Barcode is quicker processing by the USPS which typically results in speedier delivery of your bulk mail.
If you don't print your own Intelligent Mail Barcode, the USPS will print one on your letter for you, and this extra step means that it takes longer to handle your mail.?
How do I know which type of barcode I'm using? The older style of barcode is called the postnet barcode. If you purchased any sort of mailing software that's more than three years old, odds are it generates the older-style postnet barcode.
The easiest way to identify the two different barcodes is visually, so to assist you, we've included photos of both below.
Here is the older postnet barcode that?s no longer approved by the USPS:
Here is the newer Intelligent Mail Barcode:
You'll notice the difference in how the 2 barcodes align across the bottom. The older postnet barcode looks like it's resting on a flat surface while the Intelligent Mail Barcode is more irregular.
Why is the USPS mandating the adoption of the Intelligent Mail Barcode? The simplest explanation to this is that the Intelligent Mail Barcode, can hold much more data than the postnet barcode.
The additional information contained in the Intelligent Mail Barcode allows for more sophisticated tracking through the mail stream, delivery confirmation of bulk mail pieces and other more sophisticated features. More details about the reasons for USPS adoption can be found here.
What are other commonly overlooked USPS bulk mail requirements? Of greater concern to smaller bulk mailers is the USPS requirement to update all mailing addresses on your mailing list within 95 days of your mailing. This requirement applies to automated and non-automated mailings. Although this requirement has been on the books for several years, the USPS has really enforced the requirement more stringently over the course of the last year or so.
If you don't use a USPS approved method for updating your addresses, the USPS can fine you or refuse to send your mailing. Click here for a recent article that explains this requirement in more detail and offers a workaround.
By rolling out the new tabbing regulations and adoption of the Intelligent Mail Barcode, the USPS has really increased the complexity of bulk mail preparation for smaller mailers. If you're feeling overwhelmed by these changes, we invite you to contact us. We mail out thousands of bulk mail campaigns for our clients each year, and save them a lot of money on postage in the process.
Like what you're reading?? Have you signed up for our weekly enews yet or are you following my blog's rss feed?
How does the roll out of the Intelligent Mail Barcode impact you? Please share your comments below.
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Thursday 27 December 2012
Television section
For the week of Dec. 10-16
1. Sunday Night Football: San Francisco at New England, NBC, 23.23 million
2. "60 Minutes," CBS, 19.63 million
3. "NCIS," CBS, 17.65 million
4. "The Big Bang Theory," CBS, 16.74 million
5. "NCIS: Los Angeles," CBS, 15.12 million
6. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC, 14.62 million
7. "Person of Interest," CBS, 14.08 million
8. "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 13.34 million
9. "The Voice" (Monday), NBC, 12.33 million
10. "Criminal Minds," CBS, 12.01 million
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032450/ns/today-entertainment/
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Observatory: A Newly Discovered Mosasaur Adapted to Fresh Water
[unable to retrieve full-text content]A newly discovered species of mosasaur probably adapted to fresh water the same way as river dolphins in Asia and South America.
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10 Things to Know for Today
In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, photo, a customer shops for greeting cards at a Target store in Chicago. U.S. holiday retail sales this year are the weakest since 2008, after a shopping season disrupted by storms and rising uncertainty among consumers. A report out Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, that tracks spending, called MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, says holiday sales increased 0.7 percent. Analysts had expected sales to grow 3 to 4 percent. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
In this Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, photo, a customer shops for greeting cards at a Target store in Chicago. U.S. holiday retail sales this year are the weakest since 2008, after a shopping season disrupted by storms and rising uncertainty among consumers. A report out Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, that tracks spending, called MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, says holiday sales increased 0.7 percent. Analysts had expected sales to grow 3 to 4 percent. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
This 2006 image provided by the Monroe County Sheriff's Department shows William H. Spengler Jr. Authorities say Spengler, 62, set a house and car ablaze Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 in Webster, N.Y., and then opened fire, killing two firefighters and wounding two others. Spengler, who served 17 years in prison for the 1980 slaying of his grandmother, later killed himself after a shootout with police. (AP Photo/Monroe County Sheriff's Department )
In this image from video provided by WALA-TV in Mobile, Ala. a tornado touches down in Mobile on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. The tornado hit some areas of downtown Mobile Tuesday, causing severe damage in the area before moving north, officials said. (AP Photo/WALA-TV) MANDATORY CREDIT: WALA-TV
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today:
1. WHAT THE NEW YORK SHOOTER'S NOTE SAID
William Spengler wanted to burn down the neighborhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people" before shooting at firefighters.
2. SAME WEAPON USED IN NEW YORK AND NEWTOWN
Police in Webster, N.Y., recovered a .223-caliber semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle ? the same caliber and make used to kill 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school.
3. TORNADOES FOR CHRISTMAS
The twisters spun across Texas and Alabama, blew the roofs off homes and killed three people.
4. SCARED TO SHOP
Retail spending grew at the slowest pace since the 2008 recession in a holiday season dampened by economic uncertainty.
5. REPUBLICANS LOOKING FOR COMPROMISE
After President Obama's re-election, many are willing to bend on immigration, taxes and gun issues.
6. BACK TO THE OLD IN JAPAN
Shinzo Abe was voted back into office, restoring power to the conservatives that ran Japan for most of the post-World War II era.
7. CRASH LANDING FOR CHRISTMAS TOURISTS
A flight headed for a popular spot in Myanmar slammed into a road, killing at least two people and injuring 11.
8. A DIRECTOR AND ACTOR, BUT NOT A POLITICIAN
Ben Affleck took himself out of the running for U.S. Sen. John Kerry's Massachusetts seat.
9. EASY TO GET A ROOM FOR INAUGURATION
Obama's Jan. 21 second-term festivities are expected to draw up to 800,000 visitors, down from 1.8 million in 2008.
10. HERO DOG FROM PHILIPPINES BEATS CANCER
Kabang, who lost her snout when she jumped in front of a motorcycle to save two young girls, is in remission after six weeks of chemotherapy.
Associated PressPSEG hocus pocus hocus pocus mta schedule PECO chris christie Hurricane Sandy update
Wednesday 26 December 2012
Google?s Mobile Future Is Now
Google Now may be one of Google's most underrated new products of 2012, but I think it will turn out to be Google's killer mobile product in the long run. It's the one tool that brings together virtually everything Google knows about you and where you are and then turns all of this information into a useful dashboard on your phone. No other Google product (with the possible exception of some of its advertising services) draws up such a wealth of data about you.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/GuH0uV4o_5U/
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