Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis dish on their subversive new comedy ‘We’re the Millers.’ In the farce, Sudeikis’ character assembles a motley crew to pla…
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Former President George W. Bush underwent a heart procedure in Dallas Tuesday after doctors discovered a blockage in his artery during an annual physical. Do…
Continue reading …Traditional advertising – including print, radio and TV – still accounts for the lion’s share of local advertising budgets, but digital advertising will continue to capture more market share through 2017 and beyond. Local advertising is barely expected to grow this year, with a slight contraction in traditional advertising, cancelled out by growing online budgets. The news will mean more revenue for businesses such as Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook, which will inevitably capture more market share as budgets move online. “According to BIA/Kelsey’s March 2013 forecast of US local media ad spending, the role of digital in the local ad market will continue to expand. BIA/Kelsey expects total local spending to reach $132.7 billion this year, essentially flat relative to 2012, when it was $132.5 billion,” writes eMarketer . “The composition of that spending will shift, however, as traditional spending declines from $109.4 billion to $107 billion in 2013 and digital spending increases from $23 billion to $25.7 billion.” BIA/Kelsey expects overall local ad spending to start growing again. Digital will continue to be a larger part of the overall composition of ad sales, meaning that its growth rates will have a more pronounced impact on the overall health of the local advertising market. Traditional advertising will bottom at $106.4 billion in 2015, before growing in 2016 and falling back to $107.6 billion in 2017. “We are seeing strong growth in the local business ad space, with money coming out of TV and print and moving online,” explains Yellow Pages United, the company behind the YPU blog . “Businesses are getting a taste for results-driven marketing, and they are realizing that they are never going to achieve the same return on investment from their offline activities.” The local advertising space is taking longer to transition to digital than other forms of advertising. The report by BIA/Kelsey estimates that the overall industry is currently spending around 5% more on digital advertising than local advertisers, but this gap will shrink as we move closer towards 2017. Digit advertising will account for 27.6% of all local ad spending by 2017, and the overall industry will be spending around 29.1%. Local advertisers are currently spending money on search ads, social media marketing and Yellow Pages advertising. They are capturing demand and seeing a strong ROI, but they have yet to make significant inroads into generating demand from display. Into the future, we should expect local advertisers to spend more money on display as self-servicing ad buying platforms grow. Most media businesses still run a very hands-on ad buying process, which means that they find it difficult to extract margin from local advertisers who typically have smaller budgets, and only want impressions from within a close geographical proximity of their premises. Publishers like the New York Times and Yahoo struggle to profitably service this demographic, but we should look out for more players to emerge in the display space. There are already many aggregation players, including Google, but none have yet to attract sufficient interest from local businesses. Digital Advertising Set to Capture More Local Advertising Spend is a post from: Daily World Buzz
Continue reading …To get off the ground, most new businesses need access to capital from the outset to pay for development costs and cover a lack of revenue in the early stages. But when start-up capital dries up, business owners can quickly find themselves in the situation where the pace of outgoings is greater than the pace of earnings. In some cases, business owners will be comfortable paying these costs personally in the short-term. Where entrepreneurs have the capital to hand, this is effectively just an extension of any money they’ve put in to start the business. But in most circumstances, resources are limited and alternative sources of funding must be found to ensure continued business survival. Traditionally banks and other commercial lenders would be happy to provide solid businesses with access to a rolling credit line. However, with the recessionary frost came an unwillingness to lend, which has prevented thousands of small businesses from obtaining the finance they need to expand and grow. Business owners faced with an inability to lend from mainstream banks face two distinct choices: whether to seek private capital from an investor, or to approach alternative business lenders to discuss financing options. In most circumstances small business owners would prefer loan funding over equity finance and, with investor business sentiment at an all time low in Europe and the US, businesses are less likely to find the right deal privately in this climate. Loan funding is regarded as one of the cheaper options for raising money as a business. However, without an established trading history, new businesses can find it difficult to raise the cash they need at affordable rates. For those open to pursuing alternative funding facilities, there are still mainstream lenders prepared to offer a variety of products to business owners. While overdrafts are becoming more tightly restricted by the banks, merchant advance facilities have reemerged as the alternative of choice for most business owners. Allowing finance to be raised against future card sales, this type of facility enables owners to release the potential tied up in their company. Margin advances are now becoming an increasingly viable alternative, with the security over card sales allowing lenders to keep costs down. For those at an earlier stage of the business development cycle, there are also opportunities in the form of micro loans and advances to meet imminent payment demands. Advance Funds Network (click here for more information about Advance Funds Network ) provides businesses with a range of different funding opportunities. They suggested that business owners keep an open mind to varying lending structures in order to get the best deal. “Some business owners feel nervous about lending against future card sales. However, in many cases it can prove to be one of the more cost-effective options for those businesses that are having difficulty securing finance. Whether it is an advance or invoice finance facility, providing businesses with the liquidity they need is essential to protecting jobs and aiding growth in our economy, and owners should be prepared to consider all possibilities when looking for a source of funding.” Sourcing Alternative Funding For Your Business is a post from: Daily World Buzz
Continue reading …Concerns over the well-being of hip hop star Lil’ Wayne have subsided after the artist was released from hospital following a serious health scare. The ‘Tha Carter III’ rapper suffered an unexplained series of seizures, culminating in his hospitalization in a critical condition. Some fans believed Lil’ Wayne would not survive. But according to Lil Wayne’s Twitter feed , he has now left hospital and is in improving health. His release from hospital is obviously encouraging news. Lil’ Wayne has fought to overcome media speculation about his condition. Some sources have suggested the seizures were linked to the drug codeine, which he was said to have been using recreationally in the run-up to this health scare. Codeine is consumed in the form of ‘purple drank’, a drug based on prescription cough mixtures. The syrup is mixed with a soft drink mixer and consumed to intoxicate, and the hip-hop scene has been synonymous with the drink for decades. But Lil’ Wayne himself denies this allegation, saying the seizures are a persistent issue, the cause of which doctors have been unable to identify. Nevertheless, fans will be delighted that he is back on his feet, and almost ready to return to public performance. One of Lil’ Wayne’s most recent seizures happened during the shooting of a music video for his collaboration with Nicki Minaj, the artist he discovered and mentors. The ‘Young Money’ star’s visit to Lil’ Wayne in hospital was one of the most moving scenes for hip hop fans for many years, at a time when his condition was still stabilizing in hospital. He sustained further seizures on separate flights on his private jet, leading to two emergency landings for immediate medical attention. While the severity of his condition was played down at the time, the star’s move to intensive care sent shockwaves through the music industry. Musicians from a wide range of influences came together to pray and wish the star well. His recovery is testament to the goodwill and warmth that was shown to him – both from fans and the industry alike. ABCTickets, which processes ticketing for some Lil’ Wayne events, said that fans could still look forward to seeing Lil’ Wayne in concert at their favorite venues, including the famous Susquehanna Bank Center-the venue in Camden, NJ . “Lil’ Wayne’s health was obviously a major concern for fans, and it’s great to hear that he’s getting better and he’s out of hospital. As this much-loved star takes to the road for his next series of shows, fans can expect tickets to be hot property – even in some of the larger venues on the tour.” Lil’ Wayne is scheduled to perform throughout the US and Europe in the summer, marking the culmination of the America’s Most Wanted tour. With the singer now on the mend, and his expressed desire to retire within the next few years, ticket agents are expecting a scramble wherever seats go on sale. Lil’ Wayne Health Fears Subside As Star Leaves Hospital is a post from: Daily World Buzz
Continue reading …The commercial property market is returning to a more profitable state for investors, thanks to the rise of investment products like REITs which allow for a more diverse exposure to the commercial real estate market. According to reports in Bloomberg , real estate prices across domestic and commercial properties are recovering, as banks and building societies report more lending activity for real estate investments. The news will be welcomed by those with property investments, and those with capital already tied up in commercial premises. Commercial property was one of the first areas of real estate to be affected by the crash, and lawyers, bankers, surveyors and agents all went bust as a direct consequence of this depression of the commercial property market. With banks unable and unwilling to lend money to even perfectly viable businesses, expansion into new premises became the exception rather than the rule. Those that were exposed to commercial property lost heavily as values fell and demand in the marketplace collapsed. Fast-forward to today and commercial property is very much on the rebound, with business levels picking up, back towards pre-crash levels and with new developments from firms like DMB Associates . Buyers are returning, and sellers are again able to realize a fair value for their real estate, both in rental and buying markets. The market is still on the road to recovery more generally, but conditions appear to be stabilizing to the benefit of those invested in these markets and for the benefit of future generations hoping to make it onto the housing ladder. With uncertainty ruling over commercial property markets over the last five years, it is perhaps unsurprising that investors have turned to alternative means of exposure to property investments. Rather than buying homes, shops and offices, a growing body of investors are seeing value in investing in ancillary products like Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in commercial property. These types of funds allow individual investors to spread risk across a more diverse bundle of individual real estate investments. Rather than owning one or two properties personally, investing the same money in REITs or ETFs brings the benefit of professional investment and real estate management, along with the investment diversity that makes returns that bit more secure. Those that choose to invest in real estate through a fund can do so either on exchange or privately, depending on the fund they think best meets their investment objectives. However, in some cases returns are suppressed by the cost of management fees and the general weighting of less effective investments. There are arguments both ways for investors who are interested in taking exposure to the real estate market. However, the main thing for individuals and companies engaged in real estate dealings is that investments are becoming more profitable as the market regains lost strength. While the commercial real estate and domestic property markets remain far from buoyant, analysts are hoping that growing opportunity for investors could spell the start of a reversal of fortunes that can contribute extensively to the wider global economic recovery. Commercial Property Investments Returning To Profitability is a post from: Daily World Buzz
Continue reading …Notaries have an important public role, verifying legal processes and facilitating legal affairs across all areas of our lives. The typical day in the life of a notary public is one that revolves around witnessing documents and signatures, taking oaths and signing sworn affidavits as a third party to legal processes. While this is an inherently time-consuming process, one of the thorns in the side of notaries everywhere is the constant countersigning, dating and details that need to be completed with most documents. This signing process is in most cases identical, requiring the notary to give their name and contact details alongside appropriate declaration that they are signing as a notary public. As a result, stamps have become the tool of choice for notaries who are looking to countersign documents more swiftly, helping make the process generally more efficient and effective as a result. Because notaries perform such an important legal role, it is perhaps unsurprising that there are prescribed layouts and formats for using stamps. This is to ensure that the stamp carries the relevant information as required by law, but also to make certain that the text of the stamp can be seen clearly by those coming to rely on the document in future. As a result, notary stamps must adhere to an approved format, as determined by the state or territory they are practicing in. While these stamps are tightly regulated, an approved stamp can save a great deal of time in the working week. From a professionalism point of view, the stamp often looks better, and is certainly a more consistent representation of the notary and the service they have provided. The approved layout that can be used for any notary stamp will vary from state to state, and it is important that you take time to consider the particular requirements in your territory. Choosing a stamp in the appropriate format will ensure that your signing can be both consistent and legitimate, ensuring the validity of documents you have witnessed in your capacity as notary. Self-inking stamps take this a step further, with the inkwell located inside the stamp itself for maximum efficiency. Depending on your budget, both types of stamp can be ordered, customized with your personal details to make the process of notarizing more seamless. Generally, most states will require your name, address and contact details, alongside a declaration that the named individual is a notary public. Stamps that are not in the approved format may not be deemed legally valid, so it makes sense to ensure you are buying an appropriate stamp before committing to the purchase. A notary stamp can be a low-cost way to make the job of a notary public that bit easier. Rather than hand-signing, the stamp can make it much easier to execute on documents and paperwork, in a legible, consistent way. A customized stamp is an investment that will save time and energy as you go about your daily business – ideally suited to those with busy work schedules. Approved Layout Stamps For Notaries is a post from: Daily World Buzz
Continue reading …MSNBC’s Schultz Slams George Will for ‘Racist’ Attack on Detroit, ‘Blam[ing] Black People’
August 6, 2013 No CommentOn Saturday's The Ed Show on MSNBC, host Ed Schultz went ballistic over conservative columnist and ABC commentator George Will blaming Detroit's bankruptcy on cultural problems, and charged that Will's comments were “about as insulting and as racist as it gets.” After playing a clip of Will from ABC's This Week show, Schultz ranted: read more
Continue reading …Actress Adrianne Palicki stars in G.I. Joe Retaliation and this might be the reason she is trending right now. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is available for rent and is out on Blu-ray and DVD since a…
Continue reading …Trending Topics is a column that looks at the week in hockey, occasionally according to Twitter. If you're only going to comment to say how stupid Twitter is, why not just go have a good cry for the slow, sad … Continue reading →
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