Anyone who owns a smartphone will know that they come in extremely handy for checking prices and reviews when out shopping.
?
But marketing strategies can't be based on hunches, so I thought it would be useful to pull together some surveys and studies that validate this assumption.
The use of mobile in-store is a topic we've discussed in detail in a blog post looking at whether retailers should offer free Wi-Fi and our report on How The Internet Can Save The High Street.
And to add to the debate, here are eight useful studies that reveal how and why consumers use smartphones in-store...
?
Give customers the information they need
A report from Vibes published in September?found that 80% of smartphone owners always or often have their phone with them while shopping.
Of those consumers, a third (33%) have used their device to lookup a product on a competitor?s site while 20% have researched the store?s own website.
The second most popular activity was looking up a product review (31%), followed by scanning a QR code for more information (27%).
Of those who do research other options, 25% left the store and made a purchase from a competitor, representing 6% of smartphone owners overall.
This may seem like a small number, but as smartphones become increasingly prevalent this number is likely to increase unless stores give consumers the information they need to make an informed purchase decision.
Vibes? data comes from an online survey of 1,006 US mobile phone owners.?
Showrooming is on the increase
A consumer survey by JiWire shows that the use of mobile in-store is becoming increasingly common.
Its Q3 Mobile Audience Insights Report found that 85% of smartphone owners use their devices while in-store.
This is a 33% increase from Q4 2011, when less than two-thirds used their device in-store.
Comparison shopping (49%) and searching for reviews (41%) remain the most popular activities, while 19% purchased on their mobile while in-store.
JiWire?s report is also based on mobile usage data, which shows that consumers tend to be most active on their device when in the mall.
This data is based on ad requests on the JiWire network, but it does give a good indication of consumer mobile usage.
Shoppers are 63% and 144% more likely to engage on their mobile devices while at big box retailers (i.e. department stores such as Walmart and Target) than at electronic retailers and clothing retailers, respectively.
42% of smartphone owners check price online while in-store
A survey of 2,000 European consumers conducted by Tradedoubler found that 42% of smartphone owners use their device to compare prices in-store, while 13% claim to have switched stores after finding a better offer elsewhere.
Location-based offers or vouchers, however, help to secure the interest of a fifth of potential buyers.
Tradedoubler?s survey also highlights the importance of mobile optimised sites.
A quarter (26%) of respondents said they would buy more frequently if websites were optimised, and 50% of UK respondents said they become frustrated with the mobile shopping experience.
Mobile usage is more common among younger age groups
As you might expect, consumers aged 18-34 are far more likely than older age groups to use their smartphone when out shopping.
Data included in our new Multichannel Retail Survey shows that just over half (51%) of UK consumers check prices and reviews on their device while in-store compared to just 16% of those aged 55+.
Overall 43% of UK respondents and 50% of those in the US said they had checked prices and reviews in-store. This has increased sharply from 19% and 20% respectively in 2011.
The report also asked whether respondents had used their smartphone to find more information on a retailer?s nearest store or opening times.
Although those using their mobile to find more information on retailers? stores are still in the minority, the proportion doing so has increased since the 2011 survey; in the UK from 25% to 32%, and in the US from 27% to 41%.
Behaviour differs depending on the type of store
A survey of US smartphone owners who use their mobile devices while shopping in-store found that behaviour differs depending on the type of retail outlet.
For example, using or requesting a coupon is most popular at grocery stores (41%), department stores (41%), and clothing stores (39%).
In comparison, at electronics stores the vast majority of smartphone shoppers read reviews (73%), compare prices with other retail outlets (71%) and scan QR codes to get more product details (57%).
Nielsen suggests that the more considered the purchase, the more likely it is that consumers will turn to their smartphones to find product information.
The connection between mother and child is ever deeper than thought
By Robert Martone
A living connectionImage: ock / ????????? ??????
Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...
Read More??
The link between a mother and child is profound, and new research suggests a physical connection even deeper than anyone thought. The profound psychological and physical bonds shared by the mother and her child begin during gestation when the mother is everything for the developing fetus, supplying warmth and sustenance, while her heartbeat provides a soothing constant rhythm.
The physical connection between mother and fetus is provided by the placenta, an organ, built of cells from both the mother and fetus, which serves as a conduit for the exchange of nutrients, gasses, and wastes. Cells may migrate through the placenta between the mother and the fetus, taking up residence in many organs of the body including the lung, thyroid muscle, liver, heart, kidney and skin. These may have a broad range of impacts, from tissue repair and cancer prevention to sparking immune disorders.
It is remarkable that it is so common for cells from one individual to integrate into the tissues of another distinct person. We are accustomed to thinking of ourselves as singular autonomous individuals, and these foreign cells seem to belie that notion, and suggest that most people carry remnants of other individuals. As remarkable as this may be, stunning results from a new study show that cells from other individuals are also found in the brain. In this study, male cells were found in the brains of women and had been living there, in some cases, for several decades. What impact they may have had is now only a guess, but this study revealed that these cells were less common in the brains of women who had Alzheimer?s disease, suggesting they may be related to the health of the brain.
We all consider our bodies to be our own unique being, so the notion that we may harbor cells from other people in our bodies seems strange. Even stranger is the thought that, although we certainly consider our actions and decisions as originating in the activity of our own individual brains, cells from other individuals are living and functioning in that complex structure. However, the mixing of cells from genetically distinct individuals is not at all uncommon. This condition is called chimerism after the fire-breathing Chimera from Greek mythology, a creature that was part serpent part lion and part goat. Naturally occurring chimeras are far less ominous though, and include such creatures as the slime mold and corals.
?Microchimerism is the persistent presence of a few genetically distinct cells in an organism. This was first noticed in humans many years ago when cells containing the male ?Y? chromosome were found circulating in the blood of women after pregnancy. Since these cells are genetically male, they could not have been the women?s own, but most likely came from their babies during gestation.
In this new study, scientists observed that microchimeric cells are not only found circulating in the blood, they are also embedded in the brain. They examined the brains of deceased women for the presence of cells containing the male ?Y? chromosome. They found such cells in more than 60 percent of the brains and in multiple brain regions. Since Alzheimer?s disease is more common in women who have had multiple pregnancies, they suspected that the number of fetal cells would be greater in women with AD compared to those who had no evidence for neurological disease. The results were precisely the opposite: there were fewer fetal-derived cells in women with Alzheimer?s. The reasons are unclear.
Microchimerism most commonly results from the exchange of cells across the placenta during pregnancy, however there is also evidence that cells may be transferred from mother to infant through nursing. In addition to exchange between mother and fetus, there may be exchange of cells between twins in utero, and there is also the possibility that cells from an older sibling residing in the mother may find their way back across the placenta to a younger sibling during the latter?s gestation. Women may have microchimeric cells both from their mother as well as from their own pregnancies, and there is even evidence for competition between cells from grandmother and infant within the mother.
Jaytee Hellcat, the main player in Lawrence Jones Memorial Festival 480 Dogs Heat 2 at Monmore
Jaytee Hellcat, the Northern Puppy Derby finalist, is back in groove following an excellent victory at Wimbledon. After suffering a terrible loss at Newcastle in October, the black dog was short of confidence. He bounced back in good style, and seized the
first rank by five and a half lengths last time.
After breaking very well, he railed quite nicely, establishing dominance at the first bend. The son of Ace Hi Rumble made no mistake whatsoever after getting his head in front.
After securing such an amazing success, the dashing hound is full of spirit, looking good to dominate proceedings in the Lawrence Jones Memorial Festival 480 Dogs Heat 2 at Monmore, this Monday.
Among his rivals are: Longwood Bound, Guinness Dusty, Any Dak, Graigues Orchard, and Benkaat Blue. The event is scheduled to begin at 16:08 GMT. A cash prize of 150 pounds is reserved for the ultimate champion.
Graigues Orchard has run some of his best races round this venue. The white and black dog is coming off an outstanding performance at Belle Vue, where he notched up the second place.
Benkaat Blue did not relent when beating good field at Wimbledon last time. The blue dog is in good rhythm these days, and could make things tricky for the rest.
Longwood Bound has more to offer after getting off the mark. After facing several unlucky losses, the black dog finally got it right last time, when beating Future Gen by 3? lengths.
Guinness Dusty is no stranger to reaching big-race finals. The blue dog was quick last time. He ran brilliantly, but remained slightly unlucky, missing the gold medal by a head?s distance. An extra push is required to make an impression.
Any Dak, one of the leading lights at Henlow, has reached Monmore with plenty of determination under his belt. Winning two of the previous three races shows how good momentum he is in.
Yet, one should take only a calculated risk on him, because tackling entirely different conditions is going to prove a stiff task. We wish the best of luck to him and all others.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect Bettor.com?s editorial policy.
Thank you everyone for continuing to send me great questions to answer each week! ?This question comes from Suzanne, who is in an awesome financial situation! ?I hope to be in her shoes very soon, and it?s something that I think everyone should aspire to be in!
?
The Question
Robert, I was hoping that you could help me figure out what to do next. ?I?ve been taking full advantage of my employer 401k at work, and I?ve also maxed out my Roth IRA this year. ?I?m expecting to get a bonus next month in December, and want to continue to invest it, but I?m not quite sure where the best place to put my money is now? ?What should I do with my investments now?
?
The Answer
First off, awesome job Suzanne on maxing out your IRA while still taking advantage of your 401k at work. ?That is a great achievement. ?When it comes to what to do next, you have three basic options, which you can do individually or combine as well.
?
Option 1 ? Max Your 401k Past the Match
The first option that you may want to consider is putting more into your 401k, regardless of whether your employer matches your contribution. ?In your email, you weren?t clear if you were just contributing to get the employer match, or if you were contributing and were going to hit the current year limit of $17,000.
If you?re just contributing to get the max, AND you are happy with the investment choices that your company offers and fees they charge, consider contributing more to your 401k to get closer to the max. ?A 401k is a great way to save, even if you don?t get a match, because your contributions are tax deferred and your account will grow tax deferred until your withdraw the funds in retirement.
?
Option 2 ? Open a Non-Deductible IRA
The next option is to open a Non-Deductible Individual Retirement Account (IRA). ?The non-deductible IRA, just like a Roth IRA, allows you to contribute up to $5,000 per year. ?The account is similar to a Traditional IRA in that your growth and gains aren?t taxed until retirement. ?The difference between a Non-Deductible IRA and Traditional IRA is the tax deduction you take on your taxes ? you just can?t do it with a non-deductible IRA.
The benefit of using a non-deductible IRA is that you still get the tax benefits of your investments growing a tax-deferred vehicle. ?Depending on the investments you select, this could be very helpful.
?
Option 3 ? Open a Standard Brokerage Account
Finally, you have the option of investing in a standard brokerage or investment account. ?These accounts are fully taxable, and there is no limit to the amount you can invest, or the types of investments you can hold in these accounts. ? The biggest concern is that you will pay taxes on all gains and income derived from these investments each year. ?This means it is very important that you select tax-efficient?investments for standard brokerage accounts.
ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2012) ? Eating mindfully, or consuming food in response to physical cues of hunger and fullness, is just as effective as adhering to nutrition-based guidelines in reducing weight and blood sugar levels in adults with Type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests.
In a comparison study of the effectiveness of the two types of behavioral interventions, participants lost about the same amount of weight -- an average of between 3 1/2 and 6 pounds -- and lowered their long-term blood sugar levels significantly after three months.
One treatment group followed an established diabetes self-management education program, with a strong emphasis on nutrition information. The other group was trained in mindful meditation and a mindful approach to food selection and eating. Both interventions, involving weekly group meetings, also recommended physical activity.
"The more traditional education program includes general information about diabetes, but with more emphasis on nutrition and food choice: What are different types of carbohydrates and fats and how many am I supposed to have? What should I look for when I read a food label? What are healthy options when dining out? That was the traditional diabetes education program," said Carla Miller, associate professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and lead author of the study.
"We compared it to an intervention where mindful meditation was applied specifically to eating and food choices. This intervention group did not receive specific nutrition goals. We said we want you to really tune into your body before you eat. Take a few minutes to assess how hungry you are and make conscious choices about how much you're eating. Stop eating when you're full.
"We studied two very different approaches, and we found they both worked. This means people with diabetes have choices when it comes to eating a healthy diet," Miller said.
The research is published in the November issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Participants were adults between age 35 and 65 years and had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for at least one year. To be eligible, they had to have a body mass index, a measure of weight relative to height, of 27 or more, indicating they were overweight, and a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reading of at least 7 percent. HbA1c measures blood glucose levels in the previous two to three months; normal HbA1c is 5.6 percent or lower.
Study participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group. Twenty-seven completed the mindful eating program, and 25 completed the traditional diabetes self-management program called "Smart Choices." Each intervention involved eight weekly and two biweekly 2 ?-hour sessions with trained facilitators.
Trainers of the mindfulness program encouraged participants to cultivate "inner wisdom," or mindful awareness related to eating, and "outer wisdom," which referred to personal knowledge of optimal nutrition choices for people with diabetes. Each session included guided meditation oriented toward participants' experiences and emotions associated with food. Participants received CDs for help with home meditation practice.
"We have so many environmental cues to eat in America that we've tuned out our normal physiological signals to eat. Being mindful means stopping long enough to become aware of these physiological cues," Miller said. "We also tried to generate awareness, staying in the moment, and living and eating in response to hunger instead of habits and unconscious eating."
The mindful intervention also included basic information about what is known as medical nutrition therapy: the relationships among calories consumed, carbohydrate and fat intake, weight regulation and high blood sugar.
In contrast, the Smart Choices program focused specifically on the condition of diabetes itself, including factors that can lead to the diagnosis, common complications (which include heart disease, kidney and nerve damage, eye problems and stroke), the importance of blood sugar control, and appropriate food choices when blood sugar levels spike. Every session included a medical nutrition therapy discussion such as calorie-intake goals, percentages of carbohydrates and fats in an ideal diet, and portion control. Many sessions included a 15- to 20-minute walk to further emphasize the recommendation for regular physical activity. Problem-solving regarding choosing healthy foods in high-risk situations, such as the holidays, were a focus of the program.
The interventions took place over three months. Researchers assessed participants' health measures and dietary habits immediately after the programs concluded and then again three months later at the study's end.
Weight loss and improvements in HbA1c levels were similar for both groups at the six-month follow-up point. Smart Choice participants as a group lost more weight, an average of 6 pounds, than did the mindful eating group, which lost an average of 3.5 pounds -- but the difference was not significant when analyzed statistically, Miller said.
HbA1c levels dropped in both groups as well, by between about 0.7 and 0.8 percent. "That was a clinically meaningful reduction in Hba1c, equivalent to what you would get on some diabetes medications," Miller said. "If the reduction were sustained over time, it would mean a dramatic reduction in complications associated with diabetes."
Both groups also similarly reduced calorie intake and lowered their consumption of foods with a high glycemic index, which are digested quickly and can drive up blood sugar.
Miller said that because nutrition education is particularly important to people with a new diabetes diagnosis, she sees the mindful meditation and eating option as a potential supplement to basic diabetes education that patients need.
She also said that participants adapted well to the concept of mindfulness even though it is generally considered an alternative health practice.
"One of the things we were evaluating was how well this was accepted by people who had no experience with it. It was very well accepted by participants in that group," she said. "And this tells us that people with diabetes have choices.
"The fact that both interventions were equally effective suggests that we should let people choose. If mindful meditation is appealing and people think that approach is effective, then it very well could be the best choice for them."
This work was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Co-authors include Jean Kristeller of Indiana State University; and Amy Headings of the Department of Human Nutrition, Haikady Nagaraja of the Division of Biostatistics and Fred Miser of the Department of Family Medicine, all at Ohio State.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Ohio State University. The original article was written by Emily Caldwell.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Carla K. Miller, Jean L. Kristeller, Amy Headings, Haikady Nagaraja, W. Fred Miser. Comparative Effectiveness of a Mindful Eating Intervention to a Diabetes Self-Management Intervention among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2012; 112 (11): 1835 DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.07.036
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
The right pace of neural development protects against autism and intellectual disability
Friday, November 9, 2012
Neurodevelopmental disorders such as intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders are marked by mutations that impair signaling between neurons. These mutations cause key brain circuits involved in learning and memory to develop too quickly, leading to long-lasting behavioral and cognitive deficits, according to a study published by Cell Press in the November 9th issue of the journalCell. The findings could pave the way to new treatment strategies for severe forms of neurodevelopmental disorders.
"We have provided perhaps the first evidence that acceleration of certain neural milestones is just as disruptive as delay in the same milestones," says senior study author Gavin Rumbaugh of Scripps Florida. "These studies have far-reaching implications for how we will treat these severe forms of neurodevelopmental disorders."
Autism spectrum disorders are often accompanied by intellectual disability, and these disorders are linked to harmful mutations that affect proteins responsible for regulating the communication between neurons. A deficiency in one of these proteins, known as SynGAP, can lead to severe forms of these disorders, but it has not been clear how mutations affecting this protein alter the development of brain circuits and behavior.
To answer this question, Rumbaugh and his team inactivated one copy of the SYNGAP1 gene in mice to cause a deficiency in the protein. By two weeks of age, these mice showed a dramatic and premature increase in the communication between neurons in the hippocampus?a critical brain region for learning and memory. As a result, the mice were hyperactive, showed learning deficits, and were prone to seizures, similar to human patients.
These behavioral and cognitive abnormalities persisted even after the researchers restored normal levels of SynGAP in adult mice, suggesting that this protein exerts its effects on cognitive maturation only during a narrow developmental window. Thus, mutations that affect SYNGAP1 can cause neural networks to become miswired early in development and to resist repair during adulthood.
"Our results imply that very early intervention is essential in certain neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly for cognitive symptoms," Rumbaugh says. "We believe that certain pharmacological or genetic treatments initiated in this sensitive developmental window will greatly benefit our model mice, and hence could be translated into patients."
###
Cell Press: http://www.cellpress.com
Thanks to Cell Press for this article.
This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.
Internet marketing is essential for any business owner in this day and age. There are so many ways to market your business and so many ways to reach new customers. Often, these methods are both cheap and effective. You can use the advice outlined in this article to get started with Internet marketing and grow your business.
Receiving and sustaining your customer?s trust is imperative. When designing your marketing communications and promotions, include only the information which can be supported by facts. Client testimonials, user reviews, and expert endorsements must be documented to remain effective.
Avoid believing that Internet marketing is going to replace your day job right from the get go. If you are skilled with Internet marketing, you can consider turning it into a career.
More subscribers means higher profits. You can use a split test to find out what works best. A split test offers one version of a web page to a group, and a different version to a second group. You?ll discover which methods are working best when you look at the subscription numbers for each site version.
Make sure you have a way to figure out your detailed statistics. This information should encompass traffic, conversions, sales, refunds and anything else that is measurable. Keep detailed records and statistics to guide your choices when choosing ways to launch Internet marketing campaigns.
Include content that is rich and original on your site. You will attract search engines better by packing your site with loads of rich content. You not only have better results with the search sites, but your audience will be more satisfied with what they find when they visit your site.
Look into testing the emails that you send out to see what your customers think and how they respond. One way to do this is with split testing, also called bucket testing or A/B testing. Make an email campaign, and change one singular thing in it to make a variant. For instance, you may draft two separate subject lines, calls to action, or intro paragraphs. Send out each version to an equally-sized random subset of your customers, and measure the success. If one version has a clear advantage over the other, use that one going forward.
Feature comments from your customers about your products on your site. Many people enjoy reading what others have to say about a product. It also makes them trust your company a bit more.
Make sure you follow up with your customers. Have them leave a review or answer a survey a few days after purchasing.
Press releases are a good strategy to get the word out on the product you offer. If you can write clear, crisp and informative press releases, there are many sources available online that will publish you and release your material to certain niche markets. You can boost your presence in this way.
Create a video in which you demonstrate the item that you are selling. By doing this, customers can watch you literally trying the product out. You can show your audience the benefits of using the product, and highlight features that are difficult or impossible to describe in text. After you make the video, post it to several sites including Youtube, blogs, and Facebook.
No longer is Internet marketing a luxury; it?s now become a necessity. Those with an online business have to use it if they want to make money. By including these tips in business plan, you will maintain high visibility on the Internet and increase the profitability of your business.
Productive Network Marketing Success is surely a requirement to be successful in your web and real world business. Acquire fantastic networking recommendations on this site ? Ugettingbetter.com
For most of us, five years may not feel like a whole lot of time. But for many investors, the past half-decade probably felt interminable. Let?s recap a little of what investors have experienced over the last five years:
After hitting a high in 2007, the stock market dropped by more than 50% until it bottomed out in 2009.[i]
The S&P 500 also saw a doubling in its volatility, as measured by standard deviations, at the bottom of the bear market in 2007-2009.[ii]
Large-scale bankruptcies like those of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual launched a meltdown of the financial industry that?s still being felt today.
Greece, Italy, and Portugal currently teeter on the brink of extreme financial distress.
Not the sunniest picture, is it?
How The Past Five Years Have Impacted Investors
I?m no macroeconomics expert, but from where I sit, it sure looks like there is more uncertainty ahead. After five years, what does the average long-term, buy-and-hold investor have to show for his experience (beyond some massive financial bruising and a growing distrust of the stock market)?
Well, for starters, markets haven?t really gone anywhere. I think it?s fair to describe the after-effects of the past five years as:
feelings of loss of control (NYT)[iii]
expectations of further chaos (BMO)[iv]
more young investors planning to pull money out of the stock market (NYT)[v]
trust in the financial profession at a historical low (EdelmanTrustBarometer)[vi]
Does that sound a bit like you, your friends, your family??
It?s been a long slog in the markets, and as a result, many investors are now searching for a better way to invest.
Lending Club: A Novel Idea That?s Generated Five Years of Consistent Returns
Contrast the experience of stock market investors with the experience of investors in Lending Club Notes over the past five years. Lending Club has produced positive quarterly returns since inception?for 21 straight quarters.[vii]
It was five years ago that our company first began offering borrowers a better alternative to high APR loans from faceless credit card companies. When Lending Club opened its doors for business, it did away with many of the inefficiencies of the credit business by making lending more transparent and convenient.
It was a novel idea that consumers would be able to borrow money to consolidate their debt, do home improvements, pay for life events?anything, really?and that investors should be able to invest in their credit. More novel still was that in the process of doing so, borrowers could now access personalized credit at rates that were frequently materially lower than those being offered by credit card companies.
On the other side of the coin, after five years in business, Lending Club has also turned many of us into lenders. Individuals now have the opportunity to invest in [viii] notes that are tied to numerous personal loans, supporting an innovative lending platform and earning market-beating returns in the process. Heck, if you are looking for an investment for your retirement planning, you can even invest? in Lending Club Notes by opening an IRA now. [ix]
Lending Club Investors? Performance Over the Past Five Years
In contrast to the roller coaster ride experienced by stock market investors over the past five years, Lending Club investors should be quite satisfied with performance they?ve seen.
Below, we?ve compared the five-year performance of a composite of all Lending Club Notes with the performance of an S&P 500 ETF ($IVV)[x] and a High Yield Corporate Bond ETF ($HYG)[xi]:
1. Source: www.ishares.com. The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the S&P 500. Presumes dividends from dividend paying equities in the index were reinvested. Results are net of fees and expenses of the ETF.
2. Source: www.ishares.com. The iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the iBoxx Liquidity High Yield Index, a corporate bond index compiled by Market Indices Limited. Presumes interest payments and principal were reinvested. Results are net of fees and expenses.
3. Presumes selection of a portfolio matching overall performance of the portfolio of the Lending Club platform as a whole, taking account of defaulting Member Dependent Notes and servicing fees and presuming reinvestment of all principal and interest payments into additional Member Dependent Notes with matching performance. Actual performance of any portfolio of Member Dependent Notes by an investor may vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
1. See disclosures in table above for information regarding the descriptions and general methodologies of the iShares IVV and HYG ETFs. Source: www.ishares.com.
2. For 2007, results are annualized based on total returns from July 2007 through December 2007. For 2012, results are annualized based on total returns from January 2012 through September 2012. All results are net of fees and expenses.
1. See disclosures in table above for information regarding the descriptions and general methodologies of the iShares IVV and HYG ETFs. Source: www.ishares.com.
2. For 2007, results are annualized based on total returns from July 2007 through December 2007. For 2012, results are annualized based on total returns from January 2012 through September 2012. All results are net of fees and expenses.
What you can see from the data is that Lending Club Notes have had higher total returns, higher average returns, and higher minimum returns than the S&P 500 and a representative index of high-yield corporate bonds.
True, there weren?t any massive one-year returns with Lending Club Notes, but neither were there any one-year slumps. Instead, over the past five years, Lending Club Notes have provided consistent returns for investors from 8.5% to 10.1% annually.[xii]
In fact, 93% of Lending Club investors with 800+ Notes earn net annual returns between 6% and 18%, and 100% of investors with 800+ Notes have experienced positive returns. (800 Notes can be purchased with a minimum investment of $20,000).[xiii]
We?d say those are some pretty impressive numbers.
There Is a Better Way: Solid Returns with Lower Volatility
In addition, Lending Club investors haven?t seen a great deal of volatility in their returns over the past five years. Returns were stable and consistent, with 21 consecutive months of positive returns.[xiv]
As Lending Club celebrates our five-year anniversary, we look back and congratulate our investors who have been able to perform so well with us. We also look forward to the future and hope that investors who have struggled in the stock market will stop by and give our platform a try.
We are standing by...
What has your experience been with Lending Club notes? We?d love to hear from you in the comments!
?
[vii] Based on platform performance as of October 16, 2012.
[xii] Based on platform performance as of October 16, 2012.
[xiii] Return calculations based on accounts that have invested in 800 or more unique borrowers. 800 Notes can be purchased with $20,000. All data as of October 16, 2012. The availability of Notes/unique borrowers is dependent on your investment criteria. There is no guarantee that you will be able to invest in 800 or more Notes/unique borrowers promptly, if at all. The foregoing is not directed to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, or investment needs of any particular person and should not be considered investment advice. You should consider reviewing the prospectus with a financial advisor prior to investing. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
[xiv] Based on platform performance as of October 16, 2012.
Are you looking for explosive muscle gain? Do you wish to become a body builder some day? Perhaps you simply want to be stronger, gain some confidence, and look more attractive. Regardless of the reasons why, there are many things you need to know in order to build muscle effectively. In this article, you will find several valuable tips that will help you do so successfully.
Consume a small, high-protein meal before you work out. The ideal meal should be small, and contain a source of protein as well as a source of unrefined (whole grain) carbohydrates. This will give your body the fuel it needs to get the most out of your workout. One example is a small bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder added.
Although some bodybuilders disdain them, body weight resistance exercises, such as push-ups and pull-ups, can play an important role in a good weight-lifting routine. These exercises can be combined with lifting exercises that target the same muscle groups in order to build ?super? sets that really push the muscles to perform. Body weight exercises can also ?prime the pump? by loosening up muscles prior to weight lifting.
Write your progress in a journal. Keeping track of progress is vital to keeping motivation up and seeing how well your muscle building routines are working. A fitness log is a great way to monitor this progress. When you work out, write down which exercises you performed and how many reps of each you completed. Doing so allows you to see your progress, as well as stay motivated.
Make sure your deltoids are fully engaged. By having middle deltoids that are developed, your shoulders are wider and thicker. Make sure lateral raises are above the parallel point in order to get the most out of your deltoid exercises. Begin laterals several inches from the hips in order to decrease the involvement of supporting muscles, such as the supraspinatus.
You will be able to build muscle faster if you take breaks between workout, days in contrast to working out every day. The reason for this is that muscles heal and grow while you are resting, and not while you are exercising. Create a workout routine that alternates between workout and rest days. Pop to www.frogperformance.com/the_team for quality suggestions.
You should monitor your intake of carbohydrates. If your diet is too poor in carbs, your muscles will be used to fuel your body while you exercise. You should be eating between two and three grams of carbs for each pound of your weight every day. Make sure you are getting your carbs from healthy aliments.
Done properly and with diligence, a good muscle building routine will have you in great shape in no time. Before you know it you will look strong and feel fabulous! Apply the advice of this article to your fitness routine to build your muscles and build a life-long commitment to your health and well being.
Pop to my site for logical guidelines on www.maxkravmaga.com or Pure Whey Protein ? the options.
This week, greatists from around the web made some killer?choices for their fitness, health, and happiness. We went straight to the source ? Twitter and Facebook ? for some awesome #imagreatist posts!?From home-workouts to fruit-infused water, standing desks to Tough Mudders, we?re inspired by all the small choices that are making a huge difference.
What #imagreatist moment are you most proud of? Share with us in the comments below or join us on Twitter?@greatist.
Tony Moore is an American comic book artist (and cosmic cowboy), whose work consists mainly of genre pieces, most notably in horror and science fiction, with titles such as Fear Agent, The Exterminators, and The Walking Dead. Tony?s illustrations don?t just speak to comic collectors, but he is certainly an icon in that space. His work as an illustrator represents the art of great storytelling and character development. In this awesome interview we scored, Tony shares his horror movie recommendations, cool shit to put on our radar and he offers a lot of aha moments. Read on ?
?Describe your style as an artist and describe your ?job? (for dummies that don?t know, or for us who just want more detail): Hmmmm. Gruesome? Funny? I grew up reading MAD Magazine and old horror comics, so in my mind, horror and humor together are like peanut butter and jelly. I?m a reference hound and a detail obsessive, but i also think expressive cartooning in a must in visual storytelling. As for my job, I wake up every day and fill myself to the gills with caffeine and sit in my pajamas, drawing robots and monsters and the rugged men in tights who punch them. I mostly make my nut in comics, but I?ve done poster work for movie companies and album covers and stuff, too. When it comes to comics, it?s a lot of time in isolated deep concentration, trying to visualize every scene from multiple angles, and move though them and frame each scene in an engaging way that captures the mood of the thing, and then portray the events in a relatable way using body language and facial expressions. Basically, if a comic book were a movie in production, I?m everybody on the set except for the guy who wrote it. Design, lighting, cinematography, direction, acting? you name it, I have to put it on the page.
Were you the kid in school growing up that doodled in his notebook all class instead of taking notes? If so, what class actually kept your attention? What was your go-to thing to illustrate in your notebooks? I drew all the time in school, but it wasn?t that I wasn?t paying attention, it was more that i had to keep my brain occupied or it shut down. If I was just sitting there letting information wash over me, even if I was trying to take notes, if it wasn?t a creative kind of subject, then it was all just water off a duck?s back. But if I was drawing, I could usually take minimal notes and remember everything the teacher told me. I had a chemistry class first thing in the morning in high school, and my teacher noted to my mom that if i wasn?t drawing, then I clearly just wasn?t awake. The only classes I took that didn?t engage me were my math classes. I was in the Advanced Placement programs of most of the subjects I took, and got good grades in everything despite being a terrible student. I just kind of hated (and continue to kind of hate) doing math. I was a really avid role-playing game nerd, so I loved Dungeons & Dragons, Cyberpunk 2020, and all the White Wolf games like Vampire: The Masquerade. So, I loved drawing elves and orcs and vampires and monsters, and all the crap that pays my bills now, only slathered in teen angst.
At what point in your life did you become confident or receive a compliment that gave you the reassurance you were on the right path creatively? In preschool, I had a lady offer to trade me a painting i had done for a wooden toy tow-truck. I don?t even remember what the painting was of, but clearly it was awesome. A little later, I had my first solo art show, still when i was in preschool, and a guy from the local paper came out and interviewed me about it. I thought I was King Shit of Cool Town, and was sold on the artist?s life for the rest of my days.
Do you have any staple trademarks a viewer could find in all your work? Rugged men with big chins and stubble, and people who get hit in the head and their hands curl into weird spasm poses. My grandfather was a tough as nails old son of a bitch with a wry sense of humor and a chin like a goddamn cinder block. In my head, all heroes basically start with my grandfather as the basic template, and then I mix and match the details. The other thing, with the hands, I stole from Don Martin, because I always thought his work in MAD was hilarious, and you?d be surprised at how common head trauma is in comics and how often I get to apply it.
For us non-comic illustrators, and us non-comic writers can you explain the process of how it works collaborating with a writer? How much does the illustration influence the creative story? How much freedom do you have? Basically, I get what looks like a movie script, and then I set out to make that into a series of images that tell that story. Different writers have different styles, and different projects require different relationships with the writers. I?ve been fortunate enough to largely avoid assembly line-like jobs where I?m just another cog in the machine. I mostly get to work with my friends, who welcome the creative collaboration. We tend to talk on the phone a bit and cook up some action scenes or cool visual set-pieces to pepper into the stuff they?ve got going, and every once in a while, I might have some missing piece that helps pull the events together story wise. Once the script comes, I?ve generally got whatever freedom I want, but I generally feel like that at that stage my job is to effectively tell the story at hand. If the proposed pacing or panel layout isn?t as affective as I think it could be, I?ll rejigger it a bit to make sure the events that need to happen are there and it carries the appropriate mood. That?s the job. Tell the story. Pretty pictures are nice, but if you can?t tell what?s going on, then I?ve screwed it up. And then lastly, the writers will often give it a last pass, fine-tuning the dialogue to work as well as possible with the art I?ve given back to them.
Is there a particular writer that you felt screamed your style and complimented your visions most? Rick Remender and I have been partnered up for several years now, and we get along like a house on fire. And I think when we get to spit-balling ideas and starting to cook up some stuff, we make some really fun stuff. I don?t wanna toot our collective horn, but you dragged it out of me. Magic. Okay? What we make is magic. Seriously, though, we?re on the same creative wavelength and we?ve been afforded a lot of opportunities to bring some crazy shit to the table, and I?m super proud of all of it. He?s an artist too, and we speak the same language, creatively speaking, like some kind of creepy art twin hive mind.
What comic book character that you have illustrated (or that someone else has drawn) do you feel best represents you? Heath Huston is the protagonist of Fear Agent, which I co-created with Rick Remender. I put a lot of myself into him, and i imagine him physically as a tough-guy idealized version of myself, if I wasn?t a sedentary, soft tub of guts with great hair. He really is the biological lovechild of myself and Rick. I think in some weird sad way, he?s a real portrait of the both of us, for better and worse.
What is your spirit animal? The dung beetle. Nature?s Sisyphus.
With Halloween on the mind, do you have any special plans? Traditions? Favorite horror films? We feel like it might be your favorite holiday, so do tell? I wish. I?m a dad and under deadline, so no parties for me. I used to love to go all out. Big parties, and spend a day or two building a ridiculous costume. I live out in the sticks now, so I don?t even have kids wander by for Trick Or Treat. That said, though, my kid is two and a half years old now, and she?s getting big on the idea of dressing up as stuff, as well as getting a metric ton of candy, so hopefully i can ignite something there and live vicariously through her and a mutual love of the holiday. That said, I?ll try to soak up all the greats, especially the stuff from the 70s. Last House on the Left, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist, and of course, Rosemary?s Baby. A horror movie marathon is pretty commonplace in my office, like once every couple of weeks at least. It?s one of my biggest passions, right behind comics. Halloween is my Christmas.
What is overrated culturally right now? What is underrated? Ignorance is overrated. We live in a culture where anti-intellectualism is celebrated and I think it?s really damned sad. Science is criminally underrated. I think the Curiosity Mars rover gave us a tiny little cultural taste of what it felt like when we put men on the moon. But we don?t do that anymore. And while we all can?t be astronauts, I think astronauts are like the superheroes of science, the faces that boys and girls can look up to and idolize, and get kids interested in the big ideas science has to offer. I?ve got a 2 year old daughter and all I want is for her to look at the stars and know that those are other places, not just lights in the sky, and to really try to understand the complex beauty of the universe we live in, not just be another dead-eyed Wal-Mart zombie caught up in the stupid trivialities and pointless melodrama on TV, and frankly, most of most people?s lives. I want her to think big, dream big. I?d much rather her be excited to hear Neil Tyson and Alice Roberts than to have any care for what Snooki and The Situation are about. If I can pull that off, I think I will have been a pretty good dad.
What is something or someone you recommend the people reading this interview have on their radar? Marvel?s MARVEL NOW stuff is going to be hot. They?ve got some really inspired recruiting on the books coming up in that line. My pals Rick Remender and Jason Aaron are doing some of the most exciting stuff I?ve seen in years over there. Also, Rick and I are proud to announce the first of 2 omnibus collections of our baby, Fear Agent, which comes out late this year from Dark Horse Comics. It?s a gargantuan tome of sci-fi space opera/western fantasy, and handsome as all Hell. A really beautiful presentation of some of my favorite work of my career. Beyond that, Jason Aaron and RM Guera?s SCALPED series just wrapped up, and i think it?s one of the best damn things ever printed. I can?t recommend it highly enough.
Lastly, what are you working on now? I?m really excited to talk about this one, finally. I?m working on part of that big MARVEL NOW event that I mentioned before, with Brian Posehn (Mr. Show, The Sarah Silverman Program) and Gerry Duggan (Attack of the Show, Infinite Horizon), on the relaunch of DEADPOOL, who is Marvel?s resident smart-mouthed mercenary, with probable deep mental health issues. It?s not a reboot, but just kind of a fresh reestablishing and jumping on point for folks who might have been interested in checking him out but were dissuaded by the years of backlog. This story involves a necromancer/political zealot who, in an effort to save America from itself, has resurrected all the dead Presidents of America. Of course, they come back evil and twisted, and must be stopped. Since they can?t have The Avengers seen going toe-to-toe with the country?s great icons gone corrupt, SHIELD recruits the one guy who has the skills, lack of scruples, and the plausible deniability to get the job done. It?s really funny, and absolutely brutal. I?ve drawn more viscera in the first few issues of this book than I have possibly in the entire rest of my career combined. Still, it?s considerably more lighthearted than just about everything I?ve done, so the cartooning is a bit more relaxed and a real joy to work on. We?re all having a ridiculous amount of fun on it, and I don?t think any of us thought we?d ever get away with it like we have.
Follow Tony Moore on Twitter for updates on his projects and the things he has to say. Also we recommend you check out this awesome video that Threadless made on Tony Moore in Zombie Country!
ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2012) ? High birth weight, rapid weight gain and having an overweight mother who smokes can all increase the risk of a baby becoming obese later in childhood, research by experts at The University of Nottingham has found.
The study, published in the latest edition of the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, also discovered that children who were breastfed and were introduced to solid food later had a slightly reduced chance of becoming overweight.
The findings come following a systematic review and analysis of data from around 30 previous studies looking at the impact of factors affecting babies during the first 12 months of their lives and their potential link with childhood obesity.
The study was undertaken by PhD student Stephen Weng, supported by a team led by Dr Sarah Redsell in the University's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy. The team also included Professor Cris Glazebrook and Professor Min Yang of the Institute of Mental Health, and Dr Judy Swift, School of Biosciences.
The first study of its kind to review all the evidence for risk factors in infancy associated with childhood obesity, it is hoped the findings will help to bridge the gap between research and the implementation of new clinical practice.
Dr Redsell said: "The results of this study effectively identify the most significant risk factors by analysing data from a large number of other studies that have previously been conducted. This will offer a robust starting point for further research that will identify the most appropriate ways in which this information could be useful in healthcare practice."
In the UK around one-quarter of children aged four to five years old and one-third of 10 to 11-year-olds are overweight and evidence suggests that children who are overweight at the age of five are more likely to be obese in adulthood.
Up to now, support from GPs and health visitors has centred on advice on healthy eating and breastfeeding but many practitioners believe more should be done to identify infants who are at risk of becoming obese at an earlier age.
The analysis of previous studies showed that:
Children of mothers who were overweight before pregnancy were 1.37 times more likely to be overweight at the age of three; 4.25 more likely to be overweight at the age of seven; and 2.36 times more likely to be overweight between the ages of nine and 14 years.
Six out of seven studies looking at infant birth weight showed a significant association between babies who were heavy at birth and obesity in later childhood.
Six studies investigating rapid weight gain in babies in their first year of life found strong links with obesity -- one study found that those babies in the top 20 per cent of monthly weight gain were 3.9 times more likely to be overweight at the age of four and a half years old.
Children with mothers who smoked during pregnancy were 47 per cent more likely to be overweight compared to the children of non-smoking mothers.
Children who were breastfed -- however briefly -- were 15 per cent less likely to become overweight in childhood compared to those children who were never breastfed.
There is some evidence that giving solid foods early can be linked to later obesity -- one study found that formula-fed babies given solid foods before four months were 6.3 times more likely to be overweight at three years of age than those where solid food was introduced between four and five months.
No compelling evidence to show a link between childhood obesity and maternal age or education at birth, maternal depression or ethnicity and inconclusive evidence for delivery type, weight gain in the womb, maternal weight loss after birth and 'fussy' infant temperament.
The research could be used to compile a 'checklist' for GPs and health visitors to help them spot infants most at risk of becoming obese later in life. However, researchers say more work is needed to study the practical and ethical considerations of such an intervention, including whether it would be accepted by parents and could feasibly be introduced in the current health service.
Any risk factor checklist, they say, would also require testing in the field and would need to be accompanied by clear clinical guidelines for healthcare practitioners.
The study was funded by NHS Nottinghamshire County PCT.
Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Nottingham, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
Stephen Franklin Weng, Sarah A Redsell, Judy A Swift, Min Yang, Cristine P Glazebrook. Systematic review and meta-analyses of risk factors for childhood overweight identifiable during infancy. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2012 DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2012-302263
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2006 file photo, then-candidate for U.S. Senate Claire McCaskill, left, gives the thumbs up to supporters as she holds the hand of her mother, Betty Anne McCaskill, after her debate against incumbent Sen. Jim Talent at Clayton high school in Clayton, Mo. McCaskill's campaign said that 84-year-old Betty Anne Ward McCaskill died Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 at her home in St. Louis. The Democratic senator had said Saturday that her mother suffered from "acute cardio-renal failure" and had lost consciousness at several points in recent days. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2006 file photo, then-candidate for U.S. Senate Claire McCaskill, left, gives the thumbs up to supporters as she holds the hand of her mother, Betty Anne McCaskill, after her debate against incumbent Sen. Jim Talent at Clayton high school in Clayton, Mo. McCaskill's campaign said that 84-year-old Betty Anne Ward McCaskill died Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 at her home in St. Louis. The Democratic senator had said Saturday that her mother suffered from "acute cardio-renal failure" and had lost consciousness at several points in recent days. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam, File)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) ? Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, the mother of Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill and a political trailblazer in her own right, died Monday at her home in St. Louis after a long struggle with heart and kidney problems, the senator said.
The first-term Democratic senator, who is locked in a close re-election race with Republican Rep. Todd Akin, had canceled most of her campaign events starting last week to spend time with her 84-year-old mother. She said Saturday that her mother suffered from acute cardio-renal failure and had lost consciousness at several points in recent days.
"For some time, Mom's health has not been good, and our family takes comfort that she is now at rest," McCaskill said in a statement announcing her mother's death. "We were incredibly lucky to have a mother like her, a woman of great intellect and strength, who loved and nurtured, challenged and pushed, and was always there with wise counsel and great humor."
Long before her daughter entered Missouri politics, Betty Anne McCaskill had made her own mark in Democratic circles. McCaskill has recalled how her mother sent her children out on Halloween in 1960 with the door-to-door message: "Trick or treat and vote for JFK," referring to the Democratic presidential candidate, John F. Kennedy.
In 1970, she was appointed to the Missouri Commission on the Status of Women, which evaluated the opportunities for women in Missouri government, education and business. The next year, she became the first women elected to the Columbia, Mo., City Council. She also once served as president for the trustees of William Woods University in Fulton, her alma mater.
She ran unsuccessfully for the state House in 1978 against Republican Leroy Blunt, whose son Roy Blunt now serves as Missouri's other U.S. senator. She later began a career as a financial consultant for Waddell and Reed in Kansas City, after her husband, Bill, became ill.
In 2004, she helped her daughter's unsuccessful bid for governor by providing personal testimonies about the rising cost of medical care. She said at the time that her list of medicines had been steadily growing to the point that her costs far exceed her annual prescription drug coverage through private insurance.
During McCaskill's 2006 Senate campaign, her mother traveled around the state with her in an RV, appealing in particular to rural voters and seniors as she discussed the need to close coverage gaps in the Medicare prescription benefits. For this campaign, she recorded a video displayed on McCaskill's campaign website expressing her pride about the sentor's work trying to straighten out mismanagement of veterans' burial sites at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Senate race between McCaskill and Akin has been in the national spotlight since Akin remarked in mid-August that women's bodies have ways of avoiding pregnancy in "legitimate rape." Although he apoligized, McCaskill has highlighted the comment to portray Akin as an extremist and out of touch with women's issues. The Missouri Senate is one of several that could help determine party control of the U.S. Senate.
Akin expressed condolences in a written statement in which he said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the whole McCaskill family right now."
In addition to Claire McCaskill, Betty Anne McCaskill is survived by two other daughters, Anne Moroh and Lisa Finn; one son, Will McCaskill; six grandchildren; along with step-grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis.
TFI Markets is a financial services company that provides clients with access to Forex markets through an online trading platform called TFIFX. Where is the revolution in that, you might ask?
According to Charis Charilaou, the company?s Executive Director, the development of the electronic Forex trading platform reflects the evolution of the markets. ?When I first started working in this industry, Forex trading used to be more of a bank game,? he says. ?What changed that in the last years was the introduction of retail credit platforms which gave clients access to these markets. Some companies started introducing this at the start of the century and it has picked up in the last couple of years. We are now talking about volumes of a couple of trillion a day, which is huge, so it is a very liquid product. It is also 24-hours a day compared to other investments such as equities, and the big level of margin has made the product attractive to retail investors.?
?We don?t care about becoming the largest broker? our ambition is becoming the best global Forex broker?
Charilaou claims that if you compare the Forex performance in major currencies such as the US dollar against the euro with shares, Forex does not necessarily seem like an attractive investment to retail investors. ?The USD moves on average between something like one percent a day, while shares can move 10 or 20 percent a day,? he says. ?But what has made Forex much more attractive is the use of leverage. This means you can deposit, say, 100,000 and take a position for one million. This increases the potential profit. If you leverage by 10 and the currency moves one percent then you?ll make 10 percent instead of one percent. On the other hand, if it moves against you one percent you can lose 10 percent. Leverage makes the product both attractive and risky at the same time. Forex is the most liquid market in the world in terms of volume. It operates 24-hours a day and is virtually impossible to manipulate.?
Capitalising on cash The TFIFX online platform uses the MetaTrader 4 of MetaQuotes systems. According to Charilaou over 200 companies around the world use this software. ?It is very user-friendly,? he says. ?In terms of our products, our Premium Account is our lead product. It was developed based on our experience from trading the Forex markets, and provides our clients with what we want to see when we trade.
The Premium Account has a fixed price model that is a very important characteristic of the product. It is difficult to find an offering for fixed prices above five million. In our case we have an offering for fixed prices for up to 20 million. We also provide Premium clients with services, giving them 24-hour access to our dealers who actually trade the markets. This means a client can pick up the phone and ask why the euro moved higher in the last two minutes. Our job here is to give educated answers, the reasons for any movement in the market. Premium is suitable for medium-to-large clients. It also provides everything else that we offer to our smaller clients such as 24-hour free news, emails with any market developments, and so on.?
The company?s product for smaller sized clients is the CashBack Account that Charilaou describes as revolutionary. ?I believe this is very different from anything else that the market offers,? he says. ?We offer this product to clients with an initial deposit of less than 10,000. The basic characteristic of CashBack is that every time a client trades with us on the platform electronically we pay back to him a fixed amount of our profit. So every time he trades we pay him something like a commission. So if a German importer buys goods or services from the US and needs to pay in US dollars, instead of buying dollars from a bank, he can do that from TFI and we send the dollars to his client in the US.? TFI currently operates with a proficient team of 30 people. The operation is composed of a handful of departments: - Back office is in charge of confirmation of trades and opening of accounts; - Compliance office is in control of verification of customer?s accounts and performing due diligence checks; - Sales and customer support maintain? one-on-one contact with customers; - The marketing team is responsible for brand awareness and the advertising of services; - The IT department has the complex task of keeping up with ever-changing state of the art technology; - Finally, the treasury department has full responsibility for producing reports and executing customer?s orders.
According to Charilaou, the company?s monthly volumes come close to a whopping $1bn. ?Most of our clients are from Europe with both retail and corporate accounts,? he says. ?We don?t have any US clients at present, but we do have some from Asia.?
Self-assured Charilaou summarises his company?s methodical success and outlines its ambitions: ?We don?t care about becoming the largest broker? our ambition is becoming the best global Forex broker. We strive to keep a benchmark brand name and reputation for the company.?
Advantages to Forex - High geographical dispersion; - Plethora of factors affecting exchange rates; - The largest asset class in the world leading to high liquidity; - Low margins of relative profit compared with other markets of fixed income; - The use of leverage to enhance profit and loss margins (with respect to account size); - Continuous operation: 24-hours a day except weekends, i.e. trading from 20:15 GMT on Sunday until 22:00 GMT Friday.
Because of all these parameters and despite intervention by central banks, the forex market has been referred to as the market closest to perfect competition. According to the Bank for International Settlements, the average daily turnover in global Forex markets in 2010 was estimated at $3.98trn, a growth of approximately 20 percent over the $3.21trn daily volume in 2007.
For more information: www.tfifx.com; coming soon www.tfimarkets.com
The internet is becoming ever more accessible in Russia, offering unlimited possibilities for the distribution of every kind of content. Cyberspace is also censored very minimally. This gives everyone an opportunity to speak their minds and cyber-antagonism is widespread in the Russian internet community.
However, the number of savvy internet users among law enforcement officials has increased as well; since 2006 their control over the Russian segment of the internet (RuNet) has become much more noticeable, and the Russian judiciary has now accumulated substantial experience in the ?war on internet extremism.? Its campaign has, however, been waged not only against truly dangerous criminals, such as those inciting racial hatred, but also against many people whose so-called criminal activity is questionable, ?or even non-existent.
Criminal convictions: Articles 280 and 282
Before 2008, the number of convictions for specifically internet propaganda was in single digits:
- in 2007 we knew of only 3 cases (out of a total of 28) of online public provocation to extremist activity and/or incitement to racial or other hatred;
- in 2008 the number of internet-related convictions had already increased to 14 (out of 45);
- in 2009 it grew to 17 (out of 56);
- in 2010 there were 26 (out of 72);
- in 2011 convictions had doubled: there were at least 52 (out of 78 in total). In other words, the majority of ?extremist propaganda? cases resulted from online activity;
- this trend continues in 2012: in the first half of the year there were at least 18 convictions (out of 32).
The graph below shows the dynamics of this process (the data for 2012 are a projection, assuming that the second half will be the same as the first one):
These figures give the lie to the assertion that Russia lacks the legal framework for prosecuting ?cyber-hatred,? and confirm that existing articles of the Criminal Code are being successfully applied in cases of illegal online propaganda.
The key ?anti-propaganda? article of the Criminal Code in the public mind (and probably in the minds of law enforcement agencies too) is Article 282 (?incitement of national, racial, or religious enmity). Article 280 (?Public incitement to extremist activity?) is used far less often.
The first known criminal conviction, under Article 280, for propaganda via the internet was in March 2005. Another conviction took place at almost the same time in Syktyvkar [capital of the Komi Republic, Russian Federation], this time under Article 282, for publishing xenophobic materials on the internet.
'The first known criminal conviction, under Article 280, for propaganda via the internet was in March 2005.'
A matter of crucial significance in any propaganda crime is the degree of publicity - fairly obvious in cases of traditional media, but much less so for online publications. The wording of Articles 280 and 282 refers to public statements delivered by any means, including the internet, but not all online material can be considered public. It can, for example, be password-protected and accessible only to a small group. This factor has, however, so far not been taken into account. For example, in 2011, a court in Chuvashia [Central Russia] handed down a conviction for sending files by e-mail, which hardly qualifies as a public statement
Sites and targets
In 2007?2011 material resulting in convictions for internet propaganda came from a variety of sources: social network sites, blogs, forums, local networks and emails. By 2011 law enforcement agencies had focused their monitoring on social networks, primarily on ?Vkontakte,? the Russian counterpart to Facebook - ?perhaps because since 2007 this platform has been rapidly gaining popularity among many groups, including young right-wing radicals.
Analysis of any case of ?extremist content? requires knowledge of the target group. Who is the potential victim for right-wing radicals and similar groups? Unfortunately, our classification is incomplete. The convoluted, standard legal phrasing of ?extremist posting on the internet? and ?statements intended to stir up hatred and hostility and humiliation of groups of individuals? is extremely difficult to understand. Where possible, we have identified the following groups as objects of animosity:?
?
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Immigrants from the Caucasus region
1
7
7
9
20
Jews
1
4
4
5
5
Komi
0
0
0
0
1
Bashkirs
0
0
0
0
1
Tatars
0
0
0
0
1
Yazidi (Kurdish groups)
1
0
0
0
0
Dark-skinned
0
0
2
0
2
Government officials (incl. police officers)
0
3
2
2
2
Non-Slavs
0
0
3
2
3
Russians
0
0
0
3
1
Christians
0
0
2
2
4
?Infidels? (calls for armed jihad)
0
0
0
0
4
Unknown
0
3
4
5
13
In other words, the most frequently prosecuted online rhetoric is directed against people from the Caucasus region, which is indeed quite widespread, though figures for hate propaganda aimed at migrants from Central Asia were in many cases actually higher. Anti-Semitic content is a less active area of cyber-antagonism, but is still very much present. Notably, the number of convictions for anti-Semitic propaganda has remained virtually unchanged from year to year. Cases of prosecution for xenophobic propaganda against other ethnic groups are quite rare.
??the most frequently prosecuted online rhetoric is directed against people from the Caucasus region, which is indeed quite widespread, though figures for hate propaganda aimed at migrants from Central Asia were in many cases actually higher.?
Printed material, multimedia and individual comments
Before 2009 sentences were given predominantly for printed materials, but most of the relevant texts are no longer available, so we are unable to assess the degree of danger they represented for the public.
In 2010-2011 the number of convictions for multimedia content had reached almost the same level as for print materials previously. This is not surprising: a movie or video recording has much greater visual impact than any text, linking to them has become easier, and the sheer number of online videos has increased as well.
Remarkably, in most cases the video in question is not produced or uploaded to the internet by the offender; he or she simply publishes a link to a video posted elsewhere (for example, on YouTube). Of course, it is possible that the person posting a link to a video on a social network is the one who put it there originally. However, in most cases, we believe that these are different people. We also believe that it would make more sense to identify the person who originally posted the video and, most importantly, the one who created it (especially since videos often depict an actual violent crime), instead of prosecuting those who share the links. This holds true even if we assume that in all cases they had shared proven inflammatory intent.
By 2011 the number of sentences for individual comments on social networks, blogs and forums had increased. It is highly likely that these people were selected at random, were not excessively popular among the far right, and did not have a significant audience.
? By 2010-2011, criminal prosecution for xenophobia was deliberately directed at authors of re-posts, links and online comments, as well as isolated statements on social networks, even when the real audience for those texts was obviously very small.?
In other words, the prosecutors increasingly went after the people whose statements, while clearly racist and unacceptable from an ethical point of view, did not represent any significant danger to society.
Soft targets
In the early stages of fighting online ?extremism?, law enforcement agencies focused on the level of ?significance? of the internet propagandists and the extent to which their acts could be considered dangerous. In 2007, a court in the Kaluga region convicted a Nazi skinhead group for online distribution of a video showing their members beating up people of ?non-Slavic appearance.? In 2008, the creator of a neo-Nazi website that hosted bomb recipes and called for violence was convicted in Lipetsk. In Vladivostok, the leader of a local neo-Nazi group, Soiuz Slavyan (Union of Slavs), was convicted in 2009.
Despite these cases, convictions of leaders and right-wing ideologues were rare: those prosecuted were essentially the rank-and-file content distributors. By 2010-2011, criminal prosecution for xenophobia was deliberately directed at authors of re-posts, links and online comments, as well as isolated statements on social networks, even when the real audience for those texts was obviously very small.
Given a climate which puts few obstacles in the way of ultra-right social network groups, allowing them to coordinate violent actions and publish ?hit lists? with personal data and photos of ?enemies,? this policy looks like a mere simulated fight against cyber-hate, serving only one purpose ? the statistics look good on the report.
The number of convictions is inflated by prosecutions for statements which are either not inherently dangerous or not widely enough available to warrant prosecution (unfortunately, the prosecution of hate propaganda outside the internet follows the same pattern).
'The number of convictions is inflated by prosecutions for statements which are either not inherently dangerous or not widely enough available to warrant prosecution (unfortunately, the prosecution of hate propaganda outside the internet follows the same pattern).'
In November 2011, for example, the Syktyvkar City Court (Komi Republic) delivered a one-year suspended sentence to 33-year local resident, Georgii Borman, who between May to July 2010 had published several xenophobic comments to articles on the Republic of Komi Business News website under different aliases. The comments remained visible to the public for only a few hours, before they were removed by moderators.
Sentencing
Some internet-related convictions are simply inappropriate. The most resonant is the sentence handed down to blogger Savva Terentyev on 7th July 2008 by the Syktyvkar City Court. Terentyev was found guilty of inciting social hatred against police officers (Article 282) and sentenced to one year of imprisonment with a probation period of one year for an anti-police comment in an online diary. The blog containing the offending comment was accorded the same status as a mainstream newspaper article; the police officers were recognized as a social group in need of the protection offered by the anti-extremist legislation. Most importantly, the basic principle of criminal law was violated: the act in question must not just fit the wording of the Criminal Code, but must constitute social danger. The case was absurd and completely discredited all who took part in it.
In 2009, the journalist Irek Murtazin and the chairman of the Tatar Public Center Rafis Kashapov were convicted in Kazan for inciting hatred of a social group. Murtazin got nearly two years in a penal colony and Kashapov went to prison for 15 years for an article in his blog.
In 2010 IslamlyIlham Sarjuddin-ogly from Azerbaijan received an 8-month suspended sentence in the Nizhny-Novgorod court for online distribution of works by the Turkish theologian Said Nursi.
Dmitry Lebedev, from Gatchina, Leningrad region, was a member of a group called ?Kill the Patriarch.? However, Lebedev never actually called for illegal actions against the Orthodox community ? the Patriarch was supposed to be killed by a mystical force. His 1-year suspended sentence was therefore inappropriate.
However, the penalties for online distribution are not usually so severe. Court decisions on these defendants reflect the use of suspended sentences and fines, as well as restrictions on personal freedom, imprisonment and mandatory treatment.
The share of offenders who receive suspended sentences without any additional penalties is on the rise. This, in fact, constitutes a non-punishment, and its effectiveness against ideologically motivated offenders is in serious doubt. We consider other types of non-custodial penalties, such as community service or fines, to be much more appropriate. Unfortunately, the number of these penalties has been dropping in comparison to suspended sentences.
Prosecutions: quantity and quality
Criminal prosecution for online hate propaganda covers at least 50 regions of Russia. Figures for the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions, or Nizhny Novgorod, reveal very low levels of activity in this area, though according to our data these regions are responsible for the largest number of hate-motivated violent crimes. We can only assume that local law enforcement agencies have more pressing things to do than going after online chatters.
Overall, the practices of Russian law enforcers in combating cyber-hate can best be described as less than successful. Quantitative indicators of anti-extremist measures undertaken by police officers are growing, but the quality of law enforcement is deteriorating.
Criminal prosecution for online hate propaganda covers at least 50 regions of Russia. Figures for the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions, or Nizhny Novgorod, reveal very low levels of activity in this area, though according to our data these regions are responsible for the largest number of hate-motivated violent crimes.
Material that directly incites violence or is related to the actual use of violence, such as ?hit lists?, or ?street terror manuals?, which provide instructions on dispatching an enemy, are still openly posted but remain virtually unnoticed by Russian law enforcement agencies. The recorded number of prosecutions for these genuinely dangerous incitements is exceedingly small.
Law enforcement officers go for the most part after random, individual people for isolated statements. The number of such statements on the internet is huge, so dealing with them piecemeal is simply not rational. We are also seeing an ever greater number of inappropriate and unjustified court decisions.
Such law enforcement is not merely selective, but simply chaotic. As a result there is no consensus between the public, the law enforcement officers and the various radical groups themselves as to what, in fact, should be prohibited.
But the Russian security services do provide instances of excellent work. The November 2009 apprehension by law enforcement officials of Nikita Tikhonov and Yevgenia Khasis, later convicted for the murder of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova, is an example of the proper use of the internet. Specialists from the Department of Technical Activities of the Moscow police identified Tikhonov and Khasis by monitoring right-wing websites and following the chain of IP-addresses. The well-known ultra-right activist, Valentin Mumzhiev, a member of the right-wing St. Petersburg group NS/WP, was located in a similar fashion.
Unfortunately, though, there are very few examples of this kind. Those who are working to combat extremism on the internet should focus their efforts on disarming dangerous groups and individuals who practise or directly incite violence. Dealing with comments on social networks or the distribution of stand-alone materials is best left to community organizations and activists, who can not only engage in ongoing debate, but may also be able to persuade hosting providers or the owners of social networking sites to remove socially dangerous content.
Thank you everyone for continuing to send me great questions to answer each week! ?This question comes from Suzanne, who is in an awesome financial situation! ?I hope to be in her shoes very soon, and it?s something that I think everyone should aspire to be in!
?Print This Post
