Business Information Online

Archive for March, 2008

Is there nothing on television you want to watch? Have you missed episodes of your favorite shows due to work or family obligations? Is someone else sitting in front of the television and you do not want to watch what he or she is watching? If any of this sounds familiar, then turn on your computer. Today, you can find several of your favorite shows and see all the episodes you have missed. You will be able to Watch The Simpsons Online, Watch Dexter, or Watch Nip Tuck any time you please. If your spouse is watching soap operas or a football game, just head to the computer. Here you will be able to engross yourself in all the fun antics of the Simpson’s family, watch the next move of Dexter Morgan, a serial killer in Dexter, or sit on the sidelines during Nip/Tuck while Sean McNamara and Christian Troy perform plastic surgery. You will now be able to watch every episode you have missed or see your favorite one time and time again just be logging onto your computer. You will no longer have to worry if someone else is watching the TV or if you have to be away from home, just remember to take along your laptop and you will be able to watch these shows. Think about it. All of the favorite episodes that had you rolling on the floor when you watched season 1 of the Simpson’s is now online so you can be rolling on the floor again as Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie do what they do. You can find every season with just a click and be laughing your heart out. On the other hand, if are in a different type of mood and want to watch Dexter or watch Nip/Tuck you will be able to season 1 and 2 of Dexter and seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Nip/Tuck.

From Filmonic. (via Spiral Pocus)

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Comment/Review/Plotline at IMDB. After Homer accidentally pollutes the town’s water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons family are declared fugitives. Rapidshare Download Links.

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Given this was the one film I got a chance to see this week I actually ostly enjoyed, I’m not sure how The Simpsons Movie slipped my mind yesterday, but it did. Probably because it was the first one I saw, and the pain from the other’s …

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Business planning is an adventure?
I doubt that many people would describe it that way.

Creating a business plan is not a favorite for many entrepreneurs. Business plans have gotten the reputation of being complicated, boring, and useless.
Part of the reason for this is probably because of the requirement to have a business plan when applying for a loan.

In that case, the plan is written more for the lending institution than it is for the business owner. Most likely, once the loan is approved, the business plan document is soon forgotten.

Working on a business plan seems to bring out procrastination and frustration. It is easy to put off a project that seems as though it will take a big chunk of time and energy. There may also be hesitation to get into planning due to possible differences in opinion in your company as to what the priorities should be.

So, how can we make this business planning into an adventure?

Who doesn’t like the idea of planning an adventure trip?

I was thinking about the basics of a business plan and how those basic steps apply to planning such a journey. There really are a lot of parallels.

As I planned my solo trip to New Zealand to go backpacking with seven women, there were a lot of challenges for me and I felt I needed a plan.

Why create a plan? Clarifying your thinking is the most important reason for having a plan written down. Most everyone planning a trip talks about what they are going to do and how they feel about it. Taking it a step farther and writing it down solidifies it.

As I wrote down my structured plan, I could see clearly what was to be done and felt more confident about making the journey.

I used the five main parts of a business plan:

1. Vision
2. Mission
3. Objectives
4. Strategies
5. Plans

TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND

My Vision: Suzanne sees herself as a strong, independent woman traveling successfully on an international adventure.

My Mission: Suzanne is to go to New Zealand, connect with seven other women she has never met, hike the Banks Peninsula Track, and get back home safely.

Objectives:

1. Arrange air and ground travel.
2. Get prepared physically.
3. Be well equipped for the hike.

Strategies:

1. Find convenient and most economical travel.
2. Concentrate on good nutrition, exercise, and hiking with a pack.
3. Find good quality equipment that is comfortable

Plans:

Travel Arrangements

1. Check air rates online and with travel agent
2. Make decision and purchase tickets

Equipment:

1. Check equipment at REI and the outdoor store and online.
2. Make decision on price and comfort.

Conditioning:

1. Hike around the lake in hiking boots on flat ground with weighted backpack.
2. Hike mountain without backpack.
3. Hike mountain with weighted backpack.

Now, do those steps to a business plan seem so daunting when you think of them in terms of an adventure trip?

Most every business owner has a plan that is shared often in conversation. You’ll hear them talk about their vision, objective, strategies and plans.

Getting that plan down in writing makes it easier for others to know and understand their vision and how they plan to get there.

If you’re finding it difficult to get your plan together, find a planning partner. Get another business owner to commit to doing his or her plan at the same time. Call each other to keep yourselves on track. Another source of support would be a business coach who could strategize with you as you go through the steps of the plan.

Is business planning starting to sound more like an adventure to you?

Jump into the plan! It’s amazing just how satisfying it is to have a plan in place and go with it.

How about completing your goals with energy left over?
Exuberant Productivity Coach, Suzanne Holman, MAEd, works with female Certified Financial Planners who are interested in making every hour of work truly productive so they have abundant time and energy for fun and family. For a FREE Exuberance Assessment and tips for increasing your productivity and having a more satisfying life, visit Exuberant Productivity.com

Most if not all insurance companies have been using expert systems, software that is supposed to mimic highly trained humans , to evaluate car accident and truck accident injury claims. Some insurance companies use it as a tool and for some guidance, but some insurance carriers stick to the response provided by the computer program.

The way these programs work is by taking huge amounts of statistical data from jury verdicts and then comparing it to the case in question. The primary problem is that the data entered is often pre-screened when the jury verdicts are high.

The best way to cut down on the probability that you will be called to testify at trial is to simply do an excellent job in your documentation and facility a settlement. If the document is not readable it will not be entered into the computer system for evaluation. Handwritten notes are often unreadable, so reports and notes should be type or transcribed.

The second thing that has to be done is to insure that the magic words and numbers are in the report. Certain specific words are value driver and certain numbers are magic numbers. Unlike the real world, insurance companies do things of the basis of magic words and magic numbers.

The list of keywords and numbers is very long and only known by the software developers, but the following are magic words that increase the value of a case and facilitate a fair settlement which in turn permits health care providers and hospitals to get paid:

Specific words
Muscle Spasms
Dizziness
Radiating Pain -into the extremities
Headaches
Restriction of Movement
Nausea
Vision Disturbances
Neurosis
Depression
Anxiety
Temporomandibular joint disorder -TMJ
Bruises
Contusions
Subluxations (M.D.s only)

Medical reports should also have all the basics, there should be a diagnosis that is detailed and specifies each distinct injury. The diagnosis should be broken down into each specific injury. The prognosis should likewise do the same. The prognosis should specify whether the future risk or treatment is necessarily in fairly certain terms. Specifically the reports should state probable and definite for the software to consider it a value driver. The term possible adds no value to the case. If you believe the patient will need specific a specific procedure to alleviate a current ailment or a future problem say so, say what it is, how recovery time would be required, what post procedure steps are required, and how much it would cost.

The key to determine the certainty is what is more is likely than not. If the patient is more likely than not to need a specific procedure then the thresh hold has been met and you should say it is highly probable and more likely than not to need the specific procedure in the future. Every report is required to have a prognosis for the purposes of adding value. If it is missing, then the patient has lost as result of the medical providers failure to add it. The prognosis should be one of the following: 1. No complaint, 2. Complaint no further treatment, 3. Complaint with further treatment necessary, 4. Guarded.

These computer systems have some very specific cut off dates and numbers in determining value, which makes sense, since computers are programmed to go add or disregard by simply looking at a number. Chiropractic visits are capped at about 25, after 25 the computer program actually starts to deduct for additional visits. Two patients involved in almost identical accidents with almost identical soft tissue injuries, but substantially different number of chiropractic visits would have seemingly counterintuitive results with the one with fewer visits obtaining a better net settlement.

For physical therapy and acupuncture the software has a different limit, which is mostly in the hands of a medical doctor. If the medical doctor keeps renewing the prescription for this treatment the computer will accept a much larger number of visits than for chiropractic care. In cases where physical therapy or acupuncture is involved the computer uses as least to cut-off points which are seemingly unfair. If the number of visits is 1 day or 90 days it is treated as up to 3 months, but if the treatment is 91 days to 180 days it is treated as 3 to 6 months. So 91 days seems to be the optimum number of visits. Duration of treatment is more significant than number of visits. Physical therapy two times a week over 90 days for a total of 45 visits is added greater value than 89 visits over 89 days.

Drug prescriptions are evaluated on 1 to 30 days counted as up to 30 days and 31 dates which is counted as over 30 days. When prescriptions are for more than 30 days two categories further divide it, there is regular use and irregular use. With regular use adding greater value to the claim.

Hospitalization is evaluated on the basis of whether there was any hospitalization or not and if it was overnight or same discharge and if overnight the number of nights. Two hours and 19 hours could be the same depending on whether discharge is on the same day or not.

The most important thing when it comes to evaluating claims is the coding. The coding
has to be accurate, there has to be an ICD and CPT code and they have to be for the right procedure or service. Each service has to be dated, coded and the charge identified. If there are errors the insurance carrier will simply not add it and not even consider it. If codes do not match they will be discarded and not counted in the valuation

I met a medical doctor at a deposition that stated that medical doctors don not care what caused the injury, because the treatment for the injury is the same. Most attorneys completely agree, but insurance companies operate in a magical world where logic seems not to apply and in evaluating cases involving vehicles they look to property damage. Software differs, but generally the cut off is $1,000 to 1,500. If the claimants damage in the car accident is under $1,000, the insurance company will not bother putting it into the computer on the basis that there is no injury.

Interestingly insurance companies take preexisting injuries into consideration and actually use logic correctly and acknowledge that the patient is more fragile with a preexisting condition. A pre-existing condition is considered a value driver in evaluating the car accident claim.

Other factors that are taken into consideration are delays and gaps in treatment. Long delays and gaps adversely affect the value of the claim. The medical provider can and should provide written explanations if there any, otherwise the value of the claim declines. Delay before seeking treatment because the patient wanted to see if the pain would go away, or the patient was self treating with bed rest, did home exercises, or took over the counter medication then there is likely no penalty as it would be a good explanation.

Prescription for TENS unit to be used at home adds value. Prescribed bed rest adds value and so do neck braces and walking aids.

If the patient cannot take time off work and continues to work even though it is obvious the patient should not be working then it should be documented. When the patient has to engage in certain activities despite his condition, the insurance companies for purposes of evaluating the claim describe them as duties under duress. These activities usually means working despite the pain the patient experiences. Other possible activities include household chores, and school.

Many if not all insurance carriers using expert computer systems also give great weight to permanent disability ratings if done in accordance with the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of permanent impairment (5th edition). The disability has be 5% or greater and it has to be done by a medical doctor. Whole person impairment has to be at least 2% and likewise the evaluation has to be done by a medical doctor.

If there is a loss of enjoyment of life the medical provider should document it as well. The records should indicate the loss of enjoyment of life and the reason for the loss. The activity could be work; domestic activities such as cooking and cleaning; household activities such as : yard work and household upkeep; hobbies; and sports and social activities.

Contrary to popular belief, an injury victim is not a lottery winner and is not better off as a result of the accident. At best the injury victim is going to be where he or she should have been, if the accident had never occurred. In the vast majority of cases, they are worse off. Tort law does not account for a lot of miscellaneous items such as the disruption in the relationship between family, the fact that the vehicle is not worth the same even thought it looks fine, the fact that if the victim is living pay check to pay check that his or her credit can be damaged or destroyed and no compensation for that damage can be sought.

A medical provider treating accident victim patients directly affects the outcome. As tedious as proper document may appear, it is the best way a medical provider can assist a patient to get fair compensation and avoid getting called to trial. These procedures also diminish or minimize the likelihood that you will be deposed, and it increases the likelihood that the heath care will get paid and on time because it facilitates settlements. Lastly it shows the medical provider did a good job and serves as malpractice prevention.

Attorney Arnold Hernandez represents clients in car accidents, truck accidents, dog bites, overtime claims, and unfair loans in the cities of San Marcos, Escondido, Vista, Oceanside, Cathedral City, Palm Springs, Indio, Riverside, and throughout Southern California. http://www.arnoldhernandez.com

To change your career can be tough. And you can find possibilities anywhere. A great place to look might even be where you work for now; within the gift of a friend or even at a previous employer!

You never know, you might even find a whole new career is waiting for you just around the office corner, simply minutes away.

So, opening your mind, taking the time, finding and using good information to help you, will make establishing yourself in a completely new career an exciting prospect and can give you a whole new challenge, sparking off new energies, as well as new opportunities!

You see, over 60% of employees want to change job, but, sadly, they don’t know how and stick at the one they’ve got, for too long. So, it’s vital to identify and recognise the signs to move on. Boredom, lack of motivation, sickness and general tiredness are just a few of the indicators that will help you realize you need a change.

Then its time to imagine how your life would be if you had a job that more suited who you are, rather than be a square peg squeezing into a tight round hole. And would you recognise it if an opportunity to change job arose? How tempting would it be to avoid change and to just sit back, comfortable in your discomfort.

Occasionally there are much more unfortunate indicators. Having to experience poor behaviors from a boss who doesn’t care, of picks on you and even bullies you, is a dreadful thing to go through. Of course the secondary symptoms are like those mentioned above, but what are the deeper, mental strains?

Or do you simply want to enjoy work more and, shock upon shock have fun! Its vital to enjoy work that is both challenging and stimulating, supported by a workplace environment which allows you to be stretched with the safe knowledge that you will not be allowed to fall. The safety net enables you to take risks, learn from them and then grow further.

Without such an experience many will grow bored or fearful, neither of which makes work an enjoyable experience. So, to enjoy your work-life by taking your job seriously, as well as being able to relax when you are not working, safe in the knowledge that you’ve done well and developed your skills, is vitally important.

Remember, life is not all about work. The balance that a great work life as well as an enjoyable home life brings is immeasurable. With many people finding that they spend more wakening hours at the workplace than at home, it is critical for wellbeing that the workplace gives you all you need too.

Indeed, it is possible with the wrong experience for your work to impinge on home life to a detrimental effect. Which affects others in your family and does no-one any good.

Just a little thinking around whether your work gives you the best experience is enough to start you off. The ideas in this piece are intended to trigger in you some ideas; some thinking that will prove a starting point for you to get to a new and happier life in the kind of job you’ve always dreamt about.

For us all, a new, revitalized career is just around the corner, waiting for us. If you think its only a dream that is beyond you, give yourself a chance - stretch your imagination that it can come true.

If you take a little time to relax, review the opportunities and let yourself go, trusting yourself that what you want and need in your work experience will come.

A new career path is quite a challenge to take, and then again, those who have made the journey most often feel its been worth it in the end.

(c) 2007 “How To Land Your Dream Job”. You can have the job of your dreams. It takes application, attention and the information you need to get you there, young or old. There’s all you need at Martin Haworth’s website, http://www.HowToLandYourDreamJob.com

Changing your work can start changing your life.

“If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams, ” said Henry David Thoreau, “and endeavor to live the life you have imagined, you will meet with unexpected success.”

Finding your right work can improve your life. Considerably. When you cut to the chase, focus on the essentials, and do work that is both satisfying to you and fulfilling to the world, you will feel your precious life going somewhere.

The key to a life that you may never have dared imagine before is finding satisfaction in work.

How do you move in this direction, shrugging off the work that you have taken on out of desperation or necessity and beginning the work that expresses who you are in the world?

It takes inner work to make the transition. Focus on your creative mind, reflect on what work you like to do, and contemplate on your skills and talents. Think back on what you have learned from both good and bad past experiences. What works and what does not work for you?

Each of us is different. Each of us has a unique purpose. Each of us is unique in our talents. Each of us is exceptionally qualified to do some things better than almost everyone around us. We come into this world with gifts, and when we do work other than what we are talented to do, we feel immense discomfort.

Our gifts call to us to express them. When we deny this call, when we pretend to be somebody we are not and do things that we have little or no interest in, then we feel the weight of our own self-betrayal.

You may have to look for your right work. Or it may be obvious to you. The Latin word for work is “vocation.” It means, “calling.” Calling, in turn, is related to your voice. Thus, the right work for you is one where you can express your own voice.

In Letters to My Son, Kent Nerburn expresses this idea in an eloquent way. He says:
“Think of work as ‘vocation.’ It should be something you want to do, and it should be something that gives voice to who you are and what you want to say to the world. It is something that you choose because of what it allows you to say with your life. It is, above all else, something that lets you love.”

Simple questions will help you make the right choices, those that lead to an architecture of a fulfilling life. Here are some questions you can ask to get clear on your vocation:

How am I creative?

How am I unique?

What is my greatest fantasy?

What things do I like having?

What kind of career life have I had to date?

What life skills can I use to make money?

How does my work match my life purpose?

What do I need to do to start changing my life?

What kind of life planning am I prepared to do?

What have been my best life choices?

What things do I like doing?

What kind of person do I want to be?

If I could be someone else for a day, who would I choose to be?

How does the right work fulfill my spiritual life?

What makes me frustrated with my current situation?

What do I have to do to feel inner peace?

When I look back on this adventure of my life, what do I hope to see?

Saleem Rana would love to share his inspiring ideas His book Never Ever Give Up tells you how. It is offered at no cost as a way to help YOU succeed. The Empowered Soul

If you want to use music for your website, in multimedia or traditional media productions you need to know about music licensing. Website designers, video makers, TV show producers and all other creative artists are constantly looking for music in their productions.

It’s important to understand what copyright means, how it applies to music, and how you can obtain the rights to use music for your production. Terms such as “royalty-free music” and “synchronization licensing” get tossed around loosely, and this adds to the confusion. Hopefully this mini-tutorial will shed some light on this.

A Tale Of Two Copyrights: Composition And Master

Copyright is intellectual property. If you own the copyright to something, it means, quite simply, that you have the right to decide who can make a copy. Copyright is the right to copy. Obviously it’s more complex than that but we’ll keep it basic for now.

In terms of music, the key thing to understand is that each recording of music actually includes two distinct copyrights:

1. The copyright in the song itself, or the musical composition, or simply the Composition. This means the rights in the words and music of a song, and is often referred to as the ‘Publishing’ rights. Think of an old-school songwriter sitting at a piano, writing music and lyrics to a song. That song exists before it is recorded. Often musicians (especially in electronic music and hip hop) have a hard time grasping this distinction because they write music while they are producing it - sitting at their computer. Copyright is formed when you write a song, by virtue of the fact that it is new and original and takes a graphic form, such as writing down the lyrics or doing a demo. The copyright in this Composition is owned by whoever wrote it.

2. The copyright in a sound recording, also known as the Master. The Master is a Recording of a Composition. The copyright to the Master is owned by whoever produced it. Often this is a record company. To illustrate this, think of a famous song such as “Georgia on my Mind”. Each record company that produces a version of that song owns their own recording (the Master), but the fundamental rights to the composition remain with the original composer, who owns the Composition - the copyright of the song itself.

Synchronization And Master Use Licenses

Normally, since there are two copyrights involved, two licenses need to be issued to make use of a recorded song:

1. Synchronization License: gives you the right to ’synchronize’ the Composition with images or voice-over in your production.

2. Master Use License: this is exactly the same rights as the synchronization license, except it applies to the Master, the actual recorded interpretation of the musical composition.

Since the composer usually owns the Composition and the record company owns the Master, two different negotiations often have to take place, with two different contracts, for a song to be used in a Production. This can lead to complicated and time-consuming negotiations.

If a single company owns or controls the rights to both the Master and the Composition, this is called a One-Stop-Shop. This means that the company can sign both the Synchronization license and the Master Use license, which is less complicated and more attractive from the point of view of a website designer, an audio-visual show producer - or anyone who needs production music.

Most royalty free music libraries are such One-Stop-Shops since they control both the Master and the Compositions of the music on their website. Purchasing royalty free music means that once you have paid the one-time fee, you can use that music as many times as you want for as long as you want without ever having to pay additional money to the licensor.

It does not matter if one visitor or 100,000 visitors come to your website; or if the music is used for 3 months or 3 years - the purchase fee is exactly the same. If a piece of royalty-free music is purchased for use on a TV show, there is only the one-time fee, it doesn’t matter if the show is presented 5 times or 1,000 times. The TV show producer will never have to pay any additional fee for the music. This saves time and considerable expense.

Royalty free music does not mean however that anyone gives up their copyrights or their rights to administer a song. For instance, if you purchase a music license for a film project which goes on TV, the composer can still collect public performance royalties for the TV performance since these are paid by the broadcaster,and not by you the producer. The music may be offered on a royalty free basis but is not copyright free. The music composer and the publisher remain the copyright owners.

We hope this short article helps you understand the basics of music licensing.

Gilles Arbour is one of the partners at www.premiumbeat.com a Royalty Free Music Library. Premium quality affordable production music - 100% Copyright Clear. Music downloads instantly available. Easy simple music licensing.