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Best Car Insurance CompaniesKnowing you have selected a good car insurance company is peace of mind you will want to have before you get in an accident, have your car stolen, or encounter any number of situations that involve you having to make a claim. You don't want to find out too late that your car insurance provider isn't up to par.
This list contains the top ten best auto insurance companies in the U.S. based on affordability, value of services, and responsiveness. Because, after all, what good is having a rock bottom rate if you don't get enough in return or can't get the help you need when you need it.
The Top Ten
They are the BEST out there! I have gone to different ones and had to come back to them because they are so honest, so friendly and so professional. They are not ripping you off with those 6 month policies and with a bunch of other fees. Do your research... Call around and you will be shocked at how many of those other companies are charging for their premiums (double what Liberty Mutual charges) and then once they get you the first year with somewhat low rates, they hike them back up the second year! Do your research and you will realize that Liberty Mutual is the best all around!
This is an amazing company. I remember when I was small when my mother would show me her work (At Liberty Mutual). Everybody gave me mints and gave me a caring grin. When I passed there well lit offices. I loved the people there and I still do.
I am a 40 year customer. They are personal, competitively priced, and are quick and professional wiht price. Sometimes they try to raise prices at renewal time if you don't stay on top of your policy.
Liberty stands with you, liberty mutual insurance. - PeeledBananaV 51 CommentsVisit Website Get a Free Quote9
I was tired of my insurance payments going up and up and up, so thought it was time to start shopping for new insurance. I had tried over the Internet before but hadn't a clue what I was doing, so I just gave up. I had my previous insurance elsewhere and came to find out I was paying way, way too much. I am saving $750. 00 a year by switching to Esurance! I could not believe it! I immediately started the process of switching, and I am now a new Esurance customer and a very happy one! Today, I received my policy and cards via email just as promised and am glad I switched!
Thanks Esurance for the savings, Progressive wanted
$900.00 6 months and 21st wanted $1100.00 and ESURANCE
$525.00 what more can I say!
Simple, easy to use online interface with little or no lag time. You can change your policy and pay bills in literally seconds. 5/5 stars for convenience alone. Competitive rates too.
I love Esurance. Hands down the best insurance company that I have ever been to! You save a lot of money with high quality customer service available 24/7 and the website is extremely easy to navigate. I had to file a claim for a not at fault accident and they were extremely efficient taking care of it and so easy to talk to. Thanks Esurance!V 26 CommentsVisit Website Get a Free Quote9
One never really knows how good his or her insurance provider is until disaster strikes. I was broadsided by an SUV that ran a red light. The other driver did not have insurance, and both my wife and I went to the hospital. Allstate's response was compassionate and swift. A few days later all bills were paid. My rates did go up, but the rate hike was well worth the peace of mind I felt. I am sticking with Allstate.
Had GEICO in the military, switched to Allstate, for car & house. A "Common Sense" company. They stood behind us for over 2 years of a law suit, because of our good record! Some kids plowed into us with his junk heap, No insurance, No State license, & they were suing for so much, as our agent said: to set themselves up for a "life of Riley"! Great folks who work for them too & Now we get rebates, 2 x a year, for our good driving record!
I have Allstate. Bought a new car so obviously my rate went up. I shopped around and State Farm, Geico and NJ Manufacturers were all even higher. Those who claim to save hundreds are not telling you that they reduced some of the coverage they had previously.
Love them!V 43 CommentsVisit Website Get a Free Quote9
A company can't stay number one in business unless the people in the company do what they promise. I have always been delivered more than promised by my State Farm Agent. No one asks how much they were paying when one has a claim. Price becomes pretty subjective. How fast and fair claim is handled matters the most when one has a loss.
I love State Farm, they handle all my ins. My car, car loan, my Apt., and my health ins. My old car loan charged me a lot for gap insurance, my SF car loan gives me gap insurance for free, I saved money when I refinance my car with SF. My old insurance was more money, and my coverages were less. My agent explained what I had, and I picked better coverages and pay less. I also like their website. Nice being able to talk to real people 24/7, even in late at night, m and I am traveling, and in other time zones. Great service.
I've had State Farm my whole life and they have always done right by me. On April 10, 2009 my home was destroyed by a tornado. Amidst all the turmoil, the traffic, and the inability to call anyone... I was finally able to reach my agent around midnight to report my claim. The next morning I went to the location of my destroyed home around 8 am to find my agent was already there with a check in hand to keep me on my feet. My agent and claims team found me a town home to stay in, fully furnished it with supplies and furniture, and allowed me to stay there until the construction on my new home was complete. All the while, tending to my every need and resolving any complications or worries I had very quickly.
I have been with State Farm for well over 15 years. Have been in three accidents. Not once had State Farm been anything but helpful. I didn't have to fight with them about my cars value nor did I have to get tons of estimates. I have not experienced any of the horror stories of heard regarding other insurance companies.V 332 Comments Visit Website9
I used to have Farmers insurance until I got in an accident. Even though I had a local insurance agent, because I had to file my claim after hours, I had to contact a generic claims call center. Then, since I initiated the claim using the 1-800 number, I had to complete the rest of the process that way. At that point I was asking myself why I was paying a premium to have a local agent when he was doing nothing to help me. After the whole experience, I decided to shop around and ended up choosing Progressive. They had much better prices and since it no longer mattered to me to have a local agent, I signed up. I've had nothing but a positive experience with Progressive so far.
I shopped around for the best price for the coverage I wanted and Progressive undercut the others by around $1200. Every 6 months my monthly premium goes down. After the first six months we added another car, and the premium only went up by $6 because the policy dropped by such a significant amount. They've been good at getting my documents to me quickly, and having 24 hour customer service - which I'm coming to appreciate more and more with the odd hours I'm awake and work.
After I switched to Progressive I got into a car accident. I did not know exactly what I needed to do, but the people at progressive helped me the entire way. All I had to do was choose where I wanted to have my car repaired and they did the rest. Since I used one if the shops they referred I had my car back in less than a week. Quick and painless, all I had to do was make a call.
They are great to work with. They cover as promised and they have good rates.V 46 Comments Visit Website9
I love GEICO, they have EXCELLENT customer service! They are always great, they're always so personal, they are always there to help all day and night and weekends and you don't have to worry about someone being on vacation or sick because there's always more and great agents there to help. Plus they work with other outside companies and you can get discounts other places just for being with them. I just wanted to say I think GEICO is worth calling and getting a quote if you don't already have a policy.
Switched from Allstate after 24 1/2 year and Saved $600.00 every 6 months. Was paying $1298 and now $698. 10 and now I'm switching home insurance also. Thank You GEICO for SAVING me $1200 a year on my AUTO.
I just switched to Geico because of these comments. I thought the whole, "save you more money, " marketing was just a gimmick, but I really did save money. My bill has gone down! I'm paying less for 2 vehicles than I was for 1 vehicle with another provider, same features! I spoke with 3 different people, and all of them were great, and personable. I didn't feel like just another number. Awesome rates, awesome service. Highly recommended.
Best company cheapest priceV 115 Comments Visit Website9
They are ALWAYS there! When I lost control of my new pick up (11 months old) on slick streets, and totaled it in 2007, I was all alone. No one for miles in any direction. I called USAA to let them know what had happened. I was scared and alone, and the representative stayed on the phone with me until someone got to me. I was physically unhurt, but scared. She eased my fear and talked me through everything I needed to do. Gave me sound advice as to where to take the truck. Everything was handled smoothly and quickly. Settlement was swift. I was in a rental car in a matter of a few hours and in new car in a matter of days. We have been with USAA since 1976. We have had three burglary claims with them over the years and every one handled well and payment was swift. They are an honorable company who put their customers FIRST. They are fast, efficient and thorough. I highly recommend USAA to anyone who wants to be treated well!
USAA is just the best for taking care of their customers and making a stressful situation virtually stress free.
I have had USAA since 1975. I qualified based on my father's status as a US Army Officer. In 1978, I became qualified on my own when I received a direct commission as an officer.
USAA used to be for Officers and their families only. Not long ago they opened up membership to non-commissioned officers, then to all active military. Recently they even opened up membership to include honorably discharged veterans as well.
USAA use to be a reputable company however in pass years their level in integrity customer service has declined tremendously. Lack of due diligence poor laziness. I am so ashamed for them. I have been a member for over 12 years no more. I am in the process of moving all my accounts and severing all ties. Yes it is that bad. It is time consuming but 200% necessary unfortunately. I will not share each negative and compromising act they did but I do not trust them. If you want your own horrible experience please join and find out.
Simply the best insurance company, bank, investment firm I have ever dealt with. Hands down I am a USAA member for lifeV 106 Comments Visit Website9
I just switched from State Farm to Nationwide and State Farm was reasonable, though I wasn't necessarily happy with the coverage. It was only $79 a month for full coverage, but they didn't have accident forgiveness, if I got into an accident, I would have to pay 20% of the rental fee for a car, and the lowest deductible for collision they will go is $250. I switched to Nationwide a week ago and the quote was for $70 a month, (every little bit counts) but the big difference is the coverage. I got accident forgiveness included, also they pay 100% of car rental fee, and I only have $100 deductible for collision. However they do have $0 deductible but 100 I can do. This is for a 2011 Ford Focus which Focuses are generally cheap to insure.
I LOVE nationwide! I previously had State farm under my parents, and switched onto my own when quoted. I received a call the next week telling me it would be 90 more a month! I called EVERYWHERE and the cheapest I could find was 4000/6 months, until I called nationwide. (I am only 18 with a new car and high coverage. ) My new agent is VERY nice and informative and I am only paying 1200/6months. One week after switching, someone totaled my car, and Nationwide was right there, helping me through everything. I would NEVER switch! Go Nationwide!
I have been with Progressive for over two years, but I keep getting bills with extra charges and if I don't pay they will cancel my coverage. I went on line and checked several other companies, but NO success. When I contacted Nationwide, I ran into a problem doing the on line quote, so I called and talked with an agent. He was extremely helpful, got me three times the coverage, road side service, towing and all at a much lower rate! I'm very thankful with the kindness and the outstanding service, that this man and company showed me and how he made me feel, like my business was important to him and his company. I believe that I'm going to be a very satisfied customer and long time client as well!
Great car insurance had it my whole life why not higherV 42 Comments Visit Website9
I just finished up a auto claim with AAA. I had used AAA for my first car years ago, but switched to geico and then state farm since I had to be insured on a college student budget.
Post grad I moved back to AAA when I was making higher income. The past weekend was the first time I've had to actually invoke my car insurance coverage due to a hit on run on my car while parked.
The response time, courteousness and professionalism shown by the AAA agent was amazing.
I intend to stay with AAA for many, many years to come. Thumbs up.
The most feared by other insurance companies. With AAA, nobody messes with you.
I just saved about $400 dollars a year by switching to AAA from State Farm. The coverage for my cars is the same and the coverage for my home is much better (and cheaper) than before. I have a credit card through AAA, roadside assistance through AAA and finally, my insurance through AAA. I could not be happier. On all fronts, AAA has the best customer service I've ever encountered.
Absolutely the best. I've been with them for decades.V 28 Comments Visit Website9
When I talked to the employees at 21st Century Insurance, they don't talk at me, they talk to me just like they would any other person. They look past the bottom line dollar signs and see me as an individual; a lot of insurance companies today can't seem to deliver that. I think it's obnoxious when a company becomes so big that they don't treat the customers as people anymore or when companies become so large that the employees become impersonal and arrogant. So far, I've not encountered this with 21st Century Insurance and that, my friends, leaves me a satisfied customer!
The specialist that spoke with me helped me understand what no other insurance company ever did. Wow! I thought the lowest was ok, but now I know. I'm glad I called. They took the time to explain and make suggestions. I was only saving $10, but it was worth the switch from another company on the top 10 list.
I love 21st Century, I am elated that I made the switch from Farmers. Farmers use to make mistakes on my policy and I had to pay for it by them over charging me, so enough said about them. 21st Century keep up the good work your customer service skills are on point as well as the compassion you show your policy holders.
I would recommend this company and the savings are awesome. A satisfy customer
No one came close to the auto insurance rate I get through 21stV 15 Comments Visit Website9
The Contenders
My agent really took the time to explain or I should say educate me on my policy how to read what each part meant and scenerios of how I was covered if something happened. I ended up paying a little more in premium but the protection I have for myself and my family makes me feel like I'm a celeb. My agent values protecting my family, I also like the fact he calls my house just to see how we are doing. If you live in the Kansas City area, Farmers agent Troy Bower would be a real blessing to your home.
Great agents and seem to have options to cover all my belongings! Really nice to have all my insurance policies in one place. They have been around a long time and do a lot in my local area.
They are awesome! The agent that came out explained everything to us and made everything seem so clear. Plus, I can call them anything and get exactly what I need. We were paying way to much. Not anymore!
When you have a claim. They are the best to work with. The auto shop I worked with was happy to know my insurance was through Farmers. They said you get what you pay for with Gieco and Allstate.V 24 Comments
I love metlife! My brother was driving my car and wrecked it. They were so responsive and proactive. They encouraged him to see a doctor right away, paid all the medical bills promptly, and paid a decent price for my totaled car. They routinely checked up on my brother to make sure he was getting all of the attention he needed. I couldn't believe these guys! THEN my brother hit a building with my truck and did some damage to the building. They again dealt with it promptly and settled with the property owner. They were so available and easy to talk with. They were so nice to me and after these two incidents, they did not raise my rates or anything. Truly, I will never use any other company! I have absolutely nothing negative to say about them.
Got home and auto several years ago. Lost house and vehicles due to a fire. They were awesome to deal with once the cause of the fire had been determined. Two million dollar claim was handled very professionally and with compassion. I went with Metlife because of the price. They were the cheapest when I had teen age drivers in the family. I will stay with them because of the way they treated me after the fire. You never know how good your insurance company is until you have a major claim.
I name is Mike and I have been with MetLife Auto for quite a few years now. Have had most of the these well known Companies and, MetLife has always had better coverage, much better price at $950.00 + and that's not for only six months but, the whole year!
Good ins. and good priceV 1 Comment
I've had travelers for over thirty years. My insurance agent a few years ago left a message on my answering machine that I should give her a call and I might be able to save money on my insurance. And my insurance went down by over 1/3 of the cost. This year I had my all my policies starting the same date - my auto insurance is now for a year instead of two six month terms and I saved money on the year policy!
I have never had a problem with any claim.
Don't know how this company gets a rating of 13. My coverages all DOUBLED with travelers and I am saving 35.00 a month compared to having have the coverage with Geico. Plus, I had been with Geico four years.. never saw a decrease and I was perfect.. no accidents.. no tickets...
Travelers is the best. Had Allstate and had Geico. Neither compares with Travelers. Travelers' people care about their customers. Fast, fair claim service and very responsive policy services. Not the least expensive company on the street but in life you get what you pay for.
This is the best company ever wowV 11 Comments
Switching to Amica from State Farm because I reviewed my State Farm policy and found that they are no longer paying to return my vehicle to "pre-loss" condition, and instead they are only paying for what is competative in the market area. I have been with State Farm for over 12 years, and recently read my policy booklet, and found this out. Based on the way State Farm's auto policies read I am very unhappy. State Farm gets to dictate what is competative in the market area, and because the majority of the shops in my area are not good shops, State Farm will not pay to have my vehicle repaired properly because it isn't competative in the market area as my policy reads. This also means that if I hit someone and they take their vehicle to a quality shop and State Farm does not pay for the cost to repair the other party's vehicle properly, then I can be sued by the person I hit. I expect more from my insurance, and I hope others do to. After contacting Amica I have found their ...more
We have our home and two autos with Amica. Good rates and great customer service. Never had a single problem, switched from AmFam
We have our car and home with Amica. Their rates are fair but more importantly they provide great customer service and handled our auto accident (that was not our fault) with great satisfaction. We had them handle the claim and reimbursement versus Allstate (which I view as the worst after 2 separate incidents with Allstate).
Always good to deal with.V 13 Comments
Saved me $370.00 on a three car policy and have nad no problems with the two claims I had within the last three years. Easy to work with on the phone or on line, you can choose your own repair shop and they will back you if the repairs are not correct. Had State Farm before and they did not have a firm handle on my account. I was recieving notification of changes constantly, $11.00 here and $14.00 there. When I would call to inquire, If I could get through they were never sure or justify why the small changes. They took all my pocket change, will not go back, I found a new home after years at SF.
I was with AAA for the longest time in my life, promised to lower my premium, but when it was time to put out they said that's our best price for 2 cars and my home around 2k. I called AARP ( Hartford insurance) and they gave me a price of $1,200 LOTS of savings for the same coverage. Then I had one car left and wanted a price from AAA $3,200 just for 1 car and Hartford $740. Are these insurance for real! Apparently only Hartford is not greedy FOR THE SAME COVERAGE. When I had an accident about 5 months ago (not my fault) State Farm had a max coverage of 25K in Vegas ( you guys watch out for this) was told to get the initial sum from Hartford -NO PROBLEM very nice and followed up all my problems. My advice all you 50 year olds try and contact Hartford and ask, you have nothing to lose.
AARP (The Hartford group) save me over $600.00 a year on my home and Auto insurance. I was with Liberty Mutual for around 15 years and never had any claims. But they would not lower my premiums. The old proverbial straw was, this year they raised the rates on us again. So see ya later for sure. They do not appreciate their loyal good customers. Don't buy from them unless you like to give money away.
Came back after a year at another company... if you are AARP member you can't beat itV 8 Comments
TRUCK OWNERS BEWARE! I had Ameriprise for almost 20 years until today. They DOUBLED my rates to $750/6 months when I moved, then required I complete a new application as though I was a new customer. Then, because I made a mistake on the form (I'm old, I make mistakes sometimes), they insisted I provide them titles to the vehicles, one I don't have because it's financed, the other I sent them years ago. So they said to send the registrations, which I did. Next day I get an email saying I have to send the titles again. I called and told them I felt I was being harassed. They said fine, the registrations would work. But, that we needed to discuss the issue of me using my truck to pull a horse trailer. I said I wasn't using my truck to pull a horse trailer, I had only called to inquire whether or not they "insure" horse trailers. What then followed was a debate of almost 15 minutes with them repeatedly saying my policy needs to be reviewed and every time I asked for what, they ...more
Great rates on higher coverage (100/300) per incident. Very nice customer service.
Have them through Costco for Home/ Auto. Great rates and excellent coverage
Great rates for higher coverage (100/300).V 7 Comments
I have been with Safeco for over 20 years. I have totaled three cars with over $40k in claims there. I have been impressed with their fast claims service and the fact that they never raised my rates after a claim. I have shopped rates in the past an Safeco could not be beat. Safeco has always been there when I needed them.
My daughter has piled up her car on numerous occasions and Safeco always paid the bill! She has never had an increase in premium for over 10 years. I think Safeco is one of the hidden gems of car insurance companies!
I was with safeco for years and had zero problems. I was impressed with their roadside assistance who came to help me get my keys out of my car when we locked them in at a driver in movie theater ha!
Best service. Never raised their rates for years even if you have an accident. Customer services is excellent,
Agents respond in less than 10 mins.
Way better than state farm who can go felch themselves. Also meet richie.
Very very good company
Best Insurance Company I've ever had. They may not be the cheapest but if you rate your insurance companies on price I hope you never have a claim. You will be shaken to the core to see what the cheap guys do when you have a claim. With American Family we called Russ our agent and his staff helps us through the whole process. When we talked to the claim adjuster he was very informative and worked with us. Our car was totaled. It was an older car but it was my daughter's grandmother's car and had less the 10000 miles on the 7 year old car. The adjuster came back with an amount I felt was low. He showed me how he came up with the value. I told him the car was truly worth more then the average excellent condition 1993. He talked to our mechanic and the the body shop guys to get their input to the condition of the car. He increased the offer by 33%. He had to get approval from the company to do this. He and my agent went to bat for us and we were paid what I considered a fair price for ...more
I love this company. The most important thing to me is knowing that if I do have a claim the insurance company is going to step up to the plate and I have never been disappointed by American family. What great customer service. My agent even calls me to wish me happy birthday and I love knowing my agent. Top notch company the way
I saved $3,500 per year on 7 vehicles and 2 motorcycles by switching from Liberty Mutual to American Family. Plus, on our one and only claim in three years, we only received 75% of the car's value from Liberty Mutual... Unlike their commercial says.
Our local agent takes his time to help us when ever I come into the office.V 14 Comments
Got quotes from lots of different people. Kind of annoying agents, but really good prices
Their rates are as low at $24/month
Good premiums for New York drivers
I found 25/month rates (thru Insurance Panda) and always looking for cheaper.V 4 Comments
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Baltimore City Enacts "Ban the Box" Law Restricting The Use Of Criminal Record Screening in Employment
Baxter, Baker, Sidle, Conn & Jones, P.A.
Employment Law Bulletin
June 2014
Baltimore City Enacts "Ban the Box" Law Restricting The Use Of Criminal Record Screening in Employment
Niccolò N. Donzella, Esquire
Employment Law Bulletin
June 2014
Baltimore City Enacts "Ban the Box" Law Restricting The Use Of Criminal Record Screening in Employment
Niccolò N. Donzella, Esquire
On May 28, 2014, the Mayor of Baltimore signed into law a new City ordinance, commonly known as "Ban the Box," that prevents employers in the City from inquiring about a job applicant's criminal record until a conditional offer of employment has been made. Excepting facilities serving minors and vulnerable adults, and where required or authorized by other law, Baltimore City employers may no longer ask about criminal records on application forms or in interviews. The law, which provides for civil and criminal penalties, goes into effect 90 days from May 28, 2014.
What is the purpose of the new law? The law is intended to address what the City Council finds to be pervasive discrimination against people with criminal records, particularly "people of color" and particularly in the area of employment. The law intends to assist such persons in finding employment by preventing employers from eliminating them from consideration based on an application or preliminary interview, thus assuring such applicants "an opportunity to be judged on his or her merit when initially applying for employment."
Who is covered by the new law? The law covers applicants and employers, both of whom are broadly defined. An applicant is "any person who is being considered or who requests to be considered for employment in the City of Baltimore by a covered employer." A "covered employer" is "any person that employs 10 or more full time equivalent employees in the City of Baltimore," which includes both individuals and entities.
What type of employment is covered? The law defines employment to mean "any work for pay" and "any form of vocational or educational training, with or without pay," and specifically includes "contractual, temporary, seasonal or contingent work" as well as "work though the services of a temporary or other employment agency."
What activity is banned by the new law? The law prohibits covered employers from making "preliminary inquiries into [an applicant's] criminal record." Preliminary means prior to the employer's extension of a conditional offer of employment, which may only be conditioned on a subsequent criminal background investigation or "some other contingency expressly communicated to the applicant at the time of the offer." Thus, the law bars a covered employer from asking an applicant, either directly or indirectly, whether he or she has a criminal record or "otherwise has had criminal accusations brought against him or her." Banned conduct includes questions or check boxes on applications, verbal questions during an interview, conducting a criminal background check, or "otherwise mak[ing] an inquiry of the applicant or others about whether the applicant has a criminal record or has had criminal accusations brought against him or her." A "conviction" is defined as "any sentence arising from a verdict or plea of guilty or nolo contendere," and it includes a sentence, incarceration or fine, and a suspended sentence." While the law does not define "criminal accusations," it is likely to be interpreted broadly to include indictments and arrests.
Are there exceptions to the new law? Yes. Preliminary inquiries into an applicant's criminal record are still permitted where "required or authorized by other law," as for example can occur in government contracting and in certain security settings, as well as "facilities servicing minors and vulnerable adults."
What penalties does the new law provide? The law provides for both civil and criminal penalties. On the civil side, an aggrieved applicant may file a complaint with the City's Community Relations Commission, which is empowered to investigate the complaint, hold a hearing, and issue a decision. The Commission is also empowered to award the following relief: back pay, reinstatement, compensatory damages for "humiliation, embarrassment, and emotional distress," expenses incurred in finding other employment, and reasonable attorneys' fees. The Commission's decisions are appealable to the Court of Special Appeals. On the criminal side, a violator of the law is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to imprisonment for not more than 90 days and a fine of not more than $500 for each offense.
What action should employers take? Remove questions about criminal history from applications and interviews, and review employee handbooks and personnel policies for compliance. Human resources personnel involved in hiring should be trained in the requirements of the new law.
As always, please call if you have questions.

subset: commoncrawl


text: A few observations from Wednesday's OTA session at Baptist Sports Park: Rookie wide receiver Justin Hunter participated in individual and seven-on-seven drills for the first time since injuring his hamstring during the opening OTA session. Newly signed tackle Barry Richardson made his debut wearing No. 78. Quarterback Jake Locker had his ups and downs during the scrimmage sessions. He missed an open Kendall Wright on a deep slant and threw behind an open Kenny Britt coming across the middle. But he later connected with Wright on a deep scoring pass down the left side and added several strong completions to the sideline. Wide receiver Michael Preston made one of the afternoon's nicer plays. He caught a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick coming across the middle, then immediately reversed his field and outraced rookie cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson about 15 yards to the end zone. Alterraun Verner, who played cornerback on Tuesday, was back playing free safety on Wednesday. Tommie Campbell returned to playing the first-team cornerback role opposite Jason McCourty. Linebacker Akeem Ayers made a nice defensive play, chasing after the speedy Locker as he rolled right and then jumping up to swat away Locker's pass. Share on Facebook Posted In: Team News Source: Titans Insider


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Long-time Progressive Conservative MLA Bev Harrison invoked the memory of former British prime minister Winston Churchill as he confirmed on Friday that he will run for the NDP in the next provincial election.
Harrison appeared with NDP Leader Dominic Cardy at a news conference on Friday to confirm that he will run for the NDP in the Sept. 22 election.
Harrison pointed out that Churchill also switched parties during his political career.
"I will be seeking election in a new riding under the banner of a new party. After all Winston Churchill changed political affiliation twice," he said.
Harrison said he feels at home in the NDP despite his decades of service to the Progressive Conservatives.
"The reason I chose to be part of the New Democratic team, begins with a mutual respect that Dominic Cardy and I share," Harrison said.
"We have had a number of opportunities to meet, discuss and agree on the direction for a new way to govern. We have mutual respect for our democratic principles and practices. We agree with better governance mechanisms and electoral reform."
Cardy and Harrison said they had been talking for several months. Cardy said he was pleased to have someone with Harrison's experience join the NDP.
Harrison was the legislature's Speaker from 1999 to 2006 and then briefly served as a cabinet minister. Premier David Alward did not add Harrison to his cabinet after the Tories formed government in 2010.
The NDP has also recruited former Liberal MLA Abel LeBlanc to run for the party in Saint John-Lancaster.
Hampton NDP in controversy
The NDP's riding of Hampton is in tumult with resignations, allegations of heavy-handed politics and party switching.
Pat Hanratty, the riding association's president and a former president of the provincial party, resigned this week and posted on Facebook that he was quitting the "Un democratic party", adding, "I'll be back when the reign of terror is over."
And the riding's previously announced candidate for nomination, Chris Rendell, has had his approval revoked suddenly.
Rendell said the party is pushing him aside in favour of Harrison.
"What's really going on is a cut-throat vicious group of people in Fredericton who are willing to do whatever it takes to clear the way," he said.
Rendell said Cardy is trying to move the NDP sharply to the right. Cardy has faced similar criticism by others that he is shifting the party away from its traditional policies.
Rendell served on the Hampton riding association and the NDP's general council. His nomination was approved by party leadership in Fredericton and then abruptly withdrawn.
He said NDP officials showed him a Facebook page where Rendell clicked "like" to a post supporting Green Party Leader David Coon.
The Facebook comment was made by Hugh Duncan Brown, who said: "Thank you, David Coon. This is how to fight for the people of New Brunswick. You have my vote as long as you don't have any posters of war criminals on your office wall."
Rendell and seven other people clicked, "Like," under the Facebook post.
The party cites Rendell's Facebook "Like" as the reason why he is no longer a party candidate.
"I can tell you that the decision to not disqualify Chris was genuine until days ago when the liking of the offensive post was noticed. The fact is if Chris had not liked that post on June 21, he would still be eligible as a candidate right now despite whatever interest in running arose from any other person," according to Tony Sekulich, the director of communications for the NDP.
Rendell said the NDP is searching for a "victory at any cost" in the Sept. 22 election
"I disagree with that fundamentally," he said.
The last Corporate Research Associates political poll showed the NDP in third position, behind the Liberals and the Tories.
Chris Rendell was not the official candidate for the NDP in Hampton as stated in a previous version of this story. He was a declared candidate for the nomination in the riding.Jun 27, 2014 10:49 AM AT
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text:
Micah Krahn
The Discovery - Poem by Micah Krahn
by Micah Krahn
In a quiet shire, in the southern Province of Thaltik on the tip of The Chieftan Mountains. where the Imperial Kalatihgs and Riftmen keep watch over the Thaltik thoroughfare.
The faraway town of Thalnica bordered between the Chieftan Mountains and the Icillian Mountains had seen its share of ageless and winless wars even from a distance, the ravaged bareness of contention still followed within the scent of its aroma.
Thalnica was an important vantage point in the Icillian Isles, as it was the first and only outpost located between the Two Giants. It was said from legendary tale that; two giant brothers of Rock and Stone; one called the Chieftan and the other Icillian. They fought their last battle versus each other, as their spirits fell from the heavens, so they did also. And their bodies fell upon the earth with a climactic earth-shattering thundering clap and as they perished side by side that's where the passageway to Thalnica became known as The Two Giants.
Thalnicans felt secure in their surroundings as their village sat steadfast in place, with glorious views of the Icillian Isles in the front, Chieftan on the left and Icillian on the right. Nothing awaited hostile forces in the rear but a steep mountainous trek downwards.
The population of this little township, was little more than four hundred strong. And upon this little ole' hamlet is where this tale takes place. For within all this rich and diplomatic history. Our fabled chronicle begins as such, and is not of one wealthy or wise Thalnican but of a young lad who by pure chance came upon a discovery of a lifetime.
Peronitus was the Captain of the Riftmen guard, not much is known about this man. Other than the verity that he had but one son and not but two wives. His wives bear no particular mention to this adherent proclamation except that of one, the younger of the two he shared his favour with her the most. Perhaps it was because she was kind to him and listened to him more intently than the other did, for this reason only her name was scriptured to be noted. Helena was her name and perhaps the only only important relevance this has to our story is that she is the mother of our young hero.
Peron, was a small gamin. By no way did he think of himself as extraordinary and yet he was no more than four years young. He enjoyed the simple pleasures in life, walking and playing beside the town's only riverlet beside the passageway of the two giants. On one particular spring morning, he arose with delight in his heart and joyfulness in his soul, he had remembered that the day before Peronitus had promised to teach him something new. Father was going to teach him how to fish today he thought, near the riverlet his father was already at the riverbank preparing the lines with bait. Reaching downwards toward his tackle box he baited another hook, looked up and saw Peron with a huge grin on his face, smiling from ear to ear.
He smiled back. He came over to his son. Lifted him to the sky and exclaimed to the guards nearby that his son was the best blessing the gods had bestowed upon him in this world, the guards took note of this.
Peron and his father didn't get to spend a lot of time together, Peronitus was always busy commanding the guard but of what little time he did have he chose to spend it with Peron. Helena cherished these moments in her heart. Seeing them so happy to be in each other's company was the best thing she could have ever hoped for. Finally a family, worth being a part of!
Peron started baiting the hooks and asked his father if he could find a spot to snag a fish away from the prying eyes of the guards. His father agreed, but cautioned him to not go very far and stay within sight and earshot.
Agreeing upon this, his lad wandered away from his father's side, Peron did not go very far, perhaps no more than a fathom's throw from the steady gaze of his papa.
He found his spot near an old aging tree, when all of a sudden he heard a strange sound, a faery song perhaps? He knew what faeries were as he was born at the Lighthouse of the Whispering Pines as a small babe and seen the Niques training the dragonflies there. They were no more real than the nose on Peron's face. He thought it was an elegant beautiful voice whomever it belonged to. So without any further ado, he secured his fishing lines near the olde tree he was near his fishing spot. Following the voice which trailed up the riverbank no more than a few yards from his fishing gear.
He came upon an olde intricate tree stump with an unfastened door attached to it. Carefully opening it he saw a multitude of faeries joyfully singing to the heavens, gracefully he gently touched one of them, who looked back into his eyes and smiled. As he climbed up the stump toward the unhinged door, the faeries began to flutter out and amongst him. Awe flooded in his eyes as he relished this new experience. As they fluttered away, singing and filling the heavens with their graceful and majestic melodies. Peron's eyes fell upon a gaze which was upon what the faeries had been gently sitting on.
Untouched by age infinitium; was a golden scroll of moirai. His young eyes had never seen such beauty in a sculpted masterpiece, of the gods he had thought, who else could have put it there for him to find? Grabbing it, weightlessly it remained unbothered by its new placement. The Parchment of Infinitium was what it was called, but the insignia meant little to Peron, who was just learning how to read and knew nothing of what it meant. Inside the scroll, was a golden quill in which to write on the golden papyrus.
Shouting with delight, he ran to his father and showed his discovery to him. Bewildered and disbelieving, Peronitus opened the scroll and saw the beauty which unfolded. He then took the scroll to the High Queen of Icillia, Victyria. Because of her royal bloodlines, only she was the only person entitled to uncover the secrets which lay beneath the golden ink of the Parchment of Infinitium. Little was known at the time about this artifact, so when Vectyria opened the scroll, the golden quill magically wrote that the scroll would only speak to Peron, and not the unenlightened.
The Queen was furious, she ordered it to be destroyed but it couldn't be destroyed. So it was to be kept in the royal palaceuntil Peron became of age. At age 15, Peron became the youngest heir to the Icillian Isles.
The idea the towns people came to understand about the enlightened scrolls of proclamation is that the magic scrolls would only respond to the person who discovered it. Whatever was written on the scroll, would become truth. As Peron would age, Lord Horan of the Icilian Isles would name him his heir as Peron would become the most influential person in the world of Solaria, and within his shire of the Icillian Isles.
And so we depart from this extraordinary tale...
We have not seen the last of this young hero, so do not let your hearts be troubled, perhaps when the pirate lord Rouve takes upon the waves of the Icillian Isles, perhaps only then will we then see or hear upon what legendary tales of Peron, the boy who became enlightened.
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I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You
Pablo Neruda


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Links in a JMS bridge are started automatically when the bridge starts. Similarly, links are stopped automatically when the bridge is stopped. Additionally, once a JMS bridge is started, any of its links can be paused, resumed, stopped or restarted manually using the imqbridgemgr utility.
Enter the imqbridgemgr stop link command, specifying the link name, the bridge name, and the broker.
For example, to stop the link link1 in the bridge mq2external hosted by the broker running on myhost:8886, enter this command:
imqbridgemgr stop link -ln link1 -bn mq2external -b myhost:8886
A link cannot be started manually unless it is enabled; that is, the enabled attribute of its link element in the bridge's XML configuration file is set to true.


text:
Helpful hints for last-minute Christmas shoppers
Dec. 22, 2012 at 6:22 a.m.
With its twinkling lights, messages of joy and party after cookie-laden party, Christmas comes just once a year.
Even so, the holiday has a tendency to sneak up on people. And as the clock ticks down to Santa's arrival, many find themselves searching for last-minute gifts.
With traffic on Navarro Street backed up for more than a mile on the way to Victoria Mall, the crowds in the retail center could be daunting for shoppers.
Nikki Barnes, of Victoria, was amazed when she got stuck in front of H-E-B Plus! on the way to the mall, needing to purchase a few last-minute gifts.
"I just started praying, 'Lord, give me patience,'" Barnes said.
Her daughter, Zakari Perry, 11, said she has a new plan to avoid shopping right before Christmas.
"Sometimes it's good to do it after Christmas because things are on sale," Zakari said, thinking her friends and family can probably wait a few days for presents so she can get the good deals.
Barnes said her advice for last minute shopping is to be patient and make the presents simple and quick.
For those who still need to get shopping completed, there is help.
Here, Crossroads retailers offer tips for finding that perfect gift, even in a time crunch.
Go online
The Internet is an amazing tool. Not only can you shop from the comfort of home, but oftentimes you can still shop in the area. Order online or check out businesses' inventories through their websites before hitting the stores. Remember, you can often avoid shipping fees and long lines by ordering online and picking up in-store.
Take advantage of extended hours
Retailers often stay open later as the holidays approach. Remember, customer traffic tends to be slower during the week.
Look over store policies
Many items will go on sale as Christmas nears, but make sure you know the store's return and exchange policies. Can you take a sale item back if the gift doesn't work out? Also read through shipping information so you know whether that gift will get to you by the holidays.
Don't let last-minute panic break the bank.
Know your budget and stick with it, even if you're shopping in a crunch. Have a list, complete with what you want to buy and how much you can afford to shell out.
Remember there's an app for that.
Smartphone or tablet apps can help ease shopping stress in a variety of ways. They allow people to scan barcodes, compare prices online, grab up coupons and more.
Look for added bonuses.
Some stores offer special perks such as free gift boxes, or even free wrapping. Taking advantage of such deals can make life simpler.
Go for a gift card.
Cards are a simple option, and they give the recipient freedom to choose whatever they want. If you order your gift cards online, you can often print them on the spot.
Don't despair
If you're shopping at the last minute this year, you've probably done it before. Some people naturally get an early start, while others don't. Breathe, relax and continue on. You'll get it done.
Sources: Melissa Earl, manager of A Special Stitch, Eny Faultersack, owner of Animal Palace, Kecia Haas, owner of Teacher's Toolbox, Erin Rodriguez, media and public relations coordinator with the Better Business Bureau's Austin headquarters, Sonia Saenz, owner of Sonia's Boutique, Bianca Tristan, manager of Cell Fashions, ShopAtHome.com news release
Related Christmas stories:
Schedule of Christmas holiday closings, click HERE
Residents display ugly Christmas sweaters, click HERE
Readers share special holiday moments, click HERE
Gift wrappers ease shopper woes, click HERE


text:
After months of saying "no" and "hell no," the American people, represented by the voters of Massachusetts, sent a clear message to President Obama; quit your head long run towards Socialism! While I'm not sure they've gotten the message, the election of Scott Brown has clearly taken the wind out of the Administration's sails.
From his interview with George Stephanopoulos where he claimed that he and Scott Brown were elected under the same "hope" agenda, to his blatant and obvious attempt at populism when he introduced his bill to penalize banks on the day following the repudiation of placebocare, it's clear that the Obama administration has lost their momentum and is seeking a way to get it back.
With his mojo deflated, pundits and talking heads have been filling airwaves and electronic and printed media asking what will Obama do next. In general, their question comes down to this; is Obama an ideologue who will not take no for an answer and continue to push his extreme left agenda or, will Obama become the reincarnation of Bill Clinton and learn the art of triangulation. This skill that will be required if he wants any success with what will surely become a much more Republican filled House and Senate.
I've claimed from the start that Obama is an ideologue. I have seen nothing in his character or agenda that suggested to me that he had anything other than a hard left perspective. From Jeremiah Wright to Van Jones to his full bore tilt to have government control or dictate to all major American industries, it looked like he was an ideologue's ideologue.
Over the past couple of weeks I've been reading the book "The Argument" by Matt Bai. The book largely outlines the progression of the far left from theory on a slide show post 2002 elections, to the core of the Democrat party, and ultimately the presidency, by 2008. In this book, Bai reports on one of the first encounters that then, Senator Barack Obama, had with the nutroot bloggers.
In 2005, while debating John Roberts for chief justice, Patrick Leahy had come out to support Roberts. Obama said he would vote against Roberts but then supported Leahy's position saying that those who didn't accept diverse opinions were knee-jerk, amongst other things. As the story goes forward, Obama is roundly criticized by the nutroots for not being "pure" on this issue. Obama couldn't handle the criticism so after brooding over it for a while, he wrote a two thousand word plus response which was posted on the nutroot's holy site.
In this missive, Obama started by laying out the argument that the nutroots and their kind, were interested only in purity and that through enforcing this, eventually they would elect enough officials and the public would see just how right their positions are/were. He then explained why this philosophy was flawed. As quoted in the book, part of Obama's response was:
I think this perspective misreads the American people. From traveling throughout Illinois and more recently around the country, I can tell you that Americans are suspicious of labels and supicious of jargon. They don't think George Bush is mean-spirited or prejudiced, but have become aware that his administration is irresponsible and often incompetent. They don't think that corporations are inherently evil (a lot of them work in corporations), but they recognize that big business, unchecked, can fix the game tot he detriment of working people and small entrepreneurs. They don't think America is an imperialist brute, but are angry that the case to invade Iraq was exaggerated…
Bai follows up this section of Obama's letter with his own interpretation and further Obama quotes:
If Democrats really wanted to win the trust of these voters, Obama lectured, they couldn't go around demonizing those who disagreed with them, nor could they impose some kind of purity test on their elected leaders. "To the degree that we brook no dissent within the Democratic Party, and demand fealty to the one, "true" progressive vision for the country, we risk the very thoughtfulness and openness to new ideas that are required to move this country forward," he said. Citing Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr., Obama said the country's most compelling voices had been those who could "speak with the utmost conviction about the great issues of the day without ever belittling those who opposed them, and without denying the limits of their own perspectives."
Note that the bolded items are my embellishments.
Look back at the bolded items. Note how Obama, when addressing the nutroots was arguing directly against the attitude and policies that he has implemented as President! "Bush is a good man but wrong", "Don't blame corporations" and "America is not a brute" has been replaced by the exact opposite talking points in Obama's presidency. "Recognizing, appreciating and considering diverse perspectives" has been replaced by a dogmatic "I won" mentality on every topic and approach.
What's my point?
While I believe his core is that of a hard left ideologue, there have been times where Obama has at least, "talked" the game of a pragmatist. I don't know whether the "talk" was just that, "talk", and he never was a pragmatist, or whether perhaps, he really did/does view his election and the corresponding sweep of Congress, as a mandate for a hard left transformation of the country and thus believed being an ideologue was what the people voted for.
If Obama took 2008 as a mandate, I suspect we will see some moderating of his hard left agenda. I don't think he's going to recommend a reduction in taxes as a solution to our economic challenges. However, it's possible that some of the talk of extending the Bush tax cuts for a year could be just this kind of pragmatism coming to the fore. On the other hand, if Obama is the ideologue he has portrayed in the first year of office, it will be a long three years.
If Obama continues to lead the nation believing that solutions come from the hard left, the results will be further increases in spending with little to no economic recovery. If Obama continues as an ideologue, we will see damage done that could well cause the United States to cease being a world economic power.
That last sentence is a pretty sobering thought and not one that I wrote just as hyperbole. The Obama presidency is at a cross roads. If Obama recognizes that the American people are not with him, at least on his approach, and with a bit of humility leads the Democrats back to a plan that Independents support, he may yet have a chance to shape America. If he doesn't, any reshaping will result in long term damage to America. While Obama regularly refers to "the last eight years," if Obama doesn't understand the implications of the Brown election, we may have Presidents for a generation referring to "the four years of Obama" as the cause for the problems they then face!


text:
I'm going to go a little UK-centric in this article, so if you've ever worked in the UK, this could be very important; if not, I hope you find it informative.
It's time for the UK's 2012 budget this week (Wednesday 21st March), where the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, will lay out the Government's plans for the UK economy and public finances for the year ahead.
Whilst that possibly may not be the most exciting sentence you've read this week, what the budget contains could have a big impact on the personal finances of anyone who has a pension in the UK.
How so? Well, one thing that the Chancellor is expected to announce is that he is considering issuing Government bonds (commonly known as "gilts") with a term of 100 years. (This may still sound incredibly uninteresting, but stick with me…).
Normally, the maximum duration for Government issued bonds is about 30 years – so this is quite a leap. The main reason this is being considered is because it is incredibly cheap for the Government to borrow money at the moment – depending on how you calculate it, you could argue that it's free.
Because of the global financial crisis, many investors have run for cover, and are desperately seeking "safe" places to store their wealth – and rightly or wrongly, many have decided that lending money to AAA rated governments is the best thing to do.
As a result, the "yields" (return/interest) on these bonds have fallen to incredibly low levels – which is simply a result of supply and demand. As demand goes up, so does the price – and because the returns are fixed in monetary terms, any increase in purchase price has the effect of reducing the amount of return in percentage terms.
As I write this (Tuesday evening, Jakarta time), the current yields for UK government bonds are all less than 0.5% for terms of 2 years or less; less than 1% for 4 years or less; less than 2% for 8 years or less, and only 3.47% for the 30-year bonds.
Now it doesn't take a genius to work out that when inflation is running at 3.4% (based on the latest figures which were published earlier today), if you're only making a 2% return, you're losing money. Similarly, if you can borrow money at less than the rate of inflation, then you're in profit (as long as you do something useful with it).
And the average rate that the government has had to pay (calculated using 10-year bonds) over the last 25 years is 6.28% - the highest during that time being 12.84% (22 years ago) and the lowest being 1.97% (two months ago). So it should come as no surprise that the Government sees an opportunity to drastically reduce average borrowing rates for a very long time.
But if it is an opportunity for the Government to save money, then surely it's a bad idea for investors to buy the bonds? Why would you invest in something which gives a fixed return, at probably the worst time to do it?
In short: You wouldn't. That would be slightly crazy. If you buy a 100-year bond, paying a return of less than the average rate of inflation, you are almost certainly going to lose money, almost every year, for 100 years.
The last time the UK issued 100-year bonds was nearly 100 years ago, to help pay for World War One. It has been calculated that anyone who bought those bonds at that time (and held them until now) would have by now lost 98% of their investment, in real terms.
So how can this possibly be a threat to anyone with a pension in the UK? Surely no pension company would be crazy enough to buy them? That's what you would think.
But there's an important thing to remember here – governments are powerful. And governments, through regulation, can put enough pressure on professional money managers to make them do things which may not be a sensible thing to do in purely financial terms – but which benefit the government.
If that sounds too much like a conspiracy theory, consider the vast amount of government bonds which have been bought in the last few months by European Banks (enough to prop up several European governments).
In the UK itself, only 8 years ago, Standard Life (a major life insurance company) was forced to sell half of its portfolio of shares and buy UK Government bonds with it - £7.5billion worth – all in the name of "solvency rules".
And it would be relatively easy to do – simply tell the regulatory authorities to view the new 100-year bonds as "ultra-safe", and on a risk-weighted basis this would allow the pension firms a little more freedom to hold riskier assets – as long as they held some of the wealth-destroying 100-year bonds.
So, if you have a pension in the UK, frozen or otherwise, now is definitely the time to get it out (if you haven't done it already). If you don't, there's a very high chance that you'll be indirectly buying one of the worst investments of the century (although not as bad as the one highlighted in last weeks' blog) via your pension.
In case you weren't aware, you can get it out – quickly and cheaply – whether it's a private pension, a company pension, a final salary scheme, or whatever. And as a bonus, it won't have tax deducted from it when it pays out either.
So I'd strongly suggest that if you have a pension in the UK, even if it's from years ago, get in touch – I'll help you find out how it's doing, explain what your options are, and show you how you can make the most money from it.
It could be worth a small fortune…


text:
We hope that the following information will answer most of your questions about the International Movie Trailer Festival competition featuring trailers for fiction movies, documentaries, web series, and books—whether completed or in the dream or production stages. If after reading the FAQs you still have questions, please write firstname.lastname@example.com.
Q: ANIMATION: Is an animated trailer acceptable?
A: Yes
Q: APPROPRIATENESS OF MATERIAL: How do I know if my trailer will qualify for the G or PG13 rating that you require?
A: As the Rules make clear, your trailer should have no nudity, no profanities (Carlin's seven words), no extreme violence, and no racial, gender, or other slurs. We suggest that you read the guidelines posted by MPAA at www.filmratings.org. While there is room for conflicting interpretations, we believe that most moviemakers will understand the guidelines and produce a trailer that is suitable for general audiences. IMTF reserves the right to reject any trailer that—in the opinion of IMTF—does not meet IMTF's "Appropriateness of Material" standard. If you are in doubt, before submitting an Entry Form, please upload your trailer to a video host site and send us an email so that we can assess your trailer. We will let you know if it's acceptable for our contest. After you officially submit an entry using the Entry Form, there will be no refund.
Q: AWARDS: In addition to getting exposure by posting my trailer, what prizes might I win?
A: All the prizes listed here will be awarded. The major prizes are:
- Grand Prize: $2,500.
- People's Choice Award: $500.
- Best student entry: $250.
- Best trailer in each of the following five categories–fiction, documentary, book, web series, cameraphone–$250.
- Best Micro-trailer (15 seconds or less): $100.
Other prizes may be added at the discretion of IMTF. In this case, announcements will be made in the Updates section of this website.
Q: COLLABORATION: Can an entry be a collaborative effort?
A: Yes, but the number of people credited is limited to three (3). In the case of a collaborative entry, the person named first on the Entry Form will be designated as the submitter, and this person will be responsible for all communications and payment. If a collaborative entry wins, only one prize will be awarded.
Q: COLOR: Does a trailer have to be in color?
A: No. Black and white submissions are acceptable.
Q: COPYRIGHT CLEARANCE: Do I need to have written permission to use music copyrighted by someone else?
A: Yes. This is called "copyright clearance." You need written permission to use ANY music other than music that you have created yourself. You also need copyright clearance for works of art (such as paintings, photographs, and sculptures) that appear in your movie. You do not need to submit proof of permission when you enter the competition, but by submitting your application, you are agreeing to the rule that requires your obtaining written permission for all copyrighted items. If you make it to the semi-final round or if you win a People's Choice Award, you will be asked to submit proof of copyright clearance. If you wish, you can use the Permission Form published on this website in the Tips (Resources) section. If you cannot produce proof of copyright clearance, your entry will not be eligible for a prize. Also, if a copyright holder demonstrates to IMTF that your posted entry violates that person's copyright, we will remove your entry from IMTF's website. You will not receive a refund.
Q: DEADLINES: What is the last date I can submit my trailer?
A: The deadline is June 1, 2015. But IMTF reserves the right to extend the deadline. The last day of voting for the People's Choice Award will be July 21, 2015. The preferred method of voting is online; this requires registering through Facebook. A voter who doesn't have a Facebook account can vote via email by sending an email to email@example.com.
and putting the name of the trailer in the Subject line. A voter can vote only once for a given entry.
Q: DIALOGUE: Is it necessary to have actors speak lines in your trailer?
A: No. While many trailers do include dialogue, many others don't. The choice is yours. Hint: Poor quality sound can sink an otherwise excellent movie. For advice on obtaining good sound, you might wish to visit our Tips section.
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A: Yes. The documentary is one of the four contest categories listed on the Entry Form.
Q: ELIGILITY: Can anyone enter IMTF's contest?
A: IMTF is open to everyone around the world and throughout the universe except for the following individuals:
- IMTF's owners, paid staff, consultants, and the immediate families (siblings, spouses, children, parents) of the owners, paid staff, and consultants.
- People living in places where local or U.S. law prohibits this kind of competition.
Note: Moviemakers of any age may submit entries, but if you are too young to make a legal contract (younger than 18 years in most U.S. jurisdictions), your application form must include the name and contact information of a parent or guardian.
Q: FEES: What does it cost to enter IMTF's competition?
A: $25 for students and $35 for everyone else. If the contest is extended, the fees will be higher. For class or group discounts, please write firstname.lastname@example.com
Q: FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Is it OK to submit a trailer in which the dialogue, narration, or printed text on title cards is in a language other than English?
A: Yes, but in this case, you must include legible English subtitles that accurately translate the dialogue, narration, and printed text used in your trailer.
Q: FORMAT OF TRAILER: What elements must be included in the trailer?
A: Trailers take a variety of forms. Some string together dramatic scenes; others concentrate on the theme or the characters. Almost always, the main goal is to tease the audience into wanting to see more. You can find suggestions for planning and producing trailers in the Tips section of this website.
Q: JUDGING THE ENTRIES: How will the winners be chosen?
The IMTF staff will select approximately 40 semi-finalists. A jury of industry professionals will then choose the top winners after considering the following elements:
- Idea (concept)
- Script/story (including plot, actions words, props, locations)
- Cinematography (including framing, lighting, camera movement, and special effects)
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- Editing
- Persuasiveness
- Originality
All decisions made by the staff and the jury are final and may not be appealed.
Q: LENGTH: How long should my trailer run?
A: Your trailer must be between 1 second and four minutes. If your trailer does not meet the run-time requirement, your trailer will not be considered for a prize but may remain in the Festival. Note that we do not offer refunds.
Q: MODEL RELEASES: Is it necessary for those appearing in the trailer to sign model releases?
A: Yes. You do not need to submit model releases when you enter the competition, but by submitting your application, you are agreeing to the requirement that you have obtained written permission from all actors or other recognizable people appearing in your trailer. A sample downloadable Model Release will be found in the Tips (Resources) section of this website. If you make it to the semi-final round, you may be asked to submit copies of the model releases. If you cannot produce these model releases, your entry will not be eligible for a prize. Also, if a performer demonstrates to IMTF that you used that person's image and/or voice without written permission, we will remove your entry from IMTF's website. You will not receive a refund.
Q: MULTIPLE ENTRIES: May I submit more than one trailer?
A: Yes, but you will need to fill out a separate application and pay a separate fee for each submission.
Q: ORIGINALITY: Can I include footage that I didn't shoot?
A: Yes, but least 80% of the trailer (as measured by time) must be material shot by you. Up to 20% may be stock footage—that is, footage shot by someone else for a purpose other than your trailer—but you must have obtained written permission to use the stock footage and be prepared to send IMTF proof of permission. The rationale for this rule is that IMTF is for original trailers and not mash-ups (video compilations). Documentaries are excluded from this rule.
Q: OWNERSHIP OF THE TRAILER: By submitting my trailer to IMTF, do I relinquish any or all rights to the trailer or the story?
A: No. You do give IMTF the right to post your trailer on IMTF's website or on another website that has agreed to post IMTF's entries. You also give IMTF the right to use your trailer in a reel of the best trailers; this reel may be shown at one or more film festivals and on television. Other than this, you will retain all other rights to your trailer and to your intellectual property, including—but not limited to—the movie represented by your trailer or the movie you envision making. If IMTF offers to help you with obtaining distribution for your movie, web series, or book, and if you wish to use our services, such an arrangement will be made under a separate contract.
Q: PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD: How do voters vote for the People's Choice Award?
The preferred method of voting is online; this requires registering through Facebook. A voter who doesn't have a Facebook account can vote via email by sending an email to email@example.com and putting the name of the trailer in the Subject line. A voter can vote only once for a given entry.
Q: PRIZES: See AWARDS (above).
Q: PROFESSIONAL ACTORS: Is it acceptable for me to hire actors to perform in the trailer or must the actors be amateurs?
A: You may use amateur or professional actors. Professional actors who are members of the Screen Actors Guild may need to fill out paperwork. But this is between you and the actors and does not involve IMTF.
Q: PROTECTING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: How can I protect my ideas?
A: Many professional moviemakers register their story ideas. Doing so will provide some evidence if you need to sue someone who you believe has stolen your intellectual property. The Writers Guild of America, West offers a popular registration service at WGAw.org. There is a fee for this service for everyone except members of WGAw.
Q: REFUNDS: Do you give refunds?
A: No. That's why you need to be sure your entry meets our Appropriateness of Material guidelines described above and complies with all other IMTF Rules.
Q: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: Is there a limit on the size (megabytes) of a trailer?
A: Yes. This is partly determined by our four-minute limit. You can find details at www.youtube.com or www.vimeo.com which are the hosting sites for the trailers entered into our competition.
Q: TITLE CARDS: Is it OK to include title cards in the trailer, for example, cards with text that describes the action or the theme or that identify times and locations?
A: Yes. Traditionally, many trailers have included printed messages. But of course you are not required to do so. If you do use title cards written in a language other than English, you must accurately translate them into English subtitles.
Q: TREATMENT FOR AN UNPRODUCED FICTION MOVIE, DOCUMENTARY, OR WEB SERIES REPRESENTATED BY THE TRAILER: If I am making a trailer for a movie that hasn't been produced, do I need to have a script or treatment before submitting the trailer?
A: No. But if you make it to the semi-final round or if you are chosen as the winner of a People's Choice Award, you may be asked submit a treatment (or synopsis) of between 300 and 450 words describing your vision of the fiction movie, documentary, or web series, represented by your trailer.
Q: UPLOADING: How do I post my trailer?
A: Entries in the IMTF competition will be posted at www.youtube.com. If you go to youtube.com, you will find directions for posting your trailer on that site. There is no fee. After you post your trailer, you will copy the embed code and then paste it into the IMTF Entry Form. After you send us the Entry Form, we will review the trailer and if it meets the IMTF guidelines, we will post it so that visitors to our site can access it through the Trailers page.
Q: VOICE OVER: Is it OK to use voice over (narration) in the trailer?
A: Yes. A great many trailers use voice over. But it is not required. If you do use voice over and it's in a language other than English, you must accurately translate the voice over into English subtitles.
Q: WITHDRAWING AN ENTRY: If I wish to withdraw my trailer, may I do so?
A: Yes. Simply write email@example.com and explain what you want. After we confirm that you are the director or entry submitter, we will remove the trailer from our site. However, you will not receive a refund. Also, if you wish to remove the trailer from youtube.com, you will need to do so yourself.


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I Have Fatigue Almost Every Day
Dr. Mahler:
I am 57 years old and feel fatigue and tired every single day. Although I have had shortness of breath for some time, my COPD was diagnosed four years ago before my hip replacement surgery. I take Advair and Spiriva daily and might use ProAir 1-2 times a day depending on activities. I work as a teacher's assistant for 2nd graders, and am married to a supportive husband. The physician's assistant whom I see doesn't seem that interested. He simply says to stay active. Can my tiredness be due to my COPD or could it be due to something else?
Charlotte from Daytona, FL
Dear Charlotte,
Fatigue is a term used to to describe the general overall feeling of tiredness an a lack of energy. It is a common complaint and may be due to either a medical or psychological problem. Possible medical problems include a low number of red blood cells (anemia), an under active thyroid (hypothyroidism), an active infection, a sleep problem like insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Anxiety and depression may also cause someone to feel tired.
A recent study evaluated factors associated with feelings of fatigue in 101 individuals with COPD and 34 healthy adults. The study was published in the October 2016 issue of Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease (volume 10; pages 410-424).
Fatigue was more common in those with COPD (72%) compared with healthy individuals (56%). In general, those with COPD who had fatigue reported more shortness of breath with activities, had more anxiety and depression symptoms, and experienced worse quality of life compared with COPD patients who did not report feeling fatigued. Insomnia was also common in those who noted tiredness.
Charlotte – I suggest that you make an appointment with your health care provider to discuss your feelings of fatigue and tiredness. Ask to be tested for anemia, hypothyroidism, and an active infection. If these test are normal, then I suggest that you explore whether you have sleep difficulties, anxiety, or depression that might be contributing to your lack of energy.
I hope that this information is helpful. Best wishes,
Donald A. Mahler, M.D.


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Not long ago, I started to try and help out other freelance writers by giving them some pointers to the good webhosting sites out there for writers to use. As I mentioned then, I don't have a lot of experience with too many hosts, but the way web hosting companies hand out huge commissions for incoming links that convert to sales, there are just too many websites out there listing the "Top Web Hosts" or "Top Web Hosting Companies" that actually couldn't care less about who you go with for web hosting as long as you do it through one of their affiliate links so they can make some money.
ArcticLlama, and some of my other websites including a parenting skills by Dad site are hosted with Dreamhost on one of their basic types of accounts.
Recently, all of my sites were down. This is a big problem, and a good way to see how good of a host Dreamhost really is.
I filled out a support ticket as soon as I noticed the problem and got a response within a couple of hours.
That first response said that someone else was doing something that was eating up a bunch of memory and that the admin had killed those processes and laid some smack down on the other user. The response also said to contact him if I had any further trouble. However, there was no email address or other contact method provided.
Whatever was done fixed all but two of my websites. Having no other way to contact the same tech support person, I submitted another ticket. This time, I was told that it was MY processes that were causing the problem and that they were being automatically killed because they were using too much RAM. He then provided a couple of links to help ME figure out what the problems were. These links involved running some unfamiliar shell commands to see if I could eventually spot what the trouble was. He also recommended that I keep my WordPress installs and plug-ins upgraded to their latest versions.
He also said that perhaps I should upgrade to a Dreamhost Private Server account.
Here is why I am now cannot recommend using Dreamhost for a professional writer website, although I don't feel ready to recommend against anyone using them yet either.
- I asked in a follow up message if there was a monitor I could set up to notify me if there were problems like these on my sites again. I was told no. That doesn't seem right.
- The "solution" to figure out what the problem processes were involves a whole layer of stuff I know nothing about, including setting up shell access, running Unix commands, and then sorting through a bunch of gibberish looking for the trouble process. The kicker is that according to the article, I may or may not see what the problem is right away, so I'll have to keep looking. If the server is killing my processes, shouldn't it log what it is killing and shouldn't I be able to see that log? Then I wouldn't have to jump through all these other hoops.
- The recommendation for a Private Server upgrade really rubs me the wrong way. Read through every word of Dreamhost's site about what you get with their regular web hosting, and I dare you to point out even one sentence that suggests that a couple of small-time websites will be too much for regular hosting. I run just 6 WordPress blogs, none of which gets even a thousand hits. The plug-ins I run are all well known, widely used plug-ins. I didn't find any unusual WordPress plug-ins on my own. Every single one of the plug-ins I'm running I found recommended by a large, well respected WordPress site. So, I'm not sure just how little power I am actually allowed to use on my account.
- For all the talk about disk space, transfer rate, bandwidth, and so on, I never once have seen anything about what my memory limit is. In fact, no one has still told me what my maximum memory usage is. Is it so low that it would be embarrassing, or does no one know? Based on which sites I have hosted on Dreamhost, it would seem that the limiting factor in their plan is the maximum amount of allowable memory usage, and there is no way to monitor it. Not that it would matter, since they don't tell you what the amount is you have to stay beneath.
It all adds up to me wondering if I am not getting good hosting from Dreamhost. However, without trying another web hosting provider, I don't feel right about condemning Dreamhost for what might just be standard business practices and my own ignorance.
I have signed up with another web host provider and will be moving some of my sites there to see what it is like. If they play nicer and provide more, or better service, then I will switch away and let you know who to avoid and who to try out for the best writer website web hosts.


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The Melbourne Watch Company
In the words of Coco Chanel, Luxury is meant to be comfortable. She is of course, talking about the fit of the garments you buy for thousands of dollars. What if the comfort level was not only on the fit of a luxury item, but also on the wallet as well? Wouldn't that be a […]Read more →


text:
The Other Shoe Has Dropped - Panthers Over Leafs 5-1
Since the moment James Reimer was removed from the net on October 22, Leaf fans have been expecting Jonas Gustavsson to play the way he played last night. While "The Monster" did go on a nice run for 6 games (4-2-0), the third year netminder was still allowing three goals a game. Against the Panthers Gustavsson cost his fragile team a valuable two points. With the Leafs looking to rebound from Saturday night's humbling 7-0 loss, the game against the Panthers was expected to be a night in which the blue and white got back on track.
As has happened a couple of times this season, the Leafs came out of the gate flat. Florida outshot the buds 14-8 in the first period, and although Gustavsson did make some big saves he was in no man's land for Jack Skille's opening goal. With a final scoreline of 5-1 many people may assume that this game wasn't really that close, yet with 3:32 seconds left in the second period the Panthers were clinging to that one goal lead. The Leafs dominated the final two periods outshooting the Panthers 31-14. Toronto did everything but score in that second period. Numerous chances went wide, or hit Jose Theodore, but the Leafs couldn't find the back of the net. However, in the midst of this Leafs pressure the real "Monster" finally emerged. On an innocent shoot in, Gustavsson misplayed the puck behind the net only to return to the net and whiff on a Marco Sturm shot. Although Sportsnet "analyst" Greg Millen claimed the Leafs were lazy on the play, Sturm was surrounded by four jerseys on a play that Gustavsson should have never let happen. Tomas Kopecky followed that goal with a stoppable wrist shot that eluded Jonas 19 seconds later. Mike Komisarek was caught pinching in offensively on the Kopecky goal however that is a save that the Leafs goalie should have made. People become enamored with Gustavsson because of his ability to make the spectacular save. His problem though is that he cannot make the average save, and that is what has killed the Leafs tonight.
Ben Scrivens replaced Gustavsson following the Kopecky goal. Although Scrivens gave up two goals on seven shots, he provided the Leafs with more stability between the pipes on the night. Jose Theodore was great in net tonight for the Panthers. The former Hart and Vezina winner stopped 38 of 39 shots, and foiled the Leafs numerous times. On this night Theodore had Nikolai Kulemin's number in particular stoning the struggling Leafs sniper on four point blank chances in the third period. Phi Kessel scored his league leading 11th goal to break the shutout in the third. Although Theodore did play well, he has proven over the last five plus years to not be the same goalie he was during his time in la belle province. A little insight to my "Bowenism of the night" is that both Bowen and Millen fawned over Theodore all night have they not seen him play the last six years?
The Leafs may be hitting the road at the perfect time. Look for Scrivens to get the nod in net. The difference between the characters of these two men was on display after the game when Gustavsson claimed he was unlucky on the night, while Scrivens told the media he needs to be better. With Reimer's return still far off the Leafs need Scrivens to keep them afloat for the time being.
Men of the Match
Leafs: Nikolai Kulemin - The snakebit sniper has had a rough time finishing this season (two goals in 14 games), but he had a boatload of opportunities on the night. You have to figure he's due to get one sooner or later.
Panthers: Jack Skille - Dale Tallon's former first round pick (7th overall in 2005), used his size, speed and strength effectively all night. Skille seems to finally have carved out a spot for himself in the sunshine state.
Bowenism of the Night
"Vokoun leaves and Theodore arrives, and they're not going to miss a beat"
Next Game
The Leafs head to St. Louis to face Ken Hitchcock and the Blues Thursday night.
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2 Comments
As much as this collapse can be blamed on the lack of Reimer, it seems as if a lot of defensive holes are being exposed as well. Would you agree with that?
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I think that a bubble team like the Leafs are going to need above average to great goaltending on a nightly basis. Their defense will be exposed at times, but it's the goalies responsibility to plug those holes. Gustavsson stops the scoring chances, but lets in deflating goals. In his brief time Reimer has proven to provide both the stability and composure that this young Leafs team.
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text:
Complaint Review: Kaplan University
- Kaplan University
- Phone:
- Web:
- Category: Colleges and Universities
Kaplan University Non-existant military admissions advisors, clever theivery Fort Lauderdale Florida
* : What's really happening out there.
* : This is what life at KU is all about - proving the student wrong
* : And a little more!
* : Who's the wrong one? Whos ripping off our government?
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Their "student account" (ie collections dept) kept calling me and telling me that they never received my loan verifications. I explained a million times throughout the year that I never applied for a loan, and could not afford to. Also, they kept telling me that my Pell grant was not applied. I just called again because I got into it with their collections dept, and now they're telling me that my pell grant was applied! For both terms! And how can a login date mean anything as far as withdrawing from classes?! If they would have withdrew me when they were supposed to, I wouldn't HAVE ANY CLASSES TO SEE on the "Virtual Blackboard"!
$5,740 for FOUR 10-week classes?!?!?! That would be one year, full-time at a local community college! How can they get away with lying to me and telling me that I can afford it with no out of pocket costs and then stick me with a final bill of $2,874?!?! They said they are sending me to collections, so I plan to fully dispute this with Experian.
This is unbelievable. I'm 23 years old, served and serving my country, and they can try to reap all my benefits under false pretenses?!?! I wish there would have been someone out there to warn me about it. Unfortunately, a basic google search of "Kaplan University" brings up not much more than links to their website.
Being in the reserves and moving around a lot, and on orders every other month for weeks at a time I felt that the only way to get my degree was to take classes online. If I had to do it all over again I would have saved myself the grief, the time, the money, fighting with collections, and the future dispute I'm going to file to try to save my credit report, and I simply wouldn't have tried to go to school.
My question is: If the government can impose so many restrictions and regulations on individuals, why can't they restrict and regulate companies who try to defraud it's American citizens?
Rockford, Michigan
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 02/13/2009 11:08 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/kaplan-university/internet/kaplan-university-non-existant-military-admissions-advisors-clever-theivery-fort-lauderda-423771. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
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What's really happening out there.
AUTHOR: Don''t believe the Hype - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, September 08, 2009POSTED: Tuesday, September 08, 2009
This claim is unsubstantiated. There are always going to be incidents where the student is unhappy. There are 126 comments on this site about Kaplan University. However on the other side of this equation, there are over 7000+ Kaplan employees Country wide and even more Internationally. On top of that there are over 150,000 student worldwide and close to 60K students in the U.S alone - more than 33% being Military. I am a student at Kaplan University. I have had no problems at all. I turn the documents in on time that they ask for via email or fax and have received my benefits on time. Yes at times I have had to wait to speak to my financial aid person or my Academic Advisor, but because I am proactive in my research and planning I have been able to avoid all of the troubles that most of these folks seem to be going through.
I have been to my share of residential schools and I can tell you that these same problems exist in the form of long lines, the web site being down, someone failing to process my documents, or even failing to tell me that I needed to take a higher level Spanish course which delayed my graduation by a full term. The common denominator is me. If I was aware of my own degree plan I would have caught it and graduated on time. The point here is that you have to do your research and take ownership of your own responsibilities. Don't blame the school. there are thousands of people graduating from the school each year. How did they make it through? The same way I am, by being informed and taking ownership.
Most of the time If you are a Vet and apply for Pell grants & use your GI Bill, you are entitled to both b/c you have earned you GI Bill and also are now a civilian. The government knows about the loop holes that this person tried to exploit that is why they implemented the new 9/11 GI bill. If you look at it closely it closes a lot of the loop holes and now pays the school directly and the stipend is based on Active duty time served. Whomever this person is, I hope you get wise and read clearly what the rules of your Tuition Assistance and GI Bill say. You actually should have gone through that with your C/O or Ed officer before you even get to use TA. Keep in mind if you do get caught or reported by someone (usually the school does this), then you can end up paying money back to the government when they catch it.
My recruiter told me that because I asked these questions before enlisting and got the information I needed. When I make rank I will make sure that military students like you are informed as well as discouraged from trying to milk the system.
On another note, Kaplan University is one of the biggest employers in the State of Florida - so in the face of a recession, and 9% unemployment rate in the Sunshine State Kaplan is also employing people and actually paying a decent salary to its employees. It also makes it's Tuition "Free" to all employees to promote education. You can check these claims out on any web site (monster, career builder, etc). I have done my research and can back up everything I just wrote.
The school I attend is not perfect, but it is a quality educational institution. Now what can you or anyone else use to back up your statements? Being mad that things didn't go your way is not an excuse to slander the school or justify these statements. If you actually had thorough research that the school was a "Rip Off" then I would maybe take this seriously.
This is what life at KU is all about - proving the student wrong
AUTHOR: Castaway - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, August 31, 2009POSTED: Monday, August 31, 2009
As an ex-employee I urge anyone thinking of attending Kaplan University to read this admissions "advisors" rebuttal to the military student very carefully. The underlying rage and frustration is clear in the scolding this student is getting. You can just imagine the way the employees talk about this student and YOU potentially. It happens every day, all the time. Students are the dumb sheep that need to be intimidated, belittled and then when their self worth is down to nothing, they are led into the enrollment pen.
I can attest first hand that this admissions person most likely was verbally beaten up many many times by supervisors (who have been verbally abused themselves). He or she has probably been threatened with firing on a monthly basis. Harrassment techniques to maximize student enrollments are passed down like treasured gifts to favored sales people. What you read here is just one way they teach how to manipulate the unsuspecting student.
The way this KU sales person has addressed the student is absolutely par for the course and it is absolutely disgraceful. What it has done though is to give a very clear and transparent picture of what a student is really up against when they start the KU process. Expect intimidation, pent up rage from many departments, and manipulation skills galore. Just like you read here in the letter from KU military admissions.
And a little more!
AUTHOR: Gregory - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, August 28, 2009POSTED: Friday, August 28, 2009
Who's the wrong one? Whos ripping off our government?
AUTHOR: Gregory - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, August 27, 2009POSTED: Thursday, August 27, 2009
Shenara from Rockford, Michigan. Thank you for serving our country! I am one of those non-existent military advisors at KU. You freely admit in your post that you are tying to double dip (no, triple dip) into your benefits package to make money to go to school, as if the American public owes you that. Lets talk about that
Army Reserve Tuition Assistance (TA) will, in fact, pay for your schooling here at KU, but only if you do your part in keeping up with the paperwork! The Army requires a lot of that from YOU: Not the school! If we didnt get it, its because you didnt do it!
Lets now talk about milking the system the GI Bill exists for guys that dont have active or drill TA. You are just trying to collect double funds (payable to you) from the VA and pocket the it. We all know thats a loophole in the current Ch.1606 or 1607 MGIB and youre pissed because it didnt work.
Lets talk about triple dipping! You admit to applying for Pell Grants (through the regular civilian system). And now youre mad that you dont get these civilian funds in your pocket as well! Too bad! Those federal funds are allocated to pay for school; not to put in your pocket!
Granted, the Army owes you an education because of your commitment to serve, (that's how I got my degree) but it doesnt owe you any cash in your pocket! Thats your whole complaint here! It's not valid!
Fellow soldiers Please dont fall for this greedy users complaints that she didnt get to rip-off our government like she wanted to! KU Military Advisor, MSGT, Army, combat veteran, (ret. 2003)
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Rich Skrenta, the CEO and Founder of Topix.net, has lauded Google services saying it is the winner of both search and online advertising market. In one of his high quality posts, 'Winner-Take-All: Google and the Third Age of Computing',Rich argued that Google is ruling the third age of computing (2001-going on)as Microsoft ruled the PC era (1984-98)and IBM dominated the mainframe era (1950-80).
Google's search service is not only an informative service, but also an effective tool for behavior change. For which, it is preventing other search engines to sprearhead in the SEO Market. Google has become home page for the Internet, he says.
Rich observed that, "Zero switching costs lead to a winner-take-all market for the leader. Even a modest initial lead will snowball until majority market share is reached and maintained. This is because, faced with a choice between two products, in the absence of switching costs users will choose the better one, even if it is only slightly better."
Making a comparison between Yahoo! and Google, he remarked, "Yahoo should accept Google's search and monetization dominance. Yahoo will not recover the search application, and browse views are not competitive and cannot be made to be so. They should do a deal with Google for Adwords/Adsense across their entire network, as Ask Jeeves did. They should be able to obtain at least an 85% rev share; that would take them from $0.10/search to $0.17, a 70% increase in search revenue overnight."