Penguin suspends library e-books, citing security (AP)

NEW YORK ? One of the country's largest publishers, Penguin Group (USA), has suspended making e-editions of new books available to libraries and won't allow libraries to loan any e-books for Amazon.com's Kindle.

"We have always placed a high value on the role that libraries can play in connecting our authors with our readers," the publisher announced in a statement Monday. "However, due to new concerns about the security of our digital editions, we find it necessary to delay the availability of our new titles in the digital format while we resolve these concerns with our business partners."

For non-Kindle users, the policy does not affect e-books already on library catalogs. Penguin's authors include Patricia Cornwell, Ken Follett and Ron Chernow, and new books include Sue Grafton's "V for Vengeance" and Rep. Michele Bachmann's "Core of Conviction."

The publisher did not cite any specific titles in its release and did not immediately respond to requests from The Associated Press to clarify its security concerns. Among publishers, "security" has traditionally referred to piracy, but this time it likely means Amazon.com's Kindle lending programs.

The online retailer is allowing its special Prime members to rent one book a month from a selection of titles provided by it. Penguin and other publishers declined to participate but discovered their books were still being included, a policy denounced as illegal by the Authors Guild, which represents published writers.

Meanwhile, Amazon has formed a partnership with the country's top library e-book supplier, OverDrive Inc., that vastly increases the Kindle's presence in libraries and encourages patrons to visit Amazon's website and buy books.

OverDrive posted a statement on its website that it had been asked by Penguin to "disable the `Get for Kindle' functionality for all Penguin e-books."

Besides being worried about Amazon's power in the digital market, publishers have long been concerned that allowing library patrons to download e-books might harm sales. Simon & Schuster and Macmillan don't make any e-books available to libraries, and HarperCollins has restricted their usage, a policy that angered libraries when announced last year.

OverDrive CEO Steve Potash said Monday that his company and Penguin were "in the process of looking at new terms" for libraries but declined to say what the terms were.

While borrowing e-books from libraries has become more difficult, buying books ? Penguin's included ? through libraries is becoming easier. Starting Monday, patrons using the New York Public Library's website who wish to purchase a title can click a Buy it Now tab that links to participating sellers. The library receives a portion of the proceeds, and Potash said he expects the program will soon expand nationwide and into Canada and the United Kingdom.

Sellers involved so far are Barnes & Noble; BooksOnBoard, an independent e-store; and Amazon.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_hi_te/us_books_libraries

cerebral palsy powerball lenny dykstra top chef texas stanley tucci stanley tucci x factor voting

insurance jewelry coverage

insurance jewelry coverage

These are not all created equal. First, not all homeowners policies provide coverage for jewelry. There are many different standards, "ISO" a policy that all residential property insurance policy is up a. The most basic coverage "light" is limited to a specific disaster. (Causes of Loss) on the structure of their homes. With coverage for personal property, which does not rely on coverage for jewelry that is not covered by these policies. Two police officers who protected people are not "limited." For the jewel that they have the same type of coverage. Limit 2Policy $ $. Keep in mind that insurance companies of all being able to "tune" their policies in a standardized format that will change the number and insurance companies, some people write their own policies based on the format of the freely available ISO points . there is no single standard for all policies are exactly the same until the policy is consistent with state law, the insurance company can write the way they want to do in politics, HO - 3 standard, the language The default is often said that politics. provide coverage for jewelry that is limited to $ 1,000 for each item with a maximum of $ 1,500 for the loss of a jewel. 3How does not work? How does it work? - Suppose you have $ 500 deductible policy HO - 3 of you now, if someone burgles your house and Diamond Ring $ 1000, insurance will pay $ 500 ($ 1,000 minus the stolen ring. Less than $ 500) for a ring that was stolen, if someone burgles your house and take your ring Insurance $ 1,500.00 $ 1,000.00 to pay for the stolen ring ($ 1,000 limit for a piece of jewelry - is broken. "exception" or applied to a loss of beyond the amount of the policy), if someone burgles your home and use the ring $ 3,000.00 and a pair of earrings for $ 250, insurance paid $ 1.250,00 (unlimited number of spare $. 1000.00 Single $ 250 for earrings and deductible is "exempt" or applied to the upper limits of loss of inventory policy), but if I used a jewelry box valued at $ 5,000.00 and other jewels. insurance costs for an amount of € 1.500,00 and the deductible is the "exception". 4Increasing limit. The insurance company most likely will get a blanket, a special "increased jewelry loss" policy some, thus increasing the limit of which is usually added to the standard policy limits up to $ 1500 for a piece of jewelry. and up to $ 2,500 for all jewelry. Of course, this does little to cover a special piece of jewelry. You will receive a "pilot", said the policy for a piece of jewelry worth more than the limit of the policy will help protect you and the insurance company, you will be protected for specific parts of the gems and jewels, with an estimated price of record that is guaranteed. The insurer, which was protected with a written record of what the jewelry is and what it's worth. And insurance premiums of drivers just a jewelry store. 5Coverages. Coverage is not the same and this may determine whether the losses are covered or not covered. These are the "standard" format known as "ISO" from Bares bones are burned with the policy premium. Each of these different forms of protection are different, and each insured can rewrite the policy to meet the business needs of their own. These are some very limited power to conduct "a disaster" for the only protection. This means that there is no cover for personal effects, including jewelry. Most home policies. However, a certain level of protection for personal property, including limited coverage for loss of jewelry. Some political "non-deductible loss of jewels", and there is no deductible applies to any loss that is covered in ornaments, while others do not. 6What not "named perils coverage" means, though. Under the standard HO - 3 $ 1,000 / $ 1,500 to protect the jewels of the above, a policy that provides coverage for loss of jewelry under one name 17 dangers under the protection of private ownership of these. This policy is referred to as "dangerous, called" coverage. If the cause is in danger of losing one of these names does not cover theft, for example, is one of the disasters that have a name. "Wrong", on the other hand, it is not. When something is lost, insurance adjusters have a formula to determine if the loss can be interpreted as 'theft' or not. For example, if you lose $ 1,000 out of the ring of stones that you are "losing" is not stolen, so there is no coverage under the protection of its danger. 7What is "threatening to" cover? Protection updating your computer up to $ 1500 / $ 2500 as a command to "be open" coverage. This means that the loss is covered unless there is language in the policy specifically excludes. Using the example above, if the stone out of the ring of you, this does not include specific and therefore a loss of coverage if, instead, he got angry with your spouse and you put the ring in waste disposal. that "the losses caused by the intentional act of the insured" precludes. The ring has a cover for insurance companies, many of these updates will be done "is not deductible for lost jewels" exception to the deduction of losses that are covered with ornaments. 8Riders for jewelry. Finally, you can also add riders above in order to cover a particular piece of jewelry. These pilots will be based on a threat to their own set of exceptions, which provide wider coverage than standard policies. (But I'm not sure about the disposal of waste), which often include a "not broken" and if it is a very expensive jewel that you are negotiating the terms of the driver is insured. Rating 9Loss. The insurance does not tell me why my diamonds, $ 2,000 is only worth $ 750? The insurance is based on the principle of compensation - which means it will take you back to where you were before the loss of an insurance company what you need is the value of the jewels or replacement. type and quality. I do not owe a fee to the seller and not you worth that gem. Jewelry market, customer satisfaction is a big market of retail mark-up. You could walk away with a value of "estimated" ring for $ 2,000. 10Actual compensation. Well, the concern of insurance is not as good of a deal that you think you have it. This adjustment is what is the charge on the wholesale market to buy a ring similar to the one you lost. If you want to play the insurance company will usually do it at wholesale prices. (That's where it will be less than the price it sells) and wholesalers to make some money too. In most cases, if you are working with a reputable company and jeweler and expereince. This is not a bottom piece of jewelry. It reflects precisely the type and quality of the lost one. 11No gains under a policy of insurance. Keep in mind that the insurance policy you have to do, both for losses or to "bring you back where you were before the loss of" less than the deductible or exclusions, etc., it does. he expected to profit from a loss, so before you are ready to yell at you to think about what you would get from your insurance company - you need to replace your ring? They can help. Do you want to enjoy the missing link? You will fight on your hands. If you have insurance, which may justify an attorney to make sure that your rights are respected and protected

Damage caused by currency fluctuation

Here is a good example of the damage caused by currency fluctuation. It is difficult for a business to make long term plans that affect investments and employment of workers.

http://www.cnbc.com//id/45431195

It takes a few years to plan and set up a factory and a longer period to recover the investments. The profitability of this business depends on predictability of the revenue and cost. If the cost can fluctuate wildly due to currency rates, it will be difficult for any business to invest.

It is a good idea to have floating exchange rates to reflect the economic fundamentals of a country. However, the wild swings, caused by large speculators such as hedge funds, are causing tremendous damages, beyond their useful purpose. There must be some way of preventing these big speculations. Perhaps, the proposal to impose a financial trading tax will be useful. Apart from preventing the wild speculation, it will also raise revenue for the government.

Risk of investing overseas

I read a newspaper article about a British mining company having a dispute with an Indonesian company on a joint venture after discovering coal in their land. This incident shows the risk of investing overseas, where the law may not be clear and the partner may not be reliable (and I am not referring to this specific incident).

The same risk applies to a small investor who wishes to buy shares and properties overseas. You may be subject to risks and other expenses that you are not aware of. It is better to invest in local shares (and let them take care of investing overseas). At least, you know what the law in your own country.

There is still the risk that the management of the company that you have invested in, may be venturing overseas and be subject to the same type of risks. At least, they are better equipped to handle these legal and other issues - compared to an individual. In the same vein, it is better to avoid companies that are venturing overseas, without the experience. I have read stories of big listed companies involved in million dollar disputes over contracts with foreign parties.

Labor unrest in China

Factories are cutting the overtime that workers depend on to supplement their modest base salaries, after a drop in overseas orders.

According to CLB, the average basic wage for electronic workers is about RMB1,500 ($236) a month, but rises to RMB2,500 with overtime. “Their basic wage is never enough on its own without overtime,” Mr Crothall said.

http://www.cnbc.com//id/45422953 


My comment: The cost of living should be in line with wages. It is risky to ask a worker to depend on overtime work (which depends on global growth) to earn enough to pay the bills. If the cost of living is kept within control, this type of risky situation should not arise. The greed of the rich is pushing up the cost of living - and this is happening all over the world!

Car Insurance Quotes Online

The automotive insurance business is very competitive and for that reason it is very easy to get them from almost any company. They can be found on almost any website that has advertisements running. This includes social networks like Facebook and MySpace that will take you instantly to a page that gives you them! Even news pages like CNN and Fox News have sidebar ads that connect to a variety of

ASP.NET Developers and Mobile platform developers

Salary: $2,500 to $3,500

We wish to look for ASP.NET developers who knows VB.NET or C#.NET, MS SQL and MySQL. Knowledge of database administration will be an advantage.

We also need developers who have experience on mobile platforms (Windows, Apple, Android).

Candidates must be Singapore citizens and permanent residents and have at least two years of experience in the relevant platforms. 

We have many exciting developments that are shown in www.tankinlian.com/enterprise and www.easysearch.sg. 

If you join us, you have the chance to be involved in many exciting projects and the opportunity to learn new and innovative methods. 

Send resume to kinlian@gmail.com

UK rate setters united on pause in stimulus (AP)

LONDON ? The Bank of England's rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee appears to be in no hurry to pump more money into the British economy as it assesses the impact of its recent stimulus in the face of rising concerns over the future of the eurozone, the country's most important trading bloc.

Minutes to its last meeting, published Wednesday, showed that the nine members voted unanimously to make no change to its October commitment to plough in another 75 billion pounds ($117 billion) into the British economy. The MPC also voted to keep the benchmark interest rate at the all-time low of 0.5 percent.

The Bank has said it will take around three months to make the asset purchases as part of the program, known as quantitative easing.

Analysts believe, however, that more stimulus is likely next year especially if the eurozone economy falls back into recession in the wake of a debt crisis that's shown signs of intensifying over the past few weeks. The rate-setters are clearly concerned about what's going on in the eurozone, indicating that it's the biggest cause for concern for the British economy.

"Concerns over the sustainability of the public and external debt positions of some euro-area countries had led to increases in the cost of borrowing for those countries and widespread falls in confidence," the minutes said.

"While the worst risks had not so far crystallized, the threat of their doing so had increased, exacerbating the already severe strains in bank funding markets and financial markets more generally," the minutes added.

The minutes said it was uncertain how the asset purchases would affect demand, and how much any increased spending would be blunted by government budget cutting, tight credit and restrained consumer demand.

The committee also noted, however, that the markets are already reacting to expectations of more stimulus within months.

"We stick with our call of another 50 billion pounds in February, but put the chances of any move before February as very low indeed," said Richard Barwell, an economist at Royal Bank of Scotland.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111123/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_economy

michael myers power outage snow storm snow storm reggie bush ufc 137 boston news

Difficult to operate a small business

Dear Mr Tan,
I am just starting a new business of importing some baby products. I have done some market research and was intending to send a proposal to NTUC Fairprice to consider. Can you advice - is this the right way to go about doing it?

I have also seen in some forums, it is not easy as a new comer who has no connection or do not know anyone inside beforehand. I really hope you could share with me how I should approach them? Or who should I contact?

REPLY
Three years ago, I approached Fairprice to sell some of my products. They required me to pay a joining fee of $1,000 and to go through quite troublesome procedures. They also want to take a big cut from the sales amount and require me to handle the delivery to all their outlets and collect back the unsold stock. I abandoned the idea. (Note: connection does not count -as I knew the managers. Only money count!).

It is not easy to sell products to these big retailers. They want to charge you a lot of money before you make the first dollar. Their payment terms are also quite bad. (I had to wait one year before collecting payment for the sale of my books though a book distributor!).

If you wish to go into this business, make sure that it is a big business, otherwise, the costs will kill the business.

Currency speculation cause damage to the economy

This article explains the damage that currency speculation is causing to the economy of many countries. The speculation is being promoted by the financial sector, i.e. the hedge funds, banks and other financial institutions. It is time to find ways to stop the harmful speculation.

http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2011/11/world-of-wild-fiat-currency.html

Population and public transport

Alex Au has written a good article. I like the point about feeder service taking 15 minutes to arrive. This is the weak point of our transport system. He also question about the need to increase our population to 6 million. I agree that we should not increase the population, as Singapore is already too crowded and the facilities are inadequate.

http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/additional-public-transport-capacity-hard-to-estimate-benefit/

Visit to Sri Lanka

I have just returned from a 5 day trip to Sri Lanka. I went to Kegalle and Kandy and also took a tour of Colombo (apart from attending an insurance conference). It was a nice experience for me, to enjoy the warm hospitality and friendliness of the people of Sri Lanka.

My return flight on Sri Lankan Airlines was delayed by 10 hours. They put me up at a beach hotel quite close to the airport. Although it was inconvenient to be delayed so long, I had the chance to experience a short holiday at the beach, and to learn about the livelihood of the people in the village, which caters mainly to tourist.