Over the fiscal cliff: Soft or hard landing?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Efforts to save the nation from going over a year-end "fiscal cliff" were still in disarray as lawmakers returned to the Capitol to confront the tax-and-spend crisis. A tone-setting quotation was Democratic Sen. Harry Reid's assertion that the House under Republican Speaker John Boehner had been "operating with a dictatorship."

President Barack Obama flew back to Washington from Hawaii after telephoning congressional leaders from his Christmas vacation perch. Once back, he set up a meeting with leaders of both parties at the White House late Friday to make a fresh attempt to find a solution before Monday night's deadline.

A look at why it's so hard for Republicans and Democrats to compromise on urgent matters of taxes and spending, and what happens if they fail to meet their deadline:

___

NEW YEAR'S HEADACHE

Partly by fate, partly by design, some scary fiscal forces come together at the start of 2013 unless Congress and Obama act to stop them. They include:

? Some $536 billion in tax increases, touching nearly all Americans, because various federal tax cuts and breaks expire at year's end.

? About $110 billion in spending cuts divided equally between the military and most other federal departments. That's about 8 percent of their annual budgets, 9 percent for the Pentagon.

Hitting the national economy with that double whammy of tax increases and spending cuts is what's called going over the "fiscal cliff." If allowed to unfold over 2013, it would lead to recession, a big jump in unemployment and financial market turmoil, economists predict.

___

WHAT IF THEY MISS THE DEADLINE?

If New Year's Day arrives without a deal, the nation shouldn't plunge onto the shoals of recession immediately. There still might be time to engineer a soft landing.

So long as lawmakers and the president appear to be working toward agreement, the tax hikes and spending cuts could mostly be held at bay for a few weeks. Then they could be repealed retroactively once a deal was re

ached.

The big wild card is the stock market and the nation's financial confidence: Would traders start to panic if Washington appeared unable to reach accord? Would worried consumers and businesses sharply reduce their spending? In what could be a preview, stock prices in the U.S. and Europe dropped Friday on waning hopes that Obama and key lawmakers would reach an 11th-hour compromise.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has warned lawmakers that the economy is already suffering from the uncertainty and they shouldn't risk making it worse by blowing past their deadline.

___

WHAT IF THEY NEVER AGREE?

If negotiations between Obama and Congress collapse completely, 2013 looks like a rocky year.

Taxes would jump $2,400 on average for families with incomes of $50,000 to $75,000, according to a study by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Because consumers would get less of their paychecks to spend, businesses and jobs would suffer.

At the same time, Americans would feel cuts in government services; some federal workers would be furloughed or laid off and companies would lose government business. The nation would lose up to 3.4 million jobs, the Congressional Budget Office predicts.

"The consequences of that would be felt by everybody," Bernanke says.

___

THE TAXES

Much of the disagreement surrounds the George W. Bush-era income tax cuts, and whether those rates should be allowed to rise for the nation's wealthiest taxpayers. Both political parties say they want to protect the middle class from tax increases.

Several tax breaks begun in 2009 to stimulate the economy by aiding low- and middle-income families are also set to expire Jan. 1. The alternative minimum tax would expand to catch 28 million more taxpayers, with an average increase of $3,700 a year. Taxes on investments would rise, too. More deaths would be covered by the federal estate tax, and the rate climbs from 35 percent to 55 percent. Some corporate tax breaks would end.

The temporary Social Security payroll tax cut also is due to expire. That tax break for most Americans seems likely to end even if a fiscal cliff deal is reached, now that Obama has backed down from his call to prolong it as an economic stimulus.

___

THE SPENDING

If the nation goes over the fiscal cliff, budget cuts of 8 percent or 9 percent would hit most of the federal government, touching all sorts of things from agriculture to law enforcement and the military to weather forecasting. A few areas, such as Social Security benefits, Veterans Affairs and some programs for the poor, are exempt.

___

THERE'S MORE AT STAKE

All sorts of stuff could get wrapped up in the fiscal cliff deal-making. A sampling:

? Some 2 million jobless Americans may lose their federal unemployment aid. Obama wants to continue the benefits extension as part of the deal; Republicans say it's too costly.

? Social Security recipients might see their checks grow more slowly. As part of a possible deal, Obama and Republican leaders want to change the way cost-of-living adjustments are calculated, which would mean smaller checks over the years for retirees who get Social Security, veterans' benefits or government pensions.

? The price of milk could double. If Congress doesn't provide a fix for expiring dairy price supports before Jan. 1, milk-drinking families could feel the pinch. One scenario is to attach a farm bill extension to the fiscal cliff legislation ? if a compromise is reached in time.

? Millions of taxpayers who want to file their 2012 returns before mid-March will be held up while they wait to see if Congress comes through with a deal to stop the alternative minimum tax from hitting more people.

___

CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF?

In theory, Congress and Obama could just say no to the fiscal cliff, by extending all the tax cuts and overturning the automatic spending reductions in current law. But both Republicans and Democrats agree it's time to take steps to put the nation on a path away from a future of crippling debt.

Indeed, the automatic spending cuts set for January were created as a last-ditch effort to force Congress to deal with the debt problem.

If Washington bypassed the fiscal cliff, the next crisis would be just around the corner, in late February or early March, when the government reaches a $16.4 trillion ceiling on the amount of money it can borrow.

Boehner says Republicans won't go along with raising the limit on government borrowing unless the increase is matched by spending cuts to help attack the long-term debt problem. Failing to raise the debt ceiling could lead to a first-ever U.S. default that would roil the financial markets and shake worldwide confidence in the United States.

To avoid that scenario, Obama and Boehner are trying to wrap a debt limit agreement into the fiscal cliff negotiations.

___

SO WHAT'S THE HOLDUP?

They're at loggerheads over some big questions.

Obama says any deal must include higher taxes for the wealthiest Americans. Many House Republicans oppose raising anyone's tax rates. Boehner tried to get the House to vote for higher taxes only on incomes above $1 million but dropped the effort when it became clear he didn't have the votes.

Republicans also insist on deeper spending cuts than Democrats want to make. And they want to bring the nation's long-term debt under control by significantly curtailing the growth of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security ? changes that many Democrats oppose.

Obama, meanwhile, wants more temporary economic "stimulus" spending to help speed up a sluggish recovery. Republicans say the nation can't afford it.

___

IT'S NOT JUST WASHINGTON

Seems like they could just make nice, shake hands and split their differences, right?

But there's a reason neither side wants to give ground. The two parties represent a divided and inconsistent America. True, Obama just won re-election. But voters also chose a Republican majority in the House.

Republicans and Democrats alike say they are doing what the voters back home want.

Neither side has a clear advantage in public opinion. In an Associated Press-GfK poll, 43 percent said they trust the Democrats more to manage the federal budget deficit and 40 percent preferred the Republicans. There's a similar split on who's more trusted with taxes.

About half of Americans support higher taxes for the wealthy, the poll says, and about 10 percent want tax increases all around. Still, almost half say cutting government services, not raising taxes, should be the main focus of lawmakers as they try to balance the budget.

When asked about specific budget cuts being discussed in Washington, few Americans express support for them.

___

THE COUNTDOWN

Time for deal-making is short, thanks to the holiday and congressional calendars. Some key dates for averting the fiscal cliff:

? Lawmakers didn't begin returning to the Capitol until Thursday, leaving less than a week to vote on a compromise before year's end.

? Obama returned Thursday from his Christmas vacation in Hawaii. The president asked congressional leaders to the White House Friday to try to resolve the fiscal cliff.

? If lawmakers reach Dec. 31 without a deal, some economists worry that the financial markets might swoon.

? The current Congress is in session only through noon Eastern time on Jan. 3. After that, a newly elected Congress with 13 new senators and 82 new House members would inherit the problem.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Kuhnhenn, Alan Fram and Andrew Taylor and Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

___

Follow Connie Cass on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConnieCass

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/over-fiscal-cliff-soft-hard-landing-082737436.html

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Page Not Found - Yahoo!

Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Yahoo!, try visiting the Yahoo! homepage or look through a list of Yahoo!'s online services.

Please try Yahoo Help Central if you need more assistance.

Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/weightloss

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4 Things You should Know before Starting an Affiliate Program ...

Many people are turning in their keys to the office door for their traditional brick and mortar positions. It?s not that they are retiring, but rather finding a different way to earn a living?a more enticing way to live, in my opinion. Imagine having the flexibility of ?going in? when you want, taking off when you feel like it, and being able to attend all your children?s school events.

Starting an online business can help you achieve all that?and more. One way to do this is through an online affiliate program. If you are considering taking this step, or want to learn more, you have come to the right article, because I just listened to another informative Coffee Talk podcast by James Martell.

James is an expert in the affiliate program industry and shares valuable information through his podcasts, seminars, and books. On this particular session of Coffee Talk, his each of ?his guests have as many years in the industry to pack in their portfolio.

Sarah Bundy and Carolyn Kmet both have more than 10 years in the business and have done quite well. Sarah is founder of All Inclusive Marketing, otherwise known as AIM. Carolyn has worked for many popular companies with affiliate programs, including www.groupon.com, before coming to work as Vice President of Performance Marketing with Sarah at AIM.

So, when the 3 of these giants get together, one should take notes. In fact?I did. Read on for some of the highlights?

1. The Basics of an Affiliate Program

The general idea of an affiliate program is where you have more than one person working together, yet apart, to promote certain products. One person will have a product or service to sell?or multiple products. They carry the products and ship them to the consumers when they make a purchase. This person is known as the merchant. Sounds like a regular business, right? Well, there?s more?

A second person comes into the picture who is considered the affiliate. They also have a website, but do not host the product at all?just a link to it. So, they are not responsible for storing, selling, or shipping the product. They are responsible for ?encouraging? visitors on their site to click on a link, which will bring the consumer to the merchant?s website. If there is a sale as a result, the affiliate receives a commission from the merchant.

Here?s a scenario to give you an idea?

The merchant is selling bank checks online. The affiliate has a link on their website that will say something like ?ordering bank checks?. If the customer is looking to order online checks, they click on that link, are directed to the merchant?s site, make a purchase, and the affiliate is paid a commission by the merchant.

Now, of course it would help if the affiliate?s site is somewhat relatable to the item being sold. In other words, if it?s ordering checks online, the affiliate might have a site on finances, or DIY projects.

2. Steps in Starting an Affiliate Program

The best advice I heard regarding startup is when Sarah said that you need to create an affiliate marketing strategy before starting. It?s best to do some research on what affiliate groups are available to assist you, what your terms of service will be, and what your competitors are doing. It?s not too different from what you should do in a traditional offline business.

Develop a website with a brand message related to what you want to do, and who you want to affiliate with as far as merchants. When doing this, make sure you know who your target audience is, and what they are looking for as well.

And finally, creative eye-catching and effective banner ads to capture your visitors.

3. Where to Recruit Affiliate Members

They won?t drop out of the sky, no matter how long you sit. So, you need to know where to look for people to work with, and here is a short list:

  • Trade Shows ? these are great, because you can meet them in person to develop a professional relationship
  • Social Marketing ? look for people on Social Medias such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
  • Existing Websites ? reach out to websites that are appealing to you by contacting them and expressing your intent
  • LinkedIn ? this is a great place to look for established people as well

Of course, there is also word of mouth, and reaching out to people you know who might not know anything about affiliate marketing yet.

4. Know what Cost might be Involved Ahead of Time

You should never start a business, either online or off, before you have an idea of how much money you will need?and how much money you have available.

For the use of an affiliate management company, you can plan on anywhere from $30,000 on up to $90,000 annually, depending on who you choose to work with for this area. You might be able to save some money if you decide to manage everything in-house. However, you will most likely not be getting the experience and exposure that you would with an outside company.

Another cost is the launching fee. Depending on who you go with, this could be as low as $650, or as high as $5,000. ShareASale (www.shareasale.com) is a great place to start with, and they are on the low end for cost.

And finally, if you are the merchant, you will have to pay out a commission, which can range from 1-12%, depending on what you negotiate with the affiliates.

If this sounds like something you want to pursue, I suggest you dive into some research to learn as much as you can before you make another move.

?

Mark Harris is a freelance writer and Internet marketer, working from the comfort of his own home and already enjoying success in his 30?s. He often draws inspiration from websites he visits for new projects. For example, when visiting?www.personalchecksplus.com?he decided to write a series on home budgets. Mark lives with wife in White Rock, B.C., and spends as much time on the local beaches as time allows. He also enjoys hiking, kayaking, and touring Vancouver.

Source: http://www.moderndignity.com/4-things-you-should-know-before-starting-an-affiliate-program/

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Palestinians say 9 dead from swine flu outbreak

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) ? A Palestinian health official says an outbreak swine flu has killed nine people.

Deputy Health Minister Asad Ramlawi also said Monday more than 225 people have been infected by the H1N1 influenza strain, known as swine flu. He said more than 25,000 vaccinations have been administered this year to prevent it. The West Bank has 2.5 million residents.

The West Bank has been struck by swine flu before. Dozens died in the Palestinian territories during the 2009 worldwide pandemic.

The first outbreak was discovered in Mexico in March 2009. Thousands died around the world, causing a global panic. The World Health Organization declared swine flu the first global flu pandemic in 40 years.

H1N1 is now considered a seasonal flu and included in the standard annual flu vaccine.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/palestinians-9-dead-swine-flu-outbreak-151235689.html

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Parking dispute may have led to Maine shooting deaths: police

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - A dispute between neighbors over street parking may have led to the shooting deaths of two Maine teenagers, authorities said on Sunday after charging a 74-year-old man with murder in connection with the incident.

Derrick Thompson, 19, and his girlfriend, Alivia Welch, 18, were killed on Saturday night in their apartment inside a two-unit home in Biddeford, Maine, about 15 miles southwest of Portland, state police spokesman Steve McCausland said.

Thompson's mother, Susan Johnson, 44, who reported the shootings to authorities shortly after 7 p.m. EST, was being treated for gunshot wounds at Maine Medical Center in Portland, state police. A six-year-old boy also was removed from the building uninjured.

James Pak, who owns the building and lives in the other unit, was arrested on Saturday and charged with two counts of murder.

Police had been summoned to the residence earlier on Saturday because of an argument over parking, McCausland said. A Biddeford police spokeswoman said the city banned street parking from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. to allow for snow removal.

McCausland said the dispute appeared to have been resolved before the shooting occurred but gave no further details.

Pak was being held in a local jail and was expected to appear in court on Monday or Wednesday. It was unclear whether he had an attorney. (Edited by Karen Brooks and Paul Simao)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/parking-dispute-may-led-maine-shooting-deaths-police-001102978.html

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Markets calm despite looming fiscal cliff

LONDON (AP) ? Markets appeared Monday to be taking in stride the ongoing failure of U.S. politicians to agree a budget deal in time to avoid automatic tax increases and spending cuts that many economists think could tilt the world's largest economy back into recession.

With just hours to go before the U.S. falls off the so-called "fiscal cliff," Republicans and Democrats remained divided over tax and spend, raising the prospect that markets will start 2013 without a clear idea of America's budget policy. The main sticking point appears to be what level of taxes are imposed on higher incomes.

Discussions in the Senate broke off Sunday night without agreement. Senators are due to reconvene at 11 a.m. EST (1600 GMT) try to hammer out a deal before the deadline.

"With precisely zero headway made on the fiscal front resulting from the early weekend return by Congressional lawmakers, hopes are fast-fading of any sort of compromise before the end of 2012," said Andrew Wilkinson, chief economic strategist at Miller Tabak & Co.

However, it's not the first time that budget discussions in the U.S. have gone down to the wire only for a deal to be eventually reached.

Many investors remain confident that some sort of deal will be struck in time following positive noises coming out from late Sunday discussions between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, and Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

Even if a deal is not reached in time, many investors think that the possible damage wrought by the potential $671 billion package of higher taxes and spending cuts will be limited. A backup proposal that would address only a few issues is expected to be presented by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, if a bipartisan deal is not reached.

"It is likely that many of the fiscal cliff measures allow a certain amount of room within which the government can introduce measures to refrain from any tax increases," said Joshua Mahony, an analyst at Alpari.

The prospect of counter-measures to offset the "fiscal cliff" impact helps explain why markets were fairly calm in Europe and Asia, and Wall Street was poised to open higher on the last day of a year that's seen many indexes post strong gains, partly through rising hopes over Europe's 3-year debt crisis.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed down 0.5 percent at 5,897.81. For the year as a whole, the FTSE ended 5.8 percent higher.

The CAC-40 in France closed 0.6 percent higher on the day at 3,641.07. In 2012, it rose 15.2 percent.

Those European indexes that were open only traded for half the day. Others, including Germany's DAX, were closed. The DAX was one of the world's best-performers in 2012 with its annual rise of 29.1 percent.

U.S. stocks were poised for gains at the open despite the "fiscal cliff" uncertainty, with both Dow futures and the broader S&P 500 futures up 0.2 percent.

Despite the recent worries, U.S. stocks have had a strong 2012, with the Dow up around 6 percent so far and the S&P 11.5 percent higher.

Developments over the U.S. budget will likely be one of the big issues in financial markets in 2013, especially in the early part, alongside Europe's ongoing efforts to contain its debt crisis and the state of the Chinese economy, now the world's second biggest.

Clearly, the full imposition of the "fiscal cliff" measures would hobble the U.S. economy that has shown some signs of late of a more sustainable economic recovery. Waning U.S. economic growth would have an impact worldwide.

Some economists predict the effects of the "fiscal cliff" could eventually throw the U.S. economy back into recession ? although if the deadline passes, politicians still have a few weeks to keep the tax hikes and spending cuts at bay by repealing them retroactively once a deal is reached.

Still, the failure to adhere to the deadline following weeks of squabbling and procrastination could be view negatively by the major credit rating agencies and weigh on investor confidence going into 2013.

"I think the market reaction to that will be very negative. This means the U.S. will never be able to bring its house in order. And the deficit will continue to accumulate," said Francis Lun, managing director of Lyncean Holdings in Hong Kong. "No meaningful reform and no solution in sight. You can throw confidence out of the window."

Earlier in Asia, the picture was fairly subdued in those markets that were open ? among others, markets in Japan, were closed for the New Year's holidays. After a stellar performance in December, Japan's Nikkei ended the year almost 23 percent higher.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng, trading for a half-day, closed marginally lower at 22,656.92, to also end the year nearly 23 percent higher.

Mainland Chinese stocks rose Monday after a private survey showed the country's manufacturing growth at its strongest level in 18 months in December. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5 percent to close at 4,648.90.

There was also a fairly calm atmosphere in other financial markets, with the euro down just 0.2 percent at $1.3190. Despite the endless debate over its future, the euro has actually ended the year modestly higher against the dollar.

____

Sampson contributed from Bangkok.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/markets-calm-despite-looming-fiscal-cliff-110210983--finance.html

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Fill Recruitment Ltd: Account Manager ? Healthcare sector - London Agency ? Up to ?30k

The role

The role involves managing of a wide range of activities for this account which sits within the Healthcare sector in the UK.? It's a really varied role and will include events e-comms, digital media reels, printed consumer comms, website.

The role is Account Manager, although a rising senior Account Executive with relevant skills and experience may be considered. ??While activity on this account will take up the majority of ?sold time?, there will be opportunities to work on other business in agency portfolio. ?If you have health communications experience this will be and advantage, although it is not necessary for the role.

The agency need someone who can illustrate good project management experience - taking initiative and responsibility to deliver programme activities to a high standard with clear client reporting.? The Account Manager should have a flexible approach and be able to deal well with sudden and unexpected client requirements. Prioritisation skills are a must!

The AM will work in a small team of 3, supporting the SAM and providing guidance for an SAE, but will be part of the wider Client Services team.? There is a need for some travelling within the UK in this role, including attendance and stand management at professional conferences and events.

The agency

The agency consider themselves as one big family and are looking for someone who is enthusiastic about the work that they do and their professional ethos, despite working predominantly on one of their few commercial clients. ?They want someone who will work hard, show dedication and strive to always do their best; whilst injecting lots of fun and a positive attitude into the office.

Main Responsibilities

Develop and manage a range of activities which are focussed on reaching healthcare professionals across a number of touch points including:

  • Professional events and conferences
  • E-comms and sampling
  • Digital media reels
  • Above-the-line activity in the relevant professional media
  • A new website which will be further developed in 2013 with more interactive features
  • PR ? editorial and advertorials in key media
  • Sponsorship of health promotion projects
  • Dedicated activity with students through schools and universities
  • Liaison with relevant professional bodies to gain endorsement and support
  • Patient materials
  • Develop new ideas to improve the reach and effectiveness of the programme

Main Competencies

  • Ability to manage and deliver a sometimes complex range of projects on time and on budget
  • Strong logistical management for projects such as events where exhibition stands, materials and samples have to be coordinated and delivered on time
  • Strong client relationship management skills for a busy programme of activity where priorities and client requirements may change day to day
  • Ability to absorb and communicate the basics of the clinical research
  • Ability to spot new opportunities and the initiative to develop them with senior management support
  • Ability to understand, manage and report on a complex programme budget (usually in the region of ?1 million)
  • Ability to brief and manage suppliers who provide a range of services, including fulfilment and exhibition stand storage and delivery
  • Good verbal and written communication skills to develop simple, focused copy for materials for the website
  • Basic understanding of digital comms to work with our digital team on the development of a website, e-comms and digital projects

If you're looking for your next challenge- then please get in touch today quoting AK5195

If this role is not what you?re looking for, then don?t worry.

At Fill Recruitment we specialise in all agency positions. We are currently recruiting for account handlers at Account Manager, Senior Account Manager and Group Account Director levels.

If you would like to find out more please visit our website: www.fillrecruitment.com or try http://jobs.brandrepublic.com/employer/443/fill-recruitment-ltd/

Fill Recruitment are a dynamic consultancy that specialise in agency recruitment for permanent, contract and freelance roles in integrated, sales promotion, database and direct marketing and above-the-line agencies.

Source: http://jobs.brandrepublic.com/job/512749/account-manager-healthcare-sector-london-agency-up-to-30k/?TrackID=2

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Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery ? Reducing Your Risk ...

Like all plans, there is an ultimate goal to achieve. The goal in a business continuity plan is simply that: to continue your business in the face of a disaster or a disruption. A business continuity plan is not just for a disaster. It?s also for the smaller things in life, like your friendly neighborhood burglar who decides to borrow all of your computers or the small power interruption, which causes loss of data and downtime or the fire five floors below you, which causes a 5 hour building shutdown. These are a few of the many things, which do occur every day and do happen to companies like yours.

Disaster recovery has traditionally been associated with computing systems and data storage and recovery of data. Different than business continuity, disaster recovery is focused more on after the fact, quickly and effectively recovering from a disaster or disruption.

There are many good sources of

information on both business continuity and disaster recovery. Some of the more authoritative sources are: Disaster Recovery International (www.drii.org), Disaster Recovery Journal (www.drj.com), and Global Continuity (www.globalcontinuity.com).

It?s, of course, not realistic to think that you can guard against every risk. However, through risk analysis, business impact analysis, selecting effective strategies, documenting detailed recovery plans and testing your plans, you can significantly reduce many of your risks, often in a very cost effective way. You have an important management responsibility to safeguard company assets. Reducing your risk profile through a well thought out business continuity and disaster recovery plan is an effective way to do so.

About The Author

Robert Mahood has significant technology and management experience in data communications, internet, storage, disaster recovery and data recovery. He is currently the president of Midwest Data Recovery. www.midwestdatarecovery.com

bmahood@midwestdatarecovery.com, 866 786 2595, 312 907 2100

Source: http://www.mwstm.com/2012/12/31/Business-Continuity-and-Disaster-Recovery-Reducing-Your-Risk-Profile/

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Luck and Chuck! Colts topple Texans from 1 seed

Rookie QB gives coach a great welcome back with victory over Houston

Image: The Colts' Andrew Luck yells to his teammates against Houston during an NFL football game in Indianapolis, IndianaReuters

Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) yells to his teammates on the sidelines prior to the kickoff.

updated 7:09 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS - Chuck Pagano put on his dancing shoes and savored every moment of Sunday's postgame celebration.

He took his customary linebacker stance on the sideline, hands on bended knees. He signaled touchdowns when the Colts scored, patted Deji Karim on the helmet after a 101-yard kickoff return for a game-changing touchdown, and gestured for penalty flags to be thrown.

And after Indianapolis beat AFC South champion Houston 28-16, Pagano even tossed aside the stodgy image of an NFL coach and began jumping around with players, assistant coaches and even team owner Jim Irsay like he was a kid again.

Why not?

"There was a lot of high-fiving, a lot of dancing, a lot of hugging going on and a lot of celebrating," an emotional Pagano said. "There's a lot to celebrate right now."

It started with Pagano's return.

He took an indefinite leave Sept. 26 to begin the first of three rounds of chemotherapy for leukemia Sept. 26 and didn't make it back to the sideline until Sunday when the cancer was in complete remission.

But the party began much earlier.

When Pagano first walked onto the field, he waved to the fans and hugged his wife, Tina.

When fans gave him a standing ovation after a 1-minute video played on the stadium's two Jumbotrons just before kickoff, a choked up Pagano held his tears in check.

When he left the field, he hugged everybody in sight ? assistant coaches, Colts players, even Texans players and coaches ? before moving the postgame party to the locker room, where Irsay presented him with a game ball and they did a do-si-do together.

"What a day, what a day," he said. "We could go into what transpired out there over the last three hours and five, 10 minutes whatever, from a stats standpoint and big plays, penalties and run offense and run 'D', all of that stuff. But just down the road, I have watched all of this take place for the last 12 ball games."

Players had a different kind of welcome-back celebration planned.

"Guys really did not want to lose in his first game back and heading into the playoffs," rookie quarterback Andrew Luck said. "To get a win, I think means the world to him."

Luck, as usual, had a big hand in the victory. He was 14 of 28 for 191 yards with two more touchdowns and no interceptions.

He wasn't alone, though.

Karim swung the game with the kickoff return just seconds after the Texans took their only lead, and when Luck converted on third-and-23 with the 70-yard TD pass early in the fourth quarter, the crowd was in a frenzy.

The Colts (11-5) will play at Baltimore in the wild-card round next weekend. The slumping Texans (12-4) have lost three of their last four and won't know their AFC seeding until after Denver and New England finish later Sunday.

"We had a great opportunity the last two weeks, but we won't feel sorry for ourselves," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said after giving Pagano a hug and whispering in his ear after the game. "We'll focus on keeping our confidence up, even if we have to play next week."

Indy did everything it needed to Sunday.

The Colts prevented J.J. Watt from getting too close to Luck ? or any closer to Michael Strahan's NFL sacks record (22?). Watt finished with 20?.

"We didn't win, so I could care less about the record. It's about winning," Watt said.

Luck broke Peyton Manning's franchise record for completions by a rookie but fell 15 short of Sam Bradford's NFL mark. Luck also moved into third all-time among rookies with 22 TD passes.

And Indy completed the second greatest turnaround in league history ? winning nine more games than it did in 2011.

"Man, this has been a great year, a storybook ending," Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne said. "Let's keep it going. Hopefully we can continue to write this movie."

It didn't take long for the Colts to assert themselves in this emotional environment ? or to turn the game when the Texans took their only lead. Shayne Graham made a 37-yard field goal with 5:22 left in the third quarter, a lead that lasted all of 12 seconds.

Karim fielded the ensuing kickoff a yard deep in the end zone, found a seam in the middle of the field and never slowed until he reached the opposite end zone to make it 21-16. Pagano patted him on the helmet after the longest kickoff return since the Colts moved to Indy in 1984.

Then, facing third-and-23 from the 30, Luck threw a perfect strike through a narrow opening, hitting Hilton in stride for a 70-yard TD to make it 28-16.

On a day the Texans mostly settled for field goals, that's all the Colts needed.

Luck masterfully led the Colts to a 14-6 halftime lead.

Houston made it 14-13 when Arian Foster broke through a hole for a 13-yard TD run and saluted Pagano by tapping the (hash)Chuckstrong sign hanging on the wall behind the end zone instead of doing his trademark bow. Foster ran 16 times for 96 yards.

Graham's 37-yard field goal gave Houston the lead with 5:22 to go in the third quarter, but Karim's long TD return set off a celebration that didn't end until after Pagano had done his dance.

"It's like a dream come true again," Pagano said. "It's the greatest feeling in the world to be down there."

Schaub finished 24 of 36 for 275 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Foster ran 16 times for 96 yards.

NOTES: Andre Johnson caught 12 passes for 141 yards and became the second player in league history with three seasons of 100 or more catches and 1,500 or more yards. The other: Former Colt Marvin Harrison. ... Manning had 326 completions, Luck finished the season with 339. ... Watt had a shared sack taken away in the first half when the officials erased a sack-fumble of Luck because of the Tuck Rule. ... The Colts lost starting guard Joe Reitz in the first half with a head injury. ... Houston linebacker Daryl Sharpton left the game with a hip injury. Linebacker Tim Dobbins left in the second half with what Kubiak thought was a shoulder injury.

? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/50324689/ns/sports-nfl/

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