Electronic Arts has confirmed that a small number of the Boom Blox development team at EA Los Angeles has been laid off after the project they were working on was moved to EA Bright Light Studio.

An EA spokesperson told Kotaku that a “small project has been moved from EA Los Angeles, to the EA Bright Light Studio in Guildford, UK, where the Harry Potter franchise and several of the Hasbro properties are developed.” The spokesperson gave no other details about the project, but The Boom Blox team had evidently been working on a game that wasn't for the Wii, and now-former EALA senior software engineer Jeff Dixon confirmed to Blue's News it was indeed a Project Natal game.

While the spokesperson only said a “small number” of employees were let go without getting into specifics, Dixon also told Blue's News that fourteen staffers in total were cut. The spokesperson did, however, say that “all eligible employees will receive severance and outplacement assistance,” and that “EA remains fully committed to maintaining its EALA studio.”

Plans for a fourth “Bourne” movie stalled late last year when director Paul Greengrass walked away from the franchise and star Matt Damon followed, stating he wouldn't do the sequel with anybody else. But the actor remained hopeful of his participation in the series, telling MTV News in December, “I think it's going to happen someday.”

Damon continues to see himself in the role, more recently telling Empire that he and Greengrass are “probably another five years away” from the next chapter. But the next installment may be another thing entirely. Damon believes Universal will keep the franchise alive in the meantime with a feature-length flashback.

“There’ll probably be a prequel of some kind with another actor and another director before we do another one,” he told the British magazine while promoting the UK release of “Invictus.”

What such a prequel would consist of is now something for us “Bourne” fans to wonder about. The last film, “The Bourne Ultimatum,” seemed to clear up the character's origins adequately through flashbacks and exposition. So maybe such a film would follow Jason on his pre-amnesia missions, in which the killing-machine character would be portrayed as more of an anti-hero.

Actually, a “Bourne” prequel seems a lot like “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” to me. Would Danny Huston again take over for Brian Cox? Would we see an early mission including all the Treadstone assassins? Younger actors filling in for Clive Owen, Marton Csokas, Russell Levy and that guy who awkwardly jumps to his death in “The Bourne Idenity”?

Or, maybe it will just be a romantic comedy about the affair between Jason and Nicky (Julia Stiles' character). I'm really curious how that relationship could have possibly happened, however serious it was, given what we've seen of the characters over the course of the trilogy.

Would you be okay with the “Bourn” franchise continuing with a prequel? A Reboot? What would you like to see in a pre-amnesia “Bourne” movie?

Electronic Arts has confirmed that a small number of the Boom Blox development team at EA Los Angeles has been laid off after the project they were working on was moved to EA Bright Light Studio.

An EA spokesperson told Kotaku that a “small project has been moved from EA Los Angeles, to the EA Bright Light Studio in Guildford, UK, where the Harry Potter franchise and several of the Hasbro properties are developed.” The spokesperson gave no other details about the project, but The Boom Blox team had evidently been working on a game that wasn't for the Wii, and now-former EALA senior software engineer Jeff Dixon confirmed to Blue's News it was indeed a Project Natal game.

While the spokesperson only said a “small number” of employees were let go without getting into specifics, Dixon also told Blue's News that fourteen staffers in total were cut. The spokesperson did, however, say that “all eligible employees will receive severance and outplacement assistance,” and that “EA remains fully committed to maintaining its EALA studio.”

Plans for a fourth “Bourne” movie stalled late last year when director Paul Greengrass walked away from the franchise and star Matt Damon followed, stating he wouldn't do the sequel with anybody else. But the actor remained hopeful of his participation in the series, telling MTV News in December, “I think it's going to happen someday.”

Damon continues to see himself in the role, more recently telling Empire that he and Greengrass are “probably another five years away” from the next chapter. But the next installment may be another thing entirely. Damon believes Universal will keep the franchise alive in the meantime with a feature-length flashback.

“There’ll probably be a prequel of some kind with another actor and another director before we do another one,” he told the British magazine while promoting the UK release of “Invictus.”

What such a prequel would consist of is now something for us “Bourne” fans to wonder about. The last film, “The Bourne Ultimatum,” seemed to clear up the character's origins adequately through flashbacks and exposition. So maybe such a film would follow Jason on his pre-amnesia missions, in which the killing-machine character would be portrayed as more of an anti-hero.

Actually, a “Bourne” prequel seems a lot like “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” to me. Would Danny Huston again take over for Brian Cox? Would we see an early mission including all the Treadstone assassins? Younger actors filling in for Clive Owen, Marton Csokas, Russell Levy and that guy who awkwardly jumps to his death in “The Bourne Idenity”?

Or, maybe it will just be a romantic comedy about the affair between Jason and Nicky (Julia Stiles' character). I'm really curious how that relationship could have possibly happened, however serious it was, given what we've seen of the characters over the course of the trilogy.

Would you be okay with the “Bourn” franchise continuing with a prequel? A Reboot? What would you like to see in a pre-amnesia “Bourne” movie?

existing franchises for sale , franchises for sale

Student In Custody In DPS Bomb Scare – Detroit Local <b>News</b> Story <b>…</b>

DETROIT — Students at Phoenix Multicultural School on Detroit's southwest side were evacuated Wednesday morning after an explosive device detonated inside the building. Wednesday, March 3, 2010.

Chinese Environmental Finds Bad <b>News</b>, Deals With it : CleanTechnica

“Although the <b>news</b> is bad, we should not lose confidence in our ability to bring pollution under control” says Ma Jun, the Director of Public and Environmental Affairs. “Facing the problem lays the foundation for solving it and we need …

Exclusive: Unknown DOJ Lawyers Identified « Liveshots

An extensive review of court documents and media reports by Fox <b>News</b> suggests many of the seven lawyers in question played only minor or short-lived roles in advocating for detainees. However, it's unclear what roles, if any, …

Mark Suster is a Partner at GRP Partners, a Venture Capital firm in Los Angeles. He blogs at Both Sides of the Table and can be found on Twitter at @msuster.

I’m often asked by entrepreneurs and business owners whether it is worth blogging, and if so, what they should blog about. On the first question, the answer is obvious to me — you must blog as an entrepreneur.

In this post I’ll cover why you need to blog, how to determine what to blog about, and finding your blog’s voice.

Why You Must Blog

I believe that blogging in your business is vital to creating a public personae and making your company more accessible. In an era where companies like Zappos have differentiated themselves based on service, it is important to be public and accessible.

My industry of venture capital, for example, has been shrouded in secrecy for 30 years, making the process of raising funds opaque for most entrepreneurs. When I started my first company in 1999, there were almost no public sources of venture capital fund raising information. Years later I discovered the blog of VC Brad Feld, then later VentureHacks, and Fred Wilson’s technology & VC blog, each of which clarified and demystified the venture capital process.

So when I started blogging, I mainly viewed it as “earned media,” or a chance to let entrepreneurs get to know me by sharing my thoughts online with complete transparency; a concept that is repeatable for any business.

In less than a year I’ve attracted a large monthly following of readers who come to my blog to discuss how to build startups, how to raise money, and to get my thoughts on technology markets. By publicly sharing my thoughts, I’ve been able to engage in online discussions with people all over the world, and though it was an unintended consequence, my deal flow has gone up dramatically. In other words, blogging can be a valuable networking tool and help the bottom line.

What Should You Blog About?

Start by defining the audience with whom you want to have a relationship. Presumably they are your customers, partners, suppliers and your broader industry as a whole. You should think about what kind of information they would find valuable. You should also try to talk about something that is differentiated from what other blogs in your field cover, even if your approach is just slightly different or new.

Make sure the topic is something that you’ll have a passion for writing about on a regular basis. If you’re not going to keep up with your blog, you shouldn’t start one in the first place. It’s a commitment, believe me. If you pick a topic that relates to your customers, but you’re not that passionate about it, then you may have a bigger problem on your hands!

The Right and Wrong Way to Blog

Let me give some examples of the right and wrong approach to blogging.

Right: I always liked the Mint.com blog. Even in the early days when they were relatively unknown, they blogged about personal finance. They talked about how to manage credit and balance your bank account — obvious topics for a startup focused on managing personal money. They were able to take a leadership role in talking about managing your money in a way that supported their brand and created a community around their product.

Wrong: A friend of mine has a company in the personal finance space also. His blog was all about how to run a startup and raise venture capital. He was outrageous, brash and crass in his style, and I told him so. I said, “Your goal isn’t to be the cool kid in the venture capital circles. Your job is to build a great company and you’ll be a hero in entrepreneurial circles as a result of your success. Speak to your customers — that is what a blog is for.”

Finding Your Blog’s Voice

So you know you need to blog, and you’re convinced you ought to write about something you’re passionate about and that speaks to your customers. How can you create something that people will want to come and read every day?

1. Be authentic

The thing that kills most blogs, in my view, is when you can tell that the writer is just going through the motions. You need to find a “voice” that is authentically yours. People will get used to your style and your style will become your signature.

2. Be transparent

The “old school” way of getting media attention was to submit press releases. These were artificially crafted documents that were filled with glowing reviews of your company. In short, they felt fake. The best way to establish your voice is to be transparent.

Be willing to talk like a human being. Be willing to show feelings and a point of view. Let your inner self come out rather than your “inner bullet point.” Don’t use too much lingo. Don’t feel like your prose has to sound like it was crafted by a university professor. Just speak!

3. Get inside your readers’ minds

I give this advice often and in many scenarios, including public speaking. When people speak to many audiences, they sometimes get into a canned routine. They give the same presentation no matter which crowd they’re addressing. The key is that each time you present, you need to think about who is in the audience and what they want to hear. The same is true for blogging.

On my blog, my audience is made of startup entrepreneurs and probably other VCs. When I write I try to be mindful of who these people are, the knowledge I assume they have, and what I believe they want to know.

4. Solicit feedback

I ask people what they want to read about. I regularly ask for feedback on what I’m writing. When people give me good suggestions, I try to cover those topics.

When community members write awesome comments, I’ll sometimes write a post about what they said to highlight them and their contributions. In my opinion, the best way to build an audience over time is to engage with them and to highlight those that really contribute positively to you.

5. Don’t be offensive or take big public risks

I sometimes read blogs that get extreme. I read a blog once that jokingly suggested “offering your angels cocaine if that would get them to invest.” It was intended to be funny. It wasn’t. And comments like this run the risk of offending people. This was a blog about personal finance, and I found the comment totally irresponsible and at odds with the brand image the blogger was trying to project.

I read a blog yesterday where the author was trying to make fun of a negative comment he got on his product. The blogger highlighted him and called him “retarded,” which I, and I’m sure many others, find offensive. There’s no upside to this type of comment, but there’s a big downside. My esteem for him went down.

Further, unless your company revolves around taking stands on controversial issues, it’s best to leave your political commentary at home. Statements like these stand to upset or anger half of your potential customers no matter what side you take.

6. Have fun

This may be obvious, but if writing a blog becomes a chore for you it will show. Try to make your writing fun and it will be easier to stick to. It will also reflect in your voice.

Happy blogging!

More blogging resources from Mashable:

- 14 Fantastic Free WordPress Themes
– HOW TO: Build a More Beautiful Blog
– How the Resort Industry is Using Social Media
– Why Brands are Becoming Media
– 4 Elements of a Successful Business Web Presence
– How Social Media Helps One Small Business Connect with Fans

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, johnnyscriv

[Image Credit: Kristina B]

Mark Suster is a Partner at GRP Partners, a Venture Capital firm in Los Angeles. He blogs at Both Sides of the Table and can be found on Twitter at @msuster.

I’m often asked by entrepreneurs and business owners whether it is worth blogging, and if so, what they should blog about. On the first question, the answer is obvious to me — you must blog as an entrepreneur.

In this post I’ll cover why you need to blog, how to determine what to blog about, and finding your blog’s voice.

Why You Must Blog

I believe that blogging in your business is vital to creating a public personae and making your company more accessible. In an era where companies like Zappos have differentiated themselves based on service, it is important to be public and accessible.

My industry of venture capital, for example, has been shrouded in secrecy for 30 years, making the process of raising funds opaque for most entrepreneurs. When I started my first company in 1999, there were almost no public sources of venture capital fund raising information. Years later I discovered the blog of VC Brad Feld, then later VentureHacks, and Fred Wilson’s technology & VC blog, each of which clarified and demystified the venture capital process.

So when I started blogging, I mainly viewed it as “earned media,” or a chance to let entrepreneurs get to know me by sharing my thoughts online with complete transparency; a concept that is repeatable for any business.

In less than a year I’ve attracted a large monthly following of readers who come to my blog to discuss how to build startups, how to raise money, and to get my thoughts on technology markets. By publicly sharing my thoughts, I’ve been able to engage in online discussions with people all over the world, and though it was an unintended consequence, my deal flow has gone up dramatically. In other words, blogging can be a valuable networking tool and help the bottom line.

What Should You Blog About?

Start by defining the audience with whom you want to have a relationship. Presumably they are your customers, partners, suppliers and your broader industry as a whole. You should think about what kind of information they would find valuable. You should also try to talk about something that is differentiated from what other blogs in your field cover, even if your approach is just slightly different or new.

Make sure the topic is something that you’ll have a passion for writing about on a regular basis. If you’re not going to keep up with your blog, you shouldn’t start one in the first place. It’s a commitment, believe me. If you pick a topic that relates to your customers, but you’re not that passionate about it, then you may have a bigger problem on your hands!

The Right and Wrong Way to Blog

Let me give some examples of the right and wrong approach to blogging.

Right: I always liked the Mint.com blog. Even in the early days when they were relatively unknown, they blogged about personal finance. They talked about how to manage credit and balance your bank account — obvious topics for a startup focused on managing personal money. They were able to take a leadership role in talking about managing your money in a way that supported their brand and created a community around their product.

Wrong: A friend of mine has a company in the personal finance space also. His blog was all about how to run a startup and raise venture capital. He was outrageous, brash and crass in his style, and I told him so. I said, “Your goal isn’t to be the cool kid in the venture capital circles. Your job is to build a great company and you’ll be a hero in entrepreneurial circles as a result of your success. Speak to your customers — that is what a blog is for.”

Finding Your Blog’s Voice

So you know you need to blog, and you’re convinced you ought to write about something you’re passionate about and that speaks to your customers. How can you create something that people will want to come and read every day?

1. Be authentic

The thing that kills most blogs, in my view, is when you can tell that the writer is just going through the motions. You need to find a “voice” that is authentically yours. People will get used to your style and your style will become your signature.

2. Be transparent

The “old school” way of getting media attention was to submit press releases. These were artificially crafted documents that were filled with glowing reviews of your company. In short, they felt fake. The best way to establish your voice is to be transparent.

Be willing to talk like a human being. Be willing to show feelings and a point of view. Let your inner self come out rather than your “inner bullet point.” Don’t use too much lingo. Don’t feel like your prose has to sound like it was crafted by a university professor. Just speak!

3. Get inside your readers’ minds

I give this advice often and in many scenarios, including public speaking. When people speak to many audiences, they sometimes get into a canned routine. They give the same presentation no matter which crowd they’re addressing. The key is that each time you present, you need to think about who is in the audience and what they want to hear. The same is true for blogging.

On my blog, my audience is made of startup entrepreneurs and probably other VCs. When I write I try to be mindful of who these people are, the knowledge I assume they have, and what I believe they want to know.

4. Solicit feedback

I ask people what they want to read about. I regularly ask for feedback on what I’m writing. When people give me good suggestions, I try to cover those topics.

When community members write awesome comments, I’ll sometimes write a post about what they said to highlight them and their contributions. In my opinion, the best way to build an audience over time is to engage with them and to highlight those that really contribute positively to you.

5. Don’t be offensive or take big public risks

I sometimes read blogs that get extreme. I read a blog once that jokingly suggested “offering your angels cocaine if that would get them to invest.” It was intended to be funny. It wasn’t. And comments like this run the risk of offending people. This was a blog about personal finance, and I found the comment totally irresponsible and at odds with the brand image the blogger was trying to project.

I read a blog yesterday where the author was trying to make fun of a negative comment he got on his product. The blogger highlighted him and called him “retarded,” which I, and I’m sure many others, find offensive. There’s no upside to this type of comment, but there’s a big downside. My esteem for him went down.

Further, unless your company revolves around taking stands on controversial issues, it’s best to leave your political commentary at home. Statements like these stand to upset or anger half of your potential customers no matter what side you take.

6. Have fun

This may be obvious, but if writing a blog becomes a chore for you it will show. Try to make your writing fun and it will be easier to stick to. It will also reflect in your voice.

Happy blogging!

More blogging resources from Mashable:

- 14 Fantastic Free WordPress Themes
– HOW TO: Build a More Beautiful Blog
– How the Resort Industry is Using Social Media
– Why Brands are Becoming Media
– 4 Elements of a Successful Business Web Presence
– How Social Media Helps One Small Business Connect with Fans

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, johnnyscriv

[Image Credit: Kristina B]

http://removeripoffreports.net

When Bridget Jones' Diary became a hit in the mid-1990s, it spawned the lucrative chick lit cottage industry. True, romance novels always existed, and Jackie Collins had a corner on the trashy beach-read. But chick lit, with its urban career gals as protagonists, was a modern alternative to the bodice-ripping dime store selections and heavy literary fiction that often got lost in its own depth.

Soon, though, chick lit became a parody of itself, with its pastel colored covers that almost always included a martini and/or a woman wearing stilettos. Plots often involved a disgruntled assistant working in New York media (usually a thinly veiled magazine) and there was usually a gay sidekick and a wacky friend. A crushing break up occurred in the early chapters and our fearless female had to spend the remaining pages rebuilding her life with the aforementioned motley crew in tow.

Writers and publishers aimed to do better, since sales depend on offering readers something new. As a second wave of chick lit is published, the old cliches have been replaced with a few new ones. But at least the pastel covers are gone.

Being a Hedge Fund Wife: Everyone loves a glimpse into the lives of the rich and fabulous, but the trend of being a hedge fund wife was unexpected. It used to be that up and coming gold diggers wanted to be doctors' wives. The hedge fund wife is the new ticket to a life of leisure. (Is this economy?) While there is nothing wrong with writing about niches in society, these new books make it seem like the Hedgies are American's new crop of royalty, which is hardly the case.

The problem is that the heroines in books such as The Ex Mrs. Hedgefund and Hedge Fund Wives are not particularly empowered. Neither leading lady in either selection is employed and both are left by their financial wizard husbands for younger models. (Big shock there!) More disturbing, though, is that both feel entitled to a large cut of his earnings. Maybe if they had jobs they wouldn't have to rely on the ex-husbands for financial security. But that wouldn't be very leisurely, would it?

Regardless of what sector you're writing about, it's important to get the lingo right, a problem that plagues Hedge Fund Wives. Even the most casual observer of the news knows that the current financial crisis was caused by mortgage-back securities, not mortgage-backed equities.. That said, before writing about hedge funds, it's crucial understand Finance 101. There's a difference between a security and an equity.

More baffling: the word 'chartreuse' is used in almost every chapter of HFW to describe everything from ties, furniture to shoes.

Defecting To Paris: Sometimes life in the states becomes too much to bear, and you have no choice but to flee. Luckily, if you're a character in a chick lit novel, France is waiting with open arms. Lizzie Nichols in Queen of Babble heads to a winery outside Paris after her British boyfriend turns out to be a deadbeat. Jennifer Hunter in Love Under Cover high tails it to Paris to work as a bartender after her Fidelity Inspection business takes a toll on her personal life. France offers new chances at love, (who woulda thunk it?) but at the price of being a steaming pile of cliche.

Being A Fat Chick: When Wally Lanb wrote She's Come Undone in 1992, it was extraordinary because writing about the foibles of being a heavy woman was relatively innovative. Sure, Judy Blume wrote Blubber in 1974, but for the most part portly main characters weren't common in mainstream fiction.

Perhaps as a sort of backlash to the thin, media types in the first wave of chick lit, it's now hip to be round. Meg Cabot's character in The Queen of Babble books is a recovering fat girl, who fears, more than anything, carbs. Cabot then created a mystery series starring Heather Wells, a former teen idol who has ballooned to a size 12. (Egads!) Jen Lancaster built an entire brand on being not just heavy, but also a caustic smart ass with some junk in the trunk. It's a clever gimmick to sell books aimed at “real” women, but as a reader, I'm full on the fat girl trend. Next course, please!

Working At Lazard: Momzillas and The Mating Rituals of the North American WASP both have characters that worked at Lazard before becoming either a stay at home mom or running their own small business. While it's a solid company, it's a random choice as far as setting up a character to be competent and financially independent. Why not go Goldman Sachs?

Plots move quicker, though, when money isn't an issue, so it makes sense to give a character a background in banking. What's interesting is that these characters are always alumnae of investor relations, portraying it as some pink-collar job in finance, which it isn't. They are never former traders or analysts, never in private equity or M&A. I understand the need to create evolved female characters, but writers aren't helping the sisterhood by keeping them in the same job, over and over.

Writers of chick lit aren't out to save the world – they're out to entertain. These are books women read on subways and while we're getting pedicures. It's escapism. Given chick lit's audience, authors have a unique opportunity to explore the state of modern womanhood, albeit wrapped in the backdrop of a light love story. Readers are a finicky bunch who demand new themes, a challenge any writer should embrace. Otherwise, we'll defect right back to Jackie Collins.

When you think personal finance software, the first thing that comes to mind is probably Quicken. While Quicken has been a mainstay on Windows desktops for years, its Mac presence has been less than stellar. That changes today, with the release of Quicken Essentials for Mac. Re-built from the ground up and integrating lots of features from Mint.com, Quicken Essentials is a great addition to the Mac software space.

Quicken has always treated the Mac platform as kind of an also-ran. Although new versions of the tool appeared yearly (at least until 2006) alongside the WindowsWindows variants, the Mac editions always lagged behind in features, stability and even pricing options. Quicken Essentials for Mac, previously known as Quicken Financial Life for Mac, has been promised since Macworld 2008. After two years, it’s finally here.

Rebuilding Quicken for the Mac

Quicken Essentials for Mac is a native Cocoa app. This in itself wouldn’t be that noteworthy, except that previous versions of Quicken for Mac have not been built on Cocoa (or even optimized for Intel Macs), which has meant that there were user interface quirks and behavioral differences that made Quicken feel like less of a real Mac app.

With Quicken Essentials for Mac, the interface and program have been designed to use Mac OS X’sMac OS X core features and strengths. This is a really good thing, and it shows a commitment to the Mac platform. This is important because it has been nearly four years since a Quicken app was released for the Mac. QuickBooks has had more frequent updates, but for home users who want to manage their finances, this is a long time coming.

A Dose of Mint (.com)

In September, Intuit, the makers of Quicken, acquired the money management web app, Mint.com. The acquisition was controversial among some MintMint users, out of fear that Intuit would end up changing Mint into something different.

It’s still too early to assess how the acquisition has affected both product groups (Mint.com continues as a separate product), but consumers did get something out of the deal: Aaron Patzer, the founder of Mint.com, is now Intuit’s vice president and general manager of the company’s Personal Finance Group. That means that Aaron and the Mint team are now working on both Quicken and Mint.com.

I spoke with Aaron at the Future of Web Apps in Miami on Monday night, and he offered me some insight into his new role and the changes on the new Mac product.

Aaron described Quicken Essentials for Mac as “the closest thing to Mint on the desktop as you are going to get.” From a personal money management perspective, that’s really great, because it means that not only is it easier to visualize where money is going, but you can connect to more financial institutions through the program than ever before. More than 12,000 institutions are supported now, and a total of more than 18,000 is expected by the end of the year.

Categorization is also much easier in Quicken Essentials for Mac, which is again, a hat-tip to Mint.com

A Few Notes For Users

Quicken Essentials for Mac is designed for home users and while it supports basic investment tracking, it isn’t as robust as the Quicken for Windows offerings or the old Quicken Mac 2007. Better support for investments is planned for future versions of Quicken Essentials for Mac, but for right now, this isn’t really designed for users with heavy portfolios.

Because only 6% of Quicken users used the built-in Bill Pay option in Quicken, this was removed from Quicken Essentials for Mac. You can still track your bills and make sure you have the money to pay them, but you can’t pay directly from the app unless you sign up for Intuit’s Bill Pay service.

If you’re a TurboTax user, Quicken Essentials for Mac doesn’t integrate or export to TurboTax, although again, that type of support might be added to the future. If you rely on getting your Quicken info into TurboTax, you’ll need to use Quicken Mac 2007.

A Nice Start

This is a great rebirth of sorts for Quicken for Mac. After being virtually abandoned for such a long time, it’s nice that the most popular money management tool is finally back on the Mac and in style. Quicken Essentials for Mac is $69.99 and requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

Mac users — what do you think about Intuit’s new commitment to Mac? What are your favorite Mac-based financial management apps? Let us know!

http://removeripoffreports.net

http://removeripoffreports.net

Why?

Because the Stars are aligning in Cleveland and the course for the Browns is full steam ahead.

Finally, since Al & Randy Lerners 1998 acquisition, there is a real focus on building a winner in Cleveland. Randy and his father Al were never real Football Men, they were bankers.

That mindset and profession, does not usually make for a winning NFL Franchise owner.

Randy Lerner is not your typical NFL owner. The deals he loves to do are not made in a back office acquiring an extra draft pick or some All-Star offensive or defensive weapon. He wouldn't even get out of bed to snatch up a steal of a deal on a top free agent.

Owner Jerry Jones, on the other hand, would probably buy the coffee and donuts, pick the guy up in his personal Limo and hand him the contracts personally.

But that is OK, because what the Lerner family has that the Jones family doesn't, is BIG MONEY and Big Banking connections.

REALIZATION #1.

With the embarrassment of this season and the potential walk out threat by fans over, the organization has realized, “hey we gave the keys to the Kingdom, to a defensive coordinator and then let him put all of his inexperienced friends in positions of influence”.  

REALIZATION #2.

This is one loyal bunch of fanatics and they just might walk out of their stadium in protest. What a black eye on the NFL that would bring. We need to build a winner here.

Browns fans are one of the most loyal in all of sports, so why not support us?

This is exactly what my friend Randy is finally doing. His money and his connections are now for the first time, united in preparation and focus and they are helping to align the stars, so a winner can be brought back to Cleveland. 

When I speak of an aligning of the stars, what I mean is talent BABY!

It all starts at the top and at the top you need good old fashion smarts, not a defensive coordinator and his buddies running the show.

Cleveland's Biggest Problem was the lack of leadership at the top and that was fixed by the hiring of the CZAR, Mike Holmgren.

I love that move Randy and I love every one of the CZARS moves so far.

You're Golden so far Holmgren.

Great alignment of personnel and executive Stars and a great job keeping the defensive coaching Stars in tack, as well as our Head Coach. Mangini is a very smart football man but was way over his head. Keep his focus and his job simple and he will be a good coach for the next decade.

It was also a great move keeping Rob Ryan in the trenches. I don't think Buddy Ryan ever gave his boys anything other then raw meat to eat and it shows. I love this guys intensity.

We cant blame Mr. Mangini for what he got away with. The CZAR just did the same thing. Only difference is that the CZARS friends are Stars and Mangini's were 'yes' men.

As soon as Randy shifted his mind set, look what happened.

He got the best football mind out there to come to Cleveland, and that move got other great minds to come.

Cleveland found a lock down nose guard who was riding the bench most of the season and a future All-Pro running back who had been asleep at the wheel. The Browns powerful lineman and All-Purpose back, shined in Miami and positive energy is in the air, for more Stars to come….

The Next Big Problem will be fixing the holes in the the offense and the defense while implementing a more effective strategy on offense.

This is what the wise CZAR is going to do next.

He will take real control of the offense by adding some new minds (STARS) on the coaching staff and gut the rest of the “yes' men. That offense has been stuck in idle for the last couple of years and is ready to roll in 2010 with some modification of The West Coast offense.

He will grab a veteran QB from The Seattle Seahawks for QB Derek Anderson and a pick. If he plays “Texas Holdem” and patiently waits, we might even see an even up trade. Anderson is a Former All-Pro, younger and healthier and Pete Carroll doesn't really want his beaten up warrior, he wants to help shape his own guy.

The CZAR then grabs a great deep threat receiver and an All-Star defensive weapon (A Sack Master) via trades or free agency to go along with Haden or Berry and the rest of the 2010 draft picks, will fill in nicely. This draft is filled with more depth in talent then has been seen in previous years and thanks to Mangini, we got picks.

Lastly, The CZAR will help retool Brady Quinn (The Mighty Quinn is MY NICKNAME for this kid) as a San Francisco style Joe Montana and Quinn will eventually take over the West Coast offense. You heard it here first!

Let me be the first to thank my friend, Randy Lerner, for bringing a winner back to Cleveland, by helping to Align the Stars.

                                          

                                                      2010 Statistics

Record 11-5 (I wanted to say 10 – 6, but I sense something better)

Touchdowns For Cleveland From 25 to 40    Touchdowns Against from 41 to 30

Total Yards on Offense 5500 from 4163       Total yard against Defense 4350 from 6229

Turnover ratio +5-7 from -12

Defense Points  allowed from 22nd to top 12                                                          

Defense  Yards  allowed from 31st to top 16                                                        

Offense Points  scored  from 29th to top 16                                                        

Offense Yards   gained  from 32nd to top 15

1. St. Louis Rams—Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Suh had a spectacular Big 12 Championship and Holiday Bowl performance. In the Big 12 championship, he notched four-and-a-half sacks on Colt McCoy, who was saved by Hunter Lawrence. He also got invited to New York as a Heisman finalist and finished fourth in the voting.

In the Holiday Bowl, Arizona went nowhere and lost 33-0. Suh finished the season with 12 sacks, and he can play in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 scheme, which will benefit him in the NFL. Many draft experts have compared him to Kevin Williams.

Some fans would argue that the Rams would be making the same mistake here as they did in 2007 and 2008 with Adam Carriker and Chris Long, and they need a franchise QB. I agree with this consensus, and if it were up to me, I would draft Sam Bradford, but I can't see the Rams resisting Suh.

Other Possible Picks: Jimmy Clausen, QB; Sam Bradford, QB

2. Detroit Lions—Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

The Lions should take Russell Okung, but their management is incompetent and failed to take a tackle last year with the No. 20 pick.

The Lions' offensive line coach George Yarno is somehow happy with Jeff Backus' performance in 2009, and head coach Jim Schwartz believes that he should have been to the Pro Bowl despite allowing eight sacks.

QB Matt Stafford suffered injuries in his rookie year with no protection. Michael Oher would have been an excellent pick, but the Lions foolishly passed on him.

They need help on defense, too. McCoy is possibly the best DT in the draft. DT Sammie Lee Hill had a solid rookie year, and McCoy and him together would be a significant force. The Lions' linebackers performed well too. Julian Peterson and Larry Foote were both great, and DeAndre Levy showed promising talent. S Louis Delmas had an excellent rookie campaign with four interceptions and would have been a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate on a winning team.

The Lions could go either way with McCoy or Berry here. McCoy and Hill would be a powerful DT duo, and Berry and Delmas would be a powerful S duo, but maybe the Lions will wake up and smell the coffee and take a tackle. If Okung is taken, Backus could move to right tackle, and Cherilus could move to right guard.

Other Possible Picks: Eric Berry, S; Russell Okung, T

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Berry may be the most talented player in the 2010 NFL Draft. He is often compared to Ed Reed.

The Buccaneers would rather have Suh or McCoy fall to them, but there's a possibility they will both be gone. If they are, the Buccaneers have a pretty obvious pick here since Berry is too much of a value to pass on, and S Sabby Piscitelli wasn't very good and is a free agent.

Defensive end can't be ruled out though since the Buccaneers need a lot of help at defensive line.

Other Possible Picks: Russell Okung, T; Derrick Morgan, DE; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

4. Washington Redskins—Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

I have decided to mock Bradford to the Redskins over Clausen because I heard Mike Shanahan express interest in Bradford on profootballtalk.com, and Shanahan is looking to draft a QB even if Jason Campbell re-signs.

There are concerns surrounding Bradford regarding his season-ending injury in 2009 and his ability to play under center since he played out of the shotgun in Oklahoma. However, Drew Brees played in a spread offense at Purdue, and now he's the best QB in the NFL. Bradford has a great work ethic and has amazing upside that's too good to pass on.

Other Possible Picks: Russell Okung, T; Jimmy Clausen, QB

5. Kansas City Chiefs—Russell Okung, T, Oklahoma State

The Chiefs may have the worst offensive line in the NFL, and Matt Cassel went through a nightmare of a 2009 season. Branden Albert would be better served with moving to left guard.

Okung was dominant at Oklahoma State, and he started all four years and was a two-time First-Team All-American. He has great leadership skills and draws comparisons to Joe Thomas.

Other Possible Picks: Anthony Davis, T; Trent Williams, T; Bruce Campbell, T

6. Seattle Seahawks—Trent Williams, T, Oklahoma

Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates said that he was pleased with QB Matt Hasselbeck and RBs Justin Forsett and Julius Jones and has plans with them for his new offensive scheme, so we can pretty much rule out Seattle using a first-round pick on a quarterback or a running back.

Tackle is a huge need for the Seahawks since Walter Jones wisely retired, and Sean Locklear isn't suited to protect the blind side. Since Okung is taken, the Seahawks aren't getting the best, but there's plenty of other tackles.

Williams anchored Oklahoma's offensive line after Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson went pro and was a 2009 Third-Team All-American.

Other Possible Picks: Bruce Campbell, T; Jimmy Clausen, QB; Anthony Davis, T

7. Cleveland Browns—Joe Haden, CB, Florida

The Browns' pass defense finished 29th in the NFL, allowing 247.9 yards per game. Their cornerbacks are unreliable, and Haden is easily the best cornerback prospect. He led Florida's dominant defense, and if this scenario happens, this pick is easy.

Browns fans are fed up with Brady Quinn, but it appears as though Mike Holmgren and Eric Mangini are sticking with him and Derek Anderson for now.

Other Possible Picks: Derrick Morgan, DE; Rolando McClain, LB

8. Oakland Raiders—Bruce Campbell, T, Maryland

Al Davis loves players that run fast 40 times. He has proved that by drafting Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

The Raiders have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and Robert Gallery, who was supposed to be a Pro Bowl tackle, is a mediocre guard. 

Campbell can run a 4.9, so Davis will be excited by him.

Other Possible Picks: Anthony Davis, T; Bryan Bulaga, T; Jimmy Clausen, QB; Derrick Morgan, DE; Rolando McClain, LB

9. Buffalo Bills—Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

Trent Edwards had a tough year in 2009, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is nothing more than a backup. The offensive line is to blame mostly, and Edwards is a solid QB, but since Clausen falls here, there's no way the Bills pass on him.

Other Possible Picks: Derrick Morgan, DE; Anthony Davis, T; Bryan Bulaga, T; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

10. Jacksonville Jaguars—Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

The Jaguars have terrible rush defense, and Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves are both busts.

Morgan is an excellent 4-3 defensive end, and he led Georgia Tech with 12 sacks.

Tim Tebow is definitely out of the picture here since he struggled at the Senior Bowl, so the only way the Jaguars take him in the first round is if they trade down.

Other Possible Picks: Rolando McClain, LB; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE; Dez Bryant, WR

11. Denver Broncos(from Chicago)—Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

Brandon Marshall has as good as waved goodbye to Denver, and assuming he leaves, the Broncos will want to replace him with a No. 1 receiver, and Bryant fits that mold.

Other Possible Picks: Rolando McClain, LB; C.J. Spiller, RB; Dan Williams, DT

12. Miami Dolphins—Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

The Dolphins have a hole at inside linebacker since Akin Ayodele isn't the answer, and McClain played in a 3-4 defense at Alabama, just like the Dolphins do.

Other Possible Picks: Dan Williams, DT; C.J. Spiller, RB

13. San Francisco 49ers—Anthony Davis, T, Rutgers

The 49ers had a terrible offensive line, and Adam Snyder allowed 9.5 sacks, and Tony Pashos had a career-ending injury. The depth is extremely thin, so Davis would be a great pick to take the pressure off of Joe Staley.

Other Possible Picks: Bryan Bulaga, T; C.J. Spiller, RB

14. Seattle Seahawks(from Denver)—Taylor Mays, S, USC

With Pete Carroll and Jeremy Bates in Seattle now, the Seahawks won't blow off this opportunity. Mays is a former Trojan, so Carroll knows what Mays is capable of, and the Seahawks need a safety badly, as evidenced by their 30th-ranked pass defense. Mays struggled in the Senior Bowl, but that won't rattle Carroll since he has a lot of upside.

Other Possible Picks: C.J. Spiller, RB; Earl Thomas, S; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

15. New York Giants—C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

The Giants need depth at running back since Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent, and Brandon Jacobs is too fragile to handle the carries alone.

Spiller draws comparisons to Chris Johnson since he can run a 4.2 and has a similar type of explosiveness.

Other Possible Picks: Dan Williams, DT; Earl Thomas, S; Brian Price, DT; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

16. Tennessee Titans—Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

The Titans have a lot of free agents at defensive end, including Kyle Vanden Bosch, who only had 3.5 sacks in a contract year.

Pierre-Paul is a dark horse who plays in a 4-3 scheme, and the Titans won't be able to resist anyone with as much upside as Pierre-Paul.

Other Possible Picks: Dan Williams, DT; Brian Price, DT; Brandon Spikes, LB; Everson Griffen, DE; Carlos Dunlap. DE

17. San Francisco 49ers(from Carolina)—Earl Thomas, S, Texas

Thomas was a big part of Texas' defense. He had eight interceptions for 149 yards, and two of them were returned for touchdowns. 

The 49ers have awful pass defense, and Mark Roman was subpar at safety.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Graham, DE/LB, Jerry Hughes, DE/LB; Kyle Wilson, CB

18. Pittsburgh Steelers—Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

Williams had an excellent Senior Bowl, and he can play in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. The Steelers need a NT to replace Casey Hampton. 

Other Possible Picks: Bryan Bulaga, T

19. Atlanta Falcons—Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri

Mike Peterson is nothing more than a veteran rental, and he will retire soon, so the Falcons will need a linebacker to replace him.

Weatherspoon had an excellent Senior Bowl, and he showed a lot of leadership and personality. A guy like him could turn around the Falcons' struggling defense.

Other Possible Picks: Donovan Warren, CB; Kyle Wilson, CB; Carlos Dunlap, DE

20. Houston Texans—Brian Price, DT, UCLA

The Texans have solid rush defense, but Mario Williams and Antonio Smith carry it with no reliable interior presence. Amobi Okoye is a bust and needs to be replaced.

Price led UCLA's defense, and he had 23.5 TFL and seven sacks. He played in a 4-3 defense like the Texans have.

Other Possible Picks: Golden Tate, WR; Toby Gerhart, RB

21. Cincinnati Bengals—Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame

The Bengals need a receiver badly, and they had bad luck with Chris Henry's death. Chad Ochocinco was shut down, and Carson Palmer had nowhere else to go against the Jets.

Tate was a First-Team All-American and played in a pro-style offense at Notre Dame. According to The Sporting News , the Bengals have scouted Tate heavily and expressed interest in him.

Other Possible Picks: Jermaine Gresham, TE; Damian Williams, WR

22. New England Patriots—Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma

Ben Watson only had 404 receiving yards on the season and one catch for three yards in the Patriots' playoff loss to the Ravens. What better way to end a contract year?

Gresham is an injury risk, but he was the most dominant tight end in college football and has the tools to succeed in the NFL. If the Patriots can handle Tom Brady getting injured, they can handle anything.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Graham, DE/LB; Jerry Hughes, DE/LB; Brandon Spikes, LB

23. Green Bay Packers—Bryan Bulaga, T, Iowa

The offensive line struggled in the first half of the season. It improved later on, but Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher are both free agents in their 30s.

Bulaga was the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and named to the First Team All-Big Ten. This pick would be a steal for the Packers since Bulaga has top-10 talent.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Graham, DE/LB, Charles Brown, T; Jerry Hughes, DE/LB; Kyle Wilson, CB

24. Philadelphia Eagles—Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Victor Abiamiri has been struggling, and Andy Reid loves drafting O-linemen and D-linemen.

Dunlap has character issues with a DUI arrest and alleged laziness. He has a lot of upside though, which alone will put Dunlap in the first round.

Other Possible Picks: Mike Iupati, G

25. Baltimore Ravens—Damian Williams, WR, USC

The Ravens need a receiver badly since Derrick Mason will likely retire and Mark Clayton drops passes for a living. Joe Flacco struggled this year, and the receiving unit is mostly to blame.

Other Possible Picks: Kyle Wilson, CB; Brandon LaFell, WR

26. Arizona Cardinals—Brandon Graham, DE/LB, Michigan

Graham was the Senior Bowl MVP, and his draft stock has skyrocketed since. He is often compared to his Michigan predecessor LaMarr Woodley.

Bertrand Berry retired, and 34-year-old Chike Okeafor is a free agent, so the Cardinals need a rush linebacker badly.

Other Possible Picks: Jerry Hughes, DE/LB, Charles Brown, T; Tim Tebow, QB

27. Dallas Cowboys—Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

Iupati had an excellent Senior Bowl, and the Cowboys have an aging offensive line. Iupati showed that he can play both guard and tackle, and the Cowboys announced they are keeping their No. 27 pick, so this more than likely means Iupati will be a Cowboy.

Other Possible Picks: Terrence Cody, DT

28. San Diego Chargers—Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

Cody had an embarrassing Senior Bowl weigh-in at 370 pounds, and this may cause him to drop to Round 2, but the Chargers need a nose tackle to replace the aging Jamal Williams.

Other Possible Picks: Toby Gerhart, RB; Jahvid Best, RB; Brandon LaFell, WR

29. New York Jets—Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

Lito Sheppard is terrible, and he constantly allows receiving yards and gets penalized for pass interference. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon did great against him in the AFC Championship. Darrelle Revis needs someone across from him to take the pressure off him.

Wilson had a great Senior Bowl and proved to be a vocal leader and an explosive cornerback and return specialist during the season.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon LaFell, WR; Patrick Robinson, CB; Brandon Ghee, CB

30. Minnesota Vikings—Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan

Warren had a solid junior year at Michigan with four interceptions, and the Vikings need a cornerback since Cedric Griffin tore his ACL and will be out for the 2010 season.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Ghee, CB; Tim Tebow, QB; Jared Odrick, DT

31. Indianapolis Colts—Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida

Gary Brackett is a free agent, and if he is re-signed, the Colts could still use depth at linebacker.

Spikes had 283 career tackles and six career interceptions at Florida, and he was another major part of their defense. He has character concerns surrounding him because of the Georgia eye-gouging incident though.

Other Possible Picks: Lamarr Houston, DT; Navorro Bowman, LB; Charles Brown, T

32. New Orleans Saints—Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn State

The Saints are the Super Bowl champions, but they still need to focus on this offseason if they wish to repeat. They need an outside linebacker.

Bowman is a strong linebacker who has the skills to succeed in the NFL, but maybe not the character since he was busted for disorderly conduct and smoking marijuana. These concerns may drop him to Round 3. Sean Payton shouldn't be afraid though since he is a great disciplinarian and a hard coach. Bowman has a lot of upside, so don't be surprised if the Saints draft Bowman.

If you take a close look around your community, you'll find an assortment of different businesses: banks, cleaners, delicatessens, discount dens, grocery outlets, hardware stores, etc. It takes a combination of all these different businesses to feed the many demands of a healthy and smooth running community. Now take another look around your community. This time, keep an eye out for coffee shops such as Starbucks and Dunkin Doughnuts. How many do you see?

Either your city has too many coffee shops, or it has too few. More often than not, towns across the States are suffering from a shortage of coffee shops. Just imagine how many throngs of coffee lovers your city potentially harbors. And consider just how much coffee the typical coffee connoisseur drinks. Coffee lovers are known to gulp cup after cup of coffee in just one day. Earning a coffee lover's loyalty is priceless. Coffee lovers typically bounce from shop to shop, similar to bar hoppers. Those shops that they like, they will tend to visit on a regular basis.

Starting your own franchised coffee shop does require a large sum of upfront cash. Powerbrokers like Dunkin Doughnuts may require you have tens of thousands of dollars before they will even consider your application for a franchise. The bottom line is that when applying for a franchise, do not be surprised if you are asked what your net worth in savings is. This isn't one of those times to be secretive about your wealth or lack thereof. Once you do get your own franchise, it will take time before you start baking a profit. In the meantime, you will need either a large savings or a steady income to keep living.

The beauty of the coffee business is the numerous options available. You can choose to just have a small stand with two or three types of coffees out on the streets. Or, if you wish, you can occupy a huge building and offer a variety of fresh, brewed coffee. Obviously, a store requires more money and commitment. You will want to offer various coffee brands, plus tasty snacks that compliment the coffee well. And you will need comfortable tables, couches, and might even want to consider offering free Internet access.

Most people choose to enter the coffee franchise industry to become financially secure and prosperous. Add a love for coffee to that mixture and you are set. All you need is the money. It could potentially take 20 or so years to raise up the funds necessary to secure a coffee shop franchise. My question to you… is it worth it?

Why?

Because the Stars are aligning in Cleveland and the course for the Browns is full steam ahead.

Finally, since Al & Randy Lerners 1998 acquisition, there is a real focus on building a winner in Cleveland. Randy and his father Al were never real Football Men, they were bankers.

That mindset and profession, does not usually make for a winning NFL Franchise owner.

Randy Lerner is not your typical NFL owner. The deals he loves to do are not made in a back office acquiring an extra draft pick or some All-Star offensive or defensive weapon. He wouldn't even get out of bed to snatch up a steal of a deal on a top free agent.

Owner Jerry Jones, on the other hand, would probably buy the coffee and donuts, pick the guy up in his personal Limo and hand him the contracts personally.

But that is OK, because what the Lerner family has that the Jones family doesn't, is BIG MONEY and Big Banking connections.

REALIZATION #1.

With the embarrassment of this season and the potential walk out threat by fans over, the organization has realized, “hey we gave the keys to the Kingdom, to a defensive coordinator and then let him put all of his inexperienced friends in positions of influence”.  

REALIZATION #2.

This is one loyal bunch of fanatics and they just might walk out of their stadium in protest. What a black eye on the NFL that would bring. We need to build a winner here.

Browns fans are one of the most loyal in all of sports, so why not support us?

This is exactly what my friend Randy is finally doing. His money and his connections are now for the first time, united in preparation and focus and they are helping to align the stars, so a winner can be brought back to Cleveland. 

When I speak of an aligning of the stars, what I mean is talent BABY!

It all starts at the top and at the top you need good old fashion smarts, not a defensive coordinator and his buddies running the show.

Cleveland's Biggest Problem was the lack of leadership at the top and that was fixed by the hiring of the CZAR, Mike Holmgren.

I love that move Randy and I love every one of the CZARS moves so far.

You're Golden so far Holmgren.

Great alignment of personnel and executive Stars and a great job keeping the defensive coaching Stars in tack, as well as our Head Coach. Mangini is a very smart football man but was way over his head. Keep his focus and his job simple and he will be a good coach for the next decade.

It was also a great move keeping Rob Ryan in the trenches. I don't think Buddy Ryan ever gave his boys anything other then raw meat to eat and it shows. I love this guys intensity.

We cant blame Mr. Mangini for what he got away with. The CZAR just did the same thing. Only difference is that the CZARS friends are Stars and Mangini's were 'yes' men.

As soon as Randy shifted his mind set, look what happened.

He got the best football mind out there to come to Cleveland, and that move got other great minds to come.

Cleveland found a lock down nose guard who was riding the bench most of the season and a future All-Pro running back who had been asleep at the wheel. The Browns powerful lineman and All-Purpose back, shined in Miami and positive energy is in the air, for more Stars to come….

The Next Big Problem will be fixing the holes in the the offense and the defense while implementing a more effective strategy on offense.

This is what the wise CZAR is going to do next.

He will take real control of the offense by adding some new minds (STARS) on the coaching staff and gut the rest of the “yes' men. That offense has been stuck in idle for the last couple of years and is ready to roll in 2010 with some modification of The West Coast offense.

He will grab a veteran QB from The Seattle Seahawks for QB Derek Anderson and a pick. If he plays “Texas Holdem” and patiently waits, we might even see an even up trade. Anderson is a Former All-Pro, younger and healthier and Pete Carroll doesn't really want his beaten up warrior, he wants to help shape his own guy.

The CZAR then grabs a great deep threat receiver and an All-Star defensive weapon (A Sack Master) via trades or free agency to go along with Haden or Berry and the rest of the 2010 draft picks, will fill in nicely. This draft is filled with more depth in talent then has been seen in previous years and thanks to Mangini, we got picks.

Lastly, The CZAR will help retool Brady Quinn (The Mighty Quinn is MY NICKNAME for this kid) as a San Francisco style Joe Montana and Quinn will eventually take over the West Coast offense. You heard it here first!

Let me be the first to thank my friend, Randy Lerner, for bringing a winner back to Cleveland, by helping to Align the Stars.

                                          

                                                      2010 Statistics

Record 11-5 (I wanted to say 10 – 6, but I sense something better)

Touchdowns For Cleveland From 25 to 40    Touchdowns Against from 41 to 30

Total Yards on Offense 5500 from 4163       Total yard against Defense 4350 from 6229

Turnover ratio +5-7 from -12

Defense Points  allowed from 22nd to top 12                                                          

Defense  Yards  allowed from 31st to top 16                                                        

Offense Points  scored  from 29th to top 16                                                        

Offense Yards   gained  from 32nd to top 15

1. St. Louis Rams—Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Suh had a spectacular Big 12 Championship and Holiday Bowl performance. In the Big 12 championship, he notched four-and-a-half sacks on Colt McCoy, who was saved by Hunter Lawrence. He also got invited to New York as a Heisman finalist and finished fourth in the voting.

In the Holiday Bowl, Arizona went nowhere and lost 33-0. Suh finished the season with 12 sacks, and he can play in either a 4-3 or a 3-4 scheme, which will benefit him in the NFL. Many draft experts have compared him to Kevin Williams.

Some fans would argue that the Rams would be making the same mistake here as they did in 2007 and 2008 with Adam Carriker and Chris Long, and they need a franchise QB. I agree with this consensus, and if it were up to me, I would draft Sam Bradford, but I can't see the Rams resisting Suh.

Other Possible Picks: Jimmy Clausen, QB; Sam Bradford, QB

2. Detroit Lions—Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

The Lions should take Russell Okung, but their management is incompetent and failed to take a tackle last year with the No. 20 pick.

The Lions' offensive line coach George Yarno is somehow happy with Jeff Backus' performance in 2009, and head coach Jim Schwartz believes that he should have been to the Pro Bowl despite allowing eight sacks.

QB Matt Stafford suffered injuries in his rookie year with no protection. Michael Oher would have been an excellent pick, but the Lions foolishly passed on him.

They need help on defense, too. McCoy is possibly the best DT in the draft. DT Sammie Lee Hill had a solid rookie year, and McCoy and him together would be a significant force. The Lions' linebackers performed well too. Julian Peterson and Larry Foote were both great, and DeAndre Levy showed promising talent. S Louis Delmas had an excellent rookie campaign with four interceptions and would have been a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate on a winning team.

The Lions could go either way with McCoy or Berry here. McCoy and Hill would be a powerful DT duo, and Berry and Delmas would be a powerful S duo, but maybe the Lions will wake up and smell the coffee and take a tackle. If Okung is taken, Backus could move to right tackle, and Cherilus could move to right guard.

Other Possible Picks: Eric Berry, S; Russell Okung, T

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

Berry may be the most talented player in the 2010 NFL Draft. He is often compared to Ed Reed.

The Buccaneers would rather have Suh or McCoy fall to them, but there's a possibility they will both be gone. If they are, the Buccaneers have a pretty obvious pick here since Berry is too much of a value to pass on, and S Sabby Piscitelli wasn't very good and is a free agent.

Defensive end can't be ruled out though since the Buccaneers need a lot of help at defensive line.

Other Possible Picks: Russell Okung, T; Derrick Morgan, DE; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

4. Washington Redskins—Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

I have decided to mock Bradford to the Redskins over Clausen because I heard Mike Shanahan express interest in Bradford on profootballtalk.com, and Shanahan is looking to draft a QB even if Jason Campbell re-signs.

There are concerns surrounding Bradford regarding his season-ending injury in 2009 and his ability to play under center since he played out of the shotgun in Oklahoma. However, Drew Brees played in a spread offense at Purdue, and now he's the best QB in the NFL. Bradford has a great work ethic and has amazing upside that's too good to pass on.

Other Possible Picks: Russell Okung, T; Jimmy Clausen, QB

5. Kansas City Chiefs—Russell Okung, T, Oklahoma State

The Chiefs may have the worst offensive line in the NFL, and Matt Cassel went through a nightmare of a 2009 season. Branden Albert would be better served with moving to left guard.

Okung was dominant at Oklahoma State, and he started all four years and was a two-time First-Team All-American. He has great leadership skills and draws comparisons to Joe Thomas.

Other Possible Picks: Anthony Davis, T; Trent Williams, T; Bruce Campbell, T

6. Seattle Seahawks—Trent Williams, T, Oklahoma

Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates said that he was pleased with QB Matt Hasselbeck and RBs Justin Forsett and Julius Jones and has plans with them for his new offensive scheme, so we can pretty much rule out Seattle using a first-round pick on a quarterback or a running back.

Tackle is a huge need for the Seahawks since Walter Jones wisely retired, and Sean Locklear isn't suited to protect the blind side. Since Okung is taken, the Seahawks aren't getting the best, but there's plenty of other tackles.

Williams anchored Oklahoma's offensive line after Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson went pro and was a 2009 Third-Team All-American.

Other Possible Picks: Bruce Campbell, T; Jimmy Clausen, QB; Anthony Davis, T

7. Cleveland Browns—Joe Haden, CB, Florida

The Browns' pass defense finished 29th in the NFL, allowing 247.9 yards per game. Their cornerbacks are unreliable, and Haden is easily the best cornerback prospect. He led Florida's dominant defense, and if this scenario happens, this pick is easy.

Browns fans are fed up with Brady Quinn, but it appears as though Mike Holmgren and Eric Mangini are sticking with him and Derek Anderson for now.

Other Possible Picks: Derrick Morgan, DE; Rolando McClain, LB

8. Oakland Raiders—Bruce Campbell, T, Maryland

Al Davis loves players that run fast 40 times. He has proved that by drafting Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

The Raiders have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and Robert Gallery, who was supposed to be a Pro Bowl tackle, is a mediocre guard. 

Campbell can run a 4.9, so Davis will be excited by him.

Other Possible Picks: Anthony Davis, T; Bryan Bulaga, T; Jimmy Clausen, QB; Derrick Morgan, DE; Rolando McClain, LB

9. Buffalo Bills—Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

Trent Edwards had a tough year in 2009, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is nothing more than a backup. The offensive line is to blame mostly, and Edwards is a solid QB, but since Clausen falls here, there's no way the Bills pass on him.

Other Possible Picks: Derrick Morgan, DE; Anthony Davis, T; Bryan Bulaga, T; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

10. Jacksonville Jaguars—Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech

The Jaguars have terrible rush defense, and Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves are both busts.

Morgan is an excellent 4-3 defensive end, and he led Georgia Tech with 12 sacks.

Tim Tebow is definitely out of the picture here since he struggled at the Senior Bowl, so the only way the Jaguars take him in the first round is if they trade down.

Other Possible Picks: Rolando McClain, LB; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE; Dez Bryant, WR

11. Denver Broncos(from Chicago)—Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

Brandon Marshall has as good as waved goodbye to Denver, and assuming he leaves, the Broncos will want to replace him with a No. 1 receiver, and Bryant fits that mold.

Other Possible Picks: Rolando McClain, LB; C.J. Spiller, RB; Dan Williams, DT

12. Miami Dolphins—Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama

The Dolphins have a hole at inside linebacker since Akin Ayodele isn't the answer, and McClain played in a 3-4 defense at Alabama, just like the Dolphins do.

Other Possible Picks: Dan Williams, DT; C.J. Spiller, RB

13. San Francisco 49ers—Anthony Davis, T, Rutgers

The 49ers had a terrible offensive line, and Adam Snyder allowed 9.5 sacks, and Tony Pashos had a career-ending injury. The depth is extremely thin, so Davis would be a great pick to take the pressure off of Joe Staley.

Other Possible Picks: Bryan Bulaga, T; C.J. Spiller, RB

14. Seattle Seahawks(from Denver)—Taylor Mays, S, USC

With Pete Carroll and Jeremy Bates in Seattle now, the Seahawks won't blow off this opportunity. Mays is a former Trojan, so Carroll knows what Mays is capable of, and the Seahawks need a safety badly, as evidenced by their 30th-ranked pass defense. Mays struggled in the Senior Bowl, but that won't rattle Carroll since he has a lot of upside.

Other Possible Picks: C.J. Spiller, RB; Earl Thomas, S; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

15. New York Giants—C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

The Giants need depth at running back since Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent, and Brandon Jacobs is too fragile to handle the carries alone.

Spiller draws comparisons to Chris Johnson since he can run a 4.2 and has a similar type of explosiveness.

Other Possible Picks: Dan Williams, DT; Earl Thomas, S; Brian Price, DT; Jason Pierre-Paul, DE

16. Tennessee Titans—Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

The Titans have a lot of free agents at defensive end, including Kyle Vanden Bosch, who only had 3.5 sacks in a contract year.

Pierre-Paul is a dark horse who plays in a 4-3 scheme, and the Titans won't be able to resist anyone with as much upside as Pierre-Paul.

Other Possible Picks: Dan Williams, DT; Brian Price, DT; Brandon Spikes, LB; Everson Griffen, DE; Carlos Dunlap. DE

17. San Francisco 49ers(from Carolina)—Earl Thomas, S, Texas

Thomas was a big part of Texas' defense. He had eight interceptions for 149 yards, and two of them were returned for touchdowns. 

The 49ers have awful pass defense, and Mark Roman was subpar at safety.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Graham, DE/LB, Jerry Hughes, DE/LB; Kyle Wilson, CB

18. Pittsburgh Steelers—Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee

Williams had an excellent Senior Bowl, and he can play in a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. The Steelers need a NT to replace Casey Hampton. 

Other Possible Picks: Bryan Bulaga, T

19. Atlanta Falcons—Sean Weatherspoon, LB, Missouri

Mike Peterson is nothing more than a veteran rental, and he will retire soon, so the Falcons will need a linebacker to replace him.

Weatherspoon had an excellent Senior Bowl, and he showed a lot of leadership and personality. A guy like him could turn around the Falcons' struggling defense.

Other Possible Picks: Donovan Warren, CB; Kyle Wilson, CB; Carlos Dunlap, DE

20. Houston Texans—Brian Price, DT, UCLA

The Texans have solid rush defense, but Mario Williams and Antonio Smith carry it with no reliable interior presence. Amobi Okoye is a bust and needs to be replaced.

Price led UCLA's defense, and he had 23.5 TFL and seven sacks. He played in a 4-3 defense like the Texans have.

Other Possible Picks: Golden Tate, WR; Toby Gerhart, RB

21. Cincinnati Bengals—Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame

The Bengals need a receiver badly, and they had bad luck with Chris Henry's death. Chad Ochocinco was shut down, and Carson Palmer had nowhere else to go against the Jets.

Tate was a First-Team All-American and played in a pro-style offense at Notre Dame. According to The Sporting News , the Bengals have scouted Tate heavily and expressed interest in him.

Other Possible Picks: Jermaine Gresham, TE; Damian Williams, WR

22. New England Patriots—Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma

Ben Watson only had 404 receiving yards on the season and one catch for three yards in the Patriots' playoff loss to the Ravens. What better way to end a contract year?

Gresham is an injury risk, but he was the most dominant tight end in college football and has the tools to succeed in the NFL. If the Patriots can handle Tom Brady getting injured, they can handle anything.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Graham, DE/LB; Jerry Hughes, DE/LB; Brandon Spikes, LB

23. Green Bay Packers—Bryan Bulaga, T, Iowa

The offensive line struggled in the first half of the season. It improved later on, but Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher are both free agents in their 30s.

Bulaga was the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and named to the First Team All-Big Ten. This pick would be a steal for the Packers since Bulaga has top-10 talent.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Graham, DE/LB, Charles Brown, T; Jerry Hughes, DE/LB; Kyle Wilson, CB

24. Philadelphia Eagles—Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

Victor Abiamiri has been struggling, and Andy Reid loves drafting O-linemen and D-linemen.

Dunlap has character issues with a DUI arrest and alleged laziness. He has a lot of upside though, which alone will put Dunlap in the first round.

Other Possible Picks: Mike Iupati, G

25. Baltimore Ravens—Damian Williams, WR, USC

The Ravens need a receiver badly since Derrick Mason will likely retire and Mark Clayton drops passes for a living. Joe Flacco struggled this year, and the receiving unit is mostly to blame.

Other Possible Picks: Kyle Wilson, CB; Brandon LaFell, WR

26. Arizona Cardinals—Brandon Graham, DE/LB, Michigan

Graham was the Senior Bowl MVP, and his draft stock has skyrocketed since. He is often compared to his Michigan predecessor LaMarr Woodley.

Bertrand Berry retired, and 34-year-old Chike Okeafor is a free agent, so the Cardinals need a rush linebacker badly.

Other Possible Picks: Jerry Hughes, DE/LB, Charles Brown, T; Tim Tebow, QB

27. Dallas Cowboys—Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

Iupati had an excellent Senior Bowl, and the Cowboys have an aging offensive line. Iupati showed that he can play both guard and tackle, and the Cowboys announced they are keeping their No. 27 pick, so this more than likely means Iupati will be a Cowboy.

Other Possible Picks: Terrence Cody, DT

28. San Diego Chargers—Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

Cody had an embarrassing Senior Bowl weigh-in at 370 pounds, and this may cause him to drop to Round 2, but the Chargers need a nose tackle to replace the aging Jamal Williams.

Other Possible Picks: Toby Gerhart, RB; Jahvid Best, RB; Brandon LaFell, WR

29. New York Jets—Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

Lito Sheppard is terrible, and he constantly allows receiving yards and gets penalized for pass interference. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon did great against him in the AFC Championship. Darrelle Revis needs someone across from him to take the pressure off him.

Wilson had a great Senior Bowl and proved to be a vocal leader and an explosive cornerback and return specialist during the season.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon LaFell, WR; Patrick Robinson, CB; Brandon Ghee, CB

30. Minnesota Vikings—Donovan Warren, CB, Michigan

Warren had a solid junior year at Michigan with four interceptions, and the Vikings need a cornerback since Cedric Griffin tore his ACL and will be out for the 2010 season.

Other Possible Picks: Brandon Ghee, CB; Tim Tebow, QB; Jared Odrick, DT

31. Indianapolis Colts—Brandon Spikes, LB, Florida

Gary Brackett is a free agent, and if he is re-signed, the Colts could still use depth at linebacker.

Spikes had 283 career tackles and six career interceptions at Florida, and he was another major part of their defense. He has character concerns surrounding him because of the Georgia eye-gouging incident though.

Other Possible Picks: Lamarr Houston, DT; Navorro Bowman, LB; Charles Brown, T

32. New Orleans Saints—Navorro Bowman, LB, Penn State

The Saints are the Super Bowl champions, but they still need to focus on this offseason if they wish to repeat. They need an outside linebacker.

Bowman is a strong linebacker who has the skills to succeed in the NFL, but maybe not the character since he was busted for disorderly conduct and smoking marijuana. These concerns may drop him to Round 3. Sean Payton shouldn't be afraid though since he is a great disciplinarian and a hard coach. Bowman has a lot of upside, so don't be surprised if the Saints draft Bowman.

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Exclusive: Geithner Says Brown Wrong About Stimulus

February 07, 2010 9:00 AM

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner challenged newly elected Senator Scott Brown’s claim that the last stimulus bill “didn’t create one new job.”   Brown made the remark during his first press conference after being sworn in Thursday, but in my “This Week” interview, Geithner said he doesn’t “think there’s any basis for that judgment.”

The administration has faced some criticism for using the phrase “jobs saved or created” in describing the impact of the stimulus package.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Friday, said the stimulus package created more than 7,000 jobs in that state.  

Watch Video HERE:

Read the Full exchange HERE:

TAPPER:  The new senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, one of the first things he said after being sworn in was that the stimulus package has not created one job.

BROWN:“The last stimulus bill didn't create one new job. And in some states, the money that was actually released hasn't even been used yet.”

GEITHNER:  Oh, I don't think there’s any basis for that judgment.  I mean, again, just think where we were.  January of 2009, three-quarters of a million Americans losing their jobs.  We have an economy now that's growing again.  With growth you're going to see jobs created.

Again, we already saw some job — a month where we had positive job growth.  But, you know, it's going to take a while.  It took a long time for these problems to develop.  They're going to take some time to heal.  But we're in a much stronger position today.

But our priority has to be, and I think you see broad recognition of this now, is to make sure we're working very hard to make sure that we're seeing this growth translate into more jobs to reach more Americans. 

- jpt

February 7, 2010
in Stimulus
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The famously private investor David Gelbaum, founder of The Quercus Trust, and who by his own estimates has between 40 and 50 cleantech investments, as a rule hasn’t done interviews for years. According to the last comprehensive story on him, published in the LA Times in 2004, the former math whiz, hedge fund manager and philanthropist, is so anonymous he’s sometimes mistaken for his gardener. But this afternoon, on the heels of Gelbaum accepting the role of CEO of one of his portfolio companies Entech Solar (the first time he’s taken over as CEO), Gelbaum got on the phone with us to chat about the potential of solar, how he’s lost money in greentech so far, and his focus on making some returns.

1). Why did you take the job as CEO of Entech Solar?

David Gelbaum: I have always been active with our portfolio companies, but this is the first time I’ve been CEO. But I’m passionate about the company, I’ve got an understanding of it and it turned out the board agreed with me. This is a company which I’ve been the most closely involved with — I’ve been working with the team and I know a lot of the people and I’ve been functioning basically as an executive already.

2). Can you tell me a bit more about the process of starting the Quercus Trust? What inspired you?

DG: The Quercus Trust is just an estate planning fund, and I picked the name Quercus Trust because I like oak trees (quercus stands for oak). In 2006 I decided to get into cleanech investing. I was looking around to start making some money and I had some understanding of solar, so I looked at that. It looked really promising, particularly when I realized we were close to solar being at economic parity with fossils.

3). So your cleantech investing through Quercus Trust is meant to make money, in contrast the your philanthropy work?

DG: Yes, I don’t need to make money on this in order to live, but yes, the goal is to make money off the investments.

4). Have the returns in greentech been what you expected — do you have exits yet and if so what?

DG: I havent had any exits and I’ve lost money in this business. It’s just part of the general shortage of credit.

5). Kleiner Perkins’ John Doerr said a couple months ago that if he’d foreseen the credit crunch and the recession, he’s not sure if his firm would have gotten into cleantech back when it did. Have you had similar thoughts?

DG: No, I’m glad I’m in this. I’m very optimistic.

6). What are the sectors you’re most bullish on?

DG: I think most of my investments have huge promise, and many of them are intertwined. Solar can’t go forward without the smart grid, because of the intermittency measures of solar. They all have huge upsides.

7). Are there any areas that you’ll be making more investments in going forward in 2010?

DG: Mainly follow-on investments and focus on getting the current ones to make money.

8). How many cleantech investments have you made to date?

DG: Somewhere between 40 to 50.

9). How have the stimulus funds affected the industry and your investments?

DG: Well, for the companies that got government funding, it’s been good. But for the ones that haven’t it’s been negative. I’m glad that they’ve continued to extend the tax credits for years.

10). You’re just starting to open up and do interviews now that you’ve take on the CEO role. What was the reason for being so quiet and do you expect you’ll be talking to the media more going forward?

DG: It’s just been about being a private person. I expect I’ll be doing more interviews — I’ve done more interviews today than I have done over the past five years.

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To understand you own personal finances an income statement and a balance sheet can be helpful. The income statement (shown below in simple English) can help you accomplish Step 1 (evaluating your personal finances) written about in my previous article on this topic. We will get to the balance sheet in the next article.

Personal Finance Income Statement: Part I

On a plain piece of notebook paper list the following items under “Take-Home Pay”:

1) Total income (that would be your gross wages on your pay stub).

2) Total income taxes (for right now just lump everything deducted from your check here, including insurance deductibles).

3) Now subtract the total income taxes from the gross wages and we have your net income (what is known as 'take home pay', as I'm sure you already knew).

I apologize in advance to anyone already familiar with this step in the process, but there will be some individuals who aren't, so this is for them.

Personal Finance Income Statement: Part II

This is where the personal finance evaluating gets a little more in-depth; but not too bad. List your living expenses beneath the data you just wrote down about your income. I know, I know, you probably think you have a handle on that without doing this step, but you may come away surprised that you actually have more expenses than you thought.

Here are some personal finance income statement category suggestions for analyzing your expenses and breaking them apart:

Housing expenses (include them all, from rent or mortgage to trash bags, but don't include insurance here); next is food expenditures (groceries and eating out, and that birthday cake for your daughter); clothing and personal items you buy (that includes makeup and toothpaste); transportation costs (auto, repairs, gas, oil, taxis, but not auto insurance).

And then calculate your total recreational expenses (movies, books, magazines, concerts), medical expenses (but not insurance costs), and then all your insurance expenses (home, auto, health). If you have any other expenses that you are aware of (child support), put them under the “other expenses” category. Now total them all up.

If your expenses outweigh your income don't get discouraged. A little work is in order, sure, but it is not a mountain you can't climb.

Personal Finance Income Statement: Part III

Some of you may not have anything to put down in this last category (especially if you are living from hand-to-mouth–or worse), because it deals with money you have available for savings and investments. So don't feel bad! It will eventually come—just learn the steps to get there.

But for those who do have even a small amount left over after they subtract their total expenses from their total income, this is one asset that you have that we are going to use to improve your personal finances. So list your total income from net pay on one line in this section of your paper, then list your total expenses on the next line and subtract. This is the amount we now have to work with to improve your personal finances.

And if you haven't heard about the magic of the time value of money, just sit tight. It is a comin'. But let's look at the balance sheet first.

Resources

Personal Finance: Turning Money into Wealth by Arthur J. Keown (5th edition)

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Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

Seventy-eight million American workers are not offered a retirement plan — such as a 401(k) or pension plan — at work. While having an employer sponsored plan is certainly a nice benefit, you have plenty of other options for saving for retirement. Today Ken and Daria walk you through your retirement plan options.

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1. You should also check out http://www.FiLife.com. FiLife is a personal finance question and answer platform that is now the #4 personal finance site on the web according to Comscore (December 2009). Users can come to the site and ask questions and get expert answers in a few hours.

   Posted by: EK |
   January 14, 2010 5:45 AM

2. I second that FiLife nomination. I've asked several questions there on a variety of topics and my questions usually get answered by somebody right away. Plus, tax season is coming up, and it's going to be good to have a place to ask those pesky tax questions!

   Posted by: Barclay |
   January 14, 2010 7:26 AM

3. Its still early days for these services yet, and whilst options like Xero might be good for professional type businesses, for anyone who carries / needs to account for stock they are not yet suitable. But as they build an eco-system of integrations around them then will become suitable for a wider range of businesses.

   Core accounting doesn't really change, (tax rates etc change but the basics stay the same), so we've been able to use the same desktop accounting software, bought for around £300, for the past 5 years. Which make the SAAS providers very expensive by comparison. As they build more features and more data integrations then that cost may become justified.

   Posted by: Robert |
   January 14, 2010 9:24 AM

4. Small business accounting doesn't have to be complex…or scary. And that's what the web (internet DNA) can bring to small businesses…'De-scarey' accounting into simple, easy to understand workflows.

   Surprised that with all the mentioned of Intuit, there isn't one of QuickBooks Online? For small businesses who want that anywhere/anytime access (and majority will in a short time!) QuickBooks Online is a big player.

   We're bringing that Internet DNA (and the decades of trusted accounting knowledge) to how small businesses think about and run their books. Pretty exciting stuff there.

   Kristen
   QuickBooks Online Product Manager

   Posted by: Kristen Berman |
   January 14, 2010 9:45 AM

5. Doesn't First Round Capital have an interesting portfolio company that competes directly with Xero? Might be worth a mention… I forget the name.

   Posted by: Andrew Parker |
   January 14, 2010 9:59 AM

6. For personal finances, I use Mint.com – very useful feedback via emails in terms of where my money is going, and where I stand at the end of every month.

   Posted by: Ceyda |
   January 14, 2010 12:23 PM

7. I would love to try Mint but they weren't operating in the UK the last time I checked.

   I've used Wesabe for a while, but the whole download/upload approach was too much for my low frustration tolerance. I blame being spoilt by API's for this

   Posted by: Ray Scott |
   January 14, 2010 12:25 PM

8. I use Quickbooks (for Windows) for business. While a solution like Xero would be an ideal, most SMB focused Accounting firms still recommend and rely on Quickbooks. I think I will be introducing my accountant to Xero.

   On the personal side, Mint is great, but lacks certain features that are necessary for some people. I use Quicken (for Windows) in order to track checks and attach images. Once Mint/QOE introduces a feature set similar to the desktop version, the switch will be a no-brainer.

    Posted by: Bryan Radtke |
   January 14, 2010 12:36 PM

9. I use FreeAgent (http://www.freeagentcentral.com) for my small business. For UK based companies it's particularly fantastic as it “knows” about UK tax and VAT rules but for pretty much anyone it is beautifully designed and works a treat. First thing I signed up for when starting the business, don't regret it for a second.

    Posted by: Ed Moore |
   January 14, 2010 12:38 PM

10. Xero is missing Payroll functionality for the UK, although integration is available with two external providers at additional cost.

    FreeAgent Central has it's own payroll functionality included within the Limited Company service plan (£25 per month plus VAT).

    Neither FreeAgent or Xero can manage stock which is a major limitation currently.

    Posted by: James |
    January 14, 2010 6:19 PM

11. I'm not clear about why nobody's created a 3rd party service that can actually perform transactions. Mint.com, etc. make it easy to watch what's happening with your money and set budget goals, etc. but don't actually help you allocate your money. I've long wanted an online method to automatically manage balances across multiple accounts (e.g. different accounts intended for different spending categories, or just automating savings better). Banks have their own tools for doing recurring transactions but as far as I've seen they are all limited to a fixed-amount transaction and are restricted to single-future-date or fixed-interval-recurring scheduling. Why not allow a percentage of each paycheck to be transferred to savings whenever it clears? Or set up rules like pay down credit card balances before transferring to savings.

    Is there some technical (doubtful) or legal reason why this type of account management isn't available?

    Posted by: Brandon |
    January 17, 2010 9:15 PM

12. Saasu.com is interesting too, it is richer than xero (e.g salary processing, inventory) so a hybrid online ERP and accounting.

    Blippy.com is new and also unusual, used for sharing credit card transactions on twitter, only a matter of time before some accounting software integrates that feed from all employees with hash tags for expense categories

    Cheers, Pete.

     Posted by: Peter J Cooper |
    January 18, 2010 2:44 PM

13. For SME accounting, there is also an interesting development for taking book-keeping and making the numbers useful through benchmarking. By capturing the data within book-keeping, animalizing it, analyzing and producing reports – benchmarking allows SMEs to see how their business ticks and how competitive they are in their market sector.

    FreshBooks is offering it, and there are specialists such as MyCake.org which is a front end API linked to online software such as KashFlow.

    Hannah
    MyCake.org

    Posted by: Hannah Knowles |
    January 29, 2010 2:31 AM

14. Quickbooks is what I use but have been following Mint and realized that a lot of persons how it in high esteem.

    Posted by: FinanciallySmart |
    January 30, 2010 8:43 AM

15. One thing that's worth considering is that remote desktop and remote application technology is bringing traditional desktop applications to the web. This means that Sage and Quickbooks, the market leaders here in the UK can be accessed anywhere with the speed and familiarity of desktop software.
    The costs are higher but the benefits are significant and it can be a difficult and often unsuccessful process moving from sage to a web based system, data migration, user training etc. In my experience a remote desktop solution is often the best route for an extablished business.
    Having said this if I were starting a business up I'd certainly use a web-based app, QuickBooks online if or when it's available in the UK.

    Posted by: Dan Hancock |
    January 31, 2010 1:09 AM

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MetsBlog.com – <b>News</b>: Mookie and Melvin join Mets

<b>News</b>: Mookie and Melvin join Mets. February 8, 2010 at 15:40 pm · 24 comments. by Matthew Cerrone. The Mets have named Mookie Wilson as the team's minor league outfield and base running coordinator. Wilson had been the team's first base …

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Crist making it … too easy

posted at 3:10 pm on January 26, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

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One might think that the new polls showing Marco Rubio closing the gap on Charlie Crist might have the Governor looking for ways to negate the notion that he’s an ally of Barack Obama and big-government spending.  Obama himself is now under water in Florida, according to the latest Quinnipiac polling, so linking himself to Obama would seem like playing into Rubio’s hands.  And yet, tying himself to Obama is apparently exactly what Crist wants to do:

Gov. Charlie Crist, who has been taking a steady pounding for his “man hug” with President Obama in Fort Myers last February, says he may be with the president again at the University of Tampa Thursday when the president may announce a major award of high-speed rail money for Florida — money that state officials say will create thousands of new jobs. …

“Currently, I have plans to be in Tampa on Thursday for the Board of Governors (meeting). We’re going to  announce the new membership. If we can work it out logistically, I will be with him,” Crist said.

When reporter Steve Thomas pointed out to Crist that the “man hug” problem still hangs over his campaign, Crist insisted that he didn’t care — and that his concern was “fighting for jobs” in Florida.  Of course, that was the same excuse Crist used when campaigning for Porkulus last Feburary.  He tried to cast people opposed to the useless $787 billion massive pork expenditure as needlessly partisan and himself as a voice of pragmatic reason.  Those opponents look a lot more pragmatic now than Crist does, and Crist looks a lot more opportunistic than principled.

Now we have Obama bringing pork to Florida again, only with his own approval numbers sinking.  The high-speed rail jobs may or may not materialize, depending on whether Florida sinks billions of its own money into matching funds normally required for such projects.  Floridians may prefer to spend their money on other types of transportation projects, or not spend the money at all, rather than build more subsidy-floated public transportation.  In either case, Crist is going to make it all the more difficult to separate himself from Obama — and that’s exactly what Rubio wants.

Guest Post by My Friend Kelly

January is over and the Eating From the Pantry Challenge has come to a close. While you may be ready to dive back into grocery shopping, couponing, and restocking, don’t let the momentum end here. The principles behind this challenge can be applied to a variety of other projects which can help cut costs, de-clutter your home, and streamline daily life. Sometimes this means using up excess stock and other times the focus is getting more regular use out of non-expendable items.

Here’s a few ways to do that:

Personal Hygiene Products

Whether or not you can find coupons and deals on the food your family eats, most everyone will be able to find a rebate or rewards deal on hygiene products at one of the drug stores or national chains around the country. Using what you learned during Eating from the Pantry Month, give yourself 30 days before buying any new personal hygiene products. In the meantime, clear out your bathroom cabinets and see what you still need and what you don’t.

Finish up half-used bottles of shampoo and conditioner and use the last bits of lotion from gift sets. Replace the razors with dull blades or broken handles and if you have liquid soap, refill pump bottles.  Toss broken combs or hair accessories and use up the last inch of mousse or gel before starting a new bottle. If someone in your family opposes a particular brand and you have unopened items consider putting together a care package. Check out this post for ideas on what to send and who to send it to.

Pull out fresh floss and mouthwash to improve your oral hygiene and health. If you haven’t swapped out your toothbrush in the past three months or have recently gotten over an illness open up a new one but don’t throw out the old just yet–a toothbrush can clean more than your molars!

Household Cleaners

Maintaining a clean house doesn’t have to take hours and hundreds of dollars in premium cleaning products. Use similar tactics to inventory what you have, see what you need, stretch what you use and find substitutes.  While you’re digging under the sinks use up the last little bit of general cleaner and wipe down the shelves. Try to identify what you use each product to clean and how often you use up a bottle.

Don’t just think about products but other supplies as well.  Re-purpose old towels from the kitchen or bath as cleaning rags, use old worn out toothbrushes to scrub small crevices, find an old pillowcase to clean ceiling fan blades, or lone socks to dust. If you find you have a pile of dusting rags you can reduce the amount of paper towels you buy.

Office supplies

How many different places in your house do you have a stash of pens? Notepads? Tape? Round everything up and sort it out (old shoe boxes come in handy here) and toss or donate what you don’t use.  Find out what you’ll need for everyday use and what school-aged children can take to class. Just like the pantry challenge, make do with what you have–blue pens can work just as well as black ones–and substitute where you can. Whether you write grocery lists on the back of a used envelope or reuse file folders these tactics can keep money in your pocket and clutter out of your home.

Centralize one place for commonly misplaced items like tape, scissors, and sharpies. Or is that just my house?

Crafts & Decorations

If you can be described as crafty, then you’re probably well aware of the dangers that entrap quilters, scrapbookers, knitters and painters alike. It’s easy to hoard supplies and fill drawers, bins and yes, even rooms with projects that we have no hope of finishing in ten lifetimes. Make the commitment to stop buying new supplies for one month and go “shopping” at home. Dig through your stock and try to remember what project you had in mind when you brought home these items.

Finish an old project or start a new one, substitute one component instead of buying new, and give away things you won’t use to someone who will. Consider a swap amongst friends or just a potluck night in when everyone can bring a dish and a project and work together.

As Spring rolls around it can be easy to get tired of our surroundings and want something new and fresh.  Check your attics, basements, and closets for decorative items that were put away or forgotten. Re-hang a picture or touch up the paint on a table. Move around some furniture, pull out the throw blankets, fill glass vases and use the good china.  Put a new picture in an old frame or clear everything off a wall and paint it fresh.  Look for things you already have that can be used in new and interesting ways.

There are also some things we can be getting more use out of, things that are not necessarily used up.

Entertainment

Do you have family games gathering dust? Puzzles, video games, books or movies that go unused? The same principles apply even if using an entertainment item will not expend it for future use. Pull out all your puzzles and look them over together. Maybe some are missing too many pieces, another too advanced for younger children, some too juvenile for older children. Keep what you’ll use, recycle what you won’t. Donate unused items to your school or church, ask friends if their children would enjoy something new.

Do your kids have piles of half used or broken crayons? Turn them into a craft project. Go through your books and weed out volumes you no long read, reference or enjoy. Do the same for family pictures by tossing prints that are fuzzy or faded, or pictures that have no personal meaning or value. Be careful about tossing older photos that may have some value to another family member. Check out this post for tips on preserving family memories.

Clothes

If you find yourself wearing the same outfits over and over again try the Empty Closet Challenge.  Pull everything out and box up things that don’t fit or flatter your figure.  Work with what you have and fill in pieces that will create attractive looks that fit your lifestyle.  At the end of the month pull out the boxes of discarded clothes and sell them by consignment or eBay, return new items to the store, donate to a charity or give to a friend. Don’t forget to look over belts, scarves, jackets, shoes, and jewelry too. Rethinking a wardrobe can be challenge–check out this site for ideas on using thrift store finds to create stunning new looks for under $20!

I know it seems overwhelming when you think of all the places to apply the principles you learned during Eating from the Pantry Month. But just like January, take one thing at a time, make adjustments as you go, and share what you’ve learned. By 2011, you might just have a cleaner, uncluttered home, more money in the bank and new routines. Then your only challenge will be finding a New Year’s Resolution you haven’t already accomplished!

Kelly is a 25 year old single homeowner living in Northern California. Despite a high cost of living and tough job market, Kelly has created a cozy home without acquiring debt. Now just $3,000 away from eliminating student loans (the last of consumer debt), Kelly looks forward her first trip abroad, thrift store decorating, and teaching financial awareness. Kelly blogs at My Friend Kelly.

Photo credit: Fauxto_credit; Kevin McShane; Patrick Q

http://www.webjam.com/gabrielle71 http://www.prlog.org/10248797-reitbuyercom-offers-opportunity-to-onlinereal-estate-stock-traders-in-albuquerque-new-mexico.html http://www.prlog.org/tag/online-stock-trading/ http://www.prlog.org/10219817-online-traders-discover-reits-and-real-estate-mutual-funds-to-be-good-investment.html http://www.prlog.org/10248797-reitbuyercom-offers-opportunity-to-onlinereal-estate-stock-traders-in-albuquerque-new-mexico.html http://www.webjam.com/gabrielle71

Crist making it … too easy

posted at 3:10 pm on January 26, 2010 by Ed Morrissey

Share on Facebook | printer-friendly

One might think that the new polls showing Marco Rubio closing the gap on Charlie Crist might have the Governor looking for ways to negate the notion that he’s an ally of Barack Obama and big-government spending.  Obama himself is now under water in Florida, according to the latest Quinnipiac polling, so linking himself to Obama would seem like playing into Rubio’s hands.  And yet, tying himself to Obama is apparently exactly what Crist wants to do:

Gov. Charlie Crist, who has been taking a steady pounding for his “man hug” with President Obama in Fort Myers last February, says he may be with the president again at the University of Tampa Thursday when the president may announce a major award of high-speed rail money for Florida — money that state officials say will create thousands of new jobs. …

“Currently, I have plans to be in Tampa on Thursday for the Board of Governors (meeting). We’re going to  announce the new membership. If we can work it out logistically, I will be with him,” Crist said.

When reporter Steve Thomas pointed out to Crist that the “man hug” problem still hangs over his campaign, Crist insisted that he didn’t care — and that his concern was “fighting for jobs” in Florida.  Of course, that was the same excuse Crist used when campaigning for Porkulus last Feburary.  He tried to cast people opposed to the useless $787 billion massive pork expenditure as needlessly partisan and himself as a voice of pragmatic reason.  Those opponents look a lot more pragmatic now than Crist does, and Crist looks a lot more opportunistic than principled.

Now we have Obama bringing pork to Florida again, only with his own approval numbers sinking.  The high-speed rail jobs may or may not materialize, depending on whether Florida sinks billions of its own money into matching funds normally required for such projects.  Floridians may prefer to spend their money on other types of transportation projects, or not spend the money at all, rather than build more subsidy-floated public transportation.  In either case, Crist is going to make it all the more difficult to separate himself from Obama — and that’s exactly what Rubio wants.

Guest Post by My Friend Kelly

January is over and the Eating From the Pantry Challenge has come to a close. While you may be ready to dive back into grocery shopping, couponing, and restocking, don’t let the momentum end here. The principles behind this challenge can be applied to a variety of other projects which can help cut costs, de-clutter your home, and streamline daily life. Sometimes this means using up excess stock and other times the focus is getting more regular use out of non-expendable items.

Here’s a few ways to do that:

Personal Hygiene Products

Whether or not you can find coupons and deals on the food your family eats, most everyone will be able to find a rebate or rewards deal on hygiene products at one of the drug stores or national chains around the country. Using what you learned during Eating from the Pantry Month, give yourself 30 days before buying any new personal hygiene products. In the meantime, clear out your bathroom cabinets and see what you still need and what you don’t.

Finish up half-used bottles of shampoo and conditioner and use the last bits of lotion from gift sets. Replace the razors with dull blades or broken handles and if you have liquid soap, refill pump bottles.  Toss broken combs or hair accessories and use up the last inch of mousse or gel before starting a new bottle. If someone in your family opposes a particular brand and you have unopened items consider putting together a care package. Check out this post for ideas on what to send and who to send it to.

Pull out fresh floss and mouthwash to improve your oral hygiene and health. If you haven’t swapped out your toothbrush in the past three months or have recently gotten over an illness open up a new one but don’t throw out the old just yet–a toothbrush can clean more than your molars!

Household Cleaners

Maintaining a clean house doesn’t have to take hours and hundreds of dollars in premium cleaning products. Use similar tactics to inventory what you have, see what you need, stretch what you use and find substitutes.  While you’re digging under the sinks use up the last little bit of general cleaner and wipe down the shelves. Try to identify what you use each product to clean and how often you use up a bottle.

Don’t just think about products but other supplies as well.  Re-purpose old towels from the kitchen or bath as cleaning rags, use old worn out toothbrushes to scrub small crevices, find an old pillowcase to clean ceiling fan blades, or lone socks to dust. If you find you have a pile of dusting rags you can reduce the amount of paper towels you buy.

Office supplies

How many different places in your house do you have a stash of pens? Notepads? Tape? Round everything up and sort it out (old shoe boxes come in handy here) and toss or donate what you don’t use.  Find out what you’ll need for everyday use and what school-aged children can take to class. Just like the pantry challenge, make do with what you have–blue pens can work just as well as black ones–and substitute where you can. Whether you write grocery lists on the back of a used envelope or reuse file folders these tactics can keep money in your pocket and clutter out of your home.

Centralize one place for commonly misplaced items like tape, scissors, and sharpies. Or is that just my house?

Crafts & Decorations

If you can be described as crafty, then you’re probably well aware of the dangers that entrap quilters, scrapbookers, knitters and painters alike. It’s easy to hoard supplies and fill drawers, bins and yes, even rooms with projects that we have no hope of finishing in ten lifetimes. Make the commitment to stop buying new supplies for one month and go “shopping” at home. Dig through your stock and try to remember what project you had in mind when you brought home these items.

Finish an old project or start a new one, substitute one component instead of buying new, and give away things you won’t use to someone who will. Consider a swap amongst friends or just a potluck night in when everyone can bring a dish and a project and work together.

As Spring rolls around it can be easy to get tired of our surroundings and want something new and fresh.  Check your attics, basements, and closets for decorative items that were put away or forgotten. Re-hang a picture or touch up the paint on a table. Move around some furniture, pull out the throw blankets, fill glass vases and use the good china.  Put a new picture in an old frame or clear everything off a wall and paint it fresh.  Look for things you already have that can be used in new and interesting ways.

There are also some things we can be getting more use out of, things that are not necessarily used up.

Entertainment

Do you have family games gathering dust? Puzzles, video games, books or movies that go unused? The same principles apply even if using an entertainment item will not expend it for future use. Pull out all your puzzles and look them over together. Maybe some are missing too many pieces, another too advanced for younger children, some too juvenile for older children. Keep what you’ll use, recycle what you won’t. Donate unused items to your school or church, ask friends if their children would enjoy something new.

Do your kids have piles of half used or broken crayons? Turn them into a craft project. Go through your books and weed out volumes you no long read, reference or enjoy. Do the same for family pictures by tossing prints that are fuzzy or faded, or pictures that have no personal meaning or value. Be careful about tossing older photos that may have some value to another family member. Check out this post for tips on preserving family memories.

Clothes

If you find yourself wearing the same outfits over and over again try the Empty Closet Challenge.  Pull everything out and box up things that don’t fit or flatter your figure.  Work with what you have and fill in pieces that will create attractive looks that fit your lifestyle.  At the end of the month pull out the boxes of discarded clothes and sell them by consignment or eBay, return new items to the store, donate to a charity or give to a friend. Don’t forget to look over belts, scarves, jackets, shoes, and jewelry too. Rethinking a wardrobe can be challenge–check out this site for ideas on using thrift store finds to create stunning new looks for under $20!

I know it seems overwhelming when you think of all the places to apply the principles you learned during Eating from the Pantry Month. But just like January, take one thing at a time, make adjustments as you go, and share what you’ve learned. By 2011, you might just have a cleaner, uncluttered home, more money in the bank and new routines. Then your only challenge will be finding a New Year’s Resolution you haven’t already accomplished!

Kelly is a 25 year old single homeowner living in Northern California. Despite a high cost of living and tough job market, Kelly has created a cozy home without acquiring debt. Now just $3,000 away from eliminating student loans (the last of consumer debt), Kelly looks forward her first trip abroad, thrift store decorating, and teaching financial awareness. Kelly blogs at My Friend Kelly.

Photo credit: Fauxto_credit; Kevin McShane; Patrick Q

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