1. Disable immediate notifications for low-priority messages
2. Park messages in a task list—just don’t forget to add a reminder to revisit it.
3. Use a mailbox management app such as Clean Email
COUNTRIES THAT BAN GUNS HAVE HIGHER MURDER RATES
WORLD MURDER STATISTICS
From the World Health Organization:
The latest Murder Statistics for the world:
(Murders per 100,000 citizens)
Honduras 91.6
El Salvador 69.2
Cote d’lvoire 56.9
Jamaica 52.2
Venezuela 45.1
Belize 41.4
US Virgin Islands 39.2
Guatemala 38.5
Saint Kits and Nevis 38.2
Zambia 38.0
Uganda 36.3
Malawi 36.0
Lesotho 35.2
Trinidad and Tobago 35.2
Colombia 33.4
South Africa 31.8
Congo 30.8
Central African Republic 29.3
Bahamas 27.4
Puerto Rico 26.2
Saint Lucia 25.2
Dominican Republic 25.0
Tanzania 24.5
Sudan 24.2
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22.9
Ethiopia 22.5
Guinea 22.5
Dominica 22.1
Burundi 21.7
Democratic Republic of the Congo 21.7
Panama 21.6
Brazil 21.0
Equatorial Guinea 20.7
Guinea-Bissau 20.2
Kenya 20.1
Kyrgyzstan 20.1
Cameroon 19.7
Montserrat 19.7
Greenland 19.2
Angola 19.0
Guyana 18.6
Burkina Faso 18.0
Eritrea 17.8
Namibia 17.2
Rwanda 17.1
Mexico 16.9
Chad 15.8
Ghana 15.7
Ecuador 15.2
North Korea 15.2
Benin 15.1
Sierra Leone 14.9
Mauritania 14.7
Botswana 14.5
Zimbabwe 14.3
Gabon 13.8
Nicaragua 13.6
French Guiana 13.3
Papua New Guinea 13.0
Swaziland 12.9
Bermuda 12.3
Comoros 12.2
Nigeria 12.2
Cape Verde 11.6
Grenada 11.5
Paraguay 11.5
Barbados 11.3
Togo 10.9
Gambia 10.8
Peru 10.8
Myanmar 10.2
Russia 10.2
Liberia 10.1
Costa Rica 10.0
Nauru 9.8
Bolivia 8.9
Mozambique 8.8
Kazakhstan 8.8
Senegal 8.7
Turks and Caicos Islands 8.7
Mongolia 8.7
British Virgin Islands 8.6
Cayman Islands 8.4
Seychelles 8.3
Madagascar 8.1
Indonesia 8.1
Mali 8.0
Pakistan 7.8
Moldova 7.5
Kiribati 7.3
Guadeloupe 7.0
Haiti 6.9
Timor-Leste 6.9
Anguilla 6.8
Antigua and Barbuda 6.8
Lithuania 6.6
Uruguay 5.9
Philippines 5.4
Ukraine 5.2
Estonia 5.2
Cuba 5.0
Belarus 4.9
Thailand 4.8
Suriname .6
Laos 4.6
Georgia 4.3
Martinique 4.2
And ………………
The United States 4.2 !!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL the countries (109) above America have 100% gun bans.
It might be of interest to note that SWITZERLAND(not shown on this list) has NO MURDER OCCURRENCE!
However, SWITZERLAND’S law requires that EVERYONE….
1. Own a Gun
2. Maintain Marksman qualifications….regularly
3. “Carry” a Weapon
Individual Health Insurance Policy will Increase 100% under OBAMACARE
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has released a report, based on internal documents from 17 insurance giants, including Aetna, Blue Cross, and Kaiser Foundation.
The report found that individuals will face “premium increases of nearly 100 percent on average, with potential highs eclipsing 400 percent. Meanwhile, small businesses can expect average premium increases in the small group market of up to 50 percent, with potential highs over 100 percent.”
One company said that new participants in the individual market could see a premium increase of 413 percent when new requirements on age rating and required benefits are taken into account, said the report. “The average yearly cost for a new customer in the individual market grows from $1,896 to $3,708 — a $1,812 cost increase,” it added.
But that’s just the average. Some people will see price spikes of over 400 percent. The reason is that millions of uninsured people, many with expensive preexisting conditions, are being added to the insurance pool.
The bottom line is that the government is mandating one-size-fits-all coverage that pays for every condition, from pregnancy to drug rehab, even if the buyer doesn’t want or need it.
Get a copy of the report: http://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/files/analysis/insurancepremiums/FinalReport.pdf
Employers Must Use New Form I-9 Starting May 7, 2013
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new Form I-9 for verifying employment eligibility. All employers are required to complete a Form I-9 to verify the employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States.
After an initial grace period during which employers could use either the new or old Form I-9, use of the new form will be mandatory as of May 7, 2013. It is important that employers use the new Form I-9 because it contains a number of important changes from the previous form.
Continued use of the old form could subject employers to fines of $110 to $935 per instance depending on the non-compliance rate.
New Rules for Employees Paid by Commission – Effective January 1, 2013
AB 1396 provides that, by no later than January 1, 2013, all in-state and out-of-state employers shall have written agreements in place for employees who are paid commissions for providing services within the State of California.
The written agreement shall provide the method by which the commissions will be computed and paid. The employer shall also provide a signed copy of the written agreement to the employee and obtain a signed “receipt” for the written agreement from the employee.
MERCER’S 2012 QUALITY OF LIVING RANKING HIGHLIGHTS – GLOBAL
Mercer conducts this survey annually to help multinational companies and other organizations compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments. Mercer’s Quality of Living reports provide valuable information and hardship premium recommendations for many cities throughout the world. Mercer’s Quality of Living index list covers 221 cities, ranked against New York as the base city.
Vienna retains the top spot as the city with the world’s best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2012 Quality of Living Survey. Zurich and Auckland follow in second and third place, respectively, and Munich is in fourth place, followed by Vancouver, which ranked fifth. Düsseldorf dropped one spot to rank sixth followed by Frankfurt in seventh, Geneva in eighth, Copenhagen in ninth, and Bern and Sydney tied for tenth place.
In the United States, Honolulu (28) and San Francisco (29) are the highest-ranking cities, followed by Boston (35). Chicago is ranked 42nd, while Washington, DC, is ranked 43rd. Detroit (71) is the lowest-ranking of the US cities that Mercer surveys.
Globally, the cities with the lowest quality of living are Khartoum, Sudan (217); N’Djamena, Chad (218); Port-au-Prince, Haiti (219); and Bangui, Central African Republic (220). Baghdad, Iraq (221) ranks last.
This year’s ranking separately identifies the cities with the best infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transportation, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports. Singapore is at the top of this index, followed by Frankfurt and Munich in second place. Copenhagen (4) and Dusseldorf (5) fill the next two slots, while Hong Kong and London share sixth place. Port-au-Prince (221) ranks at the bottom of the list.
The highest-ranking US cities on the city infrastructure list are Atlanta (13), Dallas (15), Washington, DC (22) and Chicago (28).
“In order for multinational companies to ensure their expatriates are compensated appropriately and an adequate hardship allowance is included in compensation packages, they must be aware of current events and local circumstances,” said Slagin Parakatil, Senior Researcher at Mercer. “Factors such as internal stability, law enforcement effectiveness, crime levels and medical facilities are important to consider when deciding on an international assignment, and the impact on daily life that could be encountered by the expatriate in overseas placements.”
The 2012 Infrastructure ranking is based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transportation, airports and traffic congestion.
Quality of living ranking:
Vienna, Austria (1st)
Zurich, Switzerland (2nd)
Auckland, New Zealand (3rd)
Munich, Germany (4th)
Vancouver, Canada (5th)
Infrastructure ranking:
Singapore, Singapore (1st)
Frankfurt, Germany (tied 2nd)
Munich, Germany (tied 2nd)
Copenhagen, Denmark (4th)
Düsseldorf, Germany (5th)
Top 5 cities by region
For more information:
http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr
IRS standard mileage reimbursement rate increases to 56.5 cents on January 1, 2013
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the standard mileage reimbursement rate for business travel for 2013. Effective January 1, 2013, the standard mileage rate will be 56.5 cents per mile (up from 55.5 cents per mile in 2012).
Although employers are not required to reimburse employee travel at the IRS mileage rate, it is advisable to do so because other methods for providing adequate reimbursement are more difficult to prove.
Thanksgiving proclamation by George Washington
This historic proclamation was issued by George Washington during his first year as President. It sets aside Thursday, November 26 as “A Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer.” I think you will find it worth reading.
General Thanksgiving
By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”
NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;– for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;– for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;– and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;– to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.
(signed) G. Washington
Signed by Washington on October 3, 1789 and entitled “General Thanksgiving,” the decree appointed the day “to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God.”
While there were Thanksgiving observances in America both before and after Washington’s proclamation, this represents the first to be so designated by the new national government.
After their first harvest, the colonists of the Plymouth Plantation held a celebration of food and feasting in the fall of 1621. Indian chiefs Massassoit, Squanto and Samoset joined in the celebration with ninety of their men in the three-day event.
The first recorded Thanksgiving observance was held on June 29, 1671 at Charlestown, Massachusetts by proclamation of the town’s governing council.
During the 1700s, it was common practice for individual colonies to observe days of thanksgiving throughout each year. A Thanksgiving Day two hundred years ago was a day set aside for prayer and fasting, not a day marked by plentiful food and drink as is today’s custom. Later in the 18th century each of the states periodically would designate a day of thanksgiving in honor of a military victory, an adoption of a state constitution or an exceptionally bountiful crop.
2012-2013 NACD Public Company Governance Survey Highlights
The 2012-2013 NACD Public Company Governance Survey publishes benchmarking data on a wide range of board of directors practices.
A few highlights from the survey:
– More than 58 percent of public boards have combined the roles of chairman and CEO
-More than 82 percent of respondents reported that they received continuing director education in the past 12 months
-Slightly less than 40 percent classified their CEO succession plans as formal with steps set forth in corporate documents
-Formal risk management programs are used by 62.9 percent of the survey population
DHS to Give Work Permits to Undocumented Individuals
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently made an announcement, indicating that in the next 60 days, certain undocumented individuals who have continuously resided in the U.S. for at least 5 years will be eligible for deferred action from deportation and will be given work permits for 2 years. These work permits will be renewable.
To be eligible, the individuals (1) must have entered the U.S. prior to age 16 and be under age 30, (2) they must be in high school, have graduated high school, or received an honorable discharge from the U.S. military, and (3) must have good moral character.
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