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There is a lot that my adopted country - America - can learn from a nation like Sweden. Perhaps the biggest lesson of all - and this applies to both right and left-wing ideologues - is how to get things done efficiently.
How to be pragmatic. How to have principles but always take new evidence into consideration. Its not a bad thing to change one's mind in the face of new facts. I used to be one of those who thought the Nordic nations were bloated big government types but I cannot possibly turn my face or hide my head in the sand from the indisputable fact that they do so well. Economic growth, great school results, high standards of living, low poverty, good healthcare, - what's there not to like?
I also accept the argument that the Nordic model is hard to replicate in a large diverse nation like the US but who's talking about complete replication? Let us at least start with observation of what they're doing well. Sure we may not be able to implement all of it - and all of it may not even be suitable for us - but we can at least learn from some of it. Its like your neighbor who is successful - yeah he has a great family and you don't have one, he is good looking and you're not - but he also does things that you can do too like work hard, eat and sleep healthy and the like.
And I think cultural differences are vastly overrated. At the end of the day except for those out on the complete political fringes, both conservatives and progressives want a school system that works, a healthcare system that doesn't bankrupt you, low crime and jobs for everyone. That's not something peculiar to a certain culture. I personally don't care HOW we get there as long as we do.
I think the greatest lesson of all from this model is that you need to put in place a system which is transparent and forces even the wrong people to do the right things because otherwise they can't hide. In other words. accountability. And that's implementable irrespective of scale just as you can have a horribly corrupt little office and a highly efficient large company (and vice versa).
RESULTS above all else. Change your thinking when you see results that don't conform to your hypotheses or favored ways of thinking. Political ideology otherwise is 90% about grandstanding, about feeling righteous. But you need to ask yourself from time to time - Do you want to DO good or do you just want to FEEL good?
I believe we are doing well in the nordic countries for the following reasons
a) We have a long term investment horizon
b) We follow healthy fiscal policies with focus on making sure that public wellfare promises can be funded with expected revenues
c) Necessary Reforms are implemented when the conditions change
d) Good risk management in public activities
I would add the Scandinavians are open to globalization and in particular trade with China.
Volvo and Saab are now Chinese owned.(Imagine if BMW, Chrysler, or Renault were threatened with Chinese ownership)
IKEA is essentially a China Store with Swedish Marketing/ Design.
There are more Chinese seafood restaurants in Stockholm than lutefisk restaurants.
Swedish students are learning more Mandarin than Italian, French and Spanish.
The successful Northern European Economies like Germany, Austria, the Nederlands, and Switzerland, are thriving today because they supply China with products they need: factory automation, machining tools, marque luxury cars.
Or have integrated with Chinese manufacturing like IKEA, Auchan, Tesco, Carrefour, and Walmart.
This simple global partnership with China has been the secret to riding out the Great Recession.
"...IKEA is essentially a China Store with Swedish Marketing/ Design."
One could make similar arguments for a lot of successful American companies (including Apple).
***Psssst.....And perhaps that is the Secret to Apple's success.
Do you make up as you go? Wheres the facts backing your tirades?
Based on economist Tino Sanandaji's posts about education, crime, child poverty and unemployment, it seems that the model won't be sustainable with demographic change brought about via current immigration?
Based on economist Tino Sanandaji's posts about education, crime, child poverty and unemployment, it seems that the model won't be sustainable with demographic change brought about via current immigration?
This is some of the reforms there have been implemented during the last 2 years in Denmark
a) Retirement reform speeding up the automatic increases in retirement age with living age
b) Phasing out a early retirement system
c) Making it much more difficult to obtain disability retirement
d) Reducing the subsidarities for disabled having supported parttime jobs
e) Halving time period for unemployment benefits and doubling time it takes to regain rights for unemployment benefits
f) Making reductions (from 2017) to the annual increases in all social transfers, retirement benefits etc
g) Sacking lots of public employees (military, employees in ministries, employees in healthcare, child care, ...)
h) Reforming some public owned companies (like sas) with reductions in employees, changed salaries were employees had to go down in salary, centralising administration andmoving administration to the nordic country were it would give the lowest administration cost
i) Cuts in spending on healthcare
j) New tough budget laws implementing tough penalties on overspending at the local and regional levels
j) tax reforms reducing taxes on work income
k) Increases in spending on education, science, infrastructure
l) Lots of restrictions have been removed on the retail sector
Currently are more reforms being negotiated
a) A competiveness improvement reform has been announced. The idea is to cut taxes on companies
b) Reforms are negotiated to make additional reductions in certain types of social transfers in order to expand the size of the work force and force more young people to attempt obtaining an education
c) A massive parliamentary majority is prepared to force teachers to teach a lot more for the same salary
Basically, parliament is telling local councils. Lockout the teachers during salary negotiations. If they do not accept the requested changes are parliament (after the teachers have faced a sufficient long lockout period to bleed them dry) ready with something like 75% parliamentary majority to make the proposed salary deal a law.
d) additional reforms are of course in the pipeline. There are for instance lots of public pressure on the workers in public owned transport companies
Net public debt is still low. It was something like 4,7% of GDP at the end of 2011 (the state has a lot of fiscal assets). There is huge current account surpluses and the deficit on the national budget is actually low even though investment in infrastructure are very high (highest infrastructure investments in more than 30 years)
Our current centerleft government is probably making Margaret Thatcher look like a socialist
A model to be folloowd in Quebec, were corruption is rampant in all levels of government, and taxes are the highest in the Americas.
Here is an idea: have a referendum in Quebec on physically separating from the North American continent and slowly moving the whole Quebec landmass north-east over the Atlantic to hook up to Norway somewhere near the Russian Kola peninsula ! :)
While debates around "what can countries learn from each other" are always interesting, they often forget to consider cultural differences. People in Nordic countries have vastly different preferences and priorities than people in the US, in Asia, or in Latin countries – and therefore governments representing their interests should act differently. Deep Nordic values of gender (and other) egalitarianism, low power distance, combined with relatively high individualism (as opposed to most Asian cultures) seem to result in rather favourable metrics on economic competitiveness, social health, or transparency. It doesn't mean that a Texan, or a Chinese, would be happy to be re-born in Oslo!
The Economist does not say if UK's Cameron policy is approaching or not the Nordic model ... I guess everyone know the answer.
I find it funny how it paints Nordic countries as a capitalist success, when it is closer to real socialism than anywhere else.
No, real socialism is when the State is the sole owner of everything. That has never been the case in the Nordic countries. Even union policy has always been "we want a good deal and good wages for our members but we also realize that only a strong and competitive private sector economy can provide that".
That's if you call "real socialism" the totalitarian version of it. Socialism is the path to put the means of production in the hands of the workers, and that may be more liberal than you think. Regardless, this article largely diminishes the impact of the aspects that make Nordic countries successful: heavy taxes and generous social benefits.
"real socialism is when the State is the sole owner of everything"
Ummm, no it isn't.
Then it would surprise you to learn that Norway's state sector as a proportion of GDP is lower than Britain's and is set to get even lower.
Okay, so I replace the word "everything" with "means of production" as also mentioned by RduZl. I guess this is a better description.
The issue is, of course, one of definition. The modern usage is undoubtedly to mean the state ownership of the means of production, but the usage in the 19th century is far less precise. On that earlier definition, the point is defensible.
Not America. You barely hear about them but there are several millions.
96% of all businesses are privately owned in Sweden. Socialism?
According to the great Assar Lindbeck, Sweden did not socialize its industry; it socialized its families. Also the civil society was socialized.
It works in these countries because they are not truly Multi-Cultural. When you are a single ethnic group; politicians have trouble finding people to pander to. The way you grew up is about the same as everyone else's so you don't have "victims of society. In the US we import Mexicans to do the work our own UNKILLED should be doing. A day or two in the fields under the hot sun might motivate a few to get some real skills… BUT NO…The left thinks it is unfair that the Underclass sacrifice "ANYTHING" to improve their lot in life.
In Scandinavia its the Poles, Ukranians, Lituanians, Latvians even some africans who are the Mexicans....
Right and all together they probably make up about a 16th of the per-capita Mexican population in America. Ahem.
Yup, and based on economist Tino Sanandaji's posts about education, crime, child poverty and unemployment, it seems that the model won't be sustainable with demographic change brought about via current immigration?
That is rubbish. The different ethnic groups in America are more compatible with American society than the major non-western immigrant groups in Nordic countries. Mexicans are Christians and speak a European language and are quite religious like most Americans. They are much less different from the average American than Pakistanis, Somalies and Iraqies are different from your average Nordic citizen. They speak a completely unrelated language, have a different religion and are quite religious in a region which is mostly secular.
In addition Nordic countries take in far more refugees than the US, which are harder to integrate than people who come to work. I would say if anything it should be EASIER to make all of this work in the US.
'Taxes have been cut: the corporate rate is 22%, far lower than America's. '
You need to talk about the EFFECTIVE rate (like retail price vs what the average person actually pays) and studies have shown the United States has an effective corporate tax rate of 27.1%. And a lot more deductions on top of that compared to Sweden.
And, of course, many large US corporations like GE, many large banks, pay practically nothing in corporate taxes while gorging on US defense spending (like GE).
And funny how this column never mentions the outlandish US defense spending. Funny isn't it?
Let's talk facts, not myths, please.
By your relation, many US companies also pay effective tax rates much higher than 27.1%. In fact, many will be subject to taxes on income that wouldn't even exist were they incorporated elsewhere (taxes on foreign income upon repatriation).
Additionally, your "effective tax rate" captures "tax expenditures," where the US provides explicit tax credits (or highly favorable deductions) to subsidize specific interests. This has the effect of reducing the effective tax rate (govt income), whereby elsewhere it would be counted as outlays (govt expenditure). Your specific example (GE) is highly dependent upon such "tax expenditures" (and carried losses) to reduce its effective tax rate.
Because these credits/deductions impact behavior (why else would they be enacted?), they represent a company pursuing a less favored alternative. Capital spent on such an alternative is worth less (independent of tax benefits) than capital spent on a more favored alternative. As such, a dollar reduction in taxes is not truly worth a dollar to a company when it comes to impacting their overall investment behavior (unless their only desire was to pursue the specific favored alternative). And accordingly, the savings from a 35%+ income tax rate to the 27.1% effective tax rate are equivalent to the entire 7.9%+ when it comes to impacting behavior.
...and i thought everyone wanted to live in Spain..What was i thinking ? 8-)
For reform to be possible you also need an electorate that is relatively homogenous, educated, intelligent and thoughtful. Sadly the USA qualifies on none of these counts and we can conclude that reform will consequently be impossible in "the home of the brave and the land of the free." And when you consider that most US tax revenue is wasted - because the government is hopelessly inefficient, spending is mostly pork-barrel - the number of special interests who will resist any meaningful change is instantly apparent. Big ships sink slowly, but once the hull is breached there really is only one outcome, particularly when the bridge crew are entirely occupied with squabbles over who should get the nicest epaulettes on their jackets.
Perhaps not the entire US, but there are certainly large sections of it that could undertake these type of reforms. The problem is trying to find a one-size-fits-300 million-people solution. There are about 25 states who could implement Scandinavian-type solutions, and at the same time the other 25 states could implement systems, which, while they wouldn't produce Scandinavian outcomes, would give them what they wanted, or what they deserved. I think you'd be surprised how close the healthcare systems of Texas and Massachusetts would end up if you allowed them the freedom to do it their own way. Success is contagious. The smaller the governed populace, the more pragmatic the government.
"And when you consider that most US tax revenue is wasted - because the government is hopelessly inefficient, spending is mostly pork-barrel"
No, it's not. Pork barrel is about 1% of the budget. The inefficiency is a bigger deal, but still not the hundreds of billions most assume it is. If our bureaucracy was wasting 100+ billion, then that would account for a sixth of expenditure under non-defense; overlap is a slight issue, but still is not overly extreme. Last I saw, the executive offices were about half-way done with addressing what the GAO said.
Special interests would not be an issue if we, as a society, actually thought about who to send. They still just give information to politicians. Not saying it is easy to change, and not saying the people currently running for office are part of the problem or solution, but that is the issue. And I can guarantee more than 2/3 of all the politicians inside the beltway want to make changes and be part of a solution. Want to complain, then try for campaign finance reform, and stop the revolving door we have. Try and make the office dignified again and take on the abusively trivial and superficial media/ politicians.
This whole pessimistic dismissal of American ingenuity has really gotten on my nerves. There is a reason we have been able to get to the top; America can surely get there again.
not really. when reform occurred in the 30's and this model got underway in Norway and Sweden it was in a mostly poor and rural population. Developing countries by all definitions. But there was a well functioning democracy, that is true
"But you need to be willing to root out corruption and vested interests."
TARP should prove that we're nowhere near there yet. Wall St. bankers leading the bailouts of investment banks. Brilliant. Energy and Defense companies leading the charge into Iraq and Afghanistan. Brilliant. Now we have a group of ninnies that don't flinch at dropping hundreds of millions of dollars for campaign advertizing leading the charge to cut spending???
I will grant you that we can and should study the hard-won successes that the Nordic countries have achieved. Parts of it will be difficult to extend, however. The countries are small and racially homogeneous (their record on integrating immigrants is mixed at best). That leads to a high level of trust, and a feeling of tribal loyalty for the whole country. There is also a Lutheran (not that they go to church much anymore) cultural feel to the Nordics, which encourages compromise over confrontation, and discourages conspicuous consumption and open corruption. It is hard to picture Italians, or the Italian government, becoming very Swedish. It is hard to picture residents of Dallas trusting the residents of Washington to spend their tax dollars as willingly as the residents of Gothenburg might trust the residents of Stockholm. That being said, at the individual reform and institution level, many experiments have succeeded, and there is a lot to be learned. I think many of the innovations found in these small Nordic countries would best be implimented at the state level in the USA, where cultural homogeneity, trust, and the scale of government more closely match.
There is a North American counterpart of Scandinavia:
-North Dakota is predominant Norwegian descent. They have 2% unemployment. A booming economy and a Saudi Arabia sized oil patch due to fracking. They are pioneering a state infrastructure bank and sovereign wealth fund.
-Minnesota has extensive cradle to grave state funded social programs comparable to Sweden.
-Wisconsin has hard working factories, farms, cheese makers and brewers not unlike Denmark.
-Montana has glaciers, mountains and ski resorts that rival Europe.
These are all cold, snowbound, tundra states which were settled by Scandinavian immigrant farmers.
They have a homogeneous population, high test scores, leading schools, and excellent state universities.
There are states that are working, as well as laggards.
North Dakota is more German than Nordic:
And their unemployment rate is 3.2%, not 2%. I think the recent developments in shale oil and gas have a lot more to do with their booming economy than their ethnic make-up.
Also, I think you'd find the political and economic views of Scandinavian descendants in America are very different from the views of Scandinavians today. Same with Germans - anecdotally, I've found "German Germans" to be much further left politically than German-Americans.
What about Canada then? Canada is also a large, diverse country of immigrants. However, we also have a functional government that we trust (most of the time) with our most important social services. I don't think the homogeneity argument flies.
As someone who spent his first 22 years in Canada, I can assure you that Canadians tolerate their federal government because Canada is a far more federal state than the US, with far more power and responsibility delegated to the provinces. Nobody outside of Ontario likes Ontarians, everybody hates the French, everybody resents the wealth of the Albertans, everybody in the West resent the transfers to the Maritimes, and everybody in the East resents the intrusive Federal government that thinks their transfer dollars give them leave to dictate how people run their lives and businesses. The Canadian federal government makes block grants to the provinces to run most important social services, social security is run by an arms-length government corporation, and defense and foreign affairs are small and largely irrelevant. Despite this, no government has been elected with 40% of the popular vote in decades, and any mention of the prime minister's name sends at least half the country into a flurry of name-calling. Canada is functional because the federal government need hardly function at all. Which is to Canada's credit. The US had it like that, but Lincoln, FDR, and LBJ used various crises to centralize power. The US would be far less disfunctional if it operated more like Canada, with almost all social services delegated to the states.
New England states have low proportions of Scandinavian decendents, but run very high in school ratings, safety, health, tolerance. Many New England states are up there with a lot of European countries. I doubt it has to do with the ethnic background of people, but rather a culture of inclusiveness, a strong work ethic, education, pragmatic thinking, and tolerant social outlooks.
Notice the Southern states are dead last in almost all these things?
Racially homogeneous you say ! Take Malmo,Sweden for example. There are now over 40,000 Moslems in Malmo (most on social benefits) Well OK but the sinister aspect of this is that the small Jewish population of Malmo,who have been there for generations, are being forced out. Immigration is as touchy a subject in Scandinavia as it is in the UK. Something is going to explode (perhaps not in Scandinavia in spite of Breivik ) No wonder the Danes are clamping down on non-productive immigrants and Norway is getting tetchy too. Sweden was always handicapped by the fact that they were so "holier that thou" when it came to race relations. On the ground it didn't always work that way - even in the 60s I recall their contempt for Roma (gypsies)
Great post. I am Swedish and I can only agree. Furthermore - the effect of recent policies on education is not yet clear. The savings in education comes at a cost that we are unable to see for a few years yet. There is very litte possibility for comparison between private alternatives and the quality is clearly is some cases low. The way that the system was created did not in reality include private fees so any profit had do come out of savings. Savings, without transparency for the consumer, the student, is almost bound to come at a loss of quality. We did not think through this implementation nearly enough.
In reality - what can we expect? - the world is a really complicated place, even to politicians - time and time humanity screws up on a tremendous scale. The war on drugs, a cultural and legal war against homosexuality, the justification of Iraq, lobby groups, nuclear weapons, famine and actually every war.
What we need is instituions like The Economist to pick up the slack and put us right. I think that this article should have included a mention of the fact that there implementation of the privatisation scheme really can be as big a screw up as the British rail system. I love the Economist but that is a necessary part of this story - privatizing is really really hard. Really hard - and need to be approached with the outmost transparency requirements to ensure quality. To rush is to gamble and we can not afford that with our eduction system - literally every part of the system depends on it.
If the Nordic countries have such a benefit of small scale, it might be wise to devolve government to smaller units to reap same benefits. The US can do smaller, while it would be hard for the Nordic countries to do larger. But actually all four countries are larger than most US states, and Sweden has a larger population than 43 of 50 US states.
Once these countries might have been homogeneous, but like this survey says we are not living in the 1970s anymore. Sweden in particular has benefited from an immigration rate highest in the EU per capita.
Sure there are intangibles that can be hard to replicate, like the high level of trust Nordic citizens have in their government and people in general, high social mobility, and high equality. But these are not innate Nordic attributes, at earlier times Nordic societies were far less equal, far less mobile (and probably far less trusting). It would also be unlikely to transplanting all the attractive properties of these societies while avoiding all the negatives.
Curiously Swedes in the US actually do better under the US system. As economist Tino Sanandaji concludes (I'd also recommend his posts on child poverty, education outcomes and immigration in Sweden - demographics are the key):
"The Swedish system is a losing proposal for almost all the population. Unless someone spends their entire life in the bottom 10% of the population, they are better off under the American system.
Here are the lessons from this comparison:
* The U.S would be even richer and have much less poverty if it was made up entirely of Swedes.
* Sweden would be richer than the U.S if Sweden adopted American institutions.
* A large (Swedish-size) welfare state with an American population would do much worse than Sweden.
If you want one picture to demonstrate that free markets and limited government are better for almost everyone in society, this is it. "
Simply put, the Nordic model only works with a relatively homogenous population that has undergone similar cultural and genetic selection. The system isn't sustainable as it becomes more diverse.
Heaven is where the police are British,
the lovers Italian,
the mechanics German,
the chefs French,
and it is all organized by the Swiss.
Hell is where the police are German,
the lovers Swiss,
the mechanics French,
the chefs British,
and it is all organized by the Italians.
Re-imagine the EU as a Functional State:
The Administration is Swiss.
The Enforcement and Military Affairs are British. As well the Minister of Rock and Roll.
The Banks are German. So are the cars.
The Cultural institutions are French run--including wine, cheese, film and fashion.
The Italians handle the food policies. And the Mafia to run covert overseas operations.
The Finns handle the Web based policies.
The Jews handle Science.
The Belgians handle the African Policy. And the Chocolate and Beer trade.
The Scandinavians handle Foreign Aid.
Denmark handles Corruption policy.
Norway handles Oil, Oil Corporations and Energy Sovereign Wealth Fund Management.
The Dutch handle World Trade issues.
The Spaniards and Portuguese handle Ocean Policy and Global Warming Policy with the Germans subspecializing in the Solar Sector.
The Austrians handle Mental Health Issues.
And Greece deals with Calamari, Yogurt and Olives.
Everyone wears blue jeans and leather jackets, the uniform of Europa.
Drives German cars.
Listens to English Rock and Roll.
Drink French Wine.
Ride bicycles made in Holland.
Furnish their apartments with Swedish designed furniture from IKEA.
Walk through an English garden and have a cup of Earl Grey.
Collect mini-Eiffel Towers made in Paris.
Watches Shakespeare Plays.
Eat sushi made by Spaniards.
Read hard boiled detective novels from Sweden.
Send the British SAS to deal with Terrorists.
And use Apple products that are now made in Ireland.
And Cell Phones from Finland.
Adam Smith: Comparative Advantages and Natural Proclivity of Peoples leads to Trade Advantages and Better Market Efficiencies.
Every European country has its national character, its strengths and weakness.
The Swiss are great at controlling corruption....The Italians not so much.
The Austrians are proper and pay taxes....The Greeks avoid taxes.
The Swedes love modern design...the Brits love antiquities.
=> Yet they are neighbors.
The Scandinavians have admirable qualities yer they do not have all the answers--Romance for instance.
But they have a great system that can teach the world.
And can yet learn and improve from its neighbors.
Use the national strengths. And contain the weaknesses.
Learn from the best. And learn even more from the mistakes of the worst.
That is how to make a more Perfect Union.
Great idea! We latin american should replicate.
The brazilians do ahhhhh
The argentinians run ahhhhh
You know what? Forget it =)
The lovers are Spaniards..
Forget IKEA. The furniture made by the Italians, same as kitchens, clothing and exotic cars..
This is excellent, Thanks, but you left out a few EU members,
Like what would the Poles do, and the Czechs, the Slovaks, the Bulgarians, the Cypriots, etc. ? And who will drink most biere ?
I invite you to finish the list. ;)
Classic Connect the Dots!
Rubbish and stereotypes
Lighten up, please!
"The Banks are German. So are the cars."
Interesting. Why German banks? These incontinent institutions aren't anything like their cars (especially the landesbanks).
They have huge exposures on Greece and other Club Meds and they are very thinly capitalised. Only French banks have more exposure.
Very good!! Me like :-) Have a nice weekend
"And Greece deals with Calamari, Yogurt and Olives."
Oh no. That's far too much responsibility for the Greeks. We should have to let the Spanish and Italians fight over these items.
we will do what we do now: work as a cheap educated labour force, shut up and do everything we are told.
If i was to assign any roles for the new members, there is one coutry in the EU that if i could i would without any doubt assign to manage the EU`s budget - estonia. Not even the glorified germanic nations come close to what this country managed to do in the recent years.
This was epic good in parts - poetry at end
This was epic good in parts - poetry at end
The Americas
Atrocities, culture and religion: War's many victims
Ebola in graphics: The toll of a tragedy
Graphic detail
Greece's presidential vote: First round failure
Science and technology
American Airlines: The new American
The renaissance of printing: Well pressed
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December 5, 2013
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When buying online, not many merchants will allow you to split an order across multiple credit cards. So, a good way to get the benefits of an Amex Sync offer across multiple Amex cards is to use each card separately to buy gift cards and then use those gift cards to buy what you want. First, though, make sure that the Amex Sync terms will let you earn cash back from a gift card purchase. In some rare cases, it won't. For example, a Sync promotion for BP states "Get a $5 statement credit each time you use your enrolled Card to make a single qualifying purchase of $25 or more at the pump at any BP station." I tried buying a $25 gift card in-store at BP, but I didn't get $5 back. They key was that the terms demanded you pay "at the pump." With most Amex Sync offers, though, buying gift cards is fine. If you're buying gift cards online, be sure to go through the best available portal just in case it pays out for gift card purchases.
Warning: If you plan to make an online purchase, make sure that the merchant will accept multiple gift cards per order. Staples, for example, has a limit of 5 gift cards per order, so don't buy more than 5 Staples' gift cards if you plan to use them for a single online order.
I calculated that my total purchase would come to about $950 after the 10% discount + sales tax. So, one by one, I went through TopCashBack to Sony to buy ten $100 e-gift cards. I decided that I didn't mind having a bit of extra Sony credit on hand. I can always sell the remainder if I don't end up using it. With each purchase, I immediately received an email from Amex congratulating me for using the synced card. Processing the order took several hours, but once done, I received the ordered gift card via email and I also received notification of cash back from TopCashBack. And, to top it off, every gift card order received 1% back in Sony Rewards!
I couldn't find any posted limits on the Sony store regarding the use of gift cards, so when I was half way through ordering gift cards I did a test order in which I input 5 gift cards. The system appeared to be ready and willing to take more, so I removed the test-order from my cart and took a chance in ordering the rest of the gift cards. Yes, I should have called to ask, but I didn't.
Step 5: Buy!
Once you have all of the gift cards you need, you can place your order. Again, if ordering online, go through a portal first. I clicked through TopCashBack to Sony and logged into my student account. I found the computer I wanted and checked out.
The total purchase price came to $953.99. I applied all 10 of my gift cards and $10 worth of Sony Rewards points (which I got from buying those gift cards). One of my gift cards still has over $50 remaining.
TopCashBack now shows pending cash back for all
but one of my gift card purchases. And, it shows $40 pending for my "$799″ purchase (the actual purchase price before tax was $899, so this is an error). Altogether, TopCashBack shows $85 $90 pending even though I really should get $95. Maybe I'll get around to filing a ticket for the extra $5 someday.
Assuming I receive all of the pending cash back from Amex and TopCashBack, my total cost will be as follows:
- Amex Sync rebates: $250
- TopCashBack rebates: $90
- Total cost: $1000 – $250 – $90 = $660
And, in exchange for $660, I have / will get:
- A computer worth ~$1000
- A Sony gift card with a balance of $56.01
- 900 Sony Rewards points, worth $9
That's a terrific deal!
Warranty thoughts
When buying things like this with gift cards, it's important to keep in mind that you lose the automatic purchase protections given by most credit cards. You could, of course, buy an extended warranty, but those tend to be really bad deals. In my case I'm willing to take a chance that the built in manufacturers warranty is all I'll need.
Nothing to buy?
You might be wondering how to take advantage of Amex Sync deals when you don't have anything in mind to buy. There are some good options. I'll follow up soon with another post in this series.
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41 Responses to "Maximizing Amex Sync offers. Part 2: extreme savings"
Staples accepts up to 5 gift cards online? That is news to me that they accept any.
Yes, its a new Staples.com feature to accept gift cards (long overdue!)
Extended Warranty? Buy through SQUARE TRADE! Much better prices, REAL customer service, and often great coupon codes if you look around online
Nice snag. I would always get extra insurance on a laptop since they are usually only a year but surely you can buy some for less than your savings.
Bought about a dozen amazon egift cards myself (+2 physical gcs) The amex credit hit within a day or two. The nice thing is i can sell them or apply them whenever i want.
@Justin staples just recently started allowing use of gc on their website.
Jonathan – Thanks!
Always a great pleasure to read FM blog and the extremely rewarding and very well described step-by-step approach to the great deals you have found. Keep up the great work!
I've already bought all my Xmas presents in the online recent deals, so I'm anxiously awaiting your your next posting on how to profit further from the diverse and terrific Amex Sync offers available before 12/31.
So what kind of Sony laptop did you get? Windows 8?
My grandpa loves Sony and has bought many laptops from them over time. But it seems like Sony laptops have the strangest software/programs installed and he always needs help fixing something.
Anyways, the tough screen windows 8 (8.1) laptops/tablets are really cool. Takes a bit of time to learn how to use them, but I really like mine.
We got an all in one PC for the family to share
I used Staples rewards to buy a relatively high-end Win8 laptop for blogging. I like the touch screen, but Win8 in general doesn't seem that intuitive to me. Better than my locked down Win7 work computer, but still prefer MacOS and even ChromeOS.
Does Apple or MacMall have any student store comprable to Sony?
Yes, Apple has a student store. I don't know about MacMall
I'll be honest – I didn't read through the whole article so I apologize if you already addressed it – but why bother with Sync, Facebook, Twitter,etc when I just save on the Offers tab in my Amex account?
Mainly I just included the other options for completeness. It is possible though that there will be an offer available via social media channels that is not available in your Offers tab.
FM you forgot to add the 1000 reward points you received from Amex for purchasing the E-gift cards. Although you may have received less since you mentioned the $25 offers were available on serve cards.
Yeah, I purposely left out the Amex points because I would have earned those points even if I bought the computer directly without all of this. I actually didn't use a Serve card (so could have bought 11 gift cards). The points I will earn are:
Membership Rewards (2 Platinum cards, 1 PRG)
Delta SkyMiles (6 cards)
Hilton HHonors (1 card)
Maybe you could do the math again with Apple products, as I don't know anyone my age who would buy a Windows computer.
With Apple products, the best sync promo right now is probably BestBuy (spend $250, get $25 back). That will give you up to 10% off. And, if you have a .edu email address, go here to get discounts: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Global/College-Student-Deals/pcmcat276200050000.c?id=pcmcat276200050000. Buy through uPromise or ShopDiscover to get an additional 5% back. The savings won't stack as high as in my example, but for Apple computers any discount is worthwhile!
FM – so on the Best Buy example, if the computer I want is $1250 then I would go online and buy 5 x $250 gift cards and get $125 'discount' essentially off the price by paying with these gift cards?
Thanks for explaining so clearly!
I redeemed the Staples promo on 11/30. It does not say redeemed yet when I look at the promos on my card. Can it be used a second time? Has anyone tried?
In a new post, a reader said that they tried something like that but it didn't work
Resell for profit? Lol
You said that you can sell the remainder of the Sony gift card online. Do places like cardpool let you sell odd gift card amounts like that? I.e. $53, rather than an even $50?
Yes, you can sell a gift card with any amount over some threshold. For example, many sites require the gift cards to have at least $20 value.
Brilliant! Thanks for that. I was looking all over to see if I could use more than one Sony GC, or whether their virtual cards qualified (I remember a year or so ago they didn't). Thanks for the info.
I'm throwing in one more savings tip though. If you don't have a Sony Card, you can sign up for one and get $100 off your first bill. You have to find a link for it to make sure you get the $100 off though. Just google around.
The other thing is if you want to buy a playstation 4 when they finally get in stock, it's nice to have the discounts for that from Amex.
I love these Amex promotions… especially ones like this where you can triple dip.
After buying the 10 $100 gift cards, could you have gone through a portal again to consolidate into 1 $1000 gift card for additional cash back? Basically, will Sony allow you to buy a gift card with gift cards?
No, Sony's website is smart enough not to let you buy gift cards with gift cards.
FM, would you share which Sony laptop you purchased? I'm in the market for laptop and would like to purchase one. Thanks!
I didn't buy a laptop. I bought the Tap 21 all-in-one "tabletop" pc. It's a lot of fun!
On dansdeals they were talking about squaretrade warrantys gotten for cheap with coupons. Do you have any experience with these?
No, I don't have any experience with those. Sorry
Also, if you buy eGift cards, they cannot be used in the physical store. Yesterday I called to confirm if they could – the representative told me they could be and sent me to the cashstar website to confirm that was true. Today, The store told me since my eGift cards do not have barcodes, they cannot be used in store! I'm buying a new phone.
I called Sony customer support, and I was able to negotiate free expedited (next business day) shipping based on them giving me false information.
The call was fairly funny though: "Sorry to hear about your trouble with the gift cards. How did you hear about this phone? What attracts you most to this phone? Would you like an extended warranty? Would you like to include a case with your new phone purchase?"
"Before we talk cases tell me if I get free expedited shipping to decide whether I'm even placing the order for the phone itsself."
John, which store / gift card did you call about? Sony?
Yes, Sony. Sorry for the ambiguity. I called Sony's number on the website, asked if eGift Cards could be used in store. The representative said "I'm happy to report, yes!" I asked for the source of her information so that I may ensure she was right (she didn't sound too knowledgeable) so she sent me to this link https://sony.cashstar.com/about/faq/
where it says you can use the egift card at any Sony store.
I suppose she didn't know that Sony is now selling their own eGift Cards.
I purchased 7 $100 egift cards based on her information to order a new cell phone – wound up having to order online instead of going to the store (I valued having the phone at that moment over an additional 4% from topcashback). So when I was told by the physical Sony store (called first) that my giftcards couldn't be used in store, I called Sony to tell them "your rep told me I could use eGiftcards in store, I relied on that information and bought $700 worth. Now I'm being told by the store I cannot. I would appreciate free next day shipping as I need this item now."
I offered to send them the link to the bad information on cashstar so they could take steps towards rectification – they did not seem interested in that.
[…] Maximizing Amex Sync offers. Part 2: extreme savings […]
[…] Maximizing Amex Sync offers. Part 2: extreme savings […]
I know this reply is late, but I've been chasing some missing cash back on this deal for the last 10 months. I followed these instructions exactly back in December 2013 (sync, Topcashback, student discount, etc). Everything worked except for Sony declining the Topcashback claim on the purchase of the item itself. I filed a claim ticket through Topcashback that was finally returned in September 2014 as declined. Reason given was \another marketing channel.\ It was still a great deal (~31% off). I was also surprised/impressed Topcashback chased it for almost a year. I was curious whether you received cash back for the cards and computer or if Sony caught on and denied part of yours as well.
Thanks. I was curious how it worked out for others. I thought I did everything right, but with so many click-thrus I probably missed clearing cookies or something like that.
[…] For details about how I performed the exact steps listed above to buy a computer last year, please see: Maximizing Amex Sync offers. Part 2: extreme savings. […]
[…] signup multiple Amex cards. You can find full details about signing up multiple cards here: Maximizing Amex Sync offers. Part 2: extreme savings. Seriously, read that post if you haven't […]


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Category: 'My Family'
Making Peace with My Picky Eater
Once upon a time, there was a boy who would try anything. And then he turned 3. Thus began the dinner chronicles at my house; read about how I've made peace with my picky eater.
So the Other Day at the Marriage Counselor . . .
Have you every done marriage or family counseling? What was helpful? What was not?
Siblings: A Crash Course in Relationship Training
How have your siblings prepared you for later relationships? One of my top priorities as mama of siblings is to help them learn how to navigate relationships. Read more about why in my post for this month's Carnival of Natural Parenting.
Lego Angst
It seems our lives have become consumed with a flurry of Lego-related drama and emotions. From Lego Lust to Lego Hangovers, those colorful little bricks can be hard to handle sometimes.
{Almost} Wordless Wednesday: My Latest Sewing Projects
I've been busy sewing – come see a couple of my latest projects, and see more of my inspiration on my Pinterest board.
- The Gift of Letting Go
- Calling for Submissions for the December Carnival of Natural Parenting: Greatest Gifts
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- November 2014 Carnival of Natural Parenting Call for Submissions – Indoor Fun
- Not-So-Extreme Makeover: Sunshine and Rainbows Edition
Forced Weaning Due to Pregnancy
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- Children and Creativity
- Giveaway: One Year of Piano Lessons with LearnPianoLive.com $300 ARV {US; 3.31}
- Natural Parents Network's 2nd Annual Holiday Gift Guide & Giveaway! {12/6, 26 winners, US, ARV $2,587}
- Giveaway: Silk Rainbow from Nova Natural and NPN Holiday Gift Guide – $99 ARV
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There is a lot to learn and I am sure I am going to read it againPublished 12 days ago by june Clapham
Very helpful for an overall introduction to social media and DNA.Published 5 months ago by Bonnie Berg
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Kathy G has been repeatedly taking me to task for not linking her post on monopsony. I don't like to make a policy of linking to people who whine that I am not linking to them--indeed, rather the opposite. (Other new bloggers take note). But in this case, I actually tried to link to her; I just forgot to paste in the link, which I do all too often, a careless habit that I am trying to curtail. So, fair enough.
Here are all Kathy G.'s posts on monopsony, at least as far as I am able to determine.
Another note to new bloggers: you've heard that "blogging is a conversation". Unfortunately too true. By the time you've been doing this for six years or so, you will often sort of forget that the conversation you are having now is not with the same people you were talking to four years ago. You will thus find yourself accidentally referring to past arguments as if everyone reading the current post had lived through them with you. Just as you do in a bar at 2 am when everyone's been arguing for a while, you will, without quite realizing it, make references that are only really comprehensible to a few long-time readers.
Case in point: in a post on the academic job market, I made a side reference to the minimum wage.
I hear economists on the left endorse a monopsony model of minimum wage employment that sounds frankly ludicrous to me, and should to anyone who has worked in fast food or retail--how could employers in industries that fragmented, with turnover rates well over 100%, possibly collude? On the other hand, it's a pretty plausible model for academic environments where a squillion graduate students are all chasing three jobs.
When I wrote this I was thinking of a very long-ago debate that raged through blog comments on my very first blog, the one with the eye-searing candy-colored pastel boxes, using an extremely buggy comment system that I don't even think exists any more. Back then, we didn't have all these bells and whistles that you ungrateful kids take for granted--why, I had to carry water for the comments uphill three miles, and then boil it over an open fire . . .
I'm sorry, where was I? Right, the minimum wage.
The funny thing is that I had lunch with Tyler Cowen the other day, and he actually remembered the debate, and caught the reference when I made it the first time--blogging is a long-term conversation with at least a few readers. But Kathy G. can be forgiven for not having had the exquisite good taste to read my blog way back when.
For those who haven't following along at home, this was an argument over whether the minimum wage market is appropriately described by a monopsonistic model of labor employment. Monopsony, if you fell asleep in Micro 101, is monopoly's evil twin brother: it's what happens when you have a single buyer rather than a single seller. As with monopoly, much un-hilarity ensues.
The reason we were arguing about this is a very famous (to econowonks) study done by Card and Krueger on minimum wage employment in Pennsylvania and New Jersey following a minimum wage increase in New Jersey. Their counterintuitive finding was that employment actually rose in New Jersey.
There are several possible explanations for this divergence from the standard finding that demand curves are downwards-sloping.
1. It was a statistical outlier
2. There was some swamping effect in New Jersey, like a local economic boom.
3. The study was not well done
4. Fast-food employment is monopsonistic, at least in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Ignore the first two; it would be fiendishly difficult to establish the truth of either proposition. Let's tackle number four first, because this is the heart of the debate that I was having with a number of people four years ago, and with Kathy G. now. Consider a classic model of minimum wage employment in a simple model where all workers are paid the same wage:
When you institute a price floor, the wage goes up, but the number of people employed goes down.
Under monopsony, things look different. Competitive employers have to offer a market wage, so they maximize production where the market wage is equal to the marginal product of a new worker. Monopsony employers, on the other hand, are not price takers; they can set the wage to maximize their profit. This means that they face an upward sloping marginal cost curve for workers, because raising the wage in order to hire another worker also means raising the wages they pay to their existing workers.
As I hope is easy to see from the graph above, which I shamelessly ripped off from Wikipedia, either a market wage or a minimum wage essentially gives you a horizontal marginal cost curve. Those employers simply pay the wage where MPR=S. But if they are monopsonists who control the wage, then they can probably maximize their profit with fewer workers, because they are only competing with staring home and staring at the wall. They maximize profit not by setting wages where MRP=S, but where MRP=Marginal Cost. That means a smaller workforce.
This looks sort of counterintuitive--why would the marginal cost be higher than the wage? But that's because they have to raise the wages of all the other people as well--thus, marginal cost increases faster than the wage. That's why the company can be better off having a smaller workforce at a lower wage than a bigger workforce at a higher wage, even if the marginal revenue produced by the additional worker is higher than their wages.
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Hi guys, Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to MJM & (Jeff Mash) for always being there when we needed them.
Over that past few years I've...Read More ->
This store is great. I made my first order on Monday at about 6pm and recieve an email the next day that it was shipped. I received the order on...Read More ->


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|Name: _________________________
|Period: ___________________
This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 5.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which animal wakes up earlier than the others and works through any breaks?
(a) Napoleon.
(b) Boxer.
(c) Snowball.
(d) Clover.
2. In Chapter 1, Old Major implores the animals for what?
(a) An army.
(b) Write a song .
(c) A new barnyard.
(d) Perfect unity.
3. Who does Old Major describe as the only true enemy of an animal?
(a) Mankind.
(b) Other animals.
(c) Farmers.
(d) Farmer Jones.
4. How many dogs does Napoleon's summon in Chapter 5?
(a) 5.
(b) 10.
(c) 8.
(d) 9.
5. What does Mr. Jones do when he hears the animals making a lot of noise in Chapter 1?
(a) Fires a shot in the air.
(b) Runs outside and scares the animals.
(c) Shoots the animals.
(d) He sleeps through the noise.
Short Answer Questions
1. Who tries to convince the animals of many different lies in Chapter 5?
2. Why does work have to stop in the fields in January?
3. Who takes the puppies?
4. Which animals are very brave during the battle in Chapter 4?
5. Which animal holds education sessions for the other animals?
This section contains 199 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page)


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Driver in fatal car wreck, police chase pleads guilty
A man accused of leading police on a high speed chase that caused a fatal car wreck has changed his plea to guilty.
30-year-old Steven Sandry was charged with negligent homicide for a 2012 crash that happened outside Schofield Barracks.
Police were trying to serve a drug warrant on Sandry's passenger Michael Daraban Jr. when Sandry took off. Daraban was killed on impact when the car split into two.
Sandry changed his plea on Jan. 14. His sentencing is set for Apr. 2.
Copyright 2014 by KITV All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Earn the highest regards and ranks with the Embassy reclining collection. Modern, clean lines are matched with supreme comfort and plush seating. Brushed silver finished beverage holders are placed in the middle of the two over two cushion design that include LED lighting and push button control for the recliners. Storage is provided under the middle arm rest as well. What more could you need?
The Klaussner Living Room Signatures Chair is available from Klaussner Home Furnishings.
Prices subject to home office audit & correction.
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Development: MicroD Inc.
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Keep On Keepin' On Shines Warmly on Jazz Legend...
By Alan Scherstuhl
By Michael Atkinson
By Stephanie Zacharek
Dear White People Doesn't Have the Answers
By Stephanie Zacharek
By Abby Garnett
By Amy Nicholson
By Alan Scherstuhl
By Inkoo Kang
Contrary to the claim in DreamWorks's ads and trailers, Small Time Crooks isn't really a throwback to the riotous style of Allen's earliest films. Sure, the lead character, Ray Winkler, is an older version of Allen's Virgil Starkwell, the hero of Take the Money and Run, Allen's first film. (We won't count What's Up, Tiger Lily?, his first directorial credit, which was basically a redubbing of a Japanese film.) But the style of the comedy is altogether different. Take the Money and Run and the rest of Allen's pre-Annie Hall movies were precursors of the Airplane! genre, gagfests where jokes trumped all other concerns -- plausibility, character, even the laws of physics. But Allen sticks much closer to the real universe here.
Allen plays Ray, a safecracker whose aspirations far outstrip his intelligence. Since getting out of the slammer, he has been working as a dishwasher in New York City; his loving wife, Frenchy (Tracey Ullman), makes more money as a manicurist. But Ray has his eyes on a neighborhood bank that looks ripe for the robbing. A pizzeria two doors down has just gone bust, and Ray figures it'll be a piece of cake to rent the space, open up a dummy business and dig a tunnel over to the bank. He enlists the aid of two friends -- Denny (Michael Rapaport) and Tommy (Tony Darrow) -- presumably the only two guys in all five boroughs more stupid than he is. He also recruits Benny (Jon Lovitz), an arsonist he knew in prison. Frenchy, clearly the smarter and stronger of the two, doesn't like the plan, but eventually she goes along with it, agreeing to run a cookie store upstairs as a cover. And she brings in her cousin May (Elaine May) to help, despite the fact that May, unbelievably, is even dumber than the guys downstairs.
To everyone's surprise, the cookie store starts doing a huge business. Less than a third of the way through the movie, we leap ahead a year. All the conspirators are now incredibly wealthy, thanks to Frenchy's cookies. But the money goes to Frenchy's head. She aspires to be part of society, to be educated in all the finer things. Ray, for his part, couldn't care less: He's tired of eating escargots and quail eggs and would be happier with a cheeseburger, thank you. Frenchy hires David (Hugh Grant), a charming but not very successful art dealer, to become their tutor in refinement. But when Ray washes his hands of the whole thing, Frenchy starts to fall for David, who, of course, represents everything that Ray isn't.
Small Time Crooks is much closer in tone to Mighty Aphrodite or Radio Days or, most particularly, Broadway Danny Rose. There are no startling human insights or hair-tearing examinations of the agonies of existence. If anything, this is a mild-mannered screwball comedy -- a tribute to lovable losers. In many ways, it has more to do with The Honeymooners -- an association Allen blatantly makes a few times. Ray and Frenchy have a blend of love and contentiousness similar to that of Ralph and Alice Kramden. Like Ralph, Ray is constantly threatening his wife with exaggerated physical violence. Gleason was such a big lovable baby that we always knew it was sheer bluster he'd never act on. Allen may not be nearly as lovable on screen -- not many actors are -- but we know from the start that he's never going to act on his threats, because Frenchy could take him out in one punch. Ullman looks taller and quite a bit more substantial than does Allen.
In fact, one of the minor shocks in the film is just how old Allen looks: His 64 years are quite evident, perhaps all the more noticeable because it's been three years since we've seen much of him. There will doubtless be complaints that once again he's cast himself opposite a much younger woman -- Ullman just turned forty -- but at least this time out his one extramarital flirtation is with May, who is presumably a few years older than he is. (Just how much older is hard to determine; the Internet Movie Database says she was born in 1940, which would mean she gave birth to her daughter when she was nine. Somewhere around 1930 is a better guess.) Actually, May shows her years much less than Allen. She also manages to walk away with nearly every scene she's in. In a story populated almost entirely with dimwits, she creates the grandest dimwit of all. Her character's cheery, well-intentioned obliviousness is irresistible.
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Buildings And Contents Insurance: You Just Need to Prepare for the Unexpected
When you talk about protection, it is not only the individual that needs protection but something more. If you own property you may need buildings and contents insurance. Even if you structure is situated in a safe area, you will never know when disaster will strike. This in essence is the rationale of buildings and contents insurance. You insure your building from fire, earthquake, floods and other acts of God. At the same time you insure the contents inside the building. All contents that are movable can be covered by the contents insurance.
There is cover for your Structure
The most important portion in buildings and contents insurance is protection for your structure. You building is generating income, in the case of commercial and industrial buildings. Even residential structures can generate income if they are being rented out. You need to purchase insurance equivalent to the value of the building as approved by an insurance appraiser. If you structure is burned down due to an accident, or destroyed by an earthquake or washed by flood, the insurance provider is liable to pay you the face value of the insurance.
There is cover for your Contents
In some cases, the contents inside the building may have more value than the building itself. It is always advisable to insure the contents. In buildings and contents insurance, both the building and the contents are insured. If the building meets a disaster and all the content gets destroyed, you can file for a claim with the insurance provider. You will be paid the amount of cover for the building and for the contents. These are separate amounts, so it is good to have separate insurance coverage. Some policies are integrated but the amount of cover for the building and its content are presented individually and clearly separate.
There is cover for most Disasters
The most common protection for buildings and contents insurance is fire protection. This means that if your structure is destroyed by fire, the insurance provider pays you a certain amount. Lately however, natural disasters called acts of God have become commonplace in many parts of the world. You still need to have protection from fire hazards but then you need to add flood protection, earthquake protection and even lighting protection. If you can have protection for all types of acts of God, then so much the better. As many financial experts say, it is better to have excess insurance cover than to be under-insured.
When you need to prepare for the unexpected, there is no other type of insurance that can give you such a protection. While this type of insurance is simple, there are inclusion and exclusion clauses, that you need to read before signing your name of the policy. Make sure that your intended protection is there and the corresponding policy value is also there. Only then should you sign your name on the dotted line. Separate protection for your building and its contents are essential. There may be instances when the contents can never be placed in safety. You need to invest in contents and buildings insurance.


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Lyrics Take Me Down Alabama
Song Lyrics For Take Me Down by Alabama
Song Fact:The Tune Take Me Down by Alabama
Alabama Artist Fact:Billboard magazine states that Alabama had a total of 33 No. 1 hits in all. The group was awarded the ACM "Entertainer of the Year" for 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985....Read Alabama Bio
More 80's Song Lyrics
Lyrics Tennessee Christmas Alabama
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Lyrics The Christmas Spirit Alabama
Lyrics The Closer You Get Alabama
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Mecox Lane Limited Announces Second Quarter 2012 Results
SHANGHAI, China, Aug. 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mecox Lane Limited ("Mecox Lane" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:MCOX), which operates one of China's leading online platforms for apparel and accessories, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012.
Second Quarter 201 2 Highlights
- Internet platform net revenues decreased 40.0% year over year to $19.6 million, compared to $32.7 million in the second quarter of 2011
- Net revenues decreased 33.6% year over year to $39.0 million, compared to $58.7 million in the second quarter of 2011
- Gross profit margin decreased 2.1% year over year to 34.4% from 36.5% in the second quarter of 2011
- Gross profit 1 decreased 37.4% year over year to $13.4 million from $21.5 million in the second quarter of 2011
- Net loss was $4.9 million, compared to net loss of $3.4 million in the second quarter of 2011
Mr. Alfred Gu, Mecox Lane's director and chief executive officer, commented, "In the second quarter of 2012, we continued to take a conservative approach with respect to our core Internet business and strategically scaled back our online advertising. While prices for online advertising began to stabilize in the first quarter of 2012, they remain at historically high levels and, in our view, still do not represent a good return on investment. While we have experienced a substantial year-over-year decrease in average monthly unique visitors to our Internet platform, we have also spent significantly less on advertising as a percentage of our revenues. We will remain cautious in terms of advertising spending for our Internet business in order to better position ourselves once online advertising prices reach more attractive levels."In the second quarter of 2012, we continued to execute on our strategy of improving operating efficiency. Most notably, we are close to the completion of our new Wujiang Logistics Center, which we expect will be fully operational by the end of the third quarter of 2012. As we transition to the new location, we will seek ways to utilize the center's additional capacity to support our future growth.
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Date for the Diary
Sort of via Mr FM I found this usefull reminder and link to the map etc of the Waterloo Cup meet.
It has been brought forward to beat the ban - it will be held on 14 February, 15 February, and 16 February.
An historic day out - I would like to go but the Heir is due to be under the knife those days...
More details...
The Waterloo Cup is the Blue Riband of coursing. Run at Altcar in Lancashire since 1836, it is the ultimate test of a greyhound. Sixty four of the best coursing greyhounds in Britain and Eire will contest the historic prize. This year's meeting will be held on 14 February, 15 February, and 16 February.
The first brace of runners will be put into slips at 9.30am each day. Spectators are advised to arrive by 8.30am to be in good time for the start.
Coursing meetings last for as long as necessary to run out each day's programme. As a rough guide expect the first day to be the longest, (until 4.00pm approx,) and the third day to be the shortest, (until 2.00pm approx.) Refreshments are available on the ground.
Entry from Ł15 each person, car parking free.
How to get there.
Monday, 14 February "The Withins"
Take M62 and then M57. At the end of M57 follow A565 towards Formby and Southport. On the Formby by-pass turn right at traffic lights on to B5195 (at Tesco Superstore) and follow the road through Great Altcar. The turning to the field is on the right on the far side of the village.
Tuesday, 15 February "Lydiate"
Take M62 and then M57. At the end of the M57 follow A59 and then A5147 towards Scarisbrick and Southport. In Lydiate village take second left and follow to where the old Lydiate Station and railway line stood. The coursing field is beyond the old line.
Wednesday, 16 February "The Withins" again.
If you need overnight accommodation, most people stay in nearby Southport where there are any number of hotels and B&Bs. For advice, 'phone the Southport Tourist Office on 01704 533333.
The call over of the card, with bookmakers in attendance to offer long-odds on all runners, will take place at the Prince Of Wales Hotel, Lord Street, Southport at 7.00pm on Sunday, 13 February.


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Bake: 20 min plus cooling
3/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange peel, optional
6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
In a microwave, melt butter; stir in brown sugar. Transfer to a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir in cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick).
Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack.
Holiday baking
Whether it's cookies for an exchange or sweet rolls for a family brunch, your oven will be preheating soon
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White chocolate cranberry blondies from "Taste of Home Baking." (MCT)
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"Excited to be a part of the comeback!! "
- Comp & Benefits
- Work/Life Balance
- Senior Management
- Career Opportunities
I have been working at MySpace
New management has taken over and is making a real run at turning this place around.
Morale is the best since I've been around.
The new vision for the site is amazing.
The music catalogue is bigger and better than Spotify and Pandora (and it's free too).
We get free cooked to order lunch everyday.
Fresh ideas that are actually put into action, instead of falling on deaf ears.
Competitive pay and great benefits.
Historical turnover and layoffs under NewsCorp have hurt morale in the past.
Past mis-management and inter-office politics have given those that work here a bad reputation (however, new management has shown differently).
Previous regime was dead set focused on Futura and now we are all paying for their poor judgement.
You've shown a great sense of leadership and direction in the short time you have been here. Please stay the course and never forget that the user experience is the most important aspect to regaining our prominence!
118 Other Employee Reviews for MySpace (View Most Recent)Sort: Rating Date
I worked at MySpacePros
Great people work at Myspace.Cons
It is a shaky corporate environment.Advice to ManagementAdvice
Empower and trust your employees.Doesn't RecommendNo opinion of CEO
"Fast-paced and challenging work environment "
- Comp & Benefits
- Work/Life Balance
- Senior Management
- Career Opportunities
I worked at MySpacePros
Management respects you as much as a full time employee. You learn a ton about the music and marketing industry. Great name on your resume.Cons
Work environment can be a bit isolating at times. Lack of resources and adequate funding in my specific department can be restricting.No opinion of CEO


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Anyone know how long the BATF takes to process a C&R application? I sent mine in a week or so ago. I already have 3 SMLEs (my son loves them) but I want to add a M1 Carbine and M1 Garand (for starters) to my collection.
Another question, are 50+ year-old M1911As on the C&R list?
I sent my C&R License 3 weeks ago yesterday, they took money out 3 days after i sent it in. just takes time
Have my wish list made out and about 28 dealers already addressed and ready to send the FFL to when it gets here ...best hurry before i spend all my money on other things lol
Thanks, all, for the feedback. I guess there's not much else to do but wait for the process to take its course. Ugh. I've also got 2 CMP orders I'm waiting on. Not much fun, all this waiting...
FWIW, the license takes 2-3 months average. Your mileage may vary. Re: 1911A1's- there is the LIST from BATFE- such as all Winchester 88s, all Colt Woodsman pistols, etc, and there is AGE- all firearms where THAT GUN is 50 yrs or older. A 50 yr old Marlin 39A IS a C&R, a 49 yr old Marlin 39A is NOT. So, if you can show that YOUR 1911A1 is 50 or older, it is a C&R arm. Enjoy- the C&R FDFL is the most fun you can have for $30.
WooHoo, my C&R arrived last week! Unfortunately, my Jeep is consuming all my C&R procurement $$!
I got my tax refund back other day and got several guns in the waiting and fixing to ride to CMP to get a garand i been wanting
I think it took me about 8 weeks to get mine. That was a year ago. So far I've gotten a Swiss K-31 and a CZ82. Both from J&G Sales.
I still waiting on the second package of forms or whatever they send


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IGAD Countries' Ambassadors Group Forum re launched in Brussels
Addis Ababa, 13 February 2014 (WIC) - Heads of Missions of the IGAD member states in Brussels have re-launched a joint IGAD Forum at a meeting held on Wednesday, February 12/ 2014.
The Ambassadors of Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and the chargé d'affaires of Djibouti met and discussed the urgent necessity to reform the IGAD Ambassadors Group in Brussels.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, the proposal was put forward by Ambassador Teshome Toga of Ethiopia, in his capacity as representative of Ethiopia, the current chair of IGAD.
The Ambassadors decided to hold regular meetings, with Ethiopia as chair and Kenya as rapporteur to be office bearers of the group.
The Ambassadors' Forum Group agreed on the need to co-ordinate their efforts in line with the priorities and decisions of the IGAD Heads of State and Government.
They also declared the importance of joint promotion of the positions taken by IGAD at various fora and other meetings. The Ambassadors' Group Forum determined that they would hold regular meetings every month.
The initial meeting concluded with identification of topics and venue for their next meeting, to be held at the Embassy of Uganda on March 10.
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Are Republicans and Democrats the Same? Bush's Lies Campaign Finance Citizens United Campaigns and Elections Conservatives and the American Right Electoral Politics Electoral Reform Lobbies Political Action Committees Political Analysis Polling and Opinion Surveys Presidential Campaigns and Elections Rural Issues Secrecy in the Bush Administration Soft Money Tea Party The Breakdown The Left Third Party Politics
Dinesh D'Souza became a right-wing campus radical at Dartmouth in the late Carter years. His motives should be recognizable to former campus radicals of the other variety.
Raise a Glass to the Stay-at-Home Voter?
How dismal was election night 2002?
One big problem with liberal and leftist debate about Al Qaeda or Iraq
is that it rarely seems to have much to do with Al Qaeda or Iraq.
With Republicans in full control in Washington, next year's prospects
are grim.
CORRECTION: John Eder of Maine, a Green, won state, not national, office.
The talk of war has done its job.
Rove's hopes were far exceeded.
So maybe, with the voting done,
The war itself's not needed.
Well, the elephant is out of the barn now. Congress is lost and whither
Congress, so will go the courts.
Let's take back the Democratic Party and do all we can to beat Bush in 2004.
The more things change...
The Republican wave that swept the country seemed to crash and recede
right at the California border, but only barely.


text: dabooklover's Titles PLOT IT YOURSELF by Rex Stout (1950s) A curious book in that Wolfe is more frustrated than usual and Archie starts out his usual breezy self but gets angrier and more serious as the book goes on. The final scene was quite a surprise to me, and rather strange. If you're interested in the series, try to find this one. (I bought a copy from the Carmel Library store but I don't see it listed in the library's catalog.) -- Added by dabooklover on 01/31/2014 Add Comment Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich (Other) The newest of the Stephanie Plum novels is a little creepier than previous books. Stephanie is as plucky and incompetent and hilarious as ever, though the series is starting to show a bit of wear. -- Added by dabooklover on 01/31/2014 Add Comment The Hand in the Glove by Rex Stout (1930s) The one book devoted to Theodolinda "Dol" Bonner, Rex Stout's one and only female private eye. It came out in 1935. While it lacks the sparkle of the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin novels, it's interesting as a precursor to the more well-developed characterizations of female P.I.s that came along later through Marcia Muller, Sara Paretski, Sue Grafton, et al. -- Added by dabooklover on 01/31/2014 Add Comment David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell (2000s) Fascinating look at how someone can be perceived as an underdog, but not be one; how a deficit may not be one -- or may provoke the development of a strength; and how people reinterpret life around them according to what they think it is rather than seeing it more fully to get a truer read. -- Added by dabooklover on 01/17/2014 Add Comment Concourse by S.J. Rozen (1990s) A densely plotted mystery with interesting, sometimes charming, sometimes scary characters. The neighborhood where most of the action takes place is an interesting place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there.... -- Added by dabooklover on 01/11/2014 Add Comment


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Infinite Possibilities...
PepsiCo – Why Work For Us?
We are driven to win. Outperforming ourselves is a rush. We're strong individualists who thrive on collaboration. To us, it's all about respect – for one another's unique traits, backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Our teams reflect the diversity of our consumers and our communities, breaking down barriers, shattering glass ceilings and winning awards. Our Employee Resource Groups are proof-positive that inclusion is a way of life at PepsiCo.
And get this. We actually care about you as a person. Not just the "you" that shows up to work every day. But the "you" that goes home to your loved ones and out into your community. We get that greatness spreads. That at some point work skills and life lessons merge, and at that point everyone's expectations are blown out of the water. It's called personal satisfaction. Only everyone wins.
We've hired 300,000 entrepreneurs, dreamers, doers, rainmakers and shakers. Every minute of every day on the job, we encourage them to be the best at whatever they're doing and whoever they are. Stretch assignments, early responsibility, job rotations and awesome mentors are just part of what makes the real world at PepsiCo an unbeatable training ground. Want proof? Eighty percent of our executive team was promoted from within.
Blaze new trails. Never settle for second best. Succeed together, celebrate and do something bigger. That's what performing with purpose is all about.
Around the world, we're committed to giving people the taste they crave and the nutrition they need. We dream globally and act locally-constantly innovating to sustain our planet, our people, our communities and our business practices. New markets mean new ways of doing business, and new ways of addressing health concerns, cultural differences and environmental challenges. Every day is an adventure, and an opportunity for personal and professional growth.
PepsiCo Photos
PepsiCo Reviews
"Amazing Place To Work "
- Comp & Benefits
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I have been working at PepsiCo full-time (more than an year)Pros
You get an opportunity to learn Distributor managementCons
Completely into work less of Family LifeAdvice to ManagementAdvice
Nothing as suchRecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEO
PepsiCo Interviews
Interview Experience
Interview Experience
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Interview Difficulty
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Campus placement- First there was a group discussion and after that shortlisted candidates gone through technical written test. Then shortlisted were callled in their plant for final interview. Ffirst was technical with Plant GM and then HRInterview Questions
Accepted Offer
- Why you want to join FMCG Answer Question
PepsiCo Awards and Accolades
Additional Info
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people... More
Mission: Our mission is to be the world's premier consumer products company focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce financial rewards to investors as we... More


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Definitions for emceeˈɛmˈsi
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word emcee
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
em•ceeˈɛmˈsi(n.; v.)-ceed, -cee•ing.
(n.)master of ceremonies.
Category: Showbiz
(v.t.)to serve or direct as master of ceremonies.
Category: Showbiz
Origin of emcee:
1930–35, Amer.; sp. form of MC
Princeton's WordNet
master of ceremonies, emcee, host(verb)
a person who acts as host at formal occasions (makes an introductory speech and introduces other speakers)
emcee, compere(verb)
act as a master of ceremonies
Variation of MC, master of ceremonies (host of a game show or function).
Act as the master of ceremonies
Origin: From the pronunciation of the abbreviation MC, master of ceremonies.
Find a translation for the emcee definition in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss these emcee definitions with the community:
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"emcee." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/emcee>.


text:
Rail Jam raises big bucks for Cancer Council
The Hotham community came together for the Mums the Word Rail Jam, raising close to $15,000 for the Cancer Council on Saturday 9 August.
Ski and snowboard competitors threw down cool tricks on the Basin Terrain Park rails to a big crowd on Swindlers' back deck, followed up with a fundraising party with all proceeds going towards the Cancer Council's Daffodil Day.
Many thanks go out to those who donated to the cause, including the Mt Hotham Race Club, Hotham staff and locals who purchased raffle tickets, and the instructors and lifties who also did their bit to raise money by shaving their heads and beards on stage at the party.
A big thank you also goes out to Line Skis, Skull Candy, Gnu Snowboards, Volkl, Roxy and many more local businesses who donated items for the auction and raffle prizes.
Check out all the photos from the Mum's the Word Rail Jam on our Facebook page.
11 August 2014
- Why Hotham?
- Location & Maps
- Snow & Weather
- Latest News
- 2015 Beyond Hotham Event Announcement
- Hotham Tracks & Trails, Running Along
- 7 Peaks Alpine Challenge 17 October 2014 - 31 March 2015
- Hotham History Timeline Project
- Goodbye to season 2014 - Hello season 2015!
- The countdown is on
- Spring snowfalls!
- The BIG Spring lift ticket special
- Learn to Ski Week
- 2015 Hero Season Pass
- Mount Hotham Draft Master Plan - Submissions now closed.
- Half price lift tickets for season closing weekend
- The Day Hotham Turned Pink!
- Opening Launch - Alpine Crossing Trail Head
- Iconic Zirky's venue seeks new F&B operators
- Iconic Zirky's venue seeks new F&B operators
- Spring Sessions Slopestyle + Final Placings
- Red Bull King of Bob – Boardercross meets tobogganing
- Camp Quality Fancy Dress Fun Walk - 6th September
- Bright P-12 College
- FIS ANC Alpine Races
- 'OOTZ A La Carte in the Park Series - the story so far
- Chicks With Stix a Hit
- FIS ANC Boarder Cross Decided!
- More
- Photo Gallery


text:
The UnForum
Honest Conversations with the DC Mayoral Candidates
A series of one-on-one conversations with the leading mayoral candidates on the pressing issue facing the city - inequality in the District of Columbia.
Refreshments will be served!
Sunday, March 2, 7-9 PM
Andy Shallal and Tommy Wells
Moderated by Mark Segraves
Sunday, March 9, 7-9 PM
Jack Evans and Vincent Orange
Moderated by Marc Fisher
Sunday, March 16, 7-9 PM
Vincent Gray and Muriel Bowser
Moderated by Marc Fisher
Hosted by the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law and
Bread for the City
Children's Law Center
DC Appleseed
DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence
DC Fair Budget Coalition
DC Jobs Council
DC Hunger Solutions
DC Leadership Council
Fiscal Policy Institute
Food Research Action Council
Loaves and Fishes
Mary's Center
Miriam's Kitchen
Nonprofit Roundtable
Sasha Bruce YouthworkWashington Interfaith Network
Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless
The Way Home
12/23/20141L Jonathan Newton Interviewed on Talk Nation R...
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2/2/2015Probation, Parole, Criminal Record: The Collateral Consequences of Being Imprisoned
2/21/2015Washington Bar Association Career Fair
3/20/2015The Legal Context of US-Cuba Relations: Challenges for the Future
4/18/2015DC Office of People's Counsel Workshops on Energy and the Environment


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2014 Larry Lawson Award Winners are Ashley Ayres Lawson and Caleb Allred.
CLICK >>> Google Map to the Range:
(so the wife don't make you stop and ask for directions, don't you hate that?)
Membership and Open to the public. Family Friendly Range, shooters of all ages welcome...
Facebook <<< "Quincy Sport Shooting Association"
Our Club: QSSA is a open club to anyone, both members and non members alike, and anyone else wanting to have fun and enjoy your second amendment rights with fellow shooting enthusiasts.
Our Scholastic Program is growing all the time. Information can be found at: Shootcyssa.com or go to Feather River Claybusters on the menu.
Mule Deer Foundation, Plumas County Chapter donated $1000 to our Midway USA Foundation Endowment that was matched by Larry and Brenda Potterfield making the donation to our endowment $2000. Thanks so much Mule Deer Foundation and Larry and Brenda Potterfield.
Thanks to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Larry and Brenda Potterfield of Midway USA for the support for generations to come!!! Please join us and help support our youth program by going to the "donate" link to the left and donating to our youth shooting. Your donation is doing a very special part in keeping our 2nd amendment alive.
Location: We are located just about 6 miles west of Quincy California on Snake Lake Road, see below for a google map to the range. The property is owned by the United States Forest Service and the Plumas County Sheriff Department is the authorized permittee to utilize the property. The PCSO then utilizes the Quincy Sport Shooting Association to be the managers of the property and keep it in good order.
CLICK >>> Google Map to the Range:
(so the wife don't make you stop and ask for directions, don't you hate that?)
Restroom facilities? sorry, but you can choose between douglas fir, white fir, or ponderosa pine. We now have a porta potty on a trailer for our Special events. Special thanks to Plumas Sanitation for their donation.
Contact Information and Officers:
President Matt Culver 530-394-8390 EMAIL MATT
Vice President Karl Bishop 530-816-0544 EMAIL KARL
Secretary & Treasurer Cheryl Pini EMAIL CHERYL
Range Master Larry Lawson 530-283-1772
Asst Range Master Gary Pini II EMAIL GARY
ATA/NRA Certified Shotgun Coaches
Matt Culver 530-394-8390 EMAIL MATT
Gary Pini II EMAIL GARY
Mike Wilcox EMAIL MIKE
Keevin Allred EMAIL KEEVIN
Steve Coelho EMAIL STEVE
Cheryl Pini EMAIL CHERYL
*Although we have Certified Shotgun Coaches and Range Masters keep in mind everyone is a safety officer when on or near the range. Anyone at anytime upon seeing an unsafe condition should call "cease fire", and identify and correct the problem.
Club Meetings: Quarterly Club Meetings are held every 3 months at the range prior to scheduled shoots. See Schedule for dates the meetings are held. Our annual meeting is held the 3rd Tuesday in January every year 7PM at the Quincy Library.
Horton Tire Center, Quincy, California; Ron and Stephanie Horton
(530) 283-1450
QUINCY FIREARMS (FFL) for your firearms purchases and transfers. The "Official Firearms Dealer of QSSA Junior Trap Team":
Plumas Motor Supply (Across from CHP Office in Quincy). The "Official Parts Store" of the QSSA Junior Trap Team. Thanks Ed :-)
EMAIL <<<click to email us
Annual Membership: Senior Membership (62 & over) $15.00
Junior Membership (16 & younger) $15.00
Individual Membership $20.00
Family Membership $25.00
Membership (it pays the insurance):
Members enjoy reduced cost on shooting costs. Membership is not a requirement to come join us, however membership is highly encouraged and deeply appreciated to help the club with costs associated with running the club. Insurance, range maintenance, and other needs. Our costs are very affordable compared to other clubs, we do all we can
Junior Programs and Events:
Shooting Program: Every other Sunday, See Schedule
Junior Trap Program: Every other Sunday, see schedule
CYSSA Scholastic Program (See Feather River Claybusters)
Mule Deer Foundatoin Banquet, February 2015
Quincy Friends of the NRA Banquet, March, 2015
Summer League: June to Late September each year.
Club Championships "Larry Lawson Award", October 26, 2014, see schedule.
RMEF, Feather River Big Game Banquet: September 2015
Turkey Shoot: Weekend before Thanksgiving
Great American Snow Blast: Trap Shoot during First big snow dump of the year
Pistol "Bullseye" Shoots: Begins 21 May 6pm and runs till October. Cost is $1.00 to cover the targets, must bring your own pistol, ammo, safety gear, etc.
Trap Shooting:
Adults: Members $4.00 per round or for $25.00 you get 7 rounds (save $3.00 if you buy 7) Non Members $7.00 per round.
Juniors-$2.50 for Juniors.
The club has several guns available for beginners and those without firearms thanks tomembers with extra guns and a generous donation from the Friends of the NRA. We also have ammunition available for sale, and reloading supplies on a limited based on availability basis. Call Larry Lawson for details.
Kurt McBride & Travis Shiavone, @ CJ's Automotive, (Portola, CA) 530-927-9760
Dave Lake (Portola, CA) 530-832-4186
Lee Brooks: 530-836-2604
George and Phyllis Orloff (Almanor/Westwood, CA) 530-596-4116
Ian James: http://www.tenxem.com/
Rick Roy 530-596-3644
Special thanks to the Quincy Friends of the NRA for their donation for our range improvements. The improvements added storage for additional clay targets as well as a covered shooting table. The Quincy Friends of the NRA also donate annually to our youth program. Last year the NRA donated over $5000 in ammunition, new guns, and safety gear for the youth program.
Attend a Friends of the NRA Event: EVENTS
BEGINNERS, WOMEN, and KIDS:
Personal one on one instruction available in both Shotgun and Pistol Marksmanship. We want to pass on to you our marksmanship skills and see you become a member and enjoy with us our 2nd Amendment Rights


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Your Opinion Wanted
This weekend I was going through one of my wood books. That's about all I can do right. In the last year I had 4 surgery's on my knee. The last one was in February when I had a seizure and actually broke my leg, I never thought that could happen. Anyway back to the book. I saw a ad about the woodmaster planer sander and molder. It was a bit weird it factory is about 45 min from my house. Anyway all comments good or bad would be helpful. Thanks Tim: