online travel conference

The Graduate School
Conference Travel Grant 2010/11

(For travel between Sept. 1, 2010 and Aug. 31, 2011)

Objective of the Grant: The Conference Travel Grant provides funds to assist PhD and MFA students traveling to conferences and/or seminars to make presentations on behalf of the University. The award is not intended to support attending courses at other schools, research or general educational travel.

Eligibility: Students are eligible to receive up to $500/$700 (depending on program -- see below) Conference Travel Grant per academic year (September 1 through August 31). This amount can be used towards one conference or multiple conferences. Students must have completed three quarters of full-time full-tuition registration both counting towards residency and toward the PhD/MFA degree in The Graduate School.Students therefore must provide an unofficial Northwestern transcript. Unofficial transcripts may be obtained from CAESAR. After logging in to CAESAR, you can view your unofficial transcript by selecting "For Students" then "Academic Information" then "View Unofficial Transcript." Select "Switch to printer-friendly view" at the top of the screen. To save your unofficial transcript as an electronic document, copy and paste the entire transcript into a Word (or equivalent) file.
Students who are registered and in good academic standing in PhD or MFA programs administered by The Graduate School are eligible to apply; students who are on an extension of the deadline for degree completion are not eligible. Applicants must have received commitments from other University sources (such as the home department or school) to partially cover the costs of the conference or seminar. In order to be considered,students must provide a copy of their invitation to present or other proof of their scheduled presentation with the application.

Department/School Approval & Commitment: The graduate contact for your program will receive an automatic email once you complete the online application form. Program approval indicates that the department has vetted the application and committed financial support. The dollar amount of the department’s/school’s commitment should be provided on the application. We recommend that you coordinate approval of financial support with your program's graduate contact before submitting an online application form.
Questions: After consulting the FAQ, please contact gradfund@northwestern.edu or call 847/467-0843 with any further questions. Please include your name and department in all messages.

Grant Amount:The maximum Conference Travel Grant is:

• $500 for students in McCormick, Feinberg, WCAS Division I, NUIN, and related interdisciplinary programs
• $700 for students in all other schools and divisions

For a list of WCAS Graduate Programs by Division, see the web athttp://www.wcas.northwestern.edu/graduate.

Covered Costs: Conference Travel Grants will only cover the following items: early conference registration fees, transportation to/from meeting, lodging, food, and ground transportation while attending the conference. The cost of visas required to attend an international conference is considered a covered travel expense. Students are expected to find the most reasonable and economical lodging and transportation. For instance, students are encouraged to share a room, and it is expected that students partake of meals provided as part of the conference rather than incurring additional expenses. Examples of non-covered expenses include: proposal submission and optional pre-conference fees, poster printing, mailing expenses, and internet access while traveling. Do not include non-covered expenses in the application budget.

Air and rail fares and conference registration fees may be charged to a departmental account prior to travel; however, cash advances will not be provided. Expenses for hotel, food, taxis, etc., are to be paid with the student’s personal funds and will be reimbursed upon filing of a properly completed Travel & Entertainment (T&E) form with original receipts. Retroactive charges for expenditures incurred or committed prior to review and approval of this application will not be funded. You may review Northwestern’s travel policies at:http://www.northwestern.edu/finsys/ps/policies/travel.pdf

Application Deadline: Grants for travel from September 1 – August 31 are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the academic year, or until funds are depleted. Students should apply up to two months prior to the conference whenever possible. Under no circumstances will approval be given retroactively if an application is submitted after the conference has begun. The final deadline for receipt of all 2009/10 Conference Travel Grant applications is Friday, June 10th, 2011.

Award Notification: Each student will receive an email notification both when the department approves the online application and when TGS gives the final approval. The entire process should take between 3-10 business days.

Reimbursement: Funds are transferred to departmental accounts for distribution to the student; sponsored project accounts may not be used for this purpose. Departments are expected to handle all reimbursements upon the completion of a student’s travel. Should the actual cost of the travel be less than that initially awarded, excess funding should be returned based upon the proportion originally awarded by each funding entity within two months after completion of the conference.

New Online Application and Instructions:

For Students:

1. Go to: https://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/admin/ctgstudents/

2. Logon using your netid and password (if you cannot access the site, please click on “request an account”. This should automatically start a blank email to tgs-it@northwestern.edu with the subject line “Account Request”. In the body of the email please include your name, student number, and netid. Mention that you are trying to submit an online Conference Travel Grant request, and need an account. If an automatic email does not start, or you cannot send an email from the desktop email it interfaces, simply send an email to tgs-it@northwestern.edu with the subject line and information above. Please allow 3-5 business days for an account to be created.)

3. Once you’ve logged in, please be sure to review all of the required fields to make sure you have all the information you need on hand. You can only fill out and submit an application once.

4. Once you have all the information you need, please fill in all the required fields, and relevant unrequired fields. Upload a copy of your invitation to present, and a copy of your unofficial transcript (which can be either downloaded from Caesar as a .pdf, or you may cut and paste the information into a word document. Please note, the online application will change the name of your documents once you upload them. This is okay).

5. Hit “add Conference Travel Grant – Student”

6. An email confirmation will then be sent to you, and the appropriate department contact for your program.

*** If there are any problems with the submission of your application, or you receive an error message, please send an email to gradfund@northwestern.edu.

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crm for travel agents

The launch of a radically new offering called OpenTravel CRM™ in mid -September, is reportedly taking off. Within its first 30 days, it is expected to have garnered over 1,000 registered users. OpenTravel CRM™ is the first free, all-inclusive software for travel agents. The web based software handles all aspects of customer relationship management and bundles that with e-marketing, trip planning, custom itineraries, commission tracking and reporting and accounting-interface functions. It is also the first to deliver integrated social networking relationship management into a travel agent business application, which brings customer relationship building to a new level through active online community presence and interaction. OpenTravel CRM™ is available at www.opentravelcrm.com.

According to Joseph Mazzarella, president and CEO of Travel Sciences, which developed OpenTravel CRM™,” less than half of all travel agents have access to any CRM or contact management solution for their businesses. OpenTravel CRM™ was designed to reach out to the agent community and help organize, maintain and grow their businesses," he explained “It helps facilitate the growth of existing and new customer relationships by knowing those customers better, understanding what they like and bringing them products that they want. It also has a set of easy to use marketing and selling tools that can be used everyday to grow the business. Best of all, OpenTravel CRM™ is a first rate, web based application offered for free,” he continued.

It is ideal for smaller agencies and home based agents as well as larger agencies and consortia who either currently have no access to good quality technology or who have expensive, outdated technology that want to upgrade without taking on additional financial risk.

OTC breaks new ground with the first Web 2.0 based business management tool for the travel professional community. OpenTravel CRM™ is super-scalable. It was built from the ground up with the newest web technologies available. “This is not out dated technology resurrected and repackaged around a pretty web front-end. This brand new, best of breed, enterprise level software,” says Mazzarella. Commercial paid license versions of the software with no advertising are available for larger travel agencies, tour operators and other organizations.

The core functions complimented by advanced Web 2.0 features include an integrated RSS reader, instant messaging and online presence monitoring, Skype and interactive mapping. Also, online community networking technologies, such as integrated blogging and publishing, and online forums, are meshed into and part of the business solution.

All that travel agents need to do to get up and running on this robust, new platform is log ontowww.opentravelcrm.com and enter a user ID and password and their account will be created. Among the features and benefits that will be immediately available to them:


• An advanced customer relationship management module that enables agents to dynamically maintain and update customer and prospect profiles;
• A visual trip planner and custom branded itineraries
• Integrated web e-mail that can be linked to their personal and business email services, including services like Hotmail or Yahoo!.
• A bulk email delivery service which will handle large out-bound email campaign management and also click through response reporting
• A marketing campaign tool with list building capabilities and editable templates
• Supplier Web Site connections with automated booking information capture, a Supplier web directory with links, and direct electronic supplier connections
• There are no restrictions on use or availability of suppliers, and OTC does not charge suppliers connection or transaction fees
• Numerous business productivity and customer service tools, including enabling agents to send updates on airline delays and cancellations directly to client e-mail addresses or PDAs.

The response thus far has been beyond our best expectations, and we see no let up in demand. Not only is the price right, but the solution is a first class, highly functional business solution,” comments Mazzarella.

Formed in 2001, the Hartford-based Travel Sciences is a leading developer of intelligent, web-based software solutions for the travel industry. It offers reservations, distribution and business automation solutions for cruise lines, tour operators and retail travel business.

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travel risk planning system

Businesses apply systematic planning appliance as a formula to key out their sought after future position. It is a procedure of formulating and carrying out programs to get hold of aimed aims and objectives, and it is likewise really crucial for Travel risk planning system business, more than anything else since it affords guidance to the business.

Businesses are constructed on substantial base once you are aware that strategies supplants formulas in almost all of your planning and it is of high effectivity to establish strategic programs that can offer and keep up dividends for a long time and more. At the time you are in business there is a demand to perpetually step-up with strategic planningprocedure to leverage preceding achievements and eradicate reasons of losses.

The essential prospects for systematic planning appliance in business are immense; one of such advantages is the ability to rapidly adjust formulas to fulfill the altering demand of the perpetually altering business aspects, and business that can’t cope up with these hardships are at their own danger of failure.

Researches have shown that Travel risk planning system lines of work which are more flourishing and lucrative have distinguished the significant effectivity of systematic planning appliances as a business program for the future. As a long-run planning; it is not just about estimating and budgeting but treating practically the serious fusses. Careful planning assists to see your business from a macro purview by not drawing a blank on the micro aspects, it anticipates the future about a specific business experience; specify the finances to spring it up more and ascertains a long-run success through carrying outinvestment opportunities at a frequent fundament.

As a business’s success counts totally on getting hold of and keeping up lucrative markets, systematic programs assist to specify aims/goals in the right way, as a leading main purpose for flourishing lines of work. Once employees acquire a more estimable interpreting of the business’ ways and aims, it assists them to feel as part of the staff and take possession in the achievements of the program.

A different crucial advantage of systematic planning appliance is assist to key out your business strong and frail sides: Every business limited, medium or large scale has its strong and frail sides, reckoned preparation assists to be aware which areas to keep up your strength and to manage area that demands melioration.

Moreover, a systematic program is crucial for it distinguishes and illustrates accessible chances and potential menaces to the business; this assists business to set up for the future taking into account its chances and possible menaces. Besides, strategizing is helpful in the formulating of a supervising formula to appraise advancement in a business, distinguishing issues that Travel risk planning system demand concern before they become a considerable barrier to lucre.

Systematic planning appliance is crucial in Travel risk planning system business can be determined nearly in what it intents to attain as a whole, which demands assisting the business concentrate on the crucial issues; like apportioning the accessible bounded resources to those planning activities that will ease up the most effective consequence for the business.

In order for business to flourish, it must have systematic planning appliances; since without it, a business is menaced from both internal and external aspects, systematic program assists your planning line of work to be more effectively Travel risk planning system organized to manage unexpected fuss, save you time, disbursement and preservation of resources.

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motorcycle travel tips

Whether you go touring for a day or a weekend, or want to have a vacation riding on your motorcycle, sometimes it is convenient to be able to cover long distances on your motorcycle.

Is that possible with every motorcycle or isn't it? What do you have to do to stay for hours in the saddle without getting tired or getting a sore butt? How many miles can you cover in an day? This page tries to formulate the answers

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atlanta business travel

To some, it is the thriving capital of the New South and the home of such blue-chip businesses as Coca-Cola and UPS. To others, it is the cradle of the civil rights movement, where the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., lives on in the city's burgeoning black middle class. To the less charitable, it is a case study in urban sprawl as its perimeter edges ever farther into the surrounding Georgia countryside. Atlanta lacks the grandeur of New York or Chicago, the glamour of Los Angeles or Miami, and the beauty of San Francisco or Seattle. While it is unlikely to ever become the truly great international city of its civic boosters' aspirations, it would be equally wrong to dismiss Atlanta as a characterless expanse. The city's yearning for recognition and respect backfired in 1996, when it hosted an uninspiring Olympics that served only to highlight its deficiencies. But for the business traveller expecting little but a big airport and a slew of corporate headquarters, Atlanta can be a surprisingly rewarding place to work and play.

Where to Sleep
Downtown Atlanta, like the centers of many American cities, can be desolate after commuters have left for the suburbs each evening. The local government has tried to regenerate the area by cracking down on crime and panhandling and encouraging the development of new leisure attractions, but the results have been mixed so far. For business travelers attending conventions in Atlanta, a downtown hotel will usually be most convenient. Choices include the Marriott Marquis, the Hyatt Regency, the Westin, and the Omni.

If your destination is Coca-Cola's global headquarters on North Avenue, you can choose between a cluster of hotels in nearby Midtown, including the Four Seasons, the Sheraton, and the Wyndham. Another Midtown option is Twelve, a swank hotel in a lively new commercial and residential development called Atlantic Station. Farther north, the W Atlanta at Perimeter Center is convenient for visitors to UPS's headquarters in Sandy Springs.

Where to Eat
For those staying downtown, the revolving Sun Dial restaurant, on the seventy-second floor of the Westin, offers great views. Most of the best places to eat, however, are outside the city center. Buckhead, an upscale commercial and residential district about six miles north of downtown, is a reliable option for business meals, with the Blue Ridge Grill and Chops among the favorites of local executives. If you're looking for something less formal, try Café Dupri, a small Buckhead bar and restaurant owned by Jermaine Dupri, the rap star and producer. Virginia Highland, a leafy neighborhood near Midtown, caters to a younger crowd of twentysomething professionals with its eclectic mix of cuisines, including Southwestern at Noche and Italian at Sotto Sotto. Atlantic Station is the hottest and hippest new spot in Atlanta dining, with Rosa Mexicano and Dolce—franchises imported from New York and Los Angeles, respectively—offering the highest quality.

Where to See and Be Seen
It used to be Atlanta's version of Bourbon Street, but many of the bars and nightclubs that once lined Buckhead's Peachtree Road have been shuttered in recent years after a clampdown on late-night drinking and crime. Buckhead still offers numerous lively bars clustered around its upscale hotels and shopping malls, but it is not the party zone it once was. Some of the fun has shifted to Atlantic Station, where Twelve and Dolce have become hangouts for the young, hip, and wealthy. Midtown and Virginia Highland offer a more bohemian choice of bars and restaurants, including a thriving gay scene.

Where to Close a Deal
For 124 years, the great and good of Atlanta's business community have been wheeling and dealing in the Capital City Club, the oldest private club in the South. Members have included Asa Candler, founder of Coca-Cola, and John Portman, the renowned real estate developer said to have inspired A Man in Full, Tom Wolfe's biting satire. Non-members need an invitation to gain access. For a more understated setting, try the White House, a traditional Buckhead diner, where the city's business and political elite enjoy breakfast and the morning papers.

Local Codes
For all its attempts to promote itself as diverse and internationally minded, Atlanta remains rooted in the South. Its business culture is clubby and conservative, with a jacket and tie typically worn by men even in the height of summer. Atlanta prides itself on being "the city too busy to hate," having largely avoided the civil rights-era riots encountered elsewhere in the region. The overwhelmingly white business community and black-dominated political leadership have long worked together to ease racial tensions and promote economic growth. As a result, Atlanta has one of the biggest and wealthiest black middle classes in the United States. Race, however, remains a thorny issue. While most workplaces are racially diverse, the rest of Atlanta society is much less well integrated. The city is starkly divided between the largely white north and mostly black south.

Airport Intelligence
Many, perhaps most, business travelers pass through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International without setting foot in the city. The airport is America's busiest hub, with 2,700 takeoffs and landings a day—twice the traffic of London Heathrow. Hartsfield deals surprisingly well with its 86 million annual passengers, and a new fifth runway (opened last year) has further increased capacity. But the two terminals—adjacent to each other in a single building—are severely strained at peak times. A new international terminal is under construction but will not open until 2010 at the earliest. The airport is a 20-minute ride from downtown on MARTA, the city's light-rail system, but a rental car is necessary for most destinations beyond the main business district.

The Three-Hour Tour
Pay homage to Dr. King by visiting his childhood home and final resting place and by peeking inside Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the civil rights leader preached. All three sights can be reached on foot from the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site visitors center, in the Sweet Auburn district, minutes from downtown. MLK's archives—bought by the city government from the King family last year for $32 million—are on display at the Atlanta History Center, in Buckhead, including an early draft of his "I Have a Dream" speech. The papers will form the centerpiece of a planned civil rights museum.

Unlikely as it seems, landlocked Atlanta is home to one of the world's biggest and best aquariums: the Georgia Aquarium, opened in 2005 with a $250 million gift from Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Atlanta-based Home Depot. Buy a ticket in advance, and, if visiting on a weekend, be prepared for long lines for headliners such as the giant whale sharks (the biggest fish on the planet). Across from the aquarium on the south end of Centennial Olympic Park, a pleasant city-center green that represents one of the few visible legacies of the 1996 Games, is CNN Center, where visitors can take a tour of the cable news station's global headquarters.

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business travel newcastle

business Travel have been providing cost effective corporate travel services to companies throughout the UK from our Newcastle base since 1984. We have become the largest independent business travel agent in Newcastle due to our 100% commitment to excellent customer service.
Need to cut back on business travel costs? Are you paying too much for economy & business class flights, rail travel, hotels, car hire or ferries?

We can give you savings that you simply can not get from other business travel agents, particularly those based in the South Eastand London. As we are a Business Travel agent based in Newcastle,we operate from a substantially lower cost base - this means that wepass on all these savings to you.

Call our friendly travel consultants now on 0191 477 0111 to discover how you can start saving on Business Travel today.

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asbestos law suit

COST OF FILING AN ASBESTOS LAWSUIT

At the Simmons firm, we understand that filing an asbestos lawsuit is not a simple process, even under the best of conditions. While no amount of compensation can buy you a medical miracle, a mesothelioma lawsuit can help you afford the mesothelioma treatments you need and eliminate the worry that medical costs are draining your family budget.

This section about mesothelioma asbestos lawsuits will address many of the initial questions you may have. If you have additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Even after you contact us, you do not have to choose a Simmons firm employee as your mesothelioma attorney should you decide to move forward with an asbestos lawsuit.

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asbestos class action suit

Asbestos is a mineral, it is found in the natural environment in rock. It should have stayed there. Beginning in the 1930's and continuing on for more than four decades, asbestos companies decided to use this mineral in their products. Asbestos disease follows the trail of exposure. Asbestos disease is not limited to any one particular craft or trade. Asbestos has been unknowingly carried home on the clothes of workers resulting in disease among the wives who cleaned the clothes and their children. It is a sad commentary that tens of thousands of diseased people have paved the trail of asbestos exposure. During the time companies sold asbestos, it was known to them and kept secret that the material could kill. The unsuspecting public they sold their products to are the victims.

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asbestos suit

82 companies named as defendants in asbestos suit
12/7/2010 1:00 PM By Kyla Asbury -Kanawha Bureau

CHARLESTON -- Two individuals have named 82 companies as defendants in an asbestos suit.

Willie Oliver Reed was diagnosed with asbestosis and died Nov. 12, 2009, according to a complaint filed Nov. 10 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Rick Reed and Ruth Reed, co-executors of the Estate of Willie Oliver Reed, claim the 82 defendants are responsible for his lung disease and death.

The defendants are being sued upon the theories of negligence, contaminated buildings, breach of expressed/implied warranty, strict liability, intentional tort, conspiracy, misrepresentations and post sale duty to warn, according to the suit.

Rick Reed and Ruth Reed are seeking a jury trial to resolve all issues involved. They are being represented by Bronwyn I. Rinehart.

The case has been assigned to a visiting judge.

The 82 defendants include 3M Company; A.W. Chesterton Company; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Allied Glove Corporation; Alloy Cast Steel Company; Amchem Products, Inc.; Aurora Pump Company; Beazer East, Inc.; Borg Warner Corporation; Brand Insulations, Inc.; Bucyrus International, Inc.; Buffalo Pumps, Inc.; BW IP, Inc.; Certainteed Corporation; Cincinnati Gasket Packing & Manufacturing; Cleaver-Brooks Company, Inc.; Crane Co.; Crown, Cork & Seal USA, Inc.; CSR, Limited; Dezurik, Inc.; Durabla Manufacturing Company; Eaton Corporation; Elliott Turbomachinery, Inc.; F.B. Wright Company; Flowserve Inc.; Flowserve US, Inc.; Foseco, Inc.; Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation; General Electric Company; General Refractories Company; George V. Hamilton, Inc.; Gordon Gasket & Packing Co.; Goulds Pumps, Inc.; Graybar Electric Company, Inc.; Grinnell Corporation; Honeywell International; I.U. North America, Inc.; IMO Industries, Inc.; Industrial Holdings Corporation; Ingersoll Rand Co.; Insul Company, Inc.; ITT Corporation; J.H. France Refractories Company; John Crane, Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; McJunkin Corporation; McNally Industries; Melrath Supply and Gasket Company; Met-Pro Corporation; Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Nagle Pumps, Inc.; National Service Industries Ventures, Inc.; Nitro Industrial Coverings, Inc.; Oakfabco, Inc.; Oglebay Norton Company; Ohio Valley Insulation Company, Inc.; Owens-Illinois, Inc.; P&H Mining Equipment; Pneumo-Abex Corporation; Premiere Refractories, Inc.; Rapid American Corporation; Riley Power, Inc.; Rockwell Automation, Inc.; Schneider Electric USA, Inc.; State Electric Supply Company; Stockham Valves & Fittings; Tasco Insulation, Inc.; the Gage Company; the William Powell Company; Thiem Corporation; Trecco Construction Services, Inc.; Tyco Flow Control Company LLC a/k/a Crosby Valve, Inc.; Tyco Flow Control Company LLC a/k/a Lunkenheimer Valves; UB West Virginia, Inc.; Uniroyal, Inc.; United Conveyor Corporation; United Engineers & Constructors, Inc.; Viacom, Inc.; Vimasco Corporation; Warren Pumps, Inc.; Weil-McLain Company; West Virginia State Electric Supply; and Zurn Industries, Inc.

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executive suites las vegas

ViewPointe Las Vegas Executive Suites

ViewPointe offers the absolute best executive suites and office space in Las Vegas, Nevada. With sweeping views of the Las Vegas valley, luxurious offices, and unmatched on-site owner management, ViewPointe sets the standard for Las Vegas executive suites and office space.

ViewPointe Executive Suites offer a variety of office solutions that provide the perfect match for a business of any size. From affordable Las Vegas Virtual Offices, to beautiful Las Vegas Executive Suites, and luxurious Class “A” Las Vegas Primary Office Space, our office solutions allow you to keep overhead to a minimum while enjoying the first class amenities of our highly professional office environment.

ViewPointe offers superior quality, convenient location, cutting edge technology, and on-site office management for any Las Vegas or Henderson based business. Your clients will be as impressed by our striking interior appointments as they are by our friendly and helpful on-site staff.

Our prime location is close to two major I-215 interchanges and only five minutes from McCarran International Airport. Located on Eastern Avenue, our offices have easy access to I-215, I-15, The Strip, Summerlin South, Mountains Edge, Anthem, 7 Hills, and Henderson.

ViewPointe also offers the latest in technology with features ranging from high speed Internet access to Voice Over IP (VOIP) telephone systems, key-card access, and 24 hour video surveillance.

As your Las Vegas or Henderson office space needs change, we offer several other Las Vegas office solutions and services that allow you to downsize or increase depending on your current situation.

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wrongful death suit

A wrongful death lawsuit claims that the victim was killed as a result of negligence (or other type of unjust action) on the part of the person or entity being sued, and that the victim’s survivors are entitled to monetary damages as a result of the improper conduct.

This type of claim is different from a normal negligence lawsuit, which is filed by the person injured for the resulting damages. Originally under “common law” (the general legal principles passed from England to the United States over hundreds of years), a wrongful death claim did not exist based upon the reasoning that the claim died with the victim where there was no way to compensate him for damages. The surviving family members then could not claim damages from the person who caused the victim's death. Over the years, states have passed wrongful death laws that provide compensation for persons who may have been damaged from the death of the victim as well as an incentive to act carefully and safely. Today, all states have some form of a wrongful death claim action in force.

While state “wrongful death statutes” were drafted independently of each other and are often unique, they all follow the same general principles. A wrongful death claim generally consists of four elements: (1) the death was caused, in whole or part, by the conduct of the defendant; (2) the defendant was negligent or strictly liable for the victim’s death; (3) there is a surviving spouse, children, beneficiaries or dependents; and (4) monetary damages have resulted from the victim’s death.

This section of FreeAdvice does not attempt to describe the 50 different rules for each state, but instead provides some of the general principles behind wrongful death claims. If you believe you have a valid claim for the wrongful death of a family member, you should consult a wrongful death attorney from your local area regarding the requirements for your particular jurisdiction.

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bavaria executive suites

With 2,100 hotel suites, Bavaria Executive Suites Dubai significantly increases the number of hotel suites in Dubai and delivers the ultimate living and working environment. Ideally located on Sheikh Zayed Road, within the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, the property offers superb panoramic views over "The Palm" and the Jumeirah beachfront. Easy access from your own Dubai hotel suites to the nearby Mall of the Emirates and Emirates Golf Course.

Lifestyle Modern Living

• 2,100 one, two and three-bedroom Suites
• Dining / living room, fully equipped kitchen and private terrace
• 4 distinctive interior types of Hotel Suites: Californian, Classical, Mediterranean, and Modern
• 8 Restaurant concepts and Lounges: the roof-top Palm-Lounge, Terrasso and Palm Garden Restaurant, and Café Haus

Lifestyle Wellness

• Angsana Spa
• Lifestyle Fitness Club
• Kids Club
• Beach Club

Lifestyle Successful Business

Business Centre with 40 fully equipped offices
Personal Assistant service
Meeting Centre with 6 meeting rooms for 10 to 1000 persons and 32 boardrooms

Lifestyle Commercial Centre

Shopping Arcade including Restaurants, Mini-Market, Dry-Cleaning, Travel-Agent, Car-Rental, Hairdresser...

Bavaria Executive Suites Dubai is the largest all-suites hotel in Dubai and appeals to both residential and short hotel stays. With Bavaria Executive Suites Dubai, the Dubai hotel suites market now offers the ideal place for modern living, wellness, successful business and commercial centre.

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lump sum pension payout

You may have thought about taking yourpension plan balance as a lump-sum payout rather than as an annuity income stream when you retire. Before you make your decision, consider that the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA) could result in a drastic reduction of the amount you had anticipated receiving in a lump-sum payment. Furthermore, if you have already taken a lump-sum payment, you may be required to repay a portion of the amount to the pension plan.

Why Take a Lump Sum?
A steady check each month for the rest of your life after you retire sounds good, right? All you would have to do is stroll back and forth from the mailbox or simply watch the funds flow electronically into your bank account … then you can slouch back in your hammock and relax.

However, there are several reasons why plan participants opt to cash out of their pension plans. Consider the following three:

1. Your employer is not financially stable. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation(PBGC) is supposed to make sure that you receive your pension benefit if your employer goes belly-up. However, you could end up with a smaller payout than your employer had promised if the plan is taken over by the PBGC. Then you might have to cut back on expenses, such as the cruises you had hoped to take, gifts for the grandchildren or basic living needs. Taking a lump sum could help to ensure that you receive your full pension benefit. (See The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Rescues Plans for more on the PBGC.)
2. Like many soon-to-be retirees, you plan to start a business that will require a large sum of money. If your only source of capital is your pension balance, you may decide to cash out.
3. You think you could do a better job of investing the funds than the pension plan money managers do.

Who Is Affected?
Are you among the 44 million employees and retirees who have retirement plan assets in defined-benefit pension plans? If so, it is in your best interest to pay attention to these changes. (It is not in your best interest if the pension plan in which you participate does not offer the option to take your benefits as a lump-sum payment. In this case, the changes will not affect the amount of your annuity payments.)

What's In The New Law?
The PPA includes two significant changes that affect lump-sum distributions. These are as follows:

1. It changes the way companies calculate how much to pay retirees who take their pensions in a lump-sum.
2. It puts a cap on the amount you can receive when you convert your pension to a lump-sum payout.

How This Could Affect YouWhen you're ready to retire, your company will use your pension annuity payments to determine how much your balance is worth as a lump sum in today's dollars. The calculation is based on future investment returns and your life expectancy. A higher investment return will require a smaller lump sum.

For example, let's assume you can get a $3,000 per month pension, and your life expectancy is 20 years. To determine the lump-sum payout, your employer will use the 240 payments and discount its value by the appropriate interest rate. If your employer can get a 5% return over the next 20 years, it would offer you $454,576 today. But if it can get a 6% return, your employer will only have to offer you $418,742.

This is exactly what has happened under the new law.

Perhaps you are retired and took your lump sum before the new regulation became law in August 2006. Consequently, you may think you have nothing to worry about. Think again.
This provision is retroactive to January 1, 2006, so you might have to return some of that lump sum to your employer.

Starting in 2006, the largest annual pension a retiree age 62 to 65 can receive is $175,000. The limit is lower for younger workers and increases within inflation. This means smaller lump-sum payouts.
Of equal importance is a new provision where, starting in 2008, the assumptions used to calculate lump-sum distributions will change over a five-year period from the 30-year Treasury bond rate to the corporate bond interest rate. Because corporate bonds have greater risks than Treasuries, their yields are historically higher. Consequently, your employer will offer you a smaller lump-sum payout than you may have expected. This change will phase in from 2008 through to 2012.

What You Can Do
Take Annuity PaymentsYou could, of course, just take your pension in monthly payments over your lifetime. This is often seen as the safer route because it will not expose you to the following two risks:

• You pick lousy investments for your lump sum.
• You run out of money before you die.

On the other hand, if your employer files for bankruptcy and the plan has to be taken over by the PBGC, that may result in your pension payments being reduced.

Contribute More to Other PlansStill working? There are at least three good reasons to contribute as much as you can to your 401(k) plan and IRAs. The amount you accumulate could:

• Offset the reduction in your lump-sum payout;
• Serve as a cushion in case your company freezes the plan, preventing you from accruing additional benefits under the plan;
• Make up for the possibility of lower payout each month if the PBGC takes over the plan and has to reduce your pension.

If your pension is reduced by the recent law, you might be entitled to recover some of the lost benefit as an annuity in addition to the lump-sum payment. Check your summary plan description agreement, or check with your plan administrator to determine the terms of your plan.

In Conclusion
These recent changes should make you sit up and take notice as you get closer to retirement. Think everything through carefully before you make a decision that you, and possibly your spouse, will have to live with for the rest of your lives.

Furthermore, even if you have always made your own investment decisions and been successful, this might be a good time to get a second opinion from a professional.

The Most Important Day in America in 50 Years... Coming in 2011. This day will change everything about our nation and your day-to-day life. Watch the eye-opening video presentation here.

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pension life insurance

If you want to pay less tax - and who doesn't? - there is a new way of reducing your overall bill. And it is also a way to get really cheap life insurance. But before you rub your eyes and try to wake up, read on as we investigate whether this is as good as it seems!

Beginning on the 6th of April 2006, if you pay for life insurance cover at the same time as paying into a pension plan, you can use your pension contributions allowance to lower the cost of your life insurance. This works by offering a tax relief rate of 22% for those who pay the standard tax rate, and 40% for those who qualify for the higher rate of tax. Voilà, less tax, cheaper insurance!

Your pension provider will automatically reduce your combined life insurance and pension premium by 22%, but higher rate tax payers will need to claim the balance on their self-assessment tax returns annually, to make sure they get the 40% rate they are entitled to.

By now, you may be bracing for the catch! Here are the three stipulations that your policies must take into account:

o Your life insurance and pension must come from the same company, and must be paid as a combined premium.
o The total value of the two together must not be over £1.5 million.
o The premiums you pay annually for the combined pension and life insurance must not be more than £215,000.

So although there are certainly savings to be made, those for life insurance will not be as great as they might at first seem. The cost of a combined policy will usually be more than a stand-alone policy with the same company, and it's unlikely that you will find the cheapest pension plan to fit your needs offered by the same firm that offers the cheapest life insurance. So your ability to shop around is reduced. Costs are further affected by the fact that to date, no online company offers combined life insurance/pension plans, so the usual online discounts will not be available.

So is it all a dream, after all? Not so. If you're a higher rate tax payer, the savings you make on tax will certainly make your life cover a lot cheaper! Standard tax payers should always check online to see if the separate plans come to less than a combined pension and life insurance package.

There are a few other points to consider. Existing life policies cannot be converted into combined pension and life insurance deals. Tax relief is only given when the two are bought together at the same time. And combined policies can only be taken out for yourself - it isn't possible at this time to take out a joint combined policy for you and a partner.

Another point to consider is that this kind of combined insurance deal cannot include critical illness cover. You can still take it out separately, and in fact this is a good idea as critical illness insurance makes sure that if you are diagnosed with a specified serious illness, you will get a lump sum.

So if the perks of a combined policy have tempted you, consider carefully if you are thinking of cancelling an existing life policy. Since taking out that policy, time has passed and naturally you have aged! So your premium will be higher. And if you have developed any new medical conditions, they will be factored into the new premium cost too. Even a little weight gained with the passing years could adversely affect your premium costs. It may even be that a new provider will not offer you cover if your existing illnesses seem too serious. So you would be well advised to obtain written permission from your pension company, compare the cost after you apply the tax break, and see if you will actually save before committing to a new policy.

Home insurance information offers articles covering home insurance [http://www.home-insurance-facts.co.uk] in the uk. Its sister site Brokers Online provides more home insurance articles and help in choosing the right policy for you

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pension life cover

Life Assurance Pension

Mixing life assurance and pension considerations can be a dangerous compromise or a tax benefit.

Life assurance pension scheme can have beneficial tax implications, but it’s only best suited to high net worth individuals; and it can also mean that your level of cover is compromised by the tax benefit. It also means you need to think carefully about whether a change in your work circumstances will affect the pot of money you leave to your descendants.

You’re probably thinking that the idea of a life assurance pension is already sounding a bit complicated. To be brutally honest, using a pension vehicle for life assurance isn’t right for everybody- and here we will see why.

Effectively, a life assurance pension (or pension term assurance) pops a level-term life assurance policy into a pension fund. Because there are tax breaks for pension money (basic and higher level tax holidays depending on your earnings), the premiums you pay after tax relief will be lower than if you just got a normal policy.

However, there are a whole heap of problems with getting a life assurance pension. The Chancellor is pretty canny to this sort of thing, and that’s why there is a total cap on premiums being any more than 5% of your total annual allowance for personal pension premiums. Unless you earn an awful lot this can mean a conflict of interest between cover and tax efficiency.

Additionally, if you stopped working for any reason, the fund would cease (or at least remain static) and the element of the pension that contributed to the life assurance premium could be invalidated.

A life assurance pension is really only to be considered if you are a high net worth earner of secure means and inclined to place tax efficiency near the top of your financial wish-list.

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pension almrose

Our insider tip!
Are you looking for a home-away-from-way?

Then the family-run Almrose guesthouse is the right place for you!
Our cosy and family-friendly guesthouse is located in one of the most beautiful holiday resorts in Tyrol.
Personalised service is our motto. Forget about the hustle and bustle of everyday life!
In winter, there is an avalanche-controlled ski resort with snow guarantee. Advanced skiers, beginners and ski mountaineers will find perfect skiing conditions.
The gondola is just 10 minutes away. The ski bus stop is a mere 100m away. A cross-country skiing trail leads right past our guesthouse.

We look forward to welcoming you. We are committed to giving our best to turn your holiday into a relaxing experience.

Labels:

pension life assurance

If you want to pay less tax - and who doesn't? - there is a new way of reducing your overall bill. And it is also a way to get really cheap life insurance. But before you rub your eyes and try to wake up, read on as we investigate whether this is as good as it seems!

Beginning on the 6th of April 2006, if you pay for life insurance cover at the same time as paying into a pension plan, you can use your pension contributions allowance to lower the cost of your life insurance. This works by offering a tax relief rate of 22% for those who pay the standard tax rate, and 40% for those who qualify for the higher rate of tax. Voilà, less tax, cheaper insurance!

Your pension provider will automatically reduce your combined life insurance and pension premium by 22%, but higher rate tax payers will need to claim the balance on their self-assessment tax returns annually, to make sure they get the 40% rate they are entitled to.

By now, you may be bracing for the catch! Here are the three stipulations that your policies must take into account:

o Your life insurance and pension must come from the same company, and must be paid as a combined premium.
o The total value of the two together must not be over £1.5 million.
o The premiums you pay annually for the combined pension and life insurance must not be more than £215,000.

So although there are certainly savings to be made, those for life insurance will not be as great as they might at first seem. The cost of a combined policy will usually be more than a stand-alone policy with the same company, and it's unlikely that you will find the cheapest pension plan to fit your needs offered by the same firm that offers the cheapest life insurance. So your ability to shop around is reduced. Costs are further affected by the fact that to date, no online company offers combined life insurance/pension plans, so the usual online discounts will not be available.

So is it all a dream, after all? Not so. If you're a higher rate tax payer, the savings you make on tax will certainly make your life cover a lot cheaper! Standard tax payers should always check online to see if the separate plans come to less than a combined pension and life insurance package.

There are a few other points to consider. Existing life policies cannot be converted into combined pension and life insurance deals. Tax relief is only given when the two are bought together at the same time. And combined policies can only be taken out for yourself - it isn't possible at this time to take out a joint combined policy for you and a partner.

Another point to consider is that this kind of combined insurance deal cannot include critical illness cover. You can still take it out separately, and in fact this is a good idea as critical illness insurance makes sure that if you are diagnosed with a specified serious illness, you will get a lump sum.

So if the perks of a combined policy have tempted you, consider carefully if you are thinking of cancelling an existing life policy. Since taking out that policy, time has passed and naturally you have aged! So your premium will be higher. And if you have developed any new medical conditions, they will be factored into the new premium cost too. Even a little weight gained with the passing years could adversely affect your premium costs. It may even be that a new provider will not offer you cover if your existing illnesses seem too serious. So you would be well advised to obtain written permission from your pension company, compare the cost after you apply the tax break, and see if you will actually save before committing to a new policy.

Home insurance information offers articles covering home insurance [http://www.home-insurance-facts.co.uk] in the uk. Its sister site Brokers Online provides more home insurance articles and help in choosing the right policy for you

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