The Obama administration is facing one of the biggest tests of its commitment to promoting democracy and human rights in the Arab world since the uprisings of the Arab Spring, over one year ago.

The administration must decide, pursuant to the 2012 appropriations law, whether the Secretary of State will certify that Egypt is meeting specified human rights conditions before $1.3 billion of military and other foreign assistance can be paid over to the Egyptian government.

It is impossible for the administration to say honestly that these conditions are being met, in view of the continuing attacks and prosecutions of independent civil society organizations and human rights activists in Egypt.

Moreover, Egypts democratic transition remains far from complete. Now is not the time for giving Egypts current rulers, who are mostly holdovers from the Mubarak era dictatorship, the US governments seal of approval. That is exactly how the release of US aid would be seen by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and other representatives of the old order in Cairo.

Nevertheless, pressure is building in Washington for the administration to move forward with approving the aid. The Pentagon is reported to be expressing concerns about losses to American suppliers and arms manufacturers if the aid is held up, and Egypts rulers delivered, albeit partially, on their pledge to allow American and other international employees of international human rights and democracy organizations facing prosecution to leave the country. Egypt again demonstrated its strategic value to the United States last week by brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants to put at least a temporary end to escalating exchanges of fire across the border between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip.

A peaceful democratic transition in Egypt is in the national interest of the United States, and this is the strategic goal which advances stability in Egypt over the longer term and should guide policy making.

The US government should not delude itself that it can protect its strategic interests by jettisoning its values. Indeed, no such return to the failed policies of the past, balancing security and strategic interests against support for advancing human rights and democracy, is necessary or desirable.

Ignoring the human rights and democracy conditions that Congress has placed on US foreign assistance to Egypt would be seen as the US government giving its unconditional support to anti-democratic forces in Egypt. It would be a severe blow to any pretensions the US government may have to be seen as a supporter of universal values of human rights and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa and around the world.

Moreover, disregarding universal values does not yield any strategic advantage for the United States. The best hope for America to have a reliable strategic partner in Egypt in the years ahead is for Egypts democratic transition to succeed and for a representative government to emerge in Cairo that serves the legitimate interests of its people. Continuing conflict between the military and newly empowered elected bodies is not a recipe for any kind of stability, and political instability in Egypt brings with it the threat of increasing political violence, including heightened insecurity for Egypts vulnerable religious minorities and fertile ground for the growth of violent religious extremism.

The long-standing aid relationship between the United States and Egypt provides many opportunities for the US government to encourage positive change. High-handed threats to withhold or condition aid bring an understandable backlash from Egyptians of all backgrounds, who are concerned about foreign interference in their domestic affairs.

So, the challenge facing the administration is to find a way to use the aid relationship so that it serves the overriding US strategic interest of a peaceful democratic transformation in Egypt.

The US government needs to both send the message that it is continuing to stand ready to provide the Egyptian government with the economic assistance it desperately needs while also making clear that foreign assistance is inextricably tied to democratic change — not because this is some capricious condition dreamt up by ill-intentioned western policy makers, but rather because it is a time-tested strategy that enshrining the rule of law, empowering representatives, accountable government and strengthening legal safeguards for basic rights and freedoms are the only ways to meet the legitimate aspirations of the millions of people in Egypt and beyond for human dignity.

Human Rights First recommends a new approach: A phased roll-out of the annual aid package. By linking payments to reform milestones that are scheduled to occur in the coming months, like the adoption of a constitution protecting basic rights and freedoms for all Egyptians, and the handover of power from the military to an elected civilian government, the US government could have the flexibility it needs to respond to the challenges of tumultuous change in Egypt and the broader region. Under this approach, the administration could release part of the aid funds now, recognizing that some of the conditions, like the holding of free parliamentary elections, have been met, while also demonstrating its concern that the Egyptian government must do more to satisfy other conditions, including making progress in respect for freedoms of association and expression and for religious freedom.

The Governments business tax cuts funded by the mining tax are facing opposition in the Senate from the Greens and the Coalition.

San Francisco — A report being released today on the $535 billion Bay Area economy – 19th largest in the world – shows the region thriving as a business center even while issues of infrastructure, regulation and education dog it, and an uneven recovery leaves many people unemployed.

In spite of persistent and underlying challenges that it has yet to address, the Bay Area economy continues to display a remarkable resilience and innovativeness, wrote McKinsey Co., authors of the biennial report prepared for the Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored public-policy advocacy group. The region continues to reinvent itself and sustain its productivity, innovation and business advantage.

The area bounced back from the recession and downturn thanks to its leading sector, technology, the report said. In fact, tech companies – including information, manufacturing and professional/scientific services – which account for 30 percent of the regional economy, fueled all of the areas growth since 2005, the report said.

Productivity among the regions businesses, excluding financial services, averaged annual growth of 2.8 percent since 2005, outpacing comparable metro areas.

But that came at the cost of jobs. Productivity gains are coming from reduced employment more than increased output, the report said.

Overall the Bay Area has about the same number of jobs today as it had in 1996.

We havent grown – and thats scary, said Jim Wunderman, CEO of the Bay Area Council. The group advocates business-government partnerships, sharing of county services, streamlining regulation and taxes, and investing more in infrastructure and education.

The Bay Area needs to be seen as a place where investments can safely be made, workforce can be grown, and jobs can be produced so we can maintain our rightful place as a leading economy, he said.

Rising tide

The report and interviews with local business leaders show an economy where the tech tide is lifting other industries.

If you live in the Bay Area, you are probably connected by just one degree of separation to a mover of the economy, said Rich Silverstein, co-chair and co-creative director of Goodby, Silverstein Partners. The San Francisco ad agency has 400 employees locally. There is a new economy happening here; its not just Silicon Valley, its a Bay Area technology rush.

All those tech startups are yielding dividends for ad agencies and other vendors. Theres more work for companies like us because new companies want to get their message out, Silverstein said.

Virgin America, which has 2,480 employees based at its Burlingame headquarters, is also seeing business increase.

From our perch, we share the optimism, said CEO David Cush. Airlines are pretty good leading indicators of the economy. When its going poorly, were the first to feel it. When it improves, we generally are first to see it in our advance booking.

Over the past five or six months, hes seen a definite uptick, and one that feels sustainable.

We see strong demand into the Bay Area for travel and tourism, he said. A lot has to do with lower airfares. Now its a $250 round-trip to fly here from Dallas-Fort Worth, and it used to be $400. That kind of drop makes the difference between coming here and not coming here for families on vacation.

But the business travel, especially spurred by the technology sector, is the most important factor driving profit.

Key travelers

Business travel is the key thing that drives an airlines profitability, he said. Even during the recession, business travel stayed relatively strong in San Francisco versus other markets, Cush said. Now with the economy improving and all the activity in the technology sector, that has a significant rub-off on our business, and really everyones – whether youre running a hotel, restaurant, car service.

South Florida’s largest direct marketing company, Pronto Post Inc., is announcing that is in the process of expansion where a new and improved executive team is shaping the future of the product fulfillment business. With over sixty years of combined experience in fulfillment, print, and marketing, Pronto President and Sales Manager Robin Rodriguez along with Executive Vice President and General Manager Andrew Diamond are refining operational processes, upgrading equipment and personnel and refocusing its marketing and sales efforts to expand Pronto’s presence in the product fulfillment market.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) March 18, 2012

South Florida’s largest direct marketing company, Pronto Post Inc., is announcing that is in the process of expansion where a new and improved executive team is shaping the future of the product fulfillment business. With over sixty years of combined experience in fulfillment, print, and marketing, Pronto President and Sales Manager Robin Rodriguez along with Executive Vice President and General Manager Andrew Diamond are refining operational processes, upgrading equipment and personnel and refocusing its marketing and sales efforts to expand Pronto’s presence in the product fulfillment market.

Pronto Post is a South Florida direct marketing and product fulfillment center that has been serving a wide range of customers for over thirty years. Since last year a number of significant changes in the organizational set-up and infrastructure have repositioned Pronto in the marketplace. These changes have enabled Pronto to compete more effectively in the growing e-commerce product fulfillment market.

Rodriguez was hired in 2011 to expand Pronto’s customer base and refocus its sales effort. She has thirty years’ experience in the fulfillment business with a diverse skill set in operations, customer service and sales. An impressive portfolio accompanies Rodriquez, which includes major contracts ranging from Fortune 500 companies to local organizations.

“I’ve seen the marketplace change dramatically over the years, with extraordinary changes in technology coupled with national and international economic troubles,” she said. “We are refocusing Pronto’s mission in light of these changes so we can grow our business and capture a larger piece of the burgeoning e-commerce product fulfillment market.”

One of the keys to Pronto Post’s growth plan was its move in 2011 to a state of the art, 55,000 square foot facility, doubling its available space and allowing it to grow its product fulfillment services. It also added four-color high speed on-demand digital printing capabilities to its arsenal of services in 2011.

Diamond, promoted from within Pronto in 2011, brings over 30 years of finance and marketing experience in both the public and private sector.

“2012 presents both challenges and opportunities for Pronto Post as we adapt to the evolving marketplace for fulfillment and marketing services,” Diamond said. He indicated Pronto’s transformation towards digital technology and improved fulfillment will offer unmatched quality and service for e-commerce, digital color printing and direct mail.

Pronto has also expanded its sales staff, implemented lead generation programs, upgraded its website, established a targeted marketing plan, and begun a telemarketing program aimed at adding product fulfillment customers. Pronto Post specializes in the fulfillment of vitamins, supplements, and nutraceutical products, as well as literature fulfillment for the medical insurance industry.

For further information about Pronto Post’s product fulfillment services, visit their website at http://www.prontopost.com, send an email to fulfillment(at)prontopost(dot)com or phone toll free to 866-834-2153.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9295917.htm

TheNextWeb reported recently that following its iPad announcement, Apple quietly released a tool on their App Store that makes it easy for anyone to mass configure and deploy iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch in a school, business, or institution. Called Apple Configurator, the company says that the new app makes it easy to prepare new iOS devices for immediate distribution, supervise devices that need to maintain a standard configuration, and assign devices to users. You can also, Quickly update 30 devices at a time to the latest version of iOS, configure settings, and install apps and data for your students, employees, or patrons.

This is clearly a move to change the perception in IT departments of the iPad and other iOS devices as purely one-off personal gadgets into fully featured enterprise solutions. Apple goes on that Configurator, can be used by larger organizations and businesses to set up new devices, install enterprise apps, and enroll each device with a Mobile Device Management solution for remote management by an IT administrator. It is perfect for the classroom or student lab where devices need to be quickly refreshed and kept up to date with the correct settings, approved policies, apps and data. Apple Configurator can also be used to personalize devices with data and documents for specific users.

Not surprisingly, enterprise application makers are getting into the act as well. Caleb Garling in Wired reports that MeLLmo has come out with new versions of its Roambi Analytics and Roambi Flow applications optimized for the new iPad. With these tools, a sales manager can show his supervisor interactive sales forecast graphs that take full advantage of iPads new Retina Display and quad core graphics, delivering stunning, immersive visualizations, crisp text and brilliant colors, according to the company.

Windows and Blackberry have long been strong in the enterprise market because of security features and the availability of certain crucial applications, but the tide seems to be turning in Apples favor. A survey by InformationWeek about IT department response to the new iPad came to the conclusion that, Corporate IT managers arent overwhelmed by the new iPad but they do see it as a strong offering, one that will continue to build Apples presence in enterprises. The new iPad wont dissolve decades of corporate affinity for Windows overnight, but it does appear to be gradually the winning hearts and minds of business users. And in an InformationWeek survey of  536 IT professionals in January they found that enthusiasm for RIMs Blackberry devices appears to be waning. While 70% of respondents to our January survey reported using Blackberry devices and 25% reported using Apple devices, that ratio appears destined to swing away from Blackberry, toward iOS and Android hardware. Asked about expected smartphone purchases in their organization in 24 months, 35% anticipated buying RIM devices, 45% foresaw buying an Apple device, 25% identified Android, and 6% expected to be buying Windows 7 or 8 mobile devices.

One of the great appeals of the iPad for small businesses and schools is that in many ways the users can administer the devices themselves. But from a true enterprise IT perspective, this much wild west is worrisome. The Apple Configurator is clear signal on Apples part that they want the IT folks and CIOs to love their products as much as consumers do.

They came dressed mournfully in dark blazers to watch the finance minister of India deliver the federal government budget for the forthcoming financial year.

For India’s corporate honchos, the annual budget announcement has in recent years not been a happy occasion. They have often felt politicians offer populist policies rather than economic reforms that would spur sagging growth and dipping investment in the country.

The interactive budget session hosted Friday morning at the New Delhi office of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, also known as Assocham, didn’t involve much interaction.

Heads of companies sunk into rows of chairs that curved in a semicircle in the conference room – resembling a miniature corporate United Nations of sorts – that faced two large screens onto which Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, speaking from the lower house of Parliament, was projected.

The business bigwigs patiently fixed their eyes on Mr. Mukherjee as he droned on about earmarked funds and infrastructure bonds. For the attention they paid, it could have been the World Cup cricket finals, except there were no euphoric cheers or claps. There was silence but for the occasional scratch of pencil on paper as attendees jotted down numbers Mr. Mukherjee proffered.

Sunil Kanoria, vice chairman of SREI Infrastructure Finance, furrowed his eyebrows through the two-hour budget speech. R. N. Dhoot, director of Videocon Industries, rested his chin on his knuckles as he watched the proceedings. News cameras snapped their grim faces for posterity.

“The life of a finance minister is not easy,” Mr. Mukherjee prefaced his tax policy by saying. A blanket tax for almost all services was introduced. The faces grew grave.

Finally, the speech concluded and Mr. Mukherjee’s voice and image suddenly disappeared.

“The budget is not very exciting,” summarized Anil K. Agarwal, president of the Cosmos Group trading house, succinctly. “It’s just an exercise he has to do every year,” he said.

Grumbles from various executives in the conference room soon followed.

“There was nothing for the export sector.”

“Lackluster.”

“There’s not much for the capital market.”

“The emphasis was on agriculture.”

“It’s going to be a challenging year,” Mr. Kanoria said darkly. “The budget is lacking a direction.” “There’s nothing much to talk about,” he said.

The discussion concluded within a brisk 15 minutes. Executives trooped out of the conference room and were nabbed by television reporters in the hall waiting for soundbites.

Outside, on the lawns of Assocham, which is housed on Prithviraj Road, one of Delhi’s main thoroughfares, a buffet welcomed those who surfaced from the dreary meeting. Indian options, mostly, with a couple of Chinese dishes thrown in for good measure. One of the people on the buffet line asked a server to toss more pieces of meat into the orange gravy of the butter chicken. Business leaders ate standing, holding their plates on the sunny lawn.

“Considering this was the last chance to present a reform budget,” said K. C. Mehra, the corporate resident director of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, “the budget, I thought, was a little pedestrian. It met all the basic needs. But there was nothing imaginative.”

Mr. Mehra, a former deputy managing director of Tata Steel, said more money should have been pumped into infrastructure. “From a business point of view, whenever investing money, apart from social needs, one always looks at the return of investment,” he said, a canary yellow handkerchief peeking from his suit’s breast pocket. He noted that measures, which would help the government reach its goal of having 25 percent of gross domestic product come from manufacturing, have not been introduced.

Not everyone was glum about the budget though. Jyotirmoy Jain, head of banking and finance at Assocham, offered a more cheerful take. He said considering the political pressure on the federal government to please fractious allies in its coalition, it was still, said Mr. Jain, “a good budget.”

“We as a Chamber,” he said, munching on slices of carrot and radish, “we couldn’t have expected more than that. They had compulsions of raising revenue as well as relief for people affected by inflation.”

“On the whole, it’s not path-breaking but it’s a normal budget,” he added.

“Normal” although not a very inspiring word, was the most touted term in the afternoon.

“It’s a non-event. Almost,” said BK Sabharwal, executive director of Jaypee Capital, a trading house in currency futures and stocks. He noted that the budget has a provision for first-time investors wherein if 50,000 rupees, or about $1,000, is invested, half of that would be tax-free but locked in for a period of three years. “That’s still a nonstarter,” he said.

Mr. Sabharwal, grumbling over a plate of vanilla ice cream, said that the service tax would also become more complicated with new services being subject to the tax. “It’s neither a populist budget nor a reform oriented budget,” Mr. Sabharwal said, adding that the stock market is a good reflection of the budget. He scrolled through his Blackberry to check stock prices and then looked up.

“In the last ten years, for the first time, the market has not been affected,” he said.

The budget, like the butter chicken, might not have had enough meat for the bigwigs to swallow.

Bears’ open arms for Brandon Marshall will depend on how well he does business

BY RICK MORRISSEY
rmorrissey@suntimes.com

March 17, 2012 12:04AM

TCWH announces that InMotion hosting launches $75 free Bing/Yahoo search credits, in addition to the $100 free Google AdWords credits, with their business-class web hosting plan.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 18, 2012

The leading web hosting review site Top-Cheap-Web-Hosting.com announces that the award-winning business web hosting provider InMotion hosting launches $75 free Bing/Yahoo search advertising credits in addition to the $100 free Google AdWords credits launched in Jan, 2012, with their small/medium business web hosting plans.

By the latest search market statistic in February 2012, Bing/Yahoo search commanded 29.1 percent of the search engine market. The advertising campaign in Bing/Yahoo helps people connect with 166 million unique searchers in the US including 57 million searchers who dont use Google; target some of the 6 billion queries every month that could be for your product or service; reach out to an audience thats likely to spend 24.1% more than the average searcher in the US advertisement on Bing and Yahoo Search.

Generally, the keyword advertising campaign is pricing about $0.5 per click in the middle competitive field. The free $100 Bing/Yahoo search credits from InMotion hosting help clients have about 200 targeting potential consumers additionally, which may generate over thousands of revenue if its utilized well.

InMotion hosting is an award-winning web hosting provider topping the list of top 10 web hosts in most web hosting review sites. InMotion hosting is one of the Best Web Hosting 2012, awarded as the Best Business Hosting and Best Reliable Hosting at Top-Cheap-Web-Hosting.com in 2012.

Unlike other web hosts offering overselling web hosting products competing on the budget price, InMotion hosting is designed to develop the Internet businesses of clients, with focusing on providing the consistent high-quality speed, reliability, and customer service.

InMotion hosting is not only outstanding on the Internet business, but it understands the business intention of clients for web, and knows how to assist clients to extend their revenue via web from scratch. InMotion hosting offers the most complete way to grow customer businesses online.

Compared to the latest cutting-edge technology supported by InMotion hosting as well as most of other web hosts, InMotion hosting offers the following exclusive features and properties which people cannot find elsewhere.

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The entry plan of InMotion business hosting is pricing at $6.95/mo originally. Now InMotion hosting offers a special promotion at $5.95/mo for all readers from Top-Cheap-Web-Hosting.com. Read InMotion hosting coupon, reviews and secret revealed.

About Top-Cheap-Web-Hosting.com

Top-Cheap-Web-Hosting.com (TCWH) is a leading web hosting review website. TCWH, reviews web hosts unbiasedly based on the true experience and feedback from real customers. The mission of TCWH is to help people find the Best Web Hosting deals, and save time and money from a bad choice.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prwebinmotion-hosting/bing-yahoo-search-credit/prweb9298247.htm

The Business Finance Store offers tips on what to look for when choosing a business credit card to finance a small business.

Santa Ana, CA (PRWEB) March 18, 2012

Late credit card payments fell in February for Capital One, Discover, Bank of America, Chase and Citibank, The Wall Street Journal reported. American Express reported that its late-payment rate stayed at 1.4% for the second month in a row. This is good not only for consumers, but also small business owners who use credit cards to finance their business needs. Properly managed credit cards can be an excellent way to fund a business. However, knowing which one to choose is not always an easy decision. In the recent blog post How to Select a Good Business Credit Card, The Business Finance Store offers tips on what to look for when choosing a business credit card to finance a small business.

Borrowing money is a necessity for many businesses. Given the tight lending market, business credit cards are a good way to get access to capital. While small business owners may not be able to avoid the expenses that their business encounters on a daily basis, they can maximize their return on them. Read more about what to look for when choosing a business credit card at The Business Finance Store Blog.

The Business Finance Store is a business financing and consulting firm that offers customized Business Financial Solutions. Seasoned professionals offer assistance in a variety of financial solutions to help small businesses succeed such as: Business Financial Solutions, Legal Solutions, and Accounting Solutions.

The staff at The Business Finance Store understands that starting and growing a business is an exciting time. They keep it exciting by taking care of some of the most difficult aspects, by providing legal advice, helping with vital responsibilities like accounting amp; bookkeeping, and by obtaining business finance. They can quickly and easily guide entrepreneurs through many different complicated processes and put them on the path to success.

For 10 years The Business Finance Store has been helping startups and other small businesses legally structure their companies, find the right franchises, get the funding they need, and achieve the American Dream of owning their own successful business. Since expanding nationwide in 2007, they have helped thousands of companies and have funded over $60 Million in business credit lines, not including SBA loans. The Business Finance Store sees limitless potential in the current climate, and looks forward to many strong years of growth to come. Take some time to review their services, and give them a call.

For more information, or a free, no-obligation analysis of your business needs, visit The Business Finance Store website: www.businessfinancestore.com. A member of their professional staff will contact you to discuss your business short and long-term goals. Whatever you need, The Business Finance Store is there.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/3/prweb9290741.htm

London—Eastman Kodak Co has agreed to sell its online photo services business to Shutterfly Inc for $23.8 million, kicking off the bankrupt photography pioneer’s relaunch as a much slimmer company although a patent sale seen crucial to its turnaround may still be months away. The once-iconic company that invented the hand-held camera has said it will quit the camera business and is expected to fetch $1 billion to $2 billion from the sale of about 1,100 digital patents, which is due to get under way by June 30.

A source familiar with the patent sale said the process was moving forward, but added that the completion was not expected anytime soon.

Complicating the prospects is a dispute with computer giant Apple Inc over one of the patents. At a hearing next week on March 8, a bankruptcy judge will hear Apple’s motion to move forward with its patent-infringement suit. Apple has asked the bankruptcy court to lift the automatic stay applied to pending litigation against Kodak when the company filed for Chapter 11 on January 19.

Kodak said the deal with Shutterfly followed a “stalking horse” bid — a starting bid or minimally accepted offer that other bidders must surpass in a court-supervised auction — from the web-based personal publishing service. Shutterfly shares rose 18 percent to $31.70 in extended trade, following the news. The stock had closed at $26.91 on the Nasdaq. Shutterfly said it will transfer Kodak Gallery customer accounts and images in the United States and Canada to Shutterfly, and will allow customers to opt out of the transition if they do not want their photos to be transferred. Kodak Gallery — which enables users to store and share their own images and create custom printed photobooks, cards and albums — has more than 75 million users.

Kodak is focusing its consumer business on retail and destination photo solutions as well as home printing products, Pradeep Jotwani, president, consumer businesses and chief marketing officer of Kodak, said in a statement. Shutterfly, which has millions of customers, bought privately held card design company Tiny Prints in a $333 million cash-and-stock deal last year.

It competes primarily with services such as Hewlett Packard’s Snapfish, Kodak’s EasyShare Gallery and with Webshots. The key focus for those watching Kodak’s recovery effort, however, is progress in the patent sale. “Kodak, the debtor, is under pressure from various creditors and constituents to liquidate its non-essential assets sooner rather than later,” said bankruptcy lawyer Edward Neiger. Apple has said the digital-imaging patents that Kodak must sell under terms of its $950 million bankruptcy loan may include a patent for which Apple said it is the rightful owner. Apple declined comment, but has said in court papers that Kodak misappropriated Apple’s technology to get the patent for a digital camera that can preview images on an LCD screen.—Newswire