Financing FAQ

Posted on Wednesday, 29th June 2011 by Vanessa Miller

My new RV! The blogosphere is on fire lately with regards to minimalism.

In case you haven’t heard of minimalism, it’s a movement whereby you live with fewer material possessions in favor of spending your income on experiences. I’ve Tweeted often lately about downsizing the house that I live in and getting rid of much of my stuff, and I’ve been asked several times if I consider myself a minimalist. This blog post is where I answer that question once and for all.

Here’s what has been going on in my life lately. In November, Richard and I broke up. He moved out, and I didn’t want a 2400 square-foot house (and its correspondingly huge rent payment) all to myself, so I decided to move. I picked a 1550 square-foot house with a rent payment that’s affordable to me. It’s a three-bedroom house over near San Diego State, and I love it.

A few days ago, for instance, I went out and chatted with a neighbor, then walked to the grocery store, bought some food, walked to the bank, withdrew some cash, and walked home. I love the free

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Tags: Minimalism, Minimalism Maximalism
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Posted on Tuesday, 28th June 2011 by Emily Smith

Enlarge Jess Jiang/NPR

From our listeners: Dollar coins out in the world.

Jess Jiang/NPR

From our listeners: Dollar coins out in the world.

In Friday’s podcast, we asked listeners to send pictures of dollar coins in the wild. And people did.

Several listeners also wrote in with dollar-coin stories. Rebecca K. was one of at least three people to write in from Ecuador, which uses the U.S. dollar as currency.

I know where the dollar coins are! They are here in Quito, Ecuador …. I regularly have about 10-20 Sacagawea dollar coins in my possession and I use them all the time to buy lots of different things….Here in Ecuador there is NEVER enough change….The most needed currency here is actually the $1 coin.

But the dollar coin has trouble getting traction in the U.S. One listener, Rachel B., wrote in about her daughter’s experience with dollar coins.

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Tags: Coins, Dollar Coins
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Posted on Tuesday, 28th June 2011 by Vanessa Miller

Even though the economy may be showing some signs of life, when it comes to small businesses and hiring, slow and steady seem to be the operative words. If you are running a small business and have been asking for more from your employees while providing fewer resources, then your employees may be at risk for work-related burnout.

Burnout is a serious concern. It’s not something that should be so quickly ignored- especially since instances of burnout on the job will typically occur among your most valuable, loyal workers. These are the people who are willing to tow the line to keep the company and it’s profits afloat.

As the owner or manager of a small business, make sure to be on the lookout for these 7 warning signs of burnout among your employees. Keep in mind that where burnout is an issue, many of these signs will come together and that their sudden appearance will generally stand out as both noticeable and unusual compared to past performance and behavior:

1. Leth

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Tags: Signs, Signs Employee
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Posted on Tuesday, 28th June 2011 by Emily Smith

White space trials aim for super Wi-Fi Telecoms companies are experimenting with white space between TV channels called ‘white space’ to see how it can transmit broadband. Read more…

Tags: Space Trials, Space Trials Aim, Super, Trials Aim
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Posted on Monday, 27th June 2011 by Emily Smith

ORLANDO, FL – Transforming clinical, administrative and operational processes are critical components for healthcare organizations looking to deliver higher-quality care and reduce costs, Melinda Hancock and Michael Spine of Bon Secours Virginia Health Systems said to an audience at the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s ANI: Healthcare Finance Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Using Bon Secours as a case study during a Monday session, Hancock and Spine said increasing overall value requires a focus on providing safe, affordable, respectful care while achieving successful outcomes.

“At Bon Secours, our goal is to reduce cost per case by 10 percent over the next three to five years, while improving quality of care,” said Hancock.  She cited three areas where healthcare facilities must make improvements: rates of complications, readmissions and mortality.

Targeting areas of waste is another way to reign in costs. Hancock cited a PricewaterhouseCoopers report that identified $1.2 trillion worth of waste in the nation’s annual healthcare spending, accounting for more than half of all health spending. Unnecessar

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Tags: Clinical, Clinical Transformation
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Posted on Monday, 27th June 2011 by Emily Smith

Greece’s parliament has today approved the fresh round of austerity measures – designed to save the country from defaulting on its debts.

The measures were one of the conditions of the next instalment of its bailout loan.

MPs passed the measures by 155 votes to 138.

The latest austerity measures will according to Prime Minister George Papandreou, get Greece “back on its feet”.

He said: We must avoid the countrys collapse at all costs. Now is not the time to step back.

However, the tough measures, which include spending cuts and tax hikes, have caused uproar with the Greek public and a general strike is currently underway, which has brought the country to a standstill and have led to violent protests with several injuries.

Tags: Austerity Measures, Measures
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