Updated: May 2, 2012 11:07AM

Q. I have been in a challenging marriage for a long time with a Gemini (born June 2, 1956). I have stayed in the marriage to keep my family together.

Over the past year, I’ve fallen for a divorced gentleman (born July 13, 1955) who has mutual feelings for me.

I am considering ending my marriage to explore this relationship. I was born April 14, 1958, at 10:10 am

A. You match up well to both your husband and your Cancer friend; however, the comparison with your spouse has a slight edge. Unfortunately, both comparisons show signs of deception, but I believe it has to do with you sneaking around with your friend.

It’s evident that you feel your Cancer can offer a more exciting and adventurous relationship — but with the adventure comes heartache.

Come October, you will be in a better position to size up your situation and decide whether to rekindle your relationship with your spouse or to continue your relationship with your friend.

Between now and the fall, you and your husband should talk about a trial separation. Your chart has shown emotional confusion regarding your relationships since April 2009, and although this is coming to an end later this year, it may be too little too late for your marriage.

Q. I’ve been separated for two years, and I am working toward finalizing my divorce. My ex is not taking responsibility for our children’s needs. My children and I cannot afford to live in the matrimonial home on my income alone. I’ve been debating renting or rent-to-own.

I’ve also been thinking of someone in my past who I still have feelings for (his birthday is Oct. 31, 1969). I was born Sept. 4, 1970, at 5:30 am

Will the legal battles end soon? Should I err on the side of caution and just rent for the moment? Are my instincts right regarding this man from my past?

A. Without your ex-husband’s birth data, I can’t tell which one of you is sitting in a better position. What I can tell you is that you should get legal aid in order to get what you and your children deserve. Ask your lawyer to include the legal costs in the settlement.

Rent until the spring of 2014, when you should be able to purchase if you are wise with your money.

The comparison with your old flame is OK. It’s probably good for you to pursue him, if only to gain closure. Your love life will pick up considerably beginning in the spring of next year, so you have time to reconnect with your Scorpio, allowing you to discover what you really want and need.

Q. I have three daughters and all of our horoscopes are right on the money. I don’t get it: the various dates would match to millions and millions of folks. How can mine be so right? I was born July 10, 1931.

A. For someone like yourself who was born with your natal Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Pluto in the same sign along with the Moon, Mars, Saturn and Neptune in harmony to your Sun sign, the caption you read should be spot on. Chances are good that your daughters also have a similar setup in their natal charts as well.

For those individuals who have a splash chart — planets scattered throughout several signs — it is important to read all 12 captions to get a bird’s-eye view of what’s to come from a daily horoscope.

Universal Syndicate

Gas is expensive; honest relationships are priceless

Advice columnist Carolyn Hax answers letters about a girlfriend who wont fill her guys tank, an otherwise-ideal girlfriend whos been married three times, and a possibly wayward college-bound kid.

NASHUA, N.H., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Contact centers can be noisy places to work. The sound and disruptions from the many calls taking place at the same time can result in missed sales opportunities, misunderstandings and reduced productivity. A recent study* conducted by Jabra and leading analyst firm, Frost & Sullivan, found that 73% of contact center managers surveyed rated quality headsets as the number one factor for creating a satisfactory work environment. The study polled contact center managers in five countries around the globe to research the connection between a good sound environment, employee satisfaction and increased productivity in the contact center.

“One of the most prevalent issues reported by contact center managers is the noise disturbances that prevent ‘good conversations’ between the customer and agent from taking place,” said Kelly Myers, senior director of marketing, Jabra North America. “Our headset solutions not only allow contact center employees to clearly communicate with customers but they also provide the freedom to focus on the task at hand and therefore increase productivity.”

Distracting sounds that break the concentration of a contact center agent are an issue within both outbound and inbound contact centers. Ninety one percent of the contact center managers surveyed actively strive to reduce sound disturbances by removing background noise caused by loud coffee machines or copiers away from the active work area and by laying carpets over wooden floors. Just as important, 89% are working on improving the sound quality of the actual conversations.

Reducing background noise is especially crucial for large contact centers with 500 or more agents. According to the survey, 95% of these managers were acutely aware of sound disturbances and, in addition to helping reduce the background noise, have chosen to implement headsets with noise cancellation features in order to optimize the sound quality of conversations. Seventy three percent of managers polled responded that a quality headset was the most important factor in creating a good work environment in the contact center. That number jumped to 91% in large contact centers where managers said that a quality headset is key to reducing stress and increasing employee satisfaction – and thereby productivity.

“We firmly believe that contact centers of all sizes can realize the many benefits that a high-quality headset provides,” said Brendan Read, industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan. “As our survey shows, the noise cancelation features of a quality headset are top of mind with contact center managers across the world. The added values of call clarity and reduced sound disturbance will eventually lead to improved customer conversations, greater productivity, fewer distractions, and compliance with noise-at-work regulations.”

Jabra’s contact center products are available through our channel partners. To experience the suite of contact center products first hand, visit us at HDI (April 24-27, Orlando) Booth #302 or visit us at Jabra.com/AmazingStories to enter your “Amazing Story” for a chance to win a Jabra prize kit.

*The survey polled 250 contact center managers in Great Britain, France, the United States, China and India and was conducted in December 2011.

About Jabra Jabra is the brand of GN Netcom, a subsidiary of GN Store Nord A/S (GN) – listed on NASDAQ OMX. Jabra employs approximately 850 people worldwide and in 2011 produced an annual revenue which amounted to DKK 2,106 million. Jabra is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of a broad range of hands-free communications solutions. With a reputation for innovation, reliability, and ease of use that goes back more than two decades, Jabra’s consumer and business divisions produce corded and wireless headsets, plus mobile and in-office speakerphones that empower individuals and businesses through increased freedom of movement, comfort, and functionality.

© 2012 GN Netcom A/S. All rights reserved. Jabra® is a registered trademark of GN Netcom A/S. All other trademarks included herein are the property of their respective owners. (Design and specifications subject to change without notice)

NOTE: This release and is the first in a series of releases focusing on global trends in the contact center industry.

SOURCE Jabra

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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“Who’s In Your Orbit? Beyond Facebook–Creating Relationships That Matter,” the new book on Relationship Management Is now available. Visit the book site, http://www.whosinyourorbit.com, for details.

Keller, TX (PRWEB) April 30, 2012

Would you like to get more value from your relationships, and deliver more value to the people you know? “Who’s In Your Orbit? Beyond Facebook – Creating Relationships That Matter” guides readers through the process of developing more effective relationships, and in doing so, gaining an impenetrable competitive edge. In the world of connected, yet disconnected, social media, this book teaches readers how to bring relationships into balance, and why strong relationships matter.

The book includes relationship-building strategies, such as:

• How to create, sustain and leverage your Orbits, those spheres of resource and influence among your contacts
• The four essential components of strong relationships
• How to overcome relationship roadblocks
• And more techniques to help you build relationships to achieve your goals — all with real-world examples

About the Authors

Mike Muhney began his career in sales at IBM, and went on to co-create the contact management software category and co-invent ACT!, the best-selling contact manager. Max Pucher, who also began his career at IBM, founded ISIS Papyrus Software, an enterprise solutions company focused on simplifying technology to empower people. Max has authored a number of books and holds various technology patents.

Together, Mike and Max co-created the Mobile Relationship Software category and co-founded VIPorbit Software International, Inc. Their full-featured app, VIPorbit, is the best way to manage contacts, calendars and communications on the iPhone and iPad. For more information, or to purchase the app, visit http://www.VIPorbit.com. To book Mike or Max for a speaking engagement, contact media(at)whosinyourorbit.com.

Praise for the Book

“This book is a blueprint for establishing meaningful relationships in today’s crazy-busy business world. In it, you’ll discover numerous strategies to develop valuable professional connections,” said Jill Konrath, author of “SNAP Selling” and “Selling to Big Companies.”

Book Pricing and Availability

“Who’s In Your Orbit? Beyond Facebook – Creating Relationships That Matter” can be purchased at Amazon for $9.99. For more information, visit http://www.whosinyourorbit.com.

Press Contact:

Kari Gates, Marketing Manager

media(at)WhosInYourOrbit(dot)com

http://www.WhosInYourOrbit.com

VIPorbit is a trademark of VIPorbit Software International. ACT! is a registered trademark of Sage Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/4/prweb9456211.htm

As things are heating up for the 2012 Kentucky Derby, Twitter users want to share their memories, ideas, and predictions about the winning horse. Although there are regular horse racing fans that are fully aware of which hashtags get the most notice, many newbies do not know how to tweet in a way that their voice can be heard.

Through research methods such as following up on hashtags manually and using monitoring services like Hashtags.org and WhatTheTrend.com, it is apparent that some trends are taking off while others oddly flounder. While some hashtags seem intuitive, a majority might surprise you.

The least weird Kentucky Derby hashtags

In 2011, there were many media sources that reported on the top hashtags of the year. Sadly, #HorseRacing and the #KYDerby were not included in the lists. Without a way to use a reference, the painstaking work of reviewing Twitter hashtags one by one was needed. Thankfully, Twitter users will often mention more than one hashtag and this makes finding the best Kentucky Derby hashtags easier.

The top hashtags that Twitter users are placing with their 2012 Kentucky Derby references are #HorseRacing, #KyDerby, #KyOaks, #RunForTheRoses, #KyDerby138, and #GoBabyGo. Top mentions include official Kentucky Derby related accounts like @KentuckyDerby, @ChurchillDowns, and @DerbyMedia (Churchill Downs PR).

Kentucky Derby hashtags that strangely flopped

During the Kentucky Derby hashtags search, it was obvious that some looked like they would be winners – but flopped instead. For instance, #KDPredictions was attempted by one Twitter user and it is currently stuck all alone in search results. Other oddball Kentucky Derby hashtags that are not taking off are #2012Derby, #DerbyPredictions, and #DerbyWinner.

Hashtags for the Kentucky Derby you are not expecting

For many fans, they only watch the Kentucky Derby and do not know very much about horse racing. For this reason, Derby fans might be surprised to see #ABRLive attached to many tweets. In this case, Twitter users are using an old reference for the newly formed FollowHorseRacing.com website.

When #FollowHorseRacing set up online a few months ago, they incorporated the former ABRLive (AKA America#39;s Best Racing). Other hashtags associated with the broadcasting angle of the Kentucky Derby are #TVG and #HRTV.

Strange tags that get the Derby#39;s attention

If you are trying to get the attention of Twitter users at the Kentucky Derby or in the city of Louisville, there are a few ways to get the word out. An obvious one to use appears to be #Kentucky. To be more specific, they do not use #LouisvilleGirl , #ILoveKentucky, or #I#60;3KY. Instead, the key hashtags are odd combos such as #KYProud, #DerbyCity, #Louisville, #502, and #LouMedia.

This is bizarre and not Kentucky Derby related

If you have been sending off all your tweets with #DerbyCon — you are completely off base. While it sounds a lot like the Kentucky Derby, DerbyCon 2.0 is a hacker conference taking place from September 27 – 30 in Louisville. In cases like this, it pays to search your hashtags before you tweet.

What is the #TC12 reference?

One of the most confusing hashtags associated with the 2012 Kentucky Derby is the #TC12 reference. If you try to use a search engine or Twitter to pinpoint the exact meaning, you will spend a great deal of time in frustration. In fact, this one should be more obvious than it is. The #TC12 mind-boggler actually stands for Triple Crown 2012.

Although it occurs rarely, you can bet that if the same horse that wins the 2012 Kentucky Derby also wins the Preakness on May 19, #TC12 will be one of the hottest hashtags of the summer.

More from this Contributor:

10 Weird Fenway Park Mentions

Bike Vacation: Top Alley Destinations

Unlimited 2012 Kentucky Derby Tickets?

Five Mid-Year 2012 Breeders#39; Cup Updates

2012 Kentucky Derby Winner Picks: Twitter Reaction

Maryam Louise is a longtime resident of the Bluegrass State and has lived in the shadows of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky over the past two decades. In addition to being a fan of horse racing, she has also had a chance to get to know jockeys, horse groomers, and betting clerks as an ESL instructor. Currently, she writes for KentuckyDerby.org and relies on her friends in the multiple facets of the equine industry for writing inspiration.

ATLANTA, May 01, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Vitrue,
the global leader and innovator of social enterprise software, today
announced that it launched a new brand campaign that centers on a
powerful statement, “Like Can Never Replace Love.” The “Love”
campaign captures the philosophy that the world’s greatest brands
aren’t built on clicks, but rather by creating meaningful relationships
with real people. Vitrue’s brand strategy is supported by a global
advertising campaign and includes digital, print and social media.

“In its infancy, social media interaction was measured by likes, clicks
and followers. We believe that strong brands are built by forming deeper
relationships with people that go beyond transactional thought,” said
Reggie Bradford, CEO & Founder of Vitrue. “In today’s ever changing
social landscape, it is more important now than ever before for brands
to engage with consumers in relevant and meaningful ways. Vitrue helps
brands accomplish this through expertise and technology. We work with
brands to gain a greater understanding of the types of interactions
their customers value; then we give them access to the most advanced
solutions possible to bring those interactions to life.”

The Vitrue Social Relationship Management (SRM) platform enables brands
to engage consumers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and emerging
platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram through a singular,
centralized platform interface. Vitrue also provides advanced analytics,
including detailed reports. Marketers can leverage pre-defined analytics
or create custom reports based on specific platforms and data.

“At Vitrue, the importance of creating meaningful relationships has
always been a part of our company culture, business philosophy and view
of what social media means for brands,” said Erika Brookes, vice
president of Marketing at Vitrue. “The ‘Love’ campaign helps bring this
belief to life and amplifies that message even further.”

About Vitrue

Vitrue offers the industry’s most scalable and secure cloud-based social
marketing solution, enabling brands to harness the full marketing
potential of social on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and emerging
platforms. The award-winning Vitrue SRM platform collectively manages
more than one billion social relationships in over 100 countries across
more than 4,500 social accounts for its clients. For more information,
visit
www.vitrue.com ,
Like on Facebook
and follow on Twitter.
Share the love — #vitruelove.

SOURCE: Vitrue

Vitrue, PR
Nichole Bigley, 404-395-8810 (cell)
nbigley@vitrue.com

Copyright Business Wire 2012

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For retailers [Facebook] can be a way to share information, to influence opinion, to deepen relationships and ultimately, to deliver value. Its relationship building.
Bill Bishop, chairman of Willard Bishop and chief architect of Brick Meets Click

Anyone remember the Manhattan Declaration, that call of Christian conscience released in late 2009 by a coalition of leading conservative Christians? It asked Christians everywhere to take a principled stand on the three critical moral issues of our time: the sanctity of human life, the dignity of traditional marriage, and religious liberty by signing the declaration online.

A Nov. 20, 2009 article in the New York Times about the Manhattan Declaration in part read:

The manifesto, to be released on Friday at the National Press Club in Washington, is an effort to rejuvenate the political alliance of conservative Catholics and evangelicals that dominated the religious debate during the administration of President George W. Bush…

They want to signal to the Obama administration and to Congress that they are still a formidable force that will not compromise on abortion, stem-cell research or gay marriage.

Within a month of its launch hundreds of thousands of Christians had signed the Manhattan Declaration. As of today 526,167 Christians have signed it. The declarations Facebook page boasts 106,000 members.

The Manhattan Declaration matters. It surely mattered when it first came out and immediately exploded. Conservative Christian leaders and their associated political advocacy groups were afraid theyd be neutered in an Obama administration. The success of the Manhattan Declaration was their protective cup. It kept their power intact. For Christians who want abortion and gay marriage to be or remain illegal, the Manhattan Declaration was, and is, the greatest thing since hair spray.

We on the Christian left are good at a lot of things. When it comes to making a movement to consider a resolution to contemplate forming a committee with the purpose of exploring the possibility of moving ahead with a tentative plan to commit to the idea of ever actually saying anything whatsoever, we rock. We also host very pleasant wine-tasting parties.

What we tend not to do so well, however (unlike the right), is to speak with one voice.

Yesterday, I launched a Change.org petition, Christians: Affirm that same-sex relationships are not inherently immoral. As of this writing that petition has been signed by 726 Christians.

This is an election year. If a petition calling upon Christians to affirm LGBTQ people is signed by not hundreds, but rather hundreds of thousands of Christians, then the entire conversation around the gay issue changes. Not maybe. Not a little. Not someday. It radically changes the moment that happens.

No one can ignore those kinds of numbers. It would preclude any pastor or ministry leader from (as they are wont to do) dismissing as an irrelevant minority those Christians who fully accept and support LGBTQ people. It would open all kinds of (church and seminary) doors.

The Manhattan Declaration matters. And this little petition does, or certainly can, equally matter.

The Manhattan Declaration was announced at the National Press Club in Washington by a team of conservative, fabulously wealthy, media-savvy Christian power-brokers. Those guys knew what they were doing; they did it well; and they got the results they wanted.

Im just one guy with a blog. I can barely broker the power between my coffee-maker and the plug on the wall. If I shave, its a big day for me. I work on a laptop so old the letters on four of its keys have worn away. Sometimes holding down my shift key will result in a capital letter. Sometimes it wont.

Im just a guy in a corner doing my thing. And per that thing, I could put up another blog post today. And another tomorrow. And in two or three days my couple of posts about my petition will be forgotten.

And what a wasted opportunity that would be!

Lets not waste this opportunity. Lets not let this petition disappear. Let us, once and for all, change this one particular [bleeper-bleeping] game.

And the only way that will happen is if you — you, reading this right now — help make it happen: if you tweet, blog, Facebook your face off about it. Do that, and we can make a difference here. Dont, and we wont. Thems the new rules.

And of course quickly fading into nothing is exactly what might happen to this petition. Maybe there arent as many gay-affirming Christians out there as I tend to believe there are. Maybe I do belong to an irrelevant minority.

I dont think so, though. I think we Christians who fully support LGBT people just need to come together and speak as one.

I think that, by this simple little petition, we should loudly and proudly proclaim to our more conservative brothers and sisters in Christ that were here, were pro-queer, and they might as well get used to it.

Sign the petition: Christians: Affirm that same-sex relationships are not inherently immoral.

Shame, one of the most difficult of all emotions, can slowly eat away at your heart, soul, stomach lining and relationships. And the relationships that it eats away at most are probably the ones that are most important to you — the ones with your kids and your partners.

Now, let me tell you a little bit about shame. It is that soul-stirring, gut-wrenching, I wish I could vanish feeling that you get when you think that what you have may have done is unspeakable. At least you think that it is unspeakable. The tragedy is that if you didnt feel that youd be further shamed by speaking about it then you might feel relief after talking about the shameful behavior.

Let me bring this to light for you with some specific true stories.

1. A child waits 4 years before telling a parent that she has been sexually molested because she is not only ashamed, but is afraid that her parents will be ashamed of her. The sad fact here is that those who recover best from these life events are those who have confided in parents and gotten support.

2. A teen does not tell his father that he is being bullied because he thinks that his father will be ashamed of him as he is of himself for not fighting back. So, this kid silently endures being called a fag for months. Perhaps his father might have defused the situation by helping this child deal with the situation effectively.

3. A girl lies to her parents about being friendless because she doesnt want her parents to think shes a loser. She refers to her friends frequently and makes excuses about why they cant get together on the weekends.

4. A wife does not tell her husband that she feels ignored because she doesnt want to appear needy. You see, in her own family, being tough, not needy, was valued. Well, sadly, this woman divorced her clueless husband. Yes, he was clueless because of her shame. She was too ashamed to tell him how she felt and to give him a chance to make some changes.

And how about this one?

5. A beautiful woman is told that she is fat and spends the rest of her life reviled by her body. Her body becomes a constant source of shame for her and a target for her hatred. She alternately starves it, feeds it and picks it apart.

When we think about the most corrosive feelings we immediately think about depression, but for the sake of our relationships we should look shame squarely in the face.

Your thoughts?

WILMINGTON, Del., May 01, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
The Bancorp Bank (“Bancorp”), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bancorp,
Inc.

/quotes/zigman/95445/quotes/nls/tbbk TBBK
-0.98%

, is pleased to announce a new relationship between
PayPal and Bancorp to provide P2P payment services to consumers via
Bancorp’s affinity relationships. By utilizing PayPal’s platform and
technology, Bancorp will enable its affinity relationships with the
ability to provide electronic P2P payments to their customers.

Pete Chiccino, Bancorp’s Executive Vice President and Chief Innovations
Officer, said, “We saw the market opportunity in P2P payment services
and the benefits it could bring to our affinity customers and now we
have the right partner. We’re thrilled about our relationship with
PayPal. PayPal shares our philosophy of putting a premium on services
that are easy to use, flexible and secure.”

“PayPal believes that innovation will drive success for the financial
services industry and enjoys working with financial institutions like
The Bancorp Bank that are always looking for great products and
solutions to bring to their customers,” said Dan Schatt, Head of
Financial Innovations, PayPal.

P2P payments are just the first in a series of collaborations that
PayPal and Bancorp will undertake in 2012. Bancorp will also offer its
affinity relationships PayPal’s Instant Account Creation and Account
Funding with PayPal.

PayPal’s Instant Account Creation is a new way to open a PayPal account
directly from the Bancorp. Future PayPal purchases made by Bancorp
customers could generate card acquiring volume for Bancorp. Bancorp
marks the first U.S. integration of PayPal’s Instant Account Creation.
Account Funding with PayPal will allow Bancorp customers to apply their
PayPal funding sources to their new Bancorp accounts.

About Bancorp

The Bancorp, Inc. is a financial holding company that operates The
Bancorp Bank, an FDIC-insured commercial bank that delivers a full array
of financial services both directly and through private-label affinity
programs nationwide. The Bancorp Bank’s regional community bank
operations serve the needs of small and mid-size businesses and their
principals in the Philadelphia-Wilmington region.

SOURCE: The Bancorp, Inc.

The Bancorp, Inc.
Andres Viroslav, 215-861-7990
aviroslav@thebancorp.com

Copyright Business Wire 2012

/quotes/zigman/95445/quotes/nls/tbbk

Add to portfolio

TBBK

The Bancorp Inc.

US

: U.S.: Nasdaq

$
10.10

-0.10
-0.98%

Volume: 78,609
May 4, 2012 4:00p

P/E Ratio32.77
Dividend YieldN/A

Market Cap$334.27 million
Rev. per Employee$288,442

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