RELIGIOUS GROUPS LATCH ON TO THE GROUPON CRAZE.

States News Service October 13, 2011 Chicago — The following information was released by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):

Social deals are going spiritual.

Inspired by their religious callings “* and the $713 million in revenue that social deal pioneer Groupon took in last year “* a growing number of entrepreneurs are making a go of the fast-growing social coupon space with sites specifically targeting religious groups.

Jewish sites Jewpon, Jdeal and OyWhataDeal paved the way late last year, taking their cue from sites like Groupon or Living Social, which offer deep discounts to members on everything from meals to movies to skydiving. this web site groupon portland

While Groupon can get members 40 percent off the cost of hang-gliding lessons in Chicago, for example, Jewpon recently offered half off the “Fundamentals of Talmud” learning system. Jdeal touted a 46 percent break on etrogs, a citrus fruit used for the upcoming harvest festival of Sukkot, while OyWhataDeal members could get half-priced challah bread from Challywood.net.

“I read an article about Groupon and realized there was an opportunity to bring the Groupon model to our Jewish community,” said Jdeal co-founder Jodi Samuels. “We’re really focusing on deals that are relevant to the Jewish community, so people have this incentive to be on our list.” Christian variations followed suit. Last January, Only144.com began staging 144-hour sales for deeply discounted church materials, like $1,000 worth of ministry resources for just $97 in August.

In May came Grouptune, which sells discounted Christian albums and offers free song downloads. ChristianDeals.org, launched a month later, recently offered a 16 percent discount on flip-flops from Christian retailer God Feet.

Next up? Muslim-Deals.com, a domain name that’s already been purchased with the promise of an impending daily deal site.

U.S. consumer spending on social deals is expected to hit $2 billion this year, ahead of the $873 million spent in 2010, according to a September forecast by local media industry consultants BIA/Kelsey in Chantilly, VA. By 2015, spending is projected to top $4 billion.

A recent study by researchers at Rice University and Cornell University found no evidence of daily deal fatigue among consumers, according to co-author Utpal M. Dholakia, professor of management at Rice in Houston.

That’s good news for religious deal sites that have reported some initial success:

New York-based Jdeal has amassed 30,000 subscribers in a year and expanded to Los Angeles, Washington, Boston and Chicago, Samuels said.

New York-based Jewpon has subscribers in Jerusalem and is starting a London site within a month, said Chief Operating Officer Chaim Chernoff.

Brian Giles, the owner of OyWhataDeal, based in the Chicago suburbs, and Nevan Hooker, creator of Only144 in Louisville, KY, say business has been strong enough for them to leave their day jobs. go to site groupon portland

But the long-term sustainability for these upstart deal providers “* including industry leader Groupon “* remains unclear.

Nearly one-third of daily deal sites closed or were acquired by a competitor so far this year, according to daily-deal-site aggregator Yipit.com. Dholakia’s own research found that a third of businesses that participated in a Groupon promotion said it was unprofitable.

Even Facebook, the giant of social media, decided to end its own version of Groupon in August after a four-month trial run. And despite the exceptional revenue, Groupon has yet to turn a profit, reporting a loss of $450 million in 2010.

Religious deal providers are banking on the idea that deep discounts for targeted niche markets will be more relevant to consumers, and generate higher redemption rates by consumers and interest by merchants. By offering discounts from vendors too specialized to market through Groupon, Jdeal reports that 58 percent of its subscriber base have purchased a deal, well ahead of Groupon’s 19 percent, Samuels said.

OyWhataDeal’s approach is even narrower: not only targeting Jewish consumers, but primarily Jews in the northern suburbs of Detroit. Only144 and Grouptune in San Francisco cast their nets nationwide, but narrowed their offerings to ministry materials and Christian music, respectively.

“I’m not interested in the quantity of subscribers. I’m interested in the quality of subscribers,” said Grouptune CEO Matt Shamus.

To get a wider reach, Jdeal has partnered with Jewish media outlets to promote their deals in local markets. Christian Deals is currently giving 100 percent of revenue generated from its deals to merchants to generate interest, said Wes Lemos, the founder of the San Jose, CA-based site.

Still, Rice’s Dholakia questioned whether niche religious deal sites have growth potential. Jewish and Muslim sites oriented around geography may have trouble growing outside of major cities, for instance.

Samuels agreed that consolidation is inevitable, but said the big players in niche deal markets will survive.

“We offer a service that is very relevant to both the consumer and to the merchant,” she said. “We do higher conversion rates, and from the merchant’s point of view maintain good margins because they’re getting a further targeted audience, not just a random person that is walking in with a 50 percent off deal.”

Non-runner is crazy over successful marathon workout.(Health Fitness)

Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL) June 6, 2011 | Forman, By Ross Byline: Ross Forman Daily Herald Correspondent While eating pasta the night before the Tel Aviv Marathon in April, I started to wonder if I was ready for the 26.2 miles that I was about to run for the 11th time during the past 3 1/2 years.

It wasn’t the distance that worried me. Nor the course route. Or the sunny conditions in the 70s that were predicted. Not even the bus station attack a few weeks earlier in Jerusalem.

Instead, it was my training, or rather lack of it.

In January, for instance, I ran once — a 13.1-mile halfmarathon. In February, I ran once for nine miles. In March, I ran once for five miles.

Was I insane to attempt a marathon with such limited running preparation?

Yes a you can call it, Insanity.

My journey to Tel Aviv actually started on New Year’s Day, when I watched a DVD on my laptop computer. I had rearranged my kitchen to give me an 8-by-8-foot area that, according to my new year’s resolution, would be my gym, treadmill and workout room for the next 60 days. After all, I don’t like running outside in the cold and the health club treadmill gets old quickly.

So, it was Day One of the 60-day Insanity workout program.

For some strange reason, I thought the Insanitywould be perfect for me. I’ve seen the infomercials for Insanity and the 90-day P90X workout on TV countless times.And for years I never thought much about either, nor believed they delivered results.

But I gave Insanity a go, mostly because of the convenience of being able to do it anywhere without any weightlifting equipment. Heck, you don’t even need a jump rope. You just need a machine to play the DVD.

Insanity and P90X training programs are promoted by California-based Beachbody, a billion-dollar health and fitness company that invests millions of dollars annually into marketing its TV infomercials.

I figured I could stay committed to Insanity for 60 days, a mere two months. But I never thought it would have the impact on my marathon running that it did. insanityworkouttorrent.org insanity workout torrent

Insanity is a cardio-based workout program with plenty of plyometrics, push-ups and fast-action movements. For the first month, the six-day-a-week program runs about 40 minutes per day, then ramps up to 55 minutes the second month.

I grinded out Insanity for the first 29 days of January and was feeling good. I saw some weight loss, perhaps 5 pounds, and noticed more muscledefinition in my chest. On Jan. 30, I ran the 13.1-mile half marathon in Miami. I beat my previous best half marathon time by 10 minutes. I was thrilled, and convinced that the daily Insanity sessions were working.

I had similar success at shorter races in February and March.I went into each with rather quick pre-race time goals, and each time I crushed those goals. go to site insanity workout torrent

That brings me to the Tel Aviv Marathon.I was excited and felt confident that I could set a personal record, but my lack of running trainingwas still a concern.

Ultimately, I finished the 26.2-mile race 31 minutes faster than my previous personal record in a marathon. I crossed the finish line and was shocked, to say the least. I neverthought I could run a marathon as fast as I did, especially with an at-home workout program as my training plan.

The day after the race, I felt better than I had after any previous marathon. I felt I could run that next day and had no pain anywhere.

Katie Schmid of Chicago, a veteran marathon runner herself who is the head endurance running coach with the Team To End AIDS, was surprised by the results.

Schmid, who has trained more than 1,500 Chicagoans for endurance events, said she would not normally endorse such a limited running program in preparation for a marathon.

“Although I don’t recommend running only three times prior to a (marathon), I do recommend listening to your body and conditioning your body through more means than just running,” Schmid said.

“At T2, we don’t advocate only doing three runs prior to your race, but we do advocate for training you to be an efficient and effective in getting toward your goal, whether it be to run a marathon, half marathon, completing a triathlon, or completing an endurance bike ride. Our training program at T2 is indicative of the philosophy that less can be more. aWe are proponents of a training program that is manageable from a time-commitment level.It shouldn’t be overwhelming, just like I’m sure running only three times before a race wasn’t too overwhelming for Ross.” Michael Grimes, 33, a certified personal trainer in Lincoln Park, is familiar with the Insanity workout and has done the P90X workout himself.

Grimes said he does not recommend Insanity as the only training method for a marathon runner, especially a new runner. “But Insanity is a great supplement to further any fitness goal,” he said.

Max interval programs, according to the trainer, help improve oxygen consumption, muscle strength and endurance and could benefit marathon runners.

“(Forman) started the (Tel Aviv) Marathon with a much more efficient body as a whole, which of course yielded a much better personal record,” Grimes said.

“The principles behind P90X (and) Insanity are much like typical marathon training. The more you overload your body at shorter intervals, the better you will perform over longer intervals with less resistance. A combination of interval training and progressive overload, as well as ample rest and nutrition are at the heart of most successful marathon runner’s program.” I intend to run the marathons in Montreal in September and Honolulu in December. My plan for both races is push play on the Insanity DVDs starting about 10 weeks before each race, stay dedicated and keep digging deeper.

*Ross Forman has written about high school sports for the Daily Herald for several years.

Forman, By Ross

Credit card fees worry merchants

Missoulian November 27, 2009 | Dennison, Mike HELENA – When convenience store owner Dave Sutey looks at his bottom line, the second-largest expense is one you might not guess: fees paid to credit card companies and banks, to process credit card purchases in his stores. website dillards credit card

“That’s ahead of rent, lease and payroll taxes,” says Sutey, whose 14 Thriftway Super Stop stores in southwest Montana have paid $312,000 in such fees the first 10 months of this year. “The profit of our entire industry is one-half of what the credit card fees are.” Sutey and his allies in the retail industry, from gas stations to department stores, say they don’t mind paying something in so-called “swipe” or “interchange” fees for the convenience of credit card purchases.

But they believe these unregulated fees have become too costly, and are asking Congress to intervene.

“They can charge whatever they want to charge,” says Bob McCullough, manager of a Tire-Rama tire store in Great Falls. “It’s just a channel for them to get money. We’ve got to reel these banks in.” Montana merchants concerned about credit card fees have been talking to Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who sits on the Senate Banking Committee.

Several proposals have been floated, such as legislating the fees or exempting merchants from antitrust laws, so they can better negotiate the fees with the credit-card issuers.

Tester says he’s interested in the issue, and that it should be studied further. The Banking Committee, which has no bill before it to regulate the fees, will likely hold hearings next year, he says.

Tester also has been talking to the credit card companies and the banks, which say the push for regulation of the fees is nothing more than an attempt by one industry to fix prices to its advantage – at the detriment to consumers.

If Congress sets a ceiling on the swipe fees paid by merchants, credit card companies and banks probably would increase the fees they charge consumers for the cards, says Trish Wexler, spokeswoman for the Electronic Payments Coalition, which represents banks, credit unions, credit card companies and card issuers.

She also notes that while merchants may complain about credit card fees, the rise of credit card use has helped them expand their sales.

“They make more money when their customers pay with plastic,” she says. “(Customers) are no longer restricted to just the cash they have on hand.” While interchange fees may vary from card to card, merchants say VISA and MasterCard, the two most widely used cards, generally charge merchants 2 percent of the purchase price, plus a flat fee of 10 cents per transaction. dillardscreditcardnow.com dillards credit card

So on a $2 bottle of pop, the fee is 14 cents: 10 cents plus 2 percent of the price. On $50 worth of gasoline, the fee is $1.10.

Debit cards can be a point of irritation for merchants, too.

McCullough, the tire store manager, says debit cards are supposed to be like an electronic check, taking money directly out of someone’s bank account. If run with the customer’s PIN, it’s usually a small flat fee, perhaps 60 cents, he says.

But if the debit card is run like a credit card, the banks charge a percentage that can range up to 4 percent, he says.

“Our transaction fees have gotten out of hand, and we just can’t afford it,” says McCullough, who estimates that the average tire store pays $25,000 a year in card fees. “We try not to pass it on to the consumer, but when it gets that big, we have to pass it on to the consumer.” Revenue from the fees often is split among local banks, national banks and the credit card company.

When a credit card transaction occurs, the merchant receives money from its local bank for the purchase, usually the next day minus the fee. The local bank keeps about 15 percent of the fee and sends the rest to the card-issuing bank, which then pays a portion to the credit card company.

Steve Turkiewicz, president of the Montana Bankers Association, says he doesn’t know how much revenue Montana banks receive from credit card fees.

But he does say that credit cards have benefited Montana merchants, making it easier for them to accept payment from people all over the country and the world. The merchant gets paid the next day, and if there’s any fraud or nonpayment, the banks are on the hook.

As the economy has slowed the past two years, outstanding debts on credit cards have increased 10 percent he says.

If merchants are successful in getting Congress to reduce the interchange fees, there’s no guarantee that merchants will pass those savings along to customers, Turkiewicz added.

Sutey disagrees, and says all merchants want is a level playing field, giving them more power to negotiate or determine fees they see as excessive.

“We either accept their fees and accept their cards, or we don’t,” he says. “They say if they reduce the fees, we’ll just put the money in our pocket. I think they forget how competitive America is.” Dennison, Mike