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Australian businesses predicts 2014 to be a good year for growth, expecting that sales, profits, investment and employment will increase to their highest level in 12 months. Dun and Bradstreet's latest Business Expectations Survey shows capital investment and employment intentions have rebounded from negative territory in the previous quarter to sit above their 10-year average levels. Dun and Bradstreet's economics adviser, Stephen Koukoulas, says expectations for employment are particularly encouraging and should allay some people's concerns about job security. "While we're still not quite at the very strong levels for employment and hiring intentions just yet, it's clearly lifted over the last 9-12 months or so," he said. "And it's suggesting to us anyway that employment will start to lift to a more sustainable pace in the first half of 2014." The survey also explains a quarter of firms designed to raise the cost of their products and services throughout the first three months of this year 2014, a move that may prompt the Reserve Bank to lift interest rates. "It would require a global negative shock to cut rates again in our view," Mr Koukoulas said. "But more likely if the economy is stronger, if we do get a pick-up in selling prices showing up in higher inflation in the next quarter or two, then I think not only do we not have interest rate cuts coming through but the focus of the market will be more on when will the RBA start lifting interest rates and how aggressively will they do it." According to the survey, optimism among Australian businesses is also on the rise, with two-thirds of firms feeling more positive about growth prospects this year compared to last year. Employment objectives have recovered from an interpretation of -1.1 in the last quarter to 8.8 in the present quarter, the highest level in three years, at the same time as the outlook for capital spending was back from -0.4 to 7.2.

According to allegation, Robert Rizzo, the former city administrator of Bell, Calif., could have been the king of swindling public sector employees not so long ago. Today, Rizzo just pleaded no contest to 69 counts in his corruption trial, according to a Los Angeles County District Attorney's office press release. And he's likely to get the "the longest prison term for public corruption" - the judge says 10 to 12 years - in the area since 2000. Came in no more than a week before a jury was to be chosen, Rizzo's plea was a surprise to everyone counting the DA. "An open plea", this is what the DA's office calls the move to the presiding judge and was not a negotiated settlement. According to the DA's statement Rizzo was part of an alleged corruption ring that reportedly included his one-time deputy and co-defendant, former assistant city manager Angela Spaccia. On Monday, her trial is scheduled to start. Furthermore, five former Bell elected officials - including a mayor, vice-mayor, and three council members - were already found guilty in March. The reports say the ring was as brazen as it was large. The five ex-officials paid themselves salaries topping off at $100,000 yearly in a city of 35,000 people, 25 percent of whom lived underneath the poverty line. An audit had found that the officials unlawfully raised local taxes and fees to fund their salaries. They were pikers as compared to what allegedly went on somewhere else. According to the report, Rizzo's paycheck reached a $1.5 million peak in a year when he had 107 vacation days and 36 sick days. His salary before he resigned in July 2010 was just under what must have seemed in comparison a paltry $800,000, according to the DA's office. Putting it into context, that's about twice what the President of the United States makes. According to television station KTLA, Rizzo was charged with a variety of schemes that cost the city millions of dollars, including writi

Base from official figures, Britain is finally "on track" to recover from the economic crisis with employment back at the same level as in 2008. The economy grew by 0.6 per cent between April and June despite earlier speculation that there may have been a renewed recession. This has been followed by another rise earlier in the year. There are optimistic signs of growth with employment and the number of hours worked returning to pre-crisis levels, ending a five-year slump. But, in totality the size of the economy is still way smaller than previous to the crisis and politicians were last night eager to stress that Britain still faces years of austerity and improbability before it will have fully recovered. George Osborne, the Chancellor, said that the country was "on the mend" as he prepared to make improving the economy his key message at the next general election. "The figures are better than forecast," Mr Osborne said. "Britain is holding its nerve. We are sticking to our economic plan. "Britain is on the mend, but we've got to stick with the plan because there's still a long way to go." David Cameron, who went on his annual summer holiday, added: "We are on the right track - building an economy for hard-working people." Nonetheless, senior politicians also gave warning to people "not to get carried away"and stressed that ministers were not complacent. Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, said that he would not be prepared to declare that the economy had recovered before there had been another "two or three years" of strong growth. Neil Bentley, the deputy director-general of the CBI, said that the figures confirmed that Britain was on the road to recovery although there were likely to be "a few bumps ahead". "Underlying conditions are quite weak as consumers are still saddled with debt and despite the global economy picking up, the potential for getting knocked off course remains," he said. According to the O

* Different is GOOD. Never retreat from new and different experiences, opportunities, and challenges. It is not bad if you can learn something from it. Adding the unique value preposition, yes it is you; it is definitely not a mistake. Being different is a plus in most every instance - this is what true diversity is all about. * Difficulty yields GROWTH. There will be no growth if you won't stretch yourself, physically, emotionally and mentally. Your nearest potential will not be realized unless you try. But remember that this doesn't mean that we must be stressed all the time because it is not healthy. We all need downtime to recover and rejuvenate. Never retreat and avoid something just because it is hard. Just go with it, step forward and eventually you'll figure out a way through it. * Failing is LEARNING. Don't take failing all negatively, remember that some of your best experiences and development will come from. You will learn a lot from failing, most of the learning in life is learned from it. And keep in mind that you are not a failure just because you failed. It will allow you to figure out the difference between being the best and being your best. * LEAN ON others. Learn to have a good relationship with other people, life is about the relationships you create, develop, and grow. Remember the saying no man is an island; it is because your journey is not one that you must go alone. You will grow much from the support of others and will have opportunities to support others yourself. Many of life's greatest joys come from this. People who make you better and don't tear you down are people you need in you life. * IT IS all about YOU (not them). There will always be people who will put you down and you will run to them almost often. They will call you out in a negative light and these may come for whatever reason, and sometimes that reason won't be evident. They will work to derail you. Don't worry about them and th