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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Transformers' revenues dip with $13.5M for No. 3

The giant "Transformers" robots have shrunk a bit in the early going at the box office.

Distributor Paramount Pictures says "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" launched with $13.5 million domestically in screenings Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

That's less than the $16.6 million that the second of the three "Transformers" flicks, "Revenge of the Fallen," took in from midnight screenings alone two years ago. "Revenge of the Fallen" went on to top $400 million domestically and $800 million worldwide.

"Dark of the Moon" pulled in $5.5 million from screenings that started at 9 p.m. or later Tuesday at about 2,700 theaters. The movie added $8 million at about 3,000 cinemas in post-midnight showings overnight.

The comparison to "Revenge of the Fallen" is worse considering that 70 percent of revenues for "Dark of the Moon" came from 3-D screenings, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D showings. That means even fewer tickets sold than for early screenings of "Revenge of the Fallen," which played only in 2-D.

Still, "Dark of the Moon" is expected to do huge business the rest of the week and over the Fourth of July weekend, one of the year's busiest times at theaters.

Paramount has expanded the movie domestically to about 4,000 theaters.

What You Should Know About This Infectious Disease

Chicken Pox is the common name for Varicella simplex, classically one of the childhood infectious diseases caught and survived by most children.

Chicken Pox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It starts with moderate fever and then characteristic spots appearing in two or three waves, mainly on the body and head rather than the hands and becoming itchy raw pox (pocks), small open sores which heal mostly without scarring.

Chicken Pox has a two-week incubation period and is highly contagious by air transmission two days before symptoms appear. Therefore, Chicken Pox spreads quickly through schools and other places of close contact. Once someone has been infected with the disease, they usually develop protective immunity for life. It is fairly rare to get the Chicken Pox multiple times, but it is possible for people with irregular immune systems. As the disease is more severe if contracted by an adult, parents have been known to ensure their children become infected before adulthood.

The disease can be fatal. Pregnant women and those with immune system depression are more at risk. Death is usually from varicella pneumonia. In the US, 55 percent of Chicken Pox deaths were in the over-20 age group. Pregnant women not known to be immune and who come into contact with Chicken Pox should contact their doctor immediately, as the virus can cause serious problems for the fetus.

A Chicken Pox vaccine has been available since 1995, and is now required in some countries for children to be admitted into elementary school. In addition, effective medications (e.g., aciclovir) are available to treat Chicken Pox in healthy and immunocompromised persons. Calamine lotion is often used to ease itching and paracetamol to reduce fever. Aspirin is not recommended in children with Chicken Pox, as it can lead to Reye's syndrome.

Chicken Pox is highly infectious infection that spreads from person to person by direct contact or through the air from an infected person's coughing or sneezing. Touching the fluid from a Chicken Pox blister can also spread the disease. A persons with Chicken Pox is contagious 1-2 days before the rash appears and until all blisters have formed scabs. This may take between 5-10 days. It takes from 10-21 days after contact with an infected person for someone to develop Chicken Pox.

The Chicken Pox blisters start as a small red papule which develops an irregular outline in the shape of a rose petal. A thin-walled, clear vesicle (dew drop) develops on top of the area of redness. This "dew drop on a rose petal" lesion is very characteristic for Chicken Pox. After about 8-12 hours the fluid in the vesicle gets cloudy and the vesicle breaks leaving a crust. The fluid is highly contagious, but once the lesion crusts over, it is not considered contagious. The crust usually falls off after 7 days sometimes leaving a craterlike scar.

Although one lesion goes through this complete cycle in about 7 days, another hallmark of Chicken Pox is the fact that new lesions crop up every day for several days. Therefore, it may take about a week until new lesions stop appearing and existing lesions crust over.

Second infections with Chicken Pox occur in immunocompetent individuals, but are uncommon and rarely severe.

Vaccination Japan was among the first countries to routinely vaccinate for Chicken Pox. Routine vaccination against varicella zoster virus is also performed in the United States, and the incidence of Chicken Pox has been dramatically reduced from 4 million cases per year in the pre-vaccine era to approximately 400,000 cases per year as of 2005.

The vaccine is exceedingly safe: approximately 5% of children who receive the vaccine develop a fever or rash, but there have been no deaths, as of May 2006, attributable to the vaccine despite more than 40 million doses being administered.

41 of the 50 US states require immunization for children attending government-run schools. The vaccination is not routine in the United Kingdom. Debate continues in the UK on the time when it will be desirable to adopt routine Chicken Pox vaccination, and in the US opinions that it should be dropped, individually, or along with all immunizations, are also voiced.

The CDC and corresponding national organisations are carefully observing the failure rate which may be high compared with other modern vaccines - large outbreaks of Chicken Pox having occurred at schools which required their children to be vaccinated.

Catching wild Chicken Pox as a child has been thought to commonly result in lifelong immunity. Parents have deliberately ensured this in the past with pox parties and similarly for some other diseases such as rubella.

Historically, exposure of adults to contagious children has boosted their immunity, reducing the risk of shingles.

Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and the entire resource box is included.

how credit cards play the key role

Over 90% of business owners have never taking the time to build business credit. The reason why I have chosen to open this article with this statement is for two reasons. #1 to give comfort to those who have not taken the time to establish business. From this statement you can see that you are not alone. #2 To help ones understand that if they take this seriously, and take the time and energy to establish business credit, any one can, then they will enter the elite small group of business owners who have a tremendous edge on their competition because they can leverage themselves financially in a way that their competitors cannot.

A road map outlined by experts.
You must separate your business credit from your personal credit. In order to do this you must set up either a corporation or an LLC. If you are a sole proprietorship or a partnership you are 100% responsible for any money that you borrow perhaps you have herd of personal guarantor.Your business must have an EIN #, and in no way should your business be connected to your social security #.

Your business should open a banking account that is not linked to your personal account in any way. Be sure that the account has the correct business name. Your business should also have a business phone # that is separate from your personal Phone #, and it should be listed with your local phone company as a business, and be in a 411 directory.Once you have set up this foundation the next step is to make sure your business is registered with the following credit bureau's and have an open file with all three of them. Eqiifax, Experian, and Dun & Bradstreet.

Your business must establish one bank loan, 3 business credit cards and 5 vender trade lines of credit that all report to these three credit bureau's. A few things I thought it might be appropriate to point out at this time is. #1 Business credit is not a substitute for personal credit. Both should be worked on and maintained and will have a bearing on haw much you will be able to receive from lending institutions,often lending institutions will in addition to looking at the business credit, look at the personal credit worthiness of the corporate officers or principles of a corporation or LLC.

If you have bad personal credit work on it at the same time you are building business credit. #2 I have personally seen companies extended large sums of money who had a good credit score and report with Dun & Bradstreet without giving much bearing to other sources, the point I' am trying to make here is, make sure that whoever's reporting on your behalf reports to all three, and specifically these three.# 3 Business credit is very different from personal credit. There are laws that govern the accuracy of information on you personal credit that don't exist for your business credit, this means that it is harder to change bad or inaccurate things on your business credit report, thus its important to establish business credit right, right from the start

Why credit cards are the key.
In essence your business has to establish a credit history. Again reflecting on our road map of 3 credit cards 1 bank loan and 5 vender trade lines, each time we attain one of these elements it will be easier to attain the next.

If we do not qualify for a unsecured credit card it is relatively easy to get a secured credit card provided we have a small sum of money that we can deposit into an account as collateral on our credit limit for the newly acquired credit card. Once we have our credit card it will be easier to get vendors to extend us a 30 or 60 or 90 day line of credit provided that we allow them to keep our credit card on file.

After we have paid on our secured credit card for a little while our bank will make it an unsecured credit card. Once this happens it is often much easier to get another issuing bank to give you an unsecured credit card as they can see that your business has established a measure of credibility. At this point things can move forward in a timely fashion and before you know it you have every thing on the road map to success.

Once you have reached this point a few things to remember are #1 keep your credit card balances bellow 50% of your total available credit as this will reflect well on your credit score. In addition to this it is important to make sure you do not have any insufficient funds hit you record for checks that your business writes, pay all your accounts on time as well as pay all your taxes on time. If you do this you will build good credit and before you know it you will be in the minority of people who are in a position of financial power able to make strategic maneuvers at key moments.

Progressive Scan DVD Players

You've probably heard about progressive scan DVD players, but you may not know what exactly they are or why they seem to be the hot item that people want these days. To understand why this is the case, first you need to learn about the different technology that progressive scan DVD players provide. And then you'll need to realize that at the moment, only those who have invested in HDTV or other high performance display screens or projectors will be able to take advantage of the difference.

To start with, let's review the way that traditional motion pictures are created. In fact, the term 'motion picture' is rather misleading because no pictures actually move. Instead, still pictures, also called frames, are played in rapid succession so that the resulting display is changing so quickly and in such small amounts at a time that we perceive it as moving. You may have recreated this illusion in school or on your own by drawing stick figures or other pictures on a stack of paper, then flipped through the paper quickly. The figures looked like they were moving rather jerkily. But if you took the time to draw enough frames and move them quickly enough, you would see much smoother motion, like in cartoons.

Television is recorded in the same type of frames. Then it's broken down to be transmitted in a signal. When the signal is received by your television, it is reassembled in sections, or stripes. These stripes are reassembled in two different sets, from top to bottom and left to right across your television screen. To explain this concept more clearly, imagine window blinds that are partly open. The actual blind pieces are one set of stripes and the space between the stripes represents the second half of stripes. In a TV transmission, the stripes of set one are laid in before the second set is laid in. This is called an interlaced display. Although it sounds like it would take some time, all of this happens in the fraction of a second – 60 of the fields or stripes are displayed per second

DVD players and DVDs have used this same technology because of the fact that TVs displayed pictures this way. But with the advent of digital and high definition television projectors, display technology has changed, leading the way for DVD technology to change as well. These high performance TVs and projector screens receive and display signals in full progressive frames instead of stripes. And 60 full frames are displayed per second. Meaning even more detail can be included in the same amount of time, resulting in pictures with less flicker or picture distortions. Progressive scan DVD players work by sending DVD signals in the same progressive format.

However, progressive scan DVD players only make a difference if they have both the source material that can be scanned into progressive signals and the display screen that can receive progressive signals. Older DVDs were most likely not recorded with progressive signals. Newer ones will have the capability, though. But as mentioned before, you have to have a television that can receive progressive signals. HDTV televisions can, and so can CRT or LCD monitors.

If you have the right kind of television, a progressive scan DVD player, and a DVD that was produced in the last 5 years or so, you can test to see if you can tell an improvement. Just switch the DVD playing setup from progressive to normal as you watch the film. Look at the outline of things, and the details of the background elements. You may just experience home video with a clarity and sharpness like never before.

Why should you choose the correct website?

Someone will ask his friend to call and order the essay; the other will ring up himself and will elaborate on the content of his work for hours. Another believes that informing the custom service about the topic of his dissertations 3 days before the deadline he can expect flawless work because he pays quite enough. You will be surprised, but the work quality does not depend only on its price. Here a lot of conditions matter. If you fulfill them, your work will be perfect and both the customer and the writing service will enjoy this partnership. So…

Rule 1. The earlier you place your order, the better essay paper you will get. Some companies promise you to complete a dissertation in three days, but will you trust such a company? Sometimes working on a tiny cause and effect essay will take a lot of time if the topic is too complicated and unclear.

Rule 2. Don't put off. If you know the deadline of your paper, in the order form write a date 1 – 2 days earlier. There are always some unexpected and unpredictable events that are sure to happen just before the closing date. Interrupted internet connection, the phone is off, the writer suddenly falls ill and so on. All of these situations are real and in most cases it is not so difficult to solve them, if you still have a few days in store. We don't know if certain writer will finish his work before the indicated deadline. And I am 100% sure that he won't as he has a lot of orders to be completed, a number of force majeures and the only thing he usually lacks is time. That is why you must take care of this yourself. So, we have discussed when you must order. Now we have to determine whom can we trust our assignment with?

Rule 3. Your friend's recommendation is the best solution. In this case you have a real example of the offered services. You can judge about the quality, timeliness of the order, terms of the revision and other details. If your friends keep silent, you should rely only on yourself. Choosing a site pay attention to the grammatical correctness of the texts and the terms of partnership. You may also judge about the writing company from the samples of completed works. The information presented on the site must give you more or less clear and complete picture of the company.

Rule 5. Be precise. The more details about your work you will include in the order form, the better final product you will get. If the tutor gives you an opportunity to choose a topic by yourself - leave the choice for the writer. If you have additional requirements indicate them with as much detail as possible.

Rule 6. Trust, but control. Even if you are very busy, spare a minute and give a call or write an e- mail, wondering how the order is progressing. After a few days you may ask the writer if he has any difficulties with the order, if he will manage to complete the order by the deadline.

Rule 7. What you have for your money. You have the right to demand the fulfillment of the following rules:

• Free of plagiarism work

• Complete coverage of the problem topic

• The appropriate structure and format of the work

• No grammar or spelling mistakes

• Free revision if the indicated requirements are not met

• Appropriate and thorough research ( if necessary)


Perhaps these are the main things you should keep in mind while surfing the internet in search of the nice site able to develop your confusing persuasive essay topic into an elegant piece of writing.

Click And Treat Training For Dogs

The first major improvement in dog training since choke chains and spiked collars, click and treat has quickly establishing itself in becoming a big hit in the world of dog training. Currently, there are over 10,000 trainers who are using this training method everyday.

One advantage to using this form of training at home is it's easy to learn for both the dog and his trainer!

Originally used to train marine mammals, click and treat breaks down the process into two separate steps, information and motivation. The click is the information, the treat is the motivation. While other trainers still work on these two steps, they try to teach them all at once, which can confuse the animal and slow down results.

Most trainers will verbally praise a dog for good behavior, while at the same time motivating the dog to repeat his actions. This can be a good method, however it takes longer for the dog to understand which behaviors and actions caused the praise from the trainer.

With the click and treat method, the processes are easily taught. In normal training, a person would say "good boy" when a welcomed action occurs and proceed with giving a treat. The clicker becomes a substitute for verbal praise and can actually catch the "good boy" behavior quicker than saying it, letting the dog know exactly which behavior he is being rewarded for.

Another way to look at click and treat training is viewing it as a secondary reinforcement, while food, water, physical affection and play (things the dog wants) become primary reinforcement. When you take a dog for a walk, the leash works as a secondary reinforcement. It is obvious to the dog that the leash is not taking him for a walk; the owner is, however, it triggers a reaction in the dog, telling him that the leash will let him know where he will go and where he will not. And if he reacts to the leash with good behavior, his reward will be a nice leisurely walk

Click and treat works the same way. When a dog hears the clicker, he will know that he performed a good behavior and as long as he keeps hearing a click, there is a treat coming his way. So, the clicker works as a secondary reinforcement, teaching him boundaries and appropriate behavior.

A couple advantages of the click and treat method include;

1) Faster response than verbal praise. The clicker can identify the exact behavior at the time it happens.

2) It takes the place of treats. While motivating the dog to hear clicks, it will also teach him to work without the expectations of having treats given to him each time he does something good.

3) If the trainer is working at a distance from the dog, the clicker will still work, without having to be right next him.

Are you ready to try clicker training?

The first thing you'll need to do is go to your favorite pet supply store and invest in a clicker. The clicker is nothing fancy and should just cost you under five dollars. While you're there grab some pocket treats, little bits of dried liver work well.

A good method to use when getting started with click and treat is to stand in front of the animal. Click the clicker and give a treat. Continue doing this for 20-30 minutes, or until the dog becomes startled by the sound of the click. This will familiarize him to the clicking sound, while teaching him that every time he hears it, he has done something good. After he gets the hang of it, begin by adding commands, such as "sit" and "stay."

Click and treat has proven to be a simple, yet consistent training method with quick results. So for the trainers out there who are looking for a new and innovative way to motivate and praise their animals, get out there, buy a clicker and…..click!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

What Are Some Ways I Can Avoid Bankruptcy?

While bankruptcy may seem like an attractive, short-term solution to alleviating debt, the process usually hurts people more than it helps. It can take years for your credit to recover from such a maneuver; you may not be able to get financial assistance if and when you need it after filing for bankruptcy. Since this is the case, it can be helpful to be aware of what alternatives exist so that you can avoid bankruptcy but, at the same time, still help yourself get out of debt in a timely manner.

As soon as you feel like you are having financial troubles, create a budget. This will help you to see what income is coming in and how much money is leaving your hand as expenses. Take the time to track your spending and see the patterns that may emerge. Look at your problem areas and see what can be done about such issues. Avoiding bankruptcy may be as simple as adjusting your priorities and being aware of how much money you spend, where and when. Next, organize the way you pay your bills. Individuals who only pay the minimum amount of their bills will not only extend the amount of time that they spend in debt, but they will also have to pay additional fees in the form of interest rates and such. When one bill is paid off, take the amount of money that you would have been spent on that bill and apply it to your next bill, in order to get out of debt with that next bill. Try not to see that money as extra money, since you are still in debt and have additional bills that need to be paid.

Professional help may be the best route if you are not able to gain any relief from creating a budget and tackling your bills in an organized and focused manner. A debt management plan can be created for you by an informed and educated professional. Typically, these plans can last five years - but at the end of these five years you will be debt free, which is a great long-term goal to stay focused on throughout the term of your plan. The counselor that you work with will handle all of the correspondence with your creditors and that can be a big relief in and of itself, since you can stop getting calls and interruptions from debt collectors. Another option is that a debt consolidation loan that may be applicable to your case. If your credit rating is lower, it is likely that you will have to pay higher interest rates for this loan. With this loan, all of your bills are combined and you will make one payment each month, an amount which is typically much lower than the amount that you would have been paying for all of the separate bills and debts separately each month.

You can also look at your personal lifestyle and situation. If you have a large house, you may want to sell it and move to a slightly smaller house. The same can be said if you have a top of the line car - you can get a reliable, but less luxurious car - and you may be able to earn some money from selling the vehicle.

How To Create An Income By Forex Trading Part Time From Home.

Can you really make a living trading forex as a business from the comfort of your own home? Can you really create a replacement income as a part time trader and then retire young?

Of course, the answer depends on how much is your current income or the desired amount of income you wish to obtain from forex trading before you wish to quit the rat race and be a professional trader, either part time or full time.

But there are many traders who are quietly making 5 figure incomes monthly trading from the comfort of their homes, and some of these are part time traders.

So before you embark into forex trading as a part time trader, here are some guidelines you ought to consider:

1. Your devotion of time - how much time are you going to devote to trading forex? Contrary to popular opinion, you do not need to be glued to your trading monitor to watch the prices of forex or currency pairs all the time. The larger part of your time is spent on finding those trading setups based on your trading system and the execution is fast, and you can also pre-set your stops and profits or give instructions to your broker.

In fact, it is the learning process that will take time. So budget sufficient time to learn how to trade, and that time allocation is actually required before you even place a live trade.

2. Your allocation of capital - again, if you trade the mini forex the amount of capital is not large. Contrary to popular opinion, you can start a mini forex account with around $500 and can start to trade. With a mini forex account you can leverage off the system and be profitable.

3. Your Risk Profile and Trading Discipline - you need to consider your risk profile. Are you aggressive in trading, so that you will prefer day trading the forex and thereby assume more risks? Or are you happy enough swing trading the forex over a few days? This will determine the methodology and trading system you will want to follow.

4. Advancing as a Forex Trader - to advance further as a forex trader, you will need to constantly improve your trading skills and see increase profits in your trading. Good traders always keep a trading log and review whatever trades they have executed and consider the outcomes. In this way, they learn from their errors and know whether they have obediently followed their trading strategies and had kept and maintain discipline in their trading.

In making the transition into a forex trader, the learning process is the most important. Many forex traders have muddled along the way by a self learning process without guidance, with the end result that while they may be profitable, they are not consistently profitable. Many of them are seeking ways to unlearn some of their bad trading habits. You can avoid such a situation by understanding your own risk profile, and seeking out a professional trader who can become your mentor and to pass on his trading skills to you.

7 Places To Go For Your Homeschooling Needs

Homeschooling is slowly becoming a trend nowadays and most parents are having fun with the interaction they are having with their child. Some parents are still having second thoughts regarding homeschooling though. Their main concern is that they might be having some problems finding resources to use for homeschooling. This article will help you find resources from different places.

The first stop is a ride to your nearest bookstores. Armed with a list of possible books to buy from a curriculum of a school, you can buy the books at any convenient bookstore. This will save you a lot of time and give you flexibility with regards to your child's studies as bookstores have more choices and references for your child to use.

An alternative stop would be a trip to your closest magazine stores. Magazines provide you a lot of catalogs where you can choose from a lot of advertisers listed in it. This will help you from spending lots of time searching through bookstores and will give you a sense of what your child's going to get.

Of course, with all the technology available on the internet, you should not be really surprised that you can find websites offering help in your child's studies. Some of them can be easily found when searching at Google and some of them can be given to you by other people who are also having their child homeschooled.

The simplest place to look for resources is by going to a public library. Public libraries have books and references for you child to take home and use. To help with that, libraries have different instructional materials such as videos (like those from National Geographic) and cassette tapes (like tapes that will help you learn another language). These instructional materials not only help with the books in teaching but they also help in easing out the boring quality and the monotony ofbooks given out to children.

Libraries also offer a lot of computer software which will not only help with your child's learning but will also help him in understanding different computer technologies and how they work. Often computer software is easy and fun to use, therefore attracting a lot of young people to use it

Libraries also give book discussions. Book discussions not only train your child to read but also to think and criticize every thing that he/she reads. This will not only develop reading comprehension, it will also help your child in critical thinking.

Another place to look at is at the house of another parent who decided to homeschool their children. You might find it interesting that they are willing to share both their experiences and their used materials (books, references and other activity materials). You could save a lot of money and at the same time learn from these people who have already experienced the joys and the pains of homeschooling a child.

The most neglected place and probably one of the most informational, next only to a library, is the museum. A trip to a museum will not only help your child appreciate art and history but your child will also learn a lot from observing and listening to the history of all the museum displays. The best way to conduct this is by joining a group museum tour where there will be an instructor to guide and give you bits of information that will help your child.

The last place, but definitely not the least in this list, is inside your home. Search your cupboard and teach your child some simple baking lessons. This will not only help your relationship with your child but it will also promote your child to learn patience and of course will teach your child how to bake.

You could also do outdoor activities such as planting seeds. This will help your child be interested in plant life but if coupled with other activities (such as mathematics), this has a potential to be both fun and instructional. You basically just have to find out where your child's attention is focused. Upon learning this, you can try to join your child's playtime and turn it into something educational.

Understanding Your Rights When Injured

Finding yourself injured can be a troubling, lonely, and confusing experience. Advice will come from several different places and it can be completely overwhelming. It will seem that you have little time or emotional strength to deal with or make sense of your rights or what to do next. It is very important to understand your rights and what type of claim to file to insure that you are properly compensated for your injuries and that the process is as quick and as painless as possible.

There are 3 types of personal injury claims in which one may file; negligence, strict liability and intentional wrong. If someone injured you as a result of carelessness on their part then you may file your personal injury claim as a form of negligence on their part. If an injury is caused by the use of a defective product, then you may file a claim as strict liability. If you have an injury is a result of international behaviors of other individuals or institutions, you are able to file a personal injury lawsuit as well as criminal charges.

Once you have figured out which type of claim you need to file based on your personal injury, you will need to find a lawyer. It is pertinent that you find one that specializes in personal injury law. Most personal injury lawyers offer free initial consultation to discuss your case so talk to several lawyers before hiring one to handle your case.

Be advised, using a small claims court can be a viable option to using an attorney in certain personal injury cases. For minor injuries resulting in say, a car accident, it is best to deal directly with the insurance company as to avoid potentially expensive legal fees. For more serious cases, hiring a lawyer will let the insurance companies know that you are serious about the case at hand and can often help the process move along more thoroughly. No insurance company or defendant wants to deal with a lengthily lawsuit as they are paying the people on their side for their time as well. Remember, the absence of legal representation can put you in a fairly adverse position

There are several important questions that need to be asked once you have found a personal injury lawyer including:

• What rights do I have that need to be protected?
• What claim letters need to be sent; how many insurance companies must be notified? Will you do this for me?
• How long have you and your law firm been practicing law?
• When will I be charged? How much?
• Will I be charged a legal fee if you do not recover money for me?
• Who will pay my medical bills; physical therapy bills; drug bills; transportation expenses; temporary or permanent household help; lost income; property damage; and pain and suffering?

Never feel apprehensive about asking questions of your lawyer. You are the one paying for him/her and he/she is there to work for you!

Fundraising Fundamentals

Successful fundraising requires following certain fundamental steps. Here are two things you have to do with every fundraiser:

1) Increase community awareness of your need

2) Increase community awareness of your offering

Everybody reading this instantly thinks, "Yep, we've got that covered. Everybody in our group knows what we're doing."

Let's take a closer look and see, shall we?

Creating Awareness Of Your Fundraising Need:
1) Can your need be expressed in a single sentence?
2) Has everyone in your group memorized that sentence?
3) Is expressing your need a part of your approach to all supporters?

Test your group from top to bottom.

Randomly ask individuals to tell you why your group is raising money.

I absolutely guarantee you that you'll be surprised at how weak the various answers are.

In many groups, more than 50% of those involved with the fundraiser will not be able to tell you in a single sentence the specific reasons why they are raising money.

What about outside your group?

Can you honestly say that you've exhausted every possible approach in getting the word out to the community about your fundraiser?

Does everybody know why you need money?

Have you done each of these?

Flyers
Posters
Press release
Roadside signs
Newspaper coverage
Public service radio announcements
Pre-kickoff letter, postcard, or email campaigns

Or, are you assuming that all you have to do is tell someone that you're doing a fundraiser and that they'll be glad to help?

Two problems with that approach. One is that most of your group can't effectively communicate your need.

The second is that you are already assuming that your group has more than enough prospective supporters to meet your goal.

Both these problems limit your potential results.

Consider these three points:

One, if your need isn't communicated clearly and concisely, it will not be understood and internalized as a deserving cause by your prospective supporters.

Two, if your sellers don't really understand your group's need, then they won't push as hard to meet that need.

Three, if your need isn't general knowledge in your community, then your fundraising job will be that much harder.

Think of "getting the word out" as being similar to softening up the beachhead during the Normandy invasion. If you don't do the advance prep work, you're much more likely to meet a hostile response.

Creating Awareness Of Your Fundraising Offering
The second fundraising fundamental goes hand-in-hand with creating an awareness of your need.

Creating an awareness of your offering is just as important as telling people why your group needs money.

Your fundraising need and your fundraising offering should be closely linked in all your communications.

At the same time you are getting the word out, you need to make sure the message gets through on exactly what your group is doing to raise funds.

Just as with expressing your need, everyone in your group should be able to sum up your fundraising offering in a single sentence.

That sentence should also reinforce the emotional foundation that is derived from recognition of your need.

So what in the heck does all that mean?

Put simply, if someone believes your need is real and agrees with the value proposition of your offering, they will help you.


And what's your fundraising value proposition?

It's a summation of your offering, combined with a reminder of your need, that's expressed in a way that informs each prospective supporter of what's in it for them.

In other words, your prospect needs to:

1 - Be aware of your need
2 - Be linked to it on an emotional level
3 - Be in agreement that your offer has real value in it for them

Getting your need and your offering across to as many potential supporters as possible is the essence of fundraising.

Take the time to develop single sentence statements for your fundraiser covering both of these fundraising fundamentals.

Teach everyone in your group how to communicate these basic value statements when they talk to prospective supporters.

Conclusion

Executing well on these fundraising fundamentals -- communicating your need and communicating your offering -- ensures that your fundraiser will be a smashing success.

10 Ways To Save On Car Insurance

For most people car insurance is a the single largest insurance expense after health insurance. Rates are high and are forever climbing, at least it seems that way. You can save money on your car insurance premiums by following these easy to implement steps.

1. Shop Around. Yes, it pays to shop and compare. Regulatory changes at the state level may have encouraged new companies to jump into the market, thereby increasing competition and reducing rates for consumers.

2. Raise Your Deductible. A $200 deductible sounds wise until you learn that the cost for having a deductible at this threshold can drive your rates through the roof. Consider a deductible as high as $1000 to save on premiums. You can always fix minor mishaps on your own.

3. Drop Collision. If your automobile is worth less than two or three thousand dollars, consider dropping collision altogether. Sure, you will get nothing from your insurer if your car is totaled, but the savings you realize by dropping collision can be used as a down payment for your next car.

4. Look For Discounts. If your car has certain safety features, make sure that your insurer is aware of this. Older cars, for the most part, do not have air bags but if you have a model that has airbags, you will save money on your insurance.

5. Business Deduction. If you drive your car for business, a portion of your insurance costs may be deductible. Conversely, your rates may be increased if your insurer knows that you use your car more for business than pleasure.

6. Combine Policies. Purchase your homeowners, auto, and life insurance policies from the same broker and you may save on your premiums. Some insurance companies reward policyholders if they "one-stop" purchase all of their insurance needs through one company.

7. Consider Before You Buy. The Porsche Boxster may be your ideal car, but it could also sharply raise your insurance rates. Maybe a less sporty model would be ideal.

8. Driver's Ed Course. You may have taken a driver's education course and your insurance company has not factored that in when determining your premium. Let them know that you are a safe driver!

9. Deleted Points. If you had moving violations that were reported to your insurance company, make sure that your insurer adjusts your premium downward if several years have gone by since the occurrence. You could be paying a premium higher than you deserve.

10. Check Your Policy. If the insurer has the wrong address, town or zip code on your policy you could find yourself paying more than you should.

Reducing your car insurance costs should not be an impossible feat. By following these steps you should realize some savings the next time your policy comes up for review.

Online Marketing Made Easy

For anyone interested in growing their business or maximizing the return of their marketing spend, online marketing is one of the most effective means of doing so. Online marketing is effective as a part of a well developed marketing plan.

What is Online Marketing?
Online marketing has come to mean many things. You can consider online advertising, search engine marketing, affiliate marketing, and even SEO (search engine optimization) as online marketing. It has also changed and evolved over the last decade. With the advent of Google Adsense and other forms of targeted, pay-per-click advertising, online marketing means a whole lot more than 468 X 60 banners.

When thinking about the types of online marketing available today, you really need to think about the objectives of your online marketing spend. Are you looking to sell a product? Drive prospects to your web site or marketing pages? Create awareness for your company? The most important thing to remember is that your online placement, creative, and offer must be consistent across the web and your own website or retail establishment. This creates a seamless buying experience, increasing the odds of a purchase being made once a browser clicks on your online marketing creative.

As mentioned previously, online marketing also includes affiliate marketing – a method of utilizing partner sites to distribute your products or services. One of the best methods of developing an affiliate network is by providing content in addition to an aggressive affiliate commission plan. Other web sites seek out content and useful information. If you can provide meaningful content to partner sites with an opportunity to earn money at the same time, they're likely to participate in your affiliate program.

It's important to realize that Search Engine Optimization is also a component of online marketing. Too often, SEO is not considered part of the online marketing mix. However, it is one of the most important aspects of an online marketing campaign. When launching a new product or marketing an existing one, make sure that it's easy for individuals to find your website and offer page. Browsers who see your online ads may not click right away. Rather, prospective buyers may later be searching for your promotion when a specific need arises. Think about the keywords prospects may use to search for your offer and optimize your pages accordingly. Also, be sure to link to your promotional pages from your web site's home page to optimize search result rankings.

Why is Online Marketing Important?

Online marketing often provides direct responses and the ability to measure campaign effectiveness. This immediacy helps you to test your offer(s) and creative, as well as measure the overall return on your marketing investment. Having the ability to evaluate effectiveness in real time allows you to reposition your marketing spend or switch out creative to increase results

With more than 68% of homes having internet access and about two-thirds of them having a high speed connection, the web has become a reality. If you wish to reach the majority of consumers, you need to include online marketing as part of your overall marketing mix. Online marketing also gives you the opportunity to segment your market, providing highly targeted positioning. Unlike traditional advertising, online advertising allows you to select the sites upon which you run your ads. There are also many services which help you deliver ads around appropriate topics or contextual pages.

Best know for contextual and pay-per-click advertising, Google allows you to choose specific keywords around which your ad can be displayed. When individuals search on the keywords you've selected, your ads will appear. The power of Google is the affiliate network they've created which displays their contextual ads across hundreds of thousands of websites. Despite recent allegations of click fraud, Google still provides one of the most targeted online marketing options. Other services, like Overture, owned by Yahoo! provide similar services that deliver targeted online marketing.

Who Can Benefit?
Anyone who is interested in improving their marketing results should think about the role that online marketing plays in their marketing mix. Because there are so many ways to engage in online marketing including advertising, contextual ads, pay-per-click advertising, affiliate programs and more, the practice is sure to benefit anyone who is seeking a measurable return on investment.

Before beginning any online marketing campaign, you should always determine your budget – how much you're willing to invest in your marketing efforts. Ask yourself how much you're willing to spend? What type of conversion will you need to break even? What you anticipate your click to purchase ratio will be? Understanding these fundamental financial metrics is essential to determining how much you're willing to spend on your online marketing efforts.

How to Begin.
Starting your online marketing campaign can be as simple as bidding on a few keywords or as complex as developing a comprehensive online marketing campaign that consists of multiple buys across a network of websites. As with any new marketing venture, it's best to start small and work your way up to more intricate marketing campaigns.

My recommendation for beginning your online marketing initiative is to focus on your own site (developing promotional banners, buttons, and content), creating an affiliate program, and pay-per click advertising. The first two methods should cost little or nothing to implement and will propel your campaign forward. Supplemented with pay-per-click advertising, your marketing message is sure to reach your intended audience.

Sony Playstation Portable Versus Nintendo DS

Both the PSP and DS have been vying for the top spot in the handheld console genre ever since, with recent releases of slim and lite models for each brand.

The PSP is a sensational handheld gaming console owing to its wide screen and graphics engine.

The graphics on its gorgeous 4.3 inch LCD screen displays about 16.77 million colors with a screen resolution of 480 by 272 pixels. The graphical clarity of its games comes close to the Playstation 2 caliber.

The PSP is capable of displaying stunning graphics and animations as well as DVD quality movies. No handheld gaming console ever comes close to the visual quality of the PSP.

The DS is by all means unique in terms of its graphical interface and gaming style. Amusingly, the DS has two 3 inch LCD screens capable of displaying 260,000 colors with a resolution of 256 by 192 pixels. The DS is inferior in terms of graphical quality, so you might say. But get this, with dual screens and with the touch-sensitive bottom screen, the DS revolutionized the world of gaming as we know it.

If you have previously tried Sony gaming consoles, you will be very familiar with the control scheme of the PSP. The PSP lives up to the Playstation name by inheriting its renowned button layout. Much like the original Playstation and Playstation 2 controller, the PSP offers comfortable and effective gaming controls as the company was known for.

Probably a major setback was the exclusion of the two shoulder buttons and the right analog stick, which played a vital role in many games especially in First-Person Shooters. But hey, it̢۪s a portable console and it̢۪s supposed to be handy and not bulky.

So it is acceptable for the PSP to have some limitations in controls compared to the much flexible Playstation controller. Nonetheless, the PSP̢۪s control scheme brings the gaming feel to whoever wants to have some hardcore gaming fun.

The touch screen feature is arguably the most amazing feature of the DS. In terms of control flexibility and style, the DS can̢۪t be beat.

With the included stylus, you can play a number of games by touching the bottom screen. even more impressive is the handwriting recognition of some DS games. There are puzzle and math games which require you to write onto the screen the correct answers to win.

Many other platform and interactive games require you to perform certain strokes using the stylus to perform feats such as jumping, swinging the sword, and others. Another surprising feature of the DS is voice command using the unit̢۪s integrated microphone. Some DS games require you to speak words or phrases. With its uniqueness, the DS brings fun in gaming in the quirkiest and most amusing way.

With regards to the game library, the PSP is flooded with games compared to the DS. This is because the PSP is capable of receiving ports or mellowed down versions of games from the major consoles due to its powerful graphics engine. With this, one might notice that most of the PSP̢۪s games are portable versions of console games.

The DS on the other hand, has its own unique and exclusive game library composing of famous Nintendo franchise games and the like. Although lacking in epic games such as those in the PSP, the DS makes up by having its own share of short but fun games.

Therefore, the common connotation for many is that the PSP is for hardcore gamers while the DS entertains both casual gamers and fans of the Nintendo franchises.

Handheld gaming consoles are meant to give the fun gaming experience expected of these devices. However, since the development of special firmware for the PSP, the ability to play games is just one of its many functions. The PSP is capable of viewing pictures and playing music and video files. The PSP also has an internet browser for surfing the net using wireless LAN.

There are even custom firmware or homebrew applications to enable the PSP to play games from previous generations of consoles. Having special firmware is the huge advantage of the PSP over the DS. The DS is sadly not capable of any of these, except being able to play Game Boy Advance games and running Pictochat, an embedded messaging application that wirelessly connects all DS units within range.

Both the PSP and DS can play multiplayer games through their wireless connection capabilities. PSPs can connect with other PSPs via Ad Hoc, which is a small range wireless frequency for exclusive PSP use. The DS can also do the same, having its own exclusive frequency only detected by DS units.

Being portable gaming consoles, the battery life is one of the user̢۪s major concerns. With a CPU clock running at a tremendous 333 MHz equaling a Pentium III̢۪s power, the PSP can only last up to 4 to 6 hours when in use. The DS takes one big leap as it can surprisingly last for up to 10 hours even while supporting its brightly lighted dual screens.

In the end, it is really up to you to determine which portable gaming console suits your preferences.

The visual prowess, multimedia perks, and wide array of games may draw you to the PSP, but you have to consider the unique gaming style and exclusive games of the DS. The PSP is sold generally at a higher price, which makes the DS more affordable among the two.

Whatever your choice, you are certain to experience the gaming pleasure anytime and anywhere with the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS.

Jewish feminist writer E.M. Broner dies at 83

E.M. Broner, a pioneering Jewish feminist writer, has died in New York City. She was 83.

Broner's death Tuesday of multiple organ failure as a result of an infection was confirmed Thursday by her daughter, Sari Broner.

E.M. Broner was the author of 10 books, including "The Women's Haggadah," "Weave of Women" and "Mourning: A Kaddish Journal."


"The Women's Haggadah," co-authored with Naomi Nimrod, was originally published in Ms. magazine in 1977. It reimagined the traditional Passover Seder from the point of view of women including Moses' sister, Miriam.


Broner began leading women's Seders in New York started in 1976; regulars included feminist leaders Gloria Steinem and Bella Abzug.

Broner wrote that after the 1998 death of Abzug, the New York congresswoman known for wearing wide-brimmed hats, Seder participants began a new custom of leaving a chair empty except for a large hat.


Broner was born Esther Frances Masserman in Detroit in 1927. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees at Wayne State University in Detroit and a Ph.D. from what is now the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. She later taught in the English department at Wayne State, and also taught at Sarah Lawrence College and elsewhere.


In addition to Broner's writings on Jewish identity and ritual, her work included novels, plays and short fiction.


Broner's papers are in the archives at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Sarah Shoemaker, the director of university archives and special collections, said that Broner was well enough to give a telephone interview to a student who was writing about her last fall.


Broner's husband, printmaker Robert Broner, died last year. Her survivors include two daughters, two sons, a brother and two grandchildren.


Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Lady Gaga accused of charity bracelet scam

Lady Gaga has been accused of keeping some of the proceeds from the "We Pray For Japan" bracelets she sold to raise money for those affected by the earthquake in Japan. According to Business Insider, a business news website, the pop star is the subject of a new class action lawsuit filed on Saturday; court papers allege that she inflated the shipping charges for the bracelets as well as kept some of the $5 that she charged for each bracelet.

When the suit was filed against Gaga (real name: Stefani Germanotta) on Saturday, she was performing as a part of MTV Music Video Aid Japan Show in Chiba City. All proceeds from the event benefitted the Japanese Red Cross.

"The recent events here really affected me, not just because I have so many fans in Japan, but because it's hard to watch a country struggle," she told Us Weekly on Saturday. "But I can't let myself cry -- I have to be strong because [everyone in Japan] has been so strong. No one gave up for a second."


The worst cities in America for auto theft

For all its sunny charms, California can be a tough place to live.

According to national crime data, its average 187 crimes per square mile are far above the national median of 49.6, and its property crime rate of almost 36 crimes per every 1,000 people soundly beats the national rate of 34. Californians have a 1 in 178 chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime.

Drivers don't fare much better. The rate of motor vehicle theft in California is almost twice the national average, according to Location Inc., a Massachusetts-based firm that provides relocation software and real estate investment advice. And according to a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, it's getting worse.

Forbes.com slideshow: The worst cities for auto theft

Eight of the top 10 cities for auto theft nationwide are in the Golden State, up from six cities last year. Sacramento, Stockton and Bakersfield are among the worst.

For this list of the worst cities for auto theft, we used data for 2010 compiled by NICB, a Des Plaines, Ill.-based nonprofit organization devoted to preventing vehicle theft and insurance fraud. The NICB uses U.S. Census Bureau population estimates and ZIP code data matched with theft records for metropolitan statistical areas. The end result is calculated on a scale of thefts per 100,000 people.

All of the cities on our list, from Fresno (No.1 with a theft rate of 812.40 per 100,000) to Yakima (No. 10 with a theft rate of 520.49), had much more frequent instances of theft than the cities at the bottom. Elmira, N.Y., for example, has an auto-theft rate of just 37.15 per 100,000 — that translates into just 33 cars stolen there last year. For the second year in a row, State College, Pa., had the lowest rate of auto theft in the nation, with just 29.87 thefts per 100,000 people.

Forbes.com: Navigating your way through traffic

One interesting note: No cities east of the Rocky Mountains made this year's list. Laredo, Texas, which topped it last year, ranks No. 11; Albuquerque, N.M., and Las Vegas also dropped off from 2010 to 2011. Washington State saw shifts as well: Spokane moved up 14 spots to No. 4 this year, while the south-central town of Yakima dropped back 4 spots to No. 10.

Why is California the big offender? There's no one reason, says Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the NICB, but a large population with a high rate of vehicle ownership is a contributing factor.

Its border towns and centrally located cities like Stockton, Calif., are nodes for traffickers moving narcotics, money and weapons. According to the 2010 FBI Crime Report, Sacramento, Oakland and Stockton had some of the highest violent crime rates in the country last year. (Violent crime does not include motor vehicle theft.) Vegas and Stockton have also been identified by the Department of Justice as transit points for Mexican drug cartels.

Forbes.com: Coolest apps for your car

Population density is another key factor to theft rates, Scafidi says. It's for obvious reasons — the denser the population, the lower the rate.

"What they lose in Fresno or Modesto they lose at half-time at a Lakers game," Scafidi says. "But L.A. never makes the top 10 because there are 18 million people down there."

California's warm weather also tempts people to be more carefree about leaving windows rolled down and convertible tops open, says Terri Miller, director of the Michigan-based Help Eliminate Auto Theft program — both of which present tempting invitations for opportunistic thieves.

Forbes.com: The next wave of green cars

While it's often assumed that crime rises as the economy worsens, that isn't necessarily the case with auto theft.

"Losing one's job doesn't I think turn most people into overnight felons," Scafidi says. "Can we show that one's own financial situation has a bearing on some crimes? Absolutely. But a sweeping statement like that is not supported by the evidence."

All told, 71 percent of the 366 MSAs measured (and six on our list) reported fewer car thefts in 2010 than in 2009. Improved law-enforcement practices and tougher legislation have a lot to do with it. But the cars themselves are another big reason for the decline.

Forbes.com: Great escapes from modern life

"Cars are just getting harder to steal," Miller says. That's thanks to immobilizer chips in car keys, advanced theft-deterrent systems and positioning technologies like Ford's Sync and GM's OnStar service — they work well to track and recover stolen vehicles quickly.


But the flip side of that improvement is an increased rate of a pettier crime: "We are seeing increases in theft of components," Miller says.

Car tires and rims have strong resale values on the black market, and catalytic converters are hot items thanks to high prices for the precious metals they contain. Airbags can fetch $200 on the black market, according to the Insurance Information Institute; airbag theft costs more than $50 million each year for insurers and vehicle owners.

Forbes.com: The worst cars on the road

All told, auto theft costs consumers and insurance companies more than $8 billion every year, according to FBI statistics. And of the more than 1 million vehicles stolen annually, fewer than 60 percent of them are recovered.

It's enough to make you rethink buying that new ride.

© 2011 Forbes.com

GOP, Democrats seem to harden debt stances

President Barack Obama plunged into deadlocked negotiations to cut government deficits and raise the nation's debt limit Monday, and the White House expressed confidence a "significant" deal with Republicans could be reached.

But both sides only seemed to harden their positions as the day wore on, the administration insisting on higher taxes as part of the package but Republican leaders flatly rejecting the idea.


Absent an agreement that cuts long-term deficits, Republicans say they will not vote to increase the nation's borrowing, which will exceed its $14.3 trillion limit on Aug. 2. The administration has warned that if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling, it could mean the first U.S. financial default in history and send economic shockwaves around the world.


Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for about 30 minutes at the White House, and then met with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell for about an hour in the early evening.


White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama reported after the morning session that "everyone in the room believes that a significant deal remains possible." But Carney also affirmed that Obama would only go for a deficit-reduction plan that included both spending cuts and increased tax revenue, an approach that Republicans say would never get through Congress.


Said Carney: "It's the only way to get it done if you want to do it right."


Obama and the vice president spent more time with McConnell than they did with Reid, an indication of the differences they still need to bridge. McConnell also was seen speaking with White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley moments before his meeting with Obama and Biden.


"The meeting concluded but they will continue to talk," McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said afterward.


Hours earlier McConnell reaffirmed Republican opposition to more tax hikes in a speech from the Senate floor.


"It's time Washington take the hit," he said, "not the taxpayers."


McConnell said any tax increase or new spending would be counterproductive to economic recovery, and he pointed out that Democrats had been unable to pass tax increases on the wealthy when they controlled both chambers of Congress last year. Last November's election resulted in the Republicans regaining control of the House of Representatives and reducing the Democrats' Senate majority.


"Let's move past tax hikes, talk about what's actually possible, and let's talk about what has and hasn't worked over the past two years," said McConnell.

Reid said, "I hope my Republican colleagues will put the economy ahead of politics." Speaking on the Senate floor, he said, "I hope they'll join us to create jobs and set aside their desire to please the tea party and defeat President Obama."


At issue is not just the staggering national debt but a showdown on the federal borrowing limit that carries enormous risks.


To meet government obligations, a two-year increase in the debt ceiling would have to be about $2.4 trillion. Republicans are insisting on deficit reduction of a similar amount over 10 years.


So far the financial markets remain unrattled by the impasse, and some say it might take a massive market upheaval to move Congress to pass an increase in the debt ceiling. That's what it took in 2008 for Congress to approve the financial bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Politically, raising the debt ceiling is considered a more difficult vote than the bank bailout plan.


Failure to raise the ceiling "would do serious damage," Said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics whose views are frequently cited by the Obama administration. "It will unhinge the already very fragile collective psyche."


Zandi said a deficit reduction plan that includes some tax increases would be "more credible and more appropriate from an economic perspective."

But he said that if Republicans are being asked to give up their deep-seated opposition to tax increases, then Obama needs to abandon a major campaign promise, such as his demand that the wealthy give up their Bush-era tax cuts.


"The president needs to take a chance himself, and do something that shows he's willing to give up something that's very large to move this forward," Zandi said in an interview.


The president stepped up his personal involvement in negotiations after bipartisan talks led by Biden stalled last week. Republican lawmakers abandoned the negotiations, saying the issues still on the table had to be addressed by the president.


Obama already has met privately with House Speaker John Boehner and with House Democrats.


Until Friday, Biden had held a series of meeting over several weeks with bipartisan teams from the House and Senate, focusing on areas where the two sides were amenable to cuts until the dispute over taxes caused Republicans to walk out.


Carney rejected suggestions that Obama should have become more involved earlier. "If you honestly believe that the public is out there wondering why the president wasn't in every one of these meetings, you know, I think that's nuts."


The White House is pushing for some tax increases on the wealthy or the elimination of tax breaks for big companies and wealthy individuals as part of a deficit-cutting plan. During the Biden-led negotiations, Democrats proposed about $400 billion in additional tax revenue, including ending subsidies to oil and gas companies, an idea that has failed previously in the Senate.


The administration also would tax private equity or hedge fund managers at higher income tax rates instead of lower capital gains rates, change the depreciation formula on corporate jets and limit itemized deductions for wealthy taxpayers. It also has called for repealing a tax benefit for an inventory accounting practice used by many manufacturers.


Republicans are demanding huge cuts in government spending. While they are insisting there be no tax increases, they have been willing to consider other forms of revenue, particularly higher user fees.


"Revenues have never been off the table," said Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Senate's Republican participant in the Biden talks. "There are some user fees that are probably way low compared to when they were originally set."


Complicating matters is the congressional schedule. While the Senate is in session, the House is off this week ahead of the July 4 holiday. The House is scheduled to return next week when the Senate will be away. That makes it difficult for leaders in both chambers to find consensus among their respective memberships.

Iran: Our missiles can reach US bases, Israel

Iran's Revolutionary Guards tested 14 missiles on Tuesday, the second day of war games intended a show of strength to the Islamic Republic's enemies in Israel and Washington.

The surface-to-surface missiles, with a maximum range of 1,250 miles, were fired simultaneously at a single target, the official IRNA news agency reported. The missiles put Israel, U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf and parts of southeastern and eastern Europe within Iran's reach.

The head of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division emphasized Iran's preparedness to strike Israeli and U.S. interests in the event of any attack on Iran.

"The range of our missiles has been designed based on American bases in the region as well as the Zionist regime," Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh told the semi-official Fars news agency.

Washington and Israel have said they do not rule out military strikes on Iran if diplomatic means fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies its nuclear program is aimed at building bombs.

Story: Iran unveils underground missile silos

IRNA said the Guards fired nine Zelzal missiles, two Shahab-1s, two Shahab-2s and one upgraded Shahab-3 missile. Iranian officials have previously announced that the Shahab 3 can reach targets up to 1,250 miles away, putting Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf within reach.

Emboldened
A long-time enemy of the United States, Iran has been emboldened by what it sees as U.S. military defeats in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan. Both countries are still home to large troop numbers and Washington has other bases in the Gulf that Iran could choose to target.


"The Americans have reduced our labors," Hajizadeh told Fars. "Their military bases in the region are in ... Afghanistan which we can hit with these missiles."

Story: US space entrepreneur accused of aiding Iran

The 'Great Prophet 6' war games, to be carried out on land and sea, are a "message of peace and friendship to countries of the region," Hajizadeh said on Monday.

Asked whether Iranian missiles were a threat to Europe, Hajizadeh told IRNA that while Iran had the technological capacity to build longer-range missiles, the 1,250-mile range had been chosen precisely with Israel and U.S. bases in mind.

"Except American and the Zionist regime, we do not feel a threat from any other country," he said.


Monday, June 27, 2011

Car Insurance For Women

I am sure your quest for car insurance for women has come to an end as you read this article. Yes, gone are those days when we have to search endlessly for car insurance for women information or other such information like rental car insurance, general electric auto insurance, auto insurance Sacramento, Quinn direct car insurance quote, car insurance U.K. or even cheap online car insurance UK. Even without articles such as this, with the Internet all you have to do is log on and use any of the search engines to find the car insurance for women information you need.


How car insurance for women Work


Looking for cheap car insurance is as easy as going on line in a search of quotes on insurance rates. Going on line will result in getting various quotes from numerous companies but don't stop there.


You should know that there are certain assorted ways are related to finding lower car coverage and many of them are very convenient to implement. Methods like purchasing a low profile car, driving less or reducing your moving time are not feasible nowadays in daily life.


Many individuals nowadays dream of high-profile cars such as Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari etc. Apart from this many individuals have to cover long-distance do their work and moreover fast moving is an essential part of today's life.


Don't get to intimidate by reading above situations and do not assume that you can't get lower policy rate because we are giving you some tips which will help you to lower your insurance quote.


1. You can reduce chances of theft or damage to your car by parking it in the secure area like garage or some paid parking area because in this situation company will give you lower quotation.


2. If you have good driving record then companies will offer you good driver discounts.


BREATHER -- As you pause on reading this article I hope it has so far provided you with insightful information related to car insurance for women. Even if it hasn't so far, the remainder will, whether your interest is car insurance for women directly or other related angle such as group health insurance, insurance crash test, cheap car insurance quote UK, best price on car insurance, looking for cheap car insurance and online car insurance estimate.


Free Related Guideline About car insurance for women


3. If you have good credit report then it will equate with lower coverage rates. If you have a questionable credit rating then company will see you as a higher risk customer.


4. You can install some security devices in your car in order to get lower insurance rate.

5. If you can afford to pay higher deductible then you can lower your policy rates. This is an amount which you will be paying when an accident takes place.


6. If you own an older car look into dropping such things as collision and comprehensive insurance. It may not be cost effective if the value of your car is low.


7. Enquire about discounts and debates. Most of the companies generally offer various discounts to their customers look for them and see if you might qualify for them.

As detailed as this article is, don't forget that you can find more information about car insurance for women or any such information from any of the search engines out there such as MSN.com. Commit yourself to finding specific information therein about car insurance for women, and you will.


Many people that searched for car insurance for women also searched online for cheap car insurance for young women, monthly car insurance, and even a car cheapest driver insurance young.


LAST THOUGHTS -- Lots of people who read this article agreed that it not only helped in their quest for car insurance for women information but also car insurance in Ireland, online life insurance, car insurance young, on line auto insurance quotes, cheap car insurance USA and other cheap car insurance Ireland related information.

Deepak Kulkarni has lots of insightful and significant articles that provide very insightful information not just about car insurance for women, but also others related to various car insurances, Austin Texas car insurance, car insurance prices, buy car insurance online, car insurance quote Toronto and auto insurance information.


How To Prosper At Forex Trading - Leverage & The K-Factor

One of the big reasons that forex trading is an entirely different animal than stock trading or futures trading is leverage. Forex trading leverage can be enormous, as high as 400:1, and in most cases you get to choose the amount of leverage or gearing you want to trade with.

Super high leverage is a selling point for many online forex brokers. How many times have you seen the tout 'control $100,000 of euro for $250'? Those numbers are correct, and, yes, the profit potential of super high leverage is compelling.

This article neither encourages nor discourages forex trading at super high leverage. That's a personal decision, but a decision that can only be made sensibly with a professional understanding of all the implications of leverage and what they mean to your chances of prospering at forex trading. It's probably fair to say that unless you have a professional understanding of leverage that your chance of even surviving at forex trading is slim to none.

One of the fundamental terms of forex trading is PIP. You will see that XYZ Broker charges 3 PIP per deal, or that the XY currency pair has an average daily range of 100 PIP. We all know that the value of a PIP is a variable that differs with each currency pair, but did you know that the value of a PIP also varies with the current price of the base currency, and with the gearing on your account?

For example, with EUR/USD at 1.2723 and leverage at 100:1 the amount of a PIP is $7.86. At 200:1 leverage the PIP value doubles to $15.72. For forex traders with different gearing a 100 PIP move means entirely different things to their account equity.

Here's a new way to look at leverage with the "K Factor". The three most common leverage ratios available from online forex brokers are 50:1, 100:1 and 200:1. The K Factor for the 100:1 leverage ratio is 1. The K Factor for the leverage ratio of 50:1 is .50, and the K Factor for the leverage ratio of 200:1 is 2.

How can you use the K Factor?

There are three ways to use the K Factor. The first is using the K Factor to calculate the value of a PIP for the currency pair you are trading.

Since 100,000 individual currency units (usually dollars or euros) is the normal size of a single lot you can calculate the value of a PIP with this formula:

(100,000/current price with no decimal) * K Factor = PIP

Here's an example: The EUR/USD current price is 1.2723 and your leverage is 100:1. With these facts the formula is:

(100000/12723) * 1 = 7.86.

The value of a PIP is $7.86. If your forex broker executes your trade at a spread of 4 PIPs you are paying $31.44 for executing the trade whatever euphemism the broker happens to be using for 'commission'. If your leverage or gearing is 200:1 that execution will cost you $62.88.

The second way you can use PIP and the K Factor is to quickly determine the potential profit in a trade, or to know to a certainty the actual dollar risk in a stop-loss setting.

For example, if you go long the EUR/USD at 1.2723 and anticipate a move to 1.2850 what profit can you anticipate at 100:1 gearing?

12850 – 12723 = 127 PIP * 7.86 = $998.22 – execution cost.

If you objectively set your stop loss at 1.2715 what amount are you risking in this trade?

12723 – 12715 = 8 PIP * 7.86 = $62.88 + execution cost.


The third way to use the K Factor is to avoid what the forex brokers call the "safety net", and what I call "kill but do not dismember."

Margin is not a down payment. It's cash-on-hand, your cash, that the broker uses to protect its own capital account from your mistakes. That's all well and good because the global forex market will continue to work only if all participating brokers have adequate capital to meet their customers' settlement obligations.

If losses from current open positions cause the equity in your account to fall below that required to maintain the total number of open positions, the broker's trading platform will immediately close all your open positions, even when the unrealized loss on any individual position is quite small. Your loss is the aggregate number of PIP per position * K Factor + execution costs. In almost every case that's just about everything in your account. This is the broker's safety net because you will not lose more cash than you had in your account (as can and does happen with commodities futures accounts.)

The formula is:

(Starting Balance – Open Position Losses) / (($1,000/K Factor)* No. Open Positions) -1 < 10% = Kill But Do Not Dismember.

Most if not all broker platforms keep a running balance of your available margin to help you avoid this fatal situation. If you intend to trade multiple positions and fade into suspected price turning points you should consider setting up this formula in a spreadsheet so that you get an early warning long before the situation goes critical.

Mini accounts are based on 10,000 individual currency units with different margin requirements so make the necessary adjustment in the above formulas before doing the calculations

Creative Real Estate Financing Methods

This is the age of creative real estate financing. Maybe you remember when financing meant you saved up enough to put 20% down on a house, and then got a mortgage loan for the other 80%? You can still do that, but there are many more options now. Here are ten of them.

1. Second mortgage loans from sellers. Many banks will allow you to have as little as 5% into a home purchase, but will then only loan you 80%. The seller can take payments on a second mortgage from you for the other 15%.

2. Manufacturer loans. Manufactured-home companies are arranging financing with 5% or less down for their buyers. This can be as little as $2,500 down if you already have a lot to put the home on.

3. State government housing programs. Most states have some sort of financing help in the form of a loan-guarantee program or outright loans for low-income buyers.

4. VA mortgage loans. If you have been in the armed services, have a decent job, and can save two or three paychecks, you can probably get a home with a VA loan.

5. Contract for sale. Called a "land contract" and other names depending on the part of the country you are in, this just means that you make payments to the seller instead of a bank. It's up to you and them to negotiate downpayment amount, interest rate, and the term of the loan.

6. Builders gifting programs. In some parts of the country, builders fund foundations that give you a portion of the downpayment, so you can get into a home with as little as 3% downpayment from your own pocket. FHA and other lenders have so far approved of or allowed this.

7. FHA mortgage loans. The Farm Home Administration doesn't actually loan the money, but guarantees your loan for the bank, so they can loan up to 97% of the purchase price, depending on the particular FHA program.

8. Friend and family loans. It may not be from charity that a brother or a friend lends you the money to buy a home. That 7% return might look awfully good if their money is sitting in the bank at 2%.

9. Bank no-doc loans. "No-doc" and "low-doc" loans, meaning no or low documentation requirements, are back, and you can find them through online banks. They are for those of you with bad credit but 20% to 30% to put down on a home. You don't even need a job.

10. Your credit cards. A risky way, but if you have a low-interest credit card, you can use it to come up with the downpayment, especially if you can pay it off soon, perhaps with a coming tax refund. The banks generally won't allow this, but you can combine this with seller financing.

So are there more ways to approach real estate financing? You bet there are. These are just some ways to buy your own home. When you start investing, you can use other techniques for really creative real estate financing.

Insecure Future Tamed With Cheap Secured Loans

Whenever one tends to take loan from the market, the foremost thing that comes to his mind is whether he can afford it or not. He hunts for a loan that is pocket soothing and does not become a bad debt. Interest rate therefore plays a significant role in crafting an appropriate loan deal. By applying for cheap secured loans one can get the much needed money at relatively low rate.

Cheap secured loans as the name suggests are low rate loans that are secured against collateral. Any valuable asset such as a car, home equity etc can be used to serve the purpose of collateral. The collateral placed becomes an effective tool in getting the loan at a cheaper interest rate. A further lower rate can be attained if the collateral placed is a salable item with a higher value.

Another way of availing cheap secured loans is drawing a loan amount lower than the value of collateral. This covers the financial risk of the loan provider and hence benefits the borrower by providing the loan at moderately low rate.

The uses of cheap secured loans are endless. These loans can be used for the following purposes-:

• Debt consolidation
• Business investments
• Purchasing a car or holiday package
• Funding the education
• Buying wedding ring, dress etc.
• Home improvements

The terms and conditions associated with cheap secured loans have been such designed that suit every borrower's requirements. The rate of interest charged on the loan varies from individual to individual depending upon his financial condition and repayment capacity. A borrower with a fixed income should request for a lower monthly loan. This will help him to save a lot of money. On the contrary, a flexible loan repayment schedule is suitable for the borrower whose income is not stable

If your credit history does not speak well of you, then you must take some measures to improve your credit score in order to get cheap secured loans. Try to add some positive developments in your credit report. Pay off the easy debts. Then get your credit score evaluated through a credit rating agency. This will help you get the loan easily.

How to get a cheap secured loan?

Visit different banks and financial institutions that offer cheap secured loans. If you want to compare more loan offers, search through the internet. Most of the loans providing organizations have their websites online dealing in cheap secured loans. A simple hassle-free online loan application form needs to be filled up. The information given by the borrower through the application form is guaranteed to remain confidential.

The Interesting History Of The Stock Market




Talking about the Stock Market we seem to mean a different dimension, not a physical location.
However, the Stock Market does have physical locations.

Wall Street, also known as the Dow, or the NYSE, is located in New York

Wall Street is the Address(or is it?)

Many people think of Wall Street and the Stock Market as one in the same, and indeed, it used to be that way.

Dutch settlers initially built a stockade here in 1653 for defense purposes.
In 1685 the stockade was torn down and a street was built called Wall Street.
In 1790 the first Stock Exchange was founded in Philadelphia which became the model for the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1817 the NYSE was officially opened.
The NYSE was moderately successful till the early 1900's when the market entered a boom period which lasted more or less until 1929.

This boom period of course could not last forever, things were so out of kilter that people were mortgaging their homes and leveraging themselves to the limit to buy shares.
The boom period crashed in 1929 and caused the Great Depression.

The 1929 Crash was caused in part by the fact that the Stock Market was virtually unregulated, which it remained even until after the market crash of 1987 which saw the Dow suffer what was the largest losing day in the Market's history.

Black Tuesday - October 29th, 1929

On Black Tuesday, a record of 16.4 million shares were traded and the ticker tape fell behind two and a half hours. On Monday, the stock market suffered a record one-day loss of around 13 percent. On Black Tuesday, the market suffered a loss of about 12 percent and did not recover for 22 years.

The economy eventually recovered from its catastrophic losses but the unregulated Stock Market practices that had partially caused the crash in the 1929 still existed and caused the stock market crash of 1987, which saw the Dow Jones suffer what was the largest single-day loss in the stock market's history.

Today's Stock Market

Today's stock market consists of about 500,000 computers all networked with dealers for the NYSE or market makers for the NASDAQ. Up until recently the Dow still used human intervention but at present all trades are computerized.

The 2 most important stock market networks are the NYSE and NASDAQ

NASDAQ is a relatively new Stock Trading System that has been computerized since its inception, where market makers normally lead trades.

It used to be that more risky stocks were traded on the NASDAQ than on the NYSE, but that distinction is fading.

The difference between the NYSE and Nasdaq is in the way securities on the exchanges are transacted between buyers and sellers.

The Nasdaq is a dealer's market, wherein market participants are not buying from and selling to one another but to and from a dealer, which, in the case of the Nasdaq, is a market maker.

The NYSE is an auction market, wherein individuals are typically buying and selling to each other and there is an auction happening; the highest bidding price will be matched with the lowest asking price.

All these computers are linked to computers worldwide. These computers can be found in banks, small businesses, and large corporations.

These computers comprise the banking networks which make computerized transactions possible.
To give you an idea as to how much gets traded: in New York City Stock Market Trades amount to over $2.2 trillion dollars daily

How has the U.S. Stock Market done in Times of War?

The worst Stock Market returns were achieved during the Vietnam War.If this happened because of the uncertainty of the times is a good question. Stock Markets do not like uncertainty and will act negatively.

Returns during the Korean War however were excellent and averaged about 18% per year while 2nd world war returns averaged about 13% per year.

The 1987 Stock Market Crash

The crash of 1987 was one of the most remarkable financial catastrophies of the 20th century, perhaps since the start of the financial system several centuries ago. Why it was so strange because it should not have happened and even today we cannot fully comprehend that it did happen.

Markets fell, an unbelievable 23%, and that they did so all over the world at the same time.
It only lasted one day.

There is no explanation. No definite reason for the crash has been isolated.
The best that one can say is that there were too many similarities to the 1929 crash and that this became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why Choose Sandals

Why wear sandals? This question comes up on so many occasions. It is like there are rules to the etiquette of sandal wear. Can you wear socks with sandals? Dress wear and sandals? Can you golf in sandals? Many people have their interpretation of when sandal wear is appropriate. In many countries and especially where there is a beach culture, sandals are the footwear of choice year-round.

The benefits of wearing sandals on your feet vary to the activities that you are interested in. Sandals obviously do not suffice for any activity that requires proper foot protection. Flip flops are great for using in public areas and can protect your feet from fungal infections, warts, and lacerations. They are great for wearing indoor as well and takes only seconds to put on or take off.

Sandals are stylish. At the beach, at parties or even at business meetings, there is a wide range of sandals that are available. From bright colored flip flops, to the strappy high heel, to casual wedge-style platforms, there are enough styles out there to suit any occasion.

There are many types of sandals on the market today that not only look good, they keep your feet happy with good ventilation and foot circulation. Sandals are even making winter appearances in cooler climate areas. Name brands such as O'Neill and Sanuk are beginning to produce sandals with quilted flannel and fleece attached to straps, or stitched wool socks lined in polo fleece for the die-hard sandal wearer.

The sandal industry has substantially increased in the last few years. Stats from March 2006 indicate that the sandal industry rose 13 % to 7.4 billion dollars nationwide in just one year. Sandals have now expanded to nearly one-fifth of the footwear market.

Shopping for sandals is quite easy. Most local shoe stores will have a small selection. You can pick up a cheap pair in a department store or even in some grocery stores. You also have the option of shopping online from a wide variety of sandals from any brand. As most sandal models have adjustable straps, you can be confident in your online purchase. You can choose from literally thousands of different sandal models. Check out some online today

College Basketball Milestones

Basketball is a favorite pastime of kids and adults alike. American kids grow up with dreams of earning scholarships and reaching fame in the college league.

Basketball owes its origin to Dr. James Naismith, who invented the sport in 1892. Before long, the popularity of the game caught on and it was being played in American colleges. The first official game involving a college team was played between Geneva College and the New Brighton YMCA in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania on April 8, 1893. On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate game was played between the Minnesota State School of Agriculture and Hamline College. Minnesota won that game, 9 to 3.

The introduction of the five-player format was the next major college basketball milestone. This happened during an intercollegiate game in Iowa City on January 18, 1896. By the early 1900s, the basketball was being played in ninety colleges, mostly in the East and Midwest. This number continued to swell, and by 1914 as many as 360 colleges were playing college basketball.

In 1915, the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, the NCAA and the YMCA banded together to streamline the game. A committee was organized to frame rules and during this time, a number of regional conferences were formed.

The first NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship tournament was organized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and held in Evanston in 1939. A crowd of 5,500 cheering basketball fans watched the University of Oregon with the game. After this, the NCAA took over the national basketball championship tournament, and another college basketball milestone was realized.

In 1940, college basketball made it to the small screen. The first televised college game was played between Pittsburgh and Fordham at Madison Square Garden. This was the beginning of a national obsession with basketball and since then, the game has drawn huge crowds. The most-watched event in the United States is March Madness, when nearly 350 American colleges come together to compete for the NCAA basketball crown.

The NCAA tournament had relatively humble beginnings, with just eight teams competing against each other representing each of the eight NCAA districts. In 1951 the number of teams doubled to sixteen. In this format, ten conference champions qualified automatically, while the remaining six teams were chosen on the basis of their performance. In 1954, the number of teams went up to 24, and a 32-team bracket was adopted in 1975. Further increases saw the number of teams jump to 48 in 1980, and to 64 in 1985.

Over the years, college basketball has gone through remarkable changes. Many players have showcased their talents on campus courts and risen to become basketball superstars, and most NBA stars trace their origins to college basketball.

More than 120 years after it was first invented, the game of basketball is more popular than ever. Who knows what college basketball milestones lay ahead?

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