business

2009-07-27T02:37:00.007-07:00

Attention Los Angeles: Evan Sayet’s Right to Laugh Show, Live at the Laugh Factory, Tuesday July 14

My friend, the very funny Evan Sayet, whose YouTube videos have been seen 500,000 times, is at the Laugh Factory this coming Tuesday, July 14th.

'Evan has crossed that line from 'funny' to important.' -- Michael Barone, US News and World Report

'Simply the best political comedian working in America today,' -- David Horowitz, best selling author of 'The Party of Defeat.'

'Evan transcends the word 'comic.' He's brilliant!' -- David Zucker, Writer/Director, 'An American Carol,' 'Naked Gun' and 'Airplane.'

"If Ann Coulter, Jackie Mason and Evan Sayet were in town and I could only see two shows, I'd see Evan twice." -- Jaz McKay, Infinity Broadcasting.

"Evan is the best!!" -- Ann Coulter, best selling author of "If Democrats Had Any Brains They'd Be Republicans."

"Evan Sayet is one of my favorite cultural commentators," Tammy Bruce, nationally syndicated radio talk show host and best selling author.

"At last I can delight in a show that is genuinely funny. My thanks to Evan Sayet -- Larry Elder, nationally syndicated radio talk show host.

"(Evan Sayet's) a funny guy...he had the crowd howling." -- Marc Cooper, LA Weekly.

America to Congress: You’re Acting Hysterical. Take a Deep Breath. Calm Down.

Here's a proposed open letter to Congress:

Dear Congress,

Take a deep breath. Calm down.

You passed the $787-billion stimulus bill without even reading it in the hopes that it would fix the economy. We know, you were in a hurry to try to do something, but we can all see now that it didn't work. The banks still are afraid to make loans, the stock market is still in the tank, and unemployment hasn't dropped - but the risk of inflation is now dangerously high.

You passed the $410-billion omnibus spending bill, in less than 48 hours, despite that it was jammed with 8,000+ pork items.

As you move with increasing speed, you are passing bills not only without reading them, but also without even thinking about the consequences. Because you are worried about the AIG bonuses, the House just passed a bill that would:

...impose a 90% levy on bonuses paid to workers whose household incomes top $250,000 by firms that received more than $5 billion under the government's financial rescue package. That would encompass much of Wall Street, including such marquee-name firms as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

What you're not realizing is that this would be a massive attack on the entire U.S. financial industry - the very industry you are trying to protect.

...alarm spread across Wall Street that the government's sudden taxation fervor could ensnare thousands of workers and affect every major financial firm.

Although the fast-moving legislative campaign was born of frustration with the bonuses paid to workers at ailing American International Group Inc., employees at comparatively healthy investment banks fretted about the steep tax hikes they could face if the legislation became law.

It's clear …

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Cuban Expatriate: Why Obama Reminds Me of Castro

Similar Posters of Castro and Obama

Headlines:

MSNBC 11/2008 -- Obama vows change in U.S. policy on Cuba
President-elect has indicated he's open to talks with Raul Castro

BBC 1/2009 -- Will Obama shift policy on Cuba?
The election of Barack Obama has energised those seeking a change in relations between the US and Cuba.

IPS News 1/2009 -- US-CUBA: Obama Urged to Take Bold Steps Toward Normalisation

Guardian 3/2009 -- Obama will use spring summit to bring Cuba in from the cold

Newsweek 3/2009 -- Why Obama Should Lift the Cuba Embargo

Reuters 5/2009 --� US-Cuba thaw in full swing in arts world

This site recently had the chance to talk to an America man whose family fled Castro's political oppression to come here.�His thoughts include surprising observations regarding Cuba's history, and the state of Cuba today, as well as troubling parallels between Castro and Obama.

We'll call the interviewee, who does not want his name to appear, "Eduardo."

Take this as the verbal testimony of one man. I have obtained partial corroboration from one of Miami's top radio talk show hosts, Ninoska Pérez Castellón. Ninoska is quoted below, regarding some of his most surprising observations.

Per Eduardo's views Cuba is a place in which:

Children are wards of the state - forcibly removed from their parents when they become teenagers.
Some children are forced into state-sponsored prostitution.
Free speech is punishable as a crime against the state.

In addition, Eduardo also sees striking parallels between Obama and Castro.

Let's get right into it.

Children in Cuba are Wards of the State; and,� the Child Prostitution Business

…

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What’s *Really* Shocking About the White House Correspondent’s Dinner

Mike Lupien has an excellent article in today's Daily News talking about the tasteless jokes at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. But the tastelessness of the jokes isn't the real shocker about this.

In the past this dinner has always been a roast, i.e. an occasion where people make good-natured, self-deprecating jokes about the guest of honor (in this case Obama).

For example, from 2007:

Before Bush and Little spoke, CBS star David Letterman made a video appearance from his studio with a Top 10 list of taped vignettes showing some of the funniest Bush flubs of the last year.

From 2002:

President Bush gave reporters here a look Saturday at "what life is really like inside the Bush White House," showing off his collection of "actual, never-seen-before photos."

Bush and top members of his administration mingled with reporters and other Washington insiders at the annual White House Correspondents dinner.

The correspondents dinner, in its 88th year, has become an occasion for self-deprecating humor from presidents. Last year, Bush presented a slide show of his family accompanied by a joke-riddled speech about the 2000 presidential election recount.

What's really shocking isn't just the tastelessness of the jokes - it's that Obama used these jokes and this platform to attack his� political opponents:

Obama Likes Wanda Sykes Joke About Rush Limbaugh — ‘I Hope His Kidneys Fail’

Wanda Sykes Makes Fun Of Absent Sarah Palin With Abstinence Joke

Obama Mocks GOP Chair Michael Steele’s Use Of ‘Street Slang’

Far from being a uniter, the divisive Obama misuses the power of his office to bully all those who oppose him.

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Obama Govt. Treachery… Step 1: “Take This Money, No Strings Attached”… Step 2: “Now We Own You”

American businesses who accepted bailout money didn't know they were potentially selling control of their businesses to the U.S. government. The rage this must be causing to executives all over this country - many of whom are likely to have been Democrats - will hopefully threaten tremendous damage to the Democratic party, so that the Dems will have to stop Obama's blatant attempt to turn our economy into a planned economy like the economies of the Soviet Union, China, Afghanistan, Cuba, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and North Korea.

If AP is correct, it appears that Democrats are feeling pressure to abort Obama's attempt to turn the economy of the U.S. into that of a third-world nation:

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in Congress are taking only baby steps with his budget, putting off crucial decisions on his ambitious plans to expand health care, curb global warming and raise taxes on the wealthy.

...Risk-averse Democrats, however, are merely kicking the can down the road rather than using the budget to give a real push to the president's agenda. On health care, global warming and even Obama's signature "Making Work Pay" tax cut, the pending House and Senate budget plans offer no clues as to how those big ideas might advance.

Hopefully Obama's treachery will ensure that no company that can avoid it will take bailout money in the future -- now that they know the strings that are attached.

2009-07-27T02:37:00.005-07:00

Music downloading unabated
And I had thought file-sharing growth was tapering off. "Illegal music downloading is at an all-time high and set to rise further," The Guardian reports, citing the 4th-annual digital-music survey by Entertainment Media Research. Forty-three percent of respondents said they're downloading illegal songs, up from 36% last year and 40% in 2005. Meanwhile, fear of being caught has lessened. "This year...

More global-socializing data
Once you get past Tagged.com's and Facebook.com's amazing growth figures this past year (774% and 270%, respectively, with Bebo in third place at a respectable 172%), the worldwide membership of these sites is a little less jawdropping. But that international appeal probably explains a lot of these sites' growth. Friendster hasn't grown as much, but 88.7% of its members are in the Asia/Pacific region,...

Online-safety hotline in Oz
The US has its CyberTipline.com, Canada its Cybertip.ca, and Britain its hotline at the Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre. "Within weeks" Australians too "will have access to a national online child protection hotline," as well a free filtering software, Australian IT reports. The Communications Ministry put the emphasis on the education part of the $99 million (US) program, saying parents...

Disney's ClubPenguin now
Penguins at your house might not notice, but ClubPenguin's moving into the Disney igloo. "Disney said it would pay $350 million in cash for the website aimed at 6-to-14-year-old kids. As much as $350 million more will be added if the Canadian company's founders reach profit targets through 2009," the Los Angeles Times reports. Here's the Associated Press on this development.

2009-07-27T02:37:00.003-07:00

Air Canada Cargo first carrier in North America certified for RKN e1 container; Transport Canada has formally notified Envirotainer that its RKN e1 electrical heating and compressor cooling air cargo container is now accepted and qualified for use by Air Canada Cargo.
This latest development makes Air Canada the first North American airline to be certified by Transport Canada for the carriage of RKN e1 containers, which allow the maintenance of temperatures between +2 to +25 C.

Weight limits impede truck productivity, environmental progress
US trucks would be more fuel-efficient and emit less greenhouse gases if they were more productive like trucks in Europe, Canada and Australia, according to the preliminary results of a multi-nation study. These findings reaffirm results from 2008 using the American Transportation Research Institute’s higher productivity vehicle model. As countries around the world prepare for increasing freight volumes, many have already instituted programs that increase truck size and weight and have seen great productivity and environmental gains, with continuing improvements in safety.

Corpus Christi cold storage officially transfers to Coastal Bend Cold Storage
Corpus Christi based Coastal Bend Cold Storage took over operation of the Port’s refrigerated warehouse. Coastal Bend Cold Storage is owned by Paul R. Higginbotham, of Aransas Pass, Texas. Mr. Higginbotham was formerly a principal with Virginia-based Corrugated Container Corp. The new company expects to develop new international markets and expand business with large domestic grocers and retailers.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines heads for Kabul
AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), Volga-Dnepr Group’s scheduled cargo airline, has launched a charter Boeing 747 freighter service to Kabul, Afghanistan.

Acquisition of Polish PCC Logistics Group finalized
Deutsche Bahn has finalized the acquisition of PCC Logistics Group effective July 21. The agreement defining purchase terms for the largest privately owned freight railroad in Poland had been signed in Warsaw at the end of January. The EU Commission approved the takeover on June 12.

2009-07-27T02:37:00.001-07:00

Starkes Solo im Freundeskreis: Max Herre blickt emotional nach vorn
Max Herre ist es mit dem Stuttgarter Freundeskreis in den vergangenen Jahren gelungen, einen gro�en Fankreis von Hip-Hop-, Rap- und Reggae-affinen Musikliebhabern zu gewinnen. Ein Treuepotenzial, aus dem er jetzt auch wieder auf Solopfaden sch�pfen kann. Unterst�tzt von einigen langj�hrigen Weggef�hrten wie Frank Kuruc, Sékou Neblett und seinem Label-Kollegen Clueso legt Herre Mitte September ein Album [...]

Power, Poesie und Pathos: Die Entdeckung Jimmy Gnecco
Vor zwei Wochen war der Ohrtrommler Zeuge eines gro�artigen Konzertabends im D�sseldorfer Savoy Theater, bei dem Greg Dulli und Mark Lanegan als Hauptact des Abends ein fabelhaftes Akustik Set spielten mit einem Repertoire von gemeinsamen Songs unter dem Bandnamen Gutter Twins und einer Auswahl von Liedern ihrer fr�heren Bands Afghan Whigs und The Screaming Trees [...]

2009-07-26T02:37:00.005-07:00

The Dairy Herd Buyout Has Tax Implications.

Yields, Price, And ACRE: Working Toward A Decision

Cornbelt Update

Wheat Market Speculation: A Congressional Issue, Or Simply Revising The Delivery Contract?

Brazil May Be Consuming More And Exporting Less

2009-07-26T02:37:00.003-07:00

Ruthless rain paralyses Karachi - City remains without water and power for over 24 hours
Latest Pakistan news of July 20, 2009 in passing Rains play havoc in Karachi - city remains with electricity and water for over 24 hours, 34 dead US claims perpetrators of 9/11 and 29/11 in Pakistan Musharraf not away from country’s politics - the former Pakistani President talks to Sky News Pakistan loosing $5 ...

Web Design Tip Sheet - Choosing Best Website Development Company
Dallas, Texas (CaymanMama.com) -- When embarking on a search for a website design company, do your homework! Why? Simply put, it is just as bad to have a weak website as it is having no website at all. Business owners are what keep the world moving, changing, and exchanging. Many of ...

Press Release Distribution Service on Challenges of Small Businesses in 2009 - Moving Past the Red Tape
Dallas, Texas (CaymanMama.com - Press Release Service ) -- large corporations are often times what form a city’s skyline, creating a sea of skyscrapers and news of stocks. However, many may not realize that the small business is the backbone of the American economy. In fact, a little-known fact is that ...

Power outage in Karachi enters 3rd day - Billions lost as Industry remains closed
Latest Pakistan news of July 21, 2009 in passing France attempts to curb terrorism - Anti terror task force planned with Pakistan Karachi enters 3rd day of power failures - Industry closure leads to billions of losses Judiciary was responsible for current state of affairs in the country - Chief Justice Ajmal Kasab confesses ...

Designer Vanity Sets / Accessories Markdown at West Palm Beach based PioneerLinens.com
West Palm Beach, Florida (CaymanMama.com) -- As the first room one enters in the morning and the last room they leave at night, the bathroom sets the tone for the day and night. Whether a place for a long, hot bubble bath or simply to get dressed for work, the bathroom ...

Web Design Company Explains Personality Types - How to sell to a Motivator - Part 3
Dallas, Texas (CaymanMama.com) -- Selling to a Motivator, many times referred to as a Director or a Doer, can be tricky without knowing how their personalities work, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Knowing this information can not only help to foster a strong and trusting business relationship, it can ...

Daytona injury attorneys Rue Ziffra, P.A. report Disney bus crash
Daytona Beach, Florida (CaymanMama.com) -- Two Walt Disney World buses collided in a rear-end crash Thursday afternoon outside the Contemporary Resort located on the vast Disney property. Twelve people were injured, the Florida Highway Patrol confirmed. The accident occurred at approximately 2:40 p.m. after a bus headed southbound stopped to merge when ...

India’s U turn surprises Pakistan - Indian opposition stages walkout
Latest Pakistan news on July 18, 2009 in passing No substantial results heard from Nawaz Asif meeting Indian Prime Minister refutes NAM accord - takes sharp U turn on dialog with Pakistan - Surprises BJP Nawaz goes scot free from plane hijacking case UK authorities forced to set free the pair of Pakistani students ...

Promotional magnets Now on sale at Pelican Magnet Printing
Riviera Beach: Get into the act, take the 40% discount offer on promotional magnet printing and send your marketing messages to target market. Let the marketing messages stick, let customers remember the dates, important phone numbers and addresses and marketing offers, create a long lasting colorful bond through promotional magnets. Pelican ...

Get Your Priorities Right
Hi Everyone, This can be a useful test to really see how your attitude and approach to time management has changed. Imagine that your cherished home is constructed of wood. It catches fire and you have at most 11 minutes to rescue items form your house that you really need to save from the fire. Consider what you would [...]

Hi Everyone,

This can be a useful test to really see how your attitude and approach to time management has changed.

Imagine that your cherished home is constructed of wood. It catches fire and you have at most 11 minutes to rescue items form your house that you really need to save from the fire.

Consider what you would do first and then next and so on.

The answers you give will confirm whether you have got your priorities right, whether you are realistic in what can be achieved in the time available and whether you are getting better at setting your goals.

I’ll be back soon with some answers.

Meanwhile you can get help with your Time Management skills at: www.manageyourtime.org

Julie

2009-07-26T02:37:00.001-07:00

Get Your Priorities Right………The Answers
Hi Everyone, In the time available you would get time to: Try and save human and animal life and Call the fire brigade The order in which you did these two things would indicate whether you thought/cared more about your house than your loved one’s !!! I’ll leave you to ponder that over the weekend. Have a relaxing couple of days and [...]

Hi Everyone,

In the time available you would get time to:

Try and save human and animal life

and

Call the fire brigade

The order in which you did these two things would indicate whether you thought/cared more about your house than your loved one’s !!!

I’ll leave you to ponder that over the weekend.

Have a relaxing couple of days and I’ll be back on Monday.

Julie

Manage Your Time And Achieve More
Hi Everyone, I talked before about setting goals so I hope you did some goal setting for the short, medium and longer term. Make your goals very specific and measurable otherwise how will you ever know whether they were achieved or not. Make them too vague and you will always achieve what you set out too [...]

Hi Everyone,

I talked before about setting goals so I hope you did some goal setting for the short, medium and longer term. Make your goals very specific and measurable otherwise how will you ever know whether they were achieved or not. Make them too vague and you will always achieve what you set out too but you will be fooling yourself and your goals will be nothing more than a complete waste of time.

Time is not something we should waste and like some of the other resources that we have at our disposal (water, fresh air etc) our time will eventually run out. Yes we will die. We know that that is inevitable and yet so many of us continue to waste what little time we have left to us.

Remember to check out: www.manageyourtime.org

Start today by making every second count and work towards all those goals that you have set yourself.

A good manager of time can have an extra 10 hours per week if not more at their disposal than someone who wastes time and procrastinates.

Find those 10 hours and visit: www.manageyourtime.org

10 hours per week is 520 hours per year. Just think what else you could achieve with all this extra time at your disposal.

We never know what is around the proverbial corner so none of us know just exactly how much time we have left.

Make sure you cram as much into your time as you possibly can.

Until the next time !!!

Julie

There Are 24 Hours In A Day
Hi Everyone, If there are 24 hours in a day why do so many people keeping saying “there aren’t enough hours in a day”. Is it their excuse for not getting everything they need to get done, done ? I’ve made a number of postings and covered a wide range of subjects within the Time Mangement arena so [...]

Hi Everyone,

If there are 24 hours in a day why do so many people keeping saying “there aren’t enough hours in a day”. Is it their excuse for not getting everything they need to get done, done ?

I’ve made a number of postings and covered a wide range of subjects within the Time Mangement arena so I sincerely hope that some of the information has been helpful and that you have implemented some of the tips and strategies discussed.

I have pointed you in the direction of very useful products that can help you including:

www.manageyourtime.org

www.loseweighthelp.org

www.defeatstress.org

www.goodbyetobackpain.org

These sites are not gimmicky and full of super slick sales copy that makes you want to throw up. They are serious sites with affordable products that can genuinely help you have a better life. There is no multi millionaire Internet Marketing Guru hiding behind the sites either. Don’t you just hate those sites.

Most of us are more than capable of achieving anything that we desire BUT most of us need help along the way.

I am currently researching some other helpful self improvement products and hope to be in a position to tell you all about them shortly.

Meanwhile, please feel free to send your time saving tips to me so that they can be shared. Knowledge is pointless when you keep it to yourself.

Cheers

Julie

Get Your Priorities Right
Hi Everyone, This can be a useful test to really see how your attitude and approach to time management has changed. Imagine that your cherished home is constructed of wood. It catches fire and you have at most 11 minutes to rescue items form your house that you really need to save from the fire. Consider what you would [...]

Hi Everyone,

This can be a useful test to really see how your attitude and approach to time management has changed.

Imagine that your cherished home is constructed of wood. It catches fire and you have at most 11 minutes to rescue items form your house that you really need to save from the fire.

Consider what you would do first and then next and so on.

I’ll be back soon with some answers.

Meanwhile you can get help with your Time Management skills at: www.manageyourtime.org

Julie

Don’t Arrive Too Early
Hi Everyone, Hope you have all had a relaxing yet productive weekend.Now that spring has sprung the garden had to be tackled and the tidy up has begun. Hard work but very satisfying. My arms and legs are really aching this morning !!! Anyway, I hate being late, I hate waiting for people to arrive and I [...]

Hi Everyone,

Hope you have all had a relaxing yet productive weekend.Now that spring has sprung the garden had to be tackled and the tidy up has begun. Hard work but very satisfying. My arms and legs are really aching this morning !!!

Anyway, I hate being late, I hate waiting for people to arrive and I have a tendency to arrive for appointments very early. When I sat back and examined this I realised that I was wasting a lot of my valuable time. What I do now is really think about what time I need to set off for any appointments and if there is a danger that I may get held up in traffic I allow a bit of extra time. I like to arrive only 10 minutes early these days and I take my unread post with me so that during those 10 minutes I can read it.

Make sure you check out: www.manageyourtime.org

We all want extra time available to us during the good weather so plans do need to be adjusted to build this time in. Remember unless you plan for it it will probably never happen.

Until the next time

Julie

I Need To Know…….
Hi Everyone, How often do we say: I Need To Know ? I say it all the time and I’m not too sure what I used to do before GOOGLE. Anyway, at some point today I was wondering about the origin of the phrase………a stitch in time saves nine. I googled it and got some very wierd and wonderful [...]

Hi Everyone,

How often do we say: I Need To Know ?

I say it all the time and I’m not too sure what I used to do before GOOGLE.

Anyway, at some point today I was wondering about the origin of the phrase………a stitch in time saves nine.

I googled it and got some very wierd and wonderful results, some of which I can assure you had absolutely nothing to do with time management !!! Call me narrow minded but I still cannot work out what the phrase has got to do with sex. Have you noticed how most searches end up finding sex or religion. Made me wonder whether I should have called this blog: Time Management Solutions For All God Fearing Sexy People !!! I’d probably get more visitors and comments.

Anyway, here is something I can show you without blushing:

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

That old proverb isn’t just about sewing, oh, no. Proverbs 17 contains a choice morsel with a similar application:

The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

Another folk proverb along these lines is about ‘nipping it in the bud.’ That is, the best time to deal with an issue is before it becomes an issue.

OK, that is that sorted.I had now set myself off thinking about other sayings.

To Kill Two Birds With One Stone. Here’s one woman’s explanation of what it means:

The saying is “kill two birds with one stone.” It is used when someone does one thing and it solves two problems. For example, I live about 40 minutes from the nearest grocery store, so when I go for food, I also make a stop at Walmart for the things I need. While I am out, I kill two brids with one stone. The person may or may not mean to solve two problems, they may have only thought about one outcome, but when a second thing happens because of the thing they did or said, and it is one that they like, they can say that phrase. I hope this helps.

Strange too how Walmart crops up a lot !!!

And in Italy they say: “Prendere due piccioni con una fava”.
The translation word by word is:

“To catch two pigeons with one bean”. Isn’t that great. It made my afternoon.

Ciao until tomorrow

Julie

2009-07-25T02:37:00.003-07:00

Hiatus
We apologize for the interruption in our normal blogging frequency. We will resume course shortly. At this time we would like to remind you to return you chair backs and your seat trays to their upright position. Thank you for flying with The Big Bald Blog. Love, Big Pops

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oh i’ve missed you so much!
So, since I’ve moved the coffee machine’s been playing up: making sour coffee, steaming milk like an asthmatic puffin, not doing my damn laundry or the dusting! Oh… wait, got to remember that it’s not the maid… just the sweet sweet source of all coffee joy. I finally got around to taking in to get it [...]

The Advertising of Yesterday Part XX
Finding new angles to promote your product or service is essential if you want to keep your marketing fresh. In 1965, Jeep decided to cross the gender barrier, well, sort of. In order to sell a 4x4 vehicle to a demographic that wasn't the typical SUV buyer in 1965, they decided to appeal to the emotional side of men. After all you want your wife and children to be safe, right? The hook is...

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LOST Homeschool Lessons - Symbols
This is the fourth part of our LOST homeschool curriculum - symbolism (PART I - THEMES is here.) Strong references to mythology and other symbols have opened much opportunity to include symbols in the series, making it a very interesting show to analyze. NOTE: If you watch the series, this will all make sense to [...]

I DVR Therefore I Am...Not Seeing Any Commercials?
Ever since I got a DVR on my Dish Network system, I'll have to admit that I rarely watch live TV anymore. I record all kinds of shows, sometimes ones that I have never seen before just to see if I'll like them. When I am watching the shows recorded on my DVR, 99.9% of the time I will skip all the commercials. Does this mean that I am not being impacted by the advertising that companies have so...

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Billboard to Boat Cover - Ultimate Recycle
Our boat lift cover had disintegrated a couple years ago, and we’d been getting by with large tarps. But the wind that comes across our wide part of the lake was far too great for the thin vinyl. We were unwilling to purchase a new cover, since the cheapest one we could find [...]

LOST Homeschool Lessons - Themes
We’re doing some summer homeschooling (plan is here) and a large part of it centers around the analysis of the TV series, LOST. NOTE: If you watch the series, this will all make sense to you. If you don’t watch the series, I highly recommend it, but you have to watch it from [...]

2009-07-25T02:37:00.001-07:00

You probably do not need a Realtor…
This week I spent a lot of time learning about septic systems, public sewer connections, and some related issues. I drove to 2 separate government offices in 2 separate cities to get first-hand information. My Client is interested in a home with an old septic system. You probably do not need a Realtor to help you [...]

This week I spent a lot of time learning about septic systems, public sewer connections, and some related issues. I drove to 2 separate government offices in 2 separate cities to get first-hand information. My Client is interested in a home with an old septic system.

You probably do not need a Realtor to help you buy a home if you have the time to do this sort of research on your own.

You probably do not need a Realtor if you can use this sort of information to rationally evaluate a property, and consider all risks before you buy something. Most Buyers get emotionally involved in the house, and lose site of potential, future problems.

You probably do not need a Realtor if you understand the limits of California real estate disclosure laws, and can find ways to get necessary information before you get the keys.

You probably do not need a Realtor if you know how to package a REO offer in a way that the bank will like.

You probably do not need a Realtor if you know how to get the best possible price, and terms even if information about the property is incomplete.

You probably do not need a Realtor if you already have a good one.

If you do need a Realtor,

Please give me a call.

Eric Haggin

925 336-6462

Eric@EastBayPlus.com

Posted in Contra Costa, Danville, Dublin, East Bay area, Keller Williams, NOD NOT REO, Real Estate agent, Real estate investing, short sales

Great daycare provider in Dublin
If you need a great daycare provider, I suggest you contact Denise Haggin (my wife) She is licensed, insured, and experienced. More importantly, Denise creates a loving, nurturing experience for your child. Contact Denise: Denise Haggin 925 829-8856 DeniseHaggin@gmail.com www.DeniseDaycare.com Posted in Daycare, Dublin, East Bay area

If you need a great daycare provider, I suggest you contact Denise Haggin (my wife)

She is licensed, insured, and experienced.

More importantly, Denise creates a loving, nurturing experience for your child.

Contact Denise:

Denise Haggin

925 829-8856

DeniseHaggin@gmail.com

www.DeniseDaycare.com

Posted in Daycare, Dublin, East Bay area

Busy week
It’s been a very busy week for me. I am working with buyers in Vallejo, San Pablo, Berkeley, Concord, San Leandro, and Alamo. I haven’t seen this much buyer activity for at least 3 years. We are reaching a price point in many areas where it’s cheaper to own than to rent. We haven’t been there for 5 [...]

It’s been a very busy week for me.

I am working with buyers in Vallejo, San Pablo, Berkeley, Concord, San Leandro, and Alamo.

I haven’t seen this much buyer activity for at least 3 years.

We are reaching a price point in many areas where it’s cheaper to own than to rent. We haven’t been there for 5 years.

Certainely nobody knows when real estate in the East Bay will start to appreciate again. My current buyers are all long-term thinkers and are buying properties which make sense today, even if they do not go up in value.

Posted in Alameda, Berkeley, Concord, Contra Costa, East Bay area, NOD NOT REO, Real estate investing, Real estate market stats, San Leandro, San Ramon, Vallejo

A quick way to increase a home’s value…
This home in a nice, older area of Tulsa, Oklahoma INCRESED in value when the tree crashed into it. Not due to excessive insurance, but something much more interesting. Can you think of why? . . . The house is in a historical district so renovations are severely limited. By virtue of the destruction it became possible to get building permits to do structural upgrades. Everything can be rebuilt to [...]

This home in a nice, older area of Tulsa, Oklahoma INCRESED in value when the tree crashed into it.

Not due to excessive insurance, but something much more interesting.

Can you think of why?

The house is in a historical district so renovations are severely limited.

By virtue of the destruction it became possible to get building permits to do structural upgrades.

Everything can be rebuilt to look as it did before but with modern materials,methods, and features.

Eric Haggin

Posted via email from Eric’s sideways look at real estate and other stuff

Posted in Real estate investing

New (improved) web site
I have created a shiney, new web site to replace this one. Please visit the new site at www.EastBayPlus.com All of the content from here is there, plus many new features and tools. Posted in 1031 exchange, Alameda, Alamo, Apartment Investing, Audio blog, Berkeley, Business, Chinese, Commercial Real estate, Concord, Contra Costa, Danville, Daycare, Design, Destination Imagination, Education, [...]

I have created a shiney, new web site to replace this one.

Please visit the new site at www.EastBayPlus.com

All of the content from here is there, plus many new features and tools.

Posted in 1031 exchange, Alameda, Alamo, Apartment Investing, Audio blog, Berkeley, Business, Chinese, Commercial Real estate, Concord, Contra Costa, Danville, Daycare, Design, Destination Imagination, Education, Floors, foreclosure, Foreclosures, Fremont, Keller Williams, Livermore, Loopnet, New Listing, NOD NOT REO, Non-business, Office, Oklahoma, Pergo, Pleasanton, Price change, Quality, real estate, Real Estate agent, Real estate income, Real estate investing, Real Estate Loans, Real estate market stats, Rich Dad/Poor Dad, San Leandro, San Ramon, short sales, Staging, Style, Tulsa, Uncategorized, Vallejo, Video Store, warehouse, Workshop

Electronic Artists
oh, how far has the ea apple fallen from the tree when they are being called out for “creating an environment where anonymity is not only accepted, but expected as well.” by mainstream media even. ouch. ah. i miss the old days of putting developer names on the box. m3mnoch.

oh, how far has the ea apple fallen from the tree when they are being called out for “creating an environment where anonymity is not only accepted, but expected as well.” by mainstream media even.

ouch.

ah. i miss the old days of putting developer names on the box.

m3mnoch.

2009-07-24T02:27:00.005-07:00

Amazon and Zappos Sitting in a Tree
As most you know by now, Zappos has entered into a definitive agreement with Amazon.com and will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon. This is exciting and, after speaking with my friends both at Amazon and at Zappos, they are all quite excited too. Congratulations to Amazon, Zappos, Tony Hsieh, and Jeff Bezos 1 [...]

As most you know by now, Zappos has entered into a definitive agreement with Amazon.com and will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon. This is exciting and, after speaking with my friends both at Amazon and at Zappos, they are all quite excited too. Congratulations to Amazon, Zappos, Tony Hsieh, and Jeff Bezos ¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸ ⁹.

In honor of their “marriage”, I’ll repost an interview I had with Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a 5-part series where Tony Hsieh responds to over 20 questions submitted by shmula.com blog readers. Below is the post series:

Quotable from the series…

We actually have our 1-800 number on every single page of our web site because we actually want to talk to our customers and when customers talk to us for five to ten minutes we have their undivided attention and that’s really the best opportunity to brand ourselves as a company that unlike most companies, actually wants to take care of our customers.

See Jeff Bezos on Kaizen ↩
See Jeff Bezos on Root Cause Analysis ↩
See Jeff Bezos on Lean Thinking ↩
See Jeff Bezos on Taiichi Ohno ↩
See Jeff Bezos on the Fallacy of the Long Tail ↩
See Amazon.com on Loyalty ↩
See Amazon.com and Working Backwards ↩
See Jeff Bezos on Six Sigma ↩
See Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com, Customer Obsession ↩

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What’s *Really* Shocking About the White House Correspondent’s Dinner

Mike Lupien has an excellent article in today's Daily News talking about the tasteless jokes at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. But the tastelessness of the jokes isn't the real shocker about this.

In the past this dinner has always been a roast, i.e. an occasion where people make good-natured, self-deprecating jokes about the guest of honor (in this case Obama).

For example, from 2007:

Before Bush and Little spoke, CBS star David Letterman made a video appearance from his studio with a Top 10 list of taped vignettes showing some of the funniest Bush flubs of the last year.

From 2002:

President Bush gave reporters here a look Saturday at "what life is really like inside the Bush White House," showing off his collection of "actual, never-seen-before photos."

Bush and top members of his administration mingled with reporters and other Washington insiders at the annual White House Correspondents dinner.

The correspondents dinner, in its 88th year, has become an occasion for self-deprecating humor from presidents. Last year, Bush presented a slide show of his family accompanied by a joke-riddled speech about the 2000 presidential election recount.

What's really shocking isn't just the tastelessness of the jokes - it's that Obama used these jokes and this platform to attack his� political opponents:

Obama Likes Wanda Sykes Joke About Rush Limbaugh — ‘I Hope His Kidneys Fail’

Wanda Sykes Makes Fun Of Absent Sarah Palin With Abstinence Joke

Obama Mocks GOP Chair Michael Steele’s Use Of ‘Street Slang’

Far from being a uniter, the divisive Obama misuses the power of his office to bully all those who oppose him.

2 comments

Ramirez: Why You Can’t Take Democrats Seriously

From Ramirez:

2009-07-24T02:27:00.003-07:00

FOUR CORNERS
National Geodetic Survey officials say the Four Corners marker showing the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah is about 2.5 miles west of where it should be. This only place in the United States where four state boundaries come together was first surveyed inaccurately by the government in 1868 during the initial survey [...]

National Geodetic Survey officials say the Four Corners marker showing the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah is about 2.5 miles west of where it should be. This only place in the United States where four state boundaries come together was first surveyed inaccurately by the government in 1868 during the initial survey of Colorado’s southern boundary. (Wire reports, BFP, 4/21/09)

RSS Submission URLs Resources

Top Webmaster Resources

Happy New Year From China Business Watch

Simplify Sharing Process with Shareaholic

Social Bookmark Sites Resources

Mr.Frank Wong Is Scam

2009-07-24T02:27:00.001-07:00

Up-to-date Election Coverage
Here is the real time national election information as it comes out. And because we are in Iowa, here is the real time Iowa election data.

[[Click the headline to continue reading]]

Logistics Company OHL Visited By Central Michigan University Phi Chi Theta Chapter
Global Logistics Company OHL was selected by the Central Michigan University (CMU) chapter of Phi Chi Theta as a business of interest for the students in the College of Business Administration. OHL had the privilege of hosting students for a day to teach them about the various departments in the company and how they function together to create a successful business.

2009-07-23T02:32:00.003-07:00

Unterwegs nach China und Kabelsalat
Rechtzeitig wie immer habe ich die Vorbereitungen für meinen Flug nach Peking abgeschlossen. Wichtigstes Erkenntnis war, dass ich den Kabalsalal im Koffer einfach nicht vermeiden kann. Wieder mal 5 USB-Kabel für verschiedene Anwendungen wie I-Pod, Handy, Kamera usw. Dazu noch weiterer Laptop-Krimskrams. Ich frage mich, wann die Hersteller endlich mal die USB-Kabel vereinheitlichen. So routiniert wie [...]

How To Make A Million Pounds - aMillionJobsToDo
In the article How To Make A Million Pounds I explained how simple it is to make a million pounds explaining that it’s just a matter of starting a business and applying the formula: �1M = Profit x Number of Sales Which, with some rearrangement allows you to determine, based on your profit per sale, the number [...]

In the article How To Make A Million Pounds I explained how simple it is to make a million pounds explaining that it’s just a matter of starting a business and applying the formula:

�1M = Profit x Number of Sales

Which, with some rearrangement allows you to determine, based on your profit per sale, the number of sales required to make a million pounds. For example the number of sales required for a profit of �1, �10, �100, �1,000 and �10,000 are shown below:

Profit Per Sale	Number You Need To Sell
�1	1,000,000
�10	100,000
�100	10,000
�1,000	1,000
�10,000	100

�

However Chrissi Sharkey read the article and saw not just how simple the concept is, but that it presents a business opportunity too. Here’s what she said in her email:

I just wanted to email you to say thanks! I found your article on how to make a million pounds a while ago, which was the starting point for my new business idea. I have created a concept called aMillionJobsToDo… where people can suggest any task for a minimum fee of just �1.

Her business idea is explained in more detail on her website aMillionJobsToDo, where she explains:

The concept of this idea is that you can contact me and suggest any task which you need completing. You can specify how you would like the task to be done, when and where you would like the task completed and how much you are willing to pay for the task.

To achieve her dream (a local property on the market for just under �1M) she’s adapted the formula:

�1,000,000 = Profit x Jobs

Although she recognises that the more profit she makes on a job the fewer jobs are required, noting that:

This was the basic starting point of my idea. In theory I could actually complete a million tasks worth �1 each or hopefully slightly fewer jobs worth more profit!

She tells me that she’s made �1,000 so far (in a month since launching and whilst maintaining her day job) so I think she’s proven that her business idea can work. She’s also nicely demonstrating that the secret to starting a successful business is not an amazing idea, but a simple idea amazingly executed.

I look forward to following her story, I suspect it’ll be a successful one.

Related posts at Business Opportunities And Ideas:

2009-07-23T02:32:00.001-07:00

Responding to bad PR on YouTube
Good response from Gary V. about the Dominos snotty pizza fiasco - this is not a reason for large companies to avoid participating in video and other social media. And a request to have webcams in kitchens and back of house so consumers can see how clean they really are!

Good response from Gary V. about the Dominos snotty pizza fiasco - this is not a reason for large companies to avoid participating in video and other social media. And a request to have webcams in kitchens and back of house so consumers can see how clean they really are!

Mental Health Break: The Nicholas Brothers
You can't watch this and not smile...

You can't watch this and not smile...

Website, Twitter, Facebook - a model for connecting the bits
Great discussion by Jeff Jarvis today on his new MediaTalk USA podcast. They've set this up so you can listen to the talk session through iTunes, find out the names and links mentioned on the MediaUSA website, follow the Twitter updates, and discuss or comment on their Facebook group. Maybe this is the model for restaurants/hotels/bars to use for integration of the 'big 3' on everyone's mind right now: facts and detailed information on a good website, quick news and updates flowing through Twitter, with discussion and interaction available on a Facebook page (or group). Now, where does that leave blogs and email news?!...

Great discussion by Jeff Jarvis today on his new MediaTalk USA podcast. They've set this up so you can listen to the talk session through iTunes, find out the names and links mentioned on the MediaUSA website, follow the Twitter updates, and discuss or comment on their Facebook group.

Maybe this is the model for restaurants/hotels/bars to use for integration of the 'big 3' on everyone's mind right now: facts and detailed information on a good website, quick news and updates flowing through Twitter, with discussion and interaction available on a Facebook page (or group).

Now, where does that leave blogs and email news?!...

Promoting your Restaurant, Bar or Hotel...
How many of these lines do you recognise? Just substitute the word 'bar' or 'restaurant' for 'book'. Hat tip: Mike Duffy

How many of these lines do you recognise? Just substitute the word 'bar' or 'restaurant' for 'book'.

Hat tip: Mike Duffy

This will be tasty and fun: the Julia Child movie

An overlooked and useful KPI
Retailers often analyse the typical customer 'basket' size and composition. Did they buy just one sweater, or add accessories and a t-shirt? How many grocery or hardware items did they choose? The restaurateur or bar manager would be asking: how many items do lunch customers buy? What else do morning coffee drinkers order, or red-wine drinkers (mineral water if the servers are awake)? What beverages were ordered with tapas, or pasta? Per-head spend is the most common view of purchasing behaviour, but 'basket' analysis repays attention. A recent dissection with a client showed how many diners ordered only 2 items (most ordered nothing after the main course) and how many lunch customers did not order a beverage. Grab a pile of dockets from a typical day, and look for ordering patterns. The results may surprise you...

Retailers often analyse the typical customer 'basket' size and composition. Did they buy just one sweater, or add accessories and a t-shirt? How many grocery or hardware items did they choose?

The restaurateur or bar manager would be asking: how many items do lunch customers buy? What else do morning coffee drinkers order, or red-wine drinkers (mineral water if the servers are awake)? What beverages were ordered with tapas, or pasta?

Per-head spend is the most common view of purchasing behaviour, but 'basket' analysis repays attention. A recent dissection with a client showed how many diners ordered only 2 items (most ordered nothing after the main course) and how many lunch customers did not order a beverage. Grab a pile of dockets from a typical day, and look for ordering patterns. The results may surprise you...

How could we use 'beta testing' with menus?
Jeff Jarvis in his new book What Would Google Do? promotes the importance of releasing a product in an 'almost finished' or beta stage [see the short video below]. Google are masters of the process, with many of their popular products still technically 'under development'. They actively and enthusiastically seek comments and suggestions for how to make it just right, rather than deciding in advance that they know best - take it or leave it. The term 'beta' also blunts the picky critics. Menu development is usually hard work; balancing price, ingredients, texture, flavour, seasons, market segment, competition, available skills and equipment...on and on it goes, with hopefully customers somewhere in the mix! What if the menu was released as 'almost done' with a Beta stamp, and an invitation for guests to 'help us get it just right'! No need to incorporate all the suggestions (Google certainly don't), but there will be excellent ideas that weren't thought of or forgotten. All it needs is an easy feedback process (SMS will do), a word processing and a printer. Hey, we have all that, and now we also have real customer engagement! Please watch the video and give me your thoughts...

Jeff Jarvis in his new book What Would Google Do? promotes the importance of releasing a product in an 'almost finished' or beta stage [see the short video below].

Google are masters of the process, with many of their popular products still technically 'under development'. They actively and enthusiastically seek comments and suggestions for how to make it just right, rather than deciding in advance that they know best - take it or leave it. The term 'beta' also blunts the picky critics.

Menu development is usually hard work; balancing price, ingredients, texture, flavour, seasons, market segment, competition, available skills and equipment...on and on it goes, with hopefully customers somewhere in the mix! What if the menu was released as 'almost done' with a Beta stamp, and an invitation for guests to 'help us get it just right'!

No need to incorporate all the suggestions (Google certainly don't), but there will be excellent ideas that weren't thought of or forgotten. All it needs is an easy feedback process (SMS will do), a word processing and a printer. Hey, we have all that, and now we also have real customer engagement! Please watch the video and give me your thoughts...

Share the restaurant experience with pictures and music, not words
Great short video made by my brother and a buddy in Phoenix, with night and day shots of his favourite local restaurant Palatte. We have a mutual challenge to each create 25 videos in 25 days (and I am waaaay behind). This is quick, easy video production: the right music tells so much of the 'atmosphere' story - no words needed! You have customers who could do this on their ear for the cost of a few meals...just ask - barter is back in fashion!

Great short video made by my brother and a buddy in Phoenix, with night and day shots of his favourite local restaurant Palatte. We have a mutual challenge to each create 25 videos in 25 days (and I am waaaay behind).

This is quick, easy video production: the right music tells so much of the 'atmosphere' story - no words needed! You have customers who could do this on their ear for the cost of a few meals...just ask - barter is back in fashion!

Mental Health Break
He's your new waiter or function sales guy...'stop having boring tuna, stop having a boring life!' Hat tip: Marketing Headhunter

He's your new waiter or function sales guy...'stop having boring tuna, stop having a boring life!'

Hat tip: Marketing Headhunter

2009-07-22T02:27:00.005-07:00

Cornbelt Update

Sensual Massage: A Lovers' Guide
By Susan Mumford
Publisher: Hamlyn; New Ed edition (15 Nov 1999)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0600600122
ISBN-13: 978-0600600121

Introduction

Massage celebrates the sensuality of any relationship. There is no better way to give and receive pleasure, to relax, relieve stress and tension, and create the ultimate romantic moment. Massage involves structured touch, a technique which must be learned to be accomplished properly. This authoritative illustrated guide shows how to perform each step to give your partner maximum pleasure. The three basic strokes - effleurage, petrissage and friction - and their variations are explored thoroughly, with a a variety of massages presented, lasting from 20 minutes to one hour and including tips on choosing the right massage oils.

Download Sensual Massage: A Lovers' Guide

International Project Management
By Bennet P. Lientz, Bennet P. Lientz
277 pages
Publisher: Academic Press; 1 edition (November 14, 2002)
ISBN-10: 0124499856

Introduction

International Project Management' provides specific guidelines for achieving greater project success. It is the result of 15 years of work on international projects by the authors across various project areas and industries. The authors address a need for modern techniques in project management geared and suited to international projects. They offer lessons learned from failures and problems in international projects, and suggest alternative solutions for project issues. Industry examples include manufacturing, distribution, communications, media, transportation, government, IT, marketing, energy, medical care, tourism, and others in forty countries across five continents.

Download International Project Management

Five New Yardsticks Indicate How Your Farm Measures Up Financially

The Dairy Herd Buyout Has Tax Implications.

Wheat Market Speculation: A Congressional Issue, Or Simply Revising The Delivery Contract?

Yields, Price, And ACRE: Working Toward A Decision

2009-07-22T02:27:00.003-07:00

How VIP Consulting helped me negotiate. (C)

VIP Consulting – David Melatti 43 Wakefield Street Kensington VIC 3031 Tel: 1300 736 638 What is a buyer’s agent? * they are licensed professionals who help in searching, evaluating, and negotiating the purchase of property on behalf of the buyer. * they work exclusively for the vendor * are usually ex-real estate agents themselves and know how the system works * are [...]

2009-07-22T02:27:00.001-07:00

Sigifredo Najera, aka “el Canicon” A suspected drug cartel hitman
MEXICO CITY (AFP) — A suspected drug cartel hitman accused of organizing an attack on the US consulate in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey in October has been arrested by security forces, said President Felipe Calderon. “The Mexican army has arrested Sigifredo Najera, aka El Canicon, (who was) directly responsible for the torture and killing [...]

MEXICO CITY (AFP) — A suspected drug cartel hitman accused of organizing an attack on the US consulate in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey in October has been arrested by security forces, said President Felipe Calderon.

“The Mexican army has arrested Sigifredo Najera, aka El Canicon, (who was) directly responsible for the torture and killing of soldiers and the attack on the US consulate,” Calderon announced late Friday.

In a boost for Calderon, Mexico on Thursday arrested the son of top Sinaloan kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who is wanted in the United States.

El Mayo runs the ruthless Sinaloa coalition along with the country’s most-wanted fugitive, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman. Last week, Forbes Magazine estimated Guzman’s wealth at $1 billion.

Texas says Mexico’s Cemex owes at least $558 mln in royalties
* Texas says Cemex owes at least $558 mln in royalties * Lawsuit latest concern for debt-laden Mexican company * Cemex says sand, gravel not subject to royalties (Recasts; adds background, Cemex debt details) By Robin Emmott MONTERREY, Mexico, June 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. state of Texas said on Tuesday it filed a lawsuit against Mexico’s Cemex SA [...]

* Texas says Cemex owes at least $558 mln in royalties

* Lawsuit latest concern for debt-laden Mexican company

* Cemex says sand, gravel not subject to royalties (Recasts; adds background, Cemex debt details)

By Robin Emmott

MONTERREY, Mexico, June 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. state of Texas said on Tuesday it filed a lawsuit against Mexico’s Cemex SA for $558 million in royalties owed in the United States, the latest headache for the debt-laden cement maker.

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said Cemex (CMXCPO.MX)(CX.N), the top cement maker in the United States, was mining a quarry near El Paso, Texas, without paying royalties to the owner, the state’s Permanent School Fund.

Navarrette: U.S Help on the way for Mexico’s drugs war
By Tony Allen Mills BY THE hair-raising standards of torture, murder, kidnapping, extortion and other drug-related mayhem that has become tragically routine along the US border with Mexico, the inspection of a battered red Ford pickup truck travelling south through the Arizona desert this month hardly seemed worth recording. US border patrol agents stopped the vehicle as [...]

By Tony Allen

Mills BY THE hair-raising standards of torture, murder, kidnapping, extortion and other drug-related mayhem that has become tragically routine along the US border with Mexico, the inspection of a battered red Ford pickup truck travelling south through the Arizona desert this month hardly seemed worth recording.

US border patrol agents stopped the vehicle as it headed towards Mexico through the Organ Pipe Cactus national park. A search quickly uncovered seven assault rifles – two of them Russian-made AK47s – a couple of handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

Compared with the recent seizure of 500 rifles and 100 fragmentation hand grenades close to the Texas border, it was scarcely a big haul. Yet it was the latest evidence that Mexico’s drug cartels are resorting to sinister techniques that are changing the nature of border violence and confronting President Barack Obama with an expanding threat on US soil [timesonline.co.uk]

Mexico’s drugs war

The Best Mexico City Resorts in Mexico City
If your traveling to Mexico City then you have many Mexico resorts that you may fall in love with , why? mainly because you have lots of Mexico City hotels to choose from, the presence of so many hotels gives you the opportunity to choose the ones that are in your budget. Finding the best [...]

If your traveling to Mexico City then you have many Mexico resorts that you may fall in love with , why? mainly because you have lots of Mexico City hotels to choose from, the presence of so many hotels gives you the opportunity to choose the ones that are in your budget. Finding the best Mexico resorts and Mexico City hotels is important for a memorable holiday in Mexico.

Submit your favorites Resorts in Mexico City and ill post them.

Huerta Rios ran operations for the Beltran Leyva drug cartel ‘gets captured’
Soldiers guard alleged drug cartel lieutenant Hector Huerta Rios after a press conference to show him to the media in Mexico City, Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Huerta Rios, who allegedly ran operations for the Beltran Leyva drug cartel, was detained Tuesday in Monterrey, northern Mexico Soldiers take part in an operation to capture drug kingpin Hector [...]

Soldiers guard alleged drug cartel lieutenant Hector Huerta Rios after a press conference to show him to the media in Mexico City, Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Huerta Rios, who allegedly ran operations for the Beltran Leyva drug cartel, was detained Tuesday in Monterrey, northern Mexico

Soldiers take part in an operation to capture drug kingpin Hector Huerta Rios in the suburb of San Pedro Garza Garcia in Monterrey, northern Mexico March 24, 2009. Soldiers on Tuesday captured Huerta Rio from the Beltran Leyva cartel who is accused of the killing of a police chief in this industrial city. Huerta Rios was seized along with five persons, weapons and money at his car dealership.

Hi Everyone,

How often do we say: I Need To Know ?

I say it all the time and I’m not too sure what I used to do before GOOGLE.

Anyway, at some point today I was wondering about the origin of the phrase………a stitch in time saves nine.

Anyway, here is something I can show you without blushing:

A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

That old proverb isn’t just about sewing, oh, no. Proverbs 17 contains a choice morsel with a similar application:

The beginning of strife is like releasing water; therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

Another folk proverb along these lines is about ‘nipping it in the bud.’ That is, the best time to deal with an issue is before it becomes an issue.

OK, that is that sorted.I had now set myself off thinking about other sayings.

To Kill Two Birds With One Stone. Here’s one woman’s explanation of what it means:

Strange too how Walmart crops up a lot !!!

And in Italy they say: “Prendere due piccioni con una fava”.
The translation word by word is:

“To catch two pigeons with one bean”. Isn’t that great. It made my afternoon.

Ciao until tomorrow

Julie

Who Needs Goals ?
Hi Everyone, Setting goals is an important part of life and without them we neither know what we are trying to achieve nor how we are going to achieve it. Some prefer to keep their goals in their head, that way no one will know whether they have failed. These people have a fear of failure. So [...]

Hi Everyone,

Setting goals is an important part of life and without them we neither know what we are trying to achieve nor how we are going to achieve it.

Some prefer to keep their goals in their head, that way no one will know whether they have failed. These people have a fear of failure. So much can be gleaned from mistakes errors and failures that we should readily accept that we cannot always succeed. We can only learn from our mistakes and become better people.

If you do nothing else today make sure you write down your goals.

What are they for this week.

The next six months.

What do you want to achieve this year.

Next year.

Where do you want to be in 5 years time.

And don’t worry having goals will not rob your life of spontaniety. Goals will inject optimism and a positive mental attitude. Goals can also ensure that you lead a balanced lifestyle rather than just concentrating on your career for example. There needs to be time dedicated to playing too !!!

Making time and room for everything in your life requires thought and dedication.

Get some help and learn more at: www.manageyourtime.org

Julie

Hi Everyone,

This can be a useful test to really see how your attitude and approach to time management has changed.

Imagine that your cherished home is constructed of wood. It catches fire and you have at most 11 minutes to rescue items form your house that you really need to save from the fire.

Consider what you would do first and then next and so on.

I’ll be back soon with some answers.

Meanwhile you can get help with your Time Management skills at: www.manageyourtime.org

Julie

Las Rocas Resort - Rosarito, Mexico
A Picture Submited of Las Rocas Resort - Rosarito, Mexico part of Baja California.

A Picture Submited of Las Rocas Resort - Rosarito, Mexico part of Baja California.

2009-07-21T02:27:00.003-07:00

iPhone-Bedienungshilfen genutzt von blinden Photographen
Das Wired-Magazin veröffentlicht einen Artikel über blinde Photographen, die mit den erweiterten iPhone-Bedienungshilfen ihrem Hobby nachgehen. So lassen sich mit einem 3GS die Menüpunkte auf dem Touch-Bildschirm vorlesen, bis zum 5-fachen ihrer Größe zoomen und für den stärkeren Kontrast von ‘Weiß auf Schwarz’ umstellen. Die Werke der vorgestellten Photographen lassen sich im gemeinsamen Weblog ‘Blind Photographers‘ [...]

Das Wired-Magazin veröffentlicht einen Artikel über blinde Photographen, die mit den erweiterten iPhone-Bedienungshilfen ihrem Hobby nachgehen. So lassen sich mit einem 3GS die Menüpunkte auf dem Touch-Bildschirm vorlesen, bis zum 5-fachen ihrer Größe zoomen und für den stärkeren Kontrast von ‘Weiß auf Schwarz’ umstellen.

Die Werke der vorgestellten Photographen lassen sich im gemeinsamen Weblog ‘Blind Photographers‘ begutachten. Es wird wenig Aufsehen darum gemacht, das die neue 3-Megapixel Kamera mit Autofokus keine professionellen Ansprüche erfüllt (’toy camera’), vom Aspekt der Benutzung seiner Konkurrenz jedoch weit voraus ist.

Auch erste deutschsprachige Erfahrungen mit der VoiceOver-Funktion beschrieb kürzlich Marco Zehe.

In der anstehenden Firmware-Aktualisierung 3.1 können die Bedienungshilfen auch im Schnellzugriff auf den Doppelklick der Home-Taste gelegt werden.

via wired

The Dairy Herd Buyout Has Tax Implications.

WiFi vorgetäuscht: 3G Unrestrictor (Cydia)
Die Nachfolge von VoIPover3G möchte 3G Unrestrictor für $2 im Cydia-Store auf Jailbreak-Geräten antreten. Die Anwendung gaukelt dem iPhone vor, sich in einem WiFi zu befinden und lässt somit auch von unterwegs die Skype-Telefonie nutzen, lädt App Store-Anwendungen über 10MB oder spielt YouTube-Videos in besserer Qualität. Die Anwendung erschien mit Verzögerung am heutigen Abend, machte einen [...]

Die Nachfolge von VoIPover3G möchte 3G Unrestrictor für $2 im Cydia-Store auf Jailbreak-Geräten antreten. Die Anwendung gaukelt dem iPhone vor, sich in einem WiFi zu befinden und lässt somit auch von unterwegs die Skype-Telefonie nutzen, lädt App Store-Anwendungen über 10MB oder spielt YouTube-Videos in besserer Qualität.

Die Anwendung erschien mit Verzögerung am heutigen Abend, machte einen kurzen Rückzieher, ist aber inzwischen wieder käuflich zu beziehen. Wem Cydia nach der Installation abschmiert, greift zur entsprechenden PDF-Anleitung für dieses hoffentlich temporäre Problem.

Der Autor von 3G Unrestrictor sowie VoIPover3G nennt sich crash-x und aktualisierte im gleichen Atemzug auch das kostenfreie VoIPover3G. Version 1.1 läuft auf 3GS-Geräten, kommt ohne Benutzeroberfläche und funktioniert mit Skype (kostenlos; App Store-Link) sowie Fring (kostenlos; App Store-Link). Letztgenanntes erfuhr diese Woche ebenfalls eine Aktualisierung für Push-Benachrichtigungen.

Wer mehr Programmen ein nicht existentes WiFi-Netz unterschieben möchte, greift zur $2-’Trickanwendung’. Wer nur von Unterwegs per Skype telefonieren möchte, ist mit VoIPover3G ausreichend bedient.

Perry Rhodan als eBook jetzt wöchentlich
Nachdem sich Amazon mit einer ‘DRM-Rückrufaktion‘ der Orwell-Bücher ‘1984′ und ‘Animal Farm’ auf dem Kindle am letzten Donnerstag in das größte aller Fettnäpfchen setzte, kommt die Gelegenheit günstig auf das eBook-Programm Textunes (kostenlos; App Store-Link) hinzuweisen. Auswahl und Präsentation sind (immer noch) exklusiv und hübsch, technisch könnte das Programm ihren Buchvertrieb auch [...]

Nachdem sich Amazon mit einer ‘DRM-Rückrufaktion‘ der Orwell-Bücher ‘1984′ und ‘Animal Farm’ auf dem Kindle am letzten Donnerstag in das größte aller Fettnäpfchen setzte, kommt die Gelegenheit günstig auf das eBook-Programm Textunes (kostenlos; App Store-Link) hinzuweisen.

Auswahl und Präsentation sind (immer noch) exklusiv und hübsch, technisch könnte das Programm ihren Buchvertrieb auch innerhalb der Anwendung realisieren. Mit Firmware 3.0 sollte der Katalog langsam überführt werden und nicht jedes Schriftwerk als einzelne Anwendung den App Store überfluten.

Zur 2500. Folge der bekannten Sciene-Fiction-Serie Perry Rhodan, gibt es zum Jubiläum und dem exklusiven Vertriebs-Start eine kostenlose Leseprobe. Ab dieser Woche beginnt die wöchentliche Serie, bei der jedes neue Blatt zum Preis von 1.59 € erhältlich sein wird.

An den kleinen Schreibfehlern im Titel wird möglicherweise noch gearbeitet…

-> App Store-Link

Five New Yardsticks Indicate How Your Farm Measures Up Financially

World of Warcraft - Mobile Armory
DirektWoW Ein spielbarer ‘World of Warcraft’-Client hat es bislang nicht auf das iPhone geschafft. Für ‘Mobile Armory’ (kostenlos; App Store-Link) hat Blizzard jedoch kurz Onkel Dagoberts-Geldspeicher verlassen, und präsentiert die erste offizielle WoW-Anwendung. Damit können bürokratische Tätigkeiten wie die Raid-Kalender-, Charakter-, Item-, und Gilden-Verwaltung durchgeführt werden. Das Foren-Feedback der Zielgruppe klingt, trotz limitiertem Programm-Umfang, durchaus zufrieden gestellt. [...]

DirektWoW

Ein spielbarer ‘World of Warcraft’-Client hat es bislang nicht auf das iPhone geschafft. Für ‘Mobile Armory’ (kostenlos; App Store-Link) hat Blizzard jedoch kurz Onkel Dagoberts-Geldspeicher verlassen, und präsentiert die erste offizielle WoW-Anwendung. Damit können bürokratische Tätigkeiten wie die Raid-Kalender-, Charakter-, Item-, und Gilden-Verwaltung durchgeführt werden.

Das Foren-Feedback der Zielgruppe klingt, trotz limitiertem Programm-Umfang, durchaus zufrieden gestellt.

-> App Store-Link

Erste Blu-ray mit App Store-Feature
Ich finde es immer total unterhaltsam wenn Verkaufszahlen von einer 91-prozentigen Steigerung sprechen, jedoch ‘vergessen’ Vergleichswerte zu liefern. So ist es im Fall der Blu-ray-Verkäufe gerade in den letzten Tagen passiert. Wühlt man sich weiter durch diverse Studien und Berichte findet man heraus, das in lediglich 7-Prozent der US-Haushalte ein entsprechendes Abspielgerät steht. Und das [...]

Ich finde es immer total unterhaltsam wenn Verkaufszahlen von einer 91-prozentigen Steigerung sprechen, jedoch ‘vergessen’ Vergleichswerte zu liefern. So ist es im Fall der Blu-ray-Verkäufe gerade in den letzten Tagen passiert. Wühlt man sich weiter durch diverse Studien und Berichte findet man heraus, das in lediglich 7-Prozent der US-Haushalte ein entsprechendes Abspielgerät steht. Und das soll im Jahr 2009 der große Gewinner im Krieg gegen die HD-DVD sein?

Nein. Obwohl in den nächsten zwei bis drei Jahren noch Unsummen in das potenzielle DVD-Nachfolgermedium zu versenken sind, physikalische Medien attestiere ich keine lange Lebenszeit mehr. Trotzdem ist man natürlich gefangen in seiner eigenen kleinen Welt, in der vor zirka 10 Jahren die letzte CD erworben wurde. Die digitalen Downloads übertrumpften jedoch erst im letzten Jahr den weltweiten Hardware-Verkauf.

Apropos 10 Jahre. Napster jubiliert dieser Tage und Universal Pictures bereitet mit ‘Fast & Furious’ zum Blu-ray-Verkaufsstart (Deutschland: 03.September) den erste App Store-Bundle vor.

For the first time, iPhone and iPod Touch users will be able to control interactive content on their Web-connected Blu-ray Disc players. On subsequent Universal Blu-ray Disc releases coming later in the year, consumers will be able to access bonus content found on their Blu-ray Disc releases and download it onto their iPhone or iPod Touch. They’ll also be able to use the devices as a virtual remote to control their Blu-ray Disc features and access additional information while watching the movie.

Und wirklich nichts, könnte mich weniger interessieren. Macht endlich vernünftige Filme und lasst mich mit virtuellen Spaziergängen durch Vin Diesels-Garage in Ruhe.

The Virtual Car Garage feature lets viewers use the touch screens on their iPhone or iPod touch devices to control 360-degree views of the movie’s street racers and instantly call up the cars’ technical specs.

Oh nein.

via Homemediamagazine

2009-07-21T02:27:00.001-07:00

It’s rare that you’re in the r…
It’s rare that you’re in the room of the groom’s parents after the wedding at 3am and find out he was concieved in a pickup truck.

It’s rare that you’re in the room of the groom’s parents after the wedding at 3am and find out he was concieved in a pickup truck.

bring a towel to the dumpster pools
Forget the Trash Bag, Bring a Towel to the Dumpster Pools – NYTimes.com. the hipster country club of brooklyn i suppose. love the photo from the article.

Forget the Trash Bag, Bring a Towel to the Dumpster Pools – NYTimes.com. the hipster country club of brooklyn i suppose. love the photo from the article.

henry allingham
TheStar.com | World | Henry Allingham, 113: War vet was world’s oldest man “Allingham, jokingly attributed his remarkable longevity to “cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women.”" and “He is survived by six grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, 21 great-great-grandchildren, and one great-great-great grandchild”

TheStar.com | World | Henry Allingham, 113: War vet was world’s oldest man “Allingham, jokingly attributed his remarkable longevity to “cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women.”" and “He is survived by six grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, 21 great-great-grandchildren, and one great-great-great grandchild”

surfing the north carolina coast
Surfing the North Carolina Coast – The New York Times Slide Show. cool set of photos.

Surfing the North Carolina Coast – The New York Times Slide Show. cool set of photos.

In London to kick off the star…
In London to kick off the start of the wedding season. Congrats to Ryan and Genny!

In London to kick off the start of the wedding season. Congrats to Ryan and Genny!

paperclip + s3 + dj
Codeword: Studios -> Delayed upload delivery to S3 with Paperclip + Delayed::Job. totally been meaning to do this for one of my projects.

Codeword: Studios -> Delayed upload delivery to S3 with Paperclip + Delayed::Job. totally been meaning to do this for one of my projects.

bill moyers with hmo insider
Bill Moyers Journal: Interview with former HMO executive Wendell Potter. interesting interview about how much sway the health care industry has in washington.

Bill Moyers Journal: Interview with former HMO executive Wendell Potter. interesting interview about how much sway the health care industry has in washington.

never gonna give your teen spirit up
YouTube – Nirvana vs Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give Your Teen Spirit up. this is surprisingly well done.

YouTube – Nirvana vs Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give Your Teen Spirit up. this is surprisingly well done.

15 creepiest vintage ads of all time
The 15 Creepiest Vintage Ads Of All Time. my favorite line is “Seriously, what kind of woman doesn’t “store test” for fresher coffee?”

The 15 Creepiest Vintage Ads Of All Time. my favorite line is “Seriously, what kind of woman doesn’t “store test” for fresher coffee?”

2009-07-20T03:02:00.001-07:00

Burger Quest 2009: Eggspectation
Burgers are like eggs: Undercook 'em and they retain some moisture; overcook 'em and they're chewy like rawhide. That's how things roll at Eggspectation.

Red Line service to quit near crash site for investigation
Midday Metro riders can expect agonizing delays Thursday as federal transportation experts continue their investigation into last month’s Red Line crash. Ditto for Saturday, WMATA announced. Service between Takoma and Fort Totten will be suspended between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Thursday, according to a press statement. Shuttle buses will shlep people between those stations; meanwhile, [...]

South Silver Spring scores new wine retailer
A new shop on East-West Highway in South Silver Spring will offer convenience items like beer and wine, as well as dry-cleaning services.

Books: ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’
"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" is an adorable tale that mashes contemporary action moves with old-skool English storytelling, all without seeming anachronistic or contrived.

This Weekend
As it turns out, spending the weekend in Silver Spring won't be too painful. There's music, politics and a play -- something for (almost) everyone.

Architects picture park-like setting for proposed library bridge
A footbridge between downtown's new library and the Wayne Avenue garage can go from being a dull, utilitarian walkway to a slick, sky-high park, the project's architects suggested.

Fire causes minor damage to civic center site
A small fire on Fenton Street was quashed before it got cooking Friday afternoon.

2009-07-20T02:27:00.003-07:00

APM Terminals Aarhus Starts Rail Service; New Service reduces emissions and truck traffic from Danish highways; Offers new, more cost effective routing for shipping lines
Executives from APM Terminals Aarhus have announced a new rail shuttle service from the Port of Aarhus to serve the Danish capital of Copenhagen. The new service offers shippers a five hour transit time and frequency of up to three departures a week.

2009-07-20T02:27:00.001-07:00

Eric’s sideways look at real estate and other stuff – SF East Bay Area
via eastbayplus.posterous.com This was from one of my trips to Taiwan. It was early morning and they had just poured a large area of concrete. The steam was fantastic, and the footprints made this great texture. Eric Posted via web from Eric’s sideways look at real estate and other stuff Posted [...]

via eastbayplus.posterous.com

This was from one of my trips to Taiwan.
It was early morning and they had just poured a large area of concrete.
The steam was fantastic, and the footprints made this great texture.

Eric

Posted via web from Eric’s sideways look at real estate and other stuff

Posted in real estate

2009-07-19T02:27:00.005-07:00

Samsung Water Filter
Samsung Water Filter: UK Aqua installs, repairs maintains and rents plumbed in water coolers and dispensers across the UK

About UK Aqua:
UK Aqua installs, repairs maintains and rents plumbed in water coolers and dispensers across the UK
Click HERE: Mineral Water

UK Aqua Ltd was formerly part of the Office Champions group which was established by breakaway senior management from one of the UKs largest employers and facilities management businesses a recognised plc. By October 2006 UK Aqua Ltd reached a size where separation from the parent group was a logical step to allow management to focus on continued increasing growth rates.

The office drinking water cooler maintains its popularity simply because of its convenience. Living healthy starts with eating right and using clean clear water for all of your daily needs. The fact is drinking pure water can be the cure-all for many common ailments.

The dangerous chemicals present in the tap water will enter the human body through the skin and may also be drawn in while breathing in showers. Now that you know the benefits of drinking water it becomes obvious that the water we consume has to be pure and 100% safe. The filter mechanism in these bottles will take care of purifying it and providing you with fresh and clean water.

Water purifiers are not only the most affordable and convenient but also the best way to ensure purity in the water that you are drinking. Chlorine in drinking water samples need to be tested immediately. Another benefit to drinking water is that it aides in weight management.

Company Name UK Aqua Ltd
Registered Office,7 Park Road, Egham, Surrey,TW20 9BJ
Registered In England no 0596736

Website: ukaqua.com

Phone Number: 01784 300 134
Email: enquiries@ukaqua.com

V.A.T. Registration No.: 822 1697 34
Company Registration No.: 4746342

Use Chair Covers at Your Event
Chair covers can be used to make boring banquet chairs look lots more stylish.

Chair covers can be used to make boring banquet chairs look lots more stylish. It’s easy to find one that will perfectly fit your chairs because chair covers are available in several fabrics, styles and colors.

Chair covers are more often than not known for their use at a wedding reception or company function. Banquet stacking chairs and folding chairs constructed of wood, metal or plastic are the most common types of chairs used in places that host big functions. You can personalize an event by masking plain chairs with chair covers.

When it comes to a wedding reception, chair covers could be used by the bride-to-be to set the feel of the event. Take for instance spun polyester chair covers. It is easy to create a wedding centered around a particular color theme because spun polyester is for sale in a wide choice of colors.

If a romantic setting is what you are looking for then choose satin chair covers or a fanciful fabric such as twinkle, contessa, pintuck or monique. By all means, don’t leave out the table decorations. Add table skirting, tablecloths and table napkins to the occasion and you will surely create a wedding reception that will not be forgotten.

It’s essential to have a supply of chair covers available for use if you own a business that offers rental space for large gatherings. This will afford you an advantage over your competitor because you’ll be able to offer something that they do not. You can complement virtually any party theme by simply making available woven polyester chair covers in white or ivory. Patrons can add their own personal touch to an occasion by buying or even renting coordinating bagels, elastic chair bows or sashes.

Chair covers provide a finished look to any event. Creating a truly one-of-a-kind look is quite easy because there is such a variety of complementary materials and colors to pick from. Use chair covers and you’ll never have to settle for the cold, hard look of banquet or folding chairs ever again.

2009-07-19T02:27:00.003-07:00

Risk Aversion rules…so far today!
The theme of the day today so far is “risk aversion”. The dollar is doing quite well, especially against the emerging market currencies (South African rand, Turkish lira, etc.). Also, a pair that tends to do good when the financial markets to bad (GBP/AUD) is towards the top of the list too.However, USD/CAD beats them [...]

The theme of the day today so far is “risk aversion”. The dollar is doing quite well, especially against the emerging market currencies (South African rand, Turkish lira, etc.). Also, a pair that tends to do good when the financial markets to bad (GBP/AUD) is towards the top of the list too.However, USD/CAD beats them all this morning…up 1.5% on the day so far. Traders could be looking for a correction in oil since it’s traveled so far, so fast. Oil is at $68.25 as of this writing…down from a peak of around $73 so far, yet still far off of the $33 lows.

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Building Permits & Housing Starts improve for the 3rd month in a row!
Building Permits and Housing Starts improved for the 3rd month in a row. This is the first “breath of fresh air” that the housing market has gotten in a while. The weird thing is…as things improve economically in the U.S. it improves the sentiment for the larger, global economy…since the U.S. is such a big part [...]

Building Permits and Housing Starts improved for the 3rd month in a row. This is the first “breath of fresh air” that the housing market has gotten in a while.

The weird thing is…as things improve economically in the U.S. it improves the sentiment for the larger, global economy…since the U.S. is such a big part of that. So in the end, the positive U.S. data will help foreign currencies even more than it does the U.S. dollar. In fact, I’d expect the dollar to stay in its “well defined” downtrend even as the U.S. economy continues to improve for that very reason.

Canadian Core CPI came in at 0%. So there was literally no inflationary or deflationary pressures. Given the neutrality of that report, it probably won’t affect the CAD that much. So any moves on it today, from this point on are likely to be “technical” in nature. The USD/CAD trend has been down. That trend is likely to continue (with periods of corrective upswings along the way).

Sean Hyman

www.forextradingblog.com

Tags: blog, cad, currencies, data, dollar, dow, downtrend, economic, economy, forex, forextrading, housing market, Hyman, Sean, Sean Hyman, sentiment, technical, time, U.S., USD

Tell Me What Tuesday: Do You Work from Home During Holy Week?
This might not apply to other religions, but for many Roman Catholics, the Holy Week (March 19-23) is a big deal and it should be observed properly. So if you are a work-from-home entrepreneur in the Philippines or even in other countries, how do you observe the Holy Week? My family’s usually extremely busy during the Holy [...]

Technically trade the best “fundamental” currencies. Which one’s on top?
Australia…why? It has the highest interest rate of any major industrialized nation (3%…next highest, New Zealand @ 2.5%). It has the next to highest inflation rate which will help ensure high rates that go higher over time (2.5% year over year (New Zealand is on top, with 3%)). Australia really stands out on this next [...]

Australia…why? It has the highest interest rate of any major industrialized nation (3%…next highest, New Zealand @ 2.5%). It has the next to highest inflation rate which will help ensure high rates that go higher over time (2.5% year over year (New Zealand is on top, with 3%)). Australia really stands out on this next one…they are the ONLY major industrialized nation to have a positivie year over year GDP (0.8%). All others are negative right now. And they still have one of the lower unemployment rates out there (5.4%).So put all of this together and this gives the Aussie dollar the best overall fundamentals followed by the New Zealand dollar, next. Therefore, you may want to technically trade AUD/USD, AUD/JPY and secondarily NZD/USD and NZD/JPY as your “focus currencies” to trade…no matter what time frame you trade upon.(As an added note, the Aussie consumer sentiment jumped to a +12.7% vs. a -4.3% last time. This is one of the highest readings in a long time.)Also…China just had an acquisition deal go bad that would have netted them a ton of iron ore that they badly need for their expansion. Since that fell through, they will greatly step up their purchases from Australia, which again helps the Aussie dollar, especially vs. the U.S. dollar (buying AUD/USD, in other words).Get a FREE, REAL TIME demo account to trade, here: http://www.fxedu.com/practice-forex-account

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Google Voice app for Blackberry kills GVDialer
Google Voice is "one number to rule them all". I’ve known all along that Google would create "clients" for the Blackberry and the iPhone eventually. In the mean time, I wanted to do everything I could to make GV as usable as possible. I tried the free version of GV Mobile for the iPhone (iPod [...]

Google Voice is "one number to rule them all". I’ve known all along that Google would create "clients" for the Blackberry and the iPhone eventually. In the mean time, I wanted to do everything I could to make GV as usable as possible. I tried the free version of GV Mobile for the iPhone (iPod Touch) and liked it so much, I paid for the full version, knowing that at some point, Google would give me something for free. Still, at $2.99, the iPhone app was worth it.

The Blackberry has the GV Dialer app. I gave the 30 day trial a test run and was so underwhelmed, there was no way I would pay $7.99 for the real app. Thankfully, Google saved me.

Google Voice for Blackberry is free and quite usable. It does what it needs to; doesn’t try to do too much, and doesn’t get all wrapped around the axle when it comes to integrating into the Blackberry. My one complaint from initial testing is that it needs to do more caching and reduce the amount of effort and bandwidth it puts into my data connection when what I really want is to place a phone call. It needs a small amount of data to signal the servers for the call but otherwise, it should be less heavy in this department.

One complaint I’ve read but don’t echo is; "you can’t simply open your BlackBerry phonebook and dial via Google Voice". Personally, it was a pain to get my address book sync’d but I had to do that for the iPhone so now it’s a non issue. Besides, Google Voice remembers most recent dialed numbers so more often than not, I am dialing from my history and not from my address book.

So, for now it’s Google’s own app for the Blackberry and GV Mobile for the iPhone. I look forward to comparing Google’s own iPhone app when they launch it.

Central Banker Bollard gives the “Green Light” to New Zealand’s Economic Recovery!
Last night, New Zealand’s central banker stated that “early signs of a global recovery have emerged” and that “New Zealand looks likely to start recovering ahead of the pack”. How’s that for an “economic green light”? Pretty good, huh… More specifically, he stated that their economy will start growing in the final quarter of this [...]

Last night, New Zealand’s central banker stated that “early signs of a global recovery have emerged” and that “New Zealand looks likely to start recovering ahead of the pack”.

How’s that for an “economic green light”? Pretty good, huh…

More specifically, he stated that their economy will start growing in the final quarter of this year. He’s still likely to keep their interest rates low until late 2010 though (because the economy needs further stimulus).

Bollard also expressed his interest in a weaker NZD dollar, however, I’m not so sure he’s going to get that wish granted with a speech like last night’s speech.

Sentiment improves when economic growth resumes. On top of that, New Zealand still has the 2^nd highest interest rate of any industrialized nation, so the “carry traders” may still bid up his currency while at the same time selling the U.S. buck or yen!

A recent Westpac report expects that their economy will grow 2.6% next year (more than twice the pace it forecast in April). Again, another “big plus” for the carry traders that live the Kiwi dollar (NZD).

So far, the New Zealand dollar has gained a whopping 17% on the U.S. dollar in the past 6 months. With reports like this from Westpac and Bollard, that trend is more likely to continue than to abate!

So while Bollard calls recent gains in the New Zealand dollar “unhelpful”…he may find that it becomes even more “unhelpful” in the weeks/months to come!

As things get “booming” again, it looks like he could increase the minimum capital requirements of banks to reign in excessive lending by making them hold more money in reserves. So he will be able to pull in the reigns a bit when the time comes…but possibly not enough to deter more Kiwi buying!

Sean Hyman

www.forextradingblog.com

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Being a Fundamental trader no matter what your time frame.
The fallacy that traders usually get into is that fundamental analysis is only “news event trading”. However, the biggest traders out there aren’t so much “news event traders” and yet they are still fundamental traders. How? Because they keep in mind where interest rates and CPI are heading in the given countries. They watch the GDP growth [...]

The fallacy that traders usually get into is that fundamental analysis is only “news event trading”.

However, the biggest traders out there aren’t so much “news event traders” and yet they are still fundamental traders.

How? Because they keep in mind where interest rates and CPI are heading in the given countries. They watch the GDP growth to see how the country is growing, etc. They rank the ones that perform the best fundamentally and pair them vs. some of the worst fundamentally.

That gives them their pairings, no matter what time frames they look for entries into that fundamental direction.

So let’s say that they think the Aussie is one of the best fundamentally sound countries out there (and thus its currency too). And let’s say that they think that the U.S. is very fundamentally flawed and is one of the worst performers when it comes to their fundamental data overall. Then they’d want to look for buy technical entries into the AUD/USD pair. That could be on a one hour chart, 4 hour, daily, 5 minute chart, etc.

No matter their holding time length…they buy the best and sell the worst. That’s how many big institutions look at fundamentals and technicals. They technically trade in the right fundamental direction on the best pairings.

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2009-07-19T02:27:00.001-07:00

Business Week Fifty Tech Startups You Should Know

I'm pleased to announce that Business Week has named FON to it's list of "Fifty Tech Startups You Should Know"!

Fonera 2.0 New Firmware!

We've reached a major milestone and have a new firmware with plugins available for the Fonera 2.0!
Please visit the Fonosfera blog for details and downloads!

Good Ideas Lurking In Cartoons
It's no secret to my friends and family that I think Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, is a genius. In addition to being an accomplished cartoonist, he has a very popular blog where he writes about any and everything. He recently posted about banks, and though it was a somewhat uninspired rant, he did offer an interesting product idea: "If consumers mattered, your bank would offer one retail product. It would be part checking account and part credit card. And... It's no secret to my friends and family that I think Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, is a genius. In addition to being an accomplished cartoonist, he has a very popular blog where he writes about any and everything. He recently posted about banks, and though it was a somewhat uninspired rant, he did offer an interesting product idea:

"If consumers mattered, your bank would offer one retail product. It would be part checking account and part credit card. And by that I mean your balance could either be above zero or below zero at any given point. When your balance is below zero, you pay interest to the bank. When it is above zero, the bank pays you interest. You'd have one plastic card that does what your ATM and your credit card does now.

If you needed more credit, you could secure your account with your home equity. That way you wouldn't have multiple types of credit with the same bank, where the bank hopes you misplace at least one of their bills so they get the late fee."

Does this exist anywhere? Is it even allowed by regulators? Maybe, maybe not. But I thought it was an interesting and fresh take on the most basic product offered by a bank.

Stephen Murray

Fonera 2.0 Now Available!

The Fonera 2.0 is now available in Europe!

WIRELESS NETWORK ACCESS
Hook up hard drives and access them and other home network devices via WiFi.

INDEPENDENT DOWNLOADER
Download* torrents, movies and TV series with your computer shut down.

INDEPENDENT UPLOADER
Upload directly to YouTube, Facebook, Picasa and Flickr from your USB device or camera with your computer shut down

GREEN ON THE INSIDE
Save money on energy and reduce your CO2 output by turning off your PC.

CUSTOMIZABLE AND OPEN SOURCE
Add new features with a single click or create your own apps.

FREE WIFI
Of course! Access FON Spots for free worldwide.

*You should not download copyrighted material unless you have permission from the copyright holder to do so.

Fonera 2 vs the Competition; Asus, Belkin, D-Link, Linksys, NetGear, Planex

I've known for a while the Fonera 2 is packed with features other more expensive wifi routers don't have. It really didn't sink in until I saw the comparison below. The Fonera 2 will be released in Europe in April. All prices below are in Euros since U.S. pricing isn't official yet. I'll revisit this comparison, and convert to dollars, when the Fonera 2 is released in the U.S.

Is There A Culture Fit? New Approaches To Hiring...
Here is a simple/smart/humanistic approach to hiring. Specialized has a position for a graphic director that needs to be filled. Instead of just posting the position with copy the creative director added a video of himself talking about the position and who their looking for (a rock star of course). With just a quick watch, the viewer is able to understand the attitude, style, and lifestyle the company houses (wasn't over done, glitzy, or too corporate). Most hiring managers...

Here is a simple/smart/humanistic approach to hiring. Specialized has a position for a graphic director that needs to be filled. Instead of just posting the position with copy the creative director added a video of himself talking about the position and who their looking for (a rock star of course). With just a quick watch, the viewer is able to understand the attitude, style, and lifestyle the company houses (wasn't over done, glitzy, or too corporate).

Most hiring managers and companies forget: half of the interview process is selling a candidate on the culture, the opportunity and the people they'll be working with. This video takes a proactive approach to culture pre-sell before the interview even takes place and is likely to attract high-quality candidates.

Many more companies were making the effort to create culture videos when the economy was strong and a talent shortage made it harder to attract high-quality people. A chees-ey but impactful video - created by Micrsoft interns - documents an employee taking advantage of 30 Microsoft perks during one day at work. Keep in mind, this video was posted in early 2008, so these perks may no longer be offered - but it certainly makes a compelling case of everything Microsoft does for their employees.

Video could have many other applications during the interview process. Many candidates are starting to use video resumes as a "warm" introduction of themselves - as opposed to a near-anonymous resume or phone call. And many companies (including Organic) are currently considering the pros and cons of pre-screen video interviews - asking candidates to answer a pre-determined set of questions to get a sense of whether they're a fit for a position - and allowing the hiring managers to view on their own. This allows for both scheduling flexibility and time savings.

All of these techniques help give a clearer impression - for both the hiring manager and the candidate - of not just whether there is a qualification fit... but is there a culture fit.

Casey Riggleman
Traci Armstrong

Mesa Verde National Park
On our way to Utah last month, we went through Southern Colorado to get to Mesa Verde National Park. The beauty of travel field trips is that you get to walk around and crawl into awesome spots that you’d otherwise only see in books. Mesa Verde is a perfect example of this. [...]

Outdoor Fonera Prototype

Thought you might enjoy seeing a prototype of an outdoor Fonera we're working on. There have been lots of requests for a device like this and we're working on it! No price or release date, just a working model at this point.

Sony COM-2 mylo

I've blogged about the mylo before and now the second generation COM-2 mylo is $100 off at the Sony Style store through January 31 2009. Great device at a great price!

Do We Need Social Media Fishing Nets?
Ever since Crispin Porter + Bogusky launched their new website, they have gotten a lot of positive feedback from the blogs and twittersphere. Their move away from the branded portfolio and to a social aggregation has been praised as a step in the right direction. kaseymarcum: Impressive! -- Crispin Porter + Bogusky's new site that puts social media ahead of their work MattFiedler: Out with traditional websites, in with social media terminals But I struggle with whether or not...

Ever since Crispin Porter + Bogusky launched their new website, they have gotten a lot of positive feedback from the blogs and twittersphere. Their move away from the branded portfolio and to a social aggregation has been praised as a step in the right direction.

kaseymarcum: Impressive! -- Crispin Porter + Bogusky's new site that puts social media ahead of their work

MattFiedler: Out with traditional websites, in with social media terminals

But I struggle with whether or not these are actual compliments. Do we want agency and brand websites to be "social media terminals"? Is CP+B losing something by doing it this way? And to be honest, is it really as social as it seems?

Craig Ritchie, a strategist at Organic Toronto, had this take:

This "digital uhm... fishing net," as Alex Bogusky describes it in his "candid" video, doesn't allow for any context or brand definition. Some are saying this move is good for all of us. "No matter what you think of it, just be glad they did it. It's one step toward making a lot of what several of us have been pushing for a whole lot easier," says Paul Isakson. But there's no move here.

As "the social web" becomes just "the web," brands will need to, yes, monitor and engage with all channels and not take themselves so seriously. But, there's no brand if everything anyone says about your company becomes your brand promise. You don't need a "uhm... fishing net," you need a big ol' crab boat, and a good crew that's in it for the long haul.

I agree with Craig's assessment. But my real problem is that the new CP+B site doesn't live up to the promise of being social. It should be about conversation, not aggregation.

The site pulls in bits and pieces of what people are saying from the social web, but doesn't actually allow people to comment or engage in dialogue on their site. Sure, they can tweet, and it's unfiltered, but it's also disconnected and not very meaningful. It's a lot of noise for noise sake, and it certainly doesn't show how CP+B is part of that conversation. Instead, it feels a lot more like they are spying on the party, rather than hosting it.

Marta Strickland
Craig Ritchie

business

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