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History of computing

2009-07-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

The first use of the word "computer" was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations, or computations, and the word continued to be used in that sense until the middle of the 20th century. From the end of the 19th century onwards though, the word began to take on its more familiar meaning, describing a machine that carries out computations.^[3]

The history of the modern computer begins with two separate technologies—automated calculation and programmability—but no single device can be identified as the earliest computer, partly because of the inconsistent application of that term. Examples of early mechanical calculating devices include the abacus, the slide rule and arguably the astrolabe and the Antikythera mechanism (which dates from about 150–100 BC). Hero of Alexandria (c. 10–70 AD) built a mechanical theater which performed a play lasting 10 minutes and was operated by a complex system of ropes and drums that might be considered to be a means of deciding which parts of the mechanism performed which actions and when.^[4] This is the essence of programmability.

The "castle clock", an astronomical clock invented by Al-Jazari in 1206, is considered to be the earliest programmable analog computer.^[5] It displayed the zodiac, the solar and lunar orbits, a crescent moon-shaped pointer travelling across a gateway causing automatic doors to open every hour,^[6]^[7] and five robotic musicians who played music when struck by levers operated by a camshaft attached to a water wheel. The length of day and night could be re-programmed to compensate for the changing lengths of day and night throughout the year.^[5]

The Renaissance saw a re-invigoration of European mathematics and engineering. Wilhelm Schickard's 1623 device was the first of a number of mechanical calculators constructed by European engineers, but none fit the modern definition of a computer, because they could not be programmed.

In 1801, Joseph Marie Jacquard made an improvement to the textile loom by introducing a series of punched paper cards as a template which allowed his loom to weave intricate patterns automatically. The resulting Jacquard loom was an important step in the development of computers because the use of punched cards to define woven patterns can be viewed as an early, albeit limited, form of programmability.

It was the fusion of automatic calculation with programmability that produced the first recognizable computers. In 1837, Charles Babbage was the first to conceptualize and design a fully programmable mechanical computer, his analytical engine.^[8] Limited finances and Babbage's inability to resist tinkering with the design meant that the device was never completed.

In the late 1880s Herman Hollerith invented the recording of data on a machine readable medium. Prior uses of machine readable media, above, had been for control, not data. "After some initial trials with paper tape, he settled on punched cards ..."^[9] To process these punched cards he invented the tabulator, and the key punch machines. These three inventions were the foundation of the modern information processing industry. Large-scale automated data processing of punched cards was performed for the 1890 United States Census by Hollerith's company, which later became the core of IBM. By the end of the 19th century a number of technologies that would later prove useful in the realization of practical computers had begun to appear: the punched card, Boolean algebra, the vacuum tube (thermionic valve) and the teleprinter.

During the first half of the 20th century, many scientific computing needs were met by increasingly sophisticated analog computers, which used a direct mechanical or electrical model of the problem as a basis for computation. However, these were not programmable and generally lacked the versatility and accuracy of modern digital computers.

Alan Turing is widely regarded to be the father of modern computer science. In 1936 Turing provided an influential formalisation of the concept of the algorithm and computation with the Turing machine. Of his role in the modern computer, Time Magazine in naming Turing one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, states: "The fact remains that everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a word-processing program, is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine." ^[10]

George Stibitz is internationally recognized as a father of the modern digital computer. While working at Bell Labs in November of 1937, Stibitz invented and built a relay-based calculator he dubbed the "Model K" (for "kitchen table", on which he had assembled it), which was the first to use binary circuits to perform an arithmetic operation. Later models added greater sophistication including complex arithmetic and programmability.^[11]

Computer

2009-07-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

This article is about the machine. For other uses, see Computer (disambiguation).

"Computer technology" redirects here. For the company, see Computer Technology Limited.

A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.

Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs).^[1] Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space.^[2] Simple computers are small enough to fit into a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch battery. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "computers". The embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are however the most numerous.

The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore computers ranging from a mobile phone to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.

CPI of insurance

2009-07-02T22:53:00.001-07:00

Collateral protection insurance or CPI, insures property (primarily vehicles) held as collateral for loans made by lending institutions.
Defense Base Act Workers' compensation or DBA Insurance provides coverage for civilian workers hired by the government to perform contracts outside the U.S. and Canada. DBA is required for all U.S. citizens, U.S. residents, U.S. Green Card holders, and all employees or subcontractors hired on overseas government contracts. Depending on the country, Foreign Nationals must also be covered under DBA. This coverage typically includes expenses related to medical treatment and loss of wages, as well as disability and death benefits.
Expatriate insurance provides individuals and organizations operating outside of their home country with protection for automobiles, property, health, liability and business pursuits.
Financial loss insurance protects individuals and companies against various financial risks. For example, a business might purchase coverage to protect it from loss of sales if a fire in a factory prevented it from carrying out its business for a time. Insurance might also cover the failure of a creditor to pay money it owes to the insured. This type of insurance is frequently referred to as "business interruption insurance." Fidelity bonds and surety bonds are included in this category, although these products provide a benefit to a third party (the "obligee") in the event the insured party (usually referred to as the "obligor") fails to perform its obligations under a contract with the obligee.
Kidnap and ransom insurance
Locked funds insurance is a little-known hybrid insurance policy jointly issued by governments and banks. It is used to protect public funds from tamper by unauthorized parties. In special cases, a government may authorize its use in protecting semi-private funds which are liable to tamper. The terms of this type of insurance are usually very strict. Therefore it is used only in extreme cases where maximum security of funds is required.
Nuclear incident insurance covers damages resulting from an incident involving radioactive materials and is generally arranged at the national level. See the Nuclear exclusion clause and for the United States the Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act)
Pet insurance insures pets against accidents and illnesses - some companies cover routine/wellness care and burial, as well.
Pollution Insurance, which consists of first-party coverage for contamination of insured property either by external or on-site sources. Coverage for liability to third parties arising from contamination of air, water, or land due to the sudden and accidental release of hazardous materials from the insured site. The policy usually covers the costs of cleanup and may include coverage for releases from underground storage tanks. Intentional acts are specifically excluded.
Purchase insurance is aimed at providing protection on the products people purchase. Purchase insurance can cover individual purchase protection, warranties, guarantees, care plans and even mobile phone insurance. Such insurance is normally very limited in the scope of problems that are covered by the policy.
Title insurance provides a guarantee that title to real property is vested in the purchaser and/or mortgagee, free and clear of liens or encumbrances. It is usually issued in conjunction with a search of the public records performed at the time of a real estate transaction.
Travel insurance is an insurance cover taken by those who travel abroad, which covers certain losses such as medical expenses, loss of personal belongings, travel delay, personal liabilities, etc.

Insurance financing vehicles

2009-07-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

Fraternal insurance is provided on a cooperative basis by fraternal benefit societies or other social organizations.[13]
No-fault insurance is a type of insurance policy (typically automobile insurance) where insureds are indemnified by their own insurer regardless of fault in the incident.
Protected Self-Insurance is an alternative risk financing mechanism in which an organization retains the mathematically calculated cost of risk within the organization and transfers the catastrophic risk with specific and aggregate limits to an insurer so the maximum total cost of the program is known. A properly designed and underwritten Protected Self-Insurance Program reduces and stabilizes the cost of insurance and provides valuable risk management information.
Retrospectively Rated Insurance is a method of establishing a premium on large commercial accounts. The final premium is based on the insured's actual loss experience during the policy term, sometimes subject to a minimum and maximum premium, with the final premium determined by a formula. Under this plan, the current year's premium is based partially (or wholly) on the current year's losses, although the premium adjustments may take months or years beyond the current year's expiration date. The rating formula is guaranteed in the insurance contract. Formula: retrospective premium = converted loss + basic premium × tax multiplier. Numerous variations of this formula have been developed and are in use.
Formal self insurance is the deliberate decision to pay for otherwise insurable losses out of one's own money. This can be done on a formal basis by establishing a separate fund into which funds are deposited on a periodic basis, or by simply forgoing the purchase of available insurance and paying out-of-pocket. Self insurance is usually used to pay for high-frequency, low-severity losses. Such losses, if covered by conventional insurance, mean having to pay a premium that includes loadings for the company's general expenses, cost of putting the policy on the books, acquisition expenses, premium taxes, and contingencies. While this is true for all insurance, for small, frequent losses the transaction costs may exceed the benefit of volatility reduction that insurance otherwise affords.
Reinsurance is a type of insurance purchased by insurance companies or self-insured employers to protect against unexpected losses. Financial reinsurance is a form of reinsurance that is primarily used for capital management rather than to transfer insurance risk.
Social insurance can be many things to many people in many countries. But a summary of its essence is that it is a collection of insurance coverages (including components of life insurance, disability income insurance, unemployment insurance, health insurance, and others), plus retirement savings, that requires participation by all citizens. By forcing everyone in society to be a policyholder and pay premiums, it ensures that everyone can become a claimant when or if he/she needs to. Along the way this inevitably becomes related to other concepts such as the justice system and the welfare state. This is a large, complicated topic that engenders tremendous debate, which can be further studied in the following articles (and others):
National Insurance
Social safety net
Social security
Social Security debate (United States)
Social Security (United States)
Social welfare provision
Stop-loss insurance provides protection against catastrophic or unpredictable losses. It is purchased by organizations who do not want to assume 100% of the liability for losses arising from the plans. Under a stop-loss policy, the insurance company becomes liable for losses that exceed certain limits called deductibles.

[edit] Closed community self-insurance
Some communities prefer to create virtual insurance amongst themselves by other means than contractual risk transfer, which assigns explicit numerical values to risk. A number of religious groups, including the Amish and some Muslim groups, depend on support provided by their communities when disasters strike. The risk presented by any given person is assumed collectively by the community who all bear the cost of rebuilding lost property and supporting people whose needs are suddenly greater after a loss of some kind. In supportive communities where others can be trusted to follow community leaders, this tacit form of insurance can work. In this manner the community can even out the extreme differences in insurability that exist among its members. Some further justification is also provided by invoking the moral hazard of explicit insurance contracts.
In the United Kingdom, The Crown (which, for practical purposes, meant the Civil service) did not insure property such as government buildings. If a government building was damaged, the cost of repair would be met from public funds because, in the long run, this was cheaper than paying insurance premiums. Since many UK government buildings have been sold to property companies, and rented back, this arrangement is now less common and may have disappeared altogether.

History

2009-07-02T22:49:00.004-07:00

The modern commodity markets have their roots in the trading of agricultural products. While wheat and corn, cattle and pigs, were widely traded using standard instruments in the 19th century in the United States, other basic foodstuffs such as soybeans were only added quite recently in most markets.[citation needed] For a commodity market to be established, there must be very broad consensus on the variations in the product that make it acceptable for one purpose or another.
The economic impact of the development of commodity markets is hard to overestimate. Through the 19th century "the exchanges became effective spokesmen for, and innovators of, improvements in transportation, warehousing, and financing, which paved the way to expanded interstate and international trade."[citation needed]

Proliferation of contracts, terms, and derivatives

2009-07-02T22:49:00.002-07:00

However, if there are two or more standards of risk or quality, as there seem to be for electricity or soybeans, it is relatively easy to establish two different contracts to trade in the more and less desirable deliverable separately. If the consumer acceptance and liability problems can be solved, the product can be made interchangeable, and trading in such units can begin.
Since the detailed concerns of industrial and consumer markets vary widely, so do the contracts, and "grades" tend to vary significantly from country to country. A proliferation of contract units, terms, and futures contracts have evolved, combined into an extremely sophisticated range of financial instruments.
These are more than one-to-one representations of units of a given type of commodity, and represent more than simple futures contracts for future deliveries. These serve a variety of purposes from simple gambling to price insurance.

[edit] Oil
Building on the infrastructure and credit and settlement networks established for food and precious metals, many such markets have proliferated drastically in the late 20th century. Oil was the first form of energy so widely traded, and the fluctuations in the oil markets are of particular political interest.
Some commodity market speculation is directly related to the stability of certain states, e.g. during the Persian Gulf War, speculation on the survival of the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Similar political stability concerns have from time to time driven the price of oil. Some argue that this is not so much a commodity market but more of an assassination market speculating on the survival (or not) of Saddam or other leaders whose personal decisions may cause oil supply to fluctuate by military action.
The oil market is an exception. Most markets are not so tied to the politics of volatile regions - even natural gas tends to be more stable, as it is not traded across oceans by tanker as extensively.

Commodity markets and protectionism

2009-07-02T22:49:00.001-07:00

Developing countries (democratic or not) have been moved to harden their currencies, accept IMF rules, join the WTO, and submit to a broad regime of reforms that amount to a "hedge" against being isolated. China's entry into the WTO signalled the end of truly isolated nations entirely managing their own currency and affairs. The need for stable currency and predictable clearing and rules-based handling of trade disputes, has led to a global trade hegemony - many nations "hedging" on a global scale against each other's anticipated "protectionism", were they to fail to join the WTO.
There are signs, however, that this regime is far from perfect. U.S. trade sanctions against Canadian softwood lumber (within NAFTA) and foreign steel (except for NAFTA partners Canada and Mexico) in 2002 signalled a shift in policy towards a tougher regime perhaps more driven by political concerns - jobs, industrial policy, even sustainable forestry and logging practices.

Foreign currency mortgage

2009-07-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

A foreign currency mortgage is a mortgage which is repayable in a currency other than the currency of the country in which the borrower is a resident. Foreign currency mortgages can be used to finance both personal mortgages and corporate mortgages.

The interest rate charged on a Foreign currency mortgage is based on the interest rates applicable to the currency in which the mortgage is denominated and not the interest rates applicable to the borrower's own domestic currency. Therefore, a Foreign currency mortgage should only be considered when the interest rate on the foreign currency is significantly lower than the borrower can obtain on a mortgage taken out in his or her domestic currency.

Borrowers should bear in mind that ultimately they have a liability to repay the mortgage in another currency and currency exchange rates constantly change. This means that if the borrower's domestic currency was to strengthen against the currency in which the mortgage is denominated, then it would cost the borrower less in domestic currency to fully repay the mortgage. Therefore, in effect, the borrower makes a capital saving.

Conversely, if the exchange rate of borrowers domestic currency were to weaken against the currency in which the mortgage is denominated, then it would cost the borrower more in their domestic currency to repay the mortgage. Therefore, the borrower makes a capital loss.

When the value of the mortgage is large, it may be possible to reduce or limit the risk in the exchange exposure by hedging (see below).

Managed currency mortgages can help to reduce risk exposure. A borrower can allow a specialist currency manager to manage their loan on their behalf (through a limited power of attorney), where the currency manager will switch the borrower's debt in and out of foreign currencies as they change in value against the base currency. A successful currency manager will move the borrower's debt into a currency which subsequently falls in value against the base currency. The manager can then switch the loan back into the base currency (or another weakening currency) at a better exchange rate, thereby reducing the value of the loan. A further benefit of this product is that the currency manager will try to select currencies with a lower interest rate than the base currency, and the borrower therefore can make substantial interest savings.

There are risks associated with these types of mortgages and the borrower must be prepared to accept an (often limited) increase in the value of their debt if there are adverse movements in the currency markets.

A successful currency manager may be able to use the currency markets to pay off a borrower's loan (through a combination of debt reduction and interest rate savings) within the normal lifetime of the loan, while the borrower pays on an interest only basis.

Emissions trading

2009-07-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

Weather trading is just one example of "negative commodities", units of which represent harm rather than good.
"Economy is three fifths of ecology"[cite this quote] argues Mike Nickerson, one of many[who?] economic theorists who holds that nature's productive services and waste disposal services are poorly accounted for. One way to fairly allocate the waste disposal capacity of nature is "cap and trade" market structure that is used to trade toxic emissions rights in the United States, e.g. SO2. This is in effect a "negative commodity", a right to throw something away.
In this market, the atmosphere's capacity to absorb certain amounts of pollutants is measured, divided into units, and traded amongst various market players. Those who emit more SO2 must pay those who emit less. Critics of such schemes argue that unauthorized or unregulated emissions still happen, and that "grandfathering" schemes often permit major polluters, such as the state governments' own agencies, or poorer countries, to expand emissions and take jobs, while the SO2 output still floats over the border and causes death.
In practice, political pressure has overcome most such concerns[citation needed] and it is questionable whether this is a capacity that depends on U.S. clout: The Kyoto Protocol established a similar market in global greenhouse gas emissions without U.S. support.

Fxmarketspace

2009-07-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

There is no unified or centrally cleared market for the majority of FX trades, and there is very little cross-border regulation. Due to the over-the-counter (OTC) nature of currency markets, there are rather a number of interconnected marketplaces, where different currenciesinstruments are traded. This implies that there is not a single exchange rate but rather a number of different rates (prices), depending on what bank or market maker is trading, and where it is. In practice the rates are often very close, otherwise they could be exploited by arbitrageurs instantaneously. Due to London's dominance in the market, a particular currency's quoted price is usually the London market price. A joint venture of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Reuters, called Fxmarketspace opened in 2007 and aspired but failed to the role of a central market clearing mechanism.
The main trading center is London, but New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore are all important centers as well. Banks throughout the world participate. Currency trading happens continuously throughout the day; as the Asian trading session ends, the European session begins, followed by the North American session and then back to the Asian session, excluding weekends.
Fluctuations in exchange rates are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as by expectations of changes in monetary flows caused by changes in gross domestic product (GDP) growth, inflation (purchasing power parity theory), interest rates (interest rate parity, Domestic Fisher effect, International Fisher effect), budget and trade deficits or surpluses, large cross-border M&A deals and other macroeconomic conditions. Major news is released publicly, often on scheduled dates, so many people have access to the same news at the same time. However, the large banks have an important advantage; they can see their customers' order flow.
Currencies are traded against one another. Each pair of currencies thus constitutes an individual product and is traditionally noted XXX/YYY, where YYY is the ISO 4217 international three-letter code of the currency into which the price of one unit of XXX is expressed (called base currency). For instance, EUR/USD is the price of the euro expressed in US dollars, as in 1 euro = 1.5465 dollar. Out of convention, the first currency in the pair, the base currency, was the stronger currency at the creation of the pair. The second currency, counter currency, was the weaker currency at the creation of the pair.
The factors affecting XXX will affect both XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ. This causes positive currency correlation between XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ.
On the spot market, according to the BIS study, the most heavily traded products were:
EUR/USD: 27%
USD/JPY: 13%
GBP/USD (also called sterling or cable): 12%
and the US currency was involved in 86.3% of transactions, followed by the euro (37.0%), the yen (17.0%), and sterling (15.0%) (see table). Note that volume percentages should add up to 200%: 100% for all the sellers and 100% for all the buyers.
Trading in the euro has grown considerably since the currency's creation in January 1999, and how long the foreign exchange market will remain dollar-centered is open to debate. Until recently, trading the euro versus a non-European currency ZZZ would have usually involved two trades: EUR/USD and USD/ZZZ. The exception to this is EUR/JPY, which is an established traded currency pair in the interbank spot market. As the dollar's value has eroded during 2008, interest in using the euro as reference currency for prices in commodities (such as oil), as well as a larger component of foreign reserves by banks, has increased dramatically. Transactions in the currencies of commodity-producing countries, such as AUD, NZD, CAD, have also increased.

<मर्कुई>A foreign currency mortgage is a mortgage which is repayable in a currency other than the currency of the country in which the <मर्कुई>

2009-07-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

A foreign currency mortgage is a mortgage which is repayable in a currency other than the currency of the country in which the borrower is a resident. Foreign currency mortgages can be used to finance both personal mortgages and corporate mortgages.
The interest rate charged on a Foreign currency mortgage is based on the interest rates applicable to the currency in which the mortgage is denominated and not the interest rates applicable to the borrower's own domestic currency. Therefore, a Foreign currency mortgage should only be considered when the interest rate on the foreign currency is significantly lower than the borrower can obtain on a mortgage taken out in his or her domestic currency.
Borrowers should bear in mind that ultimately they have a liability to repay the mortgage in another currency and currency exchange rates constantly change. This means that if the borrower's domestic currency was to strengthen against the currency in which the mortgage is denominated, then it would cost the borrower less in domestic currency to fully repay the mortgage. Therefore, in effect, the borrower makes a capital saving.
Conversely, if the exchange rate of borrowers domestic currency were to weaken against the currency in which the mortgage is denominated, then it would cost the borrower more in their domestic currency to repay the mortgage. Therefore, the borrower makes a capital loss.
When the value of the mortgage is large, it may be possible to reduce or limit the risk in the exchange exposure by hedging (see below).
Managed currency mortgages can help to reduce risk exposure. A borrower can allow a specialist currency manager to manage their loan on their behalf (through a limited power of attorney), where the currency manager will switch the borrower's debt in and out of foreign currencies as they change in value against the base currency. A successful currency manager will move the borrower's debt into a currency which subsequently falls in value against the base currency. The manager can then switch the loan back into the base currency (or another weakening currency) at a better exchange rate, thereby reducing the value of the loan. A further benefit of this product is that the currency manager will try to select currencies with a lower interest rate than the base currency, and the borrower therefore can make substantial interest savings.
There are risks associated with these types of mortgages and the borrower must be prepared to accept an (often limited) increase in the value of their debt if there are adverse movements in the currency markets.
A successful currency manager may be able to use the currency markets to pay off a borrower's loan (through a combination of debt reduction and interest rate savings) within the normal lifetime of the loan, while the borrower pays on an interest only basis.

<मर्कुई>There is no unified or centrally cleared market for the majority of FX trades,

2009-07-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

There is no unified or centrally cleared market for the majority of FX trades, and there is very little cross-border regulation. Due to the over-the-counter (OTC) nature of currency markets, there are rather a number of interconnected marketplaces, where different currencies instruments are traded. This implies that there is not a single exchange rate but rather a number of different rates (prices), depending on what bank or market maker is trading, and where it is. In practice the rates are often very close, otherwise they could be exploited by arbitrageurs instantaneously. Due to London's dominance in the market, a particular currency's quoted price is usually the London market price. A joint venture of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Reuters, called Fxmarketspace opened in 2007 and aspired but failed to the role of a central market clearing mechanism.
The main trading center is London, but New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore are all important centers as well. Banks throughout the world participate. Currency trading happens continuously throughout the day; as the Asian trading session ends, the European session begins, followed by the North American session and then back to the Asian session, excluding weekends.
Fluctuations in exchange rates are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as by expectations of changes in monetary flows caused by changes in gross domestic product (GDP) growth, inflation (purchasing power parity theory), interest rates (interest rate parity, Domestic Fisher effect, International Fisher effect), budget and trade deficits or surpluses, large cross-border M&A deals and other macroeconomic conditions. Major news is released publicly, often on scheduled dates, so many people have access to the same news at the same time. However, the large banks have an important advantage; they can see their customers' order flow.
Currencies are traded against one another. Each pair of currencies thus constitutes an individual product and is traditionally noted XXX/YYY, where YYY is the ISO 4217 international three-letter code of the currency into which the price of one unit of XXX is expressed (called base currency). For instance, EUR/USD is the price of the euro expressed in US dollars, as in 1 euro = 1.5465 dollar. Out of convention, the first currency in the pair, the base currency, was the stronger currency at the creation of the pair. The second currency, counter currency, was the weaker currency at the creation of the pair.
The factors affecting XXX will affect both XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ. This causes positive currency correlation between XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ.
On the spot market, according to the BIS study, the most heavily traded products were:
EUR/USD: 27%
USD/JPY: 13%
GBP/USD (also called sterling or cable): 12%
and the US currency was involved in 86.3% of transactions, followed by the euro (37.0%), the yen (17.0%), and sterling (15.0%) (see table). Note that volume percentages should add up to 200%: 100% for all the sellers and 100% for all the buyers.
Trading in the euro has grown considerably since the currency's creation in January 1999, and how long the foreign exchange market will remain dollar-centered is open to debate. Until recently, trading the euro versus a non-European currency ZZZ would have usually involved two trades: EUR/USD and USD/ZZZ. The exception to this is EUR/JPY, which is an established traded currency pair in the interbank spot market. As the dollar's value has eroded during 2008, interest in using the euro as reference currency for prices in commodities (such as oil), as well as a larger component of foreign reserves by banks, has increased dramatically. Transactions in the currencies of commodity-producing countries, such as AUD, NZD, CAD, have also increased.

Fxmarketspace

2009-07-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

Finance is the science of funds management.^[1] The general areas of finance are business finance, personal finance, and public finance.^[2] Finance includes saving money and often includes lending money. The field of finance deals with the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. It also deals with how money is spent and budgeted.

Finance works most basically through individuals and business organizations depositing money in a bank. The bank then lends the money out to other individuals or corporations for consumption or investment, and charges interest on the loans.

Loans have become increasingly packaged for resale, meaning that an investor buys the loan (debt) from a bank or directly from a corporation. Bonds are debt sold directly to investors from corporations, while That investor can then hold the debt and collect the interest or sell the debt on a secondary market. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important as they invest in various forms of debt. Financial assets, known as investments, are financially managed with careful attention to financial risk management to control financial risk. Financial instruments allow many forms of securitized assets to be traded on securities exchanges such as stock exchanges, including debt such as bonds as well as equity in publicly-traded corporations.^{[dubious – discuss]}

Central banks act as lenders of last resort and control the money supply, which affects the interest rates charged. As money supply increases, interest rates decrease.^[3]

Indian IT firms to rake in on smartcard projects

2009-06-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

IT companies like TCS and Infosys have confirmed that they would
actively bid for the project. "The entire process including the
bidding process, deal negotiations and business evaluation, are
expected to be transparent. There will not be any conflict of interest
for us and therefore, we will participate in the bid,'' said a Senior
Official at Infosys Technologies.

TCS has already been working with the government on projects like
e-passport, Gujarat police and the Defence Ministry. "Since it is
going to be an open bidding process, we will be bidding for it,'' said
a Senior Official at TCS.

Around 27 large e-governance projects worth Rs. 40,000 crore are
currently in the pipeline. Having been badly hit by the economic
recession, many technology leaders have been urging the government to
accelerate these projects to induce economic buoyancy. The UIDAI comes
as a quick response to the industry's call.

Som Mittal, the President of IT industry body Nasscom, told Times of
India, "This is a transformational project for the country as it will
overlay many underlying projects, creating huge efficiencies for the
country leading to enhanced governance and reduced costs."

The global shipment of smart card surpassed an estimated five billion
units in 2008 and this figure is projected to surge at CAGR of nearly
11 percent through 2012, according to "Smart Card Market Forecast to
2012", a recent market research report.

Take The Magic Quiz That Solves All Your "Woman" Problems

2009-06-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Have you taken the Magic Quiz yet?

You know, the one that will help you to solve your problems with
women instantly?

It's a very simple quiz that will take you just a few seconds to
complete.

If you haven't taken it yet, be sure to do so now: simply paste this
link in to your browser

http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=5kxEq&m=1ftSKWqPR5GBgH&b=wT1ecGM6RVgQ2n0Lu6CHjA

When John Abraham read the Quran

2009-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Paying Guests - Movie Review

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 10:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/S2_1vBSAvUI/paying-guests---movie-review.html

A madcap caper crammed with childish gags by men in drag, Paying Guests is
a film full of humour that is crass, and leaves you with a sore pain in
the �err�seat.

So, here's a shot at comedy by a man who's directed a number of plays.
Paritosh Painter apparently adapts a successful play into a -comedy' about
four guys going out of their way, and gender, to get an accommodation as
paying guests.

Was Shiney's maid in love with him?

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 07:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/PoStIkD-9sc/was-shineys-maid-in-love-with-him.html

It is being alleged that the maid who's accused Shiney Ahuja of raping her
was actually in love with the actor.

This has been disclosed by a former maid of Shiney in an interview to
Network 18. Though the ex-maid of the actor spoke in Hindi, here's the
English translation of what she said.

Angelina Jolie to shoot in India

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/nD23wWYk_cU/angelina-jolie-to-shoot-in-india.html

Angelina Jolie might soon visit India. No, she doesn't have any plan to
adopt a kid from India but will return for the shooting of her film,
-Wanted 2'.

Director Timur Bekmabetov has plans to repeat Jolie for the upcoming
sequel to last year's hit film -Wanted', which was loosely based on the
comic book series by Mark Millar. Jolie's return to the sequel is
surprising because her character was killed in -Wanted'. But the director
wants to repeat her. However, it's not known whether Jolie will be back as
-Fox' or will essay a different character.

When John Abraham read the Quran

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 03:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/49QyYuIB9co/when-john-abraham-read-the-quran.html

John Abraham has definitely come a long way since being labeled a -wooden
actor' in his initial days in Bollywood. He prepared vigorously for his
role in the film New York .

John plays a NRI Muslim boy, Sameer, in the flick. The actor, who is half
Christian and half Parsi by birth, studied the holy book Quran to prepare
for the role. As reported, John did extensive research on Islam and its
various aspects and also learnt about Jehad. In the movie he is mistakenly
detained in US for terrorism charges because he is a Muslim.

Asin's unique lifestyle!

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 01:55 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/0XwJnOGUsxs/asins-unique-lifestyle.html

Her name means -one without any sin'. And actress Asin seems to be living
up to it by following a lifestyle that's unique for anyone in the city.

Guess what? Asin doesn't drink carbonated drinks. She keeps away from junk
food and doesn't even take allopathic medicines when she's ill or injured.

Sridevi gets candid with Salman Khan

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 10:30 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/gEchFi2XHbQ/sridevi-gets-candid-with-salman-khan.html

Salman Khan 's stint as the TV show host is getting bigger and better. Now,
he has invited the media shy yesteryear actress and diva Sridevi to his -10
Ka Dum'.

What's amusing is that this is Sridevi's first ever appearance on a TV
show. In the past, the actress has said no to various talk shows, including
Karan Johar 's -Koffee with Karan' and Vir Sanghvi's show. Her husband
Boney Kapoor cites her shy nature as the prime reason for her reluctance.

Shahrukh denies saying anything against the Prophet

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 04:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/Vusm6YyxZnY/shahrukh-denies-saying-anything-against-the-prophet.html

Shahrukh Khan , under attack for an alleged remark against Prophet
Mohammad, has clarified that his comment is being misconstrued because
of �a writing error�. He adds that he feels the Prophet is the most
important figure in history.

The superstar landed in legal trouble on Thursday when a local Islamic
organization in Mumbai filed a police complaint against him for hurting
their religious sentiment by allegedly listing the Prophet in the same
category as a -negative' figure like Adolf Hitler while talking about the
most important historical figures in an interview to a magazine.

Shahrukh in legal trouble for comment on Prophet Mohammad

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 12:05 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/ur2xFNTvIGM/shahrukh-in-legal-trouble-for-comment-on-prophet-mohammad.html

Shahrukh Khan has landed in legal trouble for an alleged comment on Prophet
Mohammad which has angered some people in Muslim community.

The Bandra police has filed an FIR (First Information Report) against the
superstar, who is currently not in India but shooting his film My Name Is
Khan in the US.

Paying Guests

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 12:10 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/eo8h4Rv__FY/

Katrina and John keeping a safe distance

2009-06-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

Katrina and John keeping a safe distance

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 09:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/_yiHqbIqaL4/katrina-and-john-keeping-a-safe-distance.html

Wary of sparking the rumours again, Katrina Kaif and John Abraham are
keeping a safe distance while promoting their film New York together.

At the press conference held to promote the film a few days back, it was a
strange sight to see Irrfan Khan and Neil Nitin Mukesh rubbing their
shoulders with Katrina, while John, who's the film's leading man, stuck
mostly around director Kabir Khan .

Claudia drawn towards Hinduism

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 05:10 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/NSoqvJvqMTw/claudia-drawn-towards-hinduism.html

German model Claudia Ciesla, famous for her enormous 38DD bust, is drawn
towards the ancient Indian philosophy and Hindu religion.

She's been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, be it as Abhishek's
arm candy at Indian pavilion in Cannes or as Salman Khan 's new girl. Even
her first release -Karma: Crime Passion and Reincarnation' failed to draw
crowds to theatres.

Salman Khan as a corrupt cop

Posted: 20 Jun 2009 12:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/Zv-UCJMgSCQ/salman-khan-as-a-corrupt-cop.html

Salman Khan will depart from his goody-goody onscreen image to play a
corrupt police officer from UP in brother Arbaaz Khan's home production.

When was the last time we saw Salman playing an uncouth, unsophisticated
character. In almost all the films he does he's dressed up as an uber cool
dude with a unique style statement. But now, the actor will undergo an
image makeover for director Abhinav Kashyap's film -Dabangg'.

Divya Dutta not insecure about Mallika Sherawat

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 11:30 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/bsDs4TxkF44/divya-dutta-not-insecure-about-mallika-sherawat.html

Actress Divya Dutta , who is making her Hollywood debut with Hisss says
that she is not afraid of being overshadowed by her glamorous co-star
Mallika Sherawat in the fantasy film.

"Mallika plays the 'Nagin' in the film and therefore she is featured
prominently in the publicity material.

Shiney Ahuja meets the real gangster in jail

Posted: 19 Jun 2009 11:00 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/_44XAqezyyk/shiney-ahuja-meets-the-real-gangster-in-jail.html

Shiney Ahuja , who played a don in the Bollywood film Gangster , finally
got to meet a real gangster, the dreaded Mustafa Dossa, in Arthur Road jail.

Reports say when Shiney - who's in judicial custody on the charge of
raping his maid - was shifted to Arthur Road jail on Thursday, the
prisoners in barrack no. 3 surrounded him and kept bugging him for hours.
But then Mustafa Dossa, an associate of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim and
accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, walked in and told the inmates
to keep away from Shiney.

Katrina's philosophy of work

2009-06-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

Katrina's philosophy of work

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 08:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/UsiQLmTOcFI/katrinas-philosophy-of-work.html

Critics may say she's beauty without talent but none can deny the fact that
Katrina Kaif has reached the top slot in Bollywood by dint of sheer hard
work.

Odds were stacked up against her when Katrina, with her firangi accent,
entered Bollywood. The little bit of help she got from her friends (we know
who they are) does not detract from what she has achieved by the sweat of
her brow.

How Twitter is Teaching Business the Lost Art of Conversation

2009-06-29T11:05:00.001-07:00

How Twitter is Teaching
Business the Lost Art of Conversation

By Kalena Jordan (c) 2009
SiteProNews RSS Feed - Grab the SiteProNews RSS Feed

So it's happened. Twitter has gone mainstream. As Twitter users, we
knew instantly when Mumbai came under terrorist attack. We laughed at
the photo of Stephen Fry stuck in an elevator when he tweeted his
predicament, we were there when Ashton Kutcher beat CNN to 1 million
followers, we caught the first glimpse of passengers being evacuated
from the ditched plane on the Hudson River and we all suffered the lag
time when Oprah Winfrey sent her first ever tweet on live TV.

Industry pundits and bitter journalists regularly diss Twitter as a
time-wasting, "look at me" fad, destined for Forgottensville in 2
years. In fact New York Times reporter Maureen Dowd is quoted as
saying to Twitter founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone:

"I would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have
honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter
account."
Top 10 Rankings in Google, Yahoo and MSN!

So is Twitter really just an emergency beacon and "a toy for bored
celebrities and high-school girls" as Dowd gleefully claims?

Thankfully, no. The latest wave of Twitter users are business
executives. They range from home busíness owners, SME's, middle and
upper management, marketing executives, brand evangelists and CEOs.
Take a look at ExecuTweets and you'll see some well-known names with
very active Twitter accounts: Richard Branson of Virgin, Lisa Stone
Co-founder of BlogHer, Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos and Steve Case
Co-founder of AOL, to name a few.

It's not just individuals either. Some of the world's most recognized
brands are Twittering. I found a number of super brands on Twitter and
asked my followers which of these they were following:

• Amazon 19%
• BestBuy 2%
• Dell 7%
• DunkinDonuts 2%
• Etsy 4%
• Motorola 0%
• Overstock 5%
• Starbucks 12%
• Threadless 16%
• UrbanOutfitters 2%
• WholeFoods 14%
• Zappos 18%

Other major brands with Twitter accounts include:

• JetBlue
• ComCast
• Vodafone
• TheHomeDepot
• H&R Block
• Qantas
• Virgin
• Forrester Research
• Ford
• Samsung
• Kodak
Generate Easy Revenue!

Twitter as a Business Tool

So why would companies be interested in Twitter? Because they know
that conversation is a powerful, persuasive business tool and right
now, Twitter is where the conversation is happening.

Here are some recent stats about the micro-blogging site from Nielsen:

- Twitter is the fastest growing community site on web
- Twitter experienced 1,382% growth in the 12 months to Feb 09
- The largest user group on Twitter is 35-49 year olds

As the Internet morphs from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0, conversation has
quietly ousted content and taken the throne as King. The Web has
always enabled businesses to reach new markets. But Twitter allows
them to engage directly with customers and potential customers in real
time in front of an impressionable public. The opportuníty this
provides is unparalleled. As an effective advertising tool, the dusty
old Yellow Pages seems positively prehistoric in comparison.

So just how are companies using Twitter as a business tool? To find
out, I set up a poll and tweeted the question: "If you represent a
business using Twitter, what is your/their *main* reason for doing
so?"

The results were quite interesting:

• Branding 7%
• Driving traffic 23%
• Reputation management 7%
• SEO 0%
• Internal communications 0%
• News / product announcements 11%
• Service status updates 2%
• Customer interaction 37%
• Fun 5%
• Other 9%

A couple of things stood out for me here. Firstly, the majority of
companies who took this poll are using Twitter primarily to interact
with their customers and drive traffic. That's understandable. But
very few are using it for reputation management and none of them are
yet using it for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) reasons. It was also
interesting to see that a few businesses are using Twitter purely for
fun.
Forget Expensive PPC Advertising - There is an Alternative!

Asked why he thinks Twitter is a good fit for business, Overstock's
Social Media Manager Josh Austin says:

"Twitter allows for a personal, real-life brand presence, while
fostering better communication, engagement and attention to our
customers."

Customer Interaction on Twitter

So just how do customers interact with businesses on Twitter? I wanted
to find out, so I launched another poll:

POLL QUESTION: Have you ever communicated directly with a company
using Twitter? What was your main reason for doing so?

• Yes to resolve an issue 25%
• Yes to give positive feedback 18%
• Yes to give negative feedback 6%
• Yes for another reason 16%
• No 35%

It was encouraging to see that 65% of poll respondents have conversed
with a company using Twitter. When you consider that nearly half of
those people had an issue to resolve with the company they
communicated with, the potential for customer loss and retention is
lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. Then there's the number of
respondents giving companies direct feedback via tweets. That's enough
to get any PR Department salivating!

Meg Geddes, a Search Marketing expert and power Twitter user related
her recent positive experience with a business on the micro-blogging
site:

"At the end of December, there was a special one-day only promotion
through Intuit and Staples (an office supply) for buying Quickbooks
Pro where you'd get a full rebate. I ordered it and filled in my
rebate paperwork but it was illegible and had to be refaxed. The date
on the revised paperwork sent by Intuit didn't match my order date
(and I didn't notice) so my rebate was denied. I was bitching about it
on Twitter and within half an hour, someone from Intuit sent me a
tweet asking if she could help. I laid it all out for her, and she got
it approved; I got my rebate very shortly after that. I was very
happy, as I had been expecting to have to sit on the phone for hours
with Intuit and/or Staples."

How Twitter is Teaching Business the Lost Art of Conversation

2009-06-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

How Twitter is Teaching
Business the Lost Art of Conversation

"I would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have
honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter
account."
Top 10 Rankings in Google, Yahoo and MSN!

So is Twitter really just an emergency beacon and "a toy for bored
celebrities and high-school girls" as Dowd gleefully claims?

It's not just individuals either. Some of the world's most recognized
brands are Twittering. I found a number of super brands on Twitter and
asked my followers which of these they were following:

Other major brands with Twitter accounts include:

• JetBlue
• ComCast
• Vodafone
• TheHomeDepot
• H&R Block
• Qantas
• Virgin
• Forrester Research
• Ford
• Samsung
• Kodak
Generate Easy Revenue!

Twitter as a Business Tool

So why would companies be interested in Twitter? Because they know
that conversation is a powerful, persuasive business tool and right
now, Twitter is where the conversation is happening.

Here are some recent stats about the micro-blogging site from Nielsen:

- Twitter is the fastest growing community site on web
- Twitter experienced 1,382% growth in the 12 months to Feb 09
- The largest user group on Twitter is 35-49 year olds

The results were quite interesting:

Asked why he thinks Twitter is a good fit for business, Overstock's
Social Media Manager Josh Austin says:

"Twitter allows for a personal, real-life brand presence, while
fostering better communication, engagement and attention to our
customers."

Customer Interaction on Twitter

So just how do customers interact with businesses on Twitter? I wanted
to find out, so I launched another poll:

POLL QUESTION: Have you ever communicated directly with a company
using Twitter? What was your main reason for doing so?

• Yes to resolve an issue 25%
• Yes to give positive feedback 18%
• Yes to give negative feedback 6%
• Yes for another reason 16%
• No 35%

Meg Geddes, a Search Marketing expert and power Twitter user related
her recent positive experience with a business on the micro-blogging
site:

Katrina's shocking brush with reality

2009-06-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Katrina's shocking brush with reality

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 09:40 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/VG3-oFDtrp4/katrinas-shocking-brush-with-reality.html

Away from the cushy comforts of city life, Katrina Kaif had a peek into the
gloomy reality at the maximum security American prison at Guantanamo Bay.

The shooting of Yashraj Films presentation New York took the film's stars
to places they hadn't anticipated. One such place was the Guantanamo Bay
Detention Camp (aka Gitmo), where many suspects who are deemed as terror
threat to the US are imprisoned. Some of them are on a death row.

'Kites' in Hindi as hot as in English

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/Ypht9P37EJI/kites-in-hindi-as-hot-as-in-english.html

While it was a forgone conclusion that the English version of Kites would
be high on steamy scenes between Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori , the
Hindi version, it is learnt, would be equally hot.

�We can't cheat Hindi audiences. The so-called steamy scenes will be the
same in both versions. The visuals will remain unchanged in both,� the
film's director Anurag Basu tells IANS.

Dance Deepika dance!

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 05:40 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/_b6a8JUdaj8/dance-deepika-dance.html

Bollywood is synonymous with song and dance. But sometimes the stars have
to shake their legs just to please the fans. Deepika Padukone and Farhan
Akhtar had one such experience recently.

It was a general shooting day for Farhan and Deepika. Both were shooting
for the movie Kartik Calling Kartik at Kochi Fort, Kerala, when suddenly a
group of 20-25 youngsters gathered there and asked Farhan and Deepika to
dance with them.

Mallika Sherawat bonds with Yanni?

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 04:15 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/JzFSFyApMdI/mallika-sherawat-bonds-with-yanni.html

It was a pleasing coincidence for our Miss Sherawat, who not only got the
chance to meet internationally acclaimed Greek composer Yanni, but also got
invited for the latter's next concert.

Mallika Sherawat is in news again for eliciting an invite from Yanni to
one of his concerts. She's also asked him to dedicate a song to her. But
Yanni has never done something like this before. So it's a question whether
he will or not? Mallika has been shuttling to LA for the post-production
and promotion activities of her film Hisss .

John in bed with Katrina!

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 02:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/9O5AwX2tp1Q/john-in-bed-with-katrina.html

The two stars get intimate in bed and even share a passionate kiss in a
song in their film New York .

Salman Khan better keep his eyes shut when the video of the song -Mere
Sang' from the upcoming Yashraj film -New York' plays out on the screen.
For it has his foe John Abraham in bed with his ladylove Katrina Kaif .

Bipasha gets an 'earful' again

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 01:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/MKCQRV0458s/bipasha-gets-an-earful-again.html

Oops! Bipasha Basu had it again. Her ears seem eerily prone to minor
injuries.

None can doubt Bipasha's charm and attraction but her ears seem to have a
special magnetic quality that attracts strange creatures and objects like
mosquitoes, pebbles or cotton swabs to make home in her earhole.

I get infatuated very easily: Barbara Mori

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 12:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/Yf7cBAcj1Zk/i-get-infatuated-very-easily--barbara-mori.html

Mexican actress Barbara Mori admits she gets attracted towards guys very
easily. However, she's now learning to control her emotions.

A good looking girl who used to wait tables in a restaurant was spotted by
a fashion designer and introduced to the world of modeling. Barbara's
journey into showbiz began in her teenage and she's had her share to
relationships since then.

When Neil Nitin Mukesh was detained at New York airport

Posted: 21 Jun 2009 10:50 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/u9PKNTedBn4/when-neil-nitin-mukesh-was-detained-at-new-york-airport.html

The actor's fair complexion made it difficult for the immigration officials
to believe that he was an Indian. This happened when Neil Nitin Mukesh flew
to the US to shoot the Yashraj film New York .

The film, directed by Kabir Khan and co-starring Katrina Kaif , John
Abraham and Irrfan Khan , is about the discrimination people of certain
community and religion face in the US after the 9/11 attacks.

Saif searched for blonde gal on the streets of San Francisco

2009-06-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Saif searched for blonde gal on the streets of San Francisco

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 09:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/XpFlnGVkDp8/saif-searched-for-blonde-gal-on-the-streets-of-san-francisco.html

To find a perfect blonde stunner for an important role in his film -Love
Aaj Kal', Saif Ali Khan held auditions on the streets of San Francisco.

What would a producer not do to get a perfect cast for his film? Saif,
who's turning producer with Love Aaj Kal , literally went an extra mile on
the roads of San Francisco to hunt for that elusive blonde that his casting
director couldn't find in the US.

Akshay is a good kisser: Denise Richards

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/63fsREmRm_k/akshay-is-a-good-kisser--denise-richards.html

Hollywood star and former Bond girl Denise Richards is quite bowled over by
Akshay Kumar 's kissing abilities.

The Bollywood Khiladi left quite an impression (pun unintended) on the
-Wild Things' star while working with her in producer Sajid Nadiadwala's
film Kambakkht Ishq in the US.

Shahid Kapur runs like a horse!

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 05:36 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/quEIOoELsiI/shahid-kapur-runs-like-a-horse.html

With blinkers around his eyes to prevent him from straying off the course,
Shahid Kapur ran like a horse for a scene in Kaminey .

Trust Vishal Bharadwaj to make his actors do the wackiest of things. Saif
Ali Khan daubed his teeth yellow to play the paan masala-chewing goon in
Omkara . Now, Shahid was made to put on blinkers around his eyes and run
among horses on a race course for a scene in -Kaminey'.

Roadie Tamanna in a sex video scandal?

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 04:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/R2EjTuMtZNo/roadie-tamanna-in-a-sex-video-scandal.html

-Roadies 5' participant Tamanna is fuming with anger as a sex-clip
purportedly featuring her is doing rounds on the internet and mobiles. The
young girl from Chandigarh is accusing her fellow Roadie participant for
crafting this against her.

Tamanna couldn't make it to the finals, but was a popular girl because of
her attitude, her off-screen chemistry with Nauman, and also for the
celebrated rows with other contestant, Palak. According to a leading
tabloid, the sex video on various sites has a girl with a striking
resemblance to Tamanna. The girl in the video is seen wearing the same
neck-piece around her neck that Tamanna wears. The video which is
37-seconds long is gaining popularity on websites like Rapidshare and
Easyshare.

Priyanka, Shahid go on a date

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 02:10 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/SwGUiTKklaM/priyanka--shahid-go-on-a-date.html

Rumours of their split can RIP for the time being. Far from parting ways,
Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapur went on a date recently, reports say.

Are they together, are they not? Pranks and Shasha keep their fans
guessing. To begin with, the couple has not yet confirmed their
relationship. But whenever they've been spotted together, the electrifying
chemistry between them makes it evident that something is indeed brewing
between the two actors.

Katrina Kaif tackles her dubbing woes

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 01:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/F76bOtIYfb8/katrina-kaif-tackles-her-dubbing-woes.html

For Katrina Kaif the most difficult part of her job is dubbing. That's when
her linguistic skills are put to test. The actress speaks about some of the
dubbing challenges she's been tackling recently.

In Rajkumar Santoshi's film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani , for instance,
Katrina plays a catholic girl and one would assume that dubbing for this
role wasn't difficult for the actress since she has a natural Brit accent.
But there's something else that's been troubling her.

Sanjay Dutt in 'Qurbani' remake

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 10:20 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/yb3ZZz2c_d4/sanjay-dutt-in-qurbani-remake.html

After dedicating himself to politics for months, Sanjay Dutt is back in
Bollywood. He is not only acting but also planning to produce movies, and
the remake of the yesteryear hit Qurbani could be one of them.

Earlier, it was Sanjay Gupta , once Dutt's good friend but now a foe, who
was set to make the new age Kurbani with Fardeen Khan and Saif Ali Khan in
the lead. But since Dutt has now reportedly taken over the project, Gupta
will be dropped.

Aishwarya-Abhishek plan to start a family

Posted: 22 Jun 2009 11:33 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/2e6WdkPD07A/aishwarya-abhishek-plan-to-start-a-family.html

The Bachchan family tree is set to grow further as Aishwarya Rai and
Abhishek Bachchan reportedly plan to start a family once the actress is
through with her film assignments.

To those who've been wondering why no stork has yet visited Ash and Abhi
despite more than two years of their marriage, this little piece of info
might quench their curiosity. The couple are learnt to be planning to have
a baby, but not anytime soon.

What Makes a Website Design a Good One?

2009-06-29T10:54:00.001-07:00

What Makes a
Website Design a Good One?

By Laura MacPherson (c) 2009
SiteProNews RSS Feed - Grab the SiteProNews RSS Feed

A lot of people can recognize good design when they see it on the web.
But most people don't really know what makes that design good.

How do you define "good design?" Is it subjective, like your favorite
flavor of ice cream? Although there is some subjectivity within good
design, there are artistic principles that good design is built from.
Here are a few that form the foundation of good design.

1. Proximity

Because items that are in close proximity to one another become one
visual unit, items that are related to one another should be grouped
together. Laying out related items on a website page this way helps
the eye associate the information and enables the viewer to mentally
categorize the information easily. The flip side of this principle is
that items that are not related should not be placed in close
proximity to one another.
Drive Traffic to Your Site - Get 100 Dollars in Matched Clicks!

The purpose of the principle of proximity is to organize information
in a way that enables viewers to quickly and easily comprehend. When
information is organized, people are more likely to read it and
respond. People are also more likely to remember information that is
organized.

How can you determine if items form a visual unit? Squint your eyes
and look at the page on a website. Now count the number of times your
eye stops as it views the page. On a page that is using the principle
of proximity well, your eye will stop three to five times. In other
words, there will be three to five groups of information for the eye
to comprehend separately.

2. Alignment

You've seen website page layouts where the text and graphics are
placed wherever there happens to be space. The effect is messy, with
no impact. Nothing should be placed on a page arbitrarily. There
should be a visual connection between each item on the page. When
items are aligned, it creates a cohesiveness that the eye appreciates.

The purpose of alignment is to unify the website page. Imagine a
well-organized kitchen. All the pots and pans are stored in the
organizer, the fruit is nicely displayed in a basket on the counter,
the spices are all on the rack - everything is in its place. A page
layout needs the same thing.

Look at a website page that you feel is good design. Now focus on the
main visual element. Where does your eye go from there? Do you see how
other elements are aligned with that one main element both vertically
and horizontally?

3. Repetition

Good design repeats some aspect of the website design throughout the
site. It's this repetition that makes all the pages in a site look
like they belong together. Color scheme, graphic elements, typefaces -
all of these elements should be repeated - used consistently -
throughout.
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The purpose of repetition is to create consistency and to add visual
interest. Repetition creates a professional, polished look that the
eye is drawn to. When a website design uses repetition and is
consistent, it is more likely to be viewed and read.

Here are some ways you can create repetition beyond simple consistency
in typefaces and colors: Use some element in your logo as a major
graphic element in the design. If you are using a ruled line, make the
line more interesting visually by perhaps making it with tiny dots or
dashes, then repeating the line element throughout the design. Create
patterns that are repeated throughout the design. Take a small element
and place it somewhere on each page for a whimsical look. Just be
careful not to overdo the repetition, or viewers will be annoyed
rather than pleased.

4. Contrast

The principle of contrast states that if two items are not the same,
then they should be different - very different. Contrast creates an
organizational hierarchy of the information and graphics on a webpage.
When using contrast, you can't be a wimp! The contrast must be strong
to be effective.

The purpose of contrast is two-fold: to create interest on the page,
and to organize information. A page that is interesting to look at is
more likely to be read. And contrasting elements will help a reader
understand the way the information is organized.

Contrast can be created in many ways. You can contrast large type with
small type, a serif font with a sans-serif font, bold with light,
smooth texture with rough texture, a small graphic with a large one, a
dark color with a light one.

A design that integrates these principles will automatically gain a
professionalism and polish that it would otherwise lack. Next time you
stumble across a website design that makes you say "wow", check for
these principles - you'll find them quietly working to make that
design a good one!

What Makes a Website Design a Good One?

2009-06-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

What Makes a
Website Design a Good One?

A lot of people can recognize good design when they see it on the web.
But most people don't really know what makes that design good.

1. Proximity

2. Alignment

3. Repetition

4. Contrast

Beauty behind veil: Katrina Kaif prays for 'New York' success

2009-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "ApunKaChoice.com" <mailer@apunkachoice.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:10:43 +0000
Subject: ApunKaChoice Bollywood

Beauty behind veil: Katrina Kaif prays for 'New York' success

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 09:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/UbyU_vSOl8U/beauty-behind-veil--katrina-kaif-prays-for-new-york-success.html

Actress Katrina Kaif was almost unrecognizable when she visited the Ajmer
Sharif dargah (shrine) to pray for the success of her film -New York'.

The first time Katrina visited the shrine way back in 2006 to shoot for
director Vipul Shah's film Namaste London , she inadvertently sparked a
controversy because of her short skirt. She was appropriately attired when
she made another visit to the holy dargah last year.

Kareena Kapoor's bone-chilling experience!

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/8HkUe-9uHNI/kareena-kapoors-bone-chilling-experience.html

Shooting in the bone-chilling weather of Ladakh left the dainty Kareena
Kapoor gasping for breath.

The whole crew of 3 idiots , including lead actors Aamir Khan , Madhavan
and Sharman Joshi along with Kareena were at Pangong Lake, Ladakh. The
place is 13,900 feet above sea level, where tourists generally face
breathing problems because of lack of oxygen and many even faint due to
altitude sickness. And there was the whole unit of the movie, shooting in
the inhospitable terrain without proper oxygen, no electricity and no hot
water.

Hrithik Roshan can't step into Big B's shoes

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 05:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/XSga1zERgK4/hrithik-roshan-cant-step-into-big-bs-shoes.html

Ever since Karan Johar announced the remake of yesteryear hit -Agneepath'
with Hrithik Roshan , many must have felt that Abhishek Bachchan could be a
better choice.

Now, Hrithik has expressed his discomfort for the role, paving way for
Abhishek.

A new twist to Ash-Priyanka IIFA award controversy

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 03:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/TWtykHjO5gs/a-new-twist-to-ash-priyanka-iifa-award-controversy.html

Director Ashutosh Gowarikar is getting a lot of backlash for saying that
Aishwarya Rai deserved to win the Best Actress trophy more that Priyanka
Chopra at IIFA. But it was Jaya Bachchan , Ash's mother-in-law, who
prompted Gowarikar to root for Ash on stage at IIFA.

It was shocking to see Gowarikar step on stage at IIFA to receive an award
but humiliate Priyanka Chopra by publicly questioning how she managed to
win the Best Actress award (for Fashion ) when Ash was also nominated in
the same category for her performance in Jodhaa Akbar .

'New York' will sweep popular awards: John Abraham

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 02:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/3_aMTICx6x0/new-york-will-sweep-popular-awards--john-abraham.html

John Abraham is pretty confident that director Kabir Khan will walk away
with many popular awards for his film New York which releases this Friday.

The film, set around the 9/11 attacks on America, tells the story of a
bunch of friends who become terror suspects and eventual victims of a
prevalent prejudice in America against the people of certain community or
religion. John, who's working with Kabir Khan for the second time after
Kabul Express , says he's sure the film will sweep many awards.

Namitha presses the panic button

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 01:10 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/3v5Tyo1pyII/namitha-presses-the-panic-button.html

South hottie Namitha is determined to slog away at the treadmills to
acquire a body figure that leaves her female peers green with envy.

According to sources downsouth, Namitha pressed the panic button after
receiving flak from her fans who criticised her flabby tummy in her recent
releases. Incidentally, she also signed -Deshadrohi' in which she plays a
cop and had to shed a lot of weight to slip into the khaki pants.

Akshay Kumar no longer superstitious

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 10:00 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/tTHcXH0oxWw/akshay-kumar-no-longer-superstitious.html

Bollywood is not short of folks who are superstitious and Akshay Kumar is
one of them. But the superstar is now shedding his superstition. At least
that's what it seems.

On every movie release of his, Akshay had an invariable habit of flying
out of the country. Not only that, he even used to miss the movie's
premiere shows. Doing that, he believed, brought him luck at the
box-office. But now, he's set to break this ritual.

Salman Khan gifts saris to women

Posted: 23 Jun 2009 11:30 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/B7pFizHXVLs/salman-khan-gifts-saris-to-women.html

Dariya Dil Salman Khan happily loosened his purse strings when some poor
women approached him, asking for saris.

The Bollywood star, famous for his generosity that he never himself talks
about, was all heart when a group of women working in Film City approached
him on the sets of Boney Kapoor's production Wanted and requested him to
gift them saris.

The Science of Getting Rich

2009-06-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

You can download your free copy of
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Michael Jackson the "King of Pop" dies at 50

2009-06-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Michael Jackson the "King of Pop" dies at 50

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 05:20 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/6R9jSA1h0bY/michael-jackson-the--king-of-pop--dies-at-50.html

Sources are telling us that Michael Jackson has died. He was 50.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby
Hills home in LA and paramedics were unable to revive him. TMZ is reporting
that when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never managed to
get a pulse back.

Bollywood wakes up to 9/11

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 09:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/r0lvtc1jCEA/bollywood-wakes-up-to-9-11.html

Almost eight years after the world witnessed the most audacious and deadly
terror attack, Bollywood finally wakes up to weave stories around the
historic event.

Releasing this Friday would be New York , a Yashraj Film about three
friends in NY whose lives go for a toss after the 9/11 attacks on America.
The film, directed by Kabir Khan , aims to highlight how several innocent
people became victims of the US prejudice against the people of a
particular religion.

Akshay rains kisses on Kareena

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/l9BtkgT6vYU/akshay-rains-kisses-on-kareena.html

Muah�muah�muah�muah! Akshay Kumar rains as many as ten kisses on Kareena
Kapoor in their film Kambakkht Ishq .

Find a new title, Emraan Hashmi . For Akshay could beat you at lip locking
with pretty young things. Even as we hear the Hollywood hottie Denise
Richards raving about Akshay's kissing skill (she called him a �great
kisser�), the tinsel town is awash with reports of Akshay having kissed
Kareena ten times in -Kambakkht Ishq'.

Saif stays with Bebo while Deepika promotes 'Love Aaj Kal' alone

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 05:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/GHx171vsuTk/saif-stays-with-bebo-while-deepika-promotes-love-aaj-kal-alone.html

It's his maiden production venture, but the film's heroine appears more
interested in promoting it rather than Saif Ali Khan , who can't seem to
have enough of his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor .

Guess what? On Wednesday, Deepika Padukone , the leading lady of Love Aaj
Kal was busy promoting the film by making a special appearance on Salman
Khan 's show -10 Ka Dum' in Mumbai, but Saif, the leading man and producer,
was conspicuously missing from her side.

Lara Dutta gets serious about comedy

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 04:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/IQzUJnUDmzw/lara-dutta-gets-serious-about-comedy.html

If there is any actress in Bollywood who can do comedy convincingly on
screen, she's Lara Dutta .

Lara, who had everyone in splits with her comic flair in No Entry , has
proved her mettle at tickling the funny bone in other films like Bhagam
Bhaag and Partner . Now, the pretty damsel is turning seriously to comedic
roles.

Christian Bale wants to visit India

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 02:10 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/6B4ArG4OzA8/christian-bale-wants-to-visit-india.html

English actor Christian Bale, who stars in the latest Hollywood release
-Terminator Salvation', says he would love to visit India.

�I seriously did not get a chance to witness Indian cinema but I have
always been fascinated by the country and would love to visit India once in
my lifetime,� Bale is quoted as saying in an interview to a news agency.

Rani Mukherjee, the gender bender

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 01:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/ZgEG-xIW3j8/rani-mukherjee--the-gender-bender.html

With a waxed moustache and a sardar get-up, Rani Mukherjee turns out to be
a gender bender.

The actress takes on a new challenge in the Yashraj film -Dil Bole
Hadippa' (previously titled Hadippa ). She plays a girl who's obsessed with
cricket and dons the get-up of a boy to enter an all-boys' cricket team led
by Shahid Kapur . As she�err�he (pardon the gender confusion) goes about
with her/his pretense, love sprouts between Shahid and she�or he.

Priyanka, Shahid love tweeting

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 10:10 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/koKPktk05_w/priyanka--shahid-love-tweeting.html

Cyber-savvy couple Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapur are not writing on each
other's walls but tweeting now on Twitter, another immensely popular social
networking website.

Their online friendship bloomed on Facebook and both the stars were just
hooked to it, sharing their feelings and writing about each other. But soon
their wall posts came to media glare.

Katrina cracks a joke on John!

Posted: 24 Jun 2009 11:45 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/lmJ99s_bKSY/katrina-cracks-a-joke-on-john.html

While John Abraham has been limping with a fractured foot during the
promotional campaign of New York , his co-star Katrina Kaif is not missing
a chance to pull his leg, not literally though.

After promoting the film in Delhi earlier this week and making a hush-hush
trip to Ajmer to pray for the film's success, Katrina was in Bangalore on
Wednesday, along with the other stars of the film - John, Neil Nitin Mukesh
and director Kabir Khan .

New York - The Movie Review

2009-06-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

New York - Movie Review

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 10:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/nb9TVhA8WgA/new-york---movie-review.html

A star-spangled film that starts off well, builds the plot nicely, but goes
completely hay wire in the second half, New York is long, tiresome, but
well intentioned.

It opens with the distinctly unique skyline of New York, with the twin
towers ominously missing. The SWAT team sweats overtime to round off a
terror suspect, Omar ( Neil Nitin Mukesh ), who finds himself in the FBI
net after arms and ammunition is found from the trunk of a car owned by
him. FBI agent Roshan ( Irrfan Khan ) grills Omar and wrings out all info
about Sam ( John Abraham ), Omar's friend, who the FBI agent claims, is
running a sleeper terrorist cell that could strike America anytime.

Michael Jackson read Tagore poems in his last days

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/JxrmWciSM7E/michael-jackson-read-tagore-poems-in-his-last-days.html

Deepak Chopra, the self-help guru and a close friend of the deceased pop
icon Michael Jackson, recalls the last days of the -king of pop'.

Tributes are pouring in from around the world following the sudden death
of Michael Jackson on Thursday. Deepak Chopra, who has been Michael's
friend since last 20 years, was in regular touch with the pop star in his
final days.

Sexist dialogues axed from 'Kambakkht Ishq'

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 02:20 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/2iEhZ8XFKB0/sexist-dialogues-axed-from-kambakkht-ishq.html

Some of the smutty and sexist dialogues calling women as -sex objects' have
been axed from Kambakkht Ishq .

The movie, starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor , is a love-hate tale
between a supermodel (Kareena) who hates men and a stuntman (Akshay) who
thinks women are only good for having fun but not marrying.

Michael Jackson was like my guru: Farah Khan

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 02:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/9vB-meywLSw/michael-jackson-was-like-my-guru--farah-khan.html

Bollywood choreographer Farah Khan says she considers Michael Jackson as
her guru because she learnt to dance after watching his videos.

An era in pop music came to an end on Thursday with the sudden death of
Michael Jackson, the -King of Pop' in the US. He was 50. As an iconic
popstar who had fans in every part of the world, Michael was an idol worth
emulating for many singers and dancers. Among them is Farah Khan.

Farah meets Shahrukh for 'Happy NewYear'

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 01:20 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/b9axJZPU7Rw/farah-meets-shahrukh-for-happy-newyear.html

So much has been written about Farah Khan's next film Happy New Year . But
the director has just completed the first half of the script which she'll
narrate to Shahrukh Khan in the US.

It's amazing that Farah Khan has managed only to pen down the first half
of her much anticipated movie -Happy New Year' which she announced last
year, with SRK in lead role. But at that time stork visited her and then
motherhood towards her triplets took all her time.

Fardeen learns to rock

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 12:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/FxWx-X8hQqU/fardeen-learns-to-rock.html

Fardeen Khan plays a guitarist in Rohit Shetty's film All The Best and the
actor is preparing seriously for his role.

Rock On has set a new benchmark for the actors playing rockstars in films.
Now, Fardeen Khan is grappling with the guitar to play his role in -All The
Best' convincingly. The actor plays a rockstar and though director Rohit
Shetty did not insist on him learning the musical instrument, Fardeen
willingly decided to take the guitar lessons.

'King of Pop', Michael Jackson dies

Posted: 25 Jun 2009 11:34 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/XiFdDqFv5iQ/king-of-pop--michael-jackson-dies.html

The pop icon who moonwalked his way to the top of music charts died on
Thursday at the age of 50. During his last days Michael Jackson was
preparing for what was to be �the greatest comeback� of his career.

The -King of Pop' was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at UCLA
Medical Centre where he was taken after paramedics failed to resuscitate
him at his rented home in Holmby Hills.

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2009-06-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

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Earn Your Bachelor's, Pursue an Online Advertising Career

2009-06-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

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British beauties invade Bollywood

2009-06-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

British beauties invade Bollywood

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 10:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/VVcbj1xqe6I/british-beauties-invade-bollywood.html

More British beauties are eyeing a career in Bollywood than ever before.
Some of them have already lapped plum roles with the superstars of the
Hindi film industry.

Salman Khan is already working with former Miss UK-Universe Lisa Lazarus
in producer Vijay Galani's film Veer while Saif Ali Khan is said to be
introducing Brit beauty Florence Brudenell Bruce in his home production
Love Aaj Kal .

Katrina Kaif never went to college

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 05:10 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/40qSJyWMa3k/katrina-kaif-never-went-to-college.html

When she speaks about contentment in life and her urge to learn more, it's
hard to believe that the top female celeb of the country, Katrina Kaif ,
has never been to college. But life itself is a better teacher for the
actress whose film New York released on Friday.

In the film, Katrina plays Maya, who is a college-going girl with a
bohemian attitude. She loves her college like any teenager. For Katrina,
who started earning at a very young age of 14, and never got the chance to
study further because of her modeling assignments, going to a college
remained a distant dream. But by doing -New York' she has become familiar
with the college life.

Kareena a geek and Aamir a genius!

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 03:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/5DfVZBbLlwc/kareena-a-geek-and-aamir-a-genius.html

Yes, Kareena Kapoor is a geek and Aamir Khan a genius for Rajkumar Hirani's
3 Idiots . The cast and crew of the movie have shifted to the monsoon-less
capital after shooting in the freezing weather of Ladakh.

Kareena plays Neha from the book -Five Point Someone', on which the movie
is based. For the first time she will be sporting a geek look in a film. In
the book, Neha is a professor's daughter. On the other hand, Aamir is not
the narrator Hari as expected, but Ryan, the one who is handsome as well as
genius and whose mind is buzzing with new ideas.

Mallika Sherawat makes <i>roti</i> for Salman Khan

Posted: 27 Jun 2009 12:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/WkjBCqcfxPg/mallika-sherawat-makes-roti-for-salman-khan.html

Cooking is an art and Mallika Sherawat tried to show her culinary artistry
on Salman Khan 's show -10 Ka Dum'. The new season of the show will see
many celebrities in the coming days.

Another special guest episode of -10 Ka Dum' will be telecast this
Saturday. Mallika Sherawat and boxing champ Vijender Singh, the two jats,
will show their quirky side on the show.

No foul play in Michael Jackson death: coroner

Posted: 26 Jun 2009 10:45 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/QfVZLnRZe0w/no-foul-play-in-michael-jackson-death--coroner.html

The Los Angeles Coroner's office on Friday ruled out foul play or "external
trauma" in pop icon Michael Jackson's death after conducting an autopsy.

The autopsy on the body of Jackson has been completed, but the cause of
death has not been determined, Coroner's spokesperson Craig Harvey told
reporters in Los Angeles.

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2009-06-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

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Michael Jackson may have been victimised by doctors: Deepak Chopra

2009-06-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson may have been victimised by doctors: Deepak Chopra

Posted: 28 Jun 2009 10:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/r3OrNnksyR0/michael-jackson-may-have-been-victimised-by-doctors--deepak-chopra.html

Indian-American spiritual guru Dr. Deepak Chopra feels that his longtime
friend Michael Jackson may have been "victimised" by doctors who allowed
abuse of prescription painkillers.

Dr. Chopra, a qualified doctor and a well-known author said he had been
concerned since 2005 that Jackson was abusing prescription painkillers.
Speaking with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, Chopra said that Jackson had
approached him in the past to ask for Oxycontin, an addictive narcotic
painkiller.

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2009-06-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

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SPNbabble for Web Professionals - A Shortcut to Marketing with Social Media

Jayde Online, Inc.
Suite 238, 23-845 Dakota Street
Winnipeg, MB R2M 5M3

8 Secrets to Fill Your Business in 60 Days

2009-06-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

8 Secrets to Fill Your Business in 60 Days

Recently I was asked in an interview to imagine that I was starting
all over again, and as a newbie, how I would fill my business in 60
days. Things have changed tremendously since I began my online
business in 1999, mostly for the better. Most of the steps, however
remain the same. Best of all, the strategies I recommend to fill your
business are the same ones that can be applied to any business, and
then applied again and again to other online ventures. Here are 8
secrets to filling the prospect funnel in your business in 60 days:

1. Success mind set. Don't gloss over this strategy -- it may be the
most important of all. If you truly want to succeed in your business
and are passionate about what you do, nothing will hold you back. This
often means that you have to step out in faith that you'll succeed,
and most importantly, believe in yourself as a success. Sure, you may
stumble, or even fall, but you must be willing to pick yourself back
up and persevere -- even without a safety net hanging under you.
Generate Easy Revenue!

2. Target market. The biggest mistake that business owners make is
wanting to sell to everyone. If you've tried this, you have no doubt
discovered that casting your net around everyone is a very difficult
task. Narrowing that group to a more manageable number will actually
serve you much better, believe it or not. If you can identify a
smaller group of hungry prospects who are willing to pay for the
solutions to the problems that keep them awake at night (or those who
are willing to pay for more information about a hobby or interest that
occupies much of their free time) AND who are reachable in groups
(associations, membership sites, magazines, newsletters, discussion
forums or lists, social networking groups, etc.), then you have made a
key discovery that will catapult your business forward.

3. Client Attraction Device. You've heard it said time and time again
that "the money is in the list." This still holds true today, as well.
Without a list of interested prospects to whom you can market, you
don't have a business. The quickest way to begin to develop a list is
to give something away. Yes, you heard me correctly. If you have
content you have already created, dig through that to see if you have
something appropriate for your chosen target market.

If not, identify a problem of your target market, and create some
content that answers one of those problems. Perhaps it's a checklist,
a Top 10 list, an ebook or special report, an audio interview, a pod
cast, a video -- do whatever is easiest for you. Just ensure that it
is in a plug and play format, i.e. don't make your prospect download
some weird software that's not commonplace to read and view this
material.

Make sure that your Client Attraction Device has some valuable content
in it. Nothing is more frustrating to me than to read a free giveway
that only serves to remind me that I have a problem and offers no
solution unless I pay for it. Don't be afraid to demonstrate your
expertise by giving "how to" information away. Trust me, if you are
truly good at what you do, there's no way that you can share
everything you know on a topic in one short information product. Your
Client Attraction Device starts your prospects on the like, know, and
trust road that is imperative for them to travel before they will
decide to buy something from you.

4. Email marketing system. You must have some way to collect your
prospect's information and a system by which you can stay in contact
with them. The best way to do this is by purchasing email marketíng
services. Do not use a free service for this, nor try to send emails
out of your Outlook program. If you want to be a serous online
business owner, invest in the most important asset in your business --
your email marketíng system.
Top Positions in the Web's Largest Article Directory

5. Blogsite. A blogsite, which is a web site/blog hybrid, is the
quickest way to build an online presence. The two most popular
blogging platforms, the fee-based Typepad and open source software
Wordpress, can be used to create a blogsite very quickly. If you want
either of them customized with a particular look or feel, that may
take a bit longer and require a greater investment. However, either
will work well to get you started, and both will permit you to enter
your email marketíng system's signup code onto a page so that you can
immediately begin to collect contact information from prospects who
have requested your Client Attraction Device.

6. Stay in touch. Whether you do this by submitting regular blog posts
or publishing an email newsletter (or both), you need to reach out and
touch your prospects at least weekly (or several times a week if you
are blogging). Give them some insights about what's happening with you
personally as well as sharing some aspect of your expertise with them
by creating a content-rich article or answering their questions. And,
don't forget to sell -- provide some product or service in each email
newsletter, or submit regular blog posts that remind your readers
about what you are selling.

Forget Expensive PPC Advertising - There is an Alternative!
7. Social networking. Never before have we had the opportuníty to
connect with others online easily and inexpensively as we do now with
social networking. Create profiles on the social networks) used by
your target market, do research to add friends/followers in your
target market, and use the status updates to be useful to your
followers, i.e. by sharing resources, asking questions, and updating
them about how you help clients/customers.

8. Drive traffic to your site. There are a number of ways to
accomplish this, but my favorite starts with writing an article. Once
it's written, I publish it in my ezine, my blog, and to my web site
and syndicate it on article directories all over the Web. Then I have
the option of making a pod cast with the content; creating a
screencast video or "talking head" video from it; writing and
submitting a press release; creating a teleclass; create a Q&A radio
show interview opportuníty; breaking up the points as separate Twitter
posts, or Tweets, and tweeting them to my followers; or sharing it on
my Squidoo lens or other information-sharing portals. The point here
is to work once and profit, profit, profit. Repurpose one article as
many ways as you can to drive traffic back to your blogsite and thus
get more and more prospects to sign up on your list and ultimately
convert them to customers.

The advent of the Internet makes it easier than ever to create and
promote an online business with very little startup capital. And, if
done correctly, the strategies will results in you filling your
business in 60 days with eager and willing prospects ready to buy what
you are offering.

Search Engine Marketing Tips by Brick Marketing - June 29

2009-06-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

SEO and Search
Engine Marketing Tipsby
Brick Marketing - 877-295-0620 - www.BrickMarketing.com
[http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102589661885&s=57467&e=001lL_TBEjCJIdhuRq9qL9Y_nCbu0ktewmzvOppWyYRdFHM91YBP261UeWtKjfQReW5fY9rYJhKHKqznjib-okDa6qjp5-vpezylQOVEKLwX5zjYyeo5CtwsQ==]

June 29, 2009
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Do You Know Your SEO Weak Spot?
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That's why Google changes the rules. And then no one doing what
you're doing is going to rank very well. So don't put all of your eggs
into one basket. Instead, get a bunch of baskets and every now and move
the eggs around. But do it intelligently. Because if one thing works
today it likely won't work tomorrow. There's too much at stake to rely
on one search engine optimization method every time.
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Has Google Improved Its Blog Search Feature?
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So I thought I'd test it. I searched for "search engine
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How Would You Like To Sponsor 84 People in 48 Hours?

2009-06-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Howdy...

I was astonished when my friend and mentor contacted me
one day
and told me about how he sponsored 84 new distributors into
his
primary business in just 48 hrs.

Can you even imagine something like that?

Well, you know, if you look at your business from the old
perspective...friends & family, prospecting, networking and
cold calling...yes...it might seem flat out impossible.

BUT...when you realize the incredible POWER and LEVERAGE
of the
INTERNET and of building your very OWN LIST of prospects...

...the reality of exploding your business like that starts to
become feasible.

Understand... Network Marketing is still, and always will be, a
business of RELATIONSHIPS.

The more relationships you can create, the bigger you can
build
your network, the more leverage you have to build your
business.

As you build your list, you are making new
relationships.

You must now foster and nurture these relationships. Its your
job
now to build trust with your prospects and position yourself as
the leader you truly are.

You see, this individual who sponsored 84 people in 48 hrs...
this is EXACTLY what he did.

For the last 18 months he focused on building his list.

He developed relationships with his list by providing value and
communicating on a regular basis.

After 18 months he had a built a solid list, a network of well
over 10,000 people.

Just a few months ago, he was introduced to a new
opportunity,
a new company that is set to create a major stir in the
industry.

So what does he do?

He seizes the opportunity.

He sends one email to his network of 10,000 prospects that he
spent the last 18 months building and developing.

He invites them to one conference call.

And he signs up 84 new distributors in just 48 hrs.

Impressive? Sure.

Magic? Not really.

Check out http://www.uadvance.info for details on how YOU
can do it!

Just a simple game plan. A solid business building strategy
that
makes him a Top Producer and true leader and mentor in this
industry.

Do you have what it takes to do the same thing?

Of course you do.

The strategy and training we teach here is the EXACT
strategy and
training that this guy uses. In fact, its the EXACT strategy ALL
top earners use.

Its simple really. You just have to stick to the game plan.
Remain consistent and keep your eyes on that prize.

Click on http://www.uadvance.info to LEARN more!

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Salman-Katrina sex video - fake or real?

2009-06-19T13:03:00.000-07:00

Salman-Katrina sex video - fake or real?

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 10:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/LTXTO_THl5o/salman-katrina-sex-video---fake-or-real.html

A sex video featuring the look-alikes of Bollywood stars Salman Khan and
Katrina Kaif has reportedly surfaced in Canada.

Going by the reports so far, the amateur video is doubtlessly a fake. It
features a male and a female pretending to look like Salman and Katrina
through their wigs and make-up. The couple indulges in hardcore sex in the
video.

Jesus! Hrithik Roshan as Christ?

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/GFff2HPem2A/jesus-hrithik-roshan-as-christ.html

Who would have thought that our desi hunk in beard would be compared to
none less that Jesus Christ?

Hrithik Roshan 's bearded and disheveled look in Kites is creating a lot
of buzz in international market, particularly among distributors in Latin
America who have been flummoxed by the Bollywood actor's facial resemblance
to Jesus Christ.

Aamir Khan to become a father again?

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 05:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/hTriwT15dZA/aamir-khan-to-become-a-father-again.html

Superstar Aamir Khan is set to be a father again as his wife Kiran Rao is
reportedly pregnant.

Apparently, Kiran discovered her three-month pregnancy when she was
admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai last week for fever. During a
week she was hospitalized, Aamir, according to sources, visited her daily
but used to come around 9 in the evening, to stay away from media.

Mallika Sherawat inspires Usher

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 04:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/GnHMW2chovs/mallika-sherawat-inspires-usher.html

Bollywood hottie Mallika Sherawat has turned muse for R&B superstar Usher
who has promised to dedicate a song for her.

The curvy belle has been enjoying a lot of attention while working on the
post production of her film Hisss in Hollywood. First she had a milkshake
named after her. Now, she's inspired singer Usher whom she met at a local
eatery.

Has Claudia gone topless for 'Karma'?

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 01:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/XKOS8zqN64I/has-claudia-gone-topless-for-karma.html

There's a strong buzz that German bombshell Claudia Ciesla has gone topless
in the Indian movie -Karma'. Claudia isn't denying or confirming the
news. �You should watch the film� is all she says.

She has been in the news not so much for her work than for her link-up
with Salman Khan and an unwanted controversy with Abhishek Bachchan . Now,
Claudia makes news for her work. It's being reported that she has dropped
her top and bared her twin assets in a scene in her Indian film -Karma'
which she promoted at Cannes a few weeks back.

Mom scolded me on the sets: Soha Ali Khan

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 12:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/BMCzz2awp0c/mom-scolded-me-on-the-sets--soha-ali-khan.html

Soha Ali Khan was a bundle of nerves while facing the camera with her
illustrious mother Sharmila Tagore for an English movie.

None can doubt the acting credentials of Sharmila Tagore. So it was quite
obvious for her young daughter Soha to be nervous while shooting with her
mom for director Sangeeta Datta's English movie, co-starring Girish
Karnad , Om Puri and some British actors.

After Priyanka, Shahid Kapur to skip IIFA

Posted: 08 Jun 2009 10:25 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/9Up0uLV7oIw/after-priyanka--shahid-kapur-to-skip-iifa.html

Priyanka nahin toh Shahid bhi nahin. After Priyanka Chopra's exit from this
year's IIFA, Shahid Kapur too has opted out from the upcoming awards
ceremony.

Though Shahid cites professional reasons for his exit from IIFA, more will
certainly be read in his departure particularly when it comes close on the
heels of his Kaminey co-star and �very good friend� Priyanka Chopra 's
decision to not perform at the event to be held from June 11 to 13 in
Macau, China.

Birthday girl Sonam Kapoor gets a call from Hollywood

Posted: 08 Jun 2009 11:50 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/2o7ChlEUnLs/birthday-girl-sonam-kapoor-gets-a-call-from-hollywood.html

Actress Sonam Kapoor turns 24 today and as an unexpected birthday gift she
has received an invite from a Hollywood trade magazine.

Her two releases so far may not have been money spinners at the
box-office, but Sonam has already carved a little niche for herself in
tinsel town. Her classic beauty and her latent talent doubtlessly make her
one of the most promising newcomers in the recent years. This fact is
recognized not just by folks in B-Town but also in Hollywood.

Love Aaj Kal - Movie Preview and Slideshow

2009-06-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Love Aaj Kal - Movie Preview and Slideshow

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 09:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/UPg4xdSOKn8/love-aaj-kal---movie-preview-and-slideshow.html

Is love today different from what it was in the past when lovers like
Laila-Majnu or Romeo-Juliet perished in each other's arms? Today, in the
age of online romance and one-night stands, many would say love is just a
whirlwind. But no! -Love Aaj Kal' will have you believe that certain things
don't change with the passage of time.

Don't miss the movie's slideshow (story in pictures) at Love Aaj Kal .

John not beside Katrina on Salman's show

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 06:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/t7pl7tLuBRc/john-not-beside-katrina-on-salmans-show.html

John Abraham , the leading man of New York , was conspicuously missing from
Katrina's side as she promoted their upcoming film on Salman's television
show.

Rather Neil Nitin Mukesh , the second lead of the film, gave company to
Katrina Kaif for the shoot of an upcoming episode of -Dus Ka Dum'. The
episode will be aired in the days leading up to the release of -New York'
in the coming weeks.

Shahrukh mixes work with fun

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 05:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/Sz20bxW7MeI/shahrukh-mixes-work-with-fun.html

The entire SRK camp seems to have shifted base to the US nowadays. And they
are not just having fun, but working as well.

Shahrukh Khan , wife Gauri Khan , kids, Gauri's friends and Karan Johar
and Farah Khan - all are in the US. They are not just enjoying the summer
holidays but also working on Karan Johar's film My Name Is Khan .

Bipasha to play a prostitute in realistic film?

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 03:14 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/fI3MdLD6JVI/bipasha-to-play-a-prostitute-in-realistic-film.html

After making her play a child's fantasy woman in -Pankh', the movie's
director wants Bipasha Basu to play a prostitute in his next film on sex
workers of Kolkata.

Director Sudipto Chattopadhyay's controversial movie Pankh is yet to
release and he has already begun working on his other project on the lives
of prostitutes in the brothels of Sonagachi, Asia's oldest and largest
red-light area situated in the north of Kolkata. According to a source, the
film is also titled -Sonagachi'.

Shotgun's daughter Sonakshi does a flip-flop

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 02:15 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/lPu_pLl6OZk/shotguns-daughter-sonakshi-does-a-flip-flop.html

After vacillating over her decision to choose films or fashion designing,
Sonakshi Sinha seems to have made up her mind.

The gorgeous daughter of Shatrughan Sinha had initially consented to be
Salman Khan 's heroine in the debut production venture of Arbaaz Khan but
later delivered a bombshell with her decision to opt out. Now, she does a
flip-flop again. It's learnt that she's back in the film.

Deepika Padukone turns item gal for Telugu film

Posted: 10 Jun 2009 01:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/k1PgtYfM_Bk/deepika-padukone-turns-item-gal-for-telugu-film.html

Deepika Padukone is not only in Love Aaj Kal but also in -Love 4 Ever'. The
gorgeous female will shoot an item song for this film.

But hold your horses! This is not a Bollywood film, but a Telugu movie and
Deepika has reportedly agreed to do a song in it. She will shoot for the
item song from 24 June onwards. Though Deepika started her acting career in
south, this is her first film in Telugu. She debuted with a Kannada film
-Aishwarya'.

Julia Roberts to shoot in India?

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 11:40 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/N_myG4gsuEk/julia-roberts-to-shoot-in-india.html

Call it the -Slumdog' effect, for India seems to have become a preferred
shooting destination for Hollywood films.

And if reports from Hollywood are to be believed, actress Julia Roberts
would be visiting the country to shoot a film titled -Eat, Pray, Love'.
Also accompanying her would be actor Javier Bardem, who won a -Best
Supporting Actor' Oscar for his stunning performance as a cold-blooded
killer in -No Country For Old Men'.

Katrina Kaif's personal items up for grabs

Posted: 09 Jun 2009 10:10 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/1mOCjP7n7bY/katrina-kaifs-personal-items-up-for-grabs.html

The personal belongings of actress Katrina Kaif will go under the hammer
for a charitable cause.

Behind that spotless beauty of Katrina Kaif lays a heart of gold. Okay! We
may be exaggerating, but there's no denying that the stunning Kaif girl
loves to do her bit for social causes.

Hrithik Roshan wins Best Actor award at IIFA

2009-06-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hrithik Roshan wins Best Actor award at IIFA

Posted: 14 Jun 2009 10:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/UNJufy-q3To/hrithik-roshan-wins-best-actor-award-at-iifa.html

At the 10th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, Hrithik Roshan
won the Best Actor trophy for his subtle and well nuanced performance as
emperor Akbar in Jodhaa Akbar .

The movie was also adjudged the Best Film and it director Ashutosh
Gowarikar given the best director trophy on the concluding day of IIFA at
Venetian Resort in Macau, China on June 13.

Kareena loses cool over 'nudity' question

2009-06-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Kareena loses cool over 'nudity' question

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 09:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/C6xIyUU1kd0/kareena-loses-cool-over-nudity-question.html

The otherwise cool Kareena Kapoor stormed out of the promotional event of
Kambakkht Ishq after a journalist asked her if she would go nude for a film.

Kareena was in New Delhi on Monday to promote her upcoming film -Kambakkht
Ishq' which is slated for release on July 3.

Katrina Kaif dropped from Salman's Partner 2

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 06:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/sF34hKaDUCc/katrina-kaif-dropped-from-salman-s-partner-2.html

Speculations are rife that producers of -Partner 2' are not in a mood to
rope in Katrina Kaif for the movie. Katrina was part of the original and
was paired opposite Govinda , but she is not up for the sequel.

The camaraderie between Salman Khan and Govinda made Partner a running
hit. Though the film was a remake of Will Smith's hilarious movie -Hitch',
director David Dhawan managed to direct it well to suit the Indian
sensibilities. However, the sequel was planned to go on the floors by
August this year. But because of unavailability of Salman's dates and
uncertainty about the film's leading actresses, the movie is getting
unnecessarily delayed.

Aishwarya Rai promotes education for girls

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 03:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/I_Dfzyrky5g/aishwarya-rai-promotes-education-for-girls.html

Bachchan bahu, Aishwarya Rai has launched an initiative that will help
underprivileged girls of the country to get proper education.

It is believed that Aishwarya was nurturing this thought for a long time.
She wanted to take some concrete step about this matter. The girls who come
from backward areas of the country never get a chance to empower themselves
with education.

No high heels for Bipasha Basu

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 02:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/ftLDNFD9ID4/no-high-heels-for-bipasha-basu.html

Bipasha Basu is very particular about the kind of footwear she wears. The
lady has weak knees.

You will hardly see Bipasha in high heels except on red carpets and a few
selective events. The actress prefers flat footwear because high heels
cause pain to her knees and ankles.

Trisha to make a dream Bollywood debut

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 12:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/pfKZKfui-JY/trisha-to-make-a-dream-bollywood-debut.html

Tamil actress Trisha is set to enter Bollywood with a film starring none
other than Akshay Kumar as her male lead.

What if Namitha couldn't succeed when she made her Bollywood debut in a
forgettable Hindi film -Love Ke Chakkar Mein' in 2005? Asin has proved that
an actress from south can not just succeed in the Hindi film industry but
also make a place in the top league.

The script that made Priyanka jump!

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 10:20 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/9z_j5iGW3nI/the-script-that-made-priyanka-jump.html

Priyanka Chopra had been unimpressed by a lot of scripts she read recently
until she came upon a script that she claims made her �jump�.

And that script was that of the Yashraj Films' Pyaar Impossible , penned
by none other than the Chopra scion Uday Chopra , who's making his comeback
to the big screen after his heart winning side role in Dhoom 2 .

Medical report confirms Shiney's maid was raped

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 04:40 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/IL6JV4eitZw/medical-report-confirms-shiney-s-maid-was-raped.html

Medical tests conducted on actor Shiney Ahuja's 18-year-old maid have
confirmed that she was raped, police said.

The case against the Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja has become stronger with
the medical reports confirming that the maid, who alleges Shiney raped her
on Sunday, was indeed sexually assaulted. But it is yet to be proven that
it was Shiney who committed the crime.

'Shiney is innocent,' says wife

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 11:30 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/5Y2IPoWbd-A/shiney-is-innocent--says-wife.html

Shiney Ahuja's wife Anupam claims her husband is �innocent� and also
dismisses the reports that the actor has confessed to having consensual sex
with his housemaid.

As Shiney Ahuja is locked up in police custody (till June 18) on the
charges of raping his domestic help, the actor's wife and family is
standing firmly beside him. Anupam, who's been married to Shiney for about
10 years, flew down from Delhi to Mumbai on Sunday night after learning
about Shiney's detention by cops on rape charges leveled by the maid
working at his residence at Oshiwara's Tarapore Towers.

A sex bomb's endless quest for 'bigger assets'!

2009-06-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

A sex bomb's endless quest for 'bigger assets'!

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 09:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/j2lOalnebkc/a-sex-bombs-endless-quest-for-bigger-assets.html

Girls who are not naturally well endowed always have the option of going
under the knife. But in some cases, this desire to have -bigger assets' can
become an obsession.

�Jo Bhagwan nahin deta, woh doctor deta hai� these words by Rakhi Sawant
will go down as the first ever candid admission by an Indian celeb who
underwent a cosmetic surgery to enhance her breasts. Rakhi, mind you, was
not the first to go under the knife. More famous Bollywood actresses got
anatomical enhancement before her, but they never admitted openly.

Shahrukh Khan and Karan Johar going places in US

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 07:10 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/Yi5TYNou8Vs/shahrukh-khan-and-karan-johar-going-places-in-us.html

Shahrukh Khan and Karan Johar are literally going places in US while
shooting their film -My Name Is Khan'; first they managed to shoot on the
premises of White House. Now it's the news room of CBS 5, a leading US news
channel.

Bravo! Director-producer Karan Johar has taken his cast and crew inside
the studio of a top American news channel, in San Francisco. The team of My
Name Is Khan recently shot there for a crucial scene.

I saw the real me in 'New York': Katrina Kaif

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 04:22 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/mXbDTOtonF0/i-saw-the-real-me-in-new-york--katrina-kaif.html

Katrina Kaif says her character Maya in the Yashraj film -New York' is very
close to her real self.

Just a week remains for New York to hit theatres and Katrina Kaif, along
with her co-stars John Abraham , Neil Nitin Mukesh , Irrfan Khan and
director Kabir Khan is busy promoting the film. The cast and crew held a
press conference in Mumbai in which they answered questions related to the
film.

Rani Mukherjee getting superstitious?

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 02:33 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/VyopiIepdME/rani-mukherjee-getting-superstitious.html

Eager to revitalize her sagging acting career, Rani Mukherjee is believed
to be heeding the advice of her astrologer.

The actress, who swept awards for her stellar performance in Black years
ago, is planning to shift back to her old house at Yari Road. Ever since
Rani left that house and shifted to her swanky bungalow in Juhu her career
has been going downhill.

Priyanka and Shahid sweat together

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 01:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/otWKVCfsj-4/priyanka-and-shahid-sweat-together.html

If love is breaking a sweat together then Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapur
were seen doing so at a gym on Monday night.

Even as the rumour of their -split' is consuming a lot of newsprint in
tabloids, the Kaminey couple sprung a surprise yet again by stepping out
together after Priyanka returned from her trip to IIFA where she won the
Best Actress award.

Soha Ali Khan won't kiss Emraan Hashmi

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 10:45 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/1qj7q-irlDE/soha-ali-khan-wont-kiss-emraan-hashmi.html

Not necessary that the serial kisser will get to plant his lips on all the
pretty young things. Soha Ali Khan just refused to lock lips with Emraan
Hashmi while shooting Tum Mile .

Reportedly, the actress had no issues with the scene when director Kunal
Deshmukh earlier gave her the detailed narration about the sequence. But
while canning the scene Soha developed cold feet and said no, claiming she
wasn't comfortable doing the smooch.

Shiney Ahuja sent to judicial custody till July 2

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 05:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/F3Mr3hSeLpo/shiney-ahuja-sent-to-judicial-custody-till-july-2.html

A Mumbai court on Thursday remanded actor Shiney Ahuja , accused in a rape
case, to judicial custody till July 2.

Shiney, whose police custody ended today, was produced before the court in
the afternoon but failed to get bail even though his lawyer Shrikant
Shivade argued that the actor has co-operated with police and the medical
tests have been done and he need not remain in custody to know the results
of the tests.

Shiney Ahuja to undergo DNA test

Posted: 18 Jun 2009 12:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/Ga157ocwT-U/shiney-ahuja-to-undergo-dna-test.html

A DNA test will reportedly be conducted on Shiney Ahuja to gather more
evidence in the case accusing the actor of raping his domestic help.

According to zonal deputy commissioner of police Niket Kaushik, police has
requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Kalina to conduct DNA
test on Shiney who is presently in police custody on the charge or raping
his maid on Sunday.

Katrina's birthday plan doesn't include Salman!

2009-06-19T12:58:00.001-07:00

Katrina's birthday plan doesn't include Salman!

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 09:40 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/6Cm6vRbD0CU/katrinas-birthday-plan-doesnt-include-salman.html

How the time flies! Almost a year has passed since Salman Khan had that
ugly spat with Shahrukh Khan on Katrina Kaif's birthday. This year, the
actress is playing safe.

Forget throwing a lavish bash on her birthday, the Cancerian beauty
doesn't even plan to be in Mumbai or India for that matter on her birthday
in July. Katrina Kaif would rather be flying to London for a full family
reunion with her seven sisters and one brother.

Salman and Neil <i>ka dostana</i>

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/9m2lT7vSQ84/salman-and-neil-ka-dostana.html

The man who called Katrina Kaif -sweetheart' is now Salman Khan's dost.

Salman Khan holds no grudge against Neil Nitin Mukesh for calling his
girlfriend -sweetheart'. This was evident on the sets of Sallu's show -Dus
Ka Dum' for which Neil shot recently.

Minissha Lamba denies kissing Sreesanth

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 06:15 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/qDoYmd-9284/minissha-lamba-denies-kissing-sreesanth.html

Actress Minissha Lamba is not angry but amused by the report that she
kissed cricketer Sreesanth at the IIFA award function in Macau. She
describes it as a �work of fiction�.

In another incidence of a Bollywood babe been linked with a cricketer,
Minissha, it was reported recently, bonded well with Indian pacer Sreesanth
at a casino in Macau and the two were �inseparable� throughout the night
until the wee hours of morning.

Priyanka Chopra embarrassed by Gowarikar's comment

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 04:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/E2ZRK6g1bz8/priyanka-chopra-embarrassed-by-gowarikars-comment.html

At the recently held IIFA Awards in Macau, director Ashutosh Gowarikar shot
off his mouth (yet again!) on stage and left actress Priyanka Chopra
embarrassed.

What happens when the director you are working with in latest film doesn't
think high of your acting abilities and even says it publicly? Something
like this happened to Priyanka Chopra who won the best actress award for
her performance in Fashion at IIFA.

'Akshay becomes an instant favourite with directors'

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 03:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/sHVuESDrtok/akshay-becomes-an-instant-favourite-with-directors.html

Sabbir Khan, director of Kambakkht Ishq is going gaga over Akshay Kumar .
Khan says Akshay has a knack of becoming an instant favourite with whoever
he works.

So, is it a mere coincidence that the filmmakers who work with Akshay once
want to cast him again? Be it Priyadarshan or Vipul Amrutlal Shah or Anees
Bazmee , Akshay has a way of bonding with his directors. And Sabbir Khan of
-Kambakkht Ishq' is no exception.

Nayantara and Suriya head to Iceland

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 02:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/0xrrTfEKilA/nayantara-and-suriya-head-to-iceland.html

The two stars from South are off to Iceland to shoot a song for their film
-Adhavan'.

After shooting songs at exotic locations in Kodaikanal and Darjeeling, the
cast and crew of the Tamil film are headed to Iceland to can another song
titled -Eno Eno Panithuli'.

Amrita Rao dons short clothes for 'Shortkut'

Posted: 16 Jun 2009 10:30 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/lHOnorGC8ww/amrita-rao-dons-short-clothes-for-shortkut.html

With the summer reaching its peak, the hemlines in Bollywood are rising.
It's now the girl-next-door Amrita Rao who's flaunting her seldom-bared hot
bod in a sizzling song.

The Vivaah girl is seen flirting with some skin show in a number in the
upcoming comedy Shortcut .

Shiney Ahuja shattered and regretful: police

Posted: 17 Jun 2009 12:20 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/F8T-hsFBs4Y/shiney-ahuja-shattered-and-regretful--police.html

Arrested on the charge of raping his domestic help, actor Shiney Ahuja
appears to be remorseful during interrogation, according to police.

Assistant Police Commissioner Dilip Suryavanshi is quoted by a news agency
as saying: "He (Shiney) is completely shattered and is repenting for what
he had done."

Now, Kareena Kapoor dolls up as Barbie

2009-06-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Now, Kareena Kapoor dolls up as Barbie

Posted: 07 Jun 2009 09:10 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/YWd4VxiWEuk/now--kareena-kapoor-dolls-up-as-barbie.html

After Katrina Kaif it's Kareena Kapoor who's dolled up as Barbie. But
instead of walking the ramp or have Barbie dolls modeled on her, Kareena
just dons a Barbie look in the upcoming film Kambakkht Ishq .

Mallika Bhat, who has done Kareena's make-up in the film, says one of
Bebo's looks in the film is inspired by Barbie.

New York - Movie Preview and Slideshow

2009-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

New York - Movie Preview and Slideshow

One terrorist attack can change the world forever. It can alter
relationships, ruin lives, and create prejudices. This is the theme of -New
York'.

The film is a story about three friends who study in US, and how their
pleasant life becomes tumultuous post 9/11 attacks. The movie is a Yashraj
Films presentation.

Neil calls Katrina -sweetheart', irks Salman!

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 07:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/cCAg_zIcSgU/neil-calls-katrina--sweetheart---irks-salman.html

Neil Nitin Mukesh called Katrina Kaif -sweetheart' on the phone without
realizing that it was Salman Khan on the other end of the line.

Neil and Katrina became buddies while shooting New York in the US. And
Neil has this ingrained habit of calling all his close friends -sweetheart'.

No place for Kajol in Ajay's next directorial film

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 04:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/7KPqsX56btQ/no-place-for-kajol-in-ajay-s-next-directorial-film.html

Ajay Devgan is returning to direction but his next film won't star wifey
Kajol .

Devgan's first film as director, U Me Aur Hum was critically appreciated
even though it did not set the cash registers ringing. Now, the actor is
ready to don the director's hat again, but this time he won't direct a love
story. Rather Devgan's next would be an action film.

Shahrukh to show his dare devilry

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 01:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/lS1hD5NJRDw/shahrukh-to-show-his-dare-devilry.html

Undeterred by the recent injury on his shoulder, Shahrukh Khan is preparing
himself to do some dare devil stunts in films.

He still has to fully recover from his arthroscopic surgery on left
shoulder, but SRK is raring to return to action, if not soon then by the
end of this year or in early 2010. Farah Khan has already confirmed that
she wants SRK to build 8 pack abs for her next film Happy New Year , which
is still in scripting stages.

Tom Cruise takes on new 'Mission Impossible'

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 12:45 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/BzX6fctlPBk/tom-cruise-takes-on-new-mission-impossible.html

After three successful outings as CIA agent Ethan Hunt, Hollywood star Tom
Cruise is set to reprise the role for the fourth time in -Mission
Impossible 4'.

According to The Sun, the project will be helmed by JJ Abrams, the
director of -Mission Impossible 3'.

'New York is about prejudices after 9/11 attacks'

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 12:00 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/jnEfmgRE3mk/new-york-is-about-prejudices-after-9-11-attacks.html

Yashraj Films' upcoming release New York highlights the prejudices against
certain nations and communities after the 9/11 attacks in the US, says the
film's director Kabir Khan .

It's often described as the day that changed the world. Four hijacked
planes went down and three of them crashed into the symbols of all that
America stands for. But it's a day that also stemmed prejudices against
people of certain religion. This is what director Kabir Khan tackles in
-New York', which is set for release on June 26.

Shiney Ahuja remanded to 3-day police custody on rape charges

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 05:30 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/4-KePxIL5r4/shiney-ahuja-remanded-to-3-day-police-custody-on-rape-charges.html

Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja has been remanded to police custody till June
18 for allegedly raping his maid. The news has shocked the film industry.

The actor was arrested Monday morning and produced in Andheri court. He
has been booked under three sections - rape (section 376), criminal
intimidation (506) and wrongful confinement (339).

Actor Shiney Ahuja accused of raping maid

Posted: 14 Jun 2009 10:30 PM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/lN-CX2pXtlA/actor-shiney-ahuja-accused-of-raping-maid.html

Actor Shiney Ahuja was reportedly arrested early Monday on rape charges
leveled by his domestic help.

Ahuja, who was detained for questioning last night, is likely to be
produced before a magistrate's court later in the day. Reports say
preliminary tests conducted on his domestic help confirmed sexual assault,
a senior police official said.

New York

Posted: 15 Jun 2009 09:52 AM PDT
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/apunkachoice/main/~3/ik4xTzzT1Sk/

Make Sure You Get The Customer Perspective

2009-06-16T10:46:00.001-07:00

Businesses that fail, often forget to seek out the customer
perspective. I have talked to some folks at businesses that were less
than succesful, and when asked if they actively seek out customer
comments, the answer invariably is no. Why don't they do that? Why not
get the customer perspective?

Oftentimes, the company is overconfident, and thinks they know what
customers want. This myth, because that's what it is, can be upheld as
long as the customer is not involved. However, the customer has a
strong vote in the buying process, and in the end it will become
crystal clear how the customer feels! At that point, of course, it's
too late to do anything about it.

Another reason for not asking the customer is fear. From the customer
perspective you might not be doing so well as you thought you were.
For insecure persons that may come as a blow! In order to protect
themselves, some folks just don't want to hear it and simply don't
ask. On the other hand, they could be missing out on a whole lot of
uplifting comments.

Get real! Would you rather get the customer's votes in your wallet, or
in your mailbox?

The sooner you know how the customer feels about your business, the
sooner you can start to correct any shortcomings that may emerge. But
you have to act. There is no use in hiding the remarks you don't like.
This doesn't change the reality. Put your customer in the centre of
your business and let the rest follow in tune.

This can only improve your bottom line.

Getting Results from Your Writing & Speaking

2009-06-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

When we communicate, we usually want something to happen. We want
results. And, when we're conscious of results, we're seeking effective
communication.

To put it another way, the effectiveness of communication can be
measured by the responses it gets. It's not measured by how well we
wrote or how eloquently we spoke, although those can help us get the
responses we want.

Good writing and speaking help us get a response because they help get
the message across. As I've argued in my book, A Manager's Guide to
Newsletters, a newsletter that doesn't get read cannot get a response
from readers.

So, writing, designing, speaking, and all those other creative
activities matter. But, in the end, responses are what count, and
effectiveness means getting the responses we want.

That's true for all types of communication, and not just marketing
campaigns. Managers who send messages to employees, for example, want
employees to respond in a particular way. Maybe they want the
employees to do something differently, or maybe they want to reinforce
existing behaviors.

For a couple of employee newsletters I published, effectiveness meant
greater awareness of health and safety issues. If the newsletter
worked, then they should have helped reduce the number of plant
accidents and helped employees lead healthier lifestyles.

One more point: Effectiveness cannot be achieved without articulated
objectives. As the old adage goes, "If you don't know where you're
going, any road with do." Or, as the inimitable Yogi Berra put it, "If
you don't know where you are going... You might end up someplace
else."

With that, let's create a quick and easy checklist that takes us
through the basic steps required for effective communication:

1. What is your objective, what do you want to happen? Do you want
more sales, reduced employee turnover, renewals by members? Be
specific about your objectives, and if you can attach time and dollar
values to them so much the better.

2. What response of readers or listeners is necessary? What action
should they take? What thoughts do you want them to keep in their
minds? Do you want to reinforce existing thinking or behaviors? What
do they need to do in terms of your objective?

3. Why would they respond to your message? It's all very well for you
to have objectives, but you'll also have to offer something that
provides value in their terms. Think of commercial broadcasting, which
combines free entertainment with advertising messages.

4. What message content will motivate them to act? What subjects will
provide that value to them?

5. How will you present that content? You can entertain, inform,
consult, challenge, solve problems, and more.

6. How often will you have to repeat the message? In many cases,
you'll need to make multiple contacts to get the response you want.
Stockbrokers making sales calls, for example, figure on an average of
five to seven contacts before a prospect becomes a potential client.

7. If you quantified your objectives, does the value of meeting the
objective exceed the cost of communicating? In a marketing context,
for example, how many sales do you have to make to pay the cost of
your advertising campaign?

Going through these steps will start us on the right foot, because it
pushes us to think about responses. And, when we're focused on
responses, we're much more likely to communicate effectively.

Top 10 Ways to Turn Clients Into Raving Fans

2009-06-16T10:45:00.001-07:00

Do you find great joy in being a coach? If so, you will find that your
enthusiasm is contagious and will attract clients. Be sure to develop
a superb and supportive community. Enlist them in building a practice
and in supporting you as you go down the coaching road. Embrace
change. It is your constant companion as you build your coaching
business.

1. Be someone that they really enjoy as a person and as a vendor.

2. Call your Client each quarter to ask if they're having any problems
or challenges with their organization. 3. Continually improve your
product or service.

4. Keep your client informed about future changes and upgrades about
the product/service they bought.

5. Keep your client informed about what the media and other clients
are saying about your service/product.

6. Educate your client on making the most of your product/service.

7. Do the unexpected, again and again.

8. Create a "special client-only" club or group that gets extra things
e.g. autographed books, audio tapes, and special invitations -
anything worthwhile. 9. Be 6-24 months ahead of the competition - and
stay there.

10. Use high tech, low tech, no tech to keep your name in front of
your clients. After all, they are the ones who will bring you the
business.

Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its
entirety, electronically, or in print fre*e of charge, as long as you
include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address
(http://www.schrift.com) in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a
courtesy link or email where you publish to sandra@schrift.com. Thank
you.

The Seven Secrets to New Age Leadership

2009-06-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Did you ever notice that In our American culture, we have the tendency
to look outside of ourselves for leadership? That's a trap. Isn't it
time we looked inside ourselves to see how we can be the leader we
want and need to be in the 21st century? I certainly think so.

Leadership used to be about telling people what to do. We saw the
manager as "hero." Managers were needed to solve problems, needed for
their technical expertise and their know-how. They were needed to keep
the ship running in tiptop shape!

All our old leadership models came from the military, where people
took their command from a few people at the top. These models don't
work in today's world. As the industrial age models rust, the power
has shifted from the people who sell, to the people who buy.

Today's business leader needs to a master juggler, and a compassionate
listener. She needs to be savvy and intuitive and sharp as a tack in
business matters. Most of all today's leader needs to be able to
mobilize HUMAN energy, align it and direct it towards a single goal –
creating more value for the customer. This, in turn creates a more
profitable company. Companies that have high levels of customer
happiness and employee happiness outperform those who don't. It's
pretty simple.

I believe there are seven traits of successful leaders for the 21st Century.

Creative thinker - Einstein said, "The world we have created is a
product of our way of thinking" Nothing will change in the future
without fundamentally new ways of thinking.

If we want to create a new world we have to first change our thinking
and thinking patterns. 80% of the population thinks reactively. They
take action to make something go away (usually a problem.) The other
20% are creative thinkers – they take action to make something come
into being (the creation.)

Creative thinkers thrive on the question "What's Possible?" Reactive
thinkers ask, "What's wrong?" or "Who's to blame?" Reactive thinkers
live in reaction and response to circumstances. Creative thinkers go
beyond circumstances.

The next quality of tomorrow's leader is "Change readiness." The
Change-ready individual embraces change. They understand the process
of change and how it affects most people, and is skilled at enrolling
people in it with a minimum amount of fear.

Most people do resist change – that's because it forces us right out
of our comfort zones. A leader knows how to move people out of their
comfort zones with dignity and respect. He helps people share a
"common understanding" of the past and why they need to change it and
then provides them with a positive image of their future along with
actions they can all agree will move them in the right direction.

A leader is a Landscape Architect. It's her primary job to build a
living environment– called culture. Culture is the soul of the
enterprise. Today's leader is a master "culture-crafter." He or she
sculpts and crafts an environment that stimulates, excites and invites
people to be the best they can be.

The architect leader knows that the ability to create a nourishing and
challenging environment for people to grow in is more important than
any technical skill she can possess.

Continuous Improvement - The leader of tomorrow will regularly
challenge old beliefs and be passionate about learning and about
applying that learning in the real world. She will often ask my
favorite question "Who is doing something differently then I am and
what can I learn from them?"

The New Leader is Authentic. How and who you are is just as important
as what you know! Hold yourself to the highest standards – don't talk
the talk unless you are prepared to walk the walk. Don't expect of
others what you don't expect from your self. Be real, tell the truth.
The leaders that are the most revered are those that let the light of
who they are shine through in all they do. They are honest, forthright
and clear.

Coach/Facilitator – A leader needs to be a coach not a commander. He
needs to hold space open for things to happen. It is said that when
leaders do their job properly people believe they have done it
themselves. Leaders are there to help people see things from a
different perspective, to provide questions that encourage learning
and to help turn work experiences into learning experiences.

Our new leader is a Visionary. It's clearly documented that visionary
leaders are successful at mobilizing human potential. A vision
provides focus. It's a tool for aligning energy. Clear vision and
purpose provide people with a framework from which to make decisions,
it organizes action and effort.

Clearly a need for a new leadership style exists. Take a good look at
your style and see if you are prepared for living and leading in the
21st century.

Want to find out more about how to be a powerful and compassionate
leader 21st century leader - check out our weekly training program at
http://www.customercarecoach.com

JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach ™ a weekly
training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite
Customer Care." She is the author of "Winning at Customer Retention,
101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal and Keep 'em Coming Back"
and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION" she
writes a free email tip on customer caring. You can sign up at and

Why Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses Should

2009-06-16T10:44:00.001-07:00

As the owner or an employee of a small- to medium-sized business, you
might have never thought about media monitoring. Maybe you are not
even sure what exactly is meant by this and have thus ignored it so
far. But you should take some time to get acquainted with the concept
of media monitoring. For companies of every size, it is a crucial tool
for market success.

When you monitor the media, you basically look for all the information
that is beeing published about your company in different media formats
like newspapers and magazines. But what is the benefit you get from
this search process? Do you only end up with a waggon load of data or
can this scanning give your company the cutting edge?

The answer is yes, it can. It is not something only big firms with
large public relation staffs do benefit from, but every organisation
or company. It can accomplish a variety of tasks including

* control how and how often your company is being portrayed in public

* follow-up any PR-activities you might have launched

* examine how your competitor's media-image looks like

* discover new trends in your specific profession and

* analyse market developments.

These aspects are relevant for companies of every size. Imagine you
are a small company producing a certain product, for example computer
hardware components. You think media monitoring does not apply to you
because you produce your goods locally and do not compete with "global
players" who spend millions on their media campaigns?

Well, in this case, size does not matter. It is still important how
the people living in the community where you are located react to your
business. It is still important that you are among the first who
catches a new trend concerning your product range – or otherwise
another small enterprise may come up with the innovation that you
could also have produced. These are only two small examples that show
why media monitoring is so important.

If you are opposed to media monitoring because your company only has a
small budget for public relations, think twice. Especially if you only
have a small amount of money at hand to promote your company, it is
essential to follow up every PR activity to make sure that money is
well-invested.

For media monitoring, a simple concept applies: only when you know
what is going on you can react accordingly. So do not only go through
your local or regional newspaper and expert publications, but broaden
your horizons. Filter the internet for information about your trade
and company. With the help of search engines, hundreds of websites,
online-publications and databases can be sorted through. There are
also professional monitors how can do this job for you. In any case,
media monitoring is worth the effort – regardless of your company's
size.

How a Photoswitch Saved My Job

2009-06-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

In 1996 I was employed as maintenance supervisor at an olive cannery
in the heart of California's fertile San Joaquin valley. We were
restarting the cannery after an extended shutdown while the cannery
changed owners. This was my first opportunity to work in the food
industry and a cannery. There were issues for me to learn and learn
fast. The new harvest season's olives were due to start arriving just
four weeks after I was hired.

Only four of the previous maintenance personnel were available to be
rehired, so things were looking a little bleak at times. None of the
new mechanics or electricians had food industry experience, either. In
addition, there were almost no blueprints or wiring diagrams for the
entire cannery or processing plant.

However, on the scheduled startup day, everything ran. Our two main
lines used Angelus 60L Seamers with a maximum output capability of 600
cans per minute. That figures out to ten cans per second. That's
faster than I can count. The Seamers seal the end cap onto the cans.
Due to space limitations, new, spiral elevators had been designed and
added by the previous owners. The elevators and controls had been
wired up but they never ran prior to shutdown.

We started up slow, but problems immediately surfaced. The discharge
line from the spiral elevator to the cooker was a plastic cable line.
Cans could tip over and jam. When the can jam-up backed cans into the
discharge from the spiral elevator and then round and round the
elevator. It took a considerable effort and time to remove the jammed
cans from the elevator.

A photoelectric sensor with a reflective lens was installed on the
discharge cable line about six inches from the can entry to the
discharge cable line. This sensor was designed and connected to stop
the seamer and elevator when a jam-up occurred. The sensor had to see
an opening between the cans, operate on/off, or it would shut down the
elevator.

It turned out that the photoelectric sensor could only be adjusted to
stay on all the time or off all the time when the cans were going by
at any higher rate than Jog speed on the Seamer. We adjusted and
adjusted the sensors. The sensors were replaced with new sensors. It
did no good. The lines were stopped while we traced all the control
and power wiring so we could try to determine if there was a problem
in the wiring.

When I looked around, the Plant Manager, accompanied by the company
President, Vice President and the Financial Controller were standing
to the side watching me. All four of them had their arms crossed and
unreadable expressions on their faces. I knew I was in trouble and had
to get on top of this problem in a hurry.

Finally, I determined that the previous engineer had ordered an
incorrect application for the original photoelectric sensors. I looked
up the specifications for the installed sensors and found that their
response time was not fast enough to "see" the cans as they went by. I
looked in an Allen-Bradley sensor book for a photoelectric sensor with
a fast response time, able to withstand the harsh environment of a
cannery (steam and water), and would continue operation even when
subjected to lots of vibration.

The photoelectric sensor I decided on was the Allen-Bradley Series
4000B Bulletin 42RL. This sensor has a response time of 5
milliseconds. That time was faster than our requirements. The case of
the sensor is designed for harsh environments and kept the steam and
wash-down water from entering the delicate, control circuitry area of
the sensor. The vibrations from the elevator and the cable line had no
effect on the solid state wiring of the sensor.

After installation, the sensor was connected and pre-adjusted for the
can stream. The sensor kept the cable line and elevator running and
was "seeing" the individual cans. We physically simulated a jam-up of
cans on the cable line. When the cans backed up to the sensor, the
sensor operated and shut down the spiral elevator and opened the
clutch on the seamer, stopping line production.

There remained only some fine tuning of the sensor as we ramped up to
top speed of between 550 and 570 cans per minute. Again, we had a
"command" audience of the top company officers for our startup. When
the lines started and continued running or stopped on a can backup
with no corresponding elevator jam, there were smiles all around. My
job was safe.

Most of the can jams on the cable line were reduced to acceptable
levels by the work of the Cookroom Manager and his Seamer
Operators/Mechanics. They reworked the can drops and built-in several
can cutouts. The can cutouts are places where a can lying on its side
will be ejected from the cable line, thereby eliminating an almost
certain jam in a can drop or at the Cooker entrance. By reworking the
can drops, can jams in the drops were almost totally eliminated.

Besides the fact that I kept my job, I learned that anyone can make a
mistake and, when in doubt, check the factory specifications of the
equipment you are working with.

Larry Bush

Larryb642003@yahoo.com

http://www.maintenancepolicy.com

Dont Sell Your House--Ever!

2009-06-16T10:43:00.001-07:00

Keeping your existing house when you buy a new one could be THE most
profitable financial decision you could make. Consider the following:

1. Second stream of income: When you move to another place and keep
your current house as a rental, this gives you an extra stream of
income.

2. Pay less tax: Your rental property produces business income. When
you have a business, you are entitled to tax write-offs. This could
save you a lot of money that you would normally pay to CCRA (Revenue
Canada).

3. Fast wealth: Tenants will pay off your mortgage in a rental
property. Your net-worth will grow without you having to save out of
your own income. When you have one or more tenants there is a team
effort in building your wealth, fast!

4. Bargain priced: You will never again be able to buy the same type
of property for the amount you paid for it originally. The value of
all the other houses have gone up along with yours. You already own
what an investor would consider a bargain in the current market.

5. High rate of return: The rent you can charge for your house is
based on the current market. Rents have gone up but the cost of your
house is still what you originally paid for it. You are getting a
higher return on investment. In the current market you would have to
spend a lot more to get the same rental income.

6. Guaranteed income: If you are willing to make some small changes to
your house so it meets the standards required for disabled people, you
will have a long list of potential tenants waiting for you. In many
cases, some government agency will be paying their rent. You will get
a good, stable, low-maintenance tenant. You will also be helping
someone in need. If you need money for the renovations, you can
re-finance as much as 90% to 100% of the market value of your house.
Government grants may also be available.

7. Increased tax write-offs: In most cases, you can write off the
interest paid on the mortgage of a rental property. If you keep the
mortgage as high as possible, you maximize the tax write-offs.

8. Pay off your own home faster: Keep the mortgage on the rental
property as high as possible by re-financing to the max as the value
goes up. Use that equity to pay off the home you live in, faster.

9. Tax-free retirement income: After your house is paid off quickly by
using the equity in the rental property, you may be able to use the
refinanced cash as a tax-free retirement income. Borrowed money may or
may not be taxable. Check with your accountant.

10. Gain freedom from the slavery of a J.O.B.: It takes far less time
to maintain rental properties than the amount of time you would spend
in a job. If you build up your portfolio of rental properties to 5 or
10 and pay them off (or keep refinancing), you will have as much or
more income than your present job. You can be your own boss, work only
a few hours, spend time with your family, and really enjoy your life.

These strategies will not work for everyone. Before you implement your
plans, check with an accountant, lawyer, mortgage broker or other
professional. You may need to work with someone. Use your children,
parents, brothers, sisters, good friends as a co-signer or
co-investor. Grow wealthy together, with the people you love.

To qualify for the lowest mortgage rate in Canada, go to
http://www.mortgage-rate-canada.com and click on Canadian "Mortgage
Calculators". Check out the "Pre-Approvals" and "Credit Problems"
pages to get the banker's perspective on your credit profile.

For ideas on how to set up a reliable monthly income from rental
properties when you have very little time or money go to:
http://www.netman-ecommerce-guru.com/rental-strategies

Warm Regards,

Neeraj Varma

Increase Your Income Through International Trade

2009-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

If you operate a small business, you may feel that your income
potential is quite limited. However, you can increase and diversify
your income through international trade.

1. Importing

Retail store owners can find additional products to sell from foreign
manufacturers, distributors, and other suppliers.

Advantages of importing include increased product selection, lower
costs, and increased income.

You may even decide to go exclusively into the import business and
become a wholesale distributor.

2. Exporting

Manufacturers can find new customers for their products in foreign countries.

Perhaps consumers in your country have lost interest in your product.
It may have become obsolete because of technological advances. A
foreign market, however, may be desirous of that very product.

Maybe there is an economic slump in your country. Another country may
be experiencing a boom. Sales from customers in that country may help
stabilize your income.

Exporting can also help smooth the peaks and valleys of your income.
For instance, if you sold winter sporting goods, you could sell to
both northern and southern hemispheres to help offset the seasonal
nature of your business.

Of course, you might also consider selling sporting goods for all the
seasons and still export to other countries to increase and diversify
your income.

You could also become an Export Management Agent. Arrange for other
domestic companies to sell their products to foreign corporations and
earn a ten percent commission.

You would think that selling to foreign customers would be quite
risky. However, use of letters of credit can protect all parties. An
Export Management Agent might actually arrange for ninety percent of
the sale to be paid directly to the domestic supplier and ten percent
to be paid directly to himself.

3. Licensing

Consider becoming a licensing agent. Earn royalties by arranging for
foreign corporations to manufacture and sell the products of domestic
companies.

To learn more about making money as a licensing agent, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/licensing.html

4. Finder`s Fees

Imagine the possibilities for earning finder`s fees in international trade!

You can earn fees from domestic companies for finding foreign buyers
(or for finding suitable imports from foreign suppliers). You can also
earn fees from foreign companies for finding domestic corporations
that will buy their products (or for finding suitable suppliers and
products from domestic corporations).

To learn more about how to earn finder`s fees, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/finder.html

5. Drop Shipping

Visualize receiving an order from a customer based in a foreign
country and not having to be bothered with shipping and handling the
product. No customs declarations or brokers are required by you. This
is because your drop ship supplier is handling those details.

You might collect $100.00 plus shipping of $15.00 from your foreign
customer. You then simply send your customer`s order to your drop ship
supplier with your payment of $65.00 (consisting of $50.00 wholesale
cost plus $15.00 shipping). Your drop shipper will now fulfill the
order. Congratulations! You just made fifty dollars.

To learn more about how to make money drop shipping, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/dropship.html

6. Mail Order

Add a mail order service to your existing business operation.
Manufacturers, retail stores, and other businesses can increase their
sales by using this additional method of selling that is very
conducive to international trade.

To learn more about mail order, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/mailord.html

7. Internet Marketing

You can also extend your reach to worldwide customers by means of the
Internet. Methods of obtaining foreign business include affiliate
marketing, online auctions, online stores, and websites.

To learn more about Internet marketing, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/netmrktg.html

Yes, to increase and diversify your income, consider international trade.

To learn more about international trade, visit
http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/impexp.html

Construct Diversified Mutual Fund Portfolios

2009-06-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with Fidelity Select
Technology in 12 months!' 'Avoid sector funds.' If all of this sounds
confusing, you are not alone. Sector funds are among the more misused
and misunderstood investments. So, how should you use sector funds?

Before looking at one of the uses of sector funds in detail, let's
review what sector funds really are: Sector funds confine their
investments to a particular sector of the economy. Fidelity Select
Healthcare (NDQ: FSPHX) is an example of a sector fund. By focusing on
stocks of companies in the healthcare sector, the price moves of this
fund are more dependent on factors that impact the healthcare sector
rather than the economy as a whole. Demographic change, such as
increasing age of the population, is an example of a factor that
particularly drives investments in healthcare. By diversifying its
assets across over 60 companies within the healthcare sector, Fidelity
Select Healthcare provides investors with the opportunity to benefit
from secular trends driving the demand for healthcare while mitigating
company-specific risks such as failure of clinical trials conducted by
a particular company.

Let's now look at a high-potential approach of using sector funds.

Using sector funds to create a diversified mutual fund portfolio By
allocating assets across a group of sector funds, investors can
effectively create a diversified mutual fund portfolio using sector
funds. This approach gives the investor flexibility to over-weight or
under-weight certain sectors versus broadly diversified indexes such
as the S&P 500®.

To implement this active approach to money management, it helps to
have a diverse group of sector funds to choose from. Fidelity
Investments manages 41 sector funds under the Fidelity Select
Portfolios® umbrella which makes this family of sector funds
well-suited for this purpose. By dividing assets across, say, 8 sector
funds in the Fidelity Select Portfolios, e.g., Fidelity Select
Biotechnology (NDQ: FBIOX), Fidelity Select Computers (NDQ: FDCPX),
Fidelity Select Energy Service (NDQ: FSESX), Fidelity Select Home
Finance (NDQ: FSVLX), Fidelity Select Medical Delivery (NDQ: FSHCX),
Fidelity Select Multimedia (NDQ: FBMPX), Fidelity Select Retailing
(NDQ: FSRPX), and Fidelity Select Wireless (NDQ: FWRLX), one can build
a customized diversified portfolio. With each of the sector fund
managers actively scouting for the best investment ideas within their
sectors, this cluster of Fidelity Select Portfolios packs a lot of
power into your diversified portfolio.

Other mutual fund families that provide a relatively wide choice of
sector funds include ProFunds and Rydex Funds. Exchange traded sector
funds such as Select Sector SPDRs, iShares, and Sector HOLDRS, that
trade on the American Stock Exchange, can also be used to construct
diversified sector fund portfolios.

The wide selection of sector funds available provides you with the
ability to take advantage of changing market conditions and
continually optimize the risk-reward characteristics of your
diversified portfolio. To employ this approach effectively, you need
to understand and follow the dynamics of the individual sectors. You
must also be able to make informed decisions on sectors to select and
sectors to avoid. At the end of the day, you should be right more
often than wrong with the sectors you select.

AlphaProfit.com's research suggests that by constructing diversified
mutual fund portfolios using sector funds, investors have the
potential to outperform the market averages on the basis of relative
returns as well as risk-adjusted returns. The track-record of
AlphaProfit's model portfolios indicates the potential of this
approach.

A Caveat

Diversification is one of the cornerstone principles of mutual fund
investing. Sector funds that focus on high-growth sectors or narrow
niches of the economy tend to be volatile. It is generally not
advisable to commit a substantial portion of your total assets to a
single sector fund. Maintaining adequate diversification across
sectors in your overall mutual fund portfolio is good investing
practice.

Key Points to Remember

1. Sector funds are investment vehicles that focus their investments
on a particular sector or industry group. Sector funds provide
investors with an opportunity to profit from trends impacting a
particular sector or industry while reducing company-specific risks.

2. High-potential diversified portfolios can be constructed by
dividing assets among a group of sector funds. This active investment
approach requires investors to make informed decisions on sector
selection. The power-packed cluster of sector funds may offer
investors the potential to outperform the market averages.

3. Diversifying mutual fund portfolios across sectors is good
investing practice.

Notes: This report is for information purposes only. Nothing herein
should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give
individual investment advice. This report does not have regard to the
specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular
needs of any specific person who may receive this report. The
information contained in this report is obtained from various sources
believed to be accurate and is provided without warranties of any
kind. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC does not represent that this
information, including any third party information, is accurate or
complete and it should not be relied upon as such. AlphaProfit
Investments, LLC is not responsible for any errors or omissions
herein. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC disclaims any liability for any
direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information
in this report. The third-party trademarks or service marks appearing
within this report are the property of their respective owners. All
other trademarks appearing herein are the property of AlphaProfit
Investments, LLC. Past performance is neither an indication of nor a
guarantee for future results. No part of this document may be
reproduced in any manner without written permission of AlphaProfit
Investments, LLC. Copyright © 2004 AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. All
rights reserved.

How Well Do You Speak?

2009-06-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

The ability to speak well can enhance your career, clinch a sale, sell
a point of view and increase your business productivity.

1.The most important objective of any speaker is to appear credible
and knowledgeable about their subject. Speak to your audience as if
you were having a conversation.

2.Grab the audience's attention in the first few minutes with a
question, startling comment, inspiring story, a funny experience. This
will help you connect immediately with everyone and reduce the
tension. Stay away from jokes!

3.Reduce your nervousness by taking several deep breaths immediately
before you are introduced. And for you chocoholics, eat some chocolate
to relax your vocal chords.

4.When making a presentation, look at one person long enough to
deliver one complete thought, then move to another individual and
repeat the process. Everyone else in the audience will also feel
attended to.

5.Use visual aids to increase audience retention of your message. But
NEVER become a master of ceremonies to your overheads.

6.Avoid the # one mistake in the speaking business…failing to check
your audio-visual equipment before your presentation. Show up early to
check out the sound system and any other equipment you will be using.

7.Personal benefits from acquiring excellent speaking skills include:
more self-confidence, becoming more persuasive and evolving into a
magnetic or dynamic speaker.

Buying New Construction...How Do I Begin?

2009-06-16T10:40:00.001-07:00

The prospect of shopping for a new construction residence can be quite
daunting, but the rewards of owning a brand new home out-weight the
disadvantages if you know the potential pitfalls. The following are
important considerations: Overall Dollar Budget, Location, Cost Per
Square Foot, Finishes, Upgrades, Parking and Delivery Date.

Overall Dollar Budget

To establish a budget for purchasing a home, you should speak with a
mortgage professional prior to looking for property. In terms of your
budget, keep in mind that parking is usually not included in the
purchase price that is quoted by the developer. In addition, in
today's market the list price of the unit is typically not negotiable.

The best way to establish a budget is to determine how much money you
will need as a down payment and how much money you will need as a down
payment and how much you feel comfortable spending, based on your
gross income, for monthly payments. Remember that the real estate
taxes are generally included in your monthly mortgage payment and
should be calculated at a minimum of 2% of the purchase price.

If your down payment is less than 20% of the purchase price, your
lender will require that you purchase private mortgage insurance (PMI)
– this charge will also be included in your monthly payment. Also
factored into your monthly expenses are your assessments, both for the
unit itself and a separate assessment for parking. And finally, add
your monthly mortgage payment.

Location

Generally speaking, the higher the density of the area, the more
costly the condominium or townhouse will be. Then checking out
locations, you may want to consider less developed areas of the city.
Such areas are typically less expensive than those in more developed
areas. Note, that as density increases with new development, it is
highly likely that your property will gain in value, resulting in a
higher return on your investment.

Cost Per Square Foot

When purchasing new construction, the favored method of comparing
value is cost per square foot. This is the method used by developers
to initially price their developments. With the cost per square foot
in mind, you will be able to compare different properties on an equal
basis and determine whether you are purchasing at a favorable price.

Also to be considered when looking at the cost per square foot price
is whether the developer has included such items as granite counter
tops, marble bathrooms, and black or stainless appliances as standard
features. In Chicago, prices per square foot range from $225 to as
much as $1000 per square foot in the Gold Coast.

Finishes

You will need to carefully examine which finishes and appliances the
developer has included in the base price versus which are considered
upgrades. Note that the more expensive finishes such as granite and
marble are not usually included in the base price of a one-bedroom
unit.

Be sure to get a detailed list of specifications in writing from the
developer, indicating the brand and model number of each appliance.
Don't be confused by the finishes and appliances that are shown in the
models you see- they may not be the same as those included in the
quoted price. Models are typically finished with granite and marble,
undermount sinks and hardwood floor laid diagonally but such features
may not be considered standard, particularly in smaller or less
expensive units.

Upgrades

As you can imagine, the cost of upgrades can vary considerably.
Developers commonly charge their cost plus a 20% mark-up for upgrades;
others may charge even more. Try to determine the costs when you and
your realtor are writing up the initial offer. By determining all
costs during the contract period you reduce the chance that upgrade
costs will exceed your budget.

If you keep in mind that many new construction units are not ready for
occupancy for a year or two, you will understand the importance of
having all upgrade costs in writing as part of the initial contract –
at today's prices rather than at costs calculated at inflated prices
one or two years later.

Parking

One of the essential elements of resale value is parking. In a loft
conversion or a high-rise building, parking can vary from
approximately $25,000 to as much as $60,000 depending upon the level
of luxury of the building and the availability of parking in the area.

Since parking spaces have dramatically increased in value, you should
seriously consider purchasing a space whether or not you currently own
a car. Without parking, the later sale of a unit may be more difficult
than that of a comparable unit for which parking is included in the
price.

Delivery Date

Although your contract will specify a delivery date, provisions in the
contract will often allow the developer to deliver your unit much
later than the specified date without penalty. If this is an important
issue to you, you should keep in constant contact with your Realtor
during the construction process as delivery dates can be delayed for
as long as a year and, in rare occasions, even beyond that. You should
also speak with your attorney and incorporate terms into the contract
so that your interests are protected in the event this should occur.

Working With A Realtor

Purchasing a new construction residence can be a rewarding experience
and a wise investment. But there are definitely nuances involved in
purchasing new construction, including the track record of the
developer, the number of "flippers" purchasing in the project, and the
percentage of sold units.

You will be best served by using a Realtor who is familiar with new
construction market, the various developers and their product. With
your Realtor at hand to answer all your questions, your interests will
be represented and protected in all communication with the developer.

If you rely on a real estate professional, you will spare yourself a
great deal of the aggrevation associated with purchasing a new
construction home and, best of all, this representation will be at no
cost to you - the developer pays your Realtor's commission.

Alarming Marketing Trend

2009-06-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

One key discipline of successful direct marketing has been to test
marketing communications tactics to continually improve results. There
is now an alarming trend according to a recent survey that we
conducted among business-to-business marketers who are readers of
Sales Lead Report.

Only 24% of the marketing professionals surveyed said they usually or
always test their marketing communications tactics before rolling them
out.

The survey was completed by 280 of 940 subscribers who received and
read a special edition of the enewsletter Sales Lead Report.

When asked if they test marketing communications tactics before
rolling them out:

* Less than 5% (4.5%) said they always test;

* Less than 20% (19.5%) said they usually test;

* 27% reported they occasionally test;

* Nearly 34% (33.7%) said they seldom test;

* 15% (15.2%) said they never test.

In other words, nearly half of the survey participants (48.9%) said
that they seldom or never test marketing communications tactics before
rolling out their campaigns.

When asked about the reasons for not testing:

* More than 50% (50.7%) said they had no time for testing;

* Almost a quarter of those surveyed (24.8%) said they had no
budget for testing;

* More than 16% (16.3%) said they had no systems for tracking test results;

* Just over 8% (8.2%) said they had no need for testing.

The survey further showed that fewer than 5% (4.6%) said they always
test and more than 19% (19.5%) said they usually test marketing
communications tactics before rolling them out.

Based on those who do test:

* A little over 41% (41.1%) percent said the audience was the most
important thing to test;

* Nearly 39% (38.7%) said the offer was the most important thing to test;

* Almost 15% (14.9%) said the copy was the most important thing to test;

* Just over 5% (5.38%) said the media was the most important thing to test.

Successful direct marketers have always touted the value of testing in
making the scientific decisions about their campaigns. In today's
economy, sadly, testing appears to be considered an optional activity;
one that is used only for very large campaigns or when prospecting for
new audiences.

This is an alarming trend. Eliminating testing because of cost is like
playing Russian Roulette with your marketing campaign. Sometimes
you'll be safe, and the campaign will bring results. But you'll never
really understand why. And unfortunately, one major marketing failure
could put a massive hole in your growth strategy. †

Think long term vs. short term to reap the sure-fire benefits that
testing will give to your marketing campaign.

Let The Market Choose Your Price?

2009-06-16T10:39:00.001-07:00

Setting the correct price is hard for any on-line business, and there
are plenty courses and manuals dedicated to this delicate subject.

You want to have a price that will make you a profit, obviously. But
you also want to have happy customers who feel you've charged a "fair"
price.

The problem is too low a price will make your product seem inferior.
Give-away products suffer even more from this "perceived value".

Conversely, if you charge too much (even though the price may well
reflect the time and effort put into the product) you may get many
disgruntled customers and many complaints which can have disastrous
knock-on effects.

So is there a middle ground?

I'm sad to say not really, but there are a few methods you could try
including a "crazy" trial I'm currently testing myself...

The most obvious way to decide your price is to see what the rest of
the market is charging. This is not as easy as it sounds, since the
"rest of the market" will vary widely.

Standard prices for e-books centre around the "magic" $27 figure,
going up to around $47. Most ClickBank Merchants, for example, have a
$50 selling limit - hence this price.

Seminars, Courses and one-on-one training services usually go for FAR
HIGHER prices, up to (and over) a thousand bucks. This is out of the
league of most marketers.

There are two ways to look at the problem. A Seller can either earn
his daily bread by selling many copies at a low price, or selling a
few copies at a high price.

10 x $40 = $400 and $4 x $100 = $400

I've kept the numbers simple, math is not my strong point!

You can see a lot from that comparison. You will probably put in the
same effort to make those four sales as you would ten, right? It's
what marketers have told you for a long time.

You'll find many high-ticket items are sold through affiliate
programs. This is so the merchant and the affiliate can have a good
cut - and the increased exposure from the affiliate army usually
outweights lost sales due to the higher price.

Now here's the "crazy" system I'm trying:

Over at http://www.productpacks.com I've introduced "Pick Your Own Price"

Basically, a buyer can pay as much as they want for the item, and be
allowed to take it guilt-free. It's like a donation, but it's paid in
advance.

Using PayPals "donate" feature it's easy to implement in this in any site.

Why not give it a go on some of your lower-priced items? You may be
surprised at the result!

The Cost of Going Public in the United States

2009-06-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

The following data is taken from "Going Public" by James B. Arkebauer
(1994) and the IPO cost website at:
http://www.intranet.ca/~tgil/p2.html

You should keep in mind that costs vary based upon the complexity, the
size of the underwriting and the history of the private company.

The following IPO costs would be reasonable for a company with over $2
million in gross revenues and a 3-5 year operating history. A startup
company would pay less than half this estimate to do an IPO.

In some cases one or both sources acknowledge a cost listed below, but
fail to offer an estimate. In those cases, I've supplied an estimate
based upon my IPO experience.

Pre-IPO Costs - $300,000

Legal Costs - $175,000

Accounting - $80,000

Printing & Mailing - $100,000

Translation - $30,000

Market Prep Costs - $90,000

Investment Bankers - $50,000

Consultants - $50,000

Moody's or S&P - $6,000

Blue Sky Fees - $20,000 (California only)

Transfer Agent - $2,000

Mgnt. & Admin. - $200,000

SEC Filing Fee - $5,000

Taxes - $15,000 (Estimated)

Total - $1,123,000

Underwriting Costs

The underwriting cost is a function of the money raised in the IPO.
The NASD allows up to 18% in costs. If the gross revenue from the IPO
is $10 million, this is an underwriting cost can be as high as $1.8
million.

Here's how the costs breakdown:

Non accountable Expense 3%

Accountable Expense 5%

Discount 10%

The Company insiders are often required to supply IPO buyers. The norm
is the company insiders' supply 50% of the IPO buyers. I've seen
ranges of required buying from10% to over 100%.

The Client Brokerage Commission is often 5% on IPOs. It's paid by the
brokerage firm client and doesn't affect the money received by the
company.

These costs rise by about six percent per year. As long as the present
Bull Market persists, these costs will continue to rise. There are
ways to reduce these costs. I offers one alternative at
[http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/]

Relatively few companies seek practical advice about the equity
process. They rely on their attorneys, auditors and underwriters for
help. This practice contributes to the fifty- percent failure rate
among companies seeking to do an IPO. Taking a company public in the
States is a costly project. You can cut your costs by using
alternatives to doing an IPO. But, the costs remain high.

Seek to go public based upon flat fees, not hourly rates. This limits
your risk to the agreed upon fees. Find someone who can package the
entire registration and listing service for you. It's always cheaper
to buy the complete service rather than the individual parts. The
supplier is taking several companies public and gets better prices
from professionals for their services.

It's less costly for a non-American company to go public in the States
than for any U. S. Domestic Company to become a U.S. public company in
America. The money savings relate to lower levels of legal
responsibility for the filing attorney doing a 20F filing rather than
an SB2 filing. The non-American company can use an auditor and an
audit method that is accepted in their local country. This saves money
over paying an American Accounting Firm to do a GAAP audit.

There are other savings for non-American companies trading in the
United States. They include the fact that the SEC does not require
quarterly filings (called 10Qs), nor is an annual shareholders report
or meeting. I believe that clear, concise communications with
shareholders is vital. I believe that both positive and negative
information needs to be shared in a timely manner. I doubt the SEC
requirements for 10Qs and shareholder reports is the most cost
effective way to achieve these goals.

Historically, the Over-the-Counter and Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board
(OTCBB) are the easiest and cheapest places to list your shares. This
market has a bad reputation. My advice is seek to list your shares on
a Regional Stock Exchange as soon as your company meets the regional
stock exchange's listing requirements.

Epilog: Since March 2000, the Enron, Tyco International and WorldCom
stock scandals have driven the cost of doing a GAAP audit upward.
Inflation continues and the cost of doing an IPO has risen
substantially in the past four years. (5/04)

You can contact William Cate at the Beowulf Investments website:
[http://home.earthlink.net/~beowulfinvestments/]

Speaking Body Language

2009-06-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

I observed an almost surreal event when I was a business student.

At the front of the classroom, an entrepreneur was practicing a pitch
he would make later to venture capital firms. Specifically, he was
talking about a technology his firm had developed, a respirator which
had the potential to save the lives of many infants.

When he talked about the potentially great financial returns, the
audience, made up of business students, sat back passively. But when
he talked about getting babies through critical moments with his
respirators, every single person in the classroom sat up, alert and
fully focused.

As he went back and forth between stories of saving babies and talking
about financial results, almost every student in the classroom moved
with him. And what's more, it seemed the students' unconscious body
movements had been carefully choreographed.

We sat up together when the entrepreneur talked about saving babies,
and we sat back in unison when he discussed the numbers. And, by the
way, I did it too until I become aware of how we were responding as a
group.

Since that event I've been a firm believer in body language, which is
the idea that people unconsciously show what they're feeling or
thinking through gestures or body movements.

As you know, the art of interpreting body language is hardly a
science. But, we do know a few basics that can help us read the
emotions of others. A few examples follow.

Crossed arms, as almost every salesperson knows, means the person on
the other side of the table is defensive or not receptive. On the
other hand, if that person leans forward and keeps his or her eyes on
you, then you do have a receptive listener.

If you watch novice speakers, you'll probably notice how they keep
their arms close to their bodies, indicating a lack of confidence. As
they get more practice speaking in public, you'll see their arms move
away from their sides and become active tools for conveying messages.

Arms wide open indicate trust and openness, as do open hands, while
arms held high above the head show a sense of victory, and clenched
hands indicate anger.

Curiously, one of the most difficult interpretations of body language
involves lying. Researchers have probably spent more time on this
aspect of body language than any other. And their conclusions? The
only surefire way to know if another person is lying is to observe
very small and fast wrinklings of the brow.

If you haven't yet spent much time studying body language, I recommend
that you add it to your to-do list for communication development. It's
invaluable not only for speaking and listening, but also for
negotiating and leading.

Managers: Why Not PR Like This?

2009-06-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

I mean public relations that presumes from the get-go that the right
message, strategy and communications tactics can change perceptions
among each of your business, non- profit or association audiences. And
do so in a way that produces the behaviors you need to achieve your
objectives.

It all comes together when you persuade those important outside
audiences to your way of thinking by doing something about their
perceptions, thus moving many of them to take actions that help your
department, division or subsidiary succeed.

I believe the Rosetta Stone that allows such "magic" to happen is the
fundamental premise of public relations, and it looks like this:
people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which
leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When
we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading
and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect
the organization the most, the public relations mission is
accomplished.

And the payoffs can be manifold. Welcome increases in sales floor
activity; customers starting to make repeat purchases; capital givers
and specifying sources showing up on your doorstep; new suggestions
for joint ventures and strategic alliances; prospects sniffing around;
local thoughtleaders beginning to seek you out, and new recognition of
you and your operation as a key member of the business, non-profit or
association communities.

Meet with the public relations professionals employed by, or assigned
to your unit and get two matters clearly understood. Make certain they
accept the fact that inaccurate perceptions almost always lead to
behaviors that can hinder your operation. And that they may be called
upon to assist the key target audience perception monitoring effort.

Because your public relations staff is already in the perception and
behavior business, they really should play a direct role in the
initial opinion monitoring project. You can always hire a professional
survey firm, but that's the expensive way to do it. The objective of
whoever asks the questions of members of your target audience is to
identify inaccuracies, false assumptions, untruths, unfounded rumors,
misconceptions and other negativities.

The questioners will query members of that important outside audience
asking them "Do you know anything about our organization? Are you
aware at all of our products or services? Have you ever had contact
with us? Or have you ever had a problem with our people or
procedures?"

The next task will be to select the newly discovered negative that
could most impact your organization. And that becomes your public
relations goal.

For example, is that misconception a clear and present danger? Or does
that inaccuracy represent an even more dangerous potential? Or does
that unfounded rumor you turned up look like it could turn into the
hottest fire of all?

No one ever reached a public relations goal without a strategy showing
how to reach that goal. Fortunately, where perception and opinion are
concerned, you have just three strategic choices. Change existing
perception, create perception where there isn't any, or reinforce that
existing perception.

And please be certain that the strategy you choose fits well with the
new PR goal.

Perhaps the most difficult challenge is preparing the corrective
message to be communicated to your key stakeholder audience in a
manner that will help persuade them to your way of thinking.

The message needs professional writing, corrective language, if you
will. And this language must be not merely compelling and persuasive,
but clear, factual and believable if it is to move perception/opinion
towards your point of view and lead to the change in behaviors you
have in mind.

Relatively speaking, the next step is a pleasure. Here, you identify
the means for communicating your message to your target audience,
making certain the tactics you select are on record as to reaching the
same people as those that make up your particular audience. There are
scores of communications tactics available ranging from speeches,
emails and brochures to media interviews, newsletters and special
events. One caution, how you communicate can affect the message's
credibility. So it may be more effective to deliver it in small
meetings or events rather than through high-profile media
announcements.

Understandably, those around you will press for indications that
progress is being made. Which calls for a second perception monitoring
go-around with members of your external audience. You'll again use
many of the same questions used in your initial benchmark perception
monitoring session. Difference now is that you will be on the alert
and watching closely for signs that the offending perception is being
altered in your direction.

Keep in mind that the effort can always be accelerated by the addition
of more communications tactics and/or, of course, by increasing their
frequencies.

So, Mr/Ms manager, why not PR like this? When you persuade those
important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then move them to
take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary
succeed, you have a public relations success on your hands.

Business Writing Tip: Question & Answer Format

2009-06-16T10:36:00.002-07:00

Traditionally, business writing uses the "one thing after another"
format, which usually means a plain recitation of the facts,
circumstances, or whatever else needs to be said.

But, we have a number of other options, and some of them may provide
more responses or better responses. Consider the Q & A format, for
example:

Question: What's the Q & A format?

Answer: It's a series of questions and answers, used to communicate
important information to readers.

Question: Where can a Q & A be used?

Answer: It can be used in advertising, employee communication, or any
other business situation where you want to provide written information
to other people.

Question: Why or when would you use this format?

Answer: When I have a lot of information and want to keep up the
interest of readers, for example. The Q & A format breaks up the
information into smaller, more digestable chunks, and makes the
content seem less formidable to readers.

Question: But don't you need at least two people for this kind of format?

Answer: In the news media, Q & A means one person asks questions and
another person answers. But, in a business writing context, Q & A also
can mean the same person asks and answers.

Question: Can you give a real-life example?

Answer: Sure. I wrote one to promote my book, A Manager's Guide to
Newsletters: Communicating for Results. In that case, the Q & A
provided an insight into my motivations for writing the book, and its
evolution from a descriptive to a strategic approach. The material
might have been handled conventionally, but the Q & A gave it a ring
of detachment with inherently more interest, I think. You can evaluate
it for yourself, at: http://www.managersguide.com/unique.htm .

Question: Is there anything special about writing a Q & A?

Answer: I think a Q & A can take many forms, but generally I'd
recommend that you use a conversational tone if possible. By doing
that, you'll embrace the conventional sense of a Q & A, which is a
discussion between two people.

Question: Did you write this Q & A by yourself?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And who are you?

Answer:

The Three Largest Factors In Your Interest Rate

2009-06-16T10:36:00.001-07:00

There are three major factors that affect how much you pay for a loan.
Understanding these factors can save you time, money and frustration.

1. The Federal Reserve Discount Interest Rate.

Banks and other lending institutions borrow money from the Federal
Reserve Banks. The discount rate is the interest rate a Federal
Reserve Bank charges eligible financial institutions to borrow funds
on a short-term basis. This rate is set by the boards of directors of
the Federal Reserve Banks. The discount rate has a direct effect on
the "Prime Interest Rate", which is the interest rate on short-term
loans that banks charge their commercial customers with high credit
ratings. You can get live information on the current Prime Rate at
www.FedPrimeRate.info.

Of the three major factors that affect your interest rate, this is the
one you have the least amount of control over.

2. Your FICO Score and Credit Report.

There are companies that gather and sell information about information
on where you work and live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've
been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. They are called Consumer
Reporting Agencies (CRAs). The most common type of CRA is the credit
bureau. Potential lenders will get your credit report from the credit
bureau.

The FICO score is a method of determining the likelihood that credit
users will pay their bills. It condenses a borrowers credit history
into a single number.

You can protect your FICO score and credit report by paying your bills
on time and not over-extending yourself. You also have the right to
have false information removed from your credit report.

3. Lender Business Factors.

Banks and other lenders are in business to make a profit. They also
exist in a competitive market. Like all businesses, they will balance
their profit margin with competitive factors. If they charge too
little, based on your credit history and the prime rate, they risk
going out of business. If they charge too much, they risk losing you
to a competitor. Therefore, in order to get the best deal you can, you
should shop around.

Keep one thing in mind when you are shopping around. One of the things
that affects your FICO score is the number of times your credit report
has been accessed in a certain period of time. Therefore allowing too
many potential lenders to run your credit report in a short period of
time could be counterproductive. Three or four is typically a safe
number. If you request an on line quote from several lenders, they
won't typically run your credit report until after they have made
their initial quote.

(You must explicitly provide a potential lender with permission to run
your credit report. For that, they usually need your Social Security
Number.)

In summary, the three major factors you pay for a loan are the prime
rate, your credit history (FICO score) and business conditions such as
competition. In order to get the best rate you can, you can do two
things, keep up a good credit history by paying your bills on time,
and shopping around for the best rate.

6 Ways Small Businesses Can Survive In A Crazy Economy

2009-06-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, small businesses can survive a crazy
economy by taking some proactive steps.

1. Provide spectacular customer service -- every time. Have a friend
or colleague visit your business and provide feedback from a
customer's perspective. This person should be unknown by your staff
and willing to provide a candid assessment.

2. Make sure your front and back office work like a well-oiled
machine. Are the front line and the back office telling your customers
the same thing?

3. Manage your customer relationships -- return customers take the
least amount of effort -- use that to your advantage. Keep in touch
often.

4. Review your strategic plan monthly (weekly is even better). Make
sure you're doing the things that will get you where you want to go.

5. Adjust your strategic plan as necessary. Your "smallness" makes you
more flexible.

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate -- with your employees and
your customers. Nurture those relationships. Ask for feedback often.

Retirement is never urgent until...

2009-06-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

If you're like many people, your retirement savings have not been
growing consistently over the years. We're not referring to the wild
fluctuations in the stock market, but rather the fluctuations in our
short-term needs. Every once in a while, it just seems like a good
idea to yank ALL those retirement savings out and pay for something.

You might need to pay for a down payment. You might need to pay off
some credit card debt that's nagging at you. You might want to 'bugger
off to Europe' as Rick did some years ago. You know it's not a good
idea financially, but you do it anyway. Retirement savings are not
designed to bail us out when we need this kind of short-term cash
infusion but if it's there…

As financial advisors, we have our ideals. Ideally, you should put
retirement funds away and 'leave it there'. Ideally you should never
touch it at all, even when you retire! Why? Because it is the
'earnings' from the nest egg that you should be using, never the
principal. As we heard one person suggest recently, your principal is
like your 'goose', and you never kill the goose, because then you're
eliminating all those future 'golden eggs' (interest/earnings) it will
lay.

As financial advisors, one way we try to prevent people from yanking
out their retirement savings is by ensuring there are other
'short-term' funds available for emergencies. These are meant to act
as a buffer zone against the yankers. It helps, but it doesn't always
work.

One problem is that a distant retirement will never be more urgent
than the current cash demands you have. It's impossible. How can
long-term demands be more urgent than a current crisis? So what stops
you from yanking out those retirement funds? Their convictions? Simple
arithmetic? A more viable alternative?

When a client is bent on yanking out their retirement savings to pay
off, for example, some credit card debt, telling them how much they're
going to lose in retirement income in 25 years time doesn't seem to
work. Even telling them how much the tax bill is going to be next year
can pale in comparison to the relief the person is seeking from the
anxiety over their current debt crisis.

So, the question is how can we provide 'relief' and still keep the
retirement funds intact? Look at a debt consolidation loan? Review the
person's cash flow and create a debt repayment program? Maybe this
will work for a minority of people. In the real world, when people are
looking for relief, however, they are looking for relief NOW!!! The
easiest way is to yank to retirement funds and be done with it.

So, in the moment, when you are in a cash crunch and seemingly have no
other place to go, you will yank your retirement savings. Unless you
have anticipated the problem and 'pre-decided' that under no
circumstances will you access your retirement savings. In this way,
you will do a pre-emptive strike on bad financial moves. Further, you
will be cognizant of putting yourself into situations where you might
risk those long term savings.

The alternative is to invest long-term, make progress, encounter a
short-term cash crunch, yank out your retirement funds, survive the
problem, invest long-term again, make progress, encounter yet another
short-term cash crunch, yank out your retirement funds to get relief…

If you're locked into an investment cycle like this, your retirement
savings have not been growing consistently over the years, and it's
not just the market.

Top 7 Steps to Better Public Speaking

2009-06-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Whether you want to be a part time, full time or BIG time speaker you
must speak, speak, speak. At first, deliver 25-30 minute free talks to
service clubs and community organizations. Consider it to be your
off-Broadway tryout. A great opportunity to fine-tune your program…and
maybe get some future paid business!

Do the following to put at ease when delivering a speech:

1. Your speech needs a beginning, middle, and end. You must grab your
audience's attention in the first minute…so begin with a starting
comment, question, story, or humor. End your speech on a strong note
by asking a question, providing a quote, tell a story or leave them
laughing.

2. Every 5-7 minutes, back up your facts with signature (about you or
others) stories. Stories are out there – everywhere. Find them in the
stores, at restaurants, on the airplane, at home. People retain
information better when hearing a story.

3. Practice your speech out load. Record it on to a tape recorder
and/or video camera. Also do this when giving a program to a live
audience. Do it every time!

4. Practice pausing before and after important points. Don't be afraid
to leave open space. The use of silence is a key requirement to
becoming an effective speaker.

5. Use direct eye contact. You can focus on one person when making a
point…and everyone else in the audience will think you are speaking to
them also.

6. Don't just stand behind the lectern: move around, gesture. Be
animated. (Fifty-five percent of how people perceive you is by body
language; 38 percent by your voice; 7 percent by your words)

7. Smile a lot. Be enthusiastic about what you are saying. And have fun.

7 Keys to Running a Successful Business

2009-06-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Although dentistry may appear to be different than other types of
businesses, in reality it is a business. And although this article is
written from a dentist's perspective on developing a successful
practice, the principles can be used in virtually any business.

I have been in the dental industry for over 20 years and can proudly
say I do have a highly successful business, also known as a practice.
Over the years, I have learned many things that work in running a
business and even more that do not. It is with this in mind that I
share the following 7 keys to running a successful business.
Regardless of your industry they can apply.

1. Have a vision

One of the most important aspects of running any business is to have a
clear vision of what you want that business to be like. What do you
want to be known for in the marketplace? What kind of clients do you
desire? What level of service do you want to provide? Do you want to
be "one among many" or do you want to be considered a leader in your
industry?

By answering these and many other similar type questions, you will
gain insight into the direction you can, and should, take your
business.

2. Develop a plan that ties into the vision

Once you gain clarity on your vision, you must be willing to develop a
plan. Far too often people have an idea of where they want their
organization to be, but they fail to put together a usable plan. Take
time to map out what needs to be done to achieve your outcomes.

3. Know your market

One of the most important aspects of running any type of business is
to know whom your market is. You can't be all things to all people.
Contrary to what some would like to believe, not everyone is his or
her market. There is a very astute saying in marketing, "If everyone
is your market, then no one is your market."

The clearer you are on who you are targeting the easier it will be to
focus your efforts on reaching those individuals and/or companies.

4. Gain visibility within your market

Take a very focused approach to reaching your market. Just because you
have determined who your market it, doesn't mean you are done. You
must now be willing to have a very focused approach to targeting your
market. Whether that be through direct mail, advertising, newsletters,
informational seminars or any number of methods, you have to be
willing to keep your name in front of your market.

5. Get your team on board

This is probably one of the most crucial and yet, often most
overlooked aspects of running a business. You have to make sure your
team knows what is going on. Holding regular staff meetings as a means
to keep people informed is a great way to gain the buy in of your
team. Additionally, be open to ideas that may come from your team
members.

It will be very difficult to achieve your long-term goals if your team
members either don't understand your vision or haven't bought into it.
When you hire people, make sure they understand what you are trying to
achieve. Whether you are dealing with new members of the team or
seasoned folks, everyone must be willing to be a part of the plan.
When they are, you will have a much greater chance for success.

6. Be consistent

Running and marketing a business is an ongoing process. The greatest
mistake people make in virtually any industry is they try something
once and expect instant results. You must be in this for the long
haul. Sure, with some of your marketing strategies you will get
instant, or direct, response. However, with most approaches, it is
more like the tortoise and the heir. In the short-term it looks like
the heir is in the lead, but the reality is he is burning himself out
and ends up losing to the tortoise who had a consistent and long-term
vision.

7. Realize – you change lives

One of the things I most love about dentistry is I know I change
lives. I recognize this beyond a shadow of a doubt. When my patients
are able to obtain the smile they once only dreamed of because of what
I did for them, I know I am doing my life's work.

With most people, regardless of the industry you are in, in some way
you do change lives. If you know that, your job is very rewarding.

Think about the end user of your product or service. What is it about
what you provide that makes a difference for them? If you don't know,
ask your customers. You may be pleasantly surprised. It is in the
answers you can become clearer and clearer as to your vision and the
benefits you bring to others through the services you provide.

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter,
on your web site, or in your print publication provided you include
the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is
not required.

How to Be Happy!

2009-06-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

How would you like to have at least an extra hour in your day just for
yourself so that you can have more fun?

Well you can you know, you just have to do the following consistently
and you'll free up your time so that you can enjoy more of your life.

Look After Yourself First

Exercise regularly and eat healthily. Do the right thing by yourself
and you'll have heaps of energy, be motivated,more productive and
happier.

Surround Yourself with Positivity

Circulate with positive people, read motivational books and listen to
motivational tapes/cds while driving, commuting, waiting for
appointments.

Avoid negative people like the plague. They will drain your energy

Clean out the Clutter

You will save yourself heaps of time, energy and money if you clear
out your work and home environment…paperwork, books, old equipment
etc. regularly. You'll be able to find things, save money because you
won't have to buy what you already have hidden somewhere, plus you'll
be less stressed. You'll feel better which will make you happier.

Jazz Up Your Environment

If you work and live in a pleasant environment, you'll naturally feel
better and happier. A clean, uncluttered home or workplace makes you
feel good and happy to be there.

Dress for Success

When you look good, you feel good , when you feel good you are
happier. Have an image makeover.

Plan Time For Fun

With so much to organise in your busy life you need to record your
appointments, things to do and goals somewhere. Use a paper diary or
digital organiser that you can take everywhere. This is the most
effective way to get things done, plan your work and your life.

Learn to say "No"

To dramatically improve your productivity and do more of the things
you want in your life, you have to be firm with others and let them
know if you cannot, will not or are unavailable to fulfil their
requests. If you constantly say "yes" to everyone else's requests you
will never have the time to do what you really want to.

Book yourself into a self-assertiveness course to learn these skills
if you feel you need to.

Do What You Do Best and Delegate the Rest

At work see if there are ways you can delegate tasks which would suit
someone else's talents. Many office and home based workers are
spending heaps of time on mundane secretarial tasks which would take a
person who is trained in that area a quarter of the time to undertake.

At home hire a gardener and cleaner to take care of the basic
household chores. It's worth investing the extra dollars if you can
have more free time to do what you want to.

Compliment Someone Every Day

How do you feel when you receive a compliment? Make someone's day…give
before you get because what goes around, comes around.

The Final Word

By following these simple yet very effective ideas you'll feel good,
look good and have more time to enjoy your life… and when you're
enjoying life, you're happy!

What Do You Really Want ?

2009-06-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Being a coach is such a rewarding profession. The enormous impact you
have on other people's lives always astounds me.

Let me share with you John's story…

John is a partner in a financial planning practice. He's always worked
long hours and when he finally went home, he was buggered. Apart from
his work, there was no energy left over to contribute to his health
and personal relationships. He was fortunate to have a wife who put up
with this. In fact, it was a wonder that she ever got pregnant, as he
was so depleted of energy and spent so little time on his marriage.

His whole life changed when he was struck down with a life-threatening
illness. One day he was busting his guts at the office and the next
day he was lying in a hospital bed contemplating whether he will live
or die.

John's young, only 35 yrs old! Stress, pressure and complete lack of
self care all contributed to his illness. To top this off, his wife
was pregnant. Was this a wake up call or what?

Slowly John recuperated until he was 'back to normal' (or close to
it). Unfortunately he eventually got sucked back into the old way of
doing things…all work and no play. He felt he had to keep up with the
other partners in his practice. They worked all hours of the day and
night and he felt he had to follow them… even though he had been so
close to losing his life. He felt guilty. That was until he woke up to
himself and realised this was no way to live his life. He wanted to
change his behaviours and needed help in doing so. That's when he
approached me to undergo coaching.

John transformed over the ensuing weeks. Many of the challenges he
faced stemmed to his lack of self-esteem. He tried to please everyone,
was worried about how other people saw him. John had difficulty saying
'no'. He also had challenges around his communication. John was a
perfectionist so he didn't delegate because no-one could do the tasks
as well as him.

He learned that if he delegated to people who were capable of carrying
out the tasks, trained them where necessary and communicated
effectively he could easily save himself 2 hours a day. Being able to
effectively communicate to not only his work partners and employees
but also his wife. Time management was a big area we also covered as
John had limited skill in this area.

He's now going to the gym three times a week and eating healthily. His
energy levels have dramatically risen and the "pot belly" has
disappeared. He's feeling great.

John has made and continues to make positive changes in his life. Week
by week through the coaching process he is learning so much about
himself. He has finally recognised that he is responsible for his life
and that he has the power to change it.

The Final Word

It's taken a few weeks to clear out the clutter and for John to find
out what he really wants. This week at the end of one of his sessions
he discovered that "being home in time to bath his baby girl" is
really what makes his life worth living. How's that for someone who
originally cited " making $$$" as one of his key goals.

It's not about the money is it?

Preparing For Your Success

2009-06-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

When is the best time to prepare for your success in life?

What's that you say? " I have to actually have to prepare for it?
Doesn't success just happen?"

No. It doesn't. If you want to improve your life you have to take the action.

An article by Jim Rohn who is a well-known motivational speaker said:

"Here's the great challenge of life. You can have more than you've got
because you can become more than you are.

I have found that income seldom will exceed your own personal
development. Once in a while income takes a lucky jump, but unless you
grow out to where it is, it will go back to where you are.

Somebody once said if you take all the money in the world and divided
it among everyone equally, it would soon be back in the same pockets.

However, you can have more because you can become more. Unless you
change how you are, you will always have what you've got.

In order to have more, you have to become more."

Are You Prepared To Take A Risk?

Doing things you haven't done before can be risky, however if you
don't take any risks you will live a very unfulfilling life.

My Friend Mike

Mike has worked 12 years for a large corporation. Very secure, lots of
perks and he received a reasonable income. He had a job for life.

The only drawback, after a few years - it was boring. He was
miserable. He was wasting his life away. The organisation was big
enough that he could transfer to different positions within the
company - which he did do so. However, the culture of the company was
the same wherever he transferred to. The environment wasn't
stimulating and Mike found he was not stretching himself. He was
existing and not living. He was too comfortable.

Mike was a reader of self-help books and also attended numerous
personal development courses, so he knew he could enhance his life
dramatically if he would just make a decision and take action.

The Company Package

Mike finally took the plunge last year and left. He ended up becoming
a partner in his friend's restaurant.

With no experience in this field he embarked on a huge learning curve.

He went from a boring yet very cushy 9.00 - 5.00 p.m. job with a
regular income to working 9.00 a.m. - 9.00 p.m. seven days a week with
barely any income. However, Mike was on fire. He was excited. He was
living life (or so he thought). That was 10 months ago.

I caught up with him this week and he told me he is selling his share
of the partnership. He realised that there was more to running a
business of your own than working for someone else. The pressure on
him had taken it's toll. He had been getting heart palpitations and
couldn't sleep. The stress of it all was too much.

The Moral To The Story

Mike had leapt out of his comfort zone and took a risk.

Although in this instance, he found out it was too big a price to pay,
he wouldn't have known whether or not this was going to work out until
he tried it. Of course he had done all his due diligence beforehand,
however that's still no guarantee that he had made the right decision.

What Mike has learned from his experience, is that there is a world of
opportunity out there and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
But you'll never know unless you give it a go.

He's still excited about the possibilities for his future and is
grateful that he had the guts to take action.

The Final Word

If you want to become more or do more with your life this year, what
investment are you prepared to make in your own self?

What resources, courses, support do you need so that you can be
excited about getting out of bed in the morning?

Are you healthy enough to jump out of bed in the morning? Are you
healthy enough to cope with your life?

If you want to change then make sure you take action today!

Work From Home And Get More Done!

2009-06-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Working from home can be a most effective way to be more productive!

Today's open plan offices stop many people from getting their work
done. The constant noise, phones ringing and colleagues interrupting
can drive anyone to distraction!

Many people would dramatically boost their productivity if they could
spend some or all of their working week out of the main office and
join the thousands of small business owners who work from home.

However there are a few rules you need to follow to do this successfully:

Establish a Routine

Decide on a starting and finishing time. Include breaks.

Plan Your Day

Prepare a 'to do list' each day and action it.

Clean out the Clutter

Keep your work area clean and tidy. You'll work far more effectively
and reduce the stress levels.

Organise Your Work Area

Have the right tools and systems to work with - an appropriate chair,
desk, computer, filing system.

Group Tasks Together

Divide your day into similar activities. Make all phone calls in the
morning and work on important tasks. Do errands later in the afternoon
after the lunch-time rush or when you go to pick up the kids.

Learn How to Say NO!

Inform your family and friends of your working hours and that because
you're working from home doesn't mean you're 'available'.

Take Time Out for You

It can be easy to lose yourself in your work. Take time to smell the
roses…and make human contact.

The Final Word

Not everyone can work successfully from home - some need the daily
discipline and people interaction encountered in the office.

However, for many others, working from home has greatly improved their
productivity and enhanced their lifestyle.

They have more flexibility, more time and the opportunity to work much
more effectively without all the usual distractions encountered in the
traditional office environment.

So next time when you become overwhelmed with with the distractions at
work and feel like you are going nowhere and getting nothing done, see
if working from home for some of the week is a viable option.

After all, what's the point of just showing up at the office if you
cannot concentrate and work effectively.

Coping with your workload isn't about being busy, it's about being
effective and working smarter, not harder.

Are You A Work Addict?

2009-06-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Work addiction is very common in our society today, yet it is not one
that is not highly recognised.

An interesting article in the March edition of The Success Report
published by Success Technologies stated:

"Of all the addictions receiving attention today (including alcohol,
drugs, gambling and food) work addiction is perhaps the least
recognised and possibly the most dangerous.

This is because a work addiction is a compulsion that is rewarded and
reinforced by society. In particular, it's rewarded by corporations
that encourage overwork as the norm. The lure of work is increasing as
innovative, flexible companies use and reward fewer people to get more
accomplished.

Yet work addiction should not be confused with hard work; So how can
you tell if you're just working hard or have crossed the line into
work addiction?

When work begins to hurt, you're addicted, say specialists. But how
can you spot the work addict among your colleagues? According to
Workaholics Anonymous, these characteristics are common to compulsive
over-workers:

The Characteristics of Work Addicts

They are usually in a hurry

They have a strong need to control

They expect perfection of themselves and others around them

They have difficulty in relationships

They forget birthdays and anniversaries

They are unable to relax and have fun

They are impatient and irritable

They suffer from physical problems usually brought on because of
stress, poor eating habits and lack of exercise such as headaches,
fatigue, indigestion, allergies, stomach upset, ulcers, chest pain,
shortness of breath, nervous tics and dizziness

Addicted workers often try to do several things at once. They eat
breakfast while balancing figures, return phone calls while typing on
the computer, or read the business and trade papers while going over
meeting notes. Work addicts also feel indispensable and are
consequently unable to delegate.

Yet as bad as work addiction can get, there is hope for the work addict:

Steps toward personal recovery

Take a time management course.

Reorganise your life so that work becomes proportionate to family,
friends and self. Switch your focus to relaxation, exercise, nutrition
and spiritual development.

Slow your work pace and also learn to eat, talk, walk and drive slower.

Learn to relax through massage or relaxation exercises.

Work in moderation and keep regular hours.

Set boundaries between work and personal life.

Strengthen family ties through shared activities and rituals.

Renew old acquaintances and join social clubs that don't include co-workers.

Learn to live in the present, truly listen to others and as trite as
it may sound stop and smell the roses. "

www.success.net.au

The Final Word

Work should be enjoyable and satisfying, not just a means to earn a
living. However, when it gets to the point where it affects your
health and you find you have little time for your personal life, then
it's time to take action and do something about it. If you are serious
about moving forward much quicker than you would on your own, call us
on (03) 9532 5497 to see how personal coaching will dramatically
enhance your life.

Whatever you do, do something now! Take that first step

Work Is A Four-Letter Word

2009-06-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I can hear the jokes already and most of them are not politically
correct. Let me throw out a word that we often don't attach to work
and yet I think it is a word of redemption, of contribution, of
achievement, of community, and ultimately, of legacy.

Here it is: LOVE.

Kahil Gibran proclaimed, 'Work is love made visible'. I would further
clarify his position by insisting that a job is what you do for a
paycheck. Work is what you do for a life. It is that energizing,
all-encompassing activity that allows you to bring skills to bear in
ways that are satisfying beyond a pay period. It is that activity that
saves you from being a faceless number in a mechanistic wheel-hence it
holds redemptive powers. It is that activity which makes a
contribution to a larger world order. It is that activity from which
you sense a measure of accomplishment and achievement. It excites you.
It gives you joy. It binds you to a community of people who are
stakeholders in what you do. Ultimately, it has a ripple effect and
the potency of a legacy for those who follow.

'Ah come on!' you insist. 'How about a garbage collector? A waiter? A
store clerk? Who is going to love those jobs?'

Great question. And at face value, it seems that not every employment
opportunity has such grand potential. Just take the money, leave it as
soon as you can for greener pastures. Screw those miserable bosses.
Thumb your nose at the customer.

And tomorrow you die.

That's it. Plain and simple. While you are looking for the dream
vocation, the better work environment, the nicer boss, reality can
step in and your one moment on the Planet is gone forever. It's a
reality made even MORE real by current events.

There's an uneasy shift that has taken us by storm and rattled our
plod-along workaday world. Many are paralyzed by the insecurity of the
times. The terror of 9-11 and the subsequent global aggressiveness
pushed us over the edge. With a wobbly U.S. economy, unsettled change
continues to bombard us. Mega-mergers boggle the mind with the endless
zeros streaming behind a behemoth's financial size. We gasp at the
number of employees who are cast off from a consolidated giant. We see
plant closures and layoffs in everything from clothing manufacturing
to banking. Overnight web companies turn almost under-age youth into
millionaires and executives at age 40 are left scratching their heads.
Then, dot.coms fail, leaving bewildered employees in the rubble. Wall
Street meltdown, corporate greed, and icon-like presidents who crash
as fallen idols make daily headlines.

Despite statistics that indicate employment is coming back, there's
pain and inaccuracy behind these cold numbers. We are working more but
feeling as if we're earning less and living in time poverty. Affluenza
is an all too common word. The consistent notion that work should be a
24/7 event is being challenged by a rising number of strident voices.
And with those voices comes a cry for the most urgent answer to
sustainable success: finding meaningful work that makes an impact and
lets us live in the bargain. Answer that plea and we'll unleash a
productive and creative power akin to a tsunami.

In short we want to LOVE what we do, who we do it for and who we do it
with AND love the life we create outside that work. That's the
essence-the Holy Grail-the mysterious work/life balance piece. Finding
that Holy Grail is done by parallel processing, working on two tracks.
The first track is to make work 'work' for you in your current
situation.

Wouldn't it make more sense to transform wherever you find
yourself-even while continuing to search-so that if and when you
leave, there's a faint footprint of achievement, community,
contribution and yes, even the memory of a beneficial interaction.
Such a transformation allows you to love yourself in the process. It
keeps bridges from burning and strengthens a network of relationships
that one day you might call upon.

The critical question becomes: how do you turn a 'job' into a
'work'-into something that gives you more than a paycheck? No, you
might not be able to alter the corporate strategic plan, paint the
garbage truck peppermint pink or change a boss from a toad to a
prince. But, there are specific action items you can take within your
sphere of influence. Too often, we expect management to lead us in
career directions, to provide us with recognition, to make 'it' a
better place. It's just like a marriage: there's responsibility on
both sides. Using the tools offered by Bev Kaye and Sharon Jordan
Evans in Love it. Don't Leave It (available at major bookstores),
you'll find a literal alphabet soup of specific action steps to help
you take ownership for your life at work

Don't wait. Time is too precious to squander. You CAN fall in love again.

(c) 2004, McDargh Communications. All rights in all media reserved.
Reprints must include byline, contact information and copyright.

The Leadership Imperative

2009-06-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

When we perceive the simple center in the seemingly complex, we can
change our world in powerful new ways.

Albert Einstein perceived the simple E=MC2 in the complexities of
physical reality and changed the history of the 20th century.

Big Daddy Lipscomb, the Baltimore Colts 300 pound all-pro tackle in
the 1960s perceived the simple center of what was perceived to be the
complex game of football. 'I just wade into players,' he said, 'until
I come to the one with the ball. Him I keep!' — and changed the way
the game was played.

Likewise, human resources, despite its complex activities, should have
a fundamentally simple mission, yet it is a mission that is being
neglected by many HR professionals. I call that mission the Leadership
Imperative — helping the organization recruit, retain, and develop
good leaders.

Clearly, without good leaders, few organizations can thrive over the
long run. What characterizes a good leader? A good leader consistently
gets results — in ethical and motivational ways. Because they interact
with all business functions and usually provide education and training
for those functions, human resource professionals should be focused
primarily on recruiting, retaining, and developing leaders that get
results. Any other focus is a footnote.

Yet working with human resource leaders in a variety of companies for
the past two decades, I find that many of them are stumbling. Caught
up in the tempests of downsizing, compliance demands, acquisitions,
mergers, and reorganizations, they are engaged in activities that have
little to do with their central mission. Ignoring or at least giving
short shrift to the Leadership Imperative, they are too often viewed,
especially by line leaders, as carrying out sideline endeavors.

Many HR leaders have nobody to blame for this situation but
themselves. By neglecting the Imperative, they themselves have chosen
to be sideline participants.

Here is a three-step action plan to get the HR function off the
sidelines and into the thick of the game.

Recognize. Link. Execute.

Before I elaborate each step, let me define leadership as it ought to
be. For your misunderstanding leadership will thwart you in applying
the Imperative.

The word 'leadership' comes from old Norse word-root meaning 'to make
go.' Indeed, leadership is about making things go — making people go,
making organizations go. But the misunderstanding comes in when
leaders fail to understand who actually makes what go. Leaders often
believe that they themselves must make things go, that if people must
go from point A to point B, let's say, that they must order them to
go. But order leadership founders today in fast-changing, highly
competitive markets.

In this environment, a new kind of leadership must be cultivated —
leadership that aims not to order others to go from point A to point B
— but instead that aims to motivate them to want take the leadership
in going from A to B.

That 'getting others to lead others' is what leadership today should
be about. And it is what we should inculcate in our clients. We must
challenge them to lead, lead for results with this principle in mind,
and accept nothing else from them but this leadership.

Furthermore, leadership today must be universal. To compete
successfully in highly competitive, fast changing markets,
organizations must be made up of employees who are all leaders in some
way. All of us have leadership challenges thrust upon us many times
daily. In the very moment that we are trying to persuade somebody to
take action, we are a leader — even if that person we are trying to
persuade is our boss. Persuasion is leadership. Furthermore, the most
effective way to succeed in any endeavor is to take a leadership
position in that endeavor.

The Imperative applies to all employees. Whatever activities you are
being challenged to carry out, make the Imperative a lens through
which you view those activities. Have your clients recognize that your
work on the behalf of their leadership will pay large dividends toward
advancing their careers.

Recognize: Recognize that recruiting, retaining, and developing good
leaders ranks with earnings growth (or with nonprofit organizations:
mission) in terms of being an organizational necessity. So most of
your activities must be in some way tied to the Imperative.

For instance: HR executive directors who want to develop courses for
enhancing the speaking abilities of their companies' leaders often
blunder in the design phase. Not recognizing the Leadership
Imperative, they err by describing them as 'presentation courses.'
Instead, if they were guided by the Imperative, they would offer
courses on 'leadership talks.' There is a big difference between
presentations and leadership talks. Presentations communicate
information. Presentation courses are a dime a dozen. But leadership
talks motivate people to believe in you and follow you. Leaders must
speak many times daily — to individuals or groups in a variety of
settings. When you provide courses to help them learn practical ways
for delivering effective talks, to have them speak better so that they
can lead better, you are benefitting their job performance and their
careers.

Today, in most organizations, the presentation is the conventional
method of communication. But when you make the leadership talk the key
method by instituting 'talk' courses and monitoring and evaluation
systems broadly and deeply within the organization, you will help make
your company more effective and efficient.

Link: Though such recognition is the first step in getting off the
sidelines, it won't get you into the game. To get into the center of
things, you must link your activities with results. Not your results —
their results.

Clearly, your clients are being challenged to get results: sales'
closes, operations efficiencies, productivity advances, etc. Some
results are crucial. But other results are absolutely indispensable.
Your job is to help your clients achieve their results, especially the
indispensable results. You must be their 'results partner.'
Furthermore, you must help them get sizable increases in those
results. The results that they get with your help should be more than
the results that they would have gotten without your help.

For instance, when developing company-wide objectives for leadership
talks, you should not aim to have participants win a speaking 'beauty
contests' but instead to speak so that they motivate others to get
increases in measured results. When you change the focus of the
courses from speaking appearance to the reality of results, you change
the participants' view of and commitment to the courses and also their
view of and commitment to you in providing those courses. So have the
participants define their indispensable results and link the
principles and processes they learned in the course to getting
measured increases in those results.

Execute: It's not enough to recognize. It's not enough to link. You
must execute. 'Execute' comes from a Latin root exsequi meaning 'to
follow continuously and vigorously to the end or even to 'the grave.''
Let's capture if not the letter at least the spirit of this lively
root by insuring that your activities on behalf of your clients are
well 'executed,' that they are carried out vigorously and continuously
in their daily work throughout their careers. If those activities are
helping them get results, you are truly their 'results partner.'

For instance, in regard to the leadership talk courses, HR
professionals can lead an 'initiative approach.' At the conclusion of
the course, each participant selects an initiative to institute back
on the job. The aim of each initiative is to get sizable increases in
their indispensable results by using the principles and processes that
they learned.

The initiatives and their results should be concrete and measurable,
such as productivity gains, increases in sales, operations
efficiencies, and reduced cycle times.

The participants should be challenged to get increases in results
above and beyond what they would have gotten without having taken the
course. They should be challenged to get those increases within a
mutually agreed upon time, such as quarterly reports.

In fact, if the participants don't achieve an increase in results that
translates to at least ten times what the course costs, they should
get their money back.

Don't stop there. Getting an increase in results is not the end of the
course, it should be the beginning — the beginning of a new phase of
getting results, the stepping up phase. The more results participants
achieve, the more opportunities they have created to achieve even more
results. The leadership talk course should have methods for
instituting results' step-ups.

One such method can be a quarterly leadership-talk round table.
Participants who graduate from the course meet once a quarter to
discuss the results they have gotten and provide best practices for
getting more. Human resources should organize, direct and facilitate
the round tables. In this way, the results the leaders are getting
should increase quarter after quarter.

When HR professionals promote such leadership talk courses, courses
that are linked to getting increases in indispensable results and that
come with the 'results guarantee,' those professionals are truly seen
as results partners in their organizations.

I have used the leadership talk as an example of how you can greatly
enhance your contributions to the company by applying the Leadership
Imperative. Don't just apply the Imperative to such courses alone.
Apply it to whatever challenge confronts you.

When you recognize how that challenge can be met through the
Imperative, when you link the challenge to getting increases in
measured results, and when you execute for results, you can transform
your function.

You don't have to be as distinguished as Einstein or as awesome as Big
Daddy Lipscomb, but you will in your individual way perceive the
simple, powerful center of things. You'll be in the thick of the most
important game your company is playing — helping change your world and
the world of your clients.

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in
newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the
author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and
live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated
but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com

No-Holds-Barred Conversation with Dan Lok - Part 1

2009-06-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Question: If you were starting out and had no references or a
substantial resume, how would you go about finding paying customers
for your services?

To answer your question, I'll assume you're a junior copywriter or
marketing consultant.

When I first started out and didn't know a soul, I'd open the yellow
pages and cold-call the business owners. I'd go to networking events
and try to get business. (Sucks!)

Sometimes I'd do a little 'switchcraft' and call the companies who
sent me direct mail letters.

Before I had a track record, I wrote a lot on a results-oriented
basis. This is also know as a 'sink or swim' or 'thrive or starve'
approach.

I'd write an ad or sales letter for a client, with the guarantee that
if the ad didn't work, I didn't get paid. If the ad did work, I'd
receive a flat fee.

Once I'd proven myself as a credible, conversion-oriented copywriter,
I switched to requesting compensation based on a percentage of the
sales. Ultimately, I changed to a flat fee, plus a percentage.

It wasn't easy. It's a good thing that 'thin is in' because I've been
through a lot of lean and hungry months. I got ripped off so many
times I can't even count them. Understand... I'm not saying this is
what you should do, but that's what I DID.

In the beginning, you have to be pretty much shameless and willing to
check your ego at the door. Be prepared to take on any kind of job for
any kind of price. You want to make yourself damn busy. You want the
law of supply and demand to work in your favor.

Your goal is to build up a portfolio of satisfied clients as quickly
as humanly possible.

If it soothes your wounded ego, think of the process as 'earning as
you're learning.' By taking a wide variety of jobs, you'll not only
hone your skills a hell a lot faster, you'll also build up a
reputation as someone who's 'earned his chops.'

And don't forget to collect testimonials.

Success breeds success.

Ultimately, just like me, when you're in demand, you'll be able to
name your own price and do business on your own terms. If a prospect
has a problem with how much you charge, you don't need to have a
problem with them.

All you have to say is, NEXT!'

Don't worry, if you're good at what you do, you don't have to 'settle
for less.' (If you're not good at what you do, and aren't striving to
make yourself better, you have no business being in business.)

Here's another plus about providing good value: your clients will tell
other people about you. You won't have to go looking for clients;
clients will come looking for you. That's the position you want to be
in…at the head of the 'receiving line,' picking and choosing your
clients.

Your skills are in demand. The business world needs good copywriters.
And good copywriters are rare. So the pro's in this profession are
always in high demand.

As a marketing consultant or copywriter, you're better off if you
don't have to engage in actively persuading prospects to hire you.
You're in a much more powerful position, of course, if they come to
you.

An excellent way to make yourself the 'go-to' writer that everyone
wants is to establish yourself as an expert. Writing a book, creating
a website and speaking at events are all excellent ways to gain a
reputation as 'Miss Information' or 'Mr. Know-It-All.'

Question: What's an easy way to deal with lingering doubts and
questions about an offer with the best ways to create urgency and
compel people to act now?

As any good copywriter or marketer will tell you, overcoming
resistance is essential to closing a sale. And as any successful
copywriter or marketer may keep secret, there are essentially 5
foolproof ways to create a sense of urgency.

1) Limited Time

Time waits for no man, and neither should your offer. Set a time limit
to send a clear message that says, 'You must act NOW.' Be sure to
state a very specific deadline. Dont say 'This offer will expire
soon.'

Do say, 'This offer will expire on July 20, 2004' or 'This offer will
expire at midnight on June 12th' or 'This offer will expire in 10
days.' I think you know what I mean.

2) Limited Quantity

What do diamonds, vintage wine, and a triple-play in baseball have in
common? They're valuable because they exist in limited quantity. Give
your 'Widget' the same value by advertising that only a limited number
of these Widgets were produced. Or say that only a limited number of
these Widgets will be sold.

Again, be very specific. The above example should really read: 'Only
341 of these Widgets will be sold at this special 38%-off discount
price.'

For a double-whammy, add a little financial incentive to your limited
quantity offer: 'Only a limited number of these Widgets will be sold
at THIS special price' or 'Only a limited number of these FREE BONUES
will be given out.'

3) Exclusivity

People want to feel special and like they're getting something that
other people aren't. Thats why the 'golf club members only' deal work
so well...

4) Superiority

I've got an ego, you've got an ego, and you can bet your sales message
that your prospect has an ego. Appeal to it with offers that say,
'This deal is ONLY for action takers.' and 'This deal is ONLY for
successful people.'

5) Popularity

People like things that are popular and they trust what other people
like... even if they don't know those people. It's the reason that
restaurateurs always put customers in the front windows...you don't
want a prospective diner looking in on a bunch of empty seats...

People like to be part of the 'popular crowd' and they also don't want
to experience the pain of being on the outside looking in. So stir up
the pain and remind your visitors what they will miss out or lose if
they dont act now.

These two tactics are a one-two punch that will knock consumers right
out of their lethargy and right into your offer.

Growing Your Meetings In CyberSpace

2009-06-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

As increasing numbers of people search for information on the
Internet, it becomes more imperative to have a compelling Website to
promote and support your meetings.

Here is my list of "The Seven Most Important Things You can do Online":

1. Identify all your Online Markets

It's a common mistake to focus your attention on the obvious target
audience for your meetings site - the potential attendees.

But many other types of visitor may find your site, and it's important
to consider whether they're important to you, how you want to engage
them, and what outcomes you'd like to achieve with them.

Visitors to your meetings Website might include:

* past / potential attendees

* suppliers / vendors / exhibitors / sponsors / insurers

* Board members / employees / volunteers

* content seekers

* media

* job seekers

* competition

"Content seekers" is the term I use for members of the public who may
not be regular customers or members of your organization, but who find
you through a keyword search because they're interested in the content
of your meeting. If you admit the public to your events, this is an
important audience who might require different communications from
your regular participants.

If you're looking for publicity, don't forget the importance of a
press center. This should be very easy to find, and should contain all
the information that a reporter would need to cover your event -
they're usually under tight deadlines and will really appreciate this.

I include "competition" in this list because many people have asked me
whether it's dangerous to put too much good information on your
Website "in case the competition sees it". My (somewhat obvious)
answer? "If your competition can't see it, neither can the people
you're looking to attract!"

2. Set your Goals

This sounds self-evident, but is often overlooked. You can't evaluate
your return on investment (see #7 later) if you don't know what you
want to achieve. What will be your measures of success for this site
in terms of your meeting? What are the key outcomes that you want -
registrations, exhibitors, media attention, ongoing discussion forums,
etc.

Also consider the expenses of the site against any potential savings -
for instance, if you're implementing online registration, you want to
be satisfied that your system can replace (and hopefully improve on)
your real-world processes in a cost-effective manner.

3. Make it About Them, not You

Your site should be written from your visitors' point of view, not
yours. Does your meeting description page clearly recognize why the
reader might be there - what's in it for them to attend your event,
and why they should care? What are the problems or issues that they
might have, and how will participating in this meeting address them?

Include some testimonials from previous attendees giving clear
examples of how they've benefited from this event in the past. Third
party endorsements are worth far more than your own promotional text.
They should be spread throughout your site, not relegated to a
separate page (because few visitors will go to it).

4. Make it Easy to do Business With You

It's all too easy to throw online roadblocks into the paths of your
visitors, perhaps without even realizing it. A couple of my favorite
examples of this are:

* Site search engines that return "no results found", making the
visitor feel foolish. Clearly they're looking for something, so offer
to have a representative call them - or provide further help with your
search process

* Asking for registration details prematurely, before you've
created enough trust with a new visitor. Privacy issues and concern
about spam are major barriers to volunteering personal information.

5. Every Page of your Site should Have a Strategy

Whatever the outcomes that you want from your site, you need to ask
for them. Too many Web pages end weakly, with no clear calls to
action. Don't make your visitors have to work to decide what to do
next - they won't! Every page on your site should have a strategy -
invite the visitor to interact with you, or go to the next page, but
make it easy and obvious.

So, at the appropriate place in each page (or at several points in the
page), include a link to the appropriate form - "register for this
meeting", "ask for an exhibitor packet" - or whatever invitation may
be relevant.

6. Practice Multi-Channel Integrated Marketing

Offline marketing activities, such as postcard campaigns can be
extremely useful in driving traffic to your Website. Think of all your
marketing tactics as inter-related, and not as separate.

Don't rely on search engines to bring traffic to you - there are many
other ways to create online buzz:

* paid advertising - e-zine sponsorship / banners / pay-per-click searches

* public relations and coverage on other sites

* placing articles by your experts and speakers on sites and in
publications read by your target audiences

* and of course, targeted e-mail marketing to your existing mailing lists

7. Measure your Success

The keys to evaluating the return on investment in your site, to
improving it, and often to further business development ideas can be
found in your Web traffic reports. These show what visitors are
looking for, how long they spend on the site, where they go, where
they leave, and what rate of response you get to the various calls to
action.

These reports can be daunting - a mass of figures, graphs and URL's.
But I'd strongly suggest that someone in your organization should
understand them. Otherwise, you're shooting in the dark with your Web
investment.

Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web strategy consultant and
professional speaker. Check out her free tipsheet for 23 ideas to
promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html
Philippa can be reached at (831) 465-0317.

Stress In The Workplace

2009-06-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

According to the Australian Council of Trade Unions' (A.C.T.U.) 1997
survey, fifty per cent of workers had suffered some form of stress at
work in a 12-month period. The statistics in care professions were
even higher, with the Department of Education and Training in Western
Australia reporting in its 2002 Attitudes To Teaching Survey that
seventy per cent of teachers identified workplace stress as a cause
for concern in their teaching positions.

Stress in the workplace is becoming a major concern for employers,
managers and government agencies, owing to the Occupational Health and
Safety legislations requiring employers to practice 'duty of care' by
providing employees with safe working environments which also cover
the psychological wellbeing of their staff.

One of the costs, for employers, of work place stress is absenteeism,
with the A.C.T.U. reporting that owing to stress, nearly fifty per
cent of employees surveyed had taken time off work. Other negative
effects were reductions in productivity, reduced profits, accidents,
high rates of sickness, increased workers' compensation claims and
high staff turnover, requiring recruiting and training of replacement
staff.

While a certain amount of stress is needed to motivate individuals
into action, prolonged stress can have a huge impact on overall
health. More than two-thirds of visits to doctors' surgeries are for
stress-related illnesses. Stress has been linked to headaches,
backaches, insomnia, anger, cramps, elevated blood pressure, chronic
fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and lowered resistance to infection.
For women, stress is a key factor in hormonal imbalances resulting in
menstrual irregularities, PMS, fibroids, endometriosis and fertility
problems. Stress can also be a factor in the development of almost all
disease states including cancer and heart disease.

Each profession has its own unique factors that may cause stress;
below are some causes of stress that cross many professions:

* Increased workload

* Organizational changes

* Lack of recognition

* High demands

* Lack of support

* Personal and family issues

* Poor work organization

* Lack of training

* Long or difficult hours

* Inadequate staff numbers and resources

* Poor management communication

* Lack of control or input

So what can be done to effectively manage workplace stress?

Organizations can:

* Educate their employees to recognise the signs of stress.

* Where possible, give their employees the chance to be involved
in decisions and actions that affect their jobs.

* Improve employer-employee communications.

* Provide employees with opportunities to socialise together.

* Be understanding of employees' personal and family responsibilities.

* Ensure employee workloads suit their capabilities and resources
(provide more training and resources if not).

* Provide support (internally or externally) for employees who
have complex stress issues.

Employees can reduce their overall stress by:

* Regularly exercising, as this releases 'happy hormones'.

* Eating a healthy diet, as stress depletes vital nutrients.

* Getting adequate rest.

* Using tea and lunch breaks to read, listen to a relaxation CD or
have a five-minute power-nap.

* If appropriate, playing relaxing music at work and burning
aromatherapy oils.

* Being more organized. Get up earlier to have more time.

* Delegating responsibility where possible. Say no!

* Taking time out to laugh by telling someone a joke. Start a
laughter group: by standing in a circle and all forcing a big laugh,
it will soon become real!

* Avoiding caffeine and sugar. Although this may provide an
instant lift it later depletes the body of energy and nutrients.

* Taking time to do things that bring enjoyment and pleasure.

* Making the work environment pleasurable. Have relaxing sounds in
the form of music or a water fountain. Have enjoyable smells by
burning candles or aromatherapy oils. Hang beautiful pictures or
posters on the walls; have photos or flowers on the desk.

* Taking care of their overall health and wellbeing by practising
good self-care.

Sometimes trying to implement change (even for the better) can itself
cause stress and prevent a person remaining motivated. In this case
it's important to get support for your stress from a counsellor,
doctor, naturopath, friend, peer or life coach who specializes in
stress issues.

The benefits of a systematic and joint approach to reducing work stress are:

* Increased productivity

* Decrease in absenteeism

* Improved morale

* Decrease in workers' compensation claims

* Reduction in workplace accidents

The most important benefit in reducing workplace stress is that it
will promote a pleasant work environment for all.

How Long Should You Hang Onto Your Home-Based Business Dream?

2009-06-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

A home-based business becomes for the business owner, an entity in and
of itself. Because so much hard work, blood, sweat and tears goes into
every home-based business, it is easy to view it as having a "life" of
its own and a home-based business can be more real to the business
owner than anything else in their lives.

However, there is also a dark side to a home-based business,
especially one that is failing miserably. Part of being successful
within a work-at-home dream also means knowing "when" to quit, or
"fold". A home-based business can be like a game of cards, when the
"losses" exceed the "wins", it may be time to give up on the business
and either start another one, or look into other forms of outside
employment.

It has been said, "that most entrepreneurs fail three to five times"
before they actually start a business that succeeds. Although it is
imperative that entrepreneurs be persistent, not being able to accept
failure, when it is obvious that failure has occurred, can be
extremely detrimental.

So, how does an entrepreneur "know" when it is time to give up or when
they should continue? Simple, the amount of actual "suffering" needs
to be measured. The following "suffering measurement" should take into
account:

1. What type of debt the entrepreneur is accruing, and how many bills
and necessary needs are being neglected. No one should live without
food, clothing, shelter or the necessary medical care needed for a
gratifying life. If a home-based business is constantly leaving the
business owner without funds with which to sustain life, then it is
probably time to quit.

2. What type of emotional pain is the entrepreneur facing? If the
business has become so stressful because of mounting debt, or the
entrepreneur's family is turning against them because of the business,
then it is probably time to quit.

3. If there is a chance of losing a home or other holdings and
property because of the bills engendered during the business, then it
is probably time to quit.

4. If the frustration of having the business and handling the day to
day operations surrounding the business is greater than the pleasure
of owning the business, then it is probably time to quit.

Notice I have only mentioned the fact that it is "probably time to
quit". No one but the actual business owner can sufficiently measure
when a business should be declared a failure and when they, the
business owner, should walk away.

Let's face it, even older businesses can face renewed challenges to
their survival. Markets can change drastically sometimes, seemingly
overnight. Consumer behavior also can change quickly. Newer businesses
can face start-up challenges, but older businesses can encounter
significant "bumps in the road" to business success as well.

All the above factors need to be weighed carefully before deciding
either to "quit" or "stay" with the home-based business.

There are some methods that can be successful for alleviating some of
the financial and emotional stress that accompanies a failing
business:

1. An outside source of employment can be taken "temporarily", and the
business can be worked on "part-time" in an entrepreneur's free time.

2. Loans and grants can be taken to alleviate financial strains until
the business becomes solvent.

3. The entrepreneur can enlist the aid of family and friends, by
allowing them to "buy into" the business, or by forming an LLC
(Limited Liability Corporation), wherein the business owner is no
longer solely responsible for debts or liabilities. Most new business
owners start with a Sole Proprietorship model, so switching to the
more encompassing LLC may indeed aid the business in its quest for
survival.

4. Business owners can "downsize" their expenditures, both in the
business, and in their personal lives. Downsizing of expenditures can
literally save thousands per month and may indeed "save" the business
from ruin!

In reality, there is no "shame" in failure. Failure at anything only
teaches valuable lessons, lessons that may be incorporated into
success at another time! If you're suffering in your home-based
business, don't allow pride to stop you from admitting defeat and
moving forward in another area of life! That's what being an
entrepreneur is really all about.

The Home Business Dilemma - Success vs. Failure

2009-06-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Regardless of your career or goals in life, no one wakes up, gets out
of bed, and says to themselves "I'm going to fail today!" It's the
same in business whether you're a brick and mortar store or a home
based business owner.

I think what makes the Home Business owners unique is their drive and
desire. For any of us, there are certain things we need to evaluate
prior to undertaking such an endeavor as home based business
ownership. What do I want to accomplish, how will I accomplish this
goal, what are the demands I need to make upon my time to help me
realize the goals I'm laying down, and the list goes on and on, but
you get the idea.

Something as basic as why do I want to go into business for myself
needs to be addressed well in advance of any other considerations. In
my life experience, I have never been one to cater to clichés or warm
fuzzy catch-phrases so I won't wow you with any of them here.. I stick
to simple, real truths.

The truths are; know that you will fail but, also know enough to learn
a lesson from it and chalk it up in the win column as adding to your
education. Success and failure are on the EXACT same road – success is
just a little farther down that same road!

Seriously, can you imagine where we would be if someone such as Bill
Gates gave up after what had to be more than a few attempts! More
seriously than that is where Bill Gates would be without the
contribution made by Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison! See how this
comes full circle? Each thing dependent upon the others successes AND
failures.

A rock solid work ethic does not go unnoticed or unrewarded. There are
dividends here that will provide for you many times over. Believe it
or not but this is probably the only business on the planet where we
can all compete on a level playing field. That should be as exciting
to you as it is to me! Truly it can be an overwhelming prospect
literally having the world at your fingertips.

With each failure our knowledge grows, defeats are turned into
victories; your self confidence grows as does your business and it
goes on and on. There is no stopping that kind of momentum. When
things do arise from time to time as they will, you will definitely be
in a better position to handle these and they won't seem so
insurmountable as they once did.

Never ever give up, if you fall down, pick yourself up and start over.
We are fortunate to have some of the best and brightest in the
industry to assist us. Listen to your teachers carefully - do not try
to re-invent the wheel. Those who have come before you have paid their
dues in both time and money so make sure you're a good follower.

Follow these simple examples and watch both yourself and your business
grow. Both will need to change and evolve continually in order to stay
fresh, up to date and ready to compete. Network as much as possible.
Talk to your respective team members and find what works and what
doesn't. Valuable lessons if you're working on limited funds!

Lastly, remember that no one will be harder on you than you so be sure
to give yourself a break once in a while! It will come just don't
force it. Sure some people get lucky every once so often and hit the
lottery but my friend, you stand a better chance starting your own
e-business and the time has never been better.

For me, I love the diversity of working with a variety of people. I
get to talk with, tutor and impart my message to people from the
United States, India, Germany and even Greece! The cultures are great,
there's no barriers just plain people wanting something better. That
doesn't seem too difficult and the tools to accomplish this lowering
of barriers have never been more readily available. We all have
something to bring to the table – find out what your offering is and
contribute to the common good. You will find that in time this type of
generosity will be repaid to you ten fold both in supportive business
associates and fiercely loyal customers.

Cross Cultural Communication Consultants

2009-06-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Cross cultural communication consultants have come a long way in the
short period of time such specialists have been in demand. No longer
are they expatriates with a few years overseas experience and the
capability to impart their knowledge onto others. Cross cultural
consultants now bring expertise that is founded upon a number of key
factors.

Cross cultural consultants generally have a broad knowledge and
experience of two or more different cultures. This knowledge is then
employed to assist companies and individuals overcome challenges
brought about through cross cultural differences in business. Areas in
which assistance is needed may range from relocation briefings to
company mergers or management techniques. The ability to diagnose and
treat cross cultural problems is developed through their experience in
a number of different fields.

Academic Knowledge

Cross cultural consultants will generally have an academic background
either in specific courses such as 'Cross Cultural Communication and
Trade' or 'Cross Cultural Psychology' or in related courses such as
'International Relations' or 'Business Studies'. Their studies will
equip them with the academic skills and knowledge of the field that
will later be applied in the business context.

Business Know-how

It is critical for cross cultural consultants to have considerable
business experience. If this is lacking then academic knowledge is not
usually sufficient to understand the mechanics of business operations.
In order to understand how things work and the different challenges
facing managers and staff it is critical to have experienced it first
hand.

Training Experience

Through courses and practical experience a cross cultural consultant
will have knowledge of training techniques. This will include
communication skills, presentation methods, the use of activities and
utilization of different technology and media.

Living Abroad

Experience of living abroad, mixing with different cultures, speaking
different languages and working in foreign offices is vital for any
cross cultural consultant. Without having been exposed to a different
culture how can one advise on working effectively with that culture?
It is important that this emersion in the target culture has been to
the extent that the cross cultural consultant can totally empathise
with the culture and understand its dynamics.

Speaking a Foreign Language

Language carries with it cultural coding. All experts, commentators
and linguists are unanimous that without knowledge of the language the
culture can never be appreciated. A cross cultural consultant will
therefore have this insider knowledge not only through living and
working in a country but also by using and understanding the language.

The complexity and diversity of cross cultural challenges in the
international business world is reflected in the broad knowledge and
skills of cross cultural consultants. Drawing on expertise gained
through a variety of interrelated fields, the cross cultural
consultant is now truly a specialist of great importance.

For more information on the field please visit http://www.kwintessential.co.uk