business side: May 2009

hey vox
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Almost intellectual systems
Well it finally happened - Neil and I became internationally published authors! Check out this link: Почти интеллектуальные системы. Как получить конкурентные преимущества путем автоматизации принятия скрытых решений and what you see is a Russian version of Smart (Enough) Systems,...

great food

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found images on a wall

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stop action animation with kids...pretty fun

This is a character in one of the movies we made today in the studio...kids are funny...and very creative.

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BagButton LLC BLOG
BagButton is designed to save you space and money they re calling BagButton the new wonder product in storage Unlike a space saver bag the BagButton doesn t limit you to a single bag You can reuse this igneous gadget on as many bags as you want even garbage bags And you only need one to do that About The families and staff of BagButton We are all Made in the United States of America the BagButton is too BagButton Global leader in economical space saving solutions provides the highest quality and most economical portable vacuum space saving solutions in the World Our Links www bagbutton co uk www bagbutton com www bagbutton space bags com BagButton LLC BagButton LLC has been in business for 10 years designing the BagButton in order to bring the BagButton to the market place in February of 2004 We are deeply involved in the economical space saving industry We were formed with the objective of becoming the major economical participant in the space saving industry targeting all retail outlets and the massive market that exists with space saving technology We have established a strong relationship with distributors World Wide We have established a work ethic and pride in our new and innovative product at a very competitive price We have been quite successful at this by concentrating on a relatively small number of products in our line Financial results for our first second and third year are well above the projected expectations

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Unmut muß sich auch in Wahlergebnissen niederschlagen!!
Der nun mittlerweile heftig umstrittene Gesetzentwurf ist nicht allein der Gesetzentwurf von Ursula von der Leyen, es ist der Gesetzentwurf, der von einer schwarz-roten Bundesregierung beschlossen wurde. Von rot und schwarz! Wie doppelzüngig mal wieder die SPD ist, zeigt sich darin, daß sie sich nun für eine öffentliche Anhörung im Unterausschuss (27.5) ausgesprochen hat. Toll, toll [...]

Der nun mittlerweile heftig umstrittene Gesetzentwurf ist nicht allein der Gesetzentwurf von Ursula von der Leyen, es ist der Gesetzentwurf, der von einer schwarz-roten Bundesregierung beschlossen wurde. Von rot und schwarz!

Wie doppelzüngig mal wieder die SPD ist, zeigt sich darin, daß sie sich nun für eine öffentliche Anhörung im Unterausschuss (27.5) ausgesprochen hat. Toll, toll – Jubel!!! Aber das ist die selbe SPD, die noch vor wenigen Tagen dem Gesetzentwurf mal eben zugestimmt hat! Dieses Hickhack sollten wir uns nicht mehr gefallen lassen. Die SPD getreu dem Motto:

“Diplomatie ist, jemanden so zur Hölle zu schicken, dass er sich auf die Reise freut”.

Keine Zensur des Internets fordert nun auch die FDP!!

Die FDP lehnt die Sperrung von Webseiten mittels vom Bundeskriminalamt geführter verpflichtender Sperrlisten ab.

Die FDP fordert stattdessen eine wirksame und konsequente Bekämpfung von Kinderpornographie und Kindesmissbrauch mit allen Mitteln des Rechtsstaats.

Die Sperrung von Seiten im Internet, auf denen sich kinderpornographisches Material befindet, wird dem Ziel nicht gerecht, den Missbrauch von Kindern und die Darstellung des Missbrauchs zu verhindern. Die Sperrungen sind einerseits leicht zu umgehen bzw. werden schon gar nicht wirksam, wenn, was bei der Nutzung des Internets üblich ist, ein fremder, z.B. ausländischer
Domain-Name-Server eingestellt wird. Insbesondere aber erfassen sie andererseits den Hauptverbreitungsweg kinderpornographischen Materials, nämlich Peer-to-Peer-Netzwerke, schon von vornherein nicht.[link..]

Die Vorboten waren die groß angelegten Operationen gegen KiPo mit wohlklingenden Namen wie “Smasher”, “Himmel”, “Tornado” mit tausenden von Beschuldigten. Auf eine Anfrage des SPD- Bundestagsabgeordneten Jörg Tauss im Leyen Amt, wusste ihr Haus jetzt mitzuteilen, dass die “genauen” Fälle bei örtlich zuständigen Polizeidienststellen “endsachbearbeitet” würden.

weitere Schilder –> rettet das Internet

Angesichts solcher Aussagen von Wirtschaftsminister von Guttenberg zum Thema Zensur:

“Es macht mich schon sehr betroffen, wenn pauschal der Eindruck entstehen sollte, dass es Menschen gibt, die sich gegen die Sperrung von kinderpornographischen Inhalten sträuben. Das ist nun wirklich einer der wichtigsten Vorhaben in vielerlei Hinsicht.”

Sollte man sich doch mal langsam nach wählbaren Alternativen zur Wahl im Juni und September umschauen.

Die FREIEN WÄHLER haben in Deutschland geschätzte 280.000 Mitglieder und sind damit die größte Bürgerbewegung unseres Landes! Die schöne Frau Dr. Gabriele Pauli steht zur Wahl im Juni bereit.

Die Piratenpartei: Transparenz & Mitbestimmung statt Korruption!

und viele weitere die im Juni zur Wahl stehen:

01. 50Plus Das Generationenbündnis
02. Ab jetzt Bündnis für Deutschland, für Demokratie durch Volksabstimmung
03. AUF – Partei für Arbeit, Umwelt und Familie, Christen für Deutschland
04. Aufbruch für Bürgerrechte, Freiheit und Gesundheit
05. Bayernpartei
06. Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität
07. Christliche Mitte – Für ein Deutschland nach Gottes Geboten
08. Deutsche Kommunistische Partei
09. Deutsche Volksunion (DVU)
10. Europa-Demokratie-Esperanto
11. Familien-Partei Deutschlands
12. Die Feministische Partei – DIE FRAUEN
13. Freie Bürger-Initiative
14. Freie Wähler Deutschland
15. Die Grauen – Generationspartei
16. Newropeans
17. Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei ödp
18. Partei Aufbruch
19. Partei Bibeltreuer Christen – PBC
20. Partei für Soziale Gleichheit, Sektion der Vierten Internationalen
21. Piratenpartei Deutschland
22. Rentner-Partei-Deutschland
23. Renterinnen und Rentner Partei
24. Die Republikaner – REP
25. Die Tierschutzpartei

Politik sollte für uns und nicht gegen uns gemacht werden. Idealerweise mit uns, und genau deshalb gehe ich zur Europawahl und mach mein Kreuz sicher nicht bei den Wahlversprechern!!!

Steuern, Maut und Inflation haben einen Schutzpatron

update: Unglaublich was im Netz los ist wegen den Leyen

Die Exekutive (das BKA) reicht hier eine geheime (nicht öffentliche) Liste auf informelle Weise an einen nicht- staatlichen Kooperationspartner (ISP’s) weiter. Kein Richter und damit die Judikative wacht darüber und autorisiert ggf. diese Liste. Checks und Balance ist im gegenwärtigen Verfahren nicht die Bohne gegeben. Insofern ist es mehr als fraglich ob diese Liste, welche immerhin als Gegenstand weiterer Strafverfolgung in der Diskussion steht, überhaupt demokratisch legitimiert ist. Ich bin da nicht sicher, und behaupte das Gegenteil.

All dieses Treiben leistet Spekulationen in Richtung gelungener Lobbyarbeit Vorschub – und zwar weniger an die Adresse von Kinderschutzverbänden, sondern von Interessengruppen, die darin eine Chance sehen, sich wirtschaftliche Vorteile sichern zu können. [link..]

Hurra!!! Steinbrück ist jetzt alleiniger Schuldenkönig
Angesichts dramatischer Steuerausfälle und paar andere kleine Ausfälle durch wegsehen (Finanzaufsicht mit Augenmaß), hat unsere geliebte Bundesregierung eine kleine Erhöhung der Neuverschuldung in diesem Jahr um weitere 10,7 Milliarden auf 47,6 Milliarden Euro beschlossen. Das Kabinett nennt und billigt das am heutigen Mittwoch 27.5.2009 einen “Nachtragshaushalt”. Wir reden ab sofort nicht mehr von einen ausgeglichenen Haushalt, [...]

Angesichts dramatischer Steuerausfälle und paar andere kleine Ausfälle durch wegsehen (Finanzaufsicht mit Augenmaß), hat unsere geliebte Bundesregierung eine kleine Erhöhung der Neuverschuldung in diesem Jahr um weitere 10,7 Milliarden auf 47,6 Milliarden Euro beschlossen.

Das Kabinett nennt und billigt das am heutigen Mittwoch 27.5.2009 einen “Nachtragshaushalt”. Wir reden ab sofort nicht mehr von einen ausgeglichenen Haushalt, wir versuchen nun das Wort Nachtragshaushalt zu deuten. Da bisher ja nix bei Mittelstand und Bürger angekommen ist bedeutet das für mich das HRE, KfW, IKB usw. immer noch Geld benötigen um am Leben zu bleiben.

Bundesfinanzminister Peer Steinbrück im ARD Morgenmagazin “wir suchen uns die Situation ja nicht aus”, wir haben die schlimmste Wirtschaftskrise seit dem Krieg. Wir können die Hände ja nicht in den Schoß legen, sagte der SPD-Politiker der jetzt die Hitliste als Schuldenkönig anführt.

Laut dem statistischen Bundesamt steckt unsere deutsche Wirtschaft in der tiefsten Rezession der Nachkriegszeit. Das Jahr ist noch nicht mal zur Hälfte vorbei, die 80 bis 85 Milliarden schaffen wir bestimmt noch, ohne das ein Cent bei denen ankommt die in diesen Land Werte schaffen. Die Leute die im Land Werte schaffen sind für die (Volksparteien) Staatenlenker in die 4. Liga verbannt. Virtuelle Werte des Joe Ackermann sind der Maßstab den ein Volkzertreter anlegt.

Steinbrück hat den bisherigen Schuldenrekord der Bunten Republik Deutschland von 1996 nun erfolgreich gebrochen. Wenn all die Hintergründe dieser SPD/CDU/CSU Volksvertreter ans Tageslicht kommen, wird manch einer nochmal an die Worte die da so über soziale Unruhen gesprochen wurden nachdenken.

Die Nordkoreaner sind aber wirklich sehr, sehr hartnäckig. Mit ihren Atomtests und den Raketen zeigen sie überdeutlich, daß sie nicht von den USA befreit, demokratisiert und mit Genmais versorgt werden wollen. Es ist wirklich eine absolute Frechheit, sich der Globalisierung so zu entziehen.

Was sind da schon paar Traktoren in Berlin Mitte!!!! Globales Denken trägt Früchte.

Kommentar bei Deutschland Debatte: Viele Landwirte in der Europäischen Union bekommen Agrarhilfen. Alle Staaten müssen offen legen, an wen genau sie diese Gelder auszahlen. Fast alle tun das auch – nur ein Land weigert sich: Deutschland.

Will die Ministerin nicht noch mehr große böse Traktoren vor ihren Amt haben sollte sie schnell HANDELN!!!
Pustekuchen: Öffentlichkeit von Agrarsubventionen in Deutschland Bayern3 “Quer” nennt auch Roß und Reiter beim Namen. Die Lufthansa, die Bauindustrie etc. Alles hochwichtige Agrarbetriebe ohne die die Menschen in Deutschland verhungern würden.

Kompetenz und Kompetenzgerangel…
Ehrlich, man traut sich kaum noch, überhaupt was über Die Linke zu schreiben. Hier und da und dort, wird unter falscher Flagge gesegelt, damit man sich ganz persönlich etwas profilieren kann. Verlinken mache ich noch: Der Westen – Die Linke wirft 18 Mitglieder raus

Ehrlich, man traut sich kaum noch, überhaupt was über Die Linke zu schreiben. Hier und da und dort, wird unter falscher Flagge gesegelt, damit man sich ganz persönlich etwas profilieren kann.

Verlinken mache ich noch: Der Westen – Die Linke wirft 18 Mitglieder raus

2:37 AM | | 0 Comments

05/26/2009
Copyright © 2009 Frank Kanu Visit the original article at 05/26/2009 © Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2009Sometimes managers need to be able to refine their own solutions to find their way.Frank Kanu Tags:managers own solutions Technorati (All Links are external): managers own solutions frank kanu management quote of the day Copyright © 2009 Frank Uncovers Excellence in LeadershipThis Feed [...]
Copyright © 2009 Frank Kanu Visit the original article at 05/26/2009

© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2009

Sometimes managers need to be able to refine their own solutions to find their way.

Frank Kanu

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05/28/2009
Copyright © 2009 Frank Kanu Visit the original article at 05/28/2009 © Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2009No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or get rich in business by being a conformist.J(ean) Paul Getty Tags:paul getty success Technorati (All Links are external): paul getty success business quote of the day Copyright © 2009 Frank Uncovers Excellence [...]
Copyright © 2009 Frank Kanu Visit the original article at 05/28/2009

© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2009

No one can possibly achieve any real and lasting success or get rich in business by being a conformist.

J(ean) Paul Getty

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paul getty success
Technorati (All Links are external): paul getty success business quote of the day

Copyright © 2009 Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership
This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. (digitalfingerprint: 785273ed81985582c8a1be62f78c9459 (74.125.112.136) ) Please contact legal@geniusone.com so we can take legal action immediately.

Virtuell

Liebe

2:41 AM | | 0 Comments

ABOUT Ur SELF ESTEEN

What is self esteem?

Self esteem does not mean seeing yourself as the greatest person in the world.
It's not the same as being conceited.
Healthy self esteem means liking yourself, for the most part, as you are.
You can have OK self esteem and still have occasional bouts of self doubt.
How you feel about yourself depends on who you compare yourself with.
Healthy self esteem means thinking as highly of yourself as you think of your peers.
Excessive self esteem = being over confident or complacent.
OK self esteem is compatible with humility.
Humility is not the same as self-effacement.
The right balance should place you mid-way between grandiosity and self-effacement.
To build and maintain healthy self esteem:
- Forgive yourself for your mistakes.
- Celebrate your strengths and achievements.
- We are so used to negative feedback that we are more aware of our weaknesses.
- Set achievable targets and get regular feedback.
- Change the way you talk to yourself - s...
  
  How do you know if you should marry the person you're seeing?
  A. The most important decision you will make in life is to follow God. The second most important decision is your vocation. So make sure that God is guiding your choice. Talk to him about your dreams, your joys, your problems, and your fears. It is common to meet people who have faith in God, but they select a spouse on their own, get engaged, and then only afterwards ask God and their family to bless it. Try that the other way--start with God and your family--and it tends to run more smoothly.
  
  Here are five practical points to consider when wondering if you should marry a specific person.
  
  One: How is your friendship? It is easy to feel close to a person if you have been physically intimate, but apart from the physical element, how well can you honestly say you know this person? The more physically involved you have been, the more you will need to step back to evaluate the relationship. This is because physical intimacy clouds our judgment--which it should. One of the benefits of tot...

2:40 AM | | 0 Comments

Affiliate Marketing - Best Way To Earn Online

2:33 AM | | 0 Comments

Was Japan's first Western screen star shameful to his homeland?
The Japanese have a term for certain types of movies made outside the country featuring Japanese actors who play Japanese characters. It is kokujoku eiga. Eiga means "movies," and kokujoku, derived from the words for "country" and "insult," means "disgrace" or "denigration." In other words, kokujoku eiga are movies that Japanese regard as shaming their nation.

North Korea claims to have made a nuclear test
The North Korean leadership is not interested in world opinion on nuclear testing. Very few details are available. This will lead to an increase in tensions especially between both Japan and South Korea against North Korea. China are probably the only country with any power to influence North Korea.

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S&P 500 sinks below 700 in Wall St rout (Reuters)
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks long losses way toward the near on Monday, attractive the criterion S&P 500 shortly beneath the 700 take for the prototypal instance since Oct 1996. * Another polity bailout of dweller International Group (AIG.N) and the insurer's achievement $61.7 1000000000 quarterly expiration upraised fears that efforts to halt the business [...]
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks long losses way toward the near on Monday, attractive the criterion S&P 500 shortly beneath the 700 take for the prototypal instance since Oct 1996.

* Another polity bailout of dweller International Group (AIG.N) and the insurer's achievement $61.7 1000000000 quarterly expiration upraised fears that efforts to halt the business crisis ease are not enough.

* The Dow designer industrialized cipher (.DJI) was downbound 291.59 points, or 4.13 percent, at 6,771.34.

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) was downbound 33.09 points, or 4.50 percent, at 702.00.

In the terminal half distance of lawful trading, the S&P 500 impact an intraday baritone of 699.70 — its minimal since Oct 1996.

* The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was downbound 52.54 points, or 3.81 percent, at 1,325.30.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%. January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of [...]
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%.

January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of outflow.

It was a recognize oppositeness to Jan 2008's gain flow of $43.67 billion. Jan is digit of the large flow months of some year. That's ofttimes when bonuses intend endowed and withdrawal accounts intend started or funded.

Still, there were indications that the status deteriorated during February.

Funds that equip primarily in the U.S. took in $6.85 1000000000 in newborn money in January. They gave $10.24 1000000000 backwards to investors the period before. Stock assets that equip primarily foreign took in $2.19 1000000000 from investors in Jan vs. a $10.19 flow the period before. During the month, the MSCI EAFE finger lapse 10.43%, patch the note chromatic 5.25%.

Hybrid funds, which equip in both stocks and bonds, had flow of $419 meg vs. $1.99 1000000000 flow the preceding month. Last year, organism assets given $1.48 1000000000 in January.

Bond assets saw $16.73 1000000000 in Jan '09 flow vs. $7.01 1000000000 flow the period before. Last period the consent on 10-year Treasuries chromatic to 2.87% from 2.25% the period before. Three-month T-bill rates unkind up to 0.30% from 0.24% a period earlier.

Municipal stick assets were also a bounteous draw. The 2.94% consent on triple-A munis prefabricated their tax-free yields that such more captivating than Treasuries.

In Jan of terminal year, stick assets had flow of $22.91 billion.

Taxable stick assets took in $12.87 1000000000 terminal period vs. $2.7 1000000000 flow in December. Last assemblage in Jan they had large flow of $20.4 billion.

Investors place $3.86 1000000000 into muni stick assets vs. flow of $4.31 1000000000 the preceding month. In Jan 2008 muni money flow was $2.51 billion.

Tapping The Kitty

Money-market funds, which ofttimes hit panoramic swings in flows, saw flow of $59.52 1000000000 terminal period vs. $109.35 1000000000 flow in December.

Institutional money assets took in $67.62 1000000000 vs. $99.46 1000000000 flow the period before. Money assets that cater to individuals had flow of $8.1 1000000000 vs. flow of $9.25 1000000000 the period prior.

The flow couldn't attain up for the declining hit mart in January. Fund assets lapse by $191 billion, or 2%, to $9.411 1E+12 in Jan from $9.601 1E+12 the period before. They stood at $11.999 1E+12 at the modify of Dec 2007.

Stock money assets lapse $269.1 billion, or 7.3%, to $3.439 1E+12 from $3.708 1E+12 the preceding month. They were $6.521 1E+12 at the near of 2007.

Hybrid money assets lapse $17.6 billion, or 3.6%, to $476.6 1000000000 from $494.2 1000000000 the period before. They were $713.4 1000000000 at the near of 2007.

Bond money assets chromatic $33.4 billion, or 2.13%, to $1.600 1E+12 from $1.567 1E+12 the period before. They were $1.679 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Money-market money assets chromatic $63.8 billion, or 1.7%, to $3.895 1E+12 from $3.831 1E+12 the period before and $3.085 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Early indications were that flows attenuated in February. Stock assets gave backwards $10.6 1000000000 this period finished Feb. 24, according to TrimTabs.
Holiday Spirit
“January saw inflows despite the mart existence down,” said author Gann, TrimTabs' president. “It enjoyed a Christmastime cut twine from December's up market. But by Feb the Christmastime fiber had fled.”
In Dec the Nasdaq chromatic 2.7% and the S&P 500 chromatic 0.78%.
Bond assets had Feb flow of $9.3 billion, he says.

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor’s Business Daily)
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%. January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of [...]
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%.

January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of outflow.

It was a recognize oppositeness to Jan 2008's gain flow of $43.67 billion. Jan is digit of the large flow months of some year. That's ofttimes when bonuses intend endowed and withdrawal accounts intend started or funded.

Still, there were indications that the status deteriorated during February.

Funds that equip primarily in the U.S. took in $6.85 1000000000 in newborn money in January. They gave $10.24 1000000000 backwards to investors the period before. Stock assets that equip primarily foreign took in $2.19 1000000000 from investors in Jan vs. a $10.19 flow the period before. During the month, the MSCI EAFE finger lapse 10.43%, patch the note chromatic 5.25%.

Hybrid funds, which equip in both stocks and bonds, had flow of $419 meg vs. $1.99 1000000000 flow the preceding month. Last year, organism assets given $1.48 1000000000 in January.

Bond assets saw $16.73 1000000000 in Jan '09 flow vs. $7.01 1000000000 flow the period before. Last period the consent on 10-year Treasuries chromatic to 2.87% from 2.25% the period before. Three-month T-bill rates unkind up to 0.30% from 0.24% a period earlier.

Municipal stick assets were also a bounteous draw. The 2.94% consent on triple-A munis prefabricated their tax-free yields that such more captivating than Treasuries.

In Jan of terminal year, stick assets had flow of $22.91 billion.

Taxable stick assets took in $12.87 1000000000 terminal period vs. $2.7 1000000000 flow in December. Last assemblage in Jan they had large flow of $20.4 billion.

Investors place $3.86 1000000000 into muni stick assets vs. flow of $4.31 1000000000 the preceding month. In Jan 2008 muni money flow was $2.51 billion.

Tapping The Kitty

Money-market funds, which ofttimes hit panoramic swings in flows, saw flow of $59.52 1000000000 terminal period vs. $109.35 1000000000 flow in December.

Institutional money assets took in $67.62 1000000000 vs. $99.46 1000000000 flow the period before. Money assets that cater to individuals had flow of $8.1 1000000000 vs. flow of $9.25 1000000000 the period prior.

The flow couldn't attain up for the declining hit mart in January. Fund assets lapse by $191 billion, or 2%, to $9.411 1E+12 in Jan from $9.601 1E+12 the period before. They stood at $11.999 1E+12 at the modify of Dec 2007.

Stock money assets lapse $269.1 billion, or 7.3%, to $3.439 1E+12 from $3.708 1E+12 the preceding month. They were $6.521 1E+12 at the near of 2007.

Hybrid money assets lapse $17.6 billion, or 3.6%, to $476.6 1000000000 from $494.2 1000000000 the period before. They were $713.4 1000000000 at the near of 2007.

Bond money assets chromatic $33.4 billion, or 2.13%, to $1.600 1E+12 from $1.567 1E+12 the period before. They were $1.679 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Money-market money assets chromatic $63.8 billion, or 1.7%, to $3.895 1E+12 from $3.831 1E+12 the period before and $3.085 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Early indications were that flows attenuated in February. Stock assets gave backwards $10.6 1000000000 this period finished Feb. 24, according to TrimTabs.
Holiday Spirit
"January saw inflows despite the mart existence down," said author Gann, TrimTabs' president. "It enjoyed a Christmastime cut twine from December's up market. But by Feb the Christmastime fiber had fled."
In Dec the Nasdaq chromatic 2.7% and the S&P 500 chromatic 0.78%.
Bond assets had Feb flow of $9.3 billion, he says.

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)

2:33 AM | | 0 Comments

Bold measures by SBA chief cap National Small Business Week
National Small Business Week is upon us. There are a number of events happening around the country to accentuate the notion that small businesses and franchises are the life blood of the US economy. We’re of the opinion that every week is small business week, but we’re happy to unite with the franchising community, as [...]
National Small Business Week is upon us. There are a number of events happening around the country to accentuate the notion that small businesses and franchises are the life blood of the US economy. We’re of the opinion that every week is small business week, but we’re happy to unite with the franchising community, as well as entrepreneurs and small businesspeople and trumpet the important economic work wehttp://www.franchisedirect.com/blog/wp-admin/edit.php all do.

Franchisees or small business owners around the Beltway might be interested to visit the National Small Business Week event winding up at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Conference. After all, SBA head Karen Mills has made headlines for a bold new small business initiative announced in her address yesterday.

Ms Mills introduced a new temporary program for small businesses, America’s Recovery Capital (ARC). Through ARC, the SBA will provide short-term relief to small businesses in urgent financial trouble.
These are some of the details of the plan:

These short-term loans of up to $35,000 can be used to cover payments on non-SBA debt.

They have no SBA fees or interest costs for the borrower and are 100 percent guaranteed by the SBA.

The loan is for six months, followed by 12 months of no repayment and then 5 years to pay it back.

ARC loans are for viable businesses, meaning that the business must have an established history of good performance – but they are in a situation where they just need a little extra help to bridge the “troubled waters.”

This is a very promising initiative and comes right on the back of an interesting new study saying that small business confidence is at its highest ranking all year.

Finally, have a look at this great video, created by entrepreneur phone service Grasshopper, and feel the positivity of entrepreneurship during this National Small Business Week.

Study predicts franchise lending drop
The IFA has issued a strident warning to the government as it predicts a sharp decline in franchise lending this year. A new study conducted by FRANdata for the IFA shows that franchise lending will be down 40% this year and Matthew Shay, IFA president has urged Congress to act quickly to preserve “50,000 jobs [...]
The IFA has issued a strident warning to the government as it predicts a sharp decline in franchise lending this year. A new study conducted by FRANdata for the IFA shows that franchise lending will be down 40% this year and Matthew Shay, IFA president has urged Congress to act quickly to preserve “50,000 jobs and more than $5 billion in economic activity”.

Ourselves, and others, have said time and again that franchising is the real economic stimulus plan. But against the backdrop of the economic downturn, this FranData study provides stark evidence of the severity of the economic challenge facing the franchise industry. The credit crunch that has proceeded the recession has left both franchisors and franchisees unable to access the necessary capital to keep their businesses going. While there have been signs of a slight return to normal, it is clear now that more action must be taken by the government to accelerate lending.

The IFA has called for President Obama and Congress to do the following four things to increase lending to franchises:

Increase the Small Business Administration’s 7(a) loan’s maximum limit to $3 million from $2 million and the maximum loan guarantee from $1.5 million to $2.7 million.

Make SBA loan prices to be competitive with other forms of capital investment.

Halt the new SBA policy on “goodwill” financing of business acquisitions.

Promote audit standards so banks are assured SBA loan guarantees will be honored.

Mr Shay also uttered this warning to the SBA chief and government about the urgency of the situation: “Every day that we delay fixing this credit crisis will cause more small business owners to wither on the vine.”

We all know these are difficult times, but there things you can do, such as writing your congressman or senator urging them to take action to make lending easier.

You can also check out Franchise Direct’s summer Recession Buster franchise offers, which make it easier than ever to purchase, despite the challenges the economy is facing.

Sir Li Ka-shing
   He is the Don of Hong Kong. His business covers almost every walk of life in Hong Kong. At an assessed wealth close to $26.5 billion he is one of the richest men in the world and the most powerful men in Asia.

   He is the Don of Hong Kong. His business covers almost every walk of life in Hong Kong. At an assessed wealth close to $26.5 billion he is one of the richest men in the world and the most powerful men in Asia.

(more…)

Sheldon Adelson
He is the unquestioned king of the gambling world of Las Vegas. He is the owner of not only the gambling world in the US but almost all over the world.

He is the unquestioned king of the gambling world of Las Vegas. He is the owner of not only the gambling world in the US but almost all over the world. (more…)

Franchising making headlines
As signs continue to emerge that the global economy has overcome the worst of the recession, it’s interesting to see the topic of franchising making more and more headlines. We’ve always felt that franchising is the real economic stimulus plan and as the economy seems to be beginning the long journey back to stability, it [...]
As signs continue to emerge that the global economy has overcome the worst of the recession, it’s interesting to see the topic of franchising making more and more headlines. We’ve always felt that franchising is the real economic stimulus plan and as the economy seems to be beginning the long journey back to stability, it seems that entrepreneurs are ready to take risks again and are seriously considering franchising.

Monday’s Wall Street Journal features a Q&A interview with Britt Schroeter, who runs Dream Maker & Associates LLC and has worked as an executive in franchise systems like Kiddie Academy International Inc. and Decorating Den Systems Inc. Ms Schroeter was asked to give advice to people considering franchising and had this to say about why now is a great time to consider franchising:

There’s been a thinning of the forest. Competitors who are undercapitalized may be going away. People with good credit are getting excellent interest rates now on loans. Cash is starting to flow at a brisker pace. The Small Business Administration will now guarantee up to 90% of each loan—it previously had guaranteed 75%—and the Treasury Department is purchasing more securities to open up the secondary market for SBA loans. I’m already seeing a positive impact from that.

And if you need space for your franchised business, it’s a buyer’s market. Landlords are more likely to cover build-out costs upfront and amortize them over the life of a lease. That wasn’t being done 18 months ago. Also, staffing talent is widely available—and a proven business concept and familiar brand name should help attract it.

Meanwhile, the Sun Journal of New Bern, North Carolina has a good piece on franchising, quoting IFA figures stating that “400,000 franchised businesses now employ nearly 10 million people”. The story interviews Jack Tetreault, who is a counselor with L-A Score, who talks about how franchising is thriving in his local community.

In our community we have seen the successful expansion of fast food franchises such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Tim Hortons and Subway Sandwiches, along with the already-established McDonald’s and Burger King.

As these stories show, franchising continues to thrive on the street level and we believe franchising will be something that we’ll be reading a lot more of in the coming weeks and months.

Follow Franchise Direct directly on Twitter
Despite the nay-sayers, Twitter seems like it is here to stay. Its direct, up-to-the-minute style of communication is perfect for the times we live in. With more and more businesspeople and entrepreneurs tweeting, Franchise Direct has gotten in on the act. Follow Franchise Direct on Twitter here. You’ll be able to access the best new [...]
Despite the nay-sayers, Twitter seems like it is here to stay. Its direct, up-to-the-minute style of communication is perfect for the times we live in. With more and more businesspeople and entrepreneurs tweeting, Franchise Direct has gotten in on the act.

Follow Franchise Direct on Twitter here. You’ll be able to access the best new franchise and business opportunities on offer and stay on stop of all the different things that make Franchise Direct so unique: new franchise studies, new videos from our Franchise Interactive page as well as our regular Franchise Update videos.

Franchise book review: Escape from Cubicle Nation
Making the leap into entrepreneurship is one of the most challenging choices a person can make, and a global recession doesn’t make the decision any easier. Across America, there are many people continuing their 9 -5 grind, doing unfulfilling work simply to pay the bills, uncertain about the future with their employer and dreaming of [...]
Making the leap into entrepreneurship is one of the most challenging choices a person can make, and a global recession doesn’t make the decision any easier. Across America, there are many people continuing their 9 -5 grind, doing unfulfilling work simply to pay the bills, uncertain about the future with their employer and dreaming of owning their own business. Those people need a guide telling them how to break free from their cubicle chains. Luckily it exists in book form, and it has been written by author and blogger Pamela Slim.

We blogged recently about Escape From Cubicle Nation, which takes its title from Slim’s popular small business blog. Slim worked for Apple before becoming a business consultant and writer. Her aim is to help people achieve business success on their own terms and create something personal out of their skills and creativity. Her first book is a primer on how to attain that dream.

Slim admits her suspicions with corporate life from page one. Her main complaints are that the corporate world is unstable and its leadership is stubborn to change. Over time, Slim begins to create her portrait of “cubicle nation”: a place where creativity stifled, meaningless work is done over and over and workers spend most of their time responding to mountains of email. Slim calls on workers to escape the corporate system and go out on their own.

Escape From Cubicle Nation is a very handy resource for aspiring entrepreneurs. Slim outlines the realities of starting and owning a small business, and provides helpful insight about what needs to be done to get a business off the ground. She stresses the importance of consulting with other people. Slim says entrepreneurs should enlist a mentor for their new business as well as a High Council of Jedi Knights, who you can go to during pivotal moments in the life of your business.

The book has a streamlined lay-out reminiscent of other business books, but what makes Escape a vital read is Slim’s compelling story and her clear and concise writing style. Escape speaks to a real economic truth of the moment. Given the harsh economic realities of today, entrepreneurship is the only way a person can truly control their future. Slim provides a lot of insight about how to break free from the corporate world.

Once you do, may I suggest owning a franchise?

You can buy the book it here.

Liliane Bettencourt
Liliane Bettencourt

Liliane Bettencourt (more…)

Top Millionaire Stories
Roman Abramovich Roman Abramovich This Russian has dared the richest of the world to be amongst them. Roman Abramovich, is the well known owner of Chelsea Football Club. Despite being known all over the world he has maintained a low profile.
Roman Abramovich

Roman Abramovich

This Russian has dared the richest of the world to be amongst them. Roman Abramovich, is the well known owner of Chelsea Football Club. Despite being known all over the world he has maintained a low profile. (more…)

2:23 AM | | 0 Comments

Featured Work at Home Op: Go Freelance

Blogger Outed: ‘Fake Steve’ is Dan Lyons – Yahoo! News
Blogger Outed: ‘Fake Steve’ is Dan Lyons – Yahoo! News At long last, someone has cracked one of the technology world’s biggest mysteries — the identity of Fake Steve, a sharp-tongued blogger who had tech aficionados in stitches with a satiric diary purporting to be from Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Now for the really good part: Both [...]

Internet Business Find: Google Docs

Internet Business Find: Rich Dad Poor Dad

About This Blog

Internet Business Find: eHow

"How to Work from Home Online" Step 4

I’m Baaaaaack!!! Social Orb 1.4 lol
I’m back. Sort of left this blog alone for a while lol There is a good reason for this; I don’t have time. Besides I leaned a little something about this blogging thing. One post can sure take up allot of time. The biggest thing I learned is that I should try to focus on one [...]

Internet Business Find: Amazon Kindle

2:23 AM | | 0 Comments

"When the last one falls, when it's all said and done, it gets hard..."
School is getting down to the wire. I can feel the restlessness in everyone. Finals are two days from being over at this point, and I'm even anxious to get out. It's partially due to everyone around me rushing around in a constant panic when my finals are nicely spaced out and I have mostly papers due in place of finals. It's confusing. o_O

I've really been trying to take on a lot of creative projects just to pass the time. I'm an "amateur filmmaker" (I use this term loosely.) with the best friend and have been for several years. It's just something to fill in the gaps when life gets boring. I might share some of the latest stuff here soon if I feel inclined. We have a YouTube channel now.

I'll post about the new series of Ashes to Ashes shortly. It really is quite amazing as always. :) There are also a few new shows that I've gotten into as well that I'd like to rant about. And there's always our old favorite Supernatural. *sigh*

Off to study for one of my last finals. I have to get up early for my last day of work and bring donuts to everyone and such.

Happy Thursday, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST FRIEND: MEGAN!!!!!!!!!!! :D <3<3<3<3<3

Keane Media Player 2

3:05 AM | | 0 Comments

2wire 2701hgv ATM encapsulation
What are different? Do any member tell me more detail about below terms .? "" Bridged LLC Bridged VC-Mux Routed LLC Routed VC-Mux ""

Qwest speed reduced over time despite not changing equipment
Hello: I've been a Qwest subscriber in the Minneapolis area for over five years now. I started out with a Cisco 675 and later a Cisco 678 (in use now). I started with 256/256 down, then half megabit service and for quite a while going to 1.5 megabit service. February 2008 I paid extra to go for the 3-7 megabit service although the speed never really got to 3 megabit it was at least around 2.5 megabit - I'm about a mile from the local CO in Bloomington, MN. But now speed has dropped in a precipitous way. Tonight? 512 kbps down / 530 kbps up.. I use Qwest for the data line and local ISP VISI.COM for the internet connectivity. I've talked to VISI and all signs point to the issue is on the Qwest end. Router is a Cisco 678 and the backbone in-house is 100 megabit wired ethernet. But even when we directly connect one CPU to the Cisco 678 the speed has dropped ruling out issues with switches or wireless access gateways. Speed formerly was as high as 2.5 megabit as recently as last May. No change in behavior in trying different Mac OS X, Windows Vista or Xandros Linux machines. The Qwest help desk (I believe they're in the Bangalore area now) was not of much help but I followed their request to eliminate all equipment but a single PC connected to the Cisco (a good basic troubleshooting move actually), move the Cisco to another phone jack in the house, etcetera. They didn't see a problem on their end and suggested I move the router to yet another phone jack in the house but still hasn't made any appreciable changes in speed. Any ideas of what to look for in the router CBOS os? I've tried rebooting the router but nothing much does change as far as speed goes. Ideas? Someone on facebook reported that they had experienced a similar slowdown that was a mistake on the qwest side but can't confirm or corroborate this at all. Thank you.

Qwest and static IP
I recently acquired Stat ip from qwest to solve a an e-mail problem (smtp was not on qwest list of providors and was getting blocked) Any way My gateway programming (gt-701) seems to be the same what do I need to know about having static ip? can I still forward ports to cams or dvr or security panels? should my gateway programming be different? Thank You

Qwest DSL Tech SUpport
what can you say about them? any comments when it comes to their knowdlege about their support?

Why should i choose DSL by the Qwest?
Is there any reason? It costs more that the cable HSI here in Iowa Waterloo!?

no more vdsl
We screwed you on VDSL price. So now your old price will be applied to the higher rate. Woops the higher rate is less than what you pay. Well your intro price is more. F VDSL.

D-Link WBR-1310 Router with Actiontec M1000 Modem
Since I started using Qwest DSL a few days ago, I've had a lot of issues staying online. My internet would disconnect fairly often, usually every hour or two. I did some searching online and came to the conclusion that my router and modem aren't configured correctly. From what I've read, it seems like I need to disable DHCP on the modem and set my router up with my Qwest PPPoE username and password. I'm not entirely sure if this will fix my problems, but I haven't been able to find out, because I don't know my Qwest PPPoE password. The whole thing has been pretty frustrating and I'm not even entirely sure that I'm on the right track, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

live chat support online and interleaving
has anyone else tried their live chat support via their website. i was told that they would look into it and it would take 3-4 business days, so by tuesday we will see if it worked.

Qwest Digital Vault does not make sense
I don't know what are those gurus at Qwest thinking. They offer web stroage service on one side, but on the other side they offer only 800kbps of max upload speed in all product tiers. It take next to forever to put useful stuffs in the vault. I don't see a good reason anymore not to increase the upload speed. Even the 20mbps tier, the bang for the bug is not there for 800kbps upload. I hope that Qwest does things that make sense, rather than trying to match what competitor offer. Yes, DSL flavor in use could be the limit. However, everything happens by design, not by physical limit for upload/download speed.

3:05 AM | | 0 Comments

CN-SF-265/OSL Inflatable Boat,Slatted Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats
CN-SF-265/OSL Inflatable Boat,Slatted Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats

CN-RV-6P Inflatable River Rafts - Inflatable Rafts
CN-RV-6P Inflatable River Rafts - Inflatable Rafts

CN-HF-275 Series/OSL Inflatable Boat,Slatted Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats
CN-HF-275 Series/OSL Inflatable Boat,Slatted Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats

CN-X-245/OKIB Inflatable Boat,Inflatable Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats
CN-X-245/OKIB Inflatable Boat,Inflatable Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats

Inflatable Floor Sport Boat CN-X Series - Inflatable Boats
Inflatable Floor Sport Boat

Feed Back - Inflatable Boats - Chinee Inflatables Inc.

CN-I-260/OKIB Inflatable Boat,Inflatable Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats
CN-I-260/OKIB Inflatable Boat,Inflatable Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats

CN-SF-260/OSL Inflatable Boat,Slatted Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats
CN-SF-260/OSL Inflatable Boat,Slatted Floor Boat Series - Inflatable Sport Boats

2:37 AM | | 0 Comments

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%. January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of [...]
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%.

January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of outflow.

It was a recognize oppositeness to Jan 2008's gain flow of $43.67 billion. Jan is digit of the large flow months of some year. That's ofttimes when bonuses intend endowed and withdrawal accounts intend started or funded.

Still, there were indications that the status deteriorated during February.

Funds that equip primarily in the U.S. took in $6.85 1000000000 in newborn money in January. They gave $10.24 1000000000 backwards to investors the period before. Stock assets that equip primarily foreign took in $2.19 1000000000 from investors in Jan vs. a $10.19 flow the period before. During the month, the MSCI EAFE finger lapse 10.43%, patch the note chromatic 5.25%.

Hybrid funds, which equip in both stocks and bonds, had flow of $419 meg vs. $1.99 1000000000 flow the preceding month. Last year, organism assets given $1.48 1000000000 in January.

Bond assets saw $16.73 1000000000 in Jan '09 flow vs. $7.01 1000000000 flow the period before. Last period the consent on 10-year Treasuries chromatic to 2.87% from 2.25% the period before. Three-month T-bill rates unkind up to 0.30% from 0.24% a period earlier.

Municipal stick assets were also a bounteous draw. The 2.94% consent on triple-A munis prefabricated their tax-free yields that such more captivating than Treasuries.

In Jan of terminal year, stick assets had flow of $22.91 billion.

Taxable stick assets took in $12.87 1000000000 terminal period vs. $2.7 1000000000 flow in December. Last assemblage in Jan they had large flow of $20.4 billion.

Investors place $3.86 1000000000 into muni stick assets vs. flow of $4.31 1000000000 the preceding month. In Jan 2008 muni money flow was $2.51 billion.

Tapping The Kitty

Money-market funds, which ofttimes hit panoramic swings in flows, saw flow of $59.52 1000000000 terminal period vs. $109.35 1000000000 flow in December.

Institutional money assets took in $67.62 1000000000 vs. $99.46 1000000000 flow the period before. Money assets that cater to individuals had flow of $8.1 1000000000 vs. flow of $9.25 1000000000 the period prior.

The flow couldn't attain up for the declining hit mart in January. Fund assets lapse by $191 billion, or 2%, to $9.411 1E+12 in Jan from $9.601 1E+12 the period before. They stood at $11.999 1E+12 at the modify of Dec 2007.

Stock money assets lapse $269.1 billion, or 7.3%, to $3.439 1E+12 from $3.708 1E+12 the preceding month. They were $6.521 1E+12 at the near of 2007.

Hybrid money assets lapse $17.6 billion, or 3.6%, to $476.6 1000000000 from $494.2 1000000000 the period before. They were $713.4 1000000000 at the near of 2007.

Bond money assets chromatic $33.4 billion, or 2.13%, to $1.600 1E+12 from $1.567 1E+12 the period before. They were $1.679 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Money-market money assets chromatic $63.8 billion, or 1.7%, to $3.895 1E+12 from $3.831 1E+12 the period before and $3.085 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Early indications were that flows attenuated in February. Stock assets gave backwards $10.6 1000000000 this period finished Feb. 24, according to TrimTabs.
Holiday Spirit
“January saw inflows despite the mart existence down,” said author Gann, TrimTabs' president. “It enjoyed a Christmastime cut twine from December's up market. But by Feb the Christmastime fiber had fled.”
In Dec the Nasdaq chromatic 2.7% and the S&P 500 chromatic 0.78%.
Bond assets had Feb flow of $9.3 billion, he says.

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%. January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of [...]
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%.

January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of outflow.

It was a recognize oppositeness to Jan 2008's gain flow of $43.67 billion. Jan is digit of the large flow months of some year. That's ofttimes when bonuses intend endowed and withdrawal accounts intend started or funded.

Still, there were indications that the status deteriorated during February.

Funds that equip primarily in the U.S. took in $6.85 1000000000 in newborn money in January. They gave $10.24 1000000000 backwards to investors the period before. Stock assets that equip primarily foreign took in $2.19 1000000000 from investors in Jan vs. a $10.19 flow the period before. During the month, the MSCI EAFE finger lapse 10.43%, patch the note chromatic 5.25%.

Hybrid funds, which equip in both stocks and bonds, had flow of $419 meg vs. $1.99 1000000000 flow the preceding month. Last year, organism assets given $1.48 1000000000 in January.

Bond assets saw $16.73 1000000000 in Jan '09 flow vs. $7.01 1000000000 flow the period before. Last period the consent on 10-year Treasuries chromatic to 2.87% from 2.25% the period before. Three-month T-bill rates unkind up to 0.30% from 0.24% a period earlier.

Municipal stick assets were also a bounteous draw. The 2.94% consent on triple-A munis prefabricated their tax-free yields that such more captivating than Treasuries.

In Jan of terminal year, stick assets had flow of $22.91 billion.

Taxable stick assets took in $12.87 1000000000 terminal period vs. $2.7 1000000000 flow in December. Last assemblage in Jan they had large flow of $20.4 billion.

Investors place $3.86 1000000000 into muni stick assets vs. flow of $4.31 1000000000 the preceding month. In Jan 2008 muni money flow was $2.51 billion.

Tapping The Kitty

Money-market funds, which ofttimes hit panoramic swings in flows, saw flow of $59.52 1000000000 terminal period vs. $109.35 1000000000 flow in December.

Institutional money assets took in $67.62 1000000000 vs. $99.46 1000000000 flow the period before. Money assets that cater to individuals had flow of $8.1 1000000000 vs. flow of $9.25 1000000000 the period prior.

The flow couldn't attain up for the declining hit mart in January. Fund assets lapse by $191 billion, or 2%, to $9.411 1E+12 in Jan from $9.601 1E+12 the period before. They stood at $11.999 1E+12 at the modify of Dec 2007.

Stock money assets lapse $269.1 billion, or 7.3%, to $3.439 1E+12 from $3.708 1E+12 the preceding month. They were $6.521 1E+12 at the near of 2007.

Hybrid money assets lapse $17.6 billion, or 3.6%, to $476.6 1000000000 from $494.2 1000000000 the period before. They were $713.4 1000000000 at the near of 2007.

Bond money assets chromatic $33.4 billion, or 2.13%, to $1.600 1E+12 from $1.567 1E+12 the period before. They were $1.679 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Money-market money assets chromatic $63.8 billion, or 1.7%, to $3.895 1E+12 from $3.831 1E+12 the period before and $3.085 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Early indications were that flows attenuated in February. Stock assets gave backwards $10.6 1000000000 this period finished Feb. 24, according to TrimTabs.
Holiday Spirit
“January saw inflows despite the mart existence down,” said author Gann, TrimTabs' president. “It enjoyed a Christmastime cut twine from December's up market. But by Feb the Christmastime fiber had fled.”
In Dec the Nasdaq chromatic 2.7% and the S&P 500 chromatic 0.78%.
Bond assets had Feb flow of $9.3 billion, he says.

Stock Funds Drew Inflow In January (Investor's Business Daily)
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%. January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of [...]
In a celebrity reversal, investors stuffed $9.05 1000000000 into hit assets in January, despite the mart falling. The S&P 500 forfeited 8.57%.

January's gain flow was a intense U-turn from December's $20.43 1000000000 outflow, according to the Investment Company Institute. It was the prototypal flow into hit assets since May 2008, after heptad straightforward months of outflow.

It was a recognize oppositeness to Jan 2008's gain flow of $43.67 billion. Jan is digit of the large flow months of some year. That's ofttimes when bonuses intend endowed and withdrawal accounts intend started or funded.

Still, there were indications that the status deteriorated during February.

Funds that equip primarily in the U.S. took in $6.85 1000000000 in newborn money in January. They gave $10.24 1000000000 backwards to investors the period before. Stock assets that equip primarily foreign took in $2.19 1000000000 from investors in Jan vs. a $10.19 flow the period before. During the month, the MSCI EAFE finger lapse 10.43%, patch the note chromatic 5.25%.

Hybrid funds, which equip in both stocks and bonds, had flow of $419 meg vs. $1.99 1000000000 flow the preceding month. Last year, organism assets given $1.48 1000000000 in January.

Bond assets saw $16.73 1000000000 in Jan '09 flow vs. $7.01 1000000000 flow the period before. Last period the consent on 10-year Treasuries chromatic to 2.87% from 2.25% the period before. Three-month T-bill rates unkind up to 0.30% from 0.24% a period earlier.

Municipal stick assets were also a bounteous draw. The 2.94% consent on triple-A munis prefabricated their tax-free yields that such more captivating than Treasuries.

In Jan of terminal year, stick assets had flow of $22.91 billion.

Taxable stick assets took in $12.87 1000000000 terminal period vs. $2.7 1000000000 flow in December. Last assemblage in Jan they had large flow of $20.4 billion.

Investors place $3.86 1000000000 into muni stick assets vs. flow of $4.31 1000000000 the preceding month. In Jan 2008 muni money flow was $2.51 billion.

Tapping The Kitty

Money-market funds, which ofttimes hit panoramic swings in flows, saw flow of $59.52 1000000000 terminal period vs. $109.35 1000000000 flow in December.

Institutional money assets took in $67.62 1000000000 vs. $99.46 1000000000 flow the period before. Money assets that cater to individuals had flow of $8.1 1000000000 vs. flow of $9.25 1000000000 the period prior.

The flow couldn't attain up for the declining hit mart in January. Fund assets lapse by $191 billion, or 2%, to $9.411 1E+12 in Jan from $9.601 1E+12 the period before. They stood at $11.999 1E+12 at the modify of Dec 2007.

Stock money assets lapse $269.1 billion, or 7.3%, to $3.439 1E+12 from $3.708 1E+12 the preceding month. They were $6.521 1E+12 at the near of 2007.

Hybrid money assets lapse $17.6 billion, or 3.6%, to $476.6 1000000000 from $494.2 1000000000 the period before. They were $713.4 1000000000 at the near of 2007.

Bond money assets chromatic $33.4 billion, or 2.13%, to $1.600 1E+12 from $1.567 1E+12 the period before. They were $1.679 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Money-market money assets chromatic $63.8 billion, or 1.7%, to $3.895 1E+12 from $3.831 1E+12 the period before and $3.085 1E+12 at the modify of 2007.
Early indications were that flows attenuated in February. Stock assets gave backwards $10.6 1000000000 this period finished Feb. 24, according to TrimTabs.
Holiday Spirit
“January saw inflows despite the mart existence down,” said author Gann, TrimTabs' president. “It enjoyed a Christmastime cut twine from December's up market. But by Feb the Christmastime fiber had fled.”
In Dec the Nasdaq chromatic 2.7% and the S&P 500 chromatic 0.78%.
Bond assets had Feb flow of $9.3 billion, he says.

2:37 AM | | 0 Comments

Pick up the phone every now and then!

Do I need Letterhead and Envelopes for my business?

Should I exhibit at a trade show or just attend?

2:43 AM | | 0 Comments

TagTooga.com: building / premises
About building / premises

2:43 AM | | 0 Comments

Visual Guide - The Financial / Credit Crisis Explained
Ever wanted to understand the sub-prime crisis or the credit crisis or the global financial meltdown happening around us? Here is a visual guide thanks to Wallstats.com...

Thanks have to go to Wallstats.com and blog.mint.com for creating this amazing diagram.

Change This
“ChangeThis is a new kind of media. It’s calm and thoughtful and direct and transparent. And unlike almost every other form of media, it reaches people through community. If an idea is a good one, it’ll spread, because people like you will send it to their friends. Unlike a broadcaster, we’re not using FCC [...]
“ChangeThis is a new kind of media. It’s calm and thoughtful and direct and transparent. And unlike almost every other form of media, it reaches people through community. If an idea is a good one, it’ll spread, because people like you will send it to their friends. Unlike a broadcaster, we’re not using FCC frequencies to send our ideas to people who don’t want to hear them.

“Unlike a book or a newspaper, it’s free. And there are no ads.

“Unlike a web site, we’re not a place you go to. You’re more likely to get a manifesto from a friend or find one on a blog. (But if you want them before anyone else, sign up for our once-every-two-weeks newsletter.)”

How to pass the CFA level one exam in 30 days working full-time (Update 3#)
I feel that I have come up with a strategy that will enable me to have a good shot at passing the CFA level one exam. But with less than 30 days to go, its going to be tough...

Following on from my previous CFA Blog updates on my CFA progress, I have spent the last month working hard at work, studying the CFA and not finding much time to update this website. My original CFA Level One Study Plan seems far off and I find myself less than 30 days from the exam…

The title of this post is somewhat misleading as I have not yet passed the exam and I am probably far off being able to claim such a feat.

I do however, feel that I have come up with a strategy that will enable me to use approximately 6 more weekend days, 15 or so after work nights and 5 full days off before the exam to have a good shot at passing the CFA level one exam.

The strategy is as follows:

Read learning outcome statements in Scheweser Question Bank program. This program is amazing

Complete practice multiple choice questions relating to each LOS in the same program

Maintain a simple spreadsheet with key new concepts learnt in super summarised form - refer to this each day until the exam

Complete practice CFAI exam papers 2 weeks before the exam. They are apparently much harder than the Schweser material

Rinse and Repeat

So far, I feel comfortable that I can answer the economics, ethics, quantitative methods (50%) and financial statment analysis (50%) sections of the exam.

My only other feedback at this point is that the CFA program has thus far served the exact purpose I had intended it to. It has forced me to study a very wide range of business/ finance / economics topics in a systematic manner. It has been highly enjoyable and whilst doing it as well as working full-time is not a walk in the park, I highly recommend giving it a go.

My blog will not be updated as often over the coming month.

Speak soon.

Here is another CFA link that may be of some use to those doing the exam.

How to get started in order to earn money on the Internet

CFA Level One Studying Reflections - Part One
Excited by a delivery I received a few weeks ago whose packaging better resembled that of a fridge than what I would have expected of a curriculum for the CFA, I now find myself stunned by the realisation that weekends are out of stock until December if I wish to pass the CFA. As I discussed [...]

Excited by a delivery I received a few weeks ago whose packaging better resembled that of a fridge than what I would have expected of a curriculum for the CFA, I now find myself stunned by the realisation that weekends are out of stock until December if I wish to pass the CFA.

As I discussed in my CFA Level One study plan, I do not have a finance background short of a bit financial mathematics and general knowledge about particular areas. I hadn’t intended to be able to cruise through the CFA as everyone that I had spoken to had suggested that it was one of the most challenging courses out there. Having said this, I was not expecting the full extent of the enormity of information that I will need to take in before December in order to have a chance on the day.

For those out there who are considering having a go at passing level one of the CFA, consider this: 18 topics spread across mathematics, economics, accouting, financial statement analysis, fixed income securities, derivatives, portfolio management and corporate finance. You are allowed to bring a calculator and pens into the exam, but are not allowed notes or formula sheets or any other aids. You then have 6 hours to answer 240 questions spread across all these topics.

My most relevant initial reflections on my study so far include:

I have decided that reading all the CFAI Curriculum (3000+ pages) that they sent in the Fridge packaging is simply not possible by December in addition to working 40 hours a week and staying sane. I have decided to use the Schewser course notes, video series and audio files as planned.

The Schweser Video series that I got my hands on are particularly helpful and I am finding it makes the information much easier to take in if I watch the video, take notes about the concepts in the video at the same time and then read the Schweser course material following this.

The Audio files that discuss each topic in a question / answer manner, whilst being mindnumbingly monotonous, are very helpful and are good to listen to on the way to work. Especially when combined with my iPhone.

Ensuring that I think about at least one or two topics every day is important to ensure I committ recently learned information to long-term memory and to stay on top of things. My skiing trip to New Zealand today should make this interesting.

The prereading that is required for Economics and Financial Statement Analysis (i.e accounting) is looking like it is actually going to be required. I was hoping this would not be the case but it does appear I will have to start at the bottom. This is going to be a challenge!

The first two books which include Quantitative Methods, Economics and Ethics have so far been relatively straight forward short of my lack of a foundation in economics.

In particular, Ethics will be very straightforward I believe (helped by my legal background I think).

Quantitative methods will just be like throwing in first year university advanced maths and stats degree and will be tough but definately doable. I am not yet far enough into Economics to make a judgment.

I plan to continue giving updates about my progress as I continue into to CFA information vault so please sign up to my RSS feed (www.jamescox.com.au/feed). Here is an updates CFA level one exam - 4 days before it.

If anyone else in Sydney is doing the CFA exam in December 2008, get in touch with me if you so wish

2:43 AM | | 0 Comments

Patience & Persistence
Recently, we closed a short sale with Countrywide. We had submitted an offer for a property here in suburban Detroit, for $65k. After about 60 days, the buyer lost his patience with the process and walked. We called immediately to cancel the short sale. In typical Countrywide fashion, we received an approval letter from them [...]
Recently, we closed a short sale with Countrywide.

We had submitted an offer for a property here in suburban Detroit, for $65k. After about 60 days, the buyer lost his patience with the process and walked.

We called immediately to cancel the short sale. In typical Countrywide fashion, we received an approval letter from them two weeks later.

Not long after, a new offer came in, this time for $62k. We submitted it and within two days, a negotiator called us and we were told everything looks good; she would order a new valuation and try to push it through.

We started our regular follow up and within a week, we were told the offer was denied and the file was closed. This made no sense. How could an offer that was only $3k less than the one that had already been approved (over a month earlier no less – in the nations most depressed market), be denied?

We stared to investigate. We spoke with a half dozen people over a 7 day period and were told the same thing by each person – sorry, denied and closed. Over and over. Rinse & repeat.

Finally, we were able to get a hold of a supervisor. Sure enough, the file was still open and had been into the investors for approval the whole time.

So, what happened? Each person we spoke with at Countrywide had been looking at the wrong screen. They were looking at the file that had canceled.

I’m happy to report the property closed and our client walked away without owing a penny back to Countrywide. Imagine what would’ve happened if we’d just listened to the first 6 loss mitigation reps…

2:43 AM | | 0 Comments

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2:43 AM | | 0 Comments

Fitness Forum
The moves: Performing simple exercises. Works on: Just about everything. To help you stay fit and healthy. Please notice the precautions.

The Power of Laughter
Laughter is the greatest weapon we humans possess and it's the one we use the least.

Trivia Today: March 3
Today is the 10th annual Read Across America Day, celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday (yesterday), sponsored by the National Education Association. The NEA encourages every American child to read a book today.

Comedy Calendar: March 3
This is Save Your Vision Week, a time to remember that without your vision everything looks worse. Except maybe Howard Stern.

Reading and Laughing
Reading and laughing with your child daily almost guarantees the child will succeed in life. Don't believe it? Try it!

Inside People: Following His Lead
Inside People: Following His Lead - Christians embrace lesson of humility Jesus taught his disciples.

Funny Stories for Children -
Artie Knapp is possibly the top emerging children's writer around and also a promising comedy writer. He is sharing some of his children's stories, which also happen to be funny. Imagine that.

In Fashion
Say goodbye to bad hair days... Trends from New York fashion week... Red-hot style....

2:43 AM | | 0 Comments

Success.com Merges with Success Magazine
You are probably aware by now that I recently struck a deal to merge the domain name "success.com" with Success Magazine. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with this deal. Success Magazine was originally founded way back in 1891 by Orison Swett Marden. It has been led over the years by such [...]
You are probably aware by now that I recently struck a deal to merge the domain name "success.com" with Success Magazine. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with this deal.

Success Magazine was originally founded way back in 1891 by Orison Swett Marden. It has been led over the years by such renowned authors as Napoleon Hill, W. Clement Stone, and Og Mandino. As a part of this transition, I have taken a stake in the future of Success Magazine, and I am going to begin working with them and contributing many articles and features. I am hoping to help make the magazine even more successful in its second 100 years of publication.

My personal mission in life has always been to help others experience more success in every area of their lives, and this new merger will allow me to amplify my efforts.

As far as everything on the website is concerned, nothing changes except the domain name. The new domain name is "success.bz." So starting immediately, the old Success.com will become the new Success.bz.

Everyone knows .com but very few have heard about .bz.

So what's the difference? Nothing really.

If you've never heard of .bz, you should know that it is another top level domain exactly like .com. It works the very same way. If fact, there are literally hundreds of top level domains, or TLD's as they are known — i.e., .net, .org, .edu, .tv, .us, etc. It's interesting that .com has become the most popular; however, who knows what will happen over time as the Internet is still in its infancy.

I've heard more and more people talk about the fact that you can't find any more good "dot coms" because they are all taken. And as so often happens when people start to think that something is scarce, the price begins to escalate. People have paid some amazing sums just to have a "dot com" of their choice. In fact, I've had many people call me to ask if I accepted an outrageous sum for "success.com" from Success Magazine; however, my agreement with Success Magazine prevents me from disclosing any particulars. I can say that I believe it was a win-win deal, and I'm looking forward to working with Success Magazine as they re-launch the publication. In fact, as I mentioned, I'll be writing many new articles and columns for the magazine.

I just want you to know that I'm not going anywhere as far as this site is concerned, and I'm as committed as ever to helping you achieve your goals. So rest assured that it's business as usual with everything that currently exists on the website, and the many new features we have planned for the future.

At this point, all you need to do is change your bookmarks to now point to Success.bz and get ready for more exciting announcements because we have a long list of exciting developments that are going to help you to accelerate your progress in 2008 and beyond.

Autopilot for Success
One of my passions in life is boating. I live on a beautiful lake that is directly connected to Lake Michigan and my office looks out on the water. My home was built in 1937 by one of the leading businessmen in the area, and it’s an example of some of the finest [...]
One of my passions in life is boating. I live on a beautiful lake that is directly connected to Lake Michigan and my office looks out on the water. My home was built in 1937 by one of the leading businessmen in the area, and it’s an example of some of the finest craftsmanship from that era.

I recently purchased a new boat and installed a high tech boatlift to make my boating even more enjoyable. Since my office overlooks the lake and the boat, I opted for a remote controlled boatlift that allows me to lower my boat into the water from my office when it's time for a cruise. I simply press the button and by the time I walk to the boat everything is ready for cruising.

The person who installed the boatlift asked me how I was able to create such a perfect setup for myself. He told me that my home was one of the nicest estates he has ever seen, and he reminded me that I am on the international waterway. He said: “You can literally go anywhere in the world by boat from your backyard.”

I decided to invite my boatlift installer friend for a ride on the boat so I'd have a chance to get to know him better. As we cruised through the channel to Lake Michigan, I asked him about his goals in life. While he clearly had some vague notions of things he wanted to do, he had no real “Clarity of Intent” as I like to call it. He was obviously a very talented individual but it was apparent that he wasn’t fully engaging all of his talents and abilities.

I decided to use the boat and its electronics to get him to think about how he might develop some real plans for his life.

Any serious boater will have a few pieces of critical equipment on his boat. One of the most important pieces of equipment is a GPS or Global Positioning System. Many people now have this in their cars as well. Personally, I wouldn’t own a car without one because I’m willing to admit that I don’t have the greatest sense of direction.

The wonderful thing about a GPS is that it will tell you where you are on the planet. You just look on the screen and you see a picture of where you are in relation to everything else.

This got my new friend and me talking about where he was in his life and how he got there. On a good GPS, there is something that is often called “Tracks” which show the trail that has brought you to your present point. In my life, I use a journal to provide my “Tracks.” I believe that if life is worth living then it’s also worth recording. And by reviewing your “Tracks” you can learn a lot about yourself as well as life in general. My new friend shared all sorts of “Tracks” that had made up his life so far.

Another great feature on a good GPS is something called “Waypoints” which are like targets or destinations that you want to reach. I think of these like goals and subgoals. In my life, I use LifeOrganizer (Click Here for a FREE Demo of LifeOrganizer) to develop my goals and subgoals. It’s a wonderful tool that allows me to make detailed plans for the future. Of course, you don’t need anything very complicated when it comes to establishing goals, just a blank sheet of paper and a pencil along with some time to think about what you want are all that’s needed. However, it’s great to have excellent systems such as LifeOrganizer to make goal setting a serious and ongoing priority. My friend was so sincere about his desire to establish some new “Waypoints” that I decided to set him up with LifeOrganizer to put his plan together.

Our conversation was going so well that I also decided to show my new friend my latest electronic piece of navigation equipment which is my autopilot. It’s certainly fun to steer your course to various waypoints and destinations while boating but sometimes it’s even more fun to let the boat steer itself. Once you’ve programmed in a “Waypoint” or perhaps a series of “Waypoints” which become a complete “Route,” you can literally let the boat steer itself.

I actually believe that this is what many people are doing in their lives — i.e., they have opted to use their autopilot. Unfortunately, for many people, they have never taken the time to chart in a course of where it is they really want to go. Instead, their autopilot system just has them pointed in the general direction that they have been traveling. If they like that direction, then life is good. But what if you want to improve your direction? You need to chart a new course.

Maybe now would be a good time to think about the “Waypoints” and the “Route” you have plugged into your autopilot system. If you are not heading where it is that you really want to go, it’s time to change your course. You received absolutely free at birth the most amazing autopilot system every designed. It’s called the human mind. The only challenge is that most people take it completely for granted.

I promise you that your mind has all the power you will ever need to take you where you want to go. All you have to do is use it properly by programming it with the “Waypoints” that you want to visit. Why not start on a new journey today by programming your mind with a “Route” that you really want to travel?

If you are not now living the life you most want to live, the chances are excellent that your autopilot system needs some attention. Why not take a minute and program in a new course? Feel free to try my programming system which I mentioned a moment ago. It’s called LifeOrganizer, and it may be just what you need to program in a new course for your life.

Here is more detailed information about LifeOrganizer …

Click Here for a FREE Demo of LifeOrganizer

Remember, all you have to do to change your life is change your mind! Why not make today the day that you turn your life around?

The Most Important Relationship
Have you thought much about the most important relationship in your life? Now I’m not talking about the relationship you have with your spouse or significant other or the relationship you have with anyone else that you might be thinking about right now. I’m actually talking about the relationship you have with yourself. [...]
Have you thought much about the most important relationship in your life? Now I’m not talking about the relationship you have with your spouse or significant other or the relationship you have with anyone else that you might be thinking about right now. I’m actually talking about the relationship you have with yourself. It’s easy to overlook the fact the relationship we have with ourselves is the most important relationship in life. Let’s face it, if we can’t get along well with ourselves, we have a pretty big challenge on our hands.

Now I know at the onset of this article that there are those that will take issue with my position that the relationship we have with ourselves is the most important relationship in life. But if you’ll stay with me for a moment, I think I’ll be able to convince you that the starting point for having a great relationship with anyone else, is mastering the relationship you have with yourself. In addition, if you aren’t now making the progress in life that you would like to make and are capable of making, I’d be willing to bet that what we are going to discuss will show you why. So let’s talk about your relationship with you.

I believe that the first step in managing your relationship with yourself is to determine what you actually think about yourself. You might be surprised with what you discover. I’ve learned that all too often we reserve our harshest criticism and our most negative thoughts for ourselves. And it’s just these thoughts that so often stand in the way of us achieving those things we most want in life.

You’ve undoubtedly heard the statement that “Our thoughts control our lives” which is covered extensively in the world’s great success literature. But let me ask you this: “What do you think about yourself?” In other words, “What are the thoughts you are having about yourself that are controlling your life?”

In my seminars and private coaching sessions, I like to ask people where their thoughts come from. This is always a fascinating discussion. People will say that their thoughts come from their parents and the way they were raised along with influences from all of the experiences they have had in life. Certainly, all of these things and many more are part of the answer. However, I think there is something much more significant that is often completely missed.

I believe that our thoughts ultimately come from the questions that we ask ourselves on a daily basis. In fact, I like to go so far as to say that every thought we think is preceded by a question. Think about this for a minute and I bet you’ll agree with me.

We are constantly asking questions like “What should I do in this situation?” which leads to thoughts about what to do. The question “How will this affect the outcome that I am working to achieve?” will stimulate a whole series of thoughts and ideas and possible scenarios to consider. Even questions such as “Is this the right thing to do?” will lead to all kinds of thoughts about good and bad and/or right and wrong. Truly, the questions we ask and the thoughts they lead to are endless.

But here’s something that’s not always obvious. Questions can become very deep seated and begin generating thoughts that don’t really serve us … thoughts that aren’t good for us. And since we are around ourselves all of the time, these questions are controlling our thoughts so we need to know what they are. Otherwise, we can continue asking these disempowering questions for months, years, decades, or even our entire life unless we learn how to step behind the curtain and take control.

Imagine having to be around someone who is constantly bugging you or irritating you. For all too many people, that describes the relationship they have with themselves!

Let me give you an example of how one question could be in conflict with the relationship you have with yourself, and how it could derail you on your quest for greater success.

I’ve discovered that many people have big generalized questions like this one: “What are they thinking of me?” Imagine having that question constantly roaming around in your mind. One client told me that she’s had this question since she was a little girl, and although this client has achieved some great things in her life, she still hasn’t found peace, happiness, or any level of fulfillment. She said that she feels like no matter what she does, it doesn’t feel like enough. Isn’t that interesting? Here is a lady who is a Fortune 500 executive, earning an amazing amount of money, receiving constant praise for her work, and yet she feels like no matter what she does it isn’t enough. She’s making a great contribution to others by serving on a very high level but she is not happy on the inside. This reminds me of the old saying that “Success without fulfillment is failure.”

I think the answer to her challenge can be found in this main question that she’s been asking herself for years. Many questions have a presupposition and wouldn’t you say that her question (“What are they thinking of me?”) contains within it the idea that people may not be thinking good things about her?

Of course, the fact of the matter is that we can never really know what other people are thinking about us. Sure, you could ask someone to tell you what he or she is thinking but you might not get the truth.

The ultimate problem with this question, however, is that it puts other people in the driver’s seat of your life. While a question like this might motivate you to get other people to think good things about you, you will never know for sure what other people think. And, most importantly, do you really want to base your life of what other people think of you?

Now I realize that this example may not illustrate your question or situation, but I hope it gets you thinking about what your question or questions might be. What is it that you are asking yourself underneath all of the stuff that is going on in your life? If you want to find out, do what I call a “Mental Download” and start writing down the thoughts that cross your mind. You’ll be amazed by what you discover. Just as a computer program can have bugs that prevent it from operating correctly, you may have a few thoughts in your mental computer that are getting in the way of your success.

In the past few weeks, here are some questions that clients have shared with me: Am I smart enough to do this? What if I try and fail? Why can’t I accomplish my goal? Why is it easier for other people? How can I protect myself if things go bad? Why can’t I lose the weight I want to lose?

How about starting to examine your thoughts and figure out what questions are whirring around in your consciousness? One of the things I most enjoy doing is helping people discover their questions and corresponding thoughts. In fact, I’ve learned over the years that for most people, there is one main question that is having an enormous influence on every aspect of their life. I can promise you that discovering your main question will transform every aspect of your life. It will allow you to have a better relationship with yourself and everyone else in your life. And achieving your goals will be easier than ever before.

I’ve seen people transformed immediately once they discovered the underlying questions and corresponding thoughts that are controlling their life, especially the main question that they may have been trying to answer for decades. You may find that you can figure out your main question by yourself by completely a “Mental Download” or you might want to consider working with a coach that understands this process. The truth of the matter is that we are often too close to ourselves to see and understand exactly what’s going on.

There’s a great line in the play by Shakespeare entitled “The Life and Death of Julies Caeser” where the character Cassius asks Brutus if he can see his own face. Brutus replies: “No, Cassisus; for the eye sees not itself, but by reflection, by some other means.”

We can’t really see ourselves and so often a question that you’ve been asking since you were a child is standing in the way of you achieving a great relationship with yourself, and it’s standing in the way of you achieving your ultimate ideal in life. I believe there is nothing more important than uncovering the questions and thoughts that are controlling your life so you can once and for all take control of your destiny.

Lastly, remember the simple fact that all progress in life begins by asking a better question. Maybe now is the time to examine your thoughts on deep level so you can transform the questions you have, the thoughts you think, and the life you live.

Ideas About Happiness
Here are some interesting ideas about happiness from the website Mercola.com: * * * * * "Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert says that you ‘synthesize’ your happiness. That you have a ‘psychological immune system’ that helps you change your views about your world, in order to feel better about the world in which you find yourself." "Not only that, [...]
Here are some interesting ideas about happiness from the website Mercola.com:

* * * * *

"Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert says that you ‘synthesize’ your happiness. That you have a ‘psychological immune system’ that helps you change your views about your world, in order to feel better about the world in which you find yourself."

"Not only that, he also maintains that when we imagine what could make us happy, such as new clothes or winning the lottery our brains are invariably wrong in advising us that those things will make us happy. In fact, statistics show that paraplegics are just as happy as lottery winners one year after the event of either becoming injured, or winning the lottery!"

"We tend to think that getting things such as a job, a new car, or a trip around the world is what will make us happy. However, studies have shown that we make ourselves happy by simply imagining that we are happy. So getting what we want doesn’t actually have anything to do with being happy."

"Why is this?"

* * * * *

Read the full explanation and see a very interesting clip at Mercola.com:
Read the entire story and watch a clip of Dan Gilbert at Mercola.com

You can also view this TED Talks clip of Dan Gilbert at YouTube.com:
Watch the clip at YouTube.com

Happy Thanksgiving and The Paradoxical Commandments
Thanksgiving is the time when most everyone focuses their thoughts, if for some only briefly, on what they have to be thankful for in life. Certainly, daily thanksgiving would be a better strategy than waiting for a yearly holiday; nevertheless, Thanksgiving is a great time to remind ourselves about what’s most important in life [...]
Thanksgiving is the time when most everyone focuses their thoughts, if for some only briefly, on what they have to be thankful for in life. Certainly, daily thanksgiving would be a better strategy than waiting for a yearly holiday; nevertheless, Thanksgiving is a great time to remind ourselves about what’s most important in life and think about the many blessings that have come our way.

I came across something very interesting recently that I thought I would share on this Thanksgiving Day. It was written by Kent M. Keith back in 1968 when he was only 19 years old. Amazingly, this short piece has traveled around the world and even ended up on the wall of people such as Mother Teresa. It’s called "The Paradoxical Commandments." I hope you enjoy it!

* * * * *

THE PARADOXICAL COMMANDMENTS
by Keith M. Kent

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

* * * * *

If you would like to learn more about Kent Keith or the history behind "The Paradoxical Commandments," here is a link to his website:

Click here to visit "The Paradoxical Commandments" website

I like to think about these kinds of paradoxes, especially as they relate to Thanksgiving. Sometimes giving thanks for what we have is difficult because things are not exactly the way we would like for them to be or not the way we planned for them to be. Maybe it would be good to add another line to "The Paradoxical Commandments" on this Thanksgiving Day:

* * * * *

If you work hard to achieve your goals and maintain an attitude of thanksgiving, you may still fall short of your expectations.
Work hard and be thankful anyway.

* * * * *

I like adding this last statement, especially on Thanksgiving. Besides, you may be short of your expectations now, but who knows what opportunity is going to present itself right around the next corner!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2:34 AM | | 0 Comments

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2:39 AM | | 0 Comments

Another Bahamas Senator Involved in Travolta Extortion
The Progressive Liberal Party is reeling over allegations that its Senate leader Allyson Gibson played a major role in uncovering the information of the alleged conspiracy to extort funds from John Travolta. The Progressive Liberal Party is reeling over allegations that its Senate leader Allyson Gibson played a major role in uncovering the information of the [...]
The Progressive Liberal Party is reeling over allegations that its Senate leader Allyson Gibson played a major role in uncovering the information of the alleged conspiracy to extort funds from John Travolta.

The Progressive Liberal Party is reeling over allegations that its Senate leader Allyson Gibson played a major role in uncovering the information of the alleged conspiracy to extort funds from John Travolta.

The Bahama Journal has been reliably informed that Mrs. Gibson was an attorney working with the lawyers for John Travolta informed a high ranking government official of the alleged scheme whereupon the government reportedly telephoned the police.

This information has come to the attention of Opposition Leader Perry Christie and other high-ranking PLPs, which has sent shock waves through the hierarchy of the organisation.

Another source told The Journal that Mrs. Gibson has represented the Travoltas in The Bahamas for many years and that it was necessary for Mrs. Gibson to act the way she did on behalf of her clients, as she had both a legal and fiduciary responsibility to the Travoltas.

According to Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Marvin Dames, the police in Grand Bahama are currently in possession of a document that supports attempted extortion claims made by the Travolta family.

At a media update held at Police Headquarters Monday, the Assistant Commissioner said even though some persons have been arrested and charged, the case is not closed and investigations are continuing.

“I referred to a document. There were some reports out there speaking to some photos. That is incorrect. We are talking specifically about a document that the alleged accused purported to have had in his possession and was using that document to extort a substantial sum of monies from the victim, Mr. Travolta,” Mr. Dames said.

Initially, it was reported that the attempted extortion involved pictures of Jett Travolta shortly after his death.

“This matter is still under investigation although we would have arrived at a critical stage of the investigation. I prefer not to get into the specifics of the case,” he said.

He also revealed that the actual amount of funds in the extortion attempt is $25 million and not $20 million as previously reported.

When asked if there were likely to be more arrests in this matter, Mr. Dames responded, “I am not at liberty to say at this particular time. All I can say is that our investigations continue and wherever it leads, we will go.”

Former Progressive Liberal Party Senator Pleasant Bridgewater was arrested last Thursday in connection with an alleged attempted extortion of American celebrity John Travolta and his family.

She was released on $40,000 police bail and is expected to appear in a New Providence magistrates’ court on Wednesday.

“We have incidents in the past where persons were arraigned in Nassau. The investigation did not stop when Senator Bridgewater was charged. So the investigations continued and given that fact, we thought it wasn’t important to have her arraigned right there and then and we were into the weekend as well,” Mr. Dames explained.

“We certainly did not want to keep her in custody for any protracted period of time before she was arraigned. So as under any normal circumstances, or similar circumstances, the prudent thing would be to extend bail,” he said.

Ms. Bridgewater resigned from the Senate over the weekend, and vehemently declares her innocence.

Police also reported that West End and Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe was detained around 2 p.m. last Friday in connection with a complaint of attempted extortion made by Mr. Travolta.

Mr. Wilchcombe was questioned by police and released pending further investigations, police said.

“I wish to assure the public that there was no special treatment or consideration given to any of the principals involved in this matter. The focus of the police throughout the police inquiries, has always been to inquire into these allegations, place persons before the courts wherever the evidence led to support the charges,” he said.

Tarino Lightbourne, the Freeport paramedic, was arraigned Monday in Court #8 before Magistrate Carolita Bethel.

Contrary to reports by the international media that Mr. Wilchcombe has been re-arrested; Assistant Commissioner Dames said this information is false.

Mr. Dames said he has not heard from the Travolta family since the complaint was made through their lawyers.

“A complaint was made to us and we have a duty to investigate the nature of the complaint to determine whether the complaint is valid or not, and if valid, we prepare it and put it before the courts. That’s our job and then we follow up and when the case is called, to give evidence, that is our job,” he said.

According to the Penal Code Chapter 346, Subsection 1 – the maximum penalty for attempted extortion is five years in prison.

Source: Bahama Journal

12 Crisis Management Lessons from Lehman Brothers
When the media frenzy dies down from pundits that have never built a company, hired employees, or developed a mission statement about what Dick Fuld should have done; thousands of people will have lost their jobs and the issue will be what can you learn from this? Lehman went down and it was evident in April. [...]

When the media frenzy dies down from pundits that have never built a company, hired employees, or developed a mission statement about what Dick Fuld should have done; thousands of people will have lost their jobs and the issue will be what can you learn from this?

Lehman went down and it was evident in April. Why? Because of what didn’t happen…

David Einhorn asked a simple question of Lehman’s CFO, Erin Callan during a conference call with Wall Street analysts in March, 2008. Einhorn happened to be on the phone and asked a legitimate question. Answers weren’t forthcoming. So a dance began. Various people tried to tarnish Einhorn’s reputation, a month later Lehman’s shares plunged 40%. What did Fuld do? He sued a Marubeni a Japanese trading company 35 billion yen in unpaid fees.

In April, Einhorn announced he was shorting Lehman stock. Callan called Einhorn and asked for a copy of his speech and he complied. And Callan? She spent her time badmouthing Einhorn. Why would you do that? Try to deflect attention from issue and blame someone else? Something was drastically wrong. Lehman shorts stock too. It didn’t make any sense. But Fuld did nothing. The stock dropped 40% and he did NOTHING!!!

What should have happened?

At this juncture, Dick Fuld should have gotten out in front of his investors, his clients, the market and he didn’t.

Study history…what did similar companies do in this situation?

When in a corporate crisis I often wonder why executives don’t study Johnson & Johnson and look to Jim Burke for leadership. Jim Burke, J&J’s Chairman learned a women in Westchester, NY died when her Tylenol capsule was laced with cyanide on February 10, 1986. This was the second crisis to occur…

In the fall of 1982, seven people died in Chicago with cyanide laced Tylenol capsules. J&J recalled the Tylenol and introduced a triple-sealed, tamper-resistant package.

This time, by Feb. 13 the Food and Drug Administration discovered a second bottle of cyanide laced capsules and warned consumers nationwide. J&J began a recall in Westchester and asked retailers nationwide to remove the capsules from the stores. J&J canceled all television ads for Tylenol and established a toll free hotline. The stock dropped $4 a share on February 14 and on Feb. 17 the company began a nationwide recall and announced the end of all nonprescription drugs sales in capsule form.

On February 18, Jim Burke went on the Donahue program and discussed the Tylenol crisis. Burke went on a national media tour even though he’s a private man and abhors the spotlight. Jim was going to do whatever needed to be done to save J&J…meetings with five other executives were confrontational because they needed to forge consensus.

Johnson & Johnson lives it’s credo, it’s ingrained in the culture of the organization, I know because I worked there. It’s not lip service. It is safety above profits. The Tylenol crisis cost about $150 million after taxes, but consumer safety that mattered most. Within the span of four years, J&J experienced two major crisis’s and what did they do?

J&J figured out enlightened self-interest. If you respect your clients, your customers–tell them the truth, look out for their interests, they’ll give you a second chance.

Wall Street can learn from Lehman and Johnson & Johnson.

All Dick Fuld had to do was get out in front of this in April, address the financial situation, support his CFO, develop a new plan of action, if there were mistakes admit them, and be realistic. He could written down his percentage of the 62 trillion notional credit default swaps (herein lies the problem–the credit default swaps!). And for those of you who haven’t read a 10K…Morgan Stanley’s and Goldman’s leverage went from 23.6 to 30.7. And Lehman brought their leverage down.

For those of you who think Lehman was “worthless” and don’t know any better, BlackRock bought a large chunk of Lehman stock in June. They wouldn’t have done that if Lehman was worthless. Not BlackRock. For those of you not in the industry, BlackRock is a preeminent asset management firm known for their risk management. The problem with Lehman was Dick Fuld’s refusal to understand what Lehman was worth! It’s called the art of negotiating…he thought it was worth more than it was.

He should have sat down with his lieutenants and asked the question, what are our options? Instead Fuld demoted Callan, in June after raising $6 billion in new capital, after disclosing a $2.8 billion loss the quarter before, then fired a long time lieutenant and friend Joseph Gregory. Then the stock fell. What message did he send to his customers and investors?

You need to be 750 times more committed to your customers, clients and owners than anyone else to be successful. You must have integrity to your owners, your stockholders and Fuld didn’t do that.

When you are a public company your fiduciary obligation is to your stockholders, your customers and your employees. As a hedge fund your fiduciary obligation is to your investors and your employees…it’s not all about you.

How do you make sure you and your firm don’t end up like Dick Fuld and Lehman?

1. Surround yourself with good people that challenge you to mitigate executive hubris (Dick Fuld’s problem in negotiating Lehman’s worth).

2. When there is a crisis, emulate other companies that have successfully managed through a crisis

3. The minute a crisis begins, hire a consumer research company to start polling consumer and client perceptions about your organization. Order continuous polling throughout the crisis which will help you avert a crisis of consumer confidence.

4. Identify five executives on your “crisis team”.

5. Develop a risk scenarios and contingent plans.

6. Identify a Public Relations expert who can help you through the crisis (before the crisis not during!).

7. Create a culture that is committed to challenging one another.

8. Create a board of director’s that has at least one “naysayer” on it. If they’re all yes people, you’re in trouble.

9. Make sure someone on the board has P&L expertise, preferably an entrepreneur…forget about the Fortune 500 guys! (forget about the cronies, you see how far that got Fuld).

10. Recognize your weak spots. (y chromosome issue—what is it you might miss? Why is BlackRock’s #2 a female? Think again!).

11. When there is a problem, develop the plan and get out in front of the issue right away. Don’t procrastinate, which includes a media plan!.

12. When people’s livelihood’s depend on you, it better not be about your ego, you need to serve the greater good.

Just an FYI. I’m not an PR consultant or crisis communication expert. During the Tylenol crisis I started my career at Johnson & Johnson where I learned the integrity of business…and it has stuck with me.

Copyright 2007 Ev Nucci

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Paulson, Goldman and Soros. What it really means when you give a blank check to Paulson
When you evaluate Goldman’s 10K, it’s easy to see that they stopped being an investment bank and became a derivative player which Buffet had warned about for years. And if Goldman was going to be a derivative player, and they set the market standard for Wall Street, then everyone else wanted to play too! [...]

When you evaluate Goldman’s 10K, it’s easy to see that they stopped being an investment bank and became a derivative player which Buffet had warned about for years. And if Goldman was going to be a derivative player, and they set the market standard for Wall Street, then everyone else wanted to play too!

Everybody had to have their hand in the till. If Goldman was making money as a derivative player, then couldn’t we? Thus Merrill, AIG, Morgan Stanley all got into the swap game. The problem is that no one…including Paulson knows what really exists.

The American taxpayer will not know the value of the poker hand their buying. Goldman bonus compensation is just round the corner…as it the rest of Wall Street’s. It’s not the CEOs you need to worry about…it’s everyone.

Wall Street starts evaluating people’s performances in September/October and November. Bonus is paid out sometime between February and April. And what is the average bonus Goldman partners are eligible for? For the thousands of people who aren’t partners? They get paid on average $260K salary with a bonus of about $400K. Then there are Managing Directors who aren’t partners, they’ll get anywhere from $1-2 million. And the Goldman partners? Anywhere from $5 to 15 million. Now let’s look at how many Goldman ‘s partners there are…at least 400.

In 2007, Goldman Sachs allocated nearly $17 billion for salaries, benefits and bonuses in the first nine months of the year.

In a few months, at least $7 billion will be paid out to Goldman partners in bonus…which doesn’t include bonuses for the rest of the firm. Paulson is purchasing this “poker hand” on behalf of the American taxpayer and ensuring that Goldman partners get their bonus. Great job Paulson.

In today’s Financial Times, George Soros rightly states,

“Congress will be abdicating their responsibility if it gave the treasury secretary a blanque check. He doesn’t inspire the confidence necessary to give him discretion over $700bn.”

First, he let Lehman fall…why? They were the sacrificial lamb. What if the government doesn’t intervene in the mess the boys on the street made? The government gave Paulson a blank check with Fannie and Freddie Mac. Fannie and Freddie has been bubbling with serious systemic problems for years. Aside from the fact that politicians didn’t understand it, Fannie and Freddie were poorly conceived. The reality is you cannot have a government owned entity that functions as a public entity and compensate people accordingly. They were a run on the American taxpayer…so a government take over is a good thing. How are you going to manage the problem now?

Soros says,

“Paulson’s proposal to purchase distress mortgage-related securities posses a classic problem of asymmetric information. The securities are hard to value, but the sellers know more about them than the buyer: in any auction process the Treasury would end up with the dregs. The proposal is also rife with latent conflict of interest issues.”

What’s he mean? Nobody knows what the paper is worth except for maybe the owners. American taxpayers don’t know what we’re buying. Who sets the price? The buyer…does this make any sense?

George Soros and others agree. Soros has more integrity and objectivity than Paulson who is ex-Goldman. It’s good to hear that someone else is as scared as I am about a blank check to Wall Street.

Copyright 2007 Ev Nucci

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Posted in business, economics, employment, finance, global leadership, leadership development, Nucci Consulting Group Tagged: compensation, economics, economy, employment, finance, global leadership, global news, Goldman Sachs, politics, Soros, Wall Street

Bahamas senator involved in Travolta extortion resigns
After being charged in Grand Bahama last Friday with abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort, Progressive Liberal Party Senator Pleasant Bridgewater on Saturday announced her resignation from the Senate with immediate effect. Ms. Bridgewater was arrested last Thursday in connection with an alleged attempted extortion of American celebrity John Travolta and his family. She was [...]
After being charged in Grand Bahama last Friday with abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort, Progressive Liberal Party Senator Pleasant Bridgewater on Saturday announced her resignation from the Senate with immediate effect.

Ms. Bridgewater was arrested last Thursday in connection with an alleged attempted extortion of American celebrity John Travolta and his family. She was released on $40,000 police bail and is expected to appear in a New Providence magistrates’ court sometime this week to face formal charges.

Police also reported that West End and Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe was arrested around 2 p.m. last Friday in connection with a complaint of attempted extortion made by Mr. Travolta.

Mr. Wilchcombe was questioned by police and released pending further investigations, police said.

Tarino Lightbourne, the Freeport paramedic wanted by police for questioning in connection with the same matter, remained in police custody up to Friday night after turning himself in to police on Friday.

In a statement released to the press early Saturday, Ms. Bridgewater said last week Friday was a day that would “live in [her] memory as a nightmare.”

Maintaining her innocence, she said she is satisfied that when the full story comes out she will be fully vindicated.

“In my capacity as a lawyer, I acted within the bounds of the law and within the bounds of my ethical responsibility to my profession,” Ms. Bridgewater outlined in the short press release.

“How these innocent actions can be so misconstrued, so perversely twisted to mean something other than it was and is a mystery.”

Ms. Bridgewater stated that she had spoken with official Opposition and PLP leader Perry Christie and informed him that although she is completely innocent she believes that it would not be fair to the Party to put it through such an ordeal as she fights what she termed to be “untrue and unfair charges.”

She added: “I want to thank the leader for his confidence in me and for allowing me the privilege of serving the country and the PLP.

“I want to thank the wonderful people of the Marco City Constituency for all their love, encouragement, prayers and support. I thank all people of goodwill who have sent words of encouragement. I thank my family and my counsel for all of their assistance.”

Reassuring supporters and well-wishers that she is “unbowed”, the former senator and MP asked for their continued prayers.

In a press statement of his own, released just minutes after Ms. Bridgewater’s, Mr. Christie endorsed her move.

“I have been advised by Senator Pleasant Bridgewater today [Saturday] that she has tendered her resignation to the President of the Senate with immediate effect so as to fully dedicate her resources and energies to fight the charges brought against her,” he said.

“I deeply regret this turn of events, having regard to the yeoman service Senator Bridgewater has given to our party and to our country. I understand the course of action that she has decided to take and I believe that this is the right and appropriate thing to do in these most unfortunate circumstances.”

Mr. Christie concluded the short statement by thanking Ms. Bridgewater for her service to the PLP and the country.

Acting Commissioner of Police Reginald Ferguson was referred to in a statement released by the Ministry of Tourism Saturday as stating that any trial or investigation into the matter would follow the normal processes and due diligence required by Bahamian law and would neither be accelerated nor delayed because of the persons involved.

Minister of Health, Dr. Hubert Minnis told reporters Sunday that the Ministry of Health will not tolerate breaches of confidence in reference to the arrest of EMS personnel employee Tarino Lightbourne, who recently turned himself in to police.

“There was a big problem in terms of confidentiality and privacy so those individuals were suspended and now we’re going through the legal process,” he said. “It isn’t like the private sector. The government has policies that it must follow but if an individual is charged that is something different altogether but we will be following the events and we will proceed.

“I will not tolerate these things in the Ministry of Health. We have to follow the police and see what their findings are but at present the ambulance driver and the emergency technician were suspended the following day because they were involved in a breach of confidentiality and the following day we circulated a communication to all staff that we will not tolerate breach of confidentiality.”

Dr. Minnis said many individuals choose not to visit certain institutions because there was no privacy. “…How would you feel if you attended an institution, you expect some degree of privacy and you hear your records are on the street,” he asked.

The police issued an All Points Bulletin for 47-year-old Lightbourne of #2 Madeira Lane, Royal Bahamia Estates on Friday afternoon, shortly after confirmation that Progressive Liberal Party Senator, Pleasant Bridgewater, had been taken into custody in connection with an extortion attempt of the Travolta family.

The APB listed Lightbourne’s occupation as paramedic, and states that “subject is wanted in connection with attempted extortion. Around 4:30 p.m. last Friday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Marvin Dames confirmed that Lightbourne was in police custody.

Source: Bahama Journal

2:39 AM | | 0 Comments

The 7th Mass Media, SIMs and Individuality
It’s been interesting to watch the reaction to Tomi Ahonen’s Mobile the 7th Mass Media post. You either like Tomi’s brash style and bold claims or you don’t. I do. Even if he goes too far, the blog and the book are powerful antidotes to a pervading cloud of negative sentiment - often unsupported [...]
It’s been interesting to watch the reaction to Tomi Ahonen’s Mobile the 7th Mass Media post. You either like Tomi’s brash style and bold claims or you don’t. I do. Even if he goes too far, the blog and the book are powerful antidotes to a pervading cloud of negative sentiment - often unsupported by evidence - enveloping the mobile world. A few years back, I was being told that any business plan predicated on smart phones was doomed to failure: Nokia was going to be hammered by the PDA manufacturers. There is no need for further comment - it’s pretty clear who emerged as top dog.
I would not accuse Dean Bubley of negative sentiment - and certainly never of proffering unsupported opinions (the meticulous construction of his arguments makes Dean’s Disruptive Wireless blog a pleasure to read). In his contribution to the debate on Tomi’s post Dean homes in on two potential fallacies concerning the personal nature of mobile communications. First, he points out that it is increasingly hard to define a mobile communications device. While true, this does not in itself depersonalize mobile communication. However, Dean’s second point is potentially more troubling for Tomi’s case. He points out that the one-to-one relationship between SIM, mobile number and identifiable number is breaking down. The seven items of supporting evidence including the blurring of fixed and mobile numbers, the use of SIMs in M2M, mobile devices as gateways and shared devices are at first sight compelling (careful readers will note that Dean’s first point re-emerges as item four).

So where does this leave one-to-one marketing? That depends on the assumed primacy of the SIM in identity management. Even acknowledging that the SIM will continue to play a critical role in identity management, I think its primacy is open to question. Tom Nolle’s notion on individuality is close to the vision behind Calico Jack’s Smart Presence and Context technology. Mobile can still be personal - it just getting a bit harder to do.

Suveillance Cameras, IRC, Privacy and Data Use
Catching up on Bloglines, I came across this post by Alec Saunders about proposed surveillance cameras in Ottawa. It evoked a strange kind of cultural dissonance: virtually every town in Britain is already a panopticon. And most people don’t think twice about the roving, all seeing eyes (there are two within sight of Calico Jack’s [...]
Catching up on Bloglines, I came across this post by Alec Saunders about proposed surveillance cameras in Ottawa. It evoked a strange kind of cultural dissonance: virtually every town in Britain is already a panopticon. And most people don’t think twice about the roving, all seeing eyes (there are two within sight of Calico Jack’s Dundee office). Should they? While CCTV undoubtedly does contribute to the detection and deterrence of crime, there are broader questions about how we came to this and where we are going now. Is the loss of civil liberties that surveillance cameras represent an inevitable consequence of both failures to address social fragmentation and to provide proper policing? And, if the battle against surveillance cameras is lost - sorry, Alec, I think it is - where is the current front-line in the defence of privacy?

One reason that people can live with surveillance cameras, is the assumption of anonymity provided by being unremarkable in an ocean of data. We make similar assumptions about email, phone calls, IM and IRC (Internet Relay Chat) - a group communication technology that I have always thought to be under-exploited. But now read Roi Carthy’s Techcrunch post on IRSeek, an Israeli startup that indexes IRC channels. It’s worth taking time to read Roi’s post and the IRSeek blog along with the many comments. Maybe we’re not so hard to spot in the big ocean? I don’t think that IRSeek are doing anything fundamentally wrong. In fact they have triggered an important debate, the resolution of which will assist companies such as Iotum (Alec’s company) and Calico Jack . As individuals we need to get serious about controlling use of our data and assert ownership rights. Can we blame Facebook for being cavalier with our data if we don’t treat it seriously ourselves?

Scott McNealy once said: “you have no privacy, get over it”. Although the remark was seized on as a gaff, in context it is probably a pragmatic reflection on our current situation.

A Day In the Life of Abbey Road
So what’s the dude at 1:34 doing?
So what’s the dude at 1:34 doing?

Pubs, BBC Radio 4 iPM and the Future of Facebook
I’ve always thought that social networking sites will turn out to be like pubs: rising in popularity, going out of fashion and then being reinvented. On this basis, planning future development on the basis of Facebook’s inevitable rise does not seem prudent - strategically, this is an important issue - even before the Beacon fiasco [...]
I’ve always thought that social networking sites will turn out to be like pubs: rising in popularity, going out of fashion and then being reinvented. On this basis, planning future development on the basis of Facebook’s inevitable rise does not seem prudent - strategically, this is an important issue - even before the Beacon fiasco and its envelope of fog. Eddie Mair’s Radio 4 interview on Saturday, which can be found as a Podcast here, makes interesting listening. Eddie talked about the tipping point from a perception of good to evil. From a reputation perspective, there’s certainly bad stuff coming out for Facebook right now - and more storm clouds on the horizon.

Following the classic BBC formula, Seamus McCauley forecast of impending implosion was juxtaposed with Johnny Chatterton’s more benign view. Seamus predicted the growth of sites like Kaioo, while Johnny thought that Facebook had some way to run. Neither view is wholly good news for Facebook, but then as As J.M. Keynes said: “in the long run, we are all dead”.

Seinfeld: The Porn
I found this fascinating, in a sociocultural kinda-way — news about the making of ‘Seinfeld: A XXX Parody!’ @The Sun: X-rated filmmaker LEE ROY MYERS is currently filming Seinfeld: A XXX Parody! which comes hot on the heels of Myers’ last porn comedy ‘masterpiece’ Scrubs: A XXX Parody. The comedy is still as popular as ever [...]
Oh Georgy!

I found this fascinating, in a sociocultural kinda-way — news about the making of ‘Seinfeld: A XXX Parody!’

@The Sun:

X-rated filmmaker LEE ROY MYERS is currently filming Seinfeld: A XXX Parody! which comes hot on the heels of Myers’ last porn comedy ‘masterpiece’ Scrubs: A XXX Parody.

The comedy is still as popular as ever thanks to re-runs, although the last series finished in 1998.

And Myers reckons the cast for the film is top-notch.

He said: “It makes my job look easy when I get to work with an amazingly talented group who can pull off the hot sex and comedic acting. It just doesn’t get better than that.”

Check out the NSFW gallery to see the ridiculousness

Google Sync, ActivSync + iPhone
In this nerdly edition of mz.com , I geek out a little about Google’s new Mobile Sync Yesterday, as an early bday present I bought Mrs. Z an iPhone - we’d been looking around at smartphones for the last couple months for her and finally settled on it at Clarendon’s Apple Store. It was a momentous [...]
In this nerdly edition of mz.com , I geek out a little about Google’s new Mobile Sync

Yesterday, as an early bday present I bought Mrs. Z an iPhone - we’d been looking around at smartphones for the last couple months for her and finally settled on it at Clarendon’s Apple Store. It was a momentous occasion: The Zager family’s first iPhone.

I’d read about Google’s new Mobile Sync, the beta version of their calendar/contact syncing program which just released a couple weeks ago — another big selling point.

Moving contacts into a new phone/device is the worst part of buying a new ~~toy~~ important mobile device and Google has helped make it tremendously easy.

Once setup, everyone that’s in your Gmail’s “My Contacts” can be automatically transferred to your iPhone (or Blackberry or other supported phone) within seconds. So it was just a matter of exporting her old phone’s phonebook and merging it with Google’s “My Contacts” — that process took about an hour, because Google automatically ’suggests’ your Contacts and what’s in her phonebook didn’t exactly match up with Google’s suggestions. But it was way easier than having to re-type everyone’s name, email address and phone number since Google allows you to ‘merge contacts’ (Jane + Jane Smith can be merged)

Now when she updates a contact in her iPhone it’s automagically ‘pushed’ back to Google and reflected in her ‘My Contacts’ instantly. And vice versa, if she updates/adds more contacts in her Gmail contacts, her iPhone address book will reflect the changes.

The synced (synched?) calendar is even more handy. We’ve both casually used Google Calendar in the past but have never really had a central calendar that we can both add items to, besides the magnetized one on our fridge — and that one only works if we’re in our kitchen.

We have a shared Google Calendar that we can each add events/appointments to. This same calendar is automatically updated on her iPhone anytime a new event/appt is added. Pretty durn handy.

The hangup that we’re discovering is that only one ActivSync account is allowed on the iPhone - for now - so her Outlook email/calendar can’t be setup to do the same thing, to my knowledge. So my solution is to have her sync her Outlook calendar to the Google Calendar using Google Calendar Sync and hope that we can setup some POP/SMTP server for her work account.

3GSM, Customer Value and Business Speak
Apologies to readers for the total absence of postings over the last weeks, but I’ve been busy on some important projects - more on these in subsequent posts. I was at 3GSM in Barcelona last month. I like 3GSM. It’s brash, inspiring, full of interesting people and in Barcelona. Yes, I can recognise the perspective [...]
Apologies to readers for the total absence of postings over the last weeks, but I’ve been busy on some important projects - more on these in subsequent posts. I was at 3GSM in Barcelona last month. I like 3GSM. It’s brash, inspiring, full of interesting people and in Barcelona. Yes, I can recognise the perspective in Martin Geddes’s Telepocalypse blog, but that’s an aspect of all large business events.

Even so, if you get stuck in a Costa Brava hotel miles away from the city, make sure that the 3GSM catalogue isn’t your only bedtime reading. The endless, semi-literate blurb describing “leading suppliers of global solutions” and platforms - often last year’s offering with a thick layer of buzzword friendly gloss - purporting to deliver bucket loads of ARPU becomes deeply depressing to anyone with the remotest respect for language. Despite the frequent claims for customer-centricity, it’s hard to get a sense of any real concern for the customer. And that is the real problem with business speak: as any viva examiner knows, a lack of linguistic integrity masks deeper flaws in thinking. Many of these suppliers need to take a shower and think about customer value.

A Week of Inspiration (that was last week)
To be entirely honest, not being an enthusiastic meeting hound, I often attend events out of duty rather than desire, coming away from events bored and frustrated: stupified rather than inspired. But last week I had the privilege to attend two genuinely inspirational events: the BBC’s Innovation Labs launch day in [...]
To be entirely honest, not being an enthusiastic meeting hound, I often attend events out of duty rather than desire, coming away from events bored and frustrated: stupified rather than inspired. But last week I had the privilege to attend two genuinely inspirational events: the BBC’s Innovation Labs launch day in Edinburgh on Thursday and Barcamp Leeds 2007 on Saturday. By a strange coincidence, the Barcamp was in Old Broadcasting House which, when I was doing my PhD at Leeds University, was the home of the BBC in Leeds. The insipiration stretches to retrieving my blog from its virtual orphanage. I’m going to write about these two events in consecutive posts.

As comedies go…
…this one might not be that bad. Especially since it’s got Zach G and Todd Phillips directing. It’s Three Men and a Baby meets Old School, meets every zany Vegas movie meets Mike Tyson’s fist. Watch the trailer for “The Hangover”
Three f'd up men and a baby

…this one might not be that bad. Especially since it’s got Zach G and Todd Phillips directing. It’s Three Men and a Baby meets Old School, meets every zany Vegas movie meets Mike Tyson’s fist.

Watch the trailer for “The Hangover”

BBC Innovation Labs 2008 - Scotland
I spent last week inhabiting a black hole in the UK mobile networks while attending the BBC Scottish Innovations Lab. The Forrest Hills Hotel would seen an excellent site for a Picocell - although, judging by the performance of the flaky T-Mobile Wifi , there may be a back-haul problem. You can [...]
I spent last week inhabiting a black hole in the UK mobile networks while attending the BBC Scottish Innovations Lab. The Forrest Hills Hotel would seen an excellent site for a Picocell - although, judging by the performance of the flaky T-Mobile Wifi , there may be a back-haul problem. You can see a picture of me (on the left) along with Mark Grindle (centre) pitching to Martin Trickey, a Commissioner for BBC Vision. It’s a shame there wasn’t a camera rolling when we were interrupted by a waiter proudly presenting a silver tray with two large platters of reheated stew and congealed rice - closely followed by another with tea and coffee.

The lab itself was excellent. One of my stated goals was to learn eight times more than I did at the BBC Innovation Labs open day. Frank Boyd and the mentor team delivered on this and more: always there when help was needed, but never intrusive. Calico Jack has never been daunted by hard technical problems in agentive representation, advanced logics and communication management. In fact we’ve made part our living out of skepticism about what is technically feasible. The problem is that we have sometimes solved the wrong problems and committed sins of omission. As Frank’s persona based approach addresses both these issues, we are are integrating it into our development method. I’ll be writing about our experiences as we progress.

Matt Cashmore soaked up the stress and kept the whole thing rolling along - even on the day that his breakfast didn’t turn up. Well, look on the bright side Matt: it possibly saved another shirt.

The lab was also a good opportunity to meet up - or catch up - with folk in the Scottish technology scene. In particular, I should mention CerProc, Think Tank Mathmatics, Richard Harris and Feaghus McKay : CereProc - nothing to do with GM crops - are ex Rhetorical Systems guys with some excellent speech synthesis technology. A neat demo can be found here. ThinkTank Mathematics are a good creative crew, though I wish someone could dampen their enthusiasm for Android (just know I’m going to get mail about this). For me it would be enough to mention Richard Harris’s association with Douglas Adams. Richard has a lot of good ideas - and experience of implementing them. Fearghus McKay was also a contributing presence at the event. I knew that I’d met him before. It turned out that it was from the early days of Connect when he was with Intertrader.

I’ve got one bit of advice for participants in the other regions: Think about the end and what you are going to ask for. Would you offer it if you were on the other side of the table? If not, you might want to ask for something else. I’m quite happy to elaborate on that. Mark and I came away with a much stronger concept than the one we arrived with. I’m currently working on a technical implementation plan.

2:38 AM | | 0 Comments

The Mighty Binder Clip
Have you discovered the wonders of binder clips? Since they were invented nearly a century ago, binder clips have been used primarily for clipping together bundles of paper. Here's a few more ideas for your binder clips: Corral cords. Remove...
Have you discovered the wonders of binder clips? Since they were invented nearly a century ago, binder clips have been used primarily for clipping together bundles of paper. Here's a few more ideas for your binder clips:

Corral cords. Remove one of the wires from the metal clip. Arrange it around unsightly computer or phone cords and replace it on the metal clip. Attach the clip to an out of sight portion of the desk or other convenient place for an effective cord corral.Check this demonstration video.

Bundle your to-do's. Affix a printed or handwritten label on the black metal area. Some examples are To Call, To Do, Day Off Dreams, or other topics for which you have multiple pieces of paper. Use the labeled clip to bundle all items that fit in that category. The benefit is fewer lost papers and clearer direction on what needs to be done.

Focus on important things. Clip the agenda, calendar, goals or whatever needs to be kept front and center to your planner or notebook. You can keep it more visible on the front or place it discreetly just inside the front cover.

Complete your outfit. Larger clips can be used on clothes hangers to hold scarves, undergarments, or pieces of jewelry to complete a special look.

The possibilities are endless for uses for these handy binder clips. How have you used binder clips to increase your productivity and organization? We would like to hear your ideas!

Successful Investing, Worldly Wisdom and Your Circle of Competence
Capitalism’s Holy Grail Coming up with a system to succeed in the stock market and achieve market beating gains year after year is not an easy task. One might define the capitalist’s holy grail as finding the one system that will acheive the maximum possible returns year upon year. “If you don’t get this elementary, but mildly [...]

Capitalism’s Holy Grail

Coming up with a system to succeed in the stock market and achieve market beating gains year after year is not an easy task. One might define the capitalist’s holy grail as finding the one system that will acheive the maximum possible returns year upon year.

“If you don’t get this elementary, but mildly unnatural, mathematics of elementary probability into your repertoire, then you go through a long life like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.” Charlie Munger, “A Lesson on Elementary, Worldly Wisdom As It Relates To Investment Management & Business”

No Shortage of Stock Market Strategies

Finding Low price to earnings ratios, high dividend yields, high return on capital and only buying businesses that are priced below their intrinsic asset value would probably set you in the right direction as you entangle the stock market web and attempt to increase the value of your investments.

I have recently read several interviews with the Value Investing meritocracy of Buffet, Munger, Schloss, Robertson and Lynch and begun to invest myself over the past 3 months.

Without discounting the importance of understanding the strategies and financial ratios above, my reading has implied that succeeding in the stock market is less about strictly studying and following the investment strategies of others and more about finding a strategy that you can understand and which also falls within your ‘circle of competence’.

While reading a particular interview with one of the great investors above, you are swayed to believe that their way is the way to succeed, the only way. And seeing as each of their companies has averaged annual returns after fees of over 25% for at least ten years, perhaps you would not be far off the truth (their companies are Berkshire Hathaway, Walter J Schloss Associates, The Tiger Fund and the Magellan Fund if you’re interested).

But the truth is, each of their investment strategies is undeniably linked to their range of personal skills. Schloss sticks to buying businesses with a significant margin of safety below asset or book Value and doesn’t worry too much about the type of business or its management because that is not his area of expertise. Buffett understands and appreciates this method that they both picked up from Benjamin Graham but adds the necessity for the business to be a quality business in a profitable and sustainable industry to his list of investment requirements.

“It is better to buy great business at a fair price than a fair business at a great price”, Buffett says. Schloss feels otherwise.

Stick to Your Circle of Competence

Knowing that each of their investment strategies were fundamentally different from each other despite having commonalities, it became clear that if Warren Buffett were trying to use the strategies employed by Schloss, he would not have been as successful; and vice versa.

I had a tendency before doing all this reading to look for the objectively ideal strategy, the best and most efficient way to invest my money. Now I am seeking a strategy that I can understand, that I will have an edge in applying and that is likely to be successful (this final point is where past analysis is helpful).

Althought I suggest reading the writings of the masters above to get a better defintiion, I will quickly define what I just described as my ‘circle of competence’; an area in which you can excel and ideally an area that you enjoy.

Without intending to turn this piece into a guide to finding your own circle of competence, I found Munger’s article that I linked to above to provide the best guidance I have yet received, in only 5 to 6 pages, to equip someone new to investing (or just life) with the tools you need to succeed.

If you’re Stuck for Fundamentals - Try Some of Munger’s Worldy wisdom

Munger states that we all need a latticework of models to choose from when going through life. He speaks of those who go through life with limited ways of looking at the world as not reaching their full potential:

And the models have to come from multiple disciplines - because all the wisdom of the world is
not to be found in one little academic department. That’s why poetry professors, by and large,
are so unwise in a worldly sense. They don’t have enough models in their heads. So you’ve got
to have models across a fair array of disciplines.

So whilst I recommend reading the article in full, here are the most important models he describes:

Mathematics – permutations and combinations –algebra – think in terms of decision trees and permutations and combinations – spend time to devote to apply elementary maths to real life problems.

Accounting – know it plus its limitations.

Who what where when and why? Science and engineering backed models are best.

Statistics? understand well enough – know what a normal or Gaussian distribution looks like and that most things end up distributed like that. “I’m like a poker player who has learned to play pretty well without mastering Pascal”.

Engineering - stuff like backup system, breakpoints, the physics notion of a critical mass, cost benefit analysis.

Understanding of biology / physiology –Helps to understand what is and what is not going on.

Cognitive functioning is helpful to know -The pyshology of misjudgment is the most important part to learn of psychology – 20 little principles that interact with each other. The mind is subject to manipulation – “the mind of man at one and the same time is both the glory and the shame of the universe”.

Try some of my related articles below if you enjoyed this one

Have Fun for Better Work
May is such a busy month with many special occasions including Mother's Day and graduations. A special wedding trip is added to our family's month as well. This is a good time to be planning how you will have some...
May is such a busy month with many special occasions including Mother's Day and graduations. A special wedding trip is added to our family's month as well.

This is a good time to be planning how you will have some fun this summer. Whether you have a get-away vacation or a stay-at-home vacation, plan special activities or at least a change of scenery. When you return to work you will be energized and better able to focus on your priorities.

Don't forget to have fun! Even though this picture was taken years ago on a family vacation, I still remember the photographer telling the guys to look very stern while the girls were to smile. It's a great reminder of the fun we had that day in borrowed attire.

How does fun help you be more productive? I would like to hear from you.

Right-Brain, Left-Brain, and Organizing
Would you believe that each of us has been issued the most elaborate structure in the universe? Rich or poor, young or old, sad or happy, every person has 100 billion nerve cells in this marvelous brain of ours. The...
Would you believe that each of us has been issued the most elaborate structure in the universe? Rich or poor, young or old, sad or happy, every person has 100 billion nerve cells in this marvelous brain of ours.

The decade of the 1990's was devoted to understanding the brain in ways previously unknown. One of the popular simplifications of how the brain works is explained in the Right Brain-Left Brain model.

Want more information on your Right Brain or Left Brain tendencies? Take this quick 20-question assessment. I was amazed at how the results confirmed what I know about myself.

A person struggling with organization, either thing-organization or time-organization, may benefit from Organizing for the Creative Person: Right -brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goalsby Dorthy Lehmkuhl and Delores Cotter Lamping.

Does knowing more about how your brain works affect your level of organization? I would like to hear your thoughts!

2:39 AM | | 0 Comments

Repurposing: the new purchasing?
I found an interesting article on WSJ.com that I wanted to share. It's about taking older fashion items and repurposing them in new ways to mirror current fashion trends. The video from the piece helps give you an idea of...
I found an interesting article on WSJ.com  that I wanted to share. It's about taking older fashion items and repurposing them in new ways to mirror current fashion trends.  The video from the piece helps give you an idea of what this is about.
The overall point about not buying new stuff initially got my attention, but I think a bigger point (unaddressed in the article) is what brands can do to respond to this. On one level we're talking about people not buying as much stuff as they used to, and why on earth would we want to encourage that. But I think there's opportunity in tapping into the notion of working a new purchase into what you already have, helping the consumer get the most from his/her overall collection of items, buying something will stand the test of time and go with lots of other things, etc.
This is a great time to revisit the idea of brands adding value for consumers. If what they want is the ability to make their dollars go further, let's help them with it. And not just by discounting the uber-trendy.
Instead of just pushing new for new's sake, I wonder if a new spin on purchasing would work better in these troubled economic times.

People Have Spoken: No Performance Based Pay

McD's and Starbucks: here's the skinny latte
Starbucks response (going on the offensive, challenging its rival's "quality") doesn't make sense - it makes them looked scared, and they're actually in a position of strength: they're the premium brand. Economies go up and down, premium brands stay beloved,...
Starbucks response (going on the offensive, challenging its rival's "quality") doesn't make sense - it makes them looked scared, and they're actually in a position of strength: they're the premium brand. Economies go up and down, premium brands stay beloved, but only as long as they seem up to date.

McD's will upsell the new beverages to existing young (particularly ethnic) target - which is a cheaper and easier way to drive increased topline sales in a recession. That is, if people can understand the campaign. I think the campaign really lacks "conversationality" - the "e" thing is hard to say, the idea's not intuitive, it's even potentially a socially risk (what if you mis-pronounce it?)

Starbucks behavioral problem is consumers cutting out a visit a week. Consumers are doing this because they feel guilty about the sneaking suspicious they might have been wasting money on coffee for the past several years. McDonald's prices aren't lower enough to induce a brand switch, or probably even trial. Plus the McD's brand is all wrong for Starbucks - it's too young, too trendy and pop, not sophisticated enough. It's not a badge for young professionals grasping for prestige in a contracting economy and dreading potentially dwindling career prospects. Buying McDonald's is an admission that the dream hasn't worked out. People don't want to go there.

Starbucks needs to give brand lovers a reason to visit the store that's cheaper, or at least makes them feel like they're not wasting as much money as they have guiltily been for the past several years. That addresses the guilt thing. What if Starbucks invited people to come by the store even when they don't need a coffee, just to come on by, hang out, use the WIFI, whatever. Build the community piece of the brand, not the product piece. Remind the core Starbucks consumer of the value the brand brings to their lives - to inoculate them from the visit-cutting guilt they are feeling.

Better yet - what about sponsoring some online networking for folks looking for work? Unlocking the power of Starbucks nation around an issue that's driving the decrease in visits makes a ton of sense.

TV ads aren't the answer here. Starting with the customer is.

This WSJ article has the creative as well as a number of thoughtful points:

WSJ article

WOMinomics - or why it makes economic sense to stimulate positive WOM
Mega thanks to my buddy and WOM guru Jackie Huba for a super post about the economics of word of mouth. You guys know how much I loves the math! According to Satmetrix, who developed the Net Promoter Economic Framework,...
Mega thanks to my buddy and WOM guru Jackie Huba for a super post about the economics of word of mouth. You guys know how much I loves the math!

According to Satmetrix, who developed the Net Promoter Economic Framework, which determines total customer value based on buyer and referral behaviors of "Promoters" (those who are highly likely to recommend a company and/or its products) and "Detractors" (those who are unlikely to recommend a company and/or products), in a wireless industry study they did (Net Promoter Economics: The Impact of Word of Mouth), each Promoter was worth approximately $1,700 and accounted for roughly one-half of a new customer acquired through positive word of mouth. In comparison, each Detractor accounted for the loss of 1.3 new customers through negative word of mouth.

The lost business associated with their negative referrals subtracts the entire value of their purchase behavior and then some, creating a net cost of $300. Compared with the value of a Promoter, each Detractor is worth $2,000 less than a Promoter.

OK, so, this seems like common sense to me. But what I think is really interesting is to see the economics of WOM quantified. Now, what can we do with this info?

First off, know who you are targeting. Don't acquire detractors. In addition to being bad sources of long term revenue, they'll facilitate losing other customers. If there is any way to excise them from the acquisition process, DO IT. I do not know how to do this, if you have ideas please share.

Second, identify your promoters and encourage and equip them to share good stuff. Enable them to tell their friends they love the product or experience.

Other ideas?

I would buy NVDA, if I was APPL

Any pre-Reagan tax books?

VivaKi on social media: the news from the top
I've copied below a great AdWeek op-ed piece by VivaKi's 2 leaders, David Kenny and Jack Klues. Lays out VivaKi's POV on social media and some of how we are planning to help the VivaKi and creative agencies approach this...

I've copied below a great AdWeek op-ed piece by VivaKi's 2 leaders, David Kenny and Jack Klues. Lays out VivaKi's POV on social media and some of how we are planning to help the VivaKi and creative agencies approach this burgeoning area.

They reference the VivaKi social media summit that I was proud to be part of leading in September. Was a great opportunity to meet industry luminaries and boldly plot the way forward.

The Art of Friending.How to move from conversation to conversion in social media, the communications platform of the future

Consumers seeking a sense of community, camaraderie and conversation have built platforms where they can talk about anything and everything. Portals dedicated to dog lovers, moms, artichoke or political aficionados, sports fanatics, gossip mongers and any other common and uncommon interest groups abound. Social networks are huge and scalable, and they facilitate emotional brand connections more than anything we've seen so far in digital media. Consumers have set up more than half a million custom social networks. Today, there are 100 million Facebook users and close to 1 million active Twitter users, according to company estimates. Marketers are racing to find unobtrusive ways to enter these conversations.

In September, a group of social-media junkies from across Publicis Groupe convened with leading social-media vendors to answer the most pressing question about consumer conversation: "How can our clients use social media to power the connection of people to each other and to brands, globally and at scale?" We determined that the solution is to create a common marketplace for social insights, experiences, ads and outcomes.

Advertising has historically been an exposure and intrusion practice -- get in someone's face and talk about the attributes of a brand. That approach works less and less effectively all the time, and it is absolutely fatal in the social arena. As in every successful marketing campaign, actionable human insights are critical to social media. Understanding the passions, expectations, needs and desires of the people you want to talk to -- or inspire to talk about you -- is vital. Marketers (and those of us who serve them) need to take a close look at what's going on in the consumer's world. We need to listen. That's no small task when you consider the vast number of conversations going on in the social Web, but the truth is we can get plenty of data about social networking from resources like Converseon, TruCast and BuzzMetrics to help us figure out what's happening in the consumer's intimate sphere. This data well augments the rich insights we have become expert at gleaning from other sources and studies.

Want to reach Millennials? Just observe how these 18- to 24-year-olds behave in social sites. Digitas did just that on behalf of Starburst and its new Gummi Burst candy. When Starburst launched its "Share Something Juicy" campaign, it offered Millennials an opportunity to express themselves through an animated Web series called Nite Fite and a Starburst-branded YouTube channel that hosted short "Starburst Moments" videos. By allowing consumers to express individuality and participate creatively in the campaign, Starburst joined and enhanced consumer conversation.

Still enjoying relative infancy, social media does not have a lot of built-in access points or mechanisms to achieve scalable audiences. This has to change. Perhaps the most beneficial thinking we can bring to social media is to push for platforms that help deliver the scale and access of other mass media while remaining sensitive to the unique qualities of social audiences.

Off-the-shelf social-media programs and platforms are a powerful starting point, although not a complete solution. There are a number of vendors and partners in the online space that are developing tools that make activation in the social space easier and more efficient. Leveraging widget and social-application platforms allows us to focus on the messages and the social experiences that bring them to life.

We also need to source social-media audiences at scale. Agencies and their clients can build platforms around brands, much like we did with Audience on Demand (AOD), a partnership between VivaKi and four major internet networks (Google, Yahoo, MSN and Platform A). We need to aggregate social-media inventory in much the same way, reaching keenly defined communities via influencers and with ads that resonate within the social context.

Finally, we need to more carefully align social and search, which feed each other. Social bookmarking, blogs, review sites and social-network listings increasingly influence search results. Social media has opened up new avenues for pay-per-click ads and has created more opportunity for search to be a vital function for each site (e.g., Twitter search). We must capitalize on this interconnectivity to create more points of entry.

With the right combination of scalable social insights, experiences and ads, a social-media program can go far. However, it will fail to succeed until we put the proper measurement mechanisms in place.

Right now, the systems don't exist. Media planners can't pull comparisons of social media and TV, even though social media is quickly becoming a breeding ground for more consumer conversations and interactions. This is a priority for us and for others who want to find the best way to measure social-media engagement. But what is engagement? It must be something more than page views or downloads in this context. Perhaps the number of fans or the number of pass-alongs to friends? User-submitted content, from photos or comments to reviews or full blog posts to well-produced videos, needs different weighting. We must decide, define and deliver.

We believe the solution lies in the intersection of emotion and performance. When we can capture and combine emotional outcomes and performance metrics, we will have a more complete understanding of how well a particular effort is working, and what we might do to make it work harder.

Social media is perhaps the most powerful communications platform of the future. Making it viable is more than a VivaKi priority: it is an industry imperative. An open source, collaborative effort is the most effective way forward. In other words, "friending" all partners.

David Kenny and Jack Klues are managing partners at VivaKi, Publicis Groupe's entity overseeing the digital and media assets of Digitas, Starcom MediaVest Group, ZenithOptimedia and Denuo.

Friend me! I am publishing short bits and bytes on FaceBook these days
Peeps - sorry for the recent brownout, been busy, but also have picked up a nasty habit of posting stuff on FaceBook. If you're a Digital Hive fan please friend me on FB to get those updates. And I also...
Peeps - sorry for the recent brownout, been busy, but also have picked up a nasty habit of posting stuff on FaceBook. If you're a Digital Hive fan please friend me on FB to get those updates. And I also pledge to get back to the Hive with new stuff soon (starting today). XO

Can We Use a ‘Resettelement Administration’?

Uniqlo does it again
Uniqlo has a fabulous new online piece about bra tops. Don't ask, just go see it. The music restores my hope in the world. http://www.uniqlo.com/try/
Uniqlo has a fabulous new online piece about bra tops. Don't ask, just go see it.

The music restores my hope in the world.

http://www.uniqlo.com/try/

2:39 AM | | 0 Comments

Best Gifts For New Baby
When trying to find the best gifts for new baby, it's easy to become bogged down with all the gimmicky ideas out there. Actually, in this case the simplest idea is often the best. Why not try a fresh flower arrangement for the new mom and dad to enjoy? Your online flower source has many new baby arrangements that will perfectly express your happiness and congratulations without costing a lot of money.

Flower Language(Chinese/English)
A:
ACACIA, Blossom - Concealed Love, Beauty in Retirement
洋槐，花朵 - 隐秘的爱，隐居的美人
ACORN - Nordic Symbol of Life and Immortality
橡实 - 北欧人生命与不朽的象征
AMBROSIA - Your Love is Reciprocated
...

Different Numbers of Roses You Giving Away Stand For
0 rose --- I love you more than I can say!

One Rose --- ONLY YOU!

Two Roses --- Only you and me in world

Three Roses --- I LOVE YOU!
...

What's a Suitable Holiday Gift for a College Student?
Looking for a suitable holiday gift for your friend who is a college student? I'd like to give you some great ideas about gifts that a college student will appreciate.

China celebrates traditional Lantern Festival with lamps and flowers

A U.S. citizen (L) learns the brush calligraphy of Chinese characters, literally, "Happy Lantern Festival", during a get-together party of local residents and foreigners living on Dongsisitiao Hutong (Alley), inside a quadrangle courtyard, the typical residential rectangular compound, to live a jovial Chinese lunar Lantern Festival, in Beijing, Feb. 8, 2009. (Xinhua/Hao Fei)

Guangzhou - Flower City
Guangzhou has a few beautiful and legendary nick names, Huacheng (the Flower City), Yangcheng (the Goat City) and Suicheng (the Rice-ear City). Guangzhou is a civilized ancient city. It is 2,100 years old, the same ages as the world-renowned ancient cultural city Rome of Italy. A modern city in China, Guangzhou is the political, economic, educational, cultural as well as scientific and technological center in South China. It is also a tourist city.
...

Mother's day coming - Send flowers to China.
Mothers Day is a special day for honoring Mothers through out the world. The Mother's Day holds great significance for all of us. As usual, the Mothers Day 2009 will be celebrated on May 10th, 2009 in the U. S. whereas the U. K. will celebrate the Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) , 2009 on date March, 22nd.
...

2:48 AM | | 0 Comments

Tools To Search Twitter
With only a 140 character limit, you will be amazed at the amount of information that is available on individuals’ Twitter pages. As more individual are posting Tweets (short messages), tools will be needed to search for content in an efficient manner. Below is a selection of five search tools that we have tested out. 1 - [...]
With only a 140 character limit, you will be amazed at the amount of information that is available on individuals’ Twitter pages. As more individual are posting Tweets (short messages), tools will be needed to search for content in an efficient manner.

Below is a selection of five search tools that we have tested out.

1 - Twitter Search

This application originates from the developers of Twitter. By simply entering keyword(s), users will have access to the tweets on the web in real-time.

Search Twitter is a multilingual tool along with the following advanced search options based on:

Words (ie, exact phrase, all of the words, any of the words)

People

Places

Dates

Attitudes (ie, positive or negative, asking a question)

Others (ie, posted links)

Search Twitter is available at http://search.twitter.com/

Search Twitter can be an add on in your FireFox browser. To download the application, please click here

2 - TwitScout

This tool allows users to find tweets a tag cloud or via a search tool as seen in the image below.

Of the two functions, using the search box is the best option to obtain exhaustive results. Not only does the result page provide the complete text of tweet but when it was posted. See the screenshot below.

Results of queries are updated in real-time as tweets are updated by users.

TwitScout is available http://www.twitscoop.com

3 - Twellow

Twellow is a directory of Twitter pages that can be found conducting a keyword search or browsing through categories of pages. The image below is index page of the tool.

For each entry in the directory, the following details are available:

Number of followers

Date which the Twitter page was added to the directory

URL of the website which the Twitter is linked to

Twellow is available at http://www.twellow.com/

4 - Twazzup

Twazzup is a niffy tool to aid in finding what is the buzz on Twitter. Conducting a keyword query will provide users will not only a list of results but a listings of popular tweets, a collection of related photos and most associated popular links.

Twazzup has the ability to gather information as tweets are posted.

Twazzup is available at http://www.twazzup.com/

5 - Tweefind

Tweefind is a straight forward search tool. Users are asked to enter their keyword(s) and select the language the tweet is written in (i.e., english or other languages)

Based upon several search queries to test Tweefind, it seems that the tool has indexed Twitter pages from various news sources.

Tweefind is available at http://www.tweefind.com/

Has Cities Bought Into Social Networks?
Why is there so much interest in tools such as Facebook and Twitter? From a marketing point of view, these tools are vehicles to communicate with consumers and enhance branding on the web. Prime examples are Nokia’s Fan page on Facebook and Dell Computer’s multiple Twitter accounts. Can the same Web 2.0 based marketing techniques apply [...]
Why is there so much interest in tools such as Facebook and Twitter? From a marketing point of view, these tools are vehicles to communicate with consumers and enhance branding on the web. Prime examples are Nokia’s Fan page on Facebook and Dell Computer’s multiple Twitter accounts.

Can the same Web 2.0 based marketing techniques apply to branding a city or region? Let’s find out.

Using The 2008 Global Cities Index from Foreign Policy Magazine, the top 10 cities in terms of business activity were examined based on their presence of the two social networking platforms. The selected cities were 1. New York, 2. Tokyo, 3. Paris, 4. London, 5. Hong Kong, 6. Singapore, 7. Seoul, 8. Shanghai, 9. Beijing, 10. Amsterdam

Findings:

Of the 10 cities, three cities (i.e., Paris, London, Amsterdam) have a Facebook Fan Page

Of the 10 cities, seven cities (i.e., New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing) do not have a Facebook Fan Page

Given the power of online social networks, one has to wonder what is taking cities so long to buy into the benefits?

Is it a question of money?

Is it a question of time?

Is it a question of awareness? (i.e., the benefits having fan pages)

Research for this blog post led to some interesting finding in terms of cities / towns that have embraced social network platforms such as Facebook.

1. It was difficult to identify the official pages from pages created by citizens. The set of criteria that were used to identify the city’s official page were:

a) Complete contact information
b) Wide Reach (number of members, fans and followers)
c) Link on the page to the city’s official website

2. Two very good examples that were found: Coventry City (U.K.) and City and County of San Francisco

Coventry City - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41296119424

The local government of Coventry City created a Facebook group with the objective of communicating with citizens regarding a new civic centre. The group was an avenue to consult with stakeholders in which they used discussion boards and the wall as sounding boards. The image below presents a sample of posts made to the discussion board asking the question, “What you dislike about the city centre?”

City and County of San Francisco - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/sanfrancisco?v=info&viewas=1244463797

The City and County of San Francisco’s presence on Facebook can seen through a fan page. The fan page is an extension of the city and county’s website. Fans can easily access information from the local government via wall postings, photographs and video clips on YouTube. In addition to being an information tool, the page can be viewed as a branding vehicle based on the many scenic photos placed on the page and events that are promoted. Below is a screenshot of what is offered in terms of photos on the page.

Final Thoughts

A Facebook Fan Page is a logical extention to a city’s or region’s official website

Social network applications are excellent avenues to reach individuals within the 24 to 54 age bracket

Some cities have yet to realize the possibilities that social network tools offer to communicate with its citizens.

Facebook Intelligence Tip For Fan Pages
Here is a source that we stumbled upon while doing research for an upcoming blog post. PageData provides Facebook page metrics and trend information. Once you log onto the site. you will see a listing of: Page Leaderboard Top Page Gainers Today Top Page Gainers This Week Top Page Losers Today Top Page Losers This Week The image below is screenshot [...]
Here is a source that we stumbled upon while doing research for an upcoming blog post.

PageData provides Facebook page metrics and trend information. Once you log onto the site. you will see a listing of:

Page Leaderboard

Top Page Gainers Today

Top Page Gainers This Week

Top Page Losers Today

Top Page Losers This Week

The image below is screenshot of the page. (Please click on the image to have a complete view)

Further data can be accessed by clicking on the hyperlink associated with the name of the page.   For example, information and metrics on the Pringle page is shown below.

Details such as number of fans, page status, category, gains in visitor traffics for the day and week are given for the page information.

Page metrics details such as the number fans over the last 31 days and new fans per day over last 31 days are supplied.

PageData does offer a search utility in which users can find information on fan pages on Facebook.

PageData is available at http://pagedata.insidefacebook.com/

2:48 AM | | 0 Comments

Finding the Mortgage Interest Rate That Suits You

North Carolina Mortgages - Mortgages in NC

Pioneer - A space game
Pioneer is one of them space shooter games. Like, uh, well, all those space shooter games from Asteroids onward.

The game has some charm, with interesting characters and some nice art, but it’s kinda held back by little flaws. The game is hit-or-miss, the ships look good, as you can see in the screenshot, but everything sort of lacks impact, the lasers don’t feel so much like weapons as pea-shooters, and the game is very slow paced, which makes playing it feel kind of like a chore, which is a shame because it seems like there’s an interesting narrative behind the game. Speaking of narrative, the characters, from what I saw in the demo, are kinda two-dimensional, but their portraits are interesting, with a unique pixelly style. So the gameplay is kinda slow and not as good as games like Moonpod’s Starscape (but what is, huh?) it’s got a stronger plot than most of these space shooters.

Anyway, try it out, as I said, it’s hit or miss, so I’m sure some people will like it, and some won’t, but either way it’s a small download at 60MB.

2:39 AM | | 0 Comments

Combat Flight
Fly a real fighter plane! Unreal!

UK ministers were alerted to Perthshire sighting of UFO

Wine Celebration
Make them feel special with wine, chocolate cake and flowers!

Super Couple Rejuvenation
Awesome relaxing spa experience for a couple!

Great Evening Out
Luxury dinner plus a shopping spree for a great time!

Baby Handprints
Need a unique gift for a baby or newborn - check this out!

Chocolate Spa Treat
Cool, relaxing spa gift for anyone!

Private Jet Party
Party in your own personal jet!

Portrait Experience
Gift their own professional charcoal portrait!

2:39 AM | | 0 Comments

Where Does Your Work Come From?
I have been trying to wind down just a bit with the summer coming. My kids are not in daycare this summer and I am not sure how much time I will have to dedicate to working. I am not actively trying to get business. But it is happening. People are coming out of nowhere wanting [...]

I have been trying to wind down just a bit with the summer coming. My kids are not in daycare this summer and I am not sure how much time I will have to dedicate to working.

I am not actively trying to get business. But it is happening. People are coming out of nowhere wanting to get things done. They are all clients already – and they just want some little projects done – but they are coming!

At first I was a bit stressed, thinking, “what am I gonna do with all of this stuff?” Then I very quickly realized that these little projects will be a great stream of revenue this summer. They will also be a great way to keep my business alive without having to do much.

It was then that I realized that all my networking and keeping in touch with my clients has paid off. It was nice to realize that I don’t have to advertise at all to keep clients coming. Networking works for me and always has.

So everything is just right – I am ready for summer and the kids to be home full time. It will be an adventure – but I do have a little work – just enough to keep me on my toes.

What do you do to advertise? Word-of-mouth? Referrals? Networking? A combination? What works best for you?
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Working at Home Blog Carnival-137th Edition
Welcome to the May 8, 2009 edition of working at home blog carnival. This weeks Carnival has, as always, some really good articles. So, Sit Back and Enjoy. And Here We Go… advice ChristianPF presents How to make money with a blog posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “This is an extensive article [...]

WAHI Carnival

Welcome to the May 8, 2009 edition of working at home blog carnival. This weeks Carnival has, as always, some really good articles. So, Sit Back and Enjoy.

And Here We Go…

advice

ChristianPF presents How to make money with a blog posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, “This is an extensive article I wrote about how I replaced my day job with my blog earnings… enjoy!”

The Smarter Wallet presents Microsoft Money Software Review: A Look At Money Essentials posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thanks!”

Jim DeSantis presents 3 Models To Make Money Blogging posted at On Line Tribune | You Can Blog Too, saying, “Blogging can be a simple way to make money on line, or, a real chore. The key is finding which blogging model fits your background, experience in life, and your financial goals. Let’s look at the two major types of business models that entrepreneurs use to make money blogging and look at a third, the most popular plug-and-play alternative.”

Steve Faber presents Success - It Really Can Be Who You Know posted at DebtBlog, saying, “One of the most important aspects of success…..”

Gloria Booth presents What is an Autoresponder? posted at Mlmmarketinguk’s Blog, saying, “Many people know what they are, but few harness the power of making money using autoresponders. Our article explains why, and how you can change that in a few simple steps.”

GreatManagement presents The Definitive Internet Marketing Technique posted at We build your blog, saying, “I am so excited!In fact, I am shaking.I just cannot believe it but”

Khan presents Survival of the Freelancer posted at Higher Education and Career Blog, saying, “Discipline is never an end in itself, only a means to an end.”

business

Rick Foreman presents Keeping Up On The Internet posted at Waiting for the Singularity.

Ralph Jean-Paul presents Perform Under Pressure posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, “Sooner or later you will be in a pressure situation. If you are unable to handle it correctly, it may cost you a promotion, job, or an opportunity to experience new things and meet new people. Practice these techniques and you will soon begin to see how well you can perform under pressure.”

Helen Trump presents Steal This Niche - Intro posted at Social Marketing by Michelle MacPhearson, saying, “Great blog about doing the niche research the right way”

general

Praveen presents Niche Business Focus: Astrologists Sara Freder and Larry Pesavento posted at My Simple Trading System.

asew presents Amazing Technologies Everyone Loves posted at IT Solutions, saying, “good”

debt kid presents Staying Motivated When Everything is Going Well posted at DebtKid.

Tisha Tolar presents Set Goals and then Set Them Higher posted at Empowering Mom.

Jacques Groenewald presents Millionare Mindset- How to think like a millionare posted at Monkeyprofit, saying, “A guide to understanding how you should think if you wish to become a millionare and prosper in life”

Home Based Business presents 6 Easy Ways to Make Money Online posted at Internet Home Based Business Opportunity, saying, “A staggering $2.1 billion in affiliate marketing fees were paid to blog and website owners in 2008. This finding in a recent study by Jupiter Research confirms what many savvy Internet marketers have known for a while: Affiliate marketing has become one of the top business opportunities online because the startup costs are so low and the income you generate can be mind-blowing.”

Sarah Scrafford presents 100 Terrific Twitter Feeds for Young Entrepreneurs posted at Select Courses.

Verna Morris presents 25 Essential FREEWARE Apps for Web Designers posted at Designer City, USA.

stories

Yonit Gruber-hazani presents SEO guides - the best i found on the net posted at yonitg.com, saying, “A review for a great case study of how to open your own website for income - a week by weeke explanation of what to do.”

tips

The Dough Roller presents Is Budgeting Keeping You Poor? posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “Budgeting can be a big help in improving your finances. But if not done correctly, budgeting can also set you back. Check out these seven ways budgeting could be making you poor and how to fix them.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of working at home blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. If you would like to host one of my Carnivals, just use the contact form to make arrangements.

Remember, when you submit an article, please fill in the Category and Remark Fields to add your own description of your post.

Please Submit only ONE Article per Carnival, additional articles Will Not Be Accepted.

Since this is a community endeavour, please feel free to advise me through comments or my contact form if there is something you think I can do to improve the Carnival.

Technorati tags: working at home blog carnival, blog carnival.
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This Weeks Helpful Reads… Week 158
This is an ongoing series of interesting and helpful reads that I have come across on the Internet. I try to include the most helpful articles and links each week to provide the widest range of information for the home business entrepreneur. The vlaue of digitizing your life by Steven Hodson (on the Inquisitr)… With the [...]

Mark Twain

This is an ongoing series of interesting and helpful reads that I have come across on the Internet. I try to include the most helpful articles and links each week to provide the widest range of information for the home business entrepreneur.

The vlaue of digitizing your life by Steven Hodson (on the Inquisitr)… With the recent disasters I’ve been reading about all around the world, people losing everything, I thought this is an insightful look on how to store some of your most important personal AND business stuff.

Why You Need a (Blogging) Business Model by Shaun Connell (on ProBlogger)… As the financial outlook at brick and morter jobs gets dimmer, a lot of people are turning to Blogging as a source of income. If you are going to try (or are) to make money on

business side

Blog Archive

stc

“Diplomatie ist, jemanden so zur Hölle zu schicken, dass er sich auf die Reise freut”.

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