BUSSINESS INFORMATION

How Harmful Are the Chemicals in Beauty Products?

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Talk about a phrase that doesn't roll right off the tongue... "Pretty Products For Healthy People Minus Many Lousy Chemical Substances" is something a company called Best in Beauty would like you to remember. Their mission it is to increase awareness about potentially harmful ingredients in cosmetic products, and each word in the phrase is supposed to remind you of a sketchy chemical. We ran their list by independent cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer and dermatologist Jeannette Graf to see what's really worth worrying about:

"Pretty" is for "Phthalates": "Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) has been found by the FDA to be safe and effective in making nail polish flexible and resistant to chipping," Graf says. "However, since DBP has been banned in some countries, most polish manufacturers no longer use it."

"Products"is for "Propylene Glycol": This is widely used as a humectant (a substance that draws water to the skin), and at the very worst, "may cause some skin irritation," Hammer says. Otherwise, the FDA has found that the levels used in cosmetic skin-care products are well within the safe range.

"For" is for "Formaldehyde": "Formaldehyde is a carcinogen, but most issues come from breathing its fumes," Hammer says. In beauty products, like nail hardeners, the liquid form is used--and formaldehyde is far less toxic in that form, adds Graf. "The FDA and CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) have concluded that, in the levels used in nail-hardener products, it is safe for the vast majority of consumers." The one beauty use it isn't necessarily safe in, Graf says, is Brazilian hair straightening treatments.

"Healthy" is for "Hydroquinone": "This is a very effective skin-lightening agent, widely used in many products," Hammer says. "However, based on some evidence in rodent studies that it may cause cancer, the FDA has proposed a ban on its use in over-the-counter products." Graf adds that most dermatologists believe hydroquinone is safe at the levels used in cosmetic products. "The rat studies were done with intravenous hydroquinone--not topically, as humans use it--and the doses were very high," she says.
"People" is for "Petroleum": "The most widely used petroleum products in cosmetics are petrolatum and mineral oil," Hammer says. "Petrolatum is safe for use, but has a negative stigma attached because it's derived from crude oil, and seen as harmful to the environment."

"Minus" is for "Mercury": Mercury has antibacterial properties that can help prevent eye infections. "But it can be toxic, so according to the FDA, it can only be used in trace amounts in certain eye products, including mascaras and eyeliners, when no other preservative can be used," Graf says. "It is otherwise outlawed in any cosmetic product."

Additional info on Mercury and your diet.

"Many" is for "Mineral Oil": "Mineral oil has received a very bad rap. It was vilified in the 1950s when the mineral oil was industrial-grade and extremely pore-clogging," Graf says. "Today, cosmetic-grade mineral oil is quite elegant and non-irritating as well as non-clogging." Adds Hammer, "It is a very good moisturizer because it forms an occlusive covering over the skin."

"Lousy" is for "Lead": "The FDA has looked at the lead levels in lipstick and found that they are well within non-toxic levels," Graf says. According to Hammer, "If any trace lead is present from the use of other minerals, the amounts are small enough not to worry about."

"Chemical" is for "Colorants": "Cosmetic colorants are strictly regulated by the FDA and have been determined to be safe for use at the levels found in cosmetics," Hammer says. "Some individuals may experience particular sensitivity to certain ones, for example FD&C Yellow #4"

"Substances" is for "Sodium Lauryl Sulfate": "It's just internet paranoia," says Hammer. "This is a very effective surfactant, in many cases derived from coconut, used in shampoo, body wash, even in toothpaste. " Graf adds that, despite the rumors, sodium lauryl sulfate "is not linked to cancer."

Beginner's Guide To Homeowner's Insurance

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:57:00 +0000

Insurance. Do your eyes glaze over just reading the word? It may not be the most thrilling subject, but it's essential for new homebuyers to understand the nuts and bolts of their homeowners insurance. Virtually all mortgage lenders require insurance coverage to protect their investment. If the house you live in is destroyed, the real owners - and in most cases, that's the bank - would suffer a huge monetary loss if not for insurance. You don't even have to "own" your home to need homeowners insurance; many landlords require their tenants to have coverage. But whether it's required or not, it's smart to have this kind of protection anyway. We'll take it step by step as we walk you through the basics of this type of policy.

What the Policy Provides
The elements of a standard homeowners insurance policy provide that the insurer will cover costs related to:

Damage to the interior or exterior of your house - In the event of damage due to fire, hurricanes, lightning, vandalism or other covered disasters, your insurer will compensate you so that your house can be repaired or even completely rebuilt. Damage that is the result of floods, earthquakes and poor home maintenance is generally not covered and may require separate riders to provide that protection.
Loss or damage to your personal belongings - Clothing, furniture, appliance, and most of the other contents of your home are covered if they're destroyed in an insured disaster. You can even get "off-premises" coverage, so you could file a claim for lost jewelry, for example - no matter where in the world you lost it. There may be a limit on the amount your insurer will reimburse you. Even if your Rolex or mink coat is damaged at home, there will be a limit on the coverage for that, too - unless you purchase a separate "floater" policy that insures the item for its full appraised value.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, most insurance companies will provide coverage for 50-70% of the amount of insurance you have on the structure of your home. If your house is insured for $200,000, there would be up to about $140,000 worth of coverage for your possessions - would this be enough for you? In order to answer this question, you would need to have a list of all your possessions and their value, also called a "home inventory". You can download free home inventory software at www.knowyourstuff.org that allows you to make a simple list of your belongings room by room; the software also provides lists of items that are typically found in certain rooms as a base of reference.

Personal liability for damage or injuries caused by you or your family - This clause even includes your pets! So, if frisky Fido bites your neighbor Doris, no matter where the bite happens to occur, your insurer will pay her medical bills. Or, if Junior breaks her Oriental vase, you can file a claim to reimburse her. And if Doris slips on the broken vase pieces and successfully sues for pain and suffering or lost wages? You'll be covered for that, too, same as if someone is injured on the premises of your home or property. While policies start in the range of $100,000 coverage, experts recommend having at least $300,000 worth of coverage according to the Insurance Information Institute. For extra protection, a few hundred dollars more in premium may buy you an extra $1 million or more through "umbrella coverage".
Hotel or house rental while your home is being rebuilt or repaired - It's unlikely you'll ever need this protection, but if you do find yourself in this situation, it will undoubtedly be the best coverage you ever purchased. If your house has been completely destroyed or is so damaged that it's uninhabitable, you may need to rent another house or live in a hotel until it's repaired or rebuilt. This portion of homeowners coverage would reimburse you for the cost of rent, hotel, restaurant meals and other incidental costs because you were unable to live in your house. Before you book a suite at the Ritz-Carlton and order caviar from room service, however, keep in mind that policies impose strict daily and total limits - but, of course, you can expand those daily limits if you're willing to pay more in coverage.

Different Types of Coverage
All insurance is definitely not created equal or, put another way, you get what you pay for. The least costly homeowners insurance will likely give you the least amount of coverage, and vice versa. There are essentially three levels of coverage:

Actual cash value - This value covers the house plus the value of your belongings after deducting depreciation (i.e., how much the items are currently worth, not how much you paid for them).
Replacement cost - This is the actual cash value without the deduction for depreciation, so you would be able to repair or rebuild your home up to the original value.
Guaranteed (or extended) replacement cost - The most comprehensive, this inflation-buffer pays for whatever it costs to repair or build your home - even if it's more than your policy limit! Certain insurers offer extended replacement, meaning it offers more coverage than you purchased, but there is a ceiling; typically, it is 20-25% higher than the limit.

How Much Does It Cost?
The average yearly premium cost for U.S. homeowners insurance in 2005 was $764, according to a study by the Insurance Information Institute, but premiums vary widely and depend on multiple factors. First, of course, price will be determined by how much coverage you buy, a decision you can only make after evaluating the market value of your house, completing a household inventory, and deciding how much liability protection you want.

Other variables that need to be considered include your zip code. If you live in a high-crime area, for example, insurance premiums will be higher. Companies also take into account the size of your house, how close it is to a fire hydrant, the condition of your plumbing, heating and electrical systems, how many claims were filed against the home you're seeking to insure, and even details like your credit score that reflect on how responsible a consumer - and, therefore, a homeowner - you are.

No matter what initial price you're quoted, you'll want to do a little comparison shopping. And don't forget there are many other ways to slash costs, such as raising deductible levels, buying multiple policies from the same insurer, getting all available discounts (for security devices, such as burglar alarms, for example), checking for group coverage options through credit or trade unions, employers, or association memberships, and boosting your credit score.

Selecting an Insurance Company
Price is important, but it is not the only or even the most important factor. When it comes to insurance, you want to make sure you are going with a provider that is legitimate and creditworthy. Before you sign on the dotted line, first contact your state's insurance department to make sure the company is licensed, as all insurers are required to be. Second, check its financial strength by going to websites of the top credit agencies (ex. A.M.Best, Moody's, Standard & Poor's) and searching their financials. Finally, consider asking relatives, friends and coworkers for referrals. It always makes sense to benefit from the experiences of others, so ask someone you know who has filed a claim about an insurer's customer service representatives, the speed with which a claim was appraised, processed and paid, in addition to your friend's general level of satisfaction with the insurer.

Conclusion
As with all insurance policies, they are under-appreciated until they are needed, and then they quickly become a godsend. Getting yourself set up with a comprehensive homeowners policy can go a long way toward making your home truly a place of comfort and security.

Source: Yahoo

Swine flu is windfall for some top tourism spots

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:42:00 +0000

The cruise Zenaiva Cervantes booked was to stop in sun-drenched beach cities on the Mexican Riviera. The cruise she took? That landed her in Seattle, where she pulled her arms tightly to her chest as she debarked on a damp, 50-degree morning.

"We wanted to relax in the warmth," the 61-year-old Tijuana, Mexico, resident said in Spanish Thursday. "If someone had told me I'd be in Seattle eight days ago, I wouldn't have believed them."

At the peak of the swine flu outbreak, major cruise operators Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. -- desperate to avoid passenger illness and lost revenue -- decided to reroute Mexico voyages until mid-June.

So even though fear has receded, once-sun-seeking passengers like Cervantes are finding themselves in San Francisco, Seattle and Victoria, British Columbia, in Canada. Cruise companies are compensating passengers for the switch with onboard credit plus vouchers for a future cruise. Passengers also had the choice to stay home and get a full refund, but most passengers are choosing to travel when they planned, the cruise lines said.

What they're losing in sunshine and tan lines, their new destinations are gaining in millions of dollars of business. In San Francisco, the 16 additional swine flu-related landings will boost the year's port traffic 31 percent and bring 49,000 new visitors, said Michael Nerney, San Francisco's maritime marketing manager. Each call could mean $1 million in sales for city businesses and together they'll produce $500,000 in revenue for the port.

"This is highly unusual -- shocking, really -- as the cruise lines set their sailing schedules 12 to 18 months in advance, and even minor changes are rare," Nerney said.

The great number of alternative ports in the Caribbean makes it far easier to swap stops there. Instead of Cozumel in Mexico, companies are opting for Ocho Rios or Montego Bay in Jamaica, Nassau or Freeport in the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands' St. Thomas, St. Maarten or Key West, Fla., or points across the Caymans and Turks and Caicos.

The Bahamas is happily awaiting diverted ships. Customs receives $15 for each passenger, and island clothing and jewelry shops, bars and cafes depend on tourist dollars, said tourism minister Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace said.

Analysts think the benefits may be fleeting for these ports because the outbreak hasn't been severe.

"I think it's a short-term bump that may already be dissipating," said Michael McCall, a hospitality research fellow and lecturer at Cornell University.

Jan Freitag, vice president of global development at Smith Travel Research, noted that, in addition to swine flu, Mexico travel has been affected by fear of heightened drug violence in border states. He sees business travel to Mexico remaining steady and swine flu having minimal impact on leisure traffic unless the virus worsens.

Hotel operators are seeing travelers postpone plans. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts said virtually all guests booked at two of their Mexico resorts in late April and early May will come a few months later instead. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. expected the flu to cost it $4 million to $5 million in revenue but said it could recover much of it from guests rebooked at its U.S. or Caribbean resorts.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says only 10 percent of infected Americans picked up the virus in Mexico, not one-third as previously estimated. But it maintains its warning against nonessential travel to Mexico.

Michael Crye, vice president of technology and regulatory affairs for the Cruise Lines International Association, called that restriction damaging and unnecessary, because areas hit hardest by the flu's spread are inland and the flu season is almost over.

Crye pointed to lessons learned from several rounds of bad publicity after gastrointestinal illnesses like the "Norwalk" virus broke out and said new passenger screenings ensure ships don't help spread the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu.

"We believe ... we've got a good story to tell, and that you're probably at less risk going ahead with your destination than you would be in virtually any other public place," Crye said.

Eric Brey, head of the Center for Resort and Hospitality Business at the University of Memphis, predicted tourists would have no problem returning quickly to Mexico.

"Outside of this summer, I don't see it being that big a deal," Brey said.

In Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, a place hit hard as tourism has fallen amid the recession, it is usually quiet this time of year. But taxies zipped abundantly by the docks last week.

"(The swine flu) is a good problem for us," said Edward Thomas, CEO of the West Indian Company Dock.

Despite the lack of sunshine, Cervantes, her husband and the thousands of other passengers who ended up in the Pacific Northwest with them enjoyed Seattle's blocks of boutiques and Pike Place Market, where vendors famously sling fish.

"We thought we'd be in our bikinis and bathing suits," said Philipe Tabet, a 53-year-old restaurateur from Albuquerque, N.M., traveling with his wife. "We just had to pack a little bit different, that's all. Unpack, and pack again."

Associated Press Writer Manuel Valdes contributed to this report from Seattle; Judi Shimel contributed from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Juan McCartney contributed from the Bahamas.

Five Secrets of Successful Job Hunters

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Completing a 26-mile marathon race shares some characteristics with a successful job search.

There is one "winner" who crosses the finish line first. There are the many who quit before they've completed the race. Finally, there are the rest of us who don't finish first, but are determined to complete the race nevertheless.

For most of us, half the battle is finishing the race, regardless of where we place among the finishers. The same goes for a job search.

The Five Secrets

1. Visualize. Marathon runners and other goal-directed athletes are great at visualization. They set a goal and see themselves achieving it. The same applies for your job search. Set a goal and see yourself achieving it. No matter how many setbacks you have, hold that vision of the job you want. Continue to hold it.

Focus on the outcome you want, and not on how you're going to achieve it. Picture it in your mind. Be specific. What is your supervisor like? How about your co-workers? What is your workspace like? What hours do you work? Including your right brain in the imagination and visualization process enhances the achievement of your goal.

2. Be Persistent. Just as in running a marathon, nothing worth having is ever easy to achieve. There is a lot of rejection in job search. Sometimes it seems as if you'll never get a "yes." Remember what good sales people already know: that winning a sale, a job, or any other goal is a numbers game. Commission sales people will tell you that every "no" is one step closer to a "yes." When you can see your process from a more objective viewpoint, knowing that you're one more rejection closer to a "yes," you'll be less inclined to take the "no's" personally or get discouraged.

3. Replenish Yourself. The job search process, like a marathon race, can be an endurance test with a lot of disappointments and setbacks. It can also go on for weeks, months, and for some people, even a year or more. If you're going to outlast this process and prevail, you have to take care of yourself. This means taking time to relax to take your mind off the challenges, frustrations and rejections. Work hard on your job search, then take time out to exercise and pursue activities that bring you joy and replenish you.

4. Inoculate Yourself Against Negative Messages. Succeeding at a job search is a mental process, and negative input from anywhere can poison your mental outlook and encourage fear, discouragement, anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions. Associate with positive people and protect yourself from all types of negativity.

A job search can be a big undertaking. You need all of the assets and advantages that you can possibly bring to the party. You can't afford to be exposed to the negativity of others. This includes friends, relatives, and negative articles in newspapers and magazines as well as negative TV shows. Make a point of reading books and articles that motivate, encourage, and inspire you.

5. Meditate. This can be the most important secret, yet it can be very simple. Take some time every day to be still and to get away from the "white noise" of life. Whether you are a spiritual person or not, commit to some quiet time away from the noise of TV, radio, and other distractions. Give yourself the gift of quietness to contemplate, calm down, and center yourself. Even five minutes of quiet time can make a positive difference in your life. It will ground you and make it easier to face and overcome the stresses of your job search journey ahead.

As with successful marathoners, job hunters have some secret tactics that make their success look easy to others. Winning the job search game has a mental component. Developing the above five winning secret tactics will enhance your chances of success, and make the process more pleasant and less stressful.

Buying a new car: 5 steps to getting the best price

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:20:00 +0000

Ideally, a dealership should help you find the right vehicle at a fair price. But some dealers place more emphasis on their profit margins than on satisfying their customers. When buying a car, keep your interests front and center--and avoid common pitfalls that can cost you extra money--by following these tips:

1. Do your homework.
Many dealerships prey on the unprepared. Going into a showroom “cold”--without having gathered key facts and preliminary pricing figures--gives the salesperson too much control over the buying process.

Thoroughly research your choices. Read a variety of reviews. Check the reliability, safety, fuel economy, and pricing of any models you're considering. And don't wait until the day you plan to buy to test drive the vehicles.

If you have a trade-in, know its approximate worth. That will depend on the vehicle's age, condition, mileage, and equipment, as well as where you trade it in. You can get an idea of your trade-in's value at auto-pricing Web sites or with CR's Used Car Price Reports. Focus on your car's wholesale, or “trade-in,” price; the retail price is what you'd expect to get if you were selling it yourself.

2. Don't assume that the sticker price is the purchase price.
To get the lowest price, go in with a starting price that's based not on the sticker price but on how much the dealer paid for the vehicle. The dealer invoice price is commonly available on Web sites and in pricing guides. But the invoice price isn't necessarily what the dealer paid. There are often behind-the-scenes bonuses, such as dealer incentives and holdbacks, that give the dealer more profit margin.

You can find sales-incentive information at some auto-pricing Web sites, or in CR' New Car Price Reports or New Car Buying Kit. These CR services include the CR Wholesale Price, which factors in the dealer invoice, holdback, and any incentives or rebates to give you a close approximation of the dealer's real cost. A reasonable price to start negotiations is either 4 to 8 percent over what the dealer paid or the CR Wholesale Price, depending on the demand for the model.

You can also check the quotes at auto-buying Web sites such as the ones listed below. The services are free, and you aren't under any obligation to buy. Keep in mind, however, that you can often get a lower price through effective negotiation at a dealership.

3. Negotiate one thing at one time.
Salespeople like to mix financing, leasing, and trade-in negotiations together, often asking you to negotiate around a monthly payment figure. This tactic gives the dealer more latitude to offer you a favorable figure in one area while inflating figures in another.

Make clear that you want the lowest possible markup over your starting price. Add that you intend to visit other dealerships selling the same vehicle and will buy from the dealer with the best price.

Only after you've settled on the price should you discuss financing, leasing, or a trade-in, as necessary. Negotiate each item individually. Remember, you're in charge and can leave at any time. Heading for the door can sometimes jump-start a slow-moving negotiation or bring a lower offer.

4. Arrange financing in advance.
Compare interest rates at several banks, credit unions, and loan organizations before checking the dealer's rates. If preapproved for a loan, you can keep financial arrangements out of the negotiations. Automakers may offer attractive financing terms, but make sure you qualify for them. Otherwise, the salesperson may try to sign you up for a higher rate than you could get elsewhere.

5. Don't pay for extras you don't need.
Dealers often try to sell you extras such as rustproofing, fabric protection, and paint protectant, or push etching your Vehicle Identification Number on windows to deter thieves.

Don't accept those unnecessary services and fees. If the items are on the bill of sale, put a line through them. Vehicle bodies are already coated to protect against rust. And CR reliability surveys show that rust is not a major problem with modern cars. You can treat upholstery and apply paint protectant yourself with good off-the-shelf products. Source: Yahoo.com

How to Approach Hair Loss in Women

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Hair is considered one of the most defining aspects of human appearance. Hair loss, or alopecia, in women is often met with significant emotional distress and anxiety (Cash, Price, & Savin, 1993). Clinicians play a key role in providing women with a thorough evaluation, a specific diagnosis, evidence-based treatment options, and counseling. In this review article, a systematic approach to history taking, examination, and diagnosis of hair loss is provided. Specific types of hair loss are discussed in the context of disturbances of the hair cycle, damage to the hair shaft, and disorders affecting the follicle. Lastly, recommendations for effectively counseling women with hair loss are provided.

Hair is considered one of the most defining aspects of hu man appearance. Through out history, hair length, style, and color have been used to make statements about virility, sexuality, religion, military status, and more. Alopecia, or hair loss, is a common and distressing problem and is often met with feelings of grief and a lost sense of "self" (Cash et al., 1993). Women with alopecia must not only face the loss of their hair, but they often feel isolated, embarrassed to seek care, and may be frustrated by misdiagnosis or poor treatment options. Clinicians play a key role in providing women with a thorough evaluation, a specific diagnosis, evidence-based treatment options, and counseling.

During our lifetime, each hair follicle undergoes continuous cycles of growth (anagen), resorption (catagen), and rest (telogen). The portion of hair that is seen is called the hair shaft. That which is below the surface of skin is the follicle. Hair loss can occur due to disturbances of the hair cycle, damage to the hair shaft, or disorders affecting the follicle. A systematic approach to the patient with hair loss will enable the clinician to classify and diagnose the hair problem accurately in the majority of cases. The correct diagnosis is based on a detailed history, physical examination, and in some cases, scalp biopsy and pertinent laboratory tests. With the appropriate diagnosis, proper patient counseling and treatment can be initiated (Han & Mirmirani, 2006).

More article ....

Tips To Protect Yourself From Credit Card Fraud

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:56:00 +0000

Credit card fraud is a serious problem and is a leading cause of identity theft. Credit card fraud is on the rise. Thieves, con-men and scam artists steal credit card numbers and make millions of dollars of purchases, often before consumers are even aware that there’s a problem.

Because credit card fraud is so common in today’s society, we must take every step we can to secure our credit cards and information. Here are some simple things to keep in mind:

• Make sure you always know where your credit cards are. Don’t let them lie around, or lend them to other people. Also, be careful what you do with your credit card receipts, as they often contain your complete credit card number.

• Open credit card statements promptly and check for any suspicious charges. If your issuer provide online account access, use that facility to regularly keep up to date on activities on your card.

• Call to activate and sign your credit cards as soon as you receive them.

• Keep a list of all your credit card numbers, expiration dates, customer service numbers and addresses. Keep this list in a secure place and keep it up to date.

• A large percentage of credit card fraud is caused by retail sales employees who handle card numbers. Be careful of who you hand your card to, and don’t let it out of your sight if at all possible.

• Never give your credit card information out over the phone, unless you initiated the call or is very certain who you are talking to.

• Be careful with your online purchases. Before entering any personal information on a website, verify that the website is secure. Do that by checking the status bar at the bottom of your browser, somewhere on there it’ll show the symbol of a closed lock to indicate that the website is secure and your information will be encrypted. That means that outside parties will not be able to read the information you’re sending.

Credit card fraud is a major problem faced by online businesses and merchants. It is costing them millions of dollars in losses, charge backs and processing fees every year. It is estimated that half of all credit card fraud is conducted online.
For that reason, if you have an online business, protecting yourself is vital. You have to implement every form of protection offered by your credit card gateway and merchant account holder.
Credit card fraud is clearly a very broad topic of discussion and one that we all need to take seriously.

Brain control headset for gamers

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:51:00 +0000

Gamers will soon be able to interact with the virtual world using their thoughts and emotions alone.

A neuro-headset which interprets the interaction of neurons in the brain will go on sale later this year.

"It picks up electrical activity from the brain and sends wireless signals to a computer," said Tan Le, president of US/Australian firm Emotiv.

"It allows the user to manipulate a game or virtual environment naturally and intuitively," she added.

The brain is made up of about 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons, which emit an electrical impulse when interacting. The headset implements a technology known as non-invasive electroencephalography (EEG) to read the neural activity.

Ms Le said: "Emotiv is a neuro-engineering company and we've created a brain computer interface that reads electrical impulses in the brain and translates them into commands that a video game can accept and control the game dynamically."

Headsets which read neural activity are not new, but Ms Le said the Epoc was the first consumer device that can be used for gaming.

"This is the first headset that doesn't require a large net of electrodes, or a technician to calibrate or operate it and does require gel on the scalp," she said. "It also doesn't cost tens of thousands of dollars."

The use of Electroencephalography in medical practice dates back almost 100 years but it is only since the 1970s that the procedure has been used to explore brain computer interfaces.The Epoc technology can be used to give authentic facial expressions to avatars of gamers in virtual worlds. For example, if the player smiles, winks, grimaces the headset can detect the expression and translate it to the avatar in game.

It can also read emotions of players and translate those to the virtual world. "The headset could be used to improve the realism of emotional responses of AI characters in games," said Ms Le.

"If you laughed or felt happy after killing a character in a game then your virtual buddy could admonish you for being callous," she explained.

The $299 headset has a gyroscope to detect movement and has wireless capabilities to communicate with a USB dongle plugged into a computer.

The Emotiv said the headset could detects more than 30 different expressions, emotions and actions.

They include excitement, meditation, tension and frustration; facial expressions such as smile, laugh, wink, shock (eyebrows raised), anger (eyebrows furrowed); and cognitive actions such as push, pull, lift, drop and rotate (on six different axis).

Gamers are able to move objects in the world just by thinking of the action.

Emotiv is working with IBM to develop the technology for uses in "strategic enterprise business markets and virtual worlds"

Paul Ledak, vice president, IBM Digital Convergence said brain computer interfaces, like the Epoc headset were an important component of the future 3D Internet and the future of virtual communication.

By Darren Waters
Technology editor, BBC News website, San Francisco

Guide to Finding Home-Business Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:43:00 +0000

Technology has made starting a successful home business easier than ever. With a computer equipped with Internet access, an email program and an all-in-one fax-printer-copier, you can launch a home business and serve customers located just about anywhere in the world.

When choosing a home-business opportunity, ask yourself:

1. Is there a legitimate need for this product or service? Will people buy it?
2. Do I have a genuine interest in this product or service? If you don't, pick something you love to do, as it may be difficult to motivate yourself when the couch, the refrigerator and the TV set are just feet away.
3. Can I afford the startup costs involved in setting up my home office or buying equipment?

Action StepsThe best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Familiarize yourself with trade groups that offer home-business opportunities

Some home-business trade, advocacy or networking groups that offer startup tips and deals on services such as marketing and health insurance also list home-business opportunities.

I recommend: Check out the Home Office Association of America, the National Association for the Self-Employed and the Mother's Home Business Network for tips on starting and running a home business as well as business opportunities. The National Small Business Association is a helpful business advocacy group.

Be wary of Internet offers promising easy wealth

The Internet is rife with bogus home-business get-rich-quick offers. Three common scams: envelope stuffing, home-assembly and pyramid schemes. Avoid opportunities that ask for substantial up-front money before you can get started.

I recommend: Learn about common home-business Internet scams by accessing this SEC scam page. Also review Internet Fraud Watch and the Scam-Free Zone.

Research a company before you agree to work for it

Do your due diligence on a company before beginning work. See whether complaints have been lodged against it. Also check to see whether it is a legal entity.

I recommend: Find out what questions to ask to determine whether an opportunity is legitimate at Work At Home Business. Research whether there are complaints lodged against the company at your local Better Business Bureau.

Read, read, read

Learn about home-business offers and success stories by subscribing to a trade publication or reading a popular book on starting your business at home.

I recommend: Home Business Magazine dispenses advice and lists opportunities. Read the books Start Your Own Home Business in No Time and Work-at-Home Sourcebook, which includes details on more than 1,000 opportunities.

Invest in the right software

The difference between profit and loss can be small in a home business, especially at startup. Once you find the right home-business opportunity, keep track of your expenses and your orders with the proper software, from a mail-order management program to accounting software.

I recommend: Manage mail, Web and phone orders with Mail Order Manager. Handle home-business accounting with 2020 Software or Quicken. Find home-business solutions through NetSuite.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
* Designate a particular space in your home for your office — a separate room dedicated exclusively to your business. Not only will it help you be more diligent in your approach; it also makes it easier to meet tax laws governing the deduction of the value of that space.
* Set regular hours for each work day, and make sure you stick to that schedule.
* Be particularly careful in making financial outlays for your new venture. Put off as many business purchases as you can until your customers or clients start paying you.

How To Set Up A Shopping Cart

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:19:00 +0000

Mistakes in designing and configuring a shopping cart can result in abandoned shopping carts, customers leaving in frustration, and lost income. Most ecommerce owners never think of configuring the site when buying it. They just look at the images and graphics. They want easy to understand stats, and a site that is easy to build.

It isn’t until the site sits on the web for months, and the sales are dismal, that these ecommerce business owners start looking at the site from the customer’s point-of-view.

Action Buttons

The buttons that ask customers to take action are vita. They should be easy to configure, unfortunately, the free and open-source shoppi9ng carts rarely let users alter their buttons.

The Add To Cart button is the most vital. There should be an option to save the user’s email address, so the shopping cart can be saved until a future visit. The Add to Cart button must be in an obvious place, be a bright color, and be easy to use.

A “Buy Now” button lets customers escape once they make a selection. Many people hit a site to buy one thing. The buy now, and add to cart, may both take the visitor to the same web page, but it is a matter of perception.

The action buttons should encourage the visitors to do something. Do not let them flip through sites. If they are not ready to buy, then give them the option of looking for more information, a better picture, or view more stats and comparative prices for the product.

Customer’s Personal Information

The first reaction to a long personal information form is to abandon the shopping cart. The shopping cart is not a mailing list builder.

The best time to collect information is on the shipping form. If you want to ask the customer to join the company’s mailing list, or request marketing information, then invite them to participate in a marketing survey before they reach the shopping cart.

The old belief that ‘they are so far through the process that they would rather answer questions than abandon the cart’ is a drastic mistake. Today’s consumers are more likely to abandon their carts ‘as an act of revenge’ than they are to risk being the victim of a phishing or identity theft scam.

Keep the forms short. Consumers are frustrated when asked questions such as ‘how did you hear about us,’ and ‘do you want to join our newsletter.’

Reliability and Credibility

Credibility is vital. Unfortunately, the ‘about us’ page often receives the least attention by business owners.
Today’s online consumers are wary of phishing and identity theft scams. They are being taught to check out the company, make sure they are legitimate.

- There are a few ways to build credibility.
- Add the address of the business
- Add photos of your place of business.
- Include a telephone number
- Include a live chat
- blog about the company, improvements, and community information

are also good customer service tools. Many sites include SLL or other security images on each page, to remind consumers that their information is safe.

A disclosure statement promising that the consumer’s information is safe and will not be sold to mailing list companies will help calm consumer’s fears.

The most important step is to make sure each level of the shopping cart has the same domain name, and templates. If the customer is being sent ‘off site’ then post a warning, and tell the consumer that you value their security and are hosting your shopping cart on a safe site.

Check Out Process

The check out process on most shopping carts is confusing. The consumer clicks ‘check out’ and end up on a personal information form, leaving them confused, wondering if they are in the right place. Or, they must wade through as many as five pages before reaching the Confirmation Page.

Shopping carts should be configured to tell customers the check out process, where they are in the process, and what will happen next. The most common method is by using the step-by-step method to track the customer’s progress.

This method includes ‘call-to-action’ buttons or phrases. These phrases are also used as Call to Action page titles such as Check out now, Make Payment, Arrange Shipping, Final Step.

Each is designed to reinforce the ‘decision to buy’ message by promising quick delivery, a guarantee, posting a HackerSafe or VeriSign seal on the page, and making the shopping experience as painless as possible.

The last step is the Confirm Order Page. This page should have a prominent ‘Buy Now’ button. Let the customer know that they are only one step from a purchase.

Tips To Starting A Home Business

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:15:00 +0000

When you are starting a home business, there are always going to be questions that you have and there are always going to be points that you want to be sure you are hitting. Starting a business can be very tricky and there are a few things that you need to be sure you have before you start. The first thing you need for a home business is a good and solid business plan. You have to be sure you know exactly what you are doing for your business and you have to be sure that you know how you are going to earn your money.

Your business plan should be easy to read, complete and should not leave any questions. Remember that in the plan you should have laid out exactly what your home business is all about. Remember, in order to be in business, you either have to sell something or provide someone with a service that they will pay for. If you can do either one of these two things, you can have a home business. Your home business plan must make this very clear.

The next thing that you need for a home business is space to run it. This is going to depend on the type of business you have and what exactly you are doing with it. If you are going to be having a business that requires you to have a lot of room to store things or to create products, you are going to want to make sure that you have this room. On the other hand, if your business can all be done from your computer, you do not need as much room.

However, no matter what kind of workspace you need for your business, you have to make sure that you have it and also that this space is actually going to allow your business to thrive. Having a business is not always easy, so you want to be sure that you are having the right kind of space. It is always going to be easier if the space you have for your home business is not space that you use for anything else. This will make it much easier to have your business and to have it be a business that you can get behind.

Another important thing that you want to remember is that your home business needs to have a good marketing strategy. This is one of the most important things that you will have for your business, because if you are not able to market yourself, you will find that you really do not have the business that you need. This is something that is going to be very important, so you want to be sure that as you are marketing your home business, you are giving yourself plenty of room to grow. You always want to be sure that your marketing plan revolves around your success and one of the most important ways that you can do this is to be sure you are growing along with your business.

Top 15 Ways to Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 02:23:00 +0000

Laptops tend to lose their charm quickly when you’re constantly looking for the nearest power outlet to charge up. How do you keep your battery going for as long as possible? Here are 15 easy ways to do so.

1. Defrag regularly - The faster your hard drive does its work - less demand you are going to put on the hard drive and your battery. Make your hard drive as efficient as possible by defragging it regularly. (but not while it’s on battery of course!) Mac OSX is better built to handle fragmentation so it may not be very applicable for Apple systems.

2. Dim your screen - Most laptops come with the ability to dim your laptop screen. Some even come with ways to modify CPU and cooling performance. Cut them down to the lowest level you can tolerate to squeeze out some extra battery juice.

3. Cut down on programs running in the background. Itunes, Desktop Search, etc. All these add to the CPU load and cut down battery life. Shut down everything that isn’t crucial when you’re on battery.

4. Cut down external devices - USB devices (including your mouse) & WiFi drain down your laptop battery. Remove or shut them down when not in use. It goes without saying that charging other devices (like your iPod) with your laptop when on battery is a surefire way of quickly wiping out the charge on your laptop battery.

5. Add more RAM - This will allow you to process more with the memory your laptop has, rather than relying on virtual memory. Virtual memory results in hard drive use, and is much less power efficient. Note that adding more RAM will consume more energy, so this is most applicable if you do need to run memory intensive programs which actually require heavy usage of virtual memory.

6. Run off a hard drive rather than CD/DVD - As power consuming as hard drives are, CD and DVD drives are worse. Even having one in the drive can be power consuming. They spin, taking power, even when they?re not actively being used. Wherever possible, try to run on virtual drives using programs like Alcohol 120% rather than optical ones.

7. Keep the battery contacts clean: Clean your battery’s metal contacts every couple of months with a cloth moistened with rubbing alcohol. This keeps the transfer of power from your battery more efficient.

8. Take care of your battery - Exercise the Battery. Do not leave a charged battery dormant for long periods of time. Once charged, you should at least use the battery at least once every two to three weeks. Also, do not let a Li-On battery completely discharge. (Discharing is only for older batteries with memory effects)

9. Hibernate not standby - Although placing a laptop in standby mode saves some power and you can instantly resume where you left off, it doesn’t save anywhere as much power as the hibernate function does. Hibernating a PC will actually save your PC’s state as it is, and completely shut itself down.

10. Keep operating temperature down - Your laptop operates more efficiently when it’s cooler. Clean out your air vents with a cloth or keyboard cleaner, or refer to some extra tips by LapTopMag.com.

11. Set up and optimize your power options - Go to ‘Power Options’ in your windows control panel and set it up so that power usage is optimized (Select the ‘max battery’ for maximum effect).

12. Don’t multitask - Do one thing at a time when you’re on battery. Rather than working on a spreadsheet, letting your email client run in the background and listening to your latest set of MP3’s, set your mind to one thing only. If you don’t you’ll only drain out your batteries before anything gets completed!

13. Go easy on the PC demands - The more you demand from your PC. Passive activities like email and word processing consume much less power than gaming or playing a DVD. If you’ve got a single battery charge - pick your priorities wisely.

14. Get yourself a more efficient laptop - Laptops are getting more and more efficient in nature to the point where some manufacturers are talking about all day long batteries. Picking up a newer more efficient laptop to replace an aging one is usually a quick fix.

15. Prevent the Memory Effect - If you’re using a very old laptop, you’ll want to prevent the ‘memory effect’ - Keep the battery healthy by fully charging and then fully discharging it at least once every two to three weeks. Exceptions to the rule are Li-Ion batteries (which most laptops have) which do not suffer from the memory effect.

Source Article

Your Printer May Be Hazardous To Your Health

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:50:00 +0000

I've long heard rumors that the fine particulate dust used in laser printer toner cartridges may be a health risk. It certainly makes sense: Not all of that stuff can stick to the paper, and if you've ever spilled toner you know there's no way it can be good for your lungs. Now a controlled study is confirming the information, saying that 30 percent of all laser printers tested emit dangerous particles described as "causing lasting damage on the scale of inhaled cigarette smoke." These tiny particles lodge deep in the lungs and can lead to anything from lung irritation to full-on cancer.

The tests come from an Australian technology university and were conducted in a "large open-plan space," and found that printers could increase particulate matter in the air by up to 400 percent.

While I'm still trying to obtain the list of high vs. low particle emitters from the university, there appears to be a lot of variability among machines and even among different toner cartridges. New cartridges, for example, produce more particle matter than old ones. Printing graphics pages also produces more particle matter than text, since more toner is used, and obviously, air quality gets worse the more pages you spit out. I'll post the full list of printers tested here (or a link to it) as soon as I can obtain one.

The upshot is that printer emissions should potentially be regulated much the way that auto emissions are, but even in the absence of government intervention, use common sense around your printer: Limit use when possible (tell the guy that prints out every single email to cut it out), sequester printers in their own rooms and away from workers, ventilate offices appropriately, and have your own air and printer tested before it becomes a serious health problem.

Source: tech.yahoo.com

How To Travel Green--And Luxe

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 07:44:00 +0000

It's a paradox of modern travel: The beauty of the natural world motivates many a globetrotter to get out the door. Yet our increasing use of trains, automobiles and especially planes can wreak havoc on global ecosystems.

But even as airlines and some hotels try to cut back on energy use, their efforts have limited impact against overall growth in the travel sector. Last year more than 2.1 billion passengers flew, an increase of 4% over 2005, according to the International Civil Aviation Authority.

The number of people taking vacations at sea--mostly on cruise ships--is also increasing, by 47% in the last five years according to the Bluewater Network, an environmental organization. And the World Travel and Tourism Council forecasts that global tourism will grow from a $7.1 trillion industry in 2007 to a $13.2 trillion industry in 2017. "Right now there's such a strong trend toward more people flying that the impact of planes being more efficient hasn't caught up," says Zoë Chafe, an air travel researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental organization. All that activity has enormous economic benefits, to be sure. But as more and more pristine destinations are packaged for mass consumption--Antarctica tours, anyone?--transportation and accommodation, however carefully managed, often leave a footprint where there was none.

Consider a trip to Alaska, where bears, salmon, glaciers and fjords are among the main attractions. A round-trip flight from New York to Anchorage emits 2,632 pounds of carbon dioxide per person, according to TerraPass, a company that offers to offset customers' emissions by funding renewable energy projects. While air travel contributes about 2% of global carbon dioxide emissions blamed for global warming, and in the U.S. air travel uses only 9% of energy consumed by the transportation sector, scientists warn that because the emissions occur high in the atmosphere, they contribute to global warming at two to four times the rate of emissions closer to earth. Cruise ships, meanwhile, a popular means of exploring the Alaskan coast, dump five to seven gallons of sewage per passenger per day into those lovely waters, according to the Bluewater Network. So what's an adventurous environmentalist to do?

Lighter Living
In the hotel and airline industries, change is already under way.
If you're a frequent hotel guest, you've probably come across linen reuse programs, in which hotels give guests the option of using the same towels and sheets for days at a time. And travelers have embraced these sorts of schemes. Pat Maher, senior vice president of engineering at Marriott International (nyse: MAR - news - people ), says that within six months of launching their linen reuse program a year ago, 90% of guests were taking advantage of it. Soon the company is planning to offer recycling bins for newspapers in guest rooms and lobbies, starting in 30 big-city hotels.

Fuel-Efficient Flying
With oil prices volatile, airlines have massive incentive to cut fuel use.

Southwest Airlines (nyse: LUV - news - people ) recently retrofitted its fleet of Boeing 737s with winglets, wing additions that it says reduce annual fuel consumption by 3% per plane. In addition to being eco-friendly, these tweaks benefit the bottom line. "A lot of times environmental efforts make sense from a cost point of view," says Marilee McInnis, a spokeswoman for Southwest Airlines. Industrywide, new aircraft are 20% more fuel efficient than 10 years ago, according to the International Air Travel Association.

One such model: The new Boeing 787 Dreamliner that will start appearing in skies in 2008. Designed of lightweight composite materials, it's designed to burn 20% less fuel than comparable jets, and is proving wildly popular, with 514 already ordered. But the availability of more efficient jets doesn't necessarily mean fewer emissions overall. The Department of Energy's Annual Energy Outlook 2007 points out that regional jets are less efficient than larger jets, and that regional travel is on the rise as companies compete to offer customers more destinations and flights.

What Can You Do?

For individual travelers, the first and most obvious solution is to simply use less energy. "In almost all cases it's more environmentally responsible to use a method of transport other than air" says Chafe, of the Worldwatch Institute. Though she recommends taking a bus, train or group car to destinations, there are a few exceptions: On certain routes, a fully booked flight consumes less energy per person than driving a car alone. She also suggests taking fewer, longer trips. "Put all of your travel time into one trip a year." And, of course, when you get to your destination, use public transportation whenever possible.

You'll also save money and meet more locals. In fact, plenty of energy-saving measures have other benefits as well. In some places train journeys have a lot over air travel: No security lines, better scenery and departures from city centers. If you want to sail the seas, consider that 34 cruise ships had disease outbreaks in 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the biggest ones will soon carry 5,400 passengers. Instead of a floating city, why not opt for wind power and go for a sailboat vacation instead? Changing habits is never easy. But as we circle the world at an ever more manic pace, we might as well make sure there's going to be something left to see.

Microsoft in discussions to set up innovation centre in Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:49:00 +0000

Dubai: The local IT industry should receive a boost from new initiatives from the public and private sector.

Microsoft Gulf said it is talks with Dubai Government to set up a Microsoft Innovation Centre. The centre would be a partnership between academia, the public sector and the private sector.

The theme would be "digital lifestyle", and sponsor applications for digital homes, digital communities and the digital city, according to Vimal Sethi, developer and platform group director at Microsoft Gulf.

Recently Microsoft set up a similar centre in Kuwait focusing on government services.

"We are the final stages of conversations and many parties are involved," Sethi said.
The reasons for the lack of innovation locally are many. The low levels of venture capital (VC) funding for IT - ironic in a high liquidity market such as the Gulf - is exacerbated by a lack of awareness among college students, Sethi said.

"If you say VC, most students have no idea what you are talking about," he said.

Also, recent reports have warned that the fear of failure is another impediment to the growth of entrepreneurship.

"The UAE does not lack entrepreneurial capacity, it lacks entrepreneurial confidence and formal financial support facilities," noted a report called The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2006.

"The common stereotype of entrepreneurial activity within the UAE is that things are 'booming,'" the report stated. "However, this is a strong misconception and could not be further from reality."

"News of failure in an enterprise may well quickly permeate the close knit national community," it continued. Instead, "avoiding the risk of failure by not starting up a new enterprise seems to be the option of choice."

Sure to have an impact is the recent $10 billion education endowment from Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

In a May announcement, he described "knowledge-based" sprouting in the UAE and surrounding countries, and that spending on scientific research should be boosted.

The endowment should nurture a new generation of young businesspeople, said Charbel Fakhoury, general manager of Microsoft Gulf. "If you ask anyone in the Gulf, the greatest challenge today is staffing," he said.

India, Kuwait reach deal on aviation row

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:45:00 +0000

DUBAI: India and Kuwait have reached an agreement on resolving a dispute on air traffic rights, over which the gulf state had threatened to stop Indian national carriers flying there from today. Just before the expiry of the deadline, an MoU was signed last night by the civil aviation authorities of the two countries in Kuwait city after a marathon negotiations lasting three days, Indian ambassador to Kuwait M Ganapthi said.

Ganapthi said after the MoU was signed that the flight services between the two countries will continue freely and unhindered, much to the benefit of the thousands of passengers who were fearing a disruptions in services between the two countries. He said the talks were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere and the final result shows the depth of the relations between the two countries. "From the passenger and public view point, the MoU has been a big success," he added.

The points in agreement include additional 4,000 seat taking the total to 12,000 seats in each directions, but the fifth freedom destinations will apply to the earlier 8,000 seats. India has agreed to allow Kuwait carriers to operate flights to Hyderabad, Kolkata (both with immediate effect) and Bangalore (from the winter 2008 schedule).

The spat began when Kuwait decided to stop Indian carriers from flying into the country from July 1. In a bid to break the deadlock, a high-level Indian delegation comprising civil aviation ministry joint secretary R K Singh and representatives of A-I and IA arrived in Kuwait on Thursday and since then talks continued.

The agreement, reached between the Kuwait and Indian governments, would be a relief to thousands of passengers, booked on both Indian and Kuwait airlines, ending the uncertainty over their travel plans. The Indian delegation left for the country early today. Meanwhile, Air India regional director Freddie Vaz and Indian regional director Abhay Pathak have both said they would operate the flights from Kuwait as scheduled.

Mitsui to build $1.3 bln power, desalination facility in Kuwait; 750 megawatts of power daily

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 06:06:00 +0000

TOKYO (KUNA): Japan’s second-biggest trading house Mitsui Co said Tuesday it has won a $1.3 billion order from the Kuwait government to build a power and desalination plant at Shuaiba about 50 kilometers south of Kuwait City. Mitsui has received an unofficial notice from Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water, the firm said in a statement, adding that a formal agreement will be sealed in July, with the facility slated to go into operation as early as 2010. The project is one of Mitsui’s largest infrastructure orders in the Middle East.

Construct
The Tokyo-based trading giant will construct a cogeneration facility in which power is first generated through gas turbines and then exhaust heat spins stream turbines to generate more power. It will also build a desalination plant that boils seawater using exhaust heat from the steam turbines. The facility will have an output capacity of 750 megawatts of power, enough to supply the equivalent of some 300,000 households. It will also be able to produce about 200,000 tons of water daily, according to Mitsui. The Japanese firm will be the lead contractor in the full-turnkey project, and handle overall planning, procurement, engineering and installation. It plans to order the power generation equipment from South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering Construction Co and desalination equipment from Italian engineering firm Fisia Italimpianti. Mitsui has recently won projects in Abu Dhabi and Jordan for power generation plants, as well as a railway construction project in Saudi Arabia. A contract is to be signed between Kuwait and the second largest commercial company in Japan (Mitsui Company) toward the building of a power-generation station and a water desalination plant in the Shuaiba industrial region, south of Kuwait, announced in Kuwait City on Tuesday by Minister of Electricity and Water Muhammad Al-Olaim.

Project
The mega project will have the capacity of producing 750 megawatts of power and 45,000 gallons of water daily. The contract has been sent to the State Audit Bureau for routine procedural examination before final approval. The building of this project comes at a time when the country is facing some shortages in both power and water.

Aromasteam Portable Steam Cabinets

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:51:00 +0000

The alternative to a dry heat sauna is a luxurious steambath in your own personal steam cabinet. Whether you require a portable steam cabinet or a built-in steam room solution, Sauna Warehouse has a unit that is right for your house.

Sauna Warehouse is proud to offer the Aromasteam cabinet. This one person portable unit reaches a maximum temperature of 120 degrees and assembles in minutes. Aromasteam cabinets will relax stiff joints and muscles, deeply cleanse your skin, help eliminate toxins, boost your immune system, and reduce stress.

about First Aid Kit

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:43:00 +0000

Every office, factory, home and school should have an accessible first-aid box. It is readily available in shops but you can use a tin or card board box at home as your first aid box.
Following are the common stuff you should have in your first aid box.

First-aid book.
Sterile adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
Small roll of absorbent gauze or gauze pads of different sizes
Adhesive tape
Triangular and roller bandages
Cotton (1 roll)
Band-aids (Plasters)
Scissors
Pen torch
Latex gloves (2 pair)
Tweezers
Needle
Moistened towels and clean dry cloth pieces.
Antiseptic (Savlon or dettol)
Thermometer
Tube of petroleum jelly or other lubricant
Assorted sizes of safety pins
Cleansing agent/soap

Non-prescription drugs
Aspirin or paracetamol pain relievers
Anti-diarrhea medication
Antihistamine cream for Bee Stings.
Antacid (for stomach upset)
Laxative

Keep your first aid kit where it is easily accessible. Replace drugs whenever they reach the expiry date.

Summer Preparedness: It's About More Than Sunscreen

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:30:00 +0000

Hey, summer is almost here. And while many of you are thinking about barbecues, beach parties, and sipping cocktails poolside, I'm worrying about whether you're carrying enough insurance just in case something goes wrong.
Just as in driving, when planning your finances you have to learn to be defensive. Great asset allocations, high-flying mutual funds, and perfectly structured portfolios won't save you if you get sued. And while the mere word "insurance" makes some people cringe, it might not seem so bad if you can find ways to protect your family and save money at the same time

CRM Solution Software Guide

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:22:00 +0000

Successful SFA, or CRM solution software and implementation begins with a comprehensive project domain specification. This is comprised of four major components:
a well-defined list of goals to be achieved by using the planned system
a prioritized user requirements description,
a system environment specification detailing how, and from where, information flows into and out of the planned system, and
a well-organized Request for Proposal (RFP) that effectively documents these requirements to vendors.
The RFP must be done correctly since it will affect almost all subsequent steps in the CRM software system solution process. Many complex tasks must be performed to:

prepare an RFP (Request for Proposal) that accurately communicates your organization's software requirements to vendors,
distributing the RFP to qualified vendors,
use quantitative evaluation techniques on all vendor RFP responses to select the software system best suited to your organization continued to...

Jobs promises a greener Apple

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:25:00 +0000

Apple has responded to criticism by environmental groups by announcing plans to remove toxic chemicals from its products, including Mac computers and iPod MP3 players, as well as increase its recycling of old products.

Cupertino, California-based Apple is by no means the only computer company to be improving its environmental credentials, but the announcement of a new green strategy by CEO, Steve Jobs, is significant given the attention placed on Apple by the likes of Greenpeace.
The environmental organization has recently made Apple the focus of its attention as it attempts to persuade technology companies to reduce their use of toxic chemicals and increase recycling.

That focus appears to have had an impact, judging by the Jobs's announcement of Apple's green initiative. "Whatever other improvements we need to make, it is certainly clear that we have failed to communicate the things that we are doing well," he stated.

The announcement of "A Greener Apple" also seemed to suggest some frustration at the attention placed on Apple's environmental record, with Jobs taking a few side-swipes at the record of competitors including HP, Dell, and Lenovo.

"Apple completely eliminated the use of CRTs in mid-2006," Jobs wrote, noting that the reduction in the cathode-ray tubes has meant a reduction in lead. "A note of comparison - Dell, Gateway, Hewlett Packard and Lenovo still ship CRT displays today."

On the subject of what Apple is doing, rather than what its rivals are not doing, Jobs wrote that Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008, and to eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting. The first Macs with LED backlight technology are due to be introduced this year.

Additionally, Jobs said Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of PVC and BFRs [Brominated flame retardants] in its products by the end of 2008, a year ahead of Dell and Lenovo.

On the subject of recycling, Jobs stated that Apple recycled 13 million pounds of equipment in 2006, equal to 9.5% of the weight of all products Apple sold seven years earlier - a measured proposed by Dell to reflect the lifecycle of a product.

"We expect this percentage to grow to 13% in 2007, and to 20% in 2008. By 2010, we forecast recycling 19 million pounds of e-waste per year - nearly 30% of the product weight we sold seven years earlier," he added.

Given its campaigning efforts, Greenpeace declared itself happy with Apple's new strategy as a starting point, but encouraged the company to improve its record on environmental issues even further to become "green to the core."

Tata Motors sales rise in April

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:24:00 +0000

Indian vehicle manufacturer Tata Motors has reported an 11% rise in total vehicle sales during April.

Tata sold a total of 40,486 vehicles (including exports) during the month of April 2007, a growth of 11 % over the 36,574 vehicles sold in April last year. The company said vehicle sales in the domestic market were impacted, in varying degrees between the commercial and passenger vehicles segments, due to the high interest rate regime affecting retails
The company's commercial vehicle sales in its domestic market were down at 19,607 during April, compared to the 19,674 vehicles sold in April last year. The sales of M&HCV products, which witnessed shortfalls in some critical components, stood at 10,392 units, a decline of 14% over April 2006. LCV sales grew by 22% over April 2006, reaching 9,215 units.

Tata said its passenger vehicles business reported a total sale of 16,842 vehicles in the domestic market in April 2007, an increase of 26% over April 2006. The Indigo family registered sales of 2,632 units, an increase of 2%. The Sumo and Safari accounted for sales of 3,340 units, an increase of 49% over April last year. Safari sales at 1474 units grew by 269%.

The company's sales from exports were 4,037 vehicles in April 2007 as compared to 3,572 vehicles in April 2006, an increase of 13%, driven mainly by commercial vehicles

Additional indication for Pfizer's Fragmin

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:22:00 +0000

The FDA has approved a new indication for blood clot drug Fragmin to treat symptomatic venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer, according to the drug's developers Pfizer and Eisai.
Symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the formation of a blood clot that can travel from a leg vein to the lung, with potentially fatal results. Fragmin is the first low-molecular- weight heparin approved in the US for the extended treatment of recurrent VTE in patients with cancer
The approval is based on data from a study which showed that, during a six-month period, nearly twice as many patients treated with standard anti-coagulant treatment warfarin experienced at least one episode of DVT or PE, the two conditions described as VTE, compared to those treated with a once-daily administration of Fragmin. Mortality rates were similar between the study groups at the end of the study, while safety rates were higher for the Fragmin group.

Eisai licensed exclusive US rights to promote Fragmin from Pfizer in 2005, and has assumed responsibility for product distribution

United Airlines has signed with The Coca-Cola Company

noreply@blogger.com (umar-khaled) — Fri, 04 May 2007 18:19:00 +0000

United Airlines has signed a five-year beverage agreement with The Coca-Cola Company, making it United's primary soft drink supplier, effective May 1, 2007.
The US-based airline said the new business partnership will give United's customers a choice of eight Coca-Cola beverages - Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Spring Water, Seagrams Ginger Ale, Tonic and Seltzer Water - while providing both economic benefits for United and joint promotional activities for customers and employees

"We are pleased to partner with a world-class brand such as Coca-Cola, and believe the variety of beverage selections they offer will appeal to our customers' tastes and complement our other onboard food and beverage offerings," said Sean Donohue, United senior vice president - Flight Operations and Onboard Service. "We look forward to the joint promotional activities that consumers and employees will be able to participate in and the economic benefits this new agreement brings to United."

In addition to its onboard beverage offering, United will also offer Coca-Cola products in its airport lounges and offices later in 2007.