Dwi Nanto

Obama declares 'combat mission in Iraq has ended'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:04:00 -0700

President Obama declared that "the American combat mission in Iraq has ended" in his prime-time address Tuesday.

"Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," he said.

The mission officially drew to a close at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Obama said the winding down of the war in Iraq means it's time for citizens to unite and build a better life for all Americans.

"Our most urgent task is to restore our economy and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work," he said in his nationwide address from the Oval Office.

"... This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people and my central responsibility as president."

The president said ending the war in Iraq is in the United States' best interest and "it is time to turn the page."

Obama said he has spoken with former President George W. Bush about moving forward on Iraq's future.

"It's well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush's support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it. And all of us are united in appreciation for our servicemen and women, and our hope for Iraq's future."

Oval Office setting is message behind the message

Obama ignored Republican suggestions that he acknowledge a personal mistake and give credit to Bush for executing the 2007 troop surge.

Obama, then a senator, and other Democratic senators at the time opposed the surge.

Ignoring a replay of that 2007 debate could be politically advantageous for Obama, given the fact that top Republicans like House Minority Leader John Boehner earlier blasted the president for opposing the surge.

"One lawmaker rejected the idea that the surge would reduce violence in Iraq, saying -- and again I'm quoting -- 'in fact, I think it will do the reverse,'" Boehner, R-Ohio, said in reference to Obama during a speech to the American Legion convention in Milwaukee.

GOP claims Iraq success despite Obama

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, delivered a speech suggesting Bush deserves more credit for reaching this milestone.

"You might recall that the surge wasn't very popular when it was announced," McConnell said. "You might also recall that one of its biggest critics was the current president. So it makes it easier to talk about fulfilling a campaign promise to wind down our operations in Iraq when the previous administration signs the security agreement with Iraq to end our overall presence there."

On Afghanistan, Obama said that like Iraq, surge forces will be deployed there for a "limited time."

Starting in July, "we will begin a transition to Afghan responsibility. The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground, and our support for Afghanistan will endure. But make no mistake: this transition will begin -- because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people's," the president said.

Obama vowed to continue the fight against al-Qaeda, saying the group continues to plot against the United States. The president said U.S. military forces will prevent Afghanistan "from again serving as a base for terrorists."

"And because of our drawdown in Iraq, we are now able to apply the resources necessary to go on offense," he said.

Fort Bliss has supplied soldiers to Iraq at all stages of the seven-year war and is still sending troops to the region as part of the 50,000-troop contingent that is staying in Iraq.

Al-Maliki marks U.S. end to Iraq combat mission in national address

The August 31 drawdown and end to the U.S. combat phase is a new page in what has been a controversial seven-year conflict. Weapons of mass destruction, a major justification by the Bush administration for going to war, were never found. Saddam Hussein was toppled along with his massive Baghdad statue, but sectarian violence soon erupted.

The war in Iraq has so far claimed the lives of more than 4,400 U.S. troops.

The Americans who have been killed in Iraq "gave their lives for the values that have lived in the hearts of our people for over two centuries," Obama said Tuesday night.

"Along with nearly 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq, they fought in a faraway place for people they never knew. They stared into the darkest of human creations -- war -- and helped the Iraqi people seek the light of peace."

Israeli PM shortens Canada trip, cancels US visit

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:02:00 -0700

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was cutting short a North American visit Monday to return home to handle a crisis over a deadly Israeli raid on pro-Palestinian activists' Gaza aid flotilla.

Netanyahu met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa on Monday, but a joint press conference planned for afterward was canceled, said Harper spokesman Dimitri Soudas. The Israeli leader also will miss a reception that Harper was to hold in his honor in the evening.

Netanyahu scrapped his planned visit Tuesday with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington.

At least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed when Israeli commandos attacked ships taking humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip early Monday.

Canada is among Israel's staunchest allies.

How to get a structured settlement?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:59:00 -0700

The accident is one thing that no one can escape, but the law of the United States enters the scene to rescue the victims, with them justice they deserve. Where to find it otherwise, to harm the party or person, by force, compensation and / or health problems, after which to pay the victim, shall be punished to choose two types of payment methods: structured settlement for lump sums.

Although the other method to pay the entire amount at once in order to pay a structured settlement of equities in court. This time can be as small as a few weeks or even a few years, but the beneficiaries of the death of no importance, and the wounds of higher wages or terminal, much faster, or make a contract, which leave even after she takes.

If you are wondering how the structural solution is the best way to explain the benefits of this option. One of the benefits of tax exemption. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers a flexible tax provisions that, to choose this method because the U.S. government has always as a temporary and non-recurring costs.

Internal Revenue Code, the rules and regulations for individual accounts will include that amount on the structure of the victim's injuries, free of tax. This means that if a beneficiary dies before all of this money was paid, and members of his family are entitled to the money if they had to do the taxes to receive.

Another accident victims are receiving a structured settlement is replaced by a steady cash income. This allows in particular the behavior of the recipient to clarify the economic stability, because it will prevent them from spending time payment. Even for those who need to go after consultation with management, has the advantage of high health care costs.

Many people are still able to provide a structural solution to work, you can use the money they receive from investments in various projects. This can help increase revenue and to ensure the welfare of the whole family. High interest rates, the risk for various projects to help the investors a lot of money, but until further studies are needed.

The general message is to sell a structural solution. Although two thirds of the US-50 from the sale of plants is prohibited, many were in the deception. Several companies offer to acquire all or part of a structured settlement with someone, but these companies are in this for personal purposes, and the seller can not lose.

To take advantage of structural solutions as you like, but sold instead of capital expenditure in its entirety or to other companies that you and your family a better future .

Reverse Mortgage Loan Calculator Helps Homeowners Determine Their Potential

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:57:00 -0700

There are an estimated 80 million individuals on the brink of retirement, which means they will likely need additional sources of income. The recessing economy has decreased the amount of retirement funds that many expected to receive, and many homeowners do not want to eliminate their savings just to be able to remain in their home. Many homeowners in this financial predicament have found their solution in a reverse mortgage loan, which helps homeowners save money by eliminating monthly mortgage payments and providing access to home equity.
What the Calculator Accomplishes
If a homeowner thinks a reverse mortgage loan could be a viable option, there is now an efficient way for homeowners to determine their eligibility for the loan, as well as determine how much they could possibly receive. Newretirement.com has recently launched a new reverse mortgage loan calculator that can help homeowners who are considering this financial product with their decision process.
The calculator first determines whether a homeowner is eligible for this financial product. Then, it uses the homeowner's age, home value and mortgage balance to calculate the loan amount he or she could possibly receive. While there are other, similar reverse mortgage loan calculators that exist, this calculator is unique in the fact that it uses an average of interest rates and program fees from all over the industry to provide the homeowner's estimate. The homeowner can then compare their estimate with what is being offered by reverse mortgage lenders.
In addition to everything else, the calculator provides estimates for both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages in order to give potential borrowers more options to choose from. Once a homeowner receives an estimate of the loan amount he or she could receive, the calculator also shows the different disbursement options the homeowner can choose from, including a lump sum, line of credit, monthly tenure payments or a customized option that best suits the homeowner's needs.
This calculator simplifies the most difficult part of the decision process one goes through when deciding how to finance his or her home. Once a homeowner's eligibility and loan estimates are calculated, he or she should speak with a reputable reverse mortgage loan specialist to confirm the accuracy of the information he or she received. A loan specialist can verify the homeowner's eligibility and provide them with an official quote, which should either verify the estimates they received or make them more precise.
Reverse Mortgage Loan Eligibility and Requirements
To be eligible for this loan, the homeowner must be at least 62 years old and be financing his or her primary residence. The loan does not require monthly mortgage payments as long as the homeowner remains current on his or her home repairs, real estate taxes and homeowner's insurance. If these are not kept up-to-date, the loan will be considered delinquent and will become due and payable. Homeowners who are considering a reverse mortgage, have questions, or have used this calculator to determine what they want from a reverse mortgage and are ready to proceed should contact a reputable mortgage specialist for more information.

How mesothelioma is diagnosed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:54:00 -0700

Most people begin by seeing their GP when they have symptoms. Your GP will examine you and may arrange for you to have some tests or x-rays. You may be referred to hospital for these tests and for specialist advice and treatment. At the hospital, the doctor will take your medical history and occupational history before doing a physical examination.

Chest x-ray

A chest x-ray will be taken to check for any abnormalities in your lungs, such as thickening of the pleura or fluid around the lungs. However, there can be other causes of thickening of the pleura and peritoneum (and fluid around the lungs or in the abdomen) apart from mesothelioma.
The following tests may also be needed to diagnose mesothelioma, and your doctor may arrange for you to have one or more of them at the hospital.

CT scan

A CT scan (computerised tomography scan) takes a series of x-rays, which build up a three-dimensional picture of the inside of the body. The scan is painless but takes from 10 to 30 minutes. CT scans use a small amount of radiation, which will be very unlikely to harm you and will not harm anyone you come into contact with. You will be asked not to eat or drink for at least four hours before the scan.

Having a CT scan

CT scans of the chest and of the abdomen will show the size and position of the mesothelioma and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.
You may be given a drink or injection of a dye that allows particular areas of your body to be seen more clearly. For a few minutes, this may make you feel hot all over. If you are allergic to iodine, or have asthma, you could have a more serious reaction to the injection, so it is important to let your doctor know beforehand.
You will probably be able to go home as soon as the scan is over

Pleural or peritoneal aspiration

If there is fluid in your chest or abdomen, the doctor can take a sample by using a local anaesthetic and passing a needle through the skin into the fluid. Some of the fluid is then drawn off into a syringe and can be analysed in the laboratory to look for mesothelioma cells.
Taking fluid from between the pleura is known as a pleural aspiration and taking fluid from the abdomen is known as drainage of ascites (or peritoneal aspiration).

Biopsy

If you need a biopsy, your doctor will take a sample of tissue from the thickened pleura or peritoneum. A local anaesthetic is used to numb the area and a special type of needle is passed through the skin into the tumour. The needle has a tip that can cut out a sample of the tumour. The doctor may use ultrasound or a CT scanner to position the needle accurately. An ultrasound uses sound waves to build up a picture of the organs in a part of the body. A small device is passed over the skin to show the doctor where the tumour is and guide the needle into the right place.
Sometimes the doctor will want to look at the area of the pleura or the peritoneum directly to get a sample of tissue from the right area. This is done by using a thin flexible tube with a light and camera at the end. The tube (endoscope) can be passed through the skin of the chest, where it is called thoracoscopy, or the abdomen, where it is called laparoscopy. The procedure is done under a general anaesthetic by a surgeon. You will usually be able to go home the same day.
Your doctors may want to check for any signs of spread of the cancer to the nearby lymph glands in the centre of the chest. This central area, around the lower part of the windpipe, is called the mediastinum and the lymph glands which are found there are the mediastinal lymph nodes. This test is called a mediastinoscopy. The test is done under a general anaesthetic and will mean a short stay in hospital. A small cut is made through the skin at the base of the neck. A tube, like a small telescope, is passed into the chest through the hole created by the cut. The doctor can use this tube to examine the area. Samples can be taken for examination under a microscope.
Analysing the biopsy in the laboratory is the only way your doctors can make the diagnosis of mesothelioma. Sometimes, even after taking a biopsy, the doctors may not be sure of the diagnosis, because mesothelioma can be very difficult to distinguish from other illnesses. In this situation, the biopsy samples may be sent to other laboratories to confirm the diagnosis, some of your tests may need to be repeated or you may be referred to another hospital for a second opinion.

Waiting for your test results

It will probably take several days for the results of your tests to be ready and a follow-up appointment will be arranged for you before you go home. This waiting period is likely to be an anxious time for you and it may help to talk things over with a close friend or relative.

What is mesothelioma?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:53:00 -0700

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the mesothelium. The mesothelium is a thin membrane that lines the chest and abdomen and surrounds the organs in these areas. The lining around the lungs is called the pleura and in the abdomen it is known as the peritoneum.
About 2000 people in the UK are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year.
Mesothelioma of the lining of the lungs, known as pleural mesothelioma, is much more common than mesothelioma in the peritoneum. For every one person with peritoneal mesothelioma, there will be about 12 people who have pleural mesothelioma.

Pleural mesothelioma

The pleura has two layers: the inner (visceral) layer, which is next to the lung; and the outer (parietal) layer, which lines the chest wall. The two layers of the pleura are usually in contact and slide over each other as we breathe. The membranes produce fluid, which allows them to slide over each other easily.
When mesothelioma develops in the pleura (pleural mesothelioma), the delicate membranes thicken and may press inwards on the lung. Fluid may also collect between the two layers of the pleura: this is known as a pleural effusion.
Structure of the lungs and pleura

Peritoneal mesothelioma

The lining of the abdomen is known as the peritoneum. It also has two layers: the inner (visceral) layer, which is next to the abdominal organs, and the outer (parietal) layer, which lines the abdominal wall.
If the mesothelioma is in the peritoneum it is called peritoneal mesothelioma and causes thickening of the membranes surrounding the abdominal organs and a collection of fluid in the abdomen. The collection of fluid is called ascites and causes swelling of the abdomen.
Side view of the abdomen. The peritoneum is shown as the thick line surrounding the abdominal organs.
-source:Cancerbackup

Mesothelioma Lawyers San Diego, Find a Mesothelioma Cancer Lawyer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:49:00 -0700

Mesothelioma Lawyers in San Diego

To understand how to choose a lawyer for this disease, you should first understand the basics of the disease. In the simplest sense, mesothelioma is a cancer of the protective layers of the body cavities, known as the mesothelium.

These tissues have different names depending on the organs they protect. You have probably heard of the peritoneum–this is the covering around the stomach and intestines. Other organs and cavities have their own membranes as well.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of these tissues. They often do not just affect the tissues–they affect the organs they surround and can spread elsewhere. This cancer is most often contracted by exposure to asbestos, a highly dangerous mineral often found in floors, ceilings, and some products.

Employers and landlords are supposed to protect you from asbestos, but often this does not happen. If you have mesothelioma you have probably been exposed to asbestos. If so, you should contact mesotheloma attorneys in your area to see if you have a case against the party responsible for your exposure.

How Do I Choose?

San Diego is a big place. The whole area is so large it is almost connected to Los Angeles now with no real division. Choosing a professional in this area is a daunting task for busy people, so here are some steps to take to make the process easier.

Mesolthelioma lawyers get to know the doctors who treat the disease. Over time they develop relationships and form help networks for patients. Often a doctor will have several contacts in the legal field and a lawyer will have several contacts in the medical field. This helps save you time.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, your oncologist may be your best source of names for attorney contacts. She will likely have already worked with them on cases and can tell you not only who specializes in your type of cancer but who is best and who is within a short distance from your home or work. If she does not have the right kind of specialist, there are other ways to find the right professional for your case.

You can check with other doctors who deal specifically deal with mesothelioma if your doctor is more of a general oncologist. These doctors may have worked more closely with mesothelioma lawyers in your area of southern California. You can also call local hospitals, various cancer support groups–area law schools are also excellent for references. Also check your union or professional group if you were exposed on the job.

Regardless of where you find your contacts, interview the lawyer, check on his or her background, and get references if you can. If you are ill, the last thing you need is more trouble.

Purchase Structured Settlements A Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:47:00 -0700

The idea of buying structured settlements is quite very interesting. The settlements made by insurance companies against the claims or any damages that are awarded by the quotes for the lawsuits that have been filed either in installments or in lump sum annuities. The damages that are paid in installments are known as structured settlements.

It is basically an arrangement that one makes with the financing agency or the third-party, bearing the financing agency or the third-party pays the money on the half off the person or the insurance company, who is obliged to pay for the damages. Whether the receiver of the money needs to lump sum money to meet its financial urgencies or to invest in an alternative plan would depend on his personal requirements. In any case, he will have to approach willing agencies to purchase them.

Method of obtaining the Structural settlement:

Some experts believe that purchasing settlements have drawbacks and many legal hurdles. Another factor is inconsistency of different legal formalities between various states and provinces. It have to be obtained or purchased with a lot of care and after carefully examining all the legal niceties associated with the intended purchase.

Brokers:

There are always some brokers who are willing to buy Structured Settlements. In case you're willing to sell Structured Settlements, you must carefully watch all the conditions and terms that the broker offers you. The broker you sell the Structured Settlements to must be a reputed one. He should be a registered broker and must have authentic certificates to buy your settlements.

Trade Association:

Different states have Settlement Association. The association has authority to safely trade structured settlements either with private investors or agencies. These associations make sure that the entire process is carried on smoothly and it benefits both parties -- the seller and the buyer.

Quote:

It is important to obtain the best quote before selling the settlement. Make sure that the quote is sufficient enough for your future planning.

Commission:

The company that is purchasing the Settlements may charge a high amount towards commission. This can be a major disadvantage in selling your structured settlement. In order to offset the loss, you must ensure that the commissioned amount is not excessive and retains its margin.

Brian Sibet also writes about Retirement Planning and Annuities including Lump Sum Annuity and Personal Injury Settlements

Unveiling rare beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:42:00 -0700

In Indonesia, you can also find them on the traditional batik cloths. Hard to imagine? Maybe.
The batik cloths most of us see today are the ones made recently, when the batik fever began to catch on. But if we went back dozens of years, we would find that classic batik embraced Western influences, like the Brothers Grimm’s folktales and other myths. Not only that, other foreign influences like that of the Japanese culture can also be found, unveiling the rare beauty of Indonesian batik.
These rare and exquisite batik pieces can be found in batik aficionado Tumbu Astiani Ramelan’s collection, which is now being showcased at the Textile Museum in Jakarta, in conjunction with the launch of the collector’s book — The 20th Century Batik Masterpieces.
When examining the 90 batik cloths in the exhibition, we’ll not only be dazzled visually, but also get a better idea of how batik has changed over its long history and how the art form has been influenced by political situations in the country it hails from.
The kompeni — with the afore mentioned Western flavors — for example, brings us back to the early 1900s when Indonesia was under Dutch colonial rule.
“During this period, we could find batik cloths with motifs like guitars and hot air balloons, as well as fairytales and myths, like The Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and [Celtic god] Pendusa,”
explains 70-year-old Tumbu, displaying her collection of motifs made in 1910.
“Some of them were made by Indonesian batik makers based on orders, while the rest were designed by Dutch people themselves, who later became batik designers.”
As the Dutch colonial era came to an end, and Indonesia was ruled by the Japanese for a short period, Tumbu continues, the Jawa Hokokai batik then took the center stage between 1942 and 1945. This batik style brings Japanese flair, taking elements of the kimono and incorporating them into batik designs.

“The Jawa Hokokai batik cloths uses motifs like sakura flowers, as well as broad swath at the foot lining called susimoyo,” says Tumbu, head of Indonesia’s Batik Foundation for Cultural Development. “They have sophisticated designs and they’re very brightly colored,” she adds.
During the same period, Tumbu explains further, the Jawa Hokokai batik was also infused with the pagi-sore (morning and evening) design — a style where the cloth is diagonally divided into two parts, with each of them incorporating different patterns and motifs.
“It was such a very difficult period at that time — people could not afford to buy fabrics, and there weren’t many fabrics available [in Indonesia] either,” Tumbu said.
“Their solution was to have one cloth of batik divided into two designs, so people could use one part [of the cloth] in the morning, and the other in the evening. They would appear to be wearing different pieces in one day, when actually they would be wearing the same cloth.”
After the Japanese left Indonesia, Jawa Hokokai batik took on a new twist — letting go of the susimoyo, adopting more simple motifs and patterns. This new breed of batik was called the Jawa Baru (the new Javanese) batik.
As time went by, batik took on a more serious role within Indonesian society — as a medium of nationalism. It was in 1960, as Tumbu points out, when the persatuan (unity) batik came on to the scene, combining Indonesian elements from across the archipelago on one piece of cloth.
“The persatuan was [former president] Sukarno’s idea, his goal was to spread the spirit the ‘Unitary Republic of Indonesia’ among Indonesians through batik,” says Tumbu, a batik devotee for 40 years.
“This kind of batik brings all motifs that have anything to do with the [national motto] Bhinneka Tunggal Ika [Unity through Diversity]”.
For example, “Just like you can see here, this one has the motifs of traditional houses like rumah gadang [West Sumatra], rumah Bali and other housing styles from across the archipelago,” Tumbu says, showing one of the pieces in her persatuan collection. “Other designs, for instance, also include the motifs of monuments in cities across Indonesia,” she adds.
The richness of batik designs as a reflection of Indonesia’s past political situations, however, is not the only thing to admire from Tumbu’s collections. Religious influence, in this case Islam, on batik became more and more prevalent when exploring the different parts of the exhibition. Looking at one old batik cloth Tumbu calls a kain panjang Rembang (long cloth from Rembang, Central Java) for example, some of us might be surprised to see a cloth with the Arabic symbol of Allah.

“I found this old batik cloth at a flea market in Yogyakarta about 20 years ago, and was astonished with the Allah symbols on it,” Tumbu recalls. “I kept on thinking, why was this cloth made? As you know, a symbol of Allah is considered very sacred, so I couldn’t imagine someone wearing this cloth as the position of the symbol would be on his or her backside”.
Besides the kain panjang Rembang, we can also find other batik cloths embellished with Arabic calligraphy, like those from Sumatra’s Jambi, Palembang and Bengkulu.
“Although these batik cloths are called as Bengkulu batik, for example, most of them were actually made in Java,” Tumbu says. “This kind of batik, with a strong Arabic influence, originates from places like Cirebon, Indramayu and Pekalongan,” she adds.
Tumbu’s collection also features a kain Tok Wie, or the batik cloth for the Buddhist altar.
“Because it’s for the Chinese rituals, it also embraces Chinese motifs like dragons,” she says.
With batik designs having evolved over time, and acting as a repositry for Indonesia’s rich history, documenting batik is one way preserve these precious textiles, Tumbu notes. And documenting rich and unique motifs as well as patterns of her batik collections in a book, is what she did after years of witnessing foreign collectors take more and more of Indonesia’s old batiks cloths out of the country.
“That’s why I decided to document some of my collection in this book,” she says.
Besides aiming to preserve batik, she goes on, “I also hope today’s batik makers and designers can get some inspiration from the old batik motifs and revive them [through their creations]”.

The 20th Century Batik

Masterpieces Collections of
Tumbu A. Ramelan
The Textile Museum (Museum Tekstil)
Jl. KS Tubun No. 2-4, Petamburan, Jakarta
Until June 15, 2010 (subject to change)
Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m.

Bring the 3D Content into the Comfort of Your TV Room

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:40:00 -0700

In the cold January weather every year, more than a hundred thousand people flock to Las Vegas for a colossal event called Consumer Electronic Show, or CES. What was one of the loudest buzzes during this year's CES? Yes, it was 3D TV! It is the capability to display video and television content in three dimensions.

In the past, no matter how sophisticated your TV display was, it could only show programs in two dimensions. In the meantime, home entertainment buffs have been demanding three-dimension experience since the 1990s. Only today has the 3D TV finally arrived, making movies and television images appear in real instead of simulated 3D. You will have visual depth like what you get in the 3D movie theater. It will make you feel as if you are participating in the actions instead of just a bystander. Now, imagine a reawakened giant reptile from an ancient time leaps at you. In 3D, you may instinctively duck to avoid being snapped by its sharp teeth.

Today, while most major electronics makers are still talking about their upcoming products, Samsung, the world's leader in High Definition, super-jumbo and super-thin LED, LCD and Plasma TVs, have already launched their stereoscopic 3D TVs in Indonesia. Depending on how much you want to invest, you can opt for a High Definition 7000, 8000 or 9000 Series 3D LED TV, 750 Series 3D LCD TV or 8000 Series 3D Plasma TV.

All of these 3D TVs come with a slew of exclusive technologies, picture enhancing HyperReal Engine for a true-to-life range of color and contrast and filters to create true black regardless of the ambient light. All have Ethernet, DLNA wireless connection and Samsung Apps in addition to Samsung's Internet@TV that allows you to download content. The premium 3D LED TVs also come with Clear Motion Rate to ensure that movements will remain clear and smooth no matter how fast the actions are. All of them also exceed current eco-friendly requirements of EnergyStar 4.0. On top of these all, the 3D TVs share the attractive design for which Samsung is renowned for.

Samsung has also forged a strategic alliance with DreamWorks Animation. One of the products of the alliance is DreamWorks Animation's Shrek film series, which will be released in Blu-ray for the buyers of Samsung's 3D home entertainment solution.

At any rate, now you can emulate the 3D, immersive experience from the 3D movie theater in the comfort of your home. Or you can watch soccer matches in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 3D, to be broadcast by ESPN. Or you can join those who have seen James Cameron's science fiction Avatar at its best.

To complement the wide range of its 3D TVs, Samsung also offers their BD-C69003D Blu-Ray player. You can also have Samsung's Home Theater System that will make you shiver as the bullet train thunderously rushes toward you.

You do not have a collection of 3D movies yet? No problem. The 3D TVs are all powered by a built-in processor that will automatically convert 2D to 3D. It is also compatible with main 3D format standards, including the half and full HD resolution format and the Blu-ray 3D that has been approved by the Blu-ray Disc Association. And, to round off their offerings, Samsung provides the emitter and lightweight active shutter glasses that will give you the ultimate experience when watching the latest Hollywood 3D movies.

So, what are you still waiting for?

Aburizal cannot summon ministers: Marzuki

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:38:00 -0700

Democratic Party politicians stress that Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie is not authorized to summon ministers, despite his recent appointment as the acting chairman of the pro-government coalition parties.

“Ministers answer only to the President, outsiders cannot interfere,” a senior Democratic Party politician, Marzuki Alie, told reporters in Jakarta on Friday.

“Ethically speaking, the government is led by the President. So, all communications must be done under the President’s order,” he added.

Separately, Democratic Party secretary-general Amir Syamsuddin said Aburizal could only meet with ministers for coordination purposes, not to give orders or influence any of their policy.

Following Aburizal’s appointment, speculation is rife that the Golkar chairman will act practically as a prime minister.

Aburizal’s appointment has drawn criticism from experts and analysts because they deem that it has ruined the country’s presidential system and mechanism, especially after several Golkar politicians said that he had the authority to summon ministers.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) recently warned that Aburizal did not only endanger the authority of Vice President Boediono, but that of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as well.

Resource-rich West Papua, but who benefits?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:38:00 -0700

Indonesia is these days praised as a success story among the countries of Southeast Asia, with growth figures that compare favorably with its neighbors and an absence of conflict.
It is also the largest country in the region which enjoys an abundance of natural resources that have lured foreign companies to its shores.
Since the fall of Soeharto in 1998 and the end of his dictatorship, economic progress has fostered a growing middle class.
A referendum in East Timor 18 months after his exit secured that country’s independence after 25 years of devastating occupation, while in the other conflict-ridden province, Aceh, where thousands of people died from 1976 till 2004, a peace agreement has secured it an era of reconstruction, thanks largely to the devastating tsunami in December 2004 and to the agreement reached a year later between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), and Jakarta.
However, the situation in its most easterly region, West Papua, is far from satisfactory and rarely draws international attention except when shooting incidents take the lives of foreigners employed by a mining company which is recognized as being Jakarta’s largest taxpayer.
While the media regularly reports on the huge remittances paid to Jakarta by Freeport, little else seeps out from this vast territory, access to which is largely denied to foreign journalists and NGOs.
Yet this is a territory where poverty is widespread, where AIDS is growing at an alarming rate, where the mortality rate among mothers and babies is the highest in the country and where many schools are empty much of the time because teachers lack basic living conditions and many children are too poor to travel long distances to school or purchase the books they need.
During the Sukarno era, the country rejected foreign investment but when Soeharto took power following massacres that spread across the country, laws governing foreign investment were largely absent yet geologists already knew about West Papua’s rich natural resources including the world’s largest gold
reserves and its huge reserves of copper.
It was in West Papua that Indonesia signed its first contract with a foreign multinational corporation, regardless of the fact that at the time, Indonesia did not have sovereignty over the territory.
It was not until August 1969 that the highly contentious “Act of Free Choice” resulted in the United Nations “taking note” of the Act in which just over one thousand tribal chieftains, under heavy duress from the military, took part, and removing the territory from its decolonization mechanisms.
As Denise Leith says in her analysis of Freeport’s presence in Indonesia, it was in April 1967 that “the unique and highly favorable first-generation contract written by Freeport was signed, making Freeport the first foreign company to sign with the new government and the only one to sign under such extraordinary circumstances”.
Among the many extraordinary aspects of the first contract of work which have persisted in the subsequent contract of work agreed in 1991, there were no Indonesian equity requirements, few controls over the use of foreign personnel and it did not hold the company under any obligation to the traditional Papuan owners of the land, the Amungme and Komoro peoples, who were excluded from the consultations, nor was the company required to pay compensation to the traditional land owners.
Moreover there were no environmental restrictions imposed on the mine’s operations.
Tribal people have filed several lawsuits against the company over the years in US and Indonesian courts dealing with issues such as illegal land acquisition, human rights violations and environmental damage, but without success.
The most recent attempt was in May last year, when the Amungme people filed a lawsuit against the company and the Indonesian Department of Energy and Mineral Resources for US$32.5 billion for the illegal acquisition of their land.
It argued that the land was forcibly acquired without the approval of its owners and that the traditional owners of the land have not received a fair share of the wealth generated by the copper-and-gold mine.
After filing the lawsuit, they felt they needed protection from the National Human Rights Commission, Komnas HAM.
Their lawyer, Titus Natkime, told the commission that his clients were receiving menacing phone calls, accusing them of breaking the law and alleging that they were members of the OPM (Free Papua Movement) which, as everyone knows, could mean facing the charge of treason (makar).
When the commission sought to investigate several shootings in July last year along the road leading to the Freeport mine in order to follow proceedings against seven local people who had been named as suspects, commission member Nur Kolis complained about the difficulty of access to the mining site. It created the impression, he said, that Freeport was “like a state within a state”.
On that occasion, the company’s vice-president for legal affairs, Tony Wenas confirmed that some locations within the site were “off-limits” to outsiders. According to Nur Kolis, “the position of the local community in Mimika is very weak and they must accept every decision by the company which could trigger problems”.
Amazing as it may seem, Indonesia’s official human rights organization had been prevented from gaining access to the area to conduct field observations.
There have been numerous complaints ever since mining operations first began in the 1970s of the damaging impact on the local river system from the deposits of tailings from the mine
This is a company which is the largest taxpayer to the Indonesian state. In 2009, the company paid the Indonesian state no less the $1.4 billion in taxes, royalties and dividends (the latter for a government stake in the company), an increase over the previous year’s remittances of $1.2 billion.
All told, from 1992 till 2009, the company paid $9.3 billion to Jakarta. This alone reveals the enormity of the profits earned by the company from the copper and gold it mines and sells each year.
As for the Papuan people, their economic circumstances can only be described as dire. At a recent symposium in Jakarta, one contributor said: “Papuan people are still weighed down by poverty in a land that produces plenty of foreign currency for the national revenue.”
How much longer must Papuans suffer such appalling living standards in a homeland that produces such huge profits for a foreign company exploiting their natural resources?
While the media regularly reports on the huge remittances paid to Jakarta by Freeport, little else seeps out from this vast territory.

Police reveal terror plan targeted SBY on Aug. 17

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:34:00 -0700

The National Police disclosed Friday that suspected terrorists recently arrested in a series of raids planned to attack the State Palace on Independence Day.
Since February, the police's anti-terror squad has managed to arrest 58 suspects and kill 13 others.
Speaking at a press conference were National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto.
"They wanted to kill the President, other high-ranking officials and important foreign guests attending the ceremony," Bambang said. "Immediately after the attack, they would have announced that Indonesia was no longer a democratic state and would declare sharia law".
He said the suspects had been trained as snipers as indicated by a telescopic sight found in the latest raid in Sukoharjo, Central Java.
Bambang said the alleged terrorists had decided to choose Aug. 17 after learning security officers would not be carrying live rounds during the Independence Day ceremony.
At the State Palace, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Yudhoyono had not objected to the police's shoot-on-sight policy in their fight against terrorism.
"The President asked the police to work professionally and enforce the law, including when it comes to technical operational procedures in arresting suspected terrorists,.
"The President said the police had done a very good job and that he appreciated it," he said.
During the recent raids, police confiscated bank notes totalling about Rp 1 billion (US$110,000) from the suspects. "The money was raised to finance acts of terror and run military-style training camps in Aceh," he said.
The money was found in rupiah, Malaysian ringgit and US dollars from suspected terrorists Abdul Haris aka Haris Al Falah, Haryadi Usman, Syarif Usman, and Maulana, Bambang said.
"From Maulana we seized Rp 250 million in cash," Bambang told a media conference on Friday. Maulana was shot dead during a raid in Cawang, East Jakarta, on Wednesday. The police confiscated Rp 400 million from Abdul, Rp 200 million from Syarif and Rp 150 million from Haryadi.
Bambang said that out of the 71 suspects arrested and killed this year, 14 had been formerly convicted for terrorist activities.
- Suherdjoko contributed to the story from Sukoharjo.
Terror raids time line
Feb. 22: A military-style training camp is raided in dense jungle in Aceh Besar regency, Aceh. Seven suspects are arrested; police seize firearms and ammunition. Police conduct rolling raids in Aceh and Medan up until April, arresting 46 suspects and killing four others.
March 4: A shoot out between antiterror squad and terrorist group takes place in Lamkabeu village in Aceh Besar regency. Three police officers killed, 10 others wounded. Suspect Teuku Marzuki alias Abu Khotob is shot dead.
March 9: Antiterror squad raid an Internet caf* in Pamulang, Tangerang, Banten. Three suspects are arrested while three others, including the region's most-wanted terror suspect, Dulmatin, are shot dead.
March 16: Suspect Muchtar bin Ibrahim aka Teuku Tar surrenders at Lhokseumawe Police Station in Aceh.
April 11: Six suspects are arrested in Medan, North Sumatra.
May 6: As many as 16 terrorist suspects are arrested at four different locations in Greater Jakarta.
May 12: Three raids conducted almost simultaneously in Bekasi, West Java; Cawang, East Jakarta; and Cikampek, West Java. Two suspects are arrested in Bekasi while three suspects are killed in Cawang. In Cikampek, police kill two suspects and nab one.
May 13: A battery shop is raided in Sukoharjo, Central Java. Three suspects, Hamid Agung Wibowo, Joko Purwanto, and Erwin Suratman, are arrested.
Source: National Police

Jamaica to extradite drug suspect wanted by US

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:34:00 -0700

Jamaica's prime minister says he will approve the extradition of a powerful community leader wanted in the United States on drug and arms trafficking charges.

The reversal Monday by Prime Minister Bruce Golding ends a nine-month standoff over Christopher "Dudus" Coke that has strained the Caribbean nation's relations with Washington.

Coke is alleged to control a band of gunmen in a west Kingston neighborhood that Golding represents in parliament. Some observers say any attempt to arrest him could spark violence across Jamaica.

Golding had led opposition to Coke's extradition in a campaign that threatened his political career. The governing party rejected calls for him to resign after a high-level weekend conference.

5 Tips To Make Money on Craigslist

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:31:00 -0700

Making money on Craigslist is one of the most over-looked things, but also one of the easiest things, if done correctly.

Craigslist is one of the most visited sites on the internet today, with millions upon, millions of visitors a day. With this many visitors
daily, it is very easy to get a nice chunk of traffic with your postings. I have put some tips together for you guys, apply these, and you WILL
make money!

Tip 1: DON'T POST DUPLICATE POSTS!
Posting duplicate posts will do nothing for you but get your ads taken down. Yes, it is easy to just copy and paste, and make over 100 ads within minutes, but it won't do you any good.

Tip 2: USE DIFFERENT IPS!
Using different IPs is another way to avoid getting your ad flagged. One way Craigslist will know to flag your posts is by looking at the IP you are using. If they see multiple ads from the same IP, they will most likely flag your ad, thus your profits will suffer. (Wait, you won't have any.) One way you can
change your IP is by using a proxy. If you want a list of them, check out proxy.org. They have thousands of them.

Tip 3: DONT BE AN IDIOT!
Being an idiot is the easiest way to not make money on Craigslist. Do not post something, blatantly spamming your URL. This is an example of what NOT to do:

"HEY GUYS CHECK OUT MY SITE ITS THE BEST!!!! LOL11!!! http://myaffiliatelink.com LOL OK GO THER PLX"

Doing this is also a good way to get banned from your CPA network as well, which also is not a good thing.

Tip 4: CATCH THE CURIOSITY OF THE READER!
This is one of the most important tips of all. By catching the curiosity of the reader you have a much higher chance of getting an email from them, or getting a click on your link. Also, make sure to keep your ad short - this will help catch their curiosity.

Tip 5: DON'T GIVE UP, EVER!
That's it, DON'T GIVE UP. Giving up is the easiest way to not make money online. To make money you must stick with it. I know it will be hard, but when you finally do get that first sale, or that first lead, it's the greatest feeling ever. If you can do it once, you can do it a million times.

5 Simple and Easy Ways to Advertise Online

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:30:00 -0700

Whether you have a simple and basic Work at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise you can benefit from these 5 easy and simple ways to advertise and drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.

Some people say that advertising is everything! Regardless if you have a product, a service, a hobby website or just want to share pictures of your wedding, you have to advertise somehow to get the traffic to your site or blog.

But not all traffic is equal. There are services that can help you drive tons and tons of traffic to your site and it won't do you any good at all because it's not targeted traffic.

Take for example all of the many different 'surf for traffic' or 'traffic clicking' programs that are out there. If you have a website that is about your hobby, say model airplanes, then what good is this traffic really going to do you? Who's using these services?

Webmasters and marketers that want traffic on their own site. So they most likely won't spend any more time on your page than is required by the little timer these services use and then they are gone again. Even if your site is about these traffic services (this is about the only time you will see very much benefit from using such a tool) you will still have to spend a ton of time just surfing and clicking around to get a real benefit from these programs. Once marketers realized this they switched gears. They started promoting all the different programs to a lot of other marketers to get them in their downlines, so they could get some traffic as a bonus. This became their new focus. The problem is that everyone else did exactly the same thing, so not a lot of people were surfing the internet anymore.

Bottom-line is this. You need targeted traffic. So here are some tips on how you can generate exactly the traffic you need and bring the visitors you want to your website without having to chase after them.

1. Content
What is your website about? Do you just have a page with a lot of links and not much else?

If this is the case, think about adding some content to your website that will be of value to any potential visitors. You could write articles or find articles at one of the many directories that you can reprint on your site.

2. Talk about your experiences in your subject matter.
You don't have to put up some kind of resume (although that can work too), but rather try writing about what you are doing, as it relates to your topic of choice. Let's look at the model airplanes again briefly, you could talk or write about the latest plane type you built, how the last time flying your plane went, what challenges you run into or perhaps even post some pictures of your plane or of you flying it.

3. Forums and bulletin boards.
You could add a forum or bulletin board to your website where your visitors can interact with each other. There are a lot of free services available out there that you can use to either remotely host a forum for you, or even software you can install on your website's server. To find some of these, just head over to your favorite search engine and you will definitely find plenty to choose from.

And while you are visiting the search engine, why not run a search for any bulletin boards and forums that are already out there for your chosen topic? You could visit those and interact with the visitors there and since many allow you to post a signature or a profile, you could add a little line about your own site with a link (just check the rules of the forum first so
you don't violate any of them).

4. Start a blog.
Blogs are very popular and search engines love them because they provide constantly new and fresh content. Your blog would be a great place to talk about what you are up to that day. So if you spent some time today buying new parts for your plane you could write about where you found them, how much they cost you, why you chose those parts, anything really goes.

The really great part about this is that you can point links from your blog back to your website, so when the search engine stops by to grab and index your latest content, it will also stop by your website and you will start seeing very targeted traffic heading your way.

5. Write articles.
Writing articles isn't hard and can be a great source of fresh, new traffic to your website. There are a lot of ezines on any topic out there and there are also a lot of directories where you can share your article.

Basically, what you do is write an article and then add a small resource box that links back to your website (just like a signature) and then let other ezine publishers know that you are allowing them to print your article in their ezine. And many publishers go to the article directories to find new content for their newsletter and even their websites. And since there are
websites and ezine newsletters on any imaginable topic out there, you can't lose. Write an article every couple of days and post it in the directories (even one a week or every two weeks will start getting you traffic). Very soon you will find new traffic coming from search engines, newsletters and websites.

Best of all, these 5 simple tips will bring targeted traffic, meaning the visitors are coming to you because they are interested in what you wrote.

So there you have it. Whether you have a simple and basic Work at Home Business or a significant Internet Marketing enterprise you can benefit from these 5 easy and simple ways to advertise and drive traffic to your website at absolutely no cost.

Stephen Wright is President & CEO of InternetMarketingUSA.com
Looking for Internet Marketing Ideas, Tips, and Solutions? Get everything you need to make money online in "Dotcomology: The Science of Making Money Online". Absolutely Free at: http://www.InternetMarketingUSA.com/dotcomology.html

NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)

5 Free Online Advertising Channels For Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:29:00 -0700

This article reveals 5 free methods to advertise any business online.

What a wonderful invention it is, this thing we call the Internet!

If you would just take your time to know your way around, you could discover a lot of premium products and services being offered for free. What's best is that there is a seemingly endless number of these wonderful finds, what with the Internet being a vast network of constantly evolving ideas and all!

Among these magnificent benefits is the chance to be able to promote your business, any business, online, free of charge! It doesn't matter if your enterprise is a purely online or offline venture, the World Wide Web is home to a great number of marketing opportunities that you could avail of, with no damage to your business' budget whatsoever.

Advertising can be a big problem otherwise. A lot of companies reserve a big chunk of their budgets to cover marketing expenditures. Sometimes, these gambles pay off, but there are occasions when they fail miserably, putting to waste some good money that could have been used in other areas of development for the business involved.

But with the many channels available online, marketing has become a less risky course of action. There so many avenues available online where you could advertise your business for free and attain more exposure for your products or services. Here are some of them.

1. You could advertise through your own website. Ordinarily, you should pay a nominal fee for web hosting and your domain name. A paid web hosting service is more reliable. Your own domain name would impress upon your visitors an immediate sense of professionalism. But if you don't want to spend for them, there are a lot of free web space providers on the Internet!

2. You could advertise through other people's websites. And you could do this in a lot of ways too! You could create a banner that would summarize your business' offers and have it displayed on existing pages. Or if you have your won website for your business, you could use the said banner to link to your pages, or you could even settle for simple links. Additionally, you could have other webmasters rave about your venture and they could talk about it in their own websites.

3. You could create your own affiliate program. By giving commissions as incentive, you could invite a lot of Internet users to become your affiliates. Each affiliate would work to help you make a sale. It's like having a battalion of sales representatives that you'd only have to pay if they manage to refer a willing customer!

4. You could try viral marketing. Viral marketing is the online equivalent of word o mouth advertising. By giving away something for free, for as long as that something has a link or a simple reference to your business, you're encouraging the recipient to spread the word about your business to the people he knows. This would result in the exponential expansion of your business message like wildfire.

5. You could advertise in online communities. Forums and mailing lists are popular venues that could likewise convey your business message. Membership to these groups is usually free. Additionally, you could also create your own mailing list and start capturing leads for future sales by doing some helpful follow-ups.

The Internet is a great place for promoting your business. There are five million people online at any given time and the world is, quite literally, your market. It would be best for your business to capitalize on this wonderful opportunity and expand your audience a thousand fold bigger!

And you wouldn't even have to spend a penny while you're at it.

5 Easy Ways To Get Your Creative Juices Going

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:28:00 -0700

Writing an article doesn't just mean putting down thoughts into words then typing and writing it. You have to capture the interest of your readers and get them to keep on reading. To send your message across you have to get the attention of the reader and have a firm grasp of their interest and pique their curiosity.

Writing an article doesn't just mean putting down thoughts into words then typing and writing it. You have to capture the interest of your readers and get them to keep on reading. To send your message across you have to get the attention of the reader and have a firm grasp of their interest and pique their curiosity.

The main ingredient in baking up an article is a large dose of creativity. While creativity may come natural to many people, some just gets into a block or something to that effect that can drive someone crazy. Many writers have literally torn their hair out when they get writers block and just can't seem to get their creative juices flowing.

Putting words into images in the readers mind is an art. A clear and crisp depiction requires a certain flair that only creativity can provide. Similes and metaphors help a lot, but the way an article gets entwined word for word, sentence by sentence then paragraph by paragraph into a whole article develops the essence of the article.

So just what do you have to do when nothing comes to mind? There is no surefire ways to get the perfect ideas but there are easy ways to get your creative juices flowing. No one can guarantee you of having the perfect mindset but many methods may aid you in achieving that state of mind. Here are five easy ways for that.

1) Keep a diary or a journal with you always. Ideas can be triggered by anything you may hear, see, or smell. Your senses are your radar in finding great ideas. Write all of them into a journal and keep it with you for future reference. You may also write down anything that you have read or heard, someone's ideas could be used to develop your own ideas and this is not stealing. Remember that ideas and creativity can come from anywhere; it's the development of the idea that makes it unique.

2) Relax and take time to sort things out. A jumbled mind cannot create any space for new ideas. Everyone must have a clear mind if one wishes to have their creativity in full speed. Get rid of all obstacles that can be a hindrance to your creativity. If you are bothered by something, you cannot force your mind to stay focused.

Try to relax every time that you can and think about your experiences and interactions with others. Your experiences are what shape your mindset and your opinions which could be reflected on your writings. Try to discover yourself, find out what triggers your emotions. Discover what inspires you and what ticks you off. You can use these emotions to help you in expressing yourself and your ideas, with this you can grow creatively.

3) Create a working place that can inspire your creativeness. Your working place can be quite a hindrance if it doesn't make you feel happy or relaxed. Creativity comes from being in a good state of mind and a messed up workplace that causes distraction won't be conducive in firing up your creative flow.

Surround your working place with objects that makes you happy and relaxed. You may put up pictures, or scents, objects that inspire, or anything that can get your creativeness cranking. A clean and well organized workplace also rids of distractions and unwanted hindrances. With a good working place, you can work in peace and never notice the time pass by.

4) Set the mood. Setting the mood requires you to just go with the moment or to induce your self to feeling what makes your mind works best. Finding out what makes you tick could help you find ways to get your creative juices flowing. Set the pace and tempo for your mood and everything else will follow.

There are many ways to set the mood. Some writers have been known to use alcohol, a little sip of wine to stir up the imagination. Some would like some mood music while others let the lighting of the environment create the mood.

5) Go on a getaway and just do something unlike crazy. Letting yourself go and have fun produces adrenaline that can make your imagination go wild. Take an adventure or a solemn hike. Whatever it is that is unusual from your daily routine can take the rut out of your schedule. In no time at all, your creativeness will make use of that experience and get your imagination to go on overdrive.

4 Steps to Unbeatable Advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:27:00 -0700

It's difficult to reach your buisness goals if you don't have the right materials and/or the information to help your buisness reach the success it's capable of. These four competitive marketing strategies are needed to produce an extremely successful buisness.

1. Negotiate
Have you noticed that some people seem to always get the best deals? Yeah, you pay full price and think you did OK until they show up with the same thing, only they paid several hundred dollars less. It really get your goat! How do they do it? They're not afraid to ask for an extra discount.

Yep, don't sell yourself short because you didn't ASK the next time your advertising rep makes an appearance! Even if you're already getting a discount, ask for a bigger one. You have not...because you ask not.

2. Trim
Bigger is always better...or is it? When it comes to advertising, don't be surprised if some of your short ads meet with more success than larger more expensive ads. Trimming down on the size and cost of advertising doesn't mean you'll be trimming the results!

3. Exploit the Freebies
What's the difference between advertising and publicity? ...who's doing the talking. Yeah, when you sell yourself, it's advertising. When someone else is selling you, it's publicity...and it generates credibility and interest that you don't want to miss out on.

Think about the different ways you can get your business in the spotlight. Do you have some news… write a press release? Write some "how to" articles with a short byline at the end and release them to ezines, magazines, newspapers, and other publishers. Why not promote the product of a non-competitor in return for them promoting yours...think of the totally different market they affect!

Yep, there are a lot of ways out there to get free advertisement that will benefit your business. Of course you won't be able to rely solely on the freebies, but hey, you can get a little extra for nothing!

4. Improve Your Offer
Is your deal too good to pass up? If not, you need to improve it. Hey, I'm not talking about cutting prices even more...you've still got to make a profit. You can make the deal sweeter just by increasing the readers knowledge of the value of the product, or adding bonuses that are perceived as valuable, but cost you little.

Motivate buyers with expirations. Yeah, an open ended offer encourages procrastination...which leads ...yep, nowhere. When the customer knows he has until Saturday to purchase an item he'll pay more for on Sunday, he'll make it a priority to head for your shop.

Advertising doesn't have to wipe out your bank account to be effective. When you learn to negotiate, know when smaller ads are as effective as large ads, ask for discounts, and create an irresistible offer, you're on your way to skyrocketing profit margins!

4 Simple Steps To Great Free Advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:26:00 -0700

Advertising a product, service, or any undertaking, such as a website for example, has always been a pain in the wallet. Here are four simple steps to great free advertising.

Advertising a product, service, or any undertaking, such as a website for example, has always been a pain in the wallet.

I have been a follower of the free advertising mode, incidentally.

I would like to share with you two of the strategies I've used in getting free advertising.

The first strategy is to advertise in free but well-visited web sites.

I have published some of the best web sites that accept free advertising. You can access these free ad sites by first going to internetmarketinglearningcenter.com/classified-ads.html.

The second strategy I used to post free ads is to buy a Free Classified Ad Course.

This is actually a brief course and I had to pay Clickbank $19.95 to avail of this ad resource.

The highlight of the Free Classified Ad Course is going to the download link of a free software that you will use to post and monitor your ads.

I would like to share with you this Free Classified Ad Course FREE.

You don't have to pay Clickbank $19.95, and you don't have to spend hours researching for this free software.

Just go to my web site listed on the resource box below, click the link on the sidebar menu entitled 4 Simple Steps to Great Free Advertising, and you are off to posting your free ads. Free.

Enjoy your success in ad posting!

4 Key Points to Branding

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:25:00 -0700

Branding is more than a logo and image or even a recognized name. It’s a person’s collective experience with a company’s product or service. A brand is a person’s overall perception of a company or product built over time.

Here are four things you should keep in mind as you build your company’s brand:

1) Own the “Significant Thing”: Dole tried to be all things to all people spend your time focusing on a single clear message. Mercedes-Benz owns “ Engineering “ in the car industry because it’s focused on that singular message for decades.

2) Consistency is key: consistent presentation will ensure that your customers recognize you. Be consistent in the use of logos, taglines, visual elements, tone, and ad copy. Coca-Cola it is one of the most recognized brands in the world because they haven’t changed in decades. Make sure your brochures, website, Direct mail, and all the other advertising have the same feel and message.

3) Make your message relevant: know your audience, know what they care about and how to speak to them. Make sure what you sell is what they need. Remember the conversation should always be about your audience, not you.

4) Use a strong offer to motivate: you want your audience to remember you and you want its members to buy from you. You need to move them to action. A strong offer should give them a reason to buy. Make the offer clear and appropriate for your brand.

Every time a customer comes in contact with your brand, they will have either a positive or a negative experience. Those experiences will add to their perception of your brand. Those experiences are recalled later when it’s time to make a purchasing decision. How do you want your brand to be remembered when the time comes for a prospect to buy? You need to start building that positive perception today and do whatever is necessary to maintain it.

Good luck.

3 Things You Must Do Before You Submit To Article Directories

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:24:00 -0700

With modern communication technology comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is why article writing, submissions and publications are also getting popular.

To all writers and non-writers out there, now is the time to start digging up those creative writing skills back.
With modern communication technology comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is why article writing, submissions and publications are also getting popular.
There are already many tools that people can use to make the process of distributing their articles more easily. Though this is invaluable in getting the contents more exposure, which is only half of the story.
Let us take a look first at the common mistakes that some people make before submitting their contents to article directories:

1. Confusing the reason to promote the articles with the reason to write them.
In article writing, there are three key benefits why you are promoting them; branding, lead generation and promotion, which are all part of your optimization efforts.
But there is only one reason why you write an article, and that is to inform your audience. If the article is not focused on this primary and most important purpose, it will fail to achieve the three promotion benefits because no one will be interested in reading them.
You need to figure out first how to get people to read what is in your article, then make them click on your resource box. You can achieve this by producing better contents.

2. Failing to maximize the promotional opportunities of article marketing.
You may know already that your articles can help you generate additional links back to your site. But do you know that you can get more visitors and better search engine results from that same articles?
Mention keywords at strategic places. Just be sure not to overdo them. Some are even using anchor texts which is also an effective method. But it is important to know that majority of the directories are not able to support this.
Remember that is not only about the links back to your site. Part of doing well in your article marketing is getting picked up by publishers with a large number of audiences and gaining the ability of leveraging other brands because of the quality of your work. Better search engine results also are great benefits.
But these things do not put much money in your pocket. There are other factors that can turn your article marketing efforts into an opportunity that can boost your earnings. Not just increase the number of visitors to your site.
Start out with a plan and see to it that your article will serve the function that you intended it to have.

3. Publishing content that does not help your readers.
Maybe in the process of writing articles, you are thinking that all that is you wanted is links back to your site. And any visitors it can generate are fine.
Guess what? Not all article banks and directories are going to accept your content automatically. Oftentimes, they have some guidelines and specifications on the articles that they are accepting.
You can double the number of sites you can submit to by writing articles that the directories want to share with other people. All it takes is one publisher with a hundred thousand readers to increase your potential audience overnight.
Write the articles that publishers want in their publications if you want your article marketing to work the most effective way for you. This also means you have to obey the standard guidelines, spell checks, researching on a good topic and even hiring a writer to produce a good content on your behalf.
In the end, it is all really a matter of choice on your part. You can start getting a little exposure from increased links back but on a very basic level. Or enjoy massive exposure from a little extra time making quality contents.
It will be your choice. You may not be aware of the fact that an article submitted on directories is not meant to have the same level of exposure as highly-targeted content ones geared on a narrow group of people.
Learn the difference between these two and it will surely help you know what kinds of articles to write and to submit.

3 Things To Do Prior To Submitting Articles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:22:00 -0700

3 Smart Reasons Why You Should Consider Paying For Your Traffic

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:20:00 -0700

There are numerous success stories you will hear about businesses making it good on the internet . The troubling thing is, there are maybe a tenfold or even a hundredfold of stories inconsistent to theirs. Many have unsuccessfully launched a business venture that is internet based but only a handful shall succeed. Here are three (3) smart reasons why you should consider paying for your traffic including common-sense methods of showing you how to prepare your website.

There are numerous success stories you will hear about businesses making it good on the internet . The troubling thing is, there are maybe a tenfold or even a hundredfold of stories inconsistent to theirs. Many have unsuccessfully launched a business venture that is internet based but only a handful shall succeed.

Is this because of luck? That is even more remote. It takes good business sense and a lot of help and team effort. Most importantly, it is the eagerness to succeed and the persistence to learn and the willingness to put in a lot of hard work and some money.

However, before shelling out your hard-earned money on advertising, here are three (3) smart reasons why you should consider paying for your traffic including common-sense methods of showing you how to prepare your website.

1. The quickest method for getting customers to your website is to pay for your traffic.

Like Neo, traffic is 'The One' . Without traffic, all your efforts would just go to waste. Every business needs customers, without them you wouldn't have anyone to sell your products to. In the Internet world traffic is the walk in customer. The more traffic you possess the more people you'd be able to sell your products to.

But similar to any business that's in every corner building or in the mall, not everyone that goes in will buy. But for those who do come in to browse your merchandise, most of them will buy your products. It is a clear and known fact.

But, how do you get traffic, traffic great enough that could make a small portion of resulting buyers enough to make a fair profit. Many big companies generate traffic of tens of thousands a day and a measly ten to fifteen percent actually buys, but that small percentage is enough to supply them with adequate business.

Many of these success stories get their traffic from paying others. Yes that's right; you have to spend money to make money. Advertising is the key. The more people who know that your site exists the more people would of course go to your site, that's common sense.

While there are numerous ways to get free advertising for your business, free advertising doesn't generate the same high volume of traffic as paid traffic does. Paid advertisements include such advertising schemes as those offered by Google and Yahoo.

2. In order to take full advantage of the search engines, make sure that your site is properly optimized to rank high before paying for your traffic.

Search engines are the fastest and easiest way for finding what you need on the internet . Search engines are extremely popular because they provide an indispensable service to many people. They are free and easy to use. Because of their popularity, search engines receive many visitors as well as click throughs . With these benefits in mind, it is easy to see why so many companies would pay to advertise with search engines.

Search engines provide information to the millions of users they receive each day. They provide relevant links to many sites that a user may be looking for. If your site's link pops up as one of the top ranked sites on the search results page, you stand a great chance that the user will click your link and go to your site. While search engine optimization is a cheaper and low cost way to get your site a high rank, paying for advertisements will ensure that you will be on the top ranks.

When you pay for your advertisements, it is like paying for guaranteed traffic to your site. This may not seem like a good idea at first, but the benefits of doing so far outweigh the cost in the long run. When you pay for your traffic, you are guaranteed a consistent flow of traffic to your site. You will at no time go without making a sale on any given day.

3. Find and use tools that will aid you in researching relevant keywords for your chosen niche so that you don't waste money on advertising.

Normally, you will be charged with the number of hits a link gets when your ad is clicked, this is known as pay per click. For some search engines, you will be charged with the number of times your ad shows up when a certain keyword or keyword phrase is searched. It is imperative that you have good keyword content in your ad. There are many tools on the Internet which can aid you in using the right keywords at the right moment in time.

All the money you spend in paying for your traffic will not be for nothing. You will get an impressive boost in traffic which will also result in a great boost in your sales figures.

Keith Gloster has stumbled upon a proven system that solves four major problems 99.99% of marketers face everyday which are traffic generation, prospecting, lead generation and follow-up. For the exciting details, visit: http://www.free-mlm-leads-generator.com

A Completely New Way To Get Rich Rapidly

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:17:00 -0700

This new way is catching on around the world. People are compounding money rapidly for themselves.

Its called "opportunity investment" and it has nothing to do with the traditional way to invest. Stocks, bonds, shares etc.

This is hands on. The entire premise is based on compounding and becoming the "investor source"

You see when we hand over our funds to "professionals" to invest our capital we dilute our returns dramatically. It makes sense if you think about it.

This new way is catching on around the world. People are compounding money rapidly for themselves.

Its called "opportunity investment" and it has nothing to do with the traditional way to invest. Stocks, bonds, shares etc.

This is hands on. The entire premise is based on compounding and becoming the "investor source"

You see when we hand over our funds to "professionals" to invest our capital we dilute our returns dramatically. It makes sense if you think about it. They have no interest or incentive to manufacture returns any better then maybe 10% if you are lucky.

"Opportunity Investment" is a term that describes the process of taking responsibility for your own funds. Thereby becoming your own "investor source" What that means is that you determine by your daily actions and decisions, what your returns will be. I have managed over 2500% per year and it was easy. Starting with just $100 and on a whim, I compounded that in to $1 million dollars within 27 months

I discovered this 5 years ago. There is a book written by a guy who pioneered this formula and lives the results every day. Hayden Muller. The book is called "The inside trade secrets to an ethical opportunity investor"

The idea is to identify "investment objects" that are endowed with "excess intrinsic value" By recognising profit where others do not we put ourselves in the position to access this unseen stored portable value and transform it into profits which we pyramid and compound into a rapid fortune.

Its my opinion that this is not new at all. I believe, this is the narrow path that all "high net worth individuals" discovered for themselves. What is novel and new is the way its packaged as a book and disclosed freely to all who choose to recognise its worth.

I am so impressed with it, as were my associates, that we invested in an online resource to share with the many who already compound their wealth rapidly and certainly day by day. (Theres a link to the site below if you wish to learn more)

Theres revolution in the air. Ordinary people are daring to reach for their first million and taking it. Millions are not content to work their whole lives, then retire then die. They express it by their actions. They are living in large comfortable homes. They are sending their children to good schools, driving nice cars and living the life they choose today not tommorow.

We are part of that paradigm shift and we fan the flames with knowledge. Wealth education need not be complicated. Your wealth education could be alot simpler and direct if you choose it to be. Simpler is always better, and opportunity investment is the bare bones. The structure is robust and direct. Take it and earn like the many who already do.