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Adsense Policies

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 12:14:00 -0600

Adsense Policies -Google AdSense is a free, simple way for website publishers of all sizes to earn money by displaying targeted Google ads on their websites. AdSense also lets you provide Google search to your site users, while earning money by displaying Google ads on the search results pages.

AdSense outlined

- Get paid for displaying targeted Google ads on your site
- Customize ads easily to match your site's look and feel
- Track your success with online reports
- Read how publishers found success with AdSense in our case studies

How does it work?

1.Choose the type and placement of ad units to be displayed
-Specify where you want ads to appear
-Choose what types of ads can compete for those slots

2.Highest-paying ads display
- Advertisers bid on your inventory in a real-time auction
- Always show the highest-paying ad

3.Get paid
- Google bills advertisers and ad networks
-Get paid through our reliable payment options

More features

-Filter competitors’ or unwanted ads
-Choose within a wide variety of ad formats
- Identify opportunities with performance reports and Google Analytics integration
- Read how publishers found success with AdSense in our case studies

If you have a website that complies with our program policies and eligibility criteria, we encourage you to give a try to AdSense.

Google AdSense Program Policies

Publishers participating in the AdSense program are required to adhere to the following policies, so please read them carefully. If you fail to comply with these policies, we reserve the right to disable ad serving to your site and/or disable your AdSense account at any time. If your account is disabled, you will not be eligible for further participation in the AdSense program.

Because we may change our policies at any time, please check here often for updates. Pursuant to our Terms and Conditions, it's your responsibility to keep up to date with, and adhere to, the policies posted here.

Online Advertising

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 12:11:00 -0600

Online Advertising - Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web for the expressed purpose of delivering marketing messages to attract customers. Examples of online advertising include contextual ads on search engine results pages, banner ads, Rich Media Ads, Social network advertising, interstitial ads, online classified advertising, advertising networks and e-mail marketing, including e-mail spam.

Competitive advantage over traditional advertising

One major benefit of online advertising is the immediate publishing of information and content that is not limited by geography or time. To that end, the emerging area of interactive advertising presents fresh challenges for advertisers who have hitherto adopted an interruptive strategy.

Another benefit is the efficiency of advertiser's investment. Online advertising allows for the customization of advertisements, including content and posted websites. For example, AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing and Google AdSense enable ads to be shown on relevant web pages or alongside search results of related keywords.

Revenue models

The three most common ways in which online advertising is purchased are CPM, CPC, and CPA.

* CPM (Cost Per Mille), also called "Cost Per Thousand (CPT), is where advertisers pay for exposure of their message to a specific audience. "Per mille" means per thousand impressions, or loads of an advertisement. However, some impressions may not be counted, such as a reload or internal user action.

* CPV (Cost Per Visitor) is where advertisers pay for the delivery of a Targeted Visitor to the advertisers website.
* CPV (Cost Per View) is when an advertiser pays for each unique user view of an advertisement or website (usually used with pop-ups, pop-unders and interstitial ads).

* CPC (Cost Per Click) is also known as Pay per click (PPC). Advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their listing and is redirected to their website. They do not actually pay for the listing, but only when the listing is clicked on. This system allows advertising specialists to refine searches and gain information about their market. Under the Pay per click pricing system, advertisers pay for the right to be listed under a series of target rich words that direct relevant traffic to their website, and pay only when someone clicks on their listing which links directly to their website. CPC differs from CPV in that each click is paid for regardless of whether the user makes it to the target site.

* CPA (Cost Per Action) or (Cost Per Acquisition) advertising is performance based and is common in the affiliate marketing sector of the business. In this payment scheme, the publisher takes all the risk of running the ad, and the advertiser pays only for the amount of users who complete a transaction, such as a purchase or sign-up. This is the best type of rate to pay for banner advertisements and the worst type of rate to charge.

o Similarly, CPL (Cost Per Lead) advertising is identical to CPA advertising and is based on the user completing a form, registering for a newsletter or some other action that the merchant feels will lead to a sale.
o Also common, CPO (Cost Per Order) advertising is based on each time an order is transacted.

o CPE (Cost Per Engagement) is a form of Cost Per Action pricing first introduced in March 2008. Differing from cost-per-impression or cost-per-click models, a CPE model means advertising impressions are free and advertisers pay only when a user engages with their specific ad unit. Engagement is defined as a user interacting with an ad in any number of ways.[1]

* Cost per conversion Describes the cost of acquiring a customer, typically calculated by dividing the total cost of an ad campaign by the number of conversions. The definition of "Conversion" varies depending on the situation: it is sometimes considered to be a lead, a sale, or a purchase.

Google Corporate Logo "Google doodle celebrates"

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 12:10:00 -0600

It's the holiday Google doodle that has replaced Google's corporate logo on its homepage today. Although less flashy in comparison to Google's bouncing balls doodle on the eve of Google Instant search's release, the current holiday Google doodle has taken a considerable amount of time to achieve.

Google's chief doodler, Michael Lopez, and his team of five artists took a total of 250 hours spanning over five months to create the holiday Google doodle. Discussions of the holiday Google Google Corporate Logodoodle started as far back as July, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Google Corporate Logo, For fashion screen appraiser netzens, 17 themed doodles have been unveiled by Google, celebrating the holiday.

“We call our special holiday logos, Google doodles”, said the VP of Search & User Experience at Google, Marissa Mayer on Google Sidewiki.

“The first Google doodle appeared on August 30, 1998. The new holiday Google Doodles are available on Google.com web page.

Marketing Strategy

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 12:01:00 -0600

Marketing Strategy - Marketing strategy[1][2] is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage[3]. A marketing strategy should be centered around the key concept that customer satisfaction is the main goal.

Marketing strategy is a method of focusing an organization's energies and resources on a course of action which can lead to increased sales and dominance of a targeted market niche. A marketing strategy combines product development, promotion, distribution, pricing, relationship management and other elements; identifies the firm's marketing goals, and explains how they will be achieved, ideally within a stated timeframe. Marketing strategy determines the choice of target market segments, positioning, marketing mix, and allocation of resources.

It is most effective when it is an integral component of overall firm strategy, defining how the organization will successfully engage customers, prospects, and competitors in the market arena. Corporate strategies, corporate missions, and corporate goals. As the customer constitutes the source of a company's revenue, marketing strategy is closely linked with sales. A key component of marketing strategy is often to keep marketing in line with a company's overarching mission statement[4].

Basic theory:

1. Target Audience
2. Proposition/Key Element
3. Implementation
Tactics and actions

A marketing strategy can serve as the foundation of a marketing plan. A marketing plan contains a set of specific actions required to successfully implement a marketing strategy. For example: "Use a low cost product to attract consumers. Once our organization, via our low cost product, has established a relationship with consumers, our organization will sell additional, higher-margin products and services that enhance the consumer's interaction with the low-cost product or service."

A strategy consists of a well thought out series of tactics to make a marketing plan more effective. Marketing strategies serve as the fundamental underpinning of marketing plans designed to fill market needs and reach marketing objectives[5]. Plans and objectives are generally tested for measurable results.

A marketing strategy often integrates an organization's marketing goals, policies, and action sequences (tactics) into a cohesive whole. Similarly, the various strands of the strategy , which might include advertising, channel marketing, internet marketing, promotion and public relations can be orchestrated. Many companies cascade a strategy throughout an organization, by creating strategy tactics that then become strategy goals for the next level or group. Each one group is expected to take that strategy goal and develop a set of tactics to achieve that goal. This is why it is important to make each strategy goal measurable.

Marketing strategies are dynamic and interactive. They are partially planned and partially unplanned. See strategy dynamics.
[edit] Types of strategies
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Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business. However there are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies. A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below:

* Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme, firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry. Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies:
o Leader
o Challenger
o Follower
o Nicher
* Porter generic strategies - strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength. Strategic scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage. The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two alternative scopes. These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad or narrow.
o Product differentiation (broad)
o Cost leadership (broad)
o Market segmentation (narrow)
* Innovation strategies - This deals with the firm's rate of the new product development and business model innovation. It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation. There are three types:
o Pioneers
o Close followers
o Late followers
* Growth strategies - In this scheme we ask the question, “How should the firm grow?”. There are a number of different ways of answering that question, but the most common gives four answers:
o Horizontal integration
o Vertical integration
o Diversification
o Intensification

A more detailed scheme uses the categories[6]:

* Prospector
* Analyzer
* Defender
* Reactor
* Marketing warfare strategies - This scheme draws parallels between marketing strategies and military strategies.

[edit] Strategic models
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Marketing participants often employ strategic models and tools to analyze marketing decisions. When beginning a strategic analysis, the 3Cs can be employed to get a broad understanding of the strategic environment. An Ansoff Matrix is also often used to convey an organization's strategic positioning of their marketing mix. The 4Ps can then be utilized to form a marketing plan to pursue a defined strategy.

There are many companies especially those in the Consumer Package Goods (CPG) market that adopt the theory of running their business centered around Consumer, Shopper & Retailer needs. Their Marketing departments spend quality time looking for "Growth Opportunities" in their categories by identifying relevant insights (both mindsets and behaviors) on their target Consumers, Shoppers and retail partners. These Growth Opportunities emerge from changes in market trends, segment dynamics changing and also internal brand or operational business challenges.The Marketing team can then prioritize these Growth Opportunities and begin to develop strategies to exploit the opportunities that could include new or adapted products, services as well as changes to the 7Ps.
[edit] Real-life marketing

Real-life marketing primarily revolves around the application of a great deal of common-sense; dealing with a limited number of factors, in an environment of imperfect information and limited resources complicated by uncertainty and tight timescales. Use of classical marketing techniques, in these circumstances, is inevitably partial and uneven.

Thus, for example, many new products will emerge from irrational processes and the rational development process may be used (if at all) to screen out the worst non-runners. The design of the advertising, and the packaging, will be the output of the creative minds employed; which management will then screen, often by 'gut-reaction', to ensure that it is reasonable.

For most of their time, marketing managers use intuition and experience to analyze and handle the complex, and unique, situations being faced; without easy reference to theory. This will often be 'flying by the seat of the pants', or 'gut-reaction'; where the overall strategy, coupled with the knowledge of the customer which has been absorbed almost by a process of osmosis, will determine the quality of the marketing employed. This, almost instinctive management, is what is sometimes called 'coarse marketing'; to distinguish it from the refined, aesthetically pleasing, form favored by the theorists.

Marketing In History

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:55:00 -0600

Marketing In History - Marketing is the process by which companies create customer interest in goods or services. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves.

Marketing is used to identify the customer, to satisfy the customer, and to keep the customer. With the customer as the focus of its activities, it can be concluded that marketing management is one of the major components of business management. Marketing evolved to meet the stasis in developing new markets caused by mature markets and overcapacities in the last 2-3 centuries.[citation needed] The adoption of marketing strategies requires businesses to shift their focus from production to the perceived needs and wants of their customers as the means of staying profitable.[citation needed]

The term marketing concept holds that achieving organizational goals depends on knowing the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions. It proposes that in order to satisfy its organizational objectives, an organization should anticipate the needs and wants of consumers and satisfy these more effectively than competitors.Further definitions

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association (AMA) as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to a market to buy or sell goods or services. Seen from a systems point of view, sales process engineering views marketing as "a set of processes that are interconnected and interdependent with other functions, whose methods can be improved using a variety of relatively new approaches."

The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as "the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably." A different concept is the value-based marketing which states the role of marketing to contribute to increasing shareholder value. In this context, marketing is defined as "the management process that seeks to maximise returns to shareholders by developing relationships with valued customers and creating a competitive advantage."

Marketing practice tended to be seen as a creative industry in the past, which included advertising, distribution and selling. However, because the academic study of marketing makes extensive use of social sciences, psychology, sociology, mathematics, economics, anthropology and neuroscience, the profession is now widely recognized as a science, allowing numerous universities to offer Master-of-Science (MSc) programmes. The overall process starts with marketing research and goes through market segmentation, business planning and execution, ending with pre and post-sales promotional activities. It is also related to many of the creative arts. The marketing literature is also adept at re-inventing itself and its vocabulary according to the times and the culture.

Evolution of marketing

Main article: History of marketing

An orientation, in the marketing context, related to a perception or attitude a firm holds towards its product or service, essentially concerning consumers and end-users. Throughout history marketing has changed considerably as consumer tastes are changing faster.

Earlier approaches

The marketing orientation evolved from earlier orientations namely the production orientation, the product orientation and the selling orientation.

Contemporary approaches

Recent approaches in marketing is the relationship marketing with focus on the customer, the business marketing or industrial marketing with focus on an organization or institution and the social marketing with focus on benefits to the society. New forms of marketing also use the internet and are therefore called internet marketing or more generally e-marketing, online marketing, search engine marketing, desktop advertising or affiliate marketing. It tries to perfect the segmentation strategy used in traditional marketing. It targets its audience more precisely, and is sometimes called personalized marketing or one-to-one marketing.

Customer orientation

A firm in the market economy survives by producing goods that persons are willing and able to buy. Consequently, ascertaining consumer demand is vital for a firm's future viability and even existence as a going concern. Many companies today have a customer focus (or market orientation). This implies that the company focuses its activities and products on consumer demands. Generally there are three ways of doing this: the customer-driven approach, the sense of identifying market changes and the product innovation approach.

In the consumer-driven approach, consumer wants are the drivers of all strategic marketing decisions. No strategy is pursued until it passes the test of consumer research. Every aspect of a market offering, including the nature of the product itself, is driven by the needs of potential consumers. The starting point is always the consumer. The rationale for this approach is that there is no point spending R&D funds developing products that people will not buy. History attests to many products that were commercial failures in spite of being technological breakthroughs.

A formal approach to this customer-focused marketing is known as SIVA[12] (Solution, Information, Value, Access). This system is basically the four Ps renamed and reworded to provide a customer focus. The SIVA Model provides a demand/customer centric version alternative to the well-known 4Ps supply side model (product, price, placement, promotion) of marketing management.

Organizational orientation

In this sense, a firm's marketing department is often seen as of prime importance within the functional level of an organization. Information from an organization's marketing department would be used to guide the actions of other departments within the firm. As an example, a marketing department could ascertain (via marketing research) that consumers desired a new type of product, or a new usage for an existing product. With this in mind, the marketing department would inform the R&D department to create a prototype of a product/service based on consumers' new desires.

The production department would then start to manufacture the product, while the marketing department would focus on the promotion, distribution, pricing, etc. of the product. Additionally, a firm's finance department would be consulted, with respect to securing appropriate funding for the development, production and promotion of the product. Inter-departmental conflicts may occur, should a firm adhere to the marketing orientation. Production may oppose the installation, support and servicing of new capital stock, which may be needed to manufacture a new product. Finance may oppose the required capital expenditure, since it could undermine a healthy cash flow for the organization.

Herd behavior

Herd behavior in marketing is used to explain the dependencies of customers' mutual behavior. The Economist reported a recent conference in Rome on the subject of the simulation of adaptive human behavior.[14] It shared mechanisms to increase impulse buying and get people "to buy more by playing on the herd instinct." The basic idea is that people will buy more of products that are seen to be popular, and several feedback mechanisms to get product popularity information to consumers are mentioned, including smart card technology and the use of Radio Frequency Identification Tag technology. A "swarm-moves" model was introduced by a Florida Institute of Technology researcher, which is appealing to supermarkets because it can "increase sales without the need to give people discounts."Other recent studies on the "power of social influence" include an "artificial music market in which some 19,000 people downloaded previously unknown songs" (Columbia University, New York); a Japanese chain of convenience stores which orders its products based on "sales data from department stores and research companies;" a Massachusetts company exploiting knowledge of social networking to improve sales; and online retailers who are increasingly informing consumers about "which products are popular with like-minded consumers" (e.g., Amazon, eBay).

Further orientations

•An emerging area of study and practice concerns internal marketing, or how employees are trained and managed to deliver the brand in a way that positively impacts the acquisition and retention of customers, see also employer branding.

•Diffusion of innovations research explores how and why people adopt new products, services and ideas.

•With consumers' eroding attention span and willingness to give time to advertising messages, marketers are turning to forms of permission marketing such as branded content, custom media and reality marketing.

Marketing research

Main article: Marketing research

Marketing research involves conducting research to support marketing activities, and the statistical interpretation of data into information. This information is then used by managers to plan marketing activities, gauge the nature of a firm's marketing environment and attain information from suppliers. Marketing researchers use statistical methods such as quantitative research, qualitative research, hypothesis tests, Chi-squared tests, linear regression, correlations, frequency distributions, poisson distributions, binomial distributions, etc. to interpret their findings and convert data into information. The marketing research process spans a number of stages including the definition of a problem, development of a research plan, collecting and interpretation of data and disseminating information formally in form of a report. The task of marketing research is to provide management with relevant, accurate, reliable, valid, and current information.

A distinction should be made between marketing research and market research. Market research pertains to research in a given market. As an example, a firm may conduct research in a target market, after selecting a suitable market segment. In contrast, marketing research relates to all research conducted within marketing. Thus, market research is a subset of marketing research.

Market segmentation

Main article: Market segmentation

Market segmentation pertains to the division of a market of consumers into persons with similar needs and wants. As an example, if using Kellogg's cereals in this instance, Frosties are marketed to children. Crunchy Nut Cornflakes are marketed to adults. Both goods aforementioned denote two products which are marketed to two distinct groups of persons, both with like needs, traits, and wants.

The purpose for market segmentation is conducted for two main issues. First, a segmentation allows a better allocation of a firm's finite resources. A firm only possesses a certain amount of resources. Accordingly, it must make choices (and appreciate the related costs) in servicing specific groups of consumers. Furthermore the diversified tastes of the contemporary Western consumers can be served better. With more diversity in the tastes of modern consumers, firms are taking note of the benefit of servicing a multiplicity of new markets.

Market segmentation can be defined in terms of the STP acronym, meaning Segment, Target and Position.

Types of marketing research

Marketing research, as a sub-set aspect of marketing activities, can be divided into the following parts:

•Primary research (also known as field research), which involves the conduction and compilation of research for the purpose it was intended.

•Secondary research (also referred to as desk research), is initially conducted for one purpose, but often used to support another purpose or end goal.

By these definitions, an example of primary research would be market research conducted into health foods, which is used solely to ascertain the needs/wants of the target market for health foods. Secondary research, again according to the above definition, would be research pertaining to health foods, but used by a firm wishing to develop an unrelated product.

Primary research is often expensive to prepare, collect and interpret from data to information. Nonetheless, while secondary research is relatively inexpensive, it often can become outdated and outmoded, given it is used for a purpose other than for which is was intended. Primary research can also be broken down into quantitative research and qualitative research, which as the labels suggest, pertain to numerical and non-numerical research methods, techniques. The appropriateness of each mode of research depends on whether data can be quantified (quantitative research), or whether subjective, non-numeric or abstract concepts are required to be studied (qualitative research).

There also exists additional modes of marketing research, which are:

•Exploratory research, pertaining to research that investigates an assumption.

•Descriptive research, which as the label suggests, describes "what is".

•Predictive research, meaning research conducted to predict a future occurrence.

•Conclusive research, for the purpose of deriving a conclusion via a research process.

Marketing planning

Main article: Marketing plan

The area of marketing planning involves forging a plan for a firm's marketing activities. A marketing plan can also pertain to a specific product, as well as to an organization's overall marketing strategy. Generally speaking, an organization's marketing planning process is derived from its overall business strategy. Thus, when top management are devising the firm's strategic direction or mission, the intended marketing activities are incorporated into this plan. There are several levels of marketing objectives within an organization. The senior management of a firm would formulate a general business strategy for a firm. However, this general business strategy would be interpreted and implemented in different contexts throughout the firm.

Marketing strategy

The field of marketing strategy encompasses the strategy involved in the management of a given product.

A given firm may hold numerous products in the marketplace, spanning numerous and sometimes wholly unrelated industries. Accordingly, a plan is required in order to manage effectively such products. Evidently, a company needs to weigh up and ascertain how to utilize effectively its finite resources. As an example, a start-up car manufacturing firm would face little success, should it attempt to rival immediately Toyota, Ford, Nissan or any other large global car maker. Moreover, a product may be reaching the end of its life-cycle. Thus, the issue of divest, or a ceasing of production may be made. With regard to the aforesaid questions, each scenario requires a unique marketing strategy to be employed. Below are listed some prominent marketing strategy models, which seek to propose means to answer the preceding questions.

Marketing specializations

With the rapidly emerging force of globalization, the distinction between marketing within a firm's home country and marketing within external markets is disappearing very quickly. With this occurrence in mind, firms need to reorient their marketing strategies to meet the challenges of the global marketplace, in addition to sustaining their competitiveness within home markets.

Buying behaviour

A marketing firm must ascertain the nature of the customers buying behaviour, if it is to market its product properly. In order to entice and persuade a consumer to buy a product, marketers try to determine the behavioural process of how a given product is purchased. Buying behaviour is usually split in two prime strands, whether selling to the consumer, known as business-to-consumer (B2C) or another business, similarly known as business-to-business (B2B).

B2C buying behaviour

This mode of behaviour concerns consumers, in the purchase of a given product. As an example, if one pictures a pair of sneakers, the desire for a pair of sneakers would be followed by an information search on available types/brands. This may include perusing media outlets, but most commonly consists of information gathered from family and friends.If the information search is insufficient, the consumer may search for alternative means to satisfy the need/want. In this case, this may be buying leather shoes, sandals, etc. The purchase decision is then made, in which the consumer actually buys the product. Following this stage, a post-purchase evaluation is often conducted, comprising an appraisal of the value/utility brought by the purchase of the sneakers. If the value/utility is high, then a repeat purchase may be bought. This could then develop into consumer loyalty, for the firm producing the pair of sneakers.

B2B buying behaviour

Relates to organizational/industrial buying behavior.[16] B2C and B2B behavior are not exact, as similarities and differences exist. Some of the key differences are listed below:

In a straight re-buy, the fourth, fifth and sixth stages are omitted. In a modified re-buy scenario, the fifth and sixth stages are precluded. In a new buy, all aforementioned stages are conducted.

Use of technologies

Marketing management can also note the importance of technology, within the scope of its marketing efforts. Computer-based information systems can be employed, aiding in a better processing and storage of data. Marketing researchers can use such systems to devise better methods of converting data into information, and for the creation of enhanced data gathering methods. Information technology can aid in improving an MKIS' software and hardware components, to improve a company's marketing decision-making process.

In recent years, the netbook personal computer has gained significant market share among laptops, largely due to its more user-friendly size and portability. Information technology typically progress at a fast rate, leading to marketing managers being cognizant of the latest technological developments. Moreover, the launch of smartphones into the cellphone market is commonly derived from a demand among consumers for more technologically advanced products. A firm can lose out to competitors, should it refrain from noting the latest technological occurrences in its industry.

Technological advancements can facilitate lesser barriers between countries and regions. Via using the World Wide Web, firms can quickly dispatch information from one country to another, without much restriction. Prior to the mass usage of the Internet, such transfers of information would have taken longer to send, especially if via snail mail, telex, etc.

Services marketing

Services marketing,as the label suggests, relates to the marketing of services, as opposed to tangible products (in standard economic terminology, a tangible product is called a good).

A typical definition of a service (as opposed to a good) is thus:

•The use of it is inseparable from its purchase (,i.e. a service is used and consumed simultaneously)

•It does not possess material form, and thus cannot be smelt, heard, tasted, or felt.

•The use of a service is inherently subjective, in that due to the human condition, all persons experiencing a service would experience it uniquely.

As examples of the above points, a train ride can be deemed as a service. If one buys a train ticket, the use of the train is typically experienced concurrently with the purchase of the ticket. Moreover, a train ride cannot be smelt, heard, tasted or felt as such. Granted, a seat can be felt, and the train can be evidently heard, nonetheless one is not paying for the permanent ownership of the tangible components of the train.

Services (by comparison with goods) can also be viewed as a spectrum. Not all products are pure goods, nor are all pure services. The aforementioned example of a train ride can be deemed a pure service, whilst a packet of potato chips can be deemed a pure good. An intermediary example may be a restaurant (as the waiter service is intangible, and the food evidently is tangible in form).

sumber : http://en.wikipedia.org

Market Economy

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:53:00 -0600

Market Economy - A market economy is an economy based on the power of division of labor in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system set by supply and demand.[1]

This is often contrasted with a planned economy, in which a central government can distribute services using a fixed price system. Market economies are also contrasted with mixed economy where the price system is not entirely free but under some government control or heavily regulated, which is sometimes combined with state-led economic planning that is not extensive enough to constitute a planned economy.

In the real world, market economies do not exist in pure form, as societies and governments regulate them to varying degrees rather than allow self-regulation by market forces.[2][3] The term free-market economy is sometimes used synonymously with market economy,[4] but, as Ludwig Erhard once pointed out, this does not preclude an economy from having socialist attributes opposed to a laissez-faire system.[5] Economist Ludwig von Mises also pointed out that a market economy is still a market economy even if the government intervenes in pricing.[6]

Different perspectives exist as to how strong a role the government should have in both guiding the market economy and addressing the inequalities the market produces. For example, there is no universal agreement on issues such as central banking, and welfare. However, most economists oppose protectionist tariffs.[7]

The term market economy is not identical to capitalism where a corporation hires workers as a labour commodity to produce material wealth and boost shareholder profits.[8] Market mechanisms have been utilized in a handful of socialist states, such as China, Yugoslavia and even Cuba to a very limited extent.

It is also possible to envision an economic system based on independent producers, cooperative, democratic worker ownership and market allocation of final goods and services; the labour-managed market economy is one of several proposed forms of market socialism.[9]
Systems

Although no country has ever had within its border an economy in which all markets were absolutely free, the term typically is not used in an absolute sense. Many states which are said to have a market economy have a high level of market freedom, even if it is less than some parts of the population would prefer. Thus, almost all economies in the world today are mixed economies with varying degrees of free market and planned economy traits. For example, in the United States there are more market economy traits than in the Western European countries (an exception being the UK, which is considered, even by Greenspan, to be a freer market than the US).

Capitalism (Liberal Market)

Capitalism generally refers to an economic system in which the means of production are all or mostly privately owned and operated for profit, and in which investments, distribution, income,and pricing of goods and services are determined through the operation of a market economy. It is usually considered to involve the right of individuals and groups of individuals acting as "legal persons" or corporations to trade capital goods, labor, land and money.

Capitalism has been dominant in the Western world since the end of feudalism, but most feel that the term "mixed economies" more precisely describes most contemporary economies, due to their containing both private-owned and state-owned enterprises, combining elements of capitalism and socialism, or mixing the characteristics of market economies and planned economies. In capitalism, there is no central planning authority but the prices are decided by the demand-supply scale. For example, higher demand for certain goods and services lead to higher prices and lower demand for certain goods lead to lower prices.

Laissez-faire

Laissez-faire is synonymous with what was referred to as strict capitalist free market economy during the early and mid-19th century as an ideal to achieve. It is generally understood that the necessary components for the functioning of an idealized free market include the complete absence of government regulation, subsidies, artificial price pressures and government-granted monopolies (usually classified as coercive monopoly by free market advocates) and no taxes or tariffs other than what is necessary for the government to provide protection from coercion and theft and maintaining peace, and property rights.

Market anarchism

Market anarchism advocates a true free market like laissez-faire and in addition the complete elimination of the state apparatus; the provision of law enforcement, courts, national defense, and all other security services by voluntarily-funded competitors in a free market rather than through compulsory taxation; the complete deregulation of nonintrusive personal and economic activities; and a self-regulated market. Market anarchism argue for a society based in voluntary trade of private property (including money, consumer goods, land, and capital goods) and services in order to maximize individual liberty and prosperity. Some forms of market anarchism, such as mutualism, are also forms of libertarian market socialism, advocating an 'anti-capitalist free market' of free worker's cooperatives and self-employed individuals. Mutualism substitutes the idea of property for possession and use of the means of production.

Market socialism

Market socialism refers to various economic systems in which the government owns the economic institutions or major industries but operates them according to the rules of supply and demand. In a traditional market socialist economy, prices would be determined by a government planning ministry, and enterprises would either be state-owned or cooperatively-owned and managed by their employees. Libertarian socialists and left-anarchists often promote a form of market socialism in which enterprises are owned and managed collectively by the workers, but compete with each other in the same way private companies compete in a capitalist market.

The People's Republic of China currently has a form of market socialism referred to as the socialist market economy, in which most of the industry is state-owned, but prices are not set by the government. Within this model, the state-owned enterprises are free from excessive regulation and function more autonomously in a more decentralized fashion than in other socialist economic systems.

Social market

he social market economic model is based upon the free market economy, combined with regulative measures from the state to prevent market failure.[11] The theoretical fundament is build on the neoliberalism (in Germany also called ordoliberalism).[12] This model was implemented by Ludwig Erhard after World War II in West Germany. Characteristics of social market economies are a strong competition policy and a contractionary monetary policy.

Theory

Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek stated that economic freedom is a necessary condition for the creation and sustainability of civil and political freedoms. They believed that this economic freedom can only be achieved in a market-oriented economy, specifically a free market economy. They do believe, however, that sufficient economic freedom can be achieved in economies with functioning markets through price mechanisms and private property rights. They believe that the more economic freedom that is available the more civil and political freedoms a society will enjoy.

Friedman states:

* "Economic freedom is simply a requisite for political freedom. By enabling people to cooperate with one another without coercion or central direction it reduces the area over which political power is exercised" Friedman, Milton and Rose Friedman, Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980, p. 2-3
* "Capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom" Capitalism and freedom

Studies by the Canadian libertarian think tank Fraser Institute, the American conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, and the Wall Street Journal state that there is a relationship between economic freedom and political and civil freedoms to the extent claimed by Friedrich von Hayek. They agree with Hayek that those countries which restrict economic freedom ultimately restrict civil and political freedoms.[13][14]

Generally market economies are bottom-up in decision-making as consumers convey information to producers through prices paid in market transactions. All states today have some form of control over the market that removes the free and unrestricted direction of resources from consumers and prices such as tariffs and corporate subsidies. Milton Friedman and many other microeconomists believe that these forms of intervention provide incentives for resources to be misused and wasted, producing products society may not value as much as a product that is valued as a result of these restrictions.

Criticism

Robin Hahnel and Michael Albert claim that markets inherently produce class division; divisions between conceptual and manual laborers, and ultimately managers and workers, and a de facto labor market for conceptual workers. Albert says that in a market economy, even if everyone started out with a balanced job complex (doing a mix of roles of varying creativity, responsibility and empowerment), class divisions would arise, as some will be more able than others to capture the benefits of economic gain: if one worker designs cars and another builds them, the designer will use his cognitive skills more frequently than the builder. In the long term, the designer will become more adept at conceptual work than the builder, giving the designer greater bargaining power in a firm over the distribution of income. A conceptual worker who is not satisfied with his income can threaten to work for a company that will pay him more, thus class divisions arise

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_economy

Adwords

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:49:00 -0600

Adwords is Google's flagship advertising product and main source of revenue. Google's total advertising revenues were USD$23 billion in 2009 AdWords offers pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and site-targeted advertising for both text, banner, and rich-media ads. The AdWords program includes local, national, and international distribution. Google's text advertisements are short, consisting of one headline and two additional text lines. Image ads can be one of several different Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) standard sizes.

Sales and Support for Google's AdWords division is based in Mountain View, California, with major secondary offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the company's third-largest US facility behind its Mountain View, California, headquarters and New York City office. Engineering for AdWords is based in Mountain View, California.

Pay-Per-Click advertisements (PPC)

Advertisers select the words that should trigger their ads and the maximum amount they will pay per click. When a user searches Google's search engine on www.google.com or the relevant local/national google server (e.g. www.google.co.uk for The United Kingdom), ads (also known as creatives by Google) for relevant words are shown as "sponsored links" on the right side of the screen, and sometimes above the main search results. Clickthrough rates (CTR) for the ads are about 8% for the first ad, 5% for the second one, and 2.5% for the third one. Search results can return from 0 to 12 ads.

The ordering of the paid-for listings depends on other advertisers' bids (PPC) and the "quality score" of all ads shown for a given search. The quality score is calculated by historical click-through rates, relevance of an advertiser's ad text and keywords, an advertiser's account history, and other relevance factors as determined by Google. The quality score is also used by Google to set the minimum bids for an advertiser's keywords The minimum bid takes into consideration the quality of the landing page as well, which includes the relevancy and originality of content, navigability, and transparency into the nature of the business Though Google has released a list of full guidelines for sites, the precise formula and meaning of relevance and its definition is in part secret to Google and the parameters used can change dynamically.

The auction mechanism that determines the order of the ads is a generalized second-price auction This is claimed to have the property that the participants do not necessarily fare best when they truthfully reveal any private information asked for by the auction mechanism (in this case, the value of the keyword to them, in the form of a "truthful" bid).

AdWords Features

IP Address Exclusion

In addition to controlling ad placements through methods such as location and language targeting, ad targeting can be refined with Internet Protocol (IP) address exclusion. This feature enables advertisers to specify IP address ranges where they don't want their ads to appear.

Up to 20 IP addresses, or ranges of addresses, can be excluded per campaign. All ads in the campaign are prevented from showing for users with the IP addresses specified.

Location-based exclusion is also offered as a method of narrowing targeted users.[11]

Frequency Capping

Frequency capping limits the number of times ads appear to the same unique user on the Google Content Network. It doesn't apply to the Search Network. If frequency capping is enabled for a campaign, a limit must be specified as to the number of impressions allowed per day, week, or month for an individual user. The cap can be configured to apply to each ad, ad group, or campaign.

Placement targeted advertisements (formerly Site-Targeted Advertisements)

In 2003 Google introduced site-targeted advertising. Using the AdWords control panel, advertisers can enter keywords, domain names, topics, and demographic targeting preferences, and Google places the ads on what they see as relevant sites within their content network. If domain names are targeted, Google also provides a list of related sites for placement. Advertisers may bid on a cost per impression (CPI) or cost per click (CPC) basis for site targeting.

With placement targeting, it is possible for an ad to take up the entire ad block rather than have the ad block split into 2 to 4 ads, resulting in higher visibility for the advertiser.

The minimum cost-per-thousand impressions bid for placement targeted campaigns is 25 cents. There is no minimum CPC bid, however.

AdWords distribution

All AdWords ads are eligible to be shown on www.google.com. Advertisers also have the option of enabling their ads to show on Google's partner networks. The "search network" includes AOL search, Ask.com, and Netscape. Like www.google.com, these search engines show AdWords ads in response to user searches, but do not effect quality score.

The "Google Display Network" (formerly referred to as the "content network") shows AdWords ads on sites that are not search engines. These content network sites are those that use AdSense and DoubleClick, the other side of the Google advertising model. AdSense is used by website owners who wish to make money by displaying ads on their websites. Click through rates on the display network are typically much lower than those on the search network and are therefore ignored when calculating an advertiser's quality score. It has been reported that using both AdSense and AdWords may cause a website to pay Google a commission when the website advertises itself.

Google automatically determines the subject of pages and displays relevant ads based on the advertisers' keyword lists. AdSense publishers may select channels to help direct Google's ad placements on their pages, to increase performance of their ad units. There are many different types of ads that can run across Google's network, including text ads, image ads (banner ads), mobile text ads, and in-page video ads.

Google AdWords' main competitors are Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter.

AdWords account management

To help clients with the complexity of building and managing AdWords accounts search engine marketing agencies and consultants offer account management as a business service. This has allowed organizations without advertising expertise to reach a global, online audience. Google has started the Google Advertising Professionals program to certify agencies and consultants who have met specific qualifications and passed an exam Google also provides account management software, called AdWords Editor.

Another useful feature is the My Client Centre available to Google Professionals (even if not yet passed the exam or budget parameters) whereby a Google professional has access and a dashboard summary of several accounts and can move between those accounts without logging in to each account.

The Google Adwords Keyword Tool provides a list of related keywords for a specific website or keyword.

Recently, numerous complaints have been filed with the San Jose Better Business Bureau (BBB) regarding treatment small businesses have received from Google Adwords customer service. As a result, the company now has a C- rating with the San Jose BBB.

Click-to-Call

Google Click-to-Call was a service provided by Google which allows users to call advertisers from Google search results pages. Users enter their phone number, Google calls them back and connects to the advertiser. Calling charges are paid by Google. It was discontinued in 2007.. For some time similar click-to-call functionality was available for results in Google Maps. In the Froyo release of Google's operating system, in certain advertisements, there is a very similar functionality, where a user can easily call an advertiser.

History

The original idea was invented by Bill Gross from Idealab who, in turn borrowed the idea from Yellow Pages. Google wanted to buy the idea but a deal could not be reached.[citation needed] Not wanting to give up on this form of advertisement, the company launched its own solution, AdWords in 2000. AdWords followed a model that was significantly similar to Bill Gross' creation which led to legal action between the two parties. Eventually the dispute was settled out of court.[citation needed]

At first AdWords advertisers would pay a monthly amount, and Google would then set up and manage their campaign. To accommodate small businesses and those who wanted to manage their own campaigns, Google soon introduced the AdWords self-service portal. Starting in 2005 Google provided a campaign management service called Jumpstarto assist advertisers in setting up their campaigns. However, this service is no longer available, so companies needing assistance must hire a third-party service provider.

In 2005, Google launched the Google Advertising Professional (GAP) Program to certify individuals and companies who completed AdWords training and passed an exam. Due to the complexity of AdWords and the amount of money at stake, some advertisers hire a consultant to manage their campaigns.

In 2008, Google launched the Google Online Marketing Challenge (http://www.google.com/onlinechallenge/), an in-class academic exercise for tertiary students. Over 8,000 students from 47 countries participated in the 2008 Challenge and over 10,000 students from 58 countries took part in 2009. The Challenge runs annually, roughly from January to June. Registration is at the instructor rather than student level.

In 2009, Google revised the AdWords interface, introduced Local Business Ads for Google Maps and Video Ads.

Legal context

AdWords has generated lawsuits in the area of trademark law (see Google, Inc. v. Am. Blind & Wallpaper Factory and Rescuecom Corp. v. Google, Inc.), fraud (see Goddard v. Google, Inc.), and click fraud. In 2006, Google settled a click fraud lawsuit for US$90 million

Overture Services, Inc. sued Google for patent infringement in April 2002 in relation to the AdWords service. Following Yahoo!'s acquisition of Overture, the suit was settled in 2004 with Google agreeing to issue 2.7 million shares of common stock to Yahoo! in exchange for a perpetual license under the patent

Technology

The AdWords system was initially implemented on top of the MySQL database engine. After the system had been launched, management decided to use a commercial database (Oracle) instead. The system became much slower, so eventually it was returned to MySQL The interface has also been revamped to offer better work flow with additional new features, such as Spreadsheet Editing, Search Query Reports, and better conversion metrics.

As of April 2008 Google AdWords no longer allows for the display URL to deviate from that of the destination URL. Prior to its introduction, Google paid advertisements could feature different landing page URLs to that of what was being displayed on the search network. Google expounds that the policy change stems from both user and advertiser feedback. The concern prompting the restriction change is believed to be the premise on which users clicked advertisements. Users were in some cases, being misled and further targeted by AdWords advertisers.

Google has other restrictions, for example the advertising of a book by Aaron Greenspan called Authoritas: One Student's Harvard Admissions and the Founding of the Facebook Era, was restricted from advertising on AdWords because it contained the word Facebook in it. Google's rationale was that it was prohibited from advertising a book which used a trademarked name in its title.

Allowed keywords

Google has also come under fire for allowing AdWords advertisers to bid on trademarked keywords. In 2004, Google started allowing advertisers to bid on a wide variety of search terms in the US and Canada, including the trademarks of their competitors in May 2008 expanded this policy to the UK and Ireland. Advertisers are restricted from using other companies' trademarks in their advertisement text if the trademark has been registered with Advertising Legal Support team. Google does, however, require certification to run regulated keywords, such as those related to pharmaceuticals keywords, and some keywords, such as those related to hacking, are not allowed at all. These restrictions may vary by location.From June 2007, Google banned AdWords adverts for student essay writing services, a move which was welcomed by universities.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org

All About Adsense

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:46:00 -0600

All About Adsense - AdSense is an ad serving application run by Google Inc. Website owners can enroll in this program to enable text, image, and video advertisements on their websites. These advertisements are administered by Google and generate revenue on either a per-click or per-impression basis. Google beta tested a cost-per-action service, but discontinued it in October 2008 in favor of a DoubleClick offering (also owned by Google). In Q1 2010, Google earned US$2.04 billion ($8.16 billion annualized), or 30% of total revenue, through AdSense.

Google uses its Internet search technology to serve advertisements based on website content, the user's geographical location, and other factors. Those wanting to advertise with Google's targeted advertisement system may enroll through AdWords. AdSense has become a popular method of placing advertising on a website because the advertisements are less intrusive than most banners, and the content of the advertisements is often relevant to the website.

Many websites use AdSense to monetize their content; it is the most popular advertising network. AdSense has been particularly important for delivering advertising revenue to small websites that do not have the resources for developing advertising sales programs and sales people. To fill a website with advertisements that are relevant to the topics discussed, webmasters implement a brief script on the websites' pages. Websites that are content-rich have been very successful with this advertising program, as noted in a number of publisher case studies on the AdSense website.
Some webmasters invest significant effort into maximizing their own AdSense income. They do this in three ways:[citation needed]

1. They use a wide range of traffic-generating techniques, including but not limited to online advertising.
2. They build valuable content on their websites that attracts AdSense advertisements, which pay out the most when they are clicked.
3. They use text content on their websites that encourages visitors to click on advertisements. Note that Google prohibits webmasters from using phrases like "Click on my AdSense ads" to increase click rates. The phrases accepted are "Sponsored Links" and "Advertisements".

The source of all AdSense income is the AdWords program, which in turn has a complex pricing model based on a Vickrey second price auction. AdSense commands an advertiser to submit a sealed bid (i.e., a bid not observable by competitors). Additionally, for any given click received, advertisers only pay one bid increment above the second-highest bid. Google currently shares 68% of revenues generated by AdSense with content network partners.

Oingo, Inc., a privately held company located in Los Angeles, was started in 1998 by Gilad Elbaz and Adam Weissman. Oingo developed a proprietary search algorithm that was based on word meanings and built upon an underlying lexicon called WordNet, which was developed over the previous 15 years by researchers at Princeton University, led by George Miller.

Oingo changed its name to Applied Semantics (company) in 2001,which was later acquired by Google in April 2003 for US$102 million.
In 2009, Google AdSense announced that it would now be offering new features, including the ability to "enable multiple networks to display ads".

AdSense for Feeds

In May 2005, Google announced a limited-participation beta version of AdSense for Feeds, a version of AdSense that runs on RSS and Atom feeds that have more than 100 active subscribers. According to the Official Google Blog, "advertisers have their ads placed in the most appropriate feed articles; publishers are paid for their original content; readers see relevant advertising—and in the long run, more quality feeds to choose from."
AdSense for Feeds works by inserting images into a feed. When the image is displayed by a RSS reader or Web browser, Google writes the advertising content into the image that it returns. The advertisement content is chosen based on the content of the feed surrounding the image. When the user clicks the image, he or she is redirected to the advertiser's website in the same way as regular AdSense advertisements.
AdSense for Feeds remained in its beta state until August 15, 2008, when it became available to all AdSense users.

AdSense for search

A companion to the regular AdSense program, AdSense for search, allows website owners to place Google search boxes on their websites. When a user searches the Internet or the website with the search box, Google shares 51% of the advertising revenue it makes from those searches with the website owner.[5] However the publisher is paid only if the advertisements on the page are clicked; AdSense does not pay publishers for mere searches.

AdSense for mobile content

AdSense for mobile content allows publishers to generate earnings from their mobile websites using targeted Google advertisements. Just like AdSense for content, Google matches advertisements to the content of a website — in this case, a mobile website.

AdSense for domains

Adsense for domains allows advertisements to be placed on domain names that have not been developed. This offers domain name owners a way to monetize domain names that are otherwise dormant. Adsense for domains is currently being offered to some users, with plans to make it available to all in stages.
On December 12, 2008, TechCrunch reported that AdSense for Domains is available for all US publishers.

AdSense for video

AdSense for video allows publishers with video content to generate revenue using ad placements from Google's extensive Advertising network including popular Youtube videos.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adsense

Walmart Hours on Christmas Day

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:44:00 -0600

Walmart Hours on Christmas Day - Shoppers in large numbers made rushes at several retail stores across the country on Christmas Eve - Friday 24 - for 11th hour shopping. Many of Christmas Eve shoppers were those who due to several reasons did not have time to spend on purchases during holiday shopping season.

Walmart Hours on Christmas Day 2010 and Holidays Closing Hours - Walmart is considered as one of the giant stores across the nation. If you are asking if Walmart is open on Christmas Day 2010, sad to know that Walmart is closed during Christmas Day.

Moreso, Walmart Hours on Christmas Day 2010 is already released in public since yesterday afternoon.

After the early morning of Christmas celebration and festivities, Walmart will re-open on December 26, 2010.

Thousands of procrastinators packed retail shops for last-minutes shopping day before Christmas Day. There are several shoppers who love shopping on Christmas Eve. In the meantime, there are shoppers like Gail Chapman of Newcastle who admires shopping on Christmas Eve. Even Christmas is over on Saturday, interestingly Christmas shopping will prolong. Post-Christmas season kicks in on the day after Christmas, which is Sunday this year. I am very sad to inform you that all Walmart stores are shut today on Christmas..

Walmart Supercenter Store, 650 Centre Of New England Blvd, Coventry RI, Phone:(401) 823-7780
Walmart Supercenter Store, 258 Post Road, Westerly RI, Phone:(401) 322-0790
Walmart Store, 650 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick RI, Phone:(401) 821-1766

Jet Blue to Launch Flights

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:40:00 -0600

Jet Blue to Launch Flights - JetBlue Airways is planning to extend its route network by launching daily service to the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard in the 2011 summer season.

JetBlue Airways plans to offer daily nonstop service between Martha’s Vineyard Airport (MVY) and its home at New York City John F. Kennedy International Airport from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

The carrier will operate its JFK-Martha’s Vineyard round-trips with 100-seat Embraer 190 jets. JetBlue says its flights will represent the only full-size jet service to Martha’s Vineyard, and the only flights to offer in-flight entertainment with live DIRECTV and XM Satellite Radio programming at every seat. JetBlue Airways’ Embraer 190s feature all-leather seating as well as unlimited free snacks and drinks served by JetBlue’s flight attendants.

Known for its premium service, JetBlue has offered connections to Martha's Vineyard through Boston since 2007 in cooperation with its local partner Cape Air. "We're thrilled to be bringing JetBlue service to Martha's Vineyard next summer," said Dave Barger, JetBlue's CEO, at a ceremony today at Martha's Vineyard Airport. Schedules and fares for JetBlue's new service will be available in January.

"For 20 years Martha's Vineyard passengers have enjoyed Cape Air's MOCHA HAGoTDI** brand of service," noted Cape Air CEO Dan Wolf. With frequent jet service to Boston; Burlington, Vt.; Hartford, Conn.; and Portland, Maine, JetBlue is among the largest air carriers in New England.

JetBlue also serves neighboring Nantucket directly from JFK during the summer season and at Boston provides codesharing service on Cape Air’s flights to the Massachusetts resort destinations of Hyannis, Provincetown, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Track Santa Right Now

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 23:31:00 -0600

Track Santa Right Now - Track Santa Right Now, Santa takes flight, where he keeps track of billions of dollars in machinery production, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). For over 50 years, NORAD, “record” St. Nick each Christmas (In the end, the second most important task to be held in Cheyenne Mountain near the Stargate program.

gathered by NORAD Santa born of a typo in the statement of Sears in 1955. Sears posted an advertisement for the hotline to Father Christmas in a newspaper of Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, the number was wrong, and children, and do not stop calling NORAD’s predecessor, the Air Defense

Command Continental (CONAD). Yes, a typographical error caused one of the quirkiest traditions of our people on a holiday!

For decades, NORAD to conduct their own follow Santa hotline, which allows young people know where in the sky Jolly Force One has been every Dec. 24. In 1997, that the hotline has a website, and since then we have been able to track Santa on our computers. Official site, NORAD Tracks Santa is your best center in the old elf that follows, and most do NORAD Santa Web sites that claim to follow Father Christmas usually done through Google maps widget NORAD.

With Google, there are now several ways to track Santa. Not only can you follow it on Google Maps, but you can also forward to even higher into the sky with Google Earth widget NORAD tracking Santa. If you use iGoogle as your homepage, you can even track Santa with NORAD Tracks Santa iGoogle gadget that lets you watch his sleigh passes U.S. cities.

If you want to track Santa on your smartphone, there are some options. Unfortunately, you have to ignore most of them to be too Scrooge-like. ITunes save offers a handful of iPhone applications and IPad Santa tracking, but most of them are commercial applications are not supported by NORAD, they seem to be a little more access NORAD application widget launched iTunes Store a dollar or two pop-music. Fission Media Group Santa-free GPS, it seems a solitary exception happy after the flight of Santa as the iPhone and IPAD. Android Market in the same boat, but Active9.com ‘S Santa Tracker Santa Live offers a free look at your Android device.

A Bittersweet Christmas Story

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 23:02:00 -0600

A Bittersweet Christmas Story - Snow was predicted for Lincoln, and there was every reason to think it would be a really fine Christmas.

Having recently received the remarkable gift of puberty with its attendant wonders, I had my hopes up for another great present, not exactly comparable: a longed-for piece of magical apparatus I had reason to believe would be under the tree on Christmas Eve.

We always opened packages then instead of on Christmas Day, and in a sort of Norman Rockwellian tableau: nice warm house, a Nebraska snowfall settling outside and relatives of varying ages and beloved Sandy, my big, manly spaniel, all semi-circled around the gifts arrayed under the tree.

It’s sad to think how cozy such Midwestern family Christmases were when you were that age, and how odiously I now view the allegedly jolly season, with its trampling crowds and extorted gifts. But let that pass.

Back then, in that far-off happier time, Christmas was magical when it finally arrived with excruciating slowness.

Nobody, when you’re that age, could ever convince you that there would come a day when all those chatty, friendly uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents in that comfy circle, contentedly digesting dinner around the tree, would be . . . gone. That you yourself would someday be the sole surviving link in that warm family circle. Unthinkable.

Without even shutting my eyes I can summon an aural montage of the pleasant chatter and those unvarying phrases used every year: The “Oh, how beautifuls” and “Oh, you shouldn’t haves” and “Where on earth did you find it?” The sometimes mendacious “How did you know I wanted one?” and the well-worn “It’s a shame to spoil the wrapping.” (I could never see why.)

Every one of those Christmas Eves is interchangeable and identical in memory, and they usually ended with, “Well, we’d better be getting home before the snow gets any deeper” and the hugs and kisses goodnight and confessions of having eaten too much.

All interchangeable, that is, except for one.

My step-grandparents lived next door. The father of my college-professor, former-Marine-captain stepmother was known by his first initials, T. R., and was a book salesman for Scott, Foresman, the publisher who gave us Dick and Jane. He sired six offspring; three of each.

He was a huge and imposing man and I always thought he looked just like a local statue of William Jennings Bryan. He had a voice so deep it made Orson Welles sound like Truman Capote. When booming “You big bum!” at referees at Nebraska football games, it caused everybody in the stadium who wasn’t deaf to jump, turn around and look.

On this particular Christmas Eve, T. R. seemed uncharacteristically nervous. My beloved Aunt Harriet had assumed the job of picking up presents from under the tree and handing them to the recipients. After a while T. R., exuding growing anxiety, urged her to “take some from this side of the tree.” “Hold your horses,” said Harriet, being a daughter of some independence.

His agitation increased. “Give Mom one” only produced, from Harriet, further refusal to be directed.

T. R.’s agitation and uneasiness began to assume health-issue proportions. I worried that we were going to have a Christmas remembered for T. R.’s clutching his chest, pitching forward and expiring among the gifts and Christmas frippery.

A couple more “Give Mom ones” finally became an exasperated “Give Mom that little blue package right there.” Harriet relented. It was given.

What happened next is remembered almost as something out of fiction. Like something that happens in a certain kind of harmless-seeming short story that contains a jolt.

Mrs. Crawford — an overweight yet handsome woman — unwrapped what it became instantly clear was a jewelry box. T. R. hovered nearby, breathing audibly in anticipation.

She flipped open the lid, revealing a ring with a good-sized diamond that shot sparks into the room.

Without removing the ring — and while emitting a sort of low growl — with a backhand swing of the arm, she flung box and ring away. The innocent box and contents flew about six feet, smacked the wall and bounced to the floor.

She spat out, “That doesn’t make up!”

The whole scene seemed to freeze-frame into a still picture. T. R. began to cry and tried to put a hand on her shoulder. It too was flung away. I didn’t know where to look.

Somehow the evening ended.

How does memory edit such happenings? The moment was so vivid that I have no recall of the next, inevitable attempted comfortings and awkward departures. Did we open the rest of the presents in the poisoned atmosphere? Probably someone with aplomb suggested we were all tired and should finish Christmas on Christmas Day.

It seems as if days went by before I had whatever minimal courage it took to ask my stepmother about the shocking thing.

“Mom had a pretty tough time with Dad,” she said. “Living in little western Nebraska towns. He was the principal at Chadron, not making much. He was gone a lot. Mom had wanted to teach school. She was quickly saddled with kids, starting with me. The last thing in the world I think Mom wanted was the six of us. Two, maybe. Mom was an intelligent woman and felt that a woman’s life should consist of something more than pushing the next generation around in baby carriages. Being the oldest, I had to take care of the two youngest because by then Mom had simply had it with motherhood.”

I’d gotten old enough to be able to ask why she had to have so many kids. Did she, um, not know what was causing them?

“That’s not the sort of thing you spoke to your mother about then, but I wondered, too. I shouldn’t say this, but I sometimes think Dad insisted. I hate to think it, but maybe even — how can I put this — forced himself on her.”

All this was a bit over my head. My image of these two kindly old folks living next door on our elm-lined street — I thought contentedly — was now murky. Did everybody I thought liked each other not like each other? And why had the accumulated rage come out just then? In front of everybody? For maximum embarrassing revenge?

How many other people in my world were not what they seemed? It’s safe to say that the moment that ring hit the wall, my notion of the adult world altered. There must be a lot of things in it I didn’t understand.

The incident submerged from memory until, home from college years later, I found an old album with a picture of a young, handsome and smiling couple on a long-ago wedding day, beaming before the camera. They were the (youthful) purchaser and rejecter of the Christmas ring. It brought to mind those pictures in the paper of a grinning couple or family, taken before one of them committed murder.

I know it sounds a bit contrived but on that same trip, if not the same day, brushing up on some assigned Congreve, I came across the eternally misquoted couplet that ends with, “Nor Hell a fury like a woman scorn’d.”

But it’s the preceding line that brought that grinning young couple in the old wedding photo — T. R. and Bertha — to mind: “Heav’n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn’d.”

Especially on Christmas Eve.

Statue Of Liberty

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:36:00 -0600

Statue Of Liberty - Made in Paris by the French sculptor Bartholdi, in collaboration with Gustave Eiffel (who was responsible for the steel framework), this towering monument to liberty was a gift from France on the centenary of American independence in 1886. Standing at the entrance to New York Harbour, it has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States ever since.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, a hollow colossus composed of thinly pounded copper sheets over a steel framework, was designed in Paris by the French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, in collaboration with the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who was responsible for its frame, intended as a gift from France for the centenary of American independence in 1876. (vi) The symbolic value of the Statue of Liberty lies in two basic factors. The Statue also soon became and has endured as a symbol of the migration of people from many countries into the United States in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. She endures as a highly potent symbol – inspiring contemplation, debate and protest – of ideals such as liberty, peace, human rights, abolition of slavery, democracy and opportunity.

Long Description

The Statue of Liberty is a masterpiece of the human creative spirit. The fact that the statue, whose funds were raised by international Statue Of Libertysubscription, was executed in Europe, by a French sculptor, strengthens the symbolic interest of this world-renowned work.

The people of France gave the statue to the people of the United States over 100 years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution.

On 8 September 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe's Island and in 1956, the island's name was changed to Liberty Island. On 11 May 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

Norad Santa Tracker 2010

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:32:00 -0600

Norad Santa Tracker 2010 - will start to track Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, providing children from all over the world the latest position, images, and videos of the journey of Santa and the presents he is bringing.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has employed all its hi-tech equipment to follow Father Christmas as he, and his reindeer, travel the globe delivering presents.

Children can track Father Christmas through social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and TroopTube.

His progress can also be tracked with three dimensional "Father Christmas Cams". This year, NORAD will track Santa with radar, satellites, Santa Cams, and even fighter jets.Norad Santa Tracker

In addition to following Santa through Santa Cams, the website allows children to track Santa’s flight in Google Earth. NORAD, the joint U.S. and Canadian military center in charge of monitoring and defending North American air space, and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), have been tracking Santa’s flight for more than half a century. According to NORAD, Father Christmas usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west.

Norad Santa Tracker coordinates with Santa’s Elf launch staff to confirm his launch time, but from that point on, Father Christmas calls the shots. "NORAD tracks Father Christmas, but only Father Christmas knows his route, which means we cannot predict where and when he will arrive at your house," he said.

If children are still awake when Father Christmas arrives, he moves on to other houses. The head of the CONAD, which later became NORAD, instructed his staff to give the children updates on Santa's position and the tradition was born.

EADS' Sector Operations Control Center (SOCC) will monitor Father Christmas constantly as he delivers toys and gifts.

5 Baby Sleep Strategies

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:01:00 -0600

5 Baby Sleep Strategies - It sounds simple enough: Bathe, feed, cuddle, place in crib. Maybe you will even get one of those really good-natured guys or gals who fall effortlessly into a predictable eating, sleeping, and napping routine. Maybe you'll also win the lottery and never have to worry about the cost of college. But if you're like most of us, figuring out how to get your baby to fall asleep at the right time and in the right place will take you a good part of the first year of her life -- sometimes longer, but we won't go there just yet.

We at Babytalk have been saying for a while now that there is no one right way to put your baby to bed: What matters most is that you feel good about how you're handling your baby's nighttime routine. A strong sense of security is going to be a far better predictor of how your baby sleeps at night than how much he weighs, how much he eats, where he sleeps, and how many months he's logged here on Planet Earth -- or whatever else you heard at your last mommy group. That said, here are five baby bedtime strategies worth a try. It's up to you and your baby to figure out what it will ultimately take to ensure that everyone in your family is getting as much sleep as possible.

1. The Drowsy Tuck-In

Almost regardless of where you turn for sleep advice, you will discover the golden rule of baby bedtime: Tuck your baby in sleepy but not yet konked out, so he learns to self-soothe and nod off on his own. The benefits to this approach are many: For starters, your bedtime routine will be shorter and less stressful. For another, your baby will go back to sleep more easily after his nighttime feedings. Finally, after he reaches the blessed point that he no longer wakes for nighttime feedings, he will still wake intermittently (as we all do), but he'll be able to roll over and go back to sleep on his own. In short, you won't be his sleep crutch, which means more rest for both of you.

How to get to that heavenly place? The general wisdom is to begin to establish a routine -- including a bath or massage, for example -- that lets your baby know nighttime is near. Of course you can do some preliminary soothing -- you'll want to feed him, and maybe rock or sing or read -- but then lovingly deposit him into bed groggy but still awake and lying on his back to minimize the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Then whisper your good nights and good-byes and hightail it outta there.

2. Soothing Your Baby to Sleep

This is more a natural instinct than a method. Of course your early attempts at inducing sleep are going to include feeding, rocking, singing, and swaddling. And all babies do need a wind-down routine. The catch is that not all babies tolerate the drowsy tuck-in that's supposed to follow. Some resist loudly when unceremoniously plopped into the crib, and some moms feel like crap walking away from those wails. Or you may have a "high-need" or "challenging" baby (politically correct terms for colicky, fussy, difficult, or whatever else you really feel like calling her by now). This type of baby might want to be held constantly, fuss or cry often, and demand her dinner loudly. It's fine to rock a baby like this to sleep if that's what your instincts tell you to do. If she loves sucking, lay in a stash of pacifiers -- especially if you're nursing, so you don't become a human pacifier. Then once your baby is out cold, hold your breath, rise from your rocker ever so gently, tiptoe across the room, and lower her slowly, slowly, slowly into the crib. One of the biggest challenges of this approach is that babies often wake up the minute your arms are no longer around them--and you'd jump out the window yourself if there wasn't a window guard on it! Here's a good tip if you find yourself in this situation a little too often: Since a cold sheet can be a rude awakening for these sensitive babies, keep a blanket over the sheet until just before tuck-in, and the sheet will feel warm and cozy on her little body.

3. Co-Sleeping

If you like following the concept of attachment parenting, the style of childrearing that involves lots of close physical bonding (breastfeeding, babywearing, et cetera), you may love the close connection of sleeping in the same bed with your baby, too. Some moms like the idea of this approach even before their baby is born. They may have been raised this way themselves or are attracted to the emotional connection that lots of physical contact brings. Moms who are exclusively breastfeeding may find that sleeping alongside their baby makes the constant nighttime feedings of the early weeks and months easier to manage. Still others have a high-need baby and fall into the so-called family bed because it's pretty much the only way anyone in the family can seem to get any sleep. A baby who is fussy and demanding, or shy and introverted, may really thrive on this intimacy and immediate meeting of his needs. Bear in mind, however, that there are some infants who are easily overstimulated and may not do so well in the bed with Mom, and you may have to accept that even if it's not what you had in mind (it's just one of the first clues you will get that your baby makes plenty of the decisions!). If you go the family-bed route, you also need to realize that babies who sleep with their parents are at a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome. In 2005, the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with a strongly worded policy stating that infants under 6 months should not sleep in the same bed with their parents because research shows it ups the risk of SIDS. In fact, nearly 50 percent of babies who die of SIDS are in a bed-sharing situation, according to the AAP. One in about two thousand babies dies of SIDS each year -- not a huge number, but huge to the devastated parents who lose their children this way.

As the AAP's new guidelines indicate, a co-sleeper, crib, or bassinet next to your bed is safest, but if you choose to go to sleep with the baby in your bed (or it's the only way to get your little guy to nod off), make sure you are vigilant about these ground rules:

Keep your baby safer by putting him down on his back.

Keep him away from any blankets or pillows.

Don't sleep with your baby on a water bed, on a sofa, or in an armchair. These are even more dangerous than a traditional adult bed.

Maintain a smoke-free environment.

Never use alcohol, drugs, or any medication that might make you unaware of your baby's presence.

Remember that your baby's bedtime should be before yours, so avoid keeping him up until you turn in. Lie down with your baby to get him to sleep somewhere between 6 and 8 pm, and then move him into a co-sleeper by your bed so he's safe until you return. Move him next to you when you go to bed if that's what you choose to do.

Babytalk contributing editor William Sears, MD, co-author of The Baby Sleep Book, recommends that babies sleep next to their mothers, rather than between both parents, because he feels a mother will be more aware of the baby's presence and less likely to roll over on him.

4. The Gentle Good Night

If you began your sleep routine with lots of soothing in the early months and now find yourself wearying of all the work, yet you don't have the nerves for crying, or a baby adaptable enough to segue smoothly into a drowsy tuck-in routine, there is still another in-between solution for older (at least 5 months old) babies: You can attempt to gradually wean your child off an extended bedtime routine with what experts refer to as deconditioning or modified sleep training. You can try it on any baby, but it may work best on one with a fairly easygoing disposition; babies who are clingy and sensitive or high-energy and intense may put up more resistance. The big benefit here is that you get to take back your night eventually, with fewer baby tears and less maternal angst than traditional cry-it-out methods entail. The downside: You have to be very patient and very consistent for several weeks.

Here's how it works: Adopt a very consistent bedtime wind-down routine (always nurse or give a bottle in the same spot, then read a book or sing a song); then tuck your baby into her crib while she's still awake, only instead of hoofing it out of there, pull up a chair next to her crib. If she fusses -- and she probably will at first -- talk to her and touch her intermittently (patting her tummy, back, or head) to soothe her. Try not to pick her up -- but you can do so briefl y if she's really hysterical. Stay as long as it takes for her to fall asleep, then leave the room; repeat the method if she wakes during the night. Perform this routine consistently for the next three days at nap- and bedtime. On day four, move your chair about halfway across the room, between the crib and the door, and reassure your baby verbally from there until she falls asleep and you can leave. Again, stick with this routine for three days. On days seven and eight, move the chair all the way to the doorway and if necessary again give your reassurances verbally from there. By about day nine, with any luck you should be able to tuck your baby in and promptly leave without wails.

5. Ferberizing

Okay, you're in the same place as the last mom: Your're fed up with the complicated routine and night wakings, but you want faster results and think you can handle some crying. And deep down, you know you'll be a better, more loving parent when you get your life in order again, too. If your baby is no longer a newborn, you can try Ferberizing -- a method popularized by Richard Ferber, MD, in the classic book he recently revised, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems. Over the years (the book was first published in the 1980s), critics have dubbed Ferberizing the "cry-it-out" sleep method, and possibly because he himself wearied of the callous reputation he'd developed, the new edition offers some caveats. Ferber now emphasizes that his method doesn't always work, especially on really sensitive infants, so consider your baby's personality before you attempt it. Ferberizing is best used after 4 months (you should always respond quickly to newborns) and before 8 months, when babies haven't fallen into hard-to-break habits. It's also ideal for an initially easy baby who may be getting more active and thus more resistant to going to bed because his world has suddenly become much more engaging. You yourself will need nerves of steel. If you're the type who feels like crying whenever your baby does, don't even bother to read on. But if you're exhausted and just can't take it anymore, here's how it works. Begin with your usual bedtime routine, but (and by now you know what's next . . .) tuck your baby in when he's sleepy but still awake. If he cries -- and he will if he's not used to being deposited in his crib awake, no matter how lovingly -- respond by consoling him with a soft, reassuring voice and by rubbing his tummy, but explain that it is bedtime and you are going. Your soothing tone should help even when he can't understand the words. Leave the room for a brief period -- about five minutes at first -- then return to console him if he is still upset, but don't take him out of the crib. Repeat this pattern until your baby falls asleep on his own, and do so again if he wakes in the middle of the night. Each consecutive night, lengthen the time you let him fuss by a few more minutes, then go in to comfort him, until it is no longer necessary.

baby education during pregnancy

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 23:54:00 -0600

baby education during pregnancy - Let me tell you a little secret of why it is good to practice and use Babyplus Prenatal Education System during pregnancy. Firstly do you know that the unborn child in your womb like the sound of her/his mother voice, the chirp sound of birds and the sound of wind chain. Do you know that the fetal dislikes and hate most are the motorcycle engine sound, sound of car braking and the sound of an angry mother. Read on for more information on Prenatal Learning by BabyPlus.

What is Prenatal Education System?

Every mother knows that her child’s physical development begins during the crucial prenatal months. Taking a prenatal vitamin to enrich a child’s nutritional environment is the standard-of-care for providing an optimal environment during a child’s earliest physical development. It is widely accepted that a child’s learning ability begins during those very same prenatal months. Educators, scientists, criminologists and physicians alike have long ago acknowledged the vital importance of a healthy and enriched prenatal environment as it pertains to the long term development and learning ability of a child. An age-appropriate prenatal curriculum strengthens a child’s ability to learn during the developmental period when the advantages will be most significant for the child.

In the prenatal months, the brain is at its most receptive stage of learning. The prenatal baby’s hearing is fully developed by the 18th week of pregnancy. Independent studies have demonstrated that, for the duration of the pregnancy, the baby can actually compare and contrast simple sounds. By encouraging this simple ‘auditory exercise’ during this crucial period, these studies have demonstrated that the child may realize significant long-term developmental benefits. Dr. Mark Pitzer, Ph.D. writes, “Research suggests that a child’s intellectual development is influenced equally by their inherited genetic blueprint and the early immediate environment.” This crucial early environment is not just the “0 to 3″ years of age that we hear so much about, but actually the “prenatal to 3″ years of age.

An expectant mother’s uterus is not a ’soundproof booth’. The developing child can certainly hear many of the sounds and noises in his or her mother’s external environment. However, these sounds are fairly fleeting. The one true and consistent sound presented to the child naturally during those months is the mother’s heartbeat. For the duration of pregnancy, this is the natural language heard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a natural, simple, and repetitive sound. Therefore, in order to truly communicate with and encourage early comparative learning during the prenatal months, sounds similar to the mother’s heartbeat are the most developmentally appropriate.

What Are the Benefits of Prenatal Education System?

Parents and researchers alike have observed and measured the benefits associated with the BabyPlus Prenatal Education curriculum. Babies that have enjoyed this prenatal curriculum are born more relaxed and alert. Typically, their eyes and hands are open at birth. These infants are more responsive and interactive and are visibly ready to absorb and appreciate their environment. Parents report that these babies nurse more readily and self-soothe more easily.

Parents also report that, if their care giving skills are consistent, the regular sleep/wake cycle of their baby becomes quite consistent at an early age in the infant’s life. There is also documented scientific evidence that the immune system of an infant who sleeps well and sleeps regularly is actually stronger. Additionally, an obvious side benefit of a well-rested baby is a well-rested parent!

Babies that have benefited from prenatal learning are reported to reach early childhood milestones, such as the ability to point to body parts on command, walk and talk, etc. ahead of their peers. Utilizing such milestone assays as the Clinical and Linguistic Auditory Milestone Scale (CLAMS test) and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale (school readiness test), these children have shown an increased attention span and measurably improved school readiness. Parents have also reported that BabyPlus children exhibit greater creativity and independence. All of these traits result as a combination of both genetics and an enriching early environment. Strong

thinking children are more successful in school and in life. Prenatal Education System does not create a “genius baby” anymore than a prenatal vitamin creates a “bodybuilder.” The prenatal months of early development are simply the right time to strengthen the foundation for learning.

Girls Should Marry at 16

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 23:33:00 -0600

Girls Should Marry at 16 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has suggested the best age for girls to get married is between 16 and 18, in an apparent bid to improve his popularity. The comments follow a rise in the legal minimum age for girls to marry in Iran from nine to fifteen in 2004.

In a newspaper interview, the president said: 'The best age for marriage is between 16 to 18 for girls and 19 to 21 for boys.' Analysts saw the move as a deliberate ploy to attract support from young people, many of whom are concerned about being made to marry at an early age.

Ahmadinejad's popularity has been harmed since the disputed 2009 presidential vote, which the opposition says was rigged to secure his re-election.

The authorities deny this but the vote and its aftermath created a rift within the ruling hardline elite.

'We have a parliamentary election in 2012 and hardliners want to win young people's votes in order to win the assembly vote,' said an Iranian political analyst who asked not to be named. Iranians struggle to cope with international sanctions over the nation's nuclear programme and deepening economic uncertainty.

The official inflation rate is about 10 percent and unemployment about 15 percent. The authorities have been encouraging marriage as a way to fight what they call the 'spread of immorality among youth'.

Some hardline clerics and lawmakers have warned over increasing rates of divorce. 'Divorces... are increasing. High prices have caused problems for ordinary Iranians,' said grand ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi last week.

Why Do Kids Wear Army Clothing

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 12:05:00 -0600

Why Do Kids Wear Army Clothing - Yes! It is not only our beloved servicemen and women and those outdoor enthusiasts can have the privilege of wearing army clothing, kids too can join in the fun too. Although specific groups use army clothing with different specific purposes, such as servicemen used their clothing as part of their uniform, which most outdoor enthusiasts are restricted of wearing. But there are other forms of army clothing such as camouflage clothing that is made specifically for outdoor enthusiasts that they can wear.

For kids though, army clothing can be worn in any type as part of their costume or as part of their outdoor activity and mostly if they are studying in a military school where army clothing is mostly common. For those who are not involved at a military school, kids can still wear military clothing as part of their daily wear.

There are so many recreational sports that are now being made especially for kids such as army games and such that kids would enjoy their own camouflage clothing. Army clothing for kids include caps, shorts, pants, overalls, Military BDUs, camouflage T-shirts, printed shirts and sweatshirts, infant wear, outwear, tank tops, coveralls and vests, military accessories that are specifically made for kids, and of course girls army clothing. Designers have specifically made these designs to cater to the growing demand of kids when it comes to army clothing.

Some kids who have parents in the army mostly owns a specific type of army clothing that they can use for certain events they will need when they are joined by their parents, other outdoor enthusiasts who also has kids, prefer purchasing them their own army clothing so that they can also join in the fun game of the outdoors.

We can easily see kids wearing army clothing as they play with the other boys and girls at a park since the material that are used for them are the same as the real camouflage clothing. As kids are more active and they can get themselves dirtier and messier with just five minutes or less, wearing army clothing that is meant for them can even stop mom from worrying how she would get rid of the stain on the clothes. We can also see army clothing for kids even as a daily wear. We can easily see them on the mall, as part of their wear when they go to school or just for their day to day wear.

So with the abundance of use for military clothing for kids, where and how can parents buy army clothing that is right for them? Well, the internet is the perfect medium as it offers a wide range of styles and designs for kids. Searching on a site that sells military clothing can also be an advantage since you can easily determine that the quality of their products are perfect. They mostly offer a wide range of designs that you and your kids can enjoy. Just easily browse their catalog with your kids and you are good to go.

Birthday Party Ideas for One Year Old

oelybungo@gmail.com (Yudhi) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:02:00 -0600

Birthday Party Ideas for One Year Old - So your baby is turning the magical number one and you are trying to find ways to make this day enjoyable for you and your little one. This article will give you some tips on planning a party for the big day and inexpensive ways of keeping your budget low.

Instructions

1.Pick a date and time that works around your busy schedule. Weekends work great because most people are off and your schedule for the party will probably be free. Make sure that the time is suitable for your one year old. You know their schedule and what time of the day won't interfere with their naptime. There is nothing worse than having a cranky one year old on a day that is suppose to be fun for them.

2.Next, you would want to select a location. For a first birthday I would recommend having it home so your child feels comfortable in their environment. Or if it's a rather warm month go to your local park. Both ways will keep the cost of securing a location easy on the pocket.

3.Create a guest list for the party. The rule of thumb is to invite the amount people that are equal to your child's age. But lets face it we have those who would like to celebrate our kid(s) first birthday. So try to keep it between 5-10 people so your little one doesn't feel overwhelmed.

4.Get out invitations at least a month before the party. This ensures that you give everyone invited adequate time to readjust there schedule if need be. Invitations can be as creative as you will like. You can make them yourself using a computer or you can visit kids website like www.nickjr.com to download free invitations. There are also many other website that have free download.

5.Decorations can be kept to bare minimum in both locations. For the home just putting up screamers and balloons can transform a room. Another idea is to have your little one a personalized banner made saying "Happy First Birthday" with there name included. Banners can be found very cheap on sites like www.CelebrateExpress.com and many others.

6.Food would be the easiest part of the planning for the party. Keep it simple with foods ideas i.e., hotdogs, chips, drinks, and a cake.

7.Don't forget party favors to thank your guest for coming. Many online stores like www.ebay.com or similar site have birthday party favor ideas that can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of buying them in a brick and mortar store and all you have to do is assemble. Buying party favor bags with personalized labels, personalized water bottle labels, candy wrappers are all inexpensive ideas.

When the big day comes enjoy your baby and have lots of fun!