robertneches: November 2012

Friday 30 November 2012

The Daily Roundup for 11.29.2012

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Continue reading The Daily Roundup for 11.29.2012

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/29/the-daily-roundup-for-11-29-2012/

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Monday 26 November 2012

Anti-Austerity March In Rome Sees Thousands Protest Education Spending Cuts

States Doing The Most To Spread The Wealth

10. California

Average pension benefits: $24,398 (8th highest) Total per pupil spending: $9,657 (22nd lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $3,367 (the lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 30.3 percent (11th lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 42.4 (7th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $537 (2nd highest) California provides a large amount of cash assistance to those in need. Recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in the state receive $537 per month -- the second largest amount in the country -- and for 42.4 months -- the 7th most months. California residents have one of the highest tax burdens in the country. The state also has the seventh highest level of income inequality. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

9. Minnesota

Average pension benefits: $16,304 (17th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $11,098 (15th highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $8,435 (2nd highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 40.7 percent (12th highest) Number of months of TANF received: 40 (10th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $348 (19th most) As of 2008, Medicaid enrollees in Minnesota received the second largest amount in benefits in the country. However, the state has cut outlay to the program as stated in the 2012-2013 budget, meaning the state's ranking in this category may soon change. Residents of the state have to pay a very large amount in taxes. The average citizen of Minnesota pays 10.3% of their income in state and local taxes, which is the seventh largest amount in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

8. Alaska

Average pension benefits: $18,632 (25th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $15,552 (3rd highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $7,453 (6th highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 27 percent (5th lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 37.3 (14th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $602 (the highest) Alaskans have the lowest tax burden in the country, paying just 6.3 percent of their income in state and local taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, "Before the Trans-Alaska pipeline was finished in 1977, taxpayers in Alaska bore the second-highest tax burden in the country. By 1980, with oil tax revenue pouring in, Alaska repealed its personal income tax and started sending out checks instead." The state also doesn't levy personal income tax or sales tax. Still, it manages to spend the third largest amount per pupil each year, provide the sixth largest amount in medicaid per beneficiary, and give the largest amount in monthly TANF assistance in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

7. Connecticut

Average pension benefits: $26,622 (4th highest) Total per pupil spending: $14,531 (6th highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $7,442 (7th highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 29.2 percent (8th lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 26.7 (17th lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $413 (11th highest) Connecticut has the highest per capita income in the country. Its residents also pay more than $5,000 a year on average in state and local taxes -- the highest amount in the U.S. As a result, residents have the third highest tax burden in the country. In return, Connecticuters receive above average benefits. State employees who receive their pensions through the Connecticut State Employees Retirement System have the fourth highest average pension benefits. Students have the sixth highest amount spent on them. The state also has the fourth highest cost of living, and the second highest rate of income inequality. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

6. Hawaii

Average pension benefits: $22,680 (10th highest) Total per pupil spending: $12,400 (11th highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $5,261 (21st lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 54.3 percent (the highest) Number of months of TANF received: 46.7 (the highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $518 (3rd highest) Hawaii, on average, covers 54.3% of workers' previous weekly wages through unemployment benefits. This is the highest rate in the country. The state also provides, on average, the greatest number of months of TANF benefits, and the third highest average amount of cash assistance. Part of the reason for this is that Hawaii has -- by a substantial margin -- the highest cost of living in the country. The state also receives one of the largest amounts of federal funding per capita in the country. This is partly due to defense, but also because of its high rates of health and human services payments. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

5. Pennsylvania

Average pension benefits: $20,662 (15th highest) Total per pupil spending: $12,512 (10th highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $6,937 (11th highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 39.4 percent (17th highest) Number of months of TANF received: 42 (8th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $322 (25th highest) Pennsylvania ranks high in a number of categories, but is not especially exceptional in any. It spends a large amount on education, health care, public pensions, and welfare. As a result, it has the tenth highest tax burden in the country, with residents spending an average of 10.1% of their income in state and local taxes. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

4. New York

Average pension benefits: $17,459 (19th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $18,126 (the highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $9,057 (the highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 26.9 percent (2nd lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 43.9 (4th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $499 (6th highest) New York spends more than $18,100 per student on education each year, which is more than any other state in the nation. Approximately $12,500 of this is spent on teacher salaries and benefits alone. The state's medicaid payments per beneficiary of $9,057 is the largest in the country, and more than $600 than the state that spends the second most. New York has the absolute highest rate of income inequality in the country. It also has the second largest state and local tax burden, and the third highest cost of living. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

3. New Jersey

Average pension benefits: $16,817 (18th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $16,271 (2nd highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $7,985 (4th highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 37.2 percent (25th highest) Number of months of TANF received: 40.4 (9th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $325 (21st highest) New Jersey residents have access to exceptional amounts of health care benefits. Medicaid beneficiaries receive the fourth largest amount in the country. And those who receive medicare benefits, which is solely the fiscal responsibility of the federal government, receive the third largest amount. New Jersey also spends the second largest amount on education on a per student basis. Only 4% of New Jersey's education budget derives from the federal government, with revenues split evenly between state and local governments. Unfortunately, New Jersey residents possess the largest tax burden in the country -- nearly twice that of Alaska. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

2. Massachusetts

Average pension benefits: $25,596 (5th highest) Total per pupil spending: $14,118 (7th highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $7,020 (10th highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 36.1 percent (22nd lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 36.2 (16th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $500 (5th highest) Massachusetts has the third highest rate of income inequality in country. However, the states offers a number of above average benefits to address this issue. The state provides the fifth highest monthly amount in cash assistance for families enrolled in TANF in the country. The state also spends the seventh greatest amount on education, resulting in what many consider to be one of the best K-12 education systems in the country. Additionally, residents covered under the Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System receive the fifth highest amount in average benefits. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

1. Rhode Island

Average pension benefits: $25,571 (6th highest) Total per pupil spending: $13,707 (8th highest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $8,208 (3rd highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 45.9 percent (2nd highest) Number of months of TANF received: 46.5 (2nd highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $417 (10th highest) Rhode Island performs exceptionally well in all of the "generous" state metrics. It provides Medicaid beneficiaries with the third largest amount in payments. It provides the unemployed with almost 46% of their previous weekly wages -- the second highest rate. Those receiving cash assistance through TANF, on average, can receive benefits for the second longest period among all states. Of course, taxes must be relatively high to fund these programs. The state has the fifth highest state-local tax burden in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

States Doing The Least To Spread The Wealth

10. Texas

Average pension benefits: $18,828 (25th highest) Total per pupil spending: $8,540 (9th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,667 (10th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 36.0 percent (21st lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 30.3 (22nd lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $195 (6th lowest) Texas provides among the lowest average amount in monthly cash assistance to families receiving TANF benefits. It has the tenth lowest amount in medicaid payments per beneficiary. It also spends the ninth lowest amount on education on a per pupil basis. Residents of the state have one of the lowest state and local tax burdens in the country, paying just 7.9 percent of their income. The state also has the fourth lowest cost of living in the nation. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

9. Florida

Average pension benefits: $19,777 (19th highest) Total per pupil spending: $8,760 (14th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,574 (6th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 29.5 percent (9th lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 21.8 (9th lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $233 (13th lowest) Florida has one of the lowest per-beneficiary payout rates for Medicaid in the country. Conversely, it has one of the highest rates for Medicare, which aids those aged 65 years or older and is solely funded by the federal government. The state also provides relatively low unemployment benefits and TANF benefits. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

8. Indiana

Average pension benefits: $8,837 (the lowest) Total per pupil spending: $9,369 (17th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $5,136 (18th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 40.1 percent (13th highest) Number of months of TANF received: 24.8 (13th lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $203 (8th lowest) The greatest detriment to Indiana's ranking is its pension system. The average benefits for a public servant enrolled in the Indiana Public Employees' Retirement Fund is $8,837, the lowest amount in the country. Although Indiana, unlike many states, strives to make its full pension payments each year, it keeps payments small. According to the New York Times, "An employee earning $30,000 a year retires after 25 years with an annual pension of less than $10,000." The state also provides a relatively low amount in average monthly cash assistance for TANF beneficiaries. The cost of living in Indiana is, however, relatively low. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

7. South Carolina

Average pension benefits: $17,467 (19th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $9,277 (16th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,658 (8th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 33.5 percent (16th lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 32.4 (20th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $172 (4th lowest) South Carolina scores worse than average in every metric of generosity we looked at. The worst of these were Medicaid and cash assistance to the poor. South Carolina paid out just $4,658 per beneficiary last year for Medicaid, the eighth lowest amount in the U.S. Needy families received just $172 on average from TANF, the fourth lowest dollar amount in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

6. Arizona

Average pension benefits: $19,056 (23rd highest) Total per pupil spending: $7,813 (3rd lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,701 (14th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 26.2 percent (the lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 35.4 (18th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $270 (18th lowest) Arizona's state and local tax burden is significantly lower than the national average. It also spends less than the national average in a number of areas. When it comes to education, the state spends the third lowest amount per pupil in the country. On top of this, the Arizona Senate recently cut $200 million from K-12 education. The state also covers the smallest amount of weekly wages for the unemployed. Additionally, the average weekly unemployment benefit is $213, the fourth lowest amount in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

5. Alabama

Average pension benefits: $19,098 (22nd highest) Total per pupil spending: $8,870 (15th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $3,931 (2nd lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 27.7 percent (6th lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 30.8 (25th lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $197 (7th lowest) In Alabama, the average Medicaid beneficiary receives just $3,931 each year. This is the second lowest amount in the country. In contrast, New York pays more than double that, or $9,057 per patient. Acccording to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, the relative cost of health care in the state also happens to be the lowest in the country, lessening the need for public assistance in this area. The state also provides just $197 for the average needy family through TANF, the seventh-lowest payout in the U.S. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

4. Oklahoma

Average pension benefits: $15,215 (13th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $7,885 (4th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,666 (9th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 39.2 percent (21st highest) Number of months of TANF received: 27.4 (18th lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $189 (5th lowest) Oklahoma spends the fourth smallest amount on education per pupil. It also pays the third least amount in employee benefits for those in the education system and the second least amount in teachers' salaries to the number of students in the state. In addition to this, Oklahoma pays the fifth lowest amount in average monthly cash payments for TANF recipients and the ninth lowest amount in medicaid benefits for those enrolled in the program. Perhaps not surprising, the state has the second lowest cost of living in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

3. Idaho

Average pension benefits: $16,088 (15th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $7,092 (2nd lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $5,685 (25th highest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 39.3 percent (20th highest) Number of months of TANF received: 8 (the lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $302 (22nd lowest) The state of Idaho spends just over $7,000 per pupil in a given year. This is the second lowest rank in the country. Idaho provides below average cash assistance through TANF, and recipients only average eight months of eligibility, by far the shortest period in the U.S. As measured by the Census Bureau's GINI coefficient, Idaho has the eighth best income equality in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

2. Tennessee

Average pension benefits: $13,145 (6th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $7,897 (5th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,687 (12th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 28.9 percent (7th lowest) Number of months of TANF received: 38 (13th highest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $167 (3rd lowest) Tennessee has the eleventh lowest per capita income in the country and state residents pay just $1,851 in taxes -- the second lowest amount in the U.S. in state and local taxes. This means the state has one of the lowest tax burdens in the country. The state spends relatively little on education, unemployment benefits, TANF welfare benefits, and pension benefits. But Tennessee also has the lowest cost of living in the country. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

1. Arkansas

Average pension benefits: $12,009 (5th lowest) Total per pupil spending: $8,712 (11th lowest) Medicaid payments per beneficiary: $4,413 (4th lowest) Percentage of weekly wages covered by unemployment benefits: 41.1 percent (11th highest) Number of months of TANF received: 11.2 (2nd lowest) Average TANF cash assistance per month: $147 (the lowest) Arkansas has the second lowest median household income in the country, at just $38,571. Despite this, the state is one of the least generous, especially when it comes to assistance for the poor. The state gives just $147 per TANF recipient, the lowest in the country. And the average poor family receiving cash assistance is only eligible for 11.2 months, the second shortest period in the U.S. <a href="http://247wallst.com/2011/11/11/the-states-doing-the-most-and-least-to-spread-the-wealth/#ixzz1dQudWaHL" target="_hplink">Read more at 24/7 Wall St. </a>

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/24/anti-austerity-rome-march_n_2184165.html

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Sunday 25 November 2012

UK's RBS could face separate Libor fines: paper

LONDON (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland is facing the increasing likelihood of having to settle separately with the UK and U.S. authorities investigating its involvement in the global interest rate-setting scandal, the Sunday Telegraph said.

The British newspaper said RBS is concerned it could receive a "double hit" of separate fines - one from the UK's Financial Services Authority and one from the U.S. authorities.

The bank had been hoping to agree a single collective deal, similar to the one agreed by Barclays , which became the first, and so far only, bank to settle with regulators over the allegations that traders attempted to manipulate the setting of key inter-bank lending rates such as Libor, paying fines in June totaling 290 million pounds ($464 million).

RBS said earlier this month that it wanted to settle with regulators as soon as possible, enabling the part-nationalized bank to draw a line under the affair and continue with the recovery plan being led by Chief Executive Stephen Hester.

Hester warned this month that the bank faces a "miserable day" when it is eventually punished and the danger of separate settlements is that the resulting negative publicity will be dragged out over a longer period of time.

Libor and other past mistakes are threatening to overshadow Hester's attempts to turn the bank around and get it into a shape that will make it possible for the government to start selling down the 81 percent stake which it acquired in rescuing the bank during the global financial crisis.

The bank was initially expected to settle the Libor case with regulators early in the fourth quarter. However, Reuters reported in October that a settlement had been delayed and was more likely at the end of 2012 or early next year because the authorities around the world were working to competing agendas and at different speeds.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that settlements could come as early as next month. Hester said this month that he expected details of a settlement to emerge between now and the bank's full year results next February.

RBS and the FSA declined to comment on the report.

More than a dozen banks are under investigation by regulators for suspected rigging of interbank rates used to price trillions of dollars worth of financial products.

($1=0.6246 British pounds)

(Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Sophie Walker and Greg Mahlich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/uks-rbs-could-face-separate-libor-fines-paper-141153926--finance.html

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Saturday 24 November 2012

Bahamas helicopter crash kills American - World News - MSNBC.com

By NBC News staff and wire services

NASSAU, Bahamas -- One American was killed and four people were injured when a helicopter crashed near an exclusive resort in the Bahamas on Thursday afternoon, according to local police.

The helicopter went down at Baker's Bay Golf and Ocean Club on Great Guana Cay in the Abacos island chain, according to Superintendent Noel Curry at the Marsh Harbour police station.

The Miami Herald identified one of the survivors as Jeffrey Soffer, head of the Miami-based Turnberry Associates, a leading property firm. Turnberry owns the famed but financially troubled Fontainebleau resort in Miami Beach as well as condominiums in Las Vegas, the Bahamas and Washington D.C.

The newspaper reported that, according to a Soffer family source, the person who died was the helicopter?s owner, a businessman who lived in the Bahamas, and the others on board were an unidentified woman, the pilot and a person who works with Soffer. They were headed to the Bahamas for Thanksgiving. Authorities did not identify any of the victims.

The Herald, citing the family source, said Soffer walked away from crash with bruises but no serious injuries.?The three passengers were flown back to the United States by private jet, Reuters reported.?The Herald reported that the Soffer family source said Soffer was taken to the University of Miami Hospital for evaluation.?

The helicopter was attempting to land when it was buffeted by a wind gust and the pilot lost control, according to the Nassau Guardian newspaper.

Eyewitnesses said the helicopter's rotor blades hit the ground near the Baker's Bay townhomes. The co-pilot was killed by the blades, and the pilot suffered serious injuries.

The Bahamian Minister of Transport and Aviation, Glenys Hanna-Martin, said a full investigation into the crash was being launched.

Baker's Bay is a luxury resort about 150 miles off Florida's southeast coast with an oceanfront golf course and private beach club, according to its website.

This article includes reporting by Reuters.

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Source: http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/22/15373474-bahamas-helicopter-crash-kills-american-property-magnate-survives

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Video: Shopping smart this holiday season

>>> this morning in today's consumer, how to avoid overspending. the holiday shopping season is in full swing and your favorite stores have a few tricks up their sleeve to get you to shell out some big bucks . carmen is here to reveal what they are. good morning to you.

>> good morning, carl.

>> why should people be more worried about having the retailers sort of figure out this whole game of how to get us to spend more?

>> they are fighting for your money, right? because we're the most savviest consumers ever. we've got shopping apps on our phone, promo codes, shopping sites. we know how to shop and we're much more likely to have a budget. since the recession, we cut down on credit card debt , and we'll spend a little bit more, but we want to stick to our budget.

>> you've laid out a few of the strategies that they use. the first one is called the decoy effect .

>> here we go. here's the decoy. let's say you have two choices of the same item. different in quality, but it's $50 for that coffee maker versus $100. if only those two choices existed and you're on a budget, you'll choose the $50 coffee maker . the decoy is brought in in the middle to get you to spend more, because once that decoy is there, you're more like tlly to buy the one in the middle. the middle range in price and quality, because it goes from just a savings decision the a value and quality decision. oh wow, $70. for an extra $20, i can get closer to that $100. that's what happens in your mind, even if it blows your budget. just be mindful of that.

>> this works because we think we're getting a deal?

>> exactly. our perception has topped. if you have a bottom and a top, that's your only choice. the decoy makes it seem like oh, i got a deal.

>> i like this next one. it's the scarcity effect.

>> okay, what is black friday? why do people line up and all that? because when you have a limited timeframe and a limited amount of items, we go nuts. this is black friday. this is also, though, the flash sales on site. i call this the guilt effect for guilt.com, which really started these flash sales. it's new. we've got to go in. it's a limited quantity. we've got to buy. this goes back to 1975 , behavioral economists found that women with two sets of cookies -- they called this the cookie effect. simply because one set of cookies, there was a smaller amount. women rated them higher. the cookie effect is the scarcity effect. going back to hunting and gathering .

>> this last one, the reciprocity effect.

>> freebies. women at the makeup counter. you get free. if you spend $50, you get free. now online, too, if you buy from online retailers , they'll send you free samples . here's the thing. 90% of us say if we get a freebie, we'll be very likely to buy from that person again. it's the "you owe me one" effect.

>> the best defense against all of these are what?

>> to know that they exist and to know how they work, and just be very mindful of what's going on. that time pressure, ban yourself from those sites if you have a problem with it, and with the freebie effect, just because someone gives you something doesn't mean you owe them anything.

>> that masters in psychologist is

Source: http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/49947478/

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Oklahoma City Historical Homes Real Estate Market Update ...

Oklahoma City Historical Area November 2012 Real Estate Market Update

The historical areas included in this report include: Crown Heights, Edgemere, Gatewood, Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, Crestwood and Linwood.

	Current	Monthly Change
Active Listings	60	+3
Under Contract	29	-20
Sold (October)	24	+10

High list price: $1,800,000
Low list price: $52,900
Average list price: $282,042
Median list price: $187,000

High sales price/ft: $250.00
Low sales price/ft: $16.46
Average price/ft: $109.75
Median price/ft: $100.27

Average days-on-market: 61
Median days-on-market: 35

Showing properties 1 - 10 of 56. See more Currently Available - Historical Area.
(all data current as of 11/23/2012)

3 beds, 2 full baths

Home size: 2,715 sq ft

Lot size: 8,250 sqft

Year built: 1926

Parking spots: 1

Days on market: 3
3 beds, 2 full baths

Home size: 2,774 sq ft

Lot size: 7,000 sqft

Year built: 1910

Parking spots: 2

Days on market: 4
3 beds, 1 full, 1 part baths

Home size: 1,650 sq ft

Lot size: 9,405 sqft

Year built: 1939

Parking spots: 2

Days on market: 7
2 beds, 1 full bath

Home size: 1,020 sq ft

Lot size: 9,000 sqft

Year built: 1935

Parking spots: 1

Days on market: 10
3 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

Home size: 2,902 sq ft

Lot size: 8,400 sqft

Year built: 1936

Parking spots: 2

Days on market: 11
3 beds, 5 full baths

Home size: 4,173 sq ft

Lot size: 15,002 sqft

Year built: 1954

Parking spots: 2

Days on market: 13
3 beds, 1 full, 1 part baths

Home size: 1,669 sq ft

Lot size: 7,200 sqft

Year built: 1920

Days on market: 14
2 beds, 1 full bath

Home size: 1,120 sq ft

Lot size: 8,263 sqft

Year built: 1936

Parking spots: 1

Days on market: 16
4 beds, 2 full baths

Home size: 2,880 sq ft

Year built: 1910

Parking spots: 2

Days on market: 17
4 beds, 3 full baths

Home size: 2,535 sq ft

Lot size: 7,000 sqft

Year built: 1910

Parking spots: 3

Days on market: 17

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Historical Area Homes For Sale

Historical Area Recent Price Reductions

Historical Area New Listings

Tagged as: historical homes, market data, oklahoma city real estate

Source: http://okchomesellers.com/statistics/oklahoma-city-historical-homes-real-estate-market-update-november-2012/

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Friday 23 November 2012

Video: Black Friday frenzy starts Thanksgiving night

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041440/vp/49938270#49938270

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The Gps device Monitor Signifies Increased ... - Communications ...

Automobile thievery is definitely an submerging issue that most of the lenders come across all year round around the world. Hence it becomes required to keep eye upon renowned chattels.

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GPS system is a good system for protection prospective customers. I not only protected from various risks it also supplies a piece of brain while doing work in office. Thus remain active along with work without being in any sort of security worries.

Source: http://onlinescommunication.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-gps-device-monitor-signifies.html

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Source: http://stobbettalesha7.typepad.com/blog/2012/11/the-gps-device-monitor-signifies-increased-communications.html

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Real estate promoter DeLoache was a Dallas legend back in the day

Dallas has always had its share of colorful real estate entrepreneurs.

Heck, a land speculator who died in the nut house founded the whole town.

Ira P. DeLoache at the Idlewild Ball in 1962.

But few local land jockeys have ever risen to the heights of Ira Pleasant DeLoache.

Born on a North Carolina plantation, DeLoache came to Dallas in 1903 to sell cigarettes.

He married the daughter of a prominent Texas cattleman and by the 1920s was doing real estate in Big D.

In the early years he developed a few buildings in downtown Dallas and along Knox Street near Highland Park.

And in 1924 DeLoache turned one his father-in-law?s ranch properties near Lubbock into the small town of Whiteface.

But DeLoache?s lasting success was the Dallas County town of Preston Hollow.

The area on the north side of Northwest Highway is now home to some of Dallas? most affluent neighborhoods.

Back in DeLoache?s day, it started out as just farmland with few roads and almost no utilities.

DeLoache built his little country real estate office in 1926 at the corner of Preston Road and Northwest Highway and began selling two-acre lots as ?rural home sites.?

By 1939, the area had incorporated as its own separate town.
Preston Hollow lasted as a stand-alone community for only about five years before residents voted to join with the city of Dallas.

But by then Ira DeLoache was already legendary in local real estate circles.

?I remember he wore a vicuna coat and a slouch hat and was charming as he could be,? said Mary Frances Burleson, CEO of Ebby Halliday Realtors which has owned DeLoache?s old Preston Road office since 1964.

Realtor Ebby Halliday remembers seeing DeLoache at the country club.

?He played gin rummy daily in the east room,? said Halliday, who will be 102 early next year. ?He would speed up Northwest Highway and Preston Road in his convertible.?

DeLoache died in 1965 at the age of 86.

DeLoache's old home on Preston Road in Preston Hollow. (DMN archives)

Source: http://bizbeatblog.dallasnews.com/2012/11/real-estate-promoter-deloache-was-a-dallas-legend-back-in-the-day.html/

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Monitor: More than 40,000 killed since start of Syria conflict

BEIRUT (Reuters) - More than 40,000 people have been killed in 20 months of conflict between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and those fighting for his overthrow, a violence monitoring group said on Friday.

Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said about half the fatalities were civilians and the other half split about evenly between rebels and government soldiers.

"The figure is likely much higher as the rebels and the government lie about how many of their forces have died to make it look like they are winning," Abdelrahman told Reuters.

The British-based Observatory, which supports the opposition, has been collating the names of the dead since government security forces started shooting pro-democracy protesters in March 2011.

Army defectors and ordinary Syrians took up arms against Assad and a civil war has since taken hold.

Abdelrahman said he only counts deceased people whose deaths are confirmed by friends or relatives.

"There are 10,000 to 15,000 people who were arrested months ago so we can't use that number as we don't know if they are dead or alive," he said.

Reuters cannot independently confirm the figures due to severe reporting restrictions imposed by the Syrian authorities.

(Reporting by Oliver Holmes; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/more-40-000-killed-since-start-syria-conflict-112045389.html

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RolePlayGateway?

Hello, you must be interested in doing a roleplay with me. Splendid!
However there are some things that you must know first.

Terms

1. Literacy and the assurance that you will be posting (on average) 900 - 1200 words is necessary. I want you to have good spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Do not contact me if you do not meet that requirement, it is by far the most important thing that I ask. A good reply cannot be done in a sentence. I also want to make sure that by you accepting the role as my roleplaying partner will try and post their best at all times, yes WritersBlock infects us all at some point, but sometimes you just have to push through it.

2. Your characters cannot be in any way cliche, unoriginal, and how can I say it.... uh- boring. Yes we get it your girl is an emotional wreck and your guy just wants to be a player. Wow, they should really name you the god(ess) of originality. (If you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic.) I want your characters to be deep, mind-boggling, and someone that I will have to consider responding to in a realistic and decent manner. In an agreement I will try my upmost to make my characters interesting, if at any point you have any concerns with my character, and believe that they do not match status then please tell me. I'll try my best to give them an unexpected twist, I want to make you happy, like you should want for me.

3. I prefer to play males over females, I find them much easier to control and have a better grasp and concept of playing them to their strengths. I can play females fine and dandy however, and so you don't need to worry. However be warned that my characters all have tempers and are sarcastic lil' monsters, no matter what the gender is. They're also between the ages of 22 - 32, please don't have a problem playing within this age range.

4. I'm not sure if this site has a designated place for 1x1s and group roleplays, however I am always better at doing roleplays by topic rather than PM. While I'll stll do them by message, doing them by topic is often much easier for me to be able to keep track of. (Besides I enjoy reading over our past work, I always feel like I'm reading a novel!) Just state your preference and I'll see what can be done.

5. I do have a life, I have a lot of things to stay up to date on and so I can't be on 24/7, however I always try to make the best with the time I got, and I can always be found thinking of replies when I'm not supposed to. That's another thing, I like to think about my replies and often it will be a few days to a week before I respond again (unless I'm having a muse overload.) So don't think I'm abandoning you if I don't respond just after you post.

6. You must be willing to help contribute to the roleplay as much as I am. I have been in roleplays where I've always had to pull most of the weight, and I don't like that. If you want to roleplay with me then you're going to have to be willing to help put in some effort. Think of it as a 50/50 deal with business partners. Our product can only succeed if both partners play their part.

7. I'm sorry to anyone who likes/loves romance, but it's not my thing. I will do it as a brief subplot but nothing that will affect the roleplay drastically, I will most certainly never do a roleplay which is founded off of romance, I hardly got through 'The Notebook' without ripping my eyes out. I only play heterosexual males, and bisexual females. Sorry I don't do gay romance. (Lesbian is fine though.)

Original Will Do's

Anything fantasy or sci-fi that is an original plot.
(I Enjoy; Dark Magic, Reincarnation, Xenophillic Relationships, Action, Suspense, Inclusion of Deity(ies), Prophecy, Colonization, Time Travel, Etc...)

Pre-Made Will Do's

- Mass Effect
- Dragon Age
- Heavy Rain
- The Elder Scrolls (TES)

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway

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Networking Will Benefit Your web Home Business We sometimes ...

Articles From Home | Business | Networking > burberry outletEnd of Main Content >

Networking Will Benefit Your web Home Business
We sometimes forget about the little things that actually matter, for example networking or communicating on a personal level with this readers and this is mainly due to the fact that the internet makes it simple to construct an online home business.

Let?s have a look at a few of the opportunities you need to interact on a personal level together with your readers and customers.

As Blogs are extremely popular you?ll find many people will have one however they neglect to use them fully. For instance are you currently inviting your readers to depart comments?

This is a well-liked internet marketing method so it?s common practice to visit and then leave comments on blogs. Maybe you have taken time to email those who post comments and thank them for their post or offer help a query about your home based business online?

This frequently opens the doors for more communication as many people are often really surprised and touched to receive an individual email as they are accustomed to impersonal auto responder messages.

Usually whenever anyone joins your web home business or purchases an item from you, you?ll be notified of their current email address moncler jackets. By sending a thanks or welcome email gives you the chance to open the communication channels and also the exchange of ideas could be extremely valuable.

Come out from your website and stop hiding behind your autoresponder and put the ?You? back to doing business online. It will have a huge impact on your home business.

By opening up these channels of communication you?ll be amazed at the worth and benefits that you could provide each other Online Outlet Store. Only a simple email from a post in your blog could produce a lucrative business model michael kors handbags.

How frustrated would you get whenever you send an email and never get a response? Replying to emails you obtain, no matter how insignificant they may seem, is simply common courtesy and definitely something which will not be overlooked.

If you invite people to email you against your site, a commercial or an auto responder email then a minimum of have a couple of minutes to create a good reply to them. Don?t place you reputation at risk by writing short and abrupt emails. Where this straightforward task could lead you, you won?t ever know.

A FAQ (Faq?s) section in your website will truly help visitors, however, they might email you for additional online home based business information which is where you need to offer honest advice and respond to the best of your ability.

Networking could certainly benefit your web home based business in the future if you implement these ideas on how to communicate and network with your readers.Cynthia Minnaar

Cynthia Minnaar runs her very own Online Home based business ideas website full-time from home. She invites you to definitely sign up for her online for free Businesses Newsletter and receive free internet income training

Source: http://tangliping55.smansara.com/2012/11/23/networking-will-benefit-your-web-home-businesswe-sometimes-forget-about-the-little-things-that-actually-matter/

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Tuesday 20 November 2012

The Mythic Narrative of the 2012 Election

The aftermath of the 2012 presidential election has generated a moment of myth creation about what happened on Nov. 6 ? why President Obama won, why Mitt Romney lost, and what roles real human beings played in the result. These myths are not only being repeated and set in stone by the media and pundits, but also by the campaigns themselves. Democrats and the Obama campaign as well as Republicans and the Romney campaign are repeating the same myths to explain the outcome.

I have often talked about how myths arise in politics in the aftermath of the election, and how these myths move from fiction to nonfiction. And it is because folks buy into the myths that mistakes are made in future campaigns, and wrong lessons are learned along the way. The winning campaign operatives and consultants usually disseminate the myths to justify their work, but in this election both the winners and losers are creating the same mythic narrative.

Though it is early in the analysis of the election results, and we have some returns in some states still to be counted, we can begin to get a clear picture of what happened on Election Day and then understand better what myths are out there.

Myth No. 1. This election was ultimately about a choice, and not primarily a referendum on President Obama. In the late spring and early summer, it was building into a choice election, but as the fall approached, it became a referendum on the president. That was to his benefit. As I attempted to repeat all along, the most important number to pay attention to was the president?s job-approval rating. Every president with job approval at 45 percent or below going into Election Day lost, and every president with a job approval at 50 percent or higher has won.

Six months ago, President Obama?s job approval was at a precarious 47 percent, and his campaign knew that to win they had to make this a choice election. But as spring moved into summer and summer to fall, the dynamics of the country changed and so did the president?s approval rating. The net right direction/wrong track number for the country improved in ABC News polling from minus-31 points to minus-14 points over this time ? a net 17-point positive rise as Americans began to feel more optimistic about the economy and their lives. And this caused the president?s job-approval rating to rise from 47 percent to 51 percent by Election Day. Presidents running for reelection consistently get a popular-vote percentage that is within a point of their approval rating ? and that is exactly what Obama got.?

Myth No. 2. The target-state onslaught of advertising changed the dynamics of Mitt Romney?s image and President Obama?s image. I have written before about the insignificant role all of this advertising plays in the actual results on Election Day in presidential contests, and this year that dynamic was revealed again. There was no difference in the perceptions of the Obama and Romney images in the target states versus the 40-plus other jurisdictions which saw little to no advertising. Further, the election results saw no significant difference between Obama?s winning margins in the target states versus his winning margin in all the nontarget states. In addition, the fall-off from the president?s election result in 2008 was the same in the country as a whole versus the target states. President Obama did not overperform in target states. The results in target states and nontarget states, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars of ads, were the exact same in terms of both image and vote margins. ? ?

Myth No. 3. The advanced, technologically driven ground game the Obama campaign organized made the difference in the election by changing the shape of the American electorate and surprising everyone on Election Day by turning out unexpected voters. The results nationally and in the target states nearly perfectly matched projections made by reliable polls. ABC and Pew had Obama winning nationally by 3 points, and that was the result. The results in nearly every target state matched within a point the reliable polls before Election Day. Again, when compared with the country as a whole, President Obama did not overperform in states where his team conducted significant turnout operations.?

The nature of the American electorate has been moving in the direction of the 2012 outcome for many years, and this is a troubling sign for Republicans. This is not a problem of turnout operations or bad campaigns or bad candidates. The Republican Party increasingly doesn?t reflect the American demographic. For example, the Latino share of the vote has risen from 2 percent in 1984 to 10 percent in 2012 ? a very steady increase of about 1 percent every presidential election, which is consistent with population growth.?

Further, the number of voters who choose 'none' for religious status has also risen consistently and steadily. In 1984, the share was 4 percent and today it is 12 percent ? a rise of about a point every four years. Also, the number of voters between the ages of 18 and 29 on Election Day has stayed within a very consistent range in the last 30 years, from a high of 24 percent in 1984 to a low of 17 percent in three elections to a midrange of 19 percent this year.?

The interesting thing about this election was that conservatives and white evangelicals were either exactly the same share as 2004, when President Bush won reelection, or slightly up this year, and Romney?s share of those groups equaled President Bush's. The problem, though, for Republicans is that the share liberals represent of the country has grown from 17 percent in 1984 to 24 percent this year ? a very steady and consistent increase in each election.?

All of this raises the question of whether campaigns and tactics matter. They do, but only in a very limited way, and they are insignificant compared with the overall political environment and the grand movements of the world and our country. The most successful people in life and in politics learn to recognize the big waves happening in the world and then surf them as best they can. President Obama, despite many flaws and vulnerabilities, had the traits and attributes that made him more able to surf the movements than Romney or the Republican Party.?

And if the GOP thinks this election was about bad polling, or Mitt Romney, or outdated tactics, then it will find it very difficult to win national elections again. The party needs to find leaders and candidates of a new generation and have a brand that is more in tune with the ocean of politics in the 21^st century. ?And in my view, going to their roots as the Teddy Roosevelt party might be a good start. He was a Republican populist fighting against both oppressive government and corporations and big business ? a Republican who believed in the vigor of the individual, the power of a community, and the value of shared sacrifice at all levels. ? ?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mythic-narrative-2012-election-122710818--politics.html

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Red Sox to interview Counsell, Colbrunn for hitting coach

Posted on 18 November 2012 by Editor

Alex Speier of Boston?s WEEI.com has the news: According to a major league source, the Red Sox will interview a pair of long-time big leaguers about their hitting coach position(s) this week, with Craig Counsell slated to interview on Monday and Greg Colbrunn in the process of being scheduled for another time during the week.?

Continued here:
Red Sox to interview Counsell, Colbrunn for hitting coach

Source: http://redsoxsource.com/?p=72261

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Saturday 3 November 2012

Jobs growth quickens, giving Obama some relief

By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employers stepped up hiring in October and a small increase in the jobless rate was due to more workers restarting their job hunts, a hopeful sign for a lackluster economy that has been a drag on President Barack Obama's re-election bid.

Employers added 171,000 people to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. The government also said 84,000 more jobs were created in August and September than previously estimated.

The jobless rate edged up a tenth of a point to 7.9 percent, but that was due to workers surging back into the labor force. Only people who are looking for a job count as unemployed.

"This report is consistent with the emerging picture of an economic recovery that is continuing to regain traction after grinding to a halt earlier this year," said Millan Mulraine, an economist at TD Securities in New York.

The stronger-than-expected data was the last major report card on the economy before Tuesday's presidential election. Polls show Obama and Republican Mitt Romney locked in a dead heat in a race in which the nation's feeble jobs market has been front and center.

Romney cast the elevated jobless rate as a signal of the economy's ills. "The economy is at a virtual standstill," he said in a statement. His top economic adviser, Glenn Hubbard, said a jobs growth figure closer to 300,000 would be needed to show an economy with real vigor.

Obama said the report showed the economy moving in the right direction. "We have made real progress," he told a rally in Hilliard, Ohio.

Despite the political wrangling, the impact of the report on the election could be muted as most voters' perceptions on the economy are likely mostly fixed by now. However, the jobs report could make it more difficult for Romney to drive his message home.

While the rise in the jobless rate was expected, the increase in payrolls beat even the most optimistic forecast in a Reuters poll. U.S. stocks opened higher but then turned down, while the dollar strengthened and prices for U.S. government debt were little changed.

GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?

A full recovery from the 2007-09 recession remains distant and even sustained monthly job gains of 171,000 would likely bring down the unemployment rate only slowly. The jobless rate, which peaked during the recession at 10 percent, remains about 3 percentage points above its pre-recession level.

The persistently high unemployment rate has undercut wage growth. Average hourly earnings fell one cent last month to $23.58. Over the past year, they have risen just 1.6 percent, the lowest on records dating to early 2007. A narrower measure that looks at just production and non-supervisory employees is up only 1.1 percent, the smallest rise since at least 1964.

In October, the jobless rate rose because 578,000 people entered the workforce. That helped push the participation rate, a measure of the portion of the population in the labor force, up two tenths of a point to 63.8 percent. A gauge of the proportion of working age Americans who have a job hit a three-year high at 58.8 percent.

The rise in the jobless rate was too small to reverse a big drop registered in September. A broader measure of underemployment that includes the unemployed, people who can only get part-time work and people who want a job but who are not looking ticked down a tenth of a point to 14.6 percent, its lowest level since April. Still, 23 million Americans were underemployed by this measure.

All of the gain in payrolls was in the private sector, which added 184,000 jobs in October, the biggest increase since February. The government shed 13,000 positions.

Private service-providing jobs were up 163,000, with retail trade adding 36,400 jobs. Temporary help services, often a harbinger of future full-time hiring, added 13,600 jobs, more than reversing the previous month's decline.

The construction sector saw a 17,000 increase in jobs, the largest rise since January, while factories added 13,000 workers, snapping two straight months of decline.

While consumers have picked up spending in recent months and the housing sector has stirred back to life, the U.S. economy faces a real threat of a renewed recession next year.

Without action by lawmakers, taxes will rise and government spending will fall to the tune of about $600 billion. That "fiscal cliff" could easily cause the economy to contract.

Europe's debt crisis, which has hit factories around the world, is also weighing on the U.S. recovery. A severe storm that hit the U.S. East Coast early this week could briefly drag on growth.

Given the uncertain outlook, businesses have been hesitant to invest. A separate report on Friday showed orders for non-defense capital goods, excluding aircraft, rose just 0.2 percent in September after a similarly tepid 0.3 percent gain in August.

Still, overall orders received by U.S. factories bounced back 4.8 percent, nearly reversing all of a deep slide seen in August.

(Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikani and Alister Bull in Washington; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Andrea Ricci)

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jobless-rate-seen-rising-offering-040402080.html

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3 Business Lessons You Can Use from a Globetrotting Entrepreneur ...

Image of Vintage Map of Thailand

When we last traveled together, we learned a few things about business from Mongol warriors, Belgian chefs, and postmasters in Antarctica.

You picked up a few valuable ?souvenirs? for your website ? like properly welcoming your customers, managing expectations, and limiting your expertise.

On today?s tour, we?ll be visiting Thai food markets, Chinese dumpling shops, and ancient Peruvian ruins to learn three important business lessons.

For those of you new to our tour, my name is Betsy Talbot, and in 2010 my husband Warren and I left the US for an open-ended trip around the world. As we?ve simultaneously traveled and managed our business these past two years, we?ve learned entrepreneurial skills and tactics from some very unlikely sources. Today we?re sharing a few more of those with you.

Slather on your sunscreen and put on your hats, because today?s three destinations (and lessons) are sunny, useful, and bright.

Let?s get started ?

1. Start. Right now.

The markets in Thailand are bustling every single night with pedestrians and motorbikes jamming the roadway. Locals and tourists alike flock to their neighborhood markets for a selection of delicious Thai foods, from spicy curries and soups to noodles and stir-fried dishes.

These food vendors all start with a burner, a wok, and some fresh ingredients. Not every cook even has a cart, some start with just a small grill and a stool to sell roasted corn or kebabs. Others have expanded to have small tables and chairs next to their carts for the steady stream of business they?ve amassed over the years. Yet others strap their carts to a motorbike and travel around to the bars at night, to serve people who need to soak up the alcohol they?ve consumed with some good food.

These entrepreneurs simply get started, using the basic ingredients to run a business and then adjust as they go, working into new markets or adding specialties as the need arises.

Too often we get caught up in making our business ?perfect? before we announce it to the world, working out every possible scenario or problem so we can be prepared when it happens. Most entrepreneurs will agree that business looks a lot different 1, 2 or 3 years in than it did in the planning stages. Trying to think everything through before you start is simply wasted energy.

Overthinking is a death blow to action, and action is what drives revenue.

Done is better than perfect.

An expertly-prepared jungle curry soup from a simple food cart in a market can start the revenue and customer base to eventually open up a full-blown Asian restaurant.

Projects require deadlines. If you aren?t pushing yourself to launch by a certain date, you definitely won?t.
Avoid scope creep. If your project continues to grow, you are never going to finish. Treat your project like professionals do and finish what you started. The ideas that blossom along the way should go into a list of options to add later ? when you have a finished product on your hands.
Alter your mindset. Instead of thinking of all the reasons you can?t start now, flip the argument and list all the reasons you should start now. When you change your perspective, you change your motivation to get things done.

Case Study: Lorne Michaels from Saturday Night Live recently talked with Alec Baldwin on his?Here?s the Thing?podcast. He says being ?ready? is a state of mind, one you can condition yourself to overcome with regular deadlines. ?I say it every week, we don?t go on because we?re ready, we go on because it?s 11:30.?

2. Develop a catalog

When you think of Peru, the first thing to pop in your mind is probably Machu Picchu. In the 100 years since its (re)discovery, it has become one of the most popular destinations in South America, topping the bucket lists of people all over the world.

Visitors expect a magnificent experience, a spiritual connection, and a sense of being in a sacred historical space. What visitors don?t always expect are the 5000?other visitors in their hiking boots and zip-off pants looking for the exact same thing.

Peru has another grand historical highlight: a pre-Incan fortress in the north called Kuelap, only recently rediscovered in the 1980s. It is an enormous site, soaring high above the surrounding valleys with a bird?s eye view. The building style is ingenious, with a gate that gradually narrows to fit only a single person ? making defense of an attack almost child?s play.

The government of Peru is working hard to excavate the rest of this site and encourage tourism. There are currently about 50 visitors per day, and these lucky souls get to watch an active excavation as well as practically have the site to themselves to explore.

It does not rival Machu Picchu in visits or revenue yet, but in time it will. The tourism department of Peru knows they will attract more tourists and generate more revenue per tourist if they have other magnificent ancient sites to offer adventurous travelers, so they are hard at work making it happen.

Your product or service may be as awe-inspiring as Machu Picchu, but if it is your only offer, you will only get one sale per customer. A happy customer has nothing else to buy from you, even if they are standing there with credit card in hand. When you have a few offerings relating to your core specialty, that thing you rock like no one else, customers have more options to work with you, further cementing your relationship and building your revenue.

Use questions and suggestions from buyers of your main product to create supporting products and services. Fill the knowledge or service gaps pointed out by your audience.
Mine your blog content for ideas on new products and services. Dig through your blog archives to find posts with the most traffic or greatest number of comments. Expand on the topic in a new product or service using the article as a launch pad.
Interview your best customers to find out how you can serve them better within your specialty. Listen closely to the language they use and develop products and services using that language.

Case Study: Speaker and publicist Nancy Juetten of?Main Street Media Savvy?took her premium service of helping local businesses gain more press for themselves and spawned classes, webinars, ebooks, and teleseminars for those who wanted a less-expensive, DIY solution. She?s exploded her business by giving a wider range of potential customers more ways to do business with her.

3. Get personal

Jinghong, China is at the southern end of the country on the Mekong River, just up the road from Laos. While not a major city by Chinese standards, it still boasts a population of about half a million people.

We were traveling with a new Chinese friend, and after a day of sightseeing we asked if we could find a dumpling shop for a snack. He scouted out a little hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall where a woman was busily making fresh dumplings at a large table.

She seemed very excited to see us, and we thought it was because we were the only customers. Turns out, she had just opened her restaurant and thought it lucky for her new business to have international travelers arrive in the first week. (There are not very many Western tourists in China in general, and especially in these more rural regions like?Jinghong.)

She invited us, through our friend?s translation, to come back for a special dinner that evening after closing with her and her grown son.

We returned and enjoyed a long evening of drinking rice wine ? the homebrew version from her personal stash, not the store-bought version we brought as a gift ? trying new foods, and sharing life stories and plenty of laughter. We told her how to attract more foreign travelers to her shop ? namely by putting up a sign in English that said ?Dumpling Shop.? She taught us how to properly toast in China.

We ate hundreds of meals during our months in China, but her little dumpling shop still stands out as our favorite. We?ve recommended The Northeast Fat Mother Dumpling Shop to every traveler we meet going to southern China. (And yes, that?s the real name!)

When you keep yourself hidden behind your website, never revealing exactly who you are or more than what someone could find on a resume, people have a hard time connecting. We all prefer to do business with people we know, like, and trust. Even when you can?t personally get to know them all, you can let your customers get to know a little bit more about you.

Share a candid snapshot of yourself or your team on your About page, one with some personality or showing you participating in an activity you like.
Reveal something personal and totally unrelated on your About page, like a hobby or an unexpected interest.
Drop regular hints of your personality in your blog posts and website copy. People like knowing these idiosyncrasies? about the person behind the site. It?s like finding out your favorite author hates broccoli just like you do. It?s another point of bonding between strangers.

Case Study: Peter Shankman, founder of HARO, is mad about skydiving, NASA, and cats. His business is in PR and networking, but he regularly drops info about his big loves in his blog, Facebook updates, and Twitter. You feel like you know Peter even if you?ve never met him, which gives him an edge over other thought leaders who just spout wisdom.

This concludes today?s tour. Your ?souvenirs? include:

A ?Just Get Started? button from the apron of the Thai food cart vendor
A postcard from Macchu Picchu to remind you to develop a back catalog of products or services for the hordes of visitors who will come to your site later
A bottle of homemade rice wine from Fat Mother to remind you to loosen up and get personal with your customers

Now that you?re back at home (or back at your homepage), I hope you?ll just get started on a catalog of new products and sell them with a little personal twist. It?s the international way of doing things, and more important, it is the more profitable way of doing things.

Stay tuned for our next tour, where we?ll visit remote but colorful Siberia, Irish pubs outside of Ireland, and landlords in Denmark.

About the Author: Betsy Talbot and her husband Warren provide realistic advice for unrealistic dreamers every week at Married with Luggage. They've been traveling the world since 2010 and have no plans to settle down.?Find out how to harness your own big dream ? mentally, socially, and financially ? in their how-to guide, Dream Save Do.

Source: http://www.copyblogger.com/traveling-entrepreneur-2/

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