The war in Iraq is in its seventh year. The war in Afghanistan, in its ninth year, is the longest war in our history.
According to Yale historian David Blight, Memorial Day (first called Decoration Day), the U.S. holiday commemorating fallen soldiers, got its start at the end of the Civil War. In 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina former African-American slaves exhumed Union soldiers from a mass grave on the site of Charleston's exclusive racetrack and buried them in individual graves, a ten-day project that ended in a day of celebration of the nation, peace, and freedom in which thousands of Charleston's black families gathered to decorate graves, pray, play games, and picnic. 145 years after the end of our Civil War, our nation is engaged in near civil wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which we had a part in starting and no plans for ending.
Click Here to read the full article.
Alternet by Nora Eisenberg
Monday, May 31, 2010
How Fake News Stories and Bogus News Websites Try to Deceive You
Fake news stories help crooks lure victims into all sorts of traps. We've reported previously on how scammers distribute emails with links to a sensational but fake news article or with an attachment that carries a deadly virus payload.
Either way, the aim is to install malware on your PC when you click the link or open the attachment.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Either way, the aim is to install malware on your PC when you click the link or open the attachment.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Thursday, May 20, 2010
HOW TO HELP ON 2010 GULF OIL SPILL
HOW TO HELP ON 2010 GULF OIL SPILL
While those responsible for this spill are covering the cost of the Gulf clean-up, you can support the work of the non-profit organizations currently on the ground responding to oiled wildlife.
You can support International Bird Rescue's ongoing rescue work by donating, becoming a member or adopting a bird.
Click Here for more info and to see oil being washed off an oiled bird.
IBRRC is a non-profit 501-c-3 organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the full extent of IRS law.
© 2010 IBRRC – All Rights Reserved • Privacy policy • Website
While those responsible for this spill are covering the cost of the Gulf clean-up, you can support the work of the non-profit organizations currently on the ground responding to oiled wildlife.
You can support International Bird Rescue's ongoing rescue work by donating, becoming a member or adopting a bird.
Click Here for more info and to see oil being washed off an oiled bird.
IBRRC is a non-profit 501-c-3 organization. Your contribution is tax deductible to the full extent of IRS law.
© 2010 IBRRC – All Rights Reserved • Privacy policy • Website
Hightower's "Icky" Awards -- Who Are the Greediest, Grossest Corporate Hogs?
This coveted corporate prize goes to the group of CEOs whose performances in the past 12 months exhibit the best combination of greediness, goofiness and grossness.
May 19, 2010
Gas from the damaged Deepwater Horizon wellhead is burned by the drillship Discoverer Enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico on May 16, in a process known as flaring. The United States Tuesday closed off a large chunk of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing as fears a giant oil slick could be swept to Florida's beaches and coral reefs overshadowed progress in stemming the spill.
Read the full article here.
Alternet by Jim Hightower
May 19, 2010
Gas from the damaged Deepwater Horizon wellhead is burned by the drillship Discoverer Enterprise in the Gulf of Mexico on May 16, in a process known as flaring. The United States Tuesday closed off a large chunk of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing as fears a giant oil slick could be swept to Florida's beaches and coral reefs overshadowed progress in stemming the spill.
Read the full article here.
Alternet by Jim Hightower
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Nouriel Roubini: How to Break Up the Banks, Stop Massive Bonuses, and Rein in Wall Street Greed
The prominent economist explains why the model of the financial supermarket is a disaster, and why it's so dangerous that Wall Street is back to business as usual.
May 18, 2010
New York University economist Nouriel Roubini is the author of, most recently, "Crisis Economics: A Crash Course In The Future Of Finance." He is considered one of the most prominent and respected economists in the world. When both Wall Street bankers and Bush administration policymakers were insisting that everything was just fine, Roubini was warning about the most dire financial crisis since the Great Depression. In 2007, the financial elite laughed him off, but Roubini was vindicated by the crash of 2008. AlterNet economics editor Zach Carter recently spoke with Roubini about the financial crisis, the subsequent bailout, the financial reform bill moving through Congress, and the global economic outlook.
Read the full article here.
AlterNet by Zach Carter and Norial Roubini
May 18, 2010
New York University economist Nouriel Roubini is the author of, most recently, "Crisis Economics: A Crash Course In The Future Of Finance." He is considered one of the most prominent and respected economists in the world. When both Wall Street bankers and Bush administration policymakers were insisting that everything was just fine, Roubini was warning about the most dire financial crisis since the Great Depression. In 2007, the financial elite laughed him off, but Roubini was vindicated by the crash of 2008. AlterNet economics editor Zach Carter recently spoke with Roubini about the financial crisis, the subsequent bailout, the financial reform bill moving through Congress, and the global economic outlook.
Read the full article here.
AlterNet by Zach Carter and Norial Roubini
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Beware of Iceland Volcano Scams
Once again scammers are trying to cash in on the latest natural disaster -- in this case the Iceland volcano eruption. Hijacking email and social network accounts, they send messages to the owners' contacts claiming to be trapped overseas by flight cancellations or delays and asking for money.
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Click here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Friday, May 7, 2010
Skype Scam Delivers Spam and Malware
Say it loud and it sounds like the start of a tongue-twister, but "Skype scam" is far more mischievous and troublesome than that.
Skype is a software program that enables you to use the Internet to make free or cheap phone and video calls, with tens of millions of users throughout the world.
Owned by eBay, it's the biggest of a number of outfits providing a similar service using what's known as "VoIP" (Voice Over Internet Protocol).
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Skype is a software program that enables you to use the Internet to make free or cheap phone and video calls, with tens of millions of users throughout the world.
Owned by eBay, it's the biggest of a number of outfits providing a similar service using what's known as "VoIP" (Voice Over Internet Protocol).
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
WANT MORE CLIENTS? JUST SAY NO! C.J. Hayden, MCC
Much of the popular wisdom about how to succeed as an independent professional seems to center around saying yes. You'll hear that you're supposed to market yourself constantly in as many different ways as possible, network with everyone you can find, and take as many clients as possible in order to increase your earnings. The implication is that you should say yes to every opportunity.
But it hasn't been my experience that pursuing all opportunities is the true path to success. In fact, my own success increased dramatically when I started saying no more often. Saying yes to everything is like opening too many windows on your computer. Eventually you run out of resources and you crash. When you say yes to every suggestion, request, or invitation, you are letting other people's agendas drive your business. Saying no can put you in charge instead.
Here are six examples of situations where you may want to consider saying no.
1. New clients who don't fit into your niche.
When business is scarce, it's tempting to take anything you can get. For a one-time or short-term project, working with a client outside your target market or specialty may not harm you. But making a practice of taking any business that shows up will get in the way of establishing your reputation and referral base.
These "outsider" clients won't lead to the targeted referrals or testimonials that will build your business. And they can take a lot more energy to serve, because you may need to learn on the job, scramble to assemble needed resources, or do work you simply don't enjoy much. Sticking to your niche, on the other hand, will lead to more business of the kind you really want to have.
2. Networking with people who have no connection to your niche.
Your networking time is precious. Say no to attending events that will attract few people from your target market, or to meeting with people whose niche has no relation to yours.
Just because someone invites you to a meeting or coffee doesn't mean you have to go. Don't worry, you'll have plenty more invitations to choose from in the future. Plus, you should be spending some time making your own invitations to folks solidly within your niche, who will be much more likely to bring you business.
3. Clients who take more effort to pursue than their business is worth.
Watch out for prospects who want to meet with you multiple times, see several proposals, or require a detailed response to a complex RFP before agreeing to work with you. Even when you ultimately land the contract, it may cost you far too much unpaid time. And clients who are so demanding before they hire you may be even worse to actually work for.
4. People and organizations who ask for your time but do nothing for you.
Serving as a volunteer in order to give back to your community is a worthwhile activity in itself. But volunteering your time with the primary intent to market your business only pays off when the recipients of your largesse provide the promotional consideration they promised.
Beware of offers like online communities who award you a slot as an "expert" required to provide answers to questions, articles, and tools for free, but can't deliver the traffic they promised. Or community organizations who ask you to serve in your professional capacity pro bono, but never so much as acknowledge you in their newsletter.
5. Ads, promotional schemes, and exhibit space that don't fit your budget.
The moment you hang out your shingle as a business owner, you become a prime target for people selling print and online ad space, directory listings, search engine optimization, and trade show exhibits. Their offers may be appealing, especially if you're feeling a bit desperate for business. But for the average independent professional, these approaches rarely pay back the required investment.
Consider this — if these promotional avenues were as good as the offers say, would they really need to have an army of commissioned salespeople pushing them on you? Before enrolling in any paid promotional scheme, compare its total cost to the value of closed sales you could conservatively expect to gain as a result. Make your own estimates; don't just accept what the salesperson says. Then say no to any offer that may cost you more than it brings in.
6. Flavor-of-the-month marketing approaches.
Every time you turn around, it seems that someone has a new marketing idea for you. If you're not seeing immediate results from what you're already doing, it may be appealing to try something new. But keep in mind that every marketing strategy takes consistency and persistence to pay off.
When you drop what you're doing to try something new, you may lose out on both the benefit of what you were doing before and the new approach you're trying now, because you'll have given neither of them the attention and longevity they truly require.
Here's the bottom line. If you've ever felt like you were being pulled in a million different directions by the requirements of marketing your business, the solution may be right in front of you. Just say no to invitations, offers, and demands that serve the needs of other people better than they do your own.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
But it hasn't been my experience that pursuing all opportunities is the true path to success. In fact, my own success increased dramatically when I started saying no more often. Saying yes to everything is like opening too many windows on your computer. Eventually you run out of resources and you crash. When you say yes to every suggestion, request, or invitation, you are letting other people's agendas drive your business. Saying no can put you in charge instead.
Here are six examples of situations where you may want to consider saying no.
1. New clients who don't fit into your niche.
When business is scarce, it's tempting to take anything you can get. For a one-time or short-term project, working with a client outside your target market or specialty may not harm you. But making a practice of taking any business that shows up will get in the way of establishing your reputation and referral base.
These "outsider" clients won't lead to the targeted referrals or testimonials that will build your business. And they can take a lot more energy to serve, because you may need to learn on the job, scramble to assemble needed resources, or do work you simply don't enjoy much. Sticking to your niche, on the other hand, will lead to more business of the kind you really want to have.
2. Networking with people who have no connection to your niche.
Your networking time is precious. Say no to attending events that will attract few people from your target market, or to meeting with people whose niche has no relation to yours.
Just because someone invites you to a meeting or coffee doesn't mean you have to go. Don't worry, you'll have plenty more invitations to choose from in the future. Plus, you should be spending some time making your own invitations to folks solidly within your niche, who will be much more likely to bring you business.
3. Clients who take more effort to pursue than their business is worth.
Watch out for prospects who want to meet with you multiple times, see several proposals, or require a detailed response to a complex RFP before agreeing to work with you. Even when you ultimately land the contract, it may cost you far too much unpaid time. And clients who are so demanding before they hire you may be even worse to actually work for.
4. People and organizations who ask for your time but do nothing for you.
Serving as a volunteer in order to give back to your community is a worthwhile activity in itself. But volunteering your time with the primary intent to market your business only pays off when the recipients of your largesse provide the promotional consideration they promised.
Beware of offers like online communities who award you a slot as an "expert" required to provide answers to questions, articles, and tools for free, but can't deliver the traffic they promised. Or community organizations who ask you to serve in your professional capacity pro bono, but never so much as acknowledge you in their newsletter.
5. Ads, promotional schemes, and exhibit space that don't fit your budget.
The moment you hang out your shingle as a business owner, you become a prime target for people selling print and online ad space, directory listings, search engine optimization, and trade show exhibits. Their offers may be appealing, especially if you're feeling a bit desperate for business. But for the average independent professional, these approaches rarely pay back the required investment.
Consider this — if these promotional avenues were as good as the offers say, would they really need to have an army of commissioned salespeople pushing them on you? Before enrolling in any paid promotional scheme, compare its total cost to the value of closed sales you could conservatively expect to gain as a result. Make your own estimates; don't just accept what the salesperson says. Then say no to any offer that may cost you more than it brings in.
6. Flavor-of-the-month marketing approaches.
Every time you turn around, it seems that someone has a new marketing idea for you. If you're not seeing immediate results from what you're already doing, it may be appealing to try something new. But keep in mind that every marketing strategy takes consistency and persistence to pay off.
When you drop what you're doing to try something new, you may lose out on both the benefit of what you were doing before and the new approach you're trying now, because you'll have given neither of them the attention and longevity they truly require.
Here's the bottom line. If you've ever felt like you were being pulled in a million different directions by the requirements of marketing your business, the solution may be right in front of you. Just say no to invitations, offers, and demands that serve the needs of other people better than they do your own.
Copyright © 2009, C.J. Hayden
Read more free articles by C.J. Hayden or subscribe to the GET CLIENTS NOW! E-Letter.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Start Your Own Blog In 3 Easy Steps
By Michael Fleischner | Marketing Expert, Internet Marketing Secrets*
Blogging is a great way to reach your audience, share your thoughts, and even help you with your Internet marketing. I’ve been blogging for nearly 3 years and continue to enjoy the benefits of not only communicating with an audience, but engaging in meaningful dialog. Starting a blog is easy to do and pays huge dividends.
There are a number of free services available that offer free blog services. Sites like Blogger and WordPress only require a brief registration and set up. Once you determine a theme for your blog and a template, you’re ready to begin posting. Posts are entries you make on your blog that are published instantly.
Some bloggers post comments to their blog each and every day, others once a week. Regardless of how frequently you post to your blog, content can be focused on a specific theme or random topics. The most popular blogs focus on a specific niche and provide valuable information, content, and commentary that encourage interaction with blog followers.
Sign up for a blog service. Begin development of your blog by signing up for Blogger or WordPress. Once you have an account, you can quickly set up your blog. Consider the goal of your blog and what type of commitment you are willing to make. Start small and be consistent.
Determine how you will monetize your blog. If you want to use your blog to generate revenue, there are a few techniques you can apply depending on which platform you’re using. One of the most popular methods of monetizing your blog is with the help of Google Adsense. This is a popular option and very easy to add to your blog. Not only does it generate a small amount of revenue for you on a weekly basis, but it also provides relevant links based on your posts.
Another great way to monetize your blog is through paid links. The concept of offering paid links is pretty straight forward. You create a section of you blog that lists recommended sites. In this list, you only place links that people have paid you to post. There are some tools you can use to automate this process. I simply add a link to a post that says, “How to post your link” with directions and a pass through to a Paypal page. You can set up a single time payment or subscription, allowing would be advertisers the opportunity to purchase a link on your blog monthly or for a longer period of time.
Many individuals are monetizing their blogs by using pay per post or other blogging network. Essentially, advertisers search for bloggers who are willing to write a post to promote their product and services or brand. You can sign up for one of these networks quite easily and be contacted when advertisers feel that your blog would be ideal for distributing a message. You write a blog post and get paid for doing so.
One thing to keep in mind is that the success of you blog is based on a number of factors. I believe that having a targeted blog that offers original content is ideal. You will build a large following. This is essential because most of the monetization methods are based on having enough traffic to make your blog appealing to advertisers as well as blog readers.
About the Author
Are looking for SEO help? Learn more about today's leading SEO software with MarketingScoop's SEO Elite Software Review and turbo charge your search engine optimization.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert with more than 12 years of marketing experience. To see a marketing expert picture or discover how to improve search engine rankings on Google and other major search engines, visit http://improvesearchenginerankings.blogspot.com
Blogging is a great way to reach your audience, share your thoughts, and even help you with your Internet marketing. I’ve been blogging for nearly 3 years and continue to enjoy the benefits of not only communicating with an audience, but engaging in meaningful dialog. Starting a blog is easy to do and pays huge dividends.
There are a number of free services available that offer free blog services. Sites like Blogger and WordPress only require a brief registration and set up. Once you determine a theme for your blog and a template, you’re ready to begin posting. Posts are entries you make on your blog that are published instantly.
Some bloggers post comments to their blog each and every day, others once a week. Regardless of how frequently you post to your blog, content can be focused on a specific theme or random topics. The most popular blogs focus on a specific niche and provide valuable information, content, and commentary that encourage interaction with blog followers.
Sign up for a blog service. Begin development of your blog by signing up for Blogger or WordPress. Once you have an account, you can quickly set up your blog. Consider the goal of your blog and what type of commitment you are willing to make. Start small and be consistent.
Determine how you will monetize your blog. If you want to use your blog to generate revenue, there are a few techniques you can apply depending on which platform you’re using. One of the most popular methods of monetizing your blog is with the help of Google Adsense. This is a popular option and very easy to add to your blog. Not only does it generate a small amount of revenue for you on a weekly basis, but it also provides relevant links based on your posts.
Another great way to monetize your blog is through paid links. The concept of offering paid links is pretty straight forward. You create a section of you blog that lists recommended sites. In this list, you only place links that people have paid you to post. There are some tools you can use to automate this process. I simply add a link to a post that says, “How to post your link” with directions and a pass through to a Paypal page. You can set up a single time payment or subscription, allowing would be advertisers the opportunity to purchase a link on your blog monthly or for a longer period of time.
Many individuals are monetizing their blogs by using pay per post or other blogging network. Essentially, advertisers search for bloggers who are willing to write a post to promote their product and services or brand. You can sign up for one of these networks quite easily and be contacted when advertisers feel that your blog would be ideal for distributing a message. You write a blog post and get paid for doing so.
One thing to keep in mind is that the success of you blog is based on a number of factors. I believe that having a targeted blog that offers original content is ideal. You will build a large following. This is essential because most of the monetization methods are based on having enough traffic to make your blog appealing to advertisers as well as blog readers.
About the Author
Are looking for SEO help? Learn more about today's leading SEO software with MarketingScoop's SEO Elite Software Review and turbo charge your search engine optimization.
©2009 MarketingScoop.
Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert with more than 12 years of marketing experience. To see a marketing expert picture or discover how to improve search engine rankings on Google and other major search engines, visit http://improvesearchenginerankings.blogspot.com
Reverse Mortgage Explosion Unleashes Scams
When times are hard or there's a sudden need to splash out on a big ticket item, a reverse mortgage
can be a possible solution.
But the emphasis is on the "can be" part of that statement. Of course, you should always speak to a qualified and reputable professional about reverse mortgage pros and cons. But you also need to be aware of reverse mortgage scams.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
can be a possible solution.
But the emphasis is on the "can be" part of that statement. Of course, you should always speak to a qualified and reputable professional about reverse mortgage pros and cons. But you also need to be aware of reverse mortgage scams.
Click Here to read the full article.
©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission.
Subscribe free to Internet Scambusters at
http://www.scambusters.org
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