Forex

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2011-01-28T08:03:00.001-08:00

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How to do forex trading

2010-02-26T03:14:00.001-08:00

Trading foreign exchange is exciting and potentially very profitable, but there are also significant risk factors. It is crucially important that you fully understand the implications of margin trading and the particular pitfalls and opportunities that foreign exchange trading offers. On these pages, we offer you a brief introduction to the Forex markets as well as their participants and some strategies that you can apply. However, if you are ever in doubt about any aspect of a trade, you can always discuss the matter in-depth with one of our dealers. They are available 24 hours a day on the Saxo Bank online trading system, SaxoTrader.

The benchmark of its service is efficient execution, concise analysis and expertise – all achieved whilst maintaining an attractive and competitive cost structure. Today, Saxo Bank offers one of Europe's premier all-round services for trading in derivative products and foreign exchange. We count amongst our employees numerous dealers and analysts, each of whom has many years experience and a wide and varied knowledge of the markets – gained both in our home countries and in international financial centres. When trading foreign exchange, futures and other derivative products, we offer 24-hour service, extensive daily analysis, individual access to our Research & Analysis department for specific queries, and immediate execution of trades through our international network of banks and brokers. All at a price considerably lower than that which most companies and private investors normally have access to.

The combination of our strong emphasis on customer service, our strategy and trading recommendations, our strategic and individual hedging programmes, along with the availability to our clients of the latest news and information builds a strong case for trading an individual account through Saxo Bank.

Terms of trading are agreed individually depending on the volume of your transactions, but are generally much lower in cost when compared to banks and brokers. Your margin deposit can be cash or government securities, bank guarantees etc. Large corporate or institutional clients may be offered trading facilities on the strength of their balance sheet. The minimum deposit accepted for an individual trading account depends on the account type. Trade confirmations and real-time account overview are built into SaxoTrader, while further account information can be produced in accordance with your specific requirements.

Forex Trading Statistics

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Trade Balance

The trade balance is a measure of the difference between imports and exports of tangible goods and services. The level of the trade balance and changes in exports and imports are widely followed by foreign exchange markets.

The trade balance is a major indicator of foreign exchange trends. Seen in isolation, measures of imports and exports are important indicators of overall economic activity in the economy.

It is often of interest to examine the trend growth rates for exports and imports separately. Trends in export activities reflect the competitive position of the country in question, but also the strength of economic activity abroad. Trends in import activity reflect the strength of domestic economic activity.

Typically, a nation that runs a substantial trade balance deficit has a weak currency due to the continued commercial selling of the currency. This can, however, be offset by financial investment flows for extended periods of time.

Gross Domestic Product

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the broadest measure of aggregate economic activity available. Reported quarterly, GDP growth is widely followed as the primary indicator of the strength of economic activity.

GDP represents the total value of a country's production during the period and consists of the purchases of domestically produced goods and services by individuals, businesses, foreigners and the government.

As GDP reports are often subject to substantial quarter-to-quarter volatility and revisions, it is preferable to follow the indicator on a year-to-year basis. It can be valuable to follow the trend rate of growth in each of the major categories of GDP to determine the strengths and weaknesses in the economy.

A high GDP figure is often associated with the expectations of higher interest rates, which is frequently positive, at least in the short term, for the currency involved, unless expectations of increased inflation pressure is concurrently undermining confidence in the currency.

Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average level of prices of a fixed basket of goods and services purchased by consumers. The monthly reported changes in CPI are widely followed as an inflation indicator.

The CPI is a primary inflation indicator because consumer spending accounts for nearly two-thirds of economic activity. Often, the CPI is followed but excludes the price of food and energy as these items are generally much more volatile than the rest of the CPI and can obscure the more important underlying trend.

Rising consumer price inflation is normally associated with the expectation of higher short term interest rates and may therefore be supportive for a currency in the short term. Nevertheless, a longer term inflation problem will eventually undermine confidence in the currency and weakness will follow.

Producer Price Index

The Producer Price Index (PPI) is a measure of the average level of prices of a fixed basket of goods received in primary markets by producers. The monthly PPI reports are widely followed as an indication of commodity inflation.

The PPI is considered important because it accounts for price changes throughout the manufacturing sector.

The PPI is often followed but excludes the food and energy components as these items are normally much more volatile than the rest of the PPI and can therefore obscure the more important underlying trend.

Studying the PPI allows consideration of inflationary pressures that may be accumulating or receding, but have not yet filtered through to the finished goods prices.

A rising PPI is normally expected to lead to higher consumer price inflation and thereby to potentially higher short-term interest rates. Higher rates will often have a short term positive impact on a currency, although significant inflationary pressure will often lead to an undermining of the confidence in the currency involved.

Payroll Employment

Payroll employment is a measure of the number of people being paid as employees by non-farm business establishments and units of government. Monthly changes in payroll employment reflect the net number of new jobs created or lost during the month and changes are widely followed as an important indicator of economic activity.

Payroll employment is one of the primary monthly indicators of aggregate economic activity because it encompasses every major sector of the economy. It is also useful to examine trends in job creation in several industry categories because the aggregate data can mask significant deviations in underlying industry trends.

Large increases in payroll employment are seen as signs of strong economic activity that could eventually lead to higher interest rates that are supportive of the currency at least in the short term. If, however, inflationary pressures are seen as building, this may undermine the longer term confidence in the currency.

Durable Goods Orders

Durable Goods Orders are a measure of the new orders placed with domestic manufacturers for immediate and future delivery of factory hard goods. Monthly percent changes reflect the rate of change of such orders.

Levels of, and changes in, durable goods order are widely followed as an indicator of factory sector momentum.

Durable Goods Orders are a major indicator of manufacturing sector trends because most industrial production is done to order. Often, the indicator is followed but excludes Defence and Transportation orders because these are generally much more volatile than the rest of the orders and can obscure the more important underlying trend.

Durable Goods Orders are measured in nominal terms and therefore include the effects of inflation. Therefore the Durable Goods Orders should be compared to the trend growth rate in PPI to arrive at the real, inflation-adjusted Durable Goods Orders.

Rising Durable Goods Orders are normally associated with stronger economic activity and can therefore lead to higher short-term interest rates that are often supportive to a currency at least in the short term.

Retail Sales

Retail Sales are a measure of the total receipts of retail stores. Monthly percentage changes reflect the rate of change of such sales and are widely followed as an indicator of consumer spending.

Retails Sales are a major indicator of consumer spending because they account for nearly one-half of total consumer spending and approximately one-third of aggregate economic activity.

Often, Retail Sales are followed less auto sales because these are generally much more volatile than the rest of the Retail Sales and can therefore obscure the more important underlying trend.

Retail Sales are measured in nominal terms and therefore include the effects of inflation. Rising Retail Sales are often associated with a strong economy and therefore an expectation of higher short-term interest rates that are often supportive to a currency at least in the short term.

Housing Starts

Housing Starts are a measure of the number of residential units on which construction is begun each month and the level of housing starts is widely followed as an indicator of residential construction activity.

The indicator is followed to assess the commitment of builders to new construction activity. High construction activity is usually associated with increased economic activity and confidence, and is therefore considered a harbinger of higher short-term interest rates that can be supportive of the involved currency at least in the short term.

Forex Trading Examples

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Example 1

An investor has a margin deposit with Saxo Bank of USD 100,000.

The investor expects the US dollar to rise against the Swiss franc and therefore decides to buy USD 2,000,000 - 2% of his maximum possible exposure at a 1% margin Forex gearing.

The Saxo Bank dealer quotes him 1.5515-20. The investor buys USD at 1.5520.

Day 1: Buy USD 2,000,000 vs. CHF 1.5520 = Sell CHF 3,104,000.

Four days later, the dollar has actually risen to CHF 1.5745 and the investor decides to take his profit.

Upon his request, the Saxo Bank dealer quotes him 1.5745-50. The investor sells at 1.5745.

Day 5: Sell USD 2,000,000 vs. CHF 1.5745 = Buy CHF 3,149,000.

As the dollar side of the transaction involves a credit and a debit of USD 2,000,000, the investor's USD account will show no change. The CHF account will show a debit of CHF 3,104,000 and a credit of CHF 3,149,000. Due to the simplicity of the example and the short time horizon of the trade, we have disregarded the interest rate swap that would marginally alter the profit calculation.

This results in a profit of CHF 45,000 = approx. USD 28,600 = 28.6% profit on the deposit of USD 100,000.
Example 2:

The investor follows the cross rate between the EUR and the Japanese yen. He believes that this market is headed for a fall. As he is not quite confident of this trade, he uses less of the leverage available on his deposit. He chooses to ask the dealer for a quote in EUR 1,000,000. This requires a margin of EUR 1,000,000 x 5% = EUR 10,000 = approx. USD 52,500 (EUR /USD 1.05).

The dealer quotes 112.05-10. The investor sells EUR at 112.05.

Day 1: Sell EUR 1,000,000 vs. JPY 112.05 = Buy JPY 112,050,000.

He protects his position with a stop-loss order to buy back the EUR at 112.60. Two days later, this stop is triggered as the EUR o strengthens short term in spite of the investor's expectations.

Day 3: Buy EUR 1,000,000 vs. JPY 112.60 = Sell JPY 112,600,000.

The EUR side involves a credit and a debit of EUR 1,000,000. Therefore, the EUR account shows no change. The JPY account is credited JPY 112.05m and debited JPY 112.6m for a loss of JPY 0.55m. Due to the simplicity of the example and the short time horizon of the trade, we have disregarded the interest rate swap that would marginally alter the loss calculation.

This results in a loss of JPY 0.55m = approx. USD 5,300 (USD/JPY 105) = 5.3% loss on the original deposit of USD 100,000.
Example 3

The investor believes the Canadian dollar will strengthen against the US dollar. It is a long term view, so he takes a small position to allow for wider swings in the rate:

He asks Saxo Bank for a quote in USD 1,000,000 against the Canadian dollar. The dealer quotes 1.5390-95 and the investor sells USD at 1.5390. Selling USD is the equivalent of buying the Canadian dollar.

Day 1: Sell USD 1,000,000 vs. CAD 1.5390. He swaps the position out for two months receiving a forward rate of CAD 1.5357 = Buy CAD 1,535,700 for Day 61 due to the interest rate differential.

After a month, the desired move has occurred. The investor buys back the US dollars at 1.4880. He has to swap the position forward for a month to match the original sale. The forward rate is agreed at 1.4865.

Day 31: Buy USD 1,000,000 vs. CAD 1.4865 = Sell CAD 1,486,500 for Day 61.

Day 61: The two trades are settled and the trades go off the books. The profit secured on Day 31 can be used for margin purposes before Day 61.

The USD account receives a credit and debit of USD 1,000,000 and shows no change on the account. The CAD account is credited CAD 1,535,700 and debited CAD 1,486,500 for a profit of CAD 49,200 = approx. USD 33,100 = profit of 33.1% on the original deposit of USD 100,000.

Forex Trading Basics

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Forex Trading Basics

The global foreign exchange market is the biggest market in the world. The 3.2 trillion USD daily turnover dwarfs the combined turnover of all the world's stock and bond markets.

There are many reasons for the popularity of foreign exchange trading, but among the most important are the leverage available, the high liquidity 24 hours a day and the very low dealing costs associated with trading.

Of course many commercial organisations participate purely due to the currency exposures created by their import and export activities, but the main part of the turnover is accounted for by financial institutions. Investing in foreign exchange remains predominantly the domain of the big professional players in the market - funds, banks and brokers. Nevertheless, any investor with the necessary knowledge of the market's functions can benefit from the advantages stated above.

In the following article, we would like to introduce you to some of the basic concepts of foreign exchange trading. If you would like any further information, we suggest that you sign up for a FREE Membership on this website, where you will be able to exchange views with other Forex traders and get answers to any questions you might have.

Margin Trading

Foreign exchange is normally traded on margin. A relatively small deposit can control much larger positions in the market. For trading the main currencies, Saxo Bank requires a 1% margin deposit. This means that in order to trade one million dollars, you need to place just USD 10,000 by way of security.

In other words, you will have obtained a gearing of up to 100 times. This means that a change of, say 2%, in the underlying value of your trade will result in a 200% profit or loss on your deposit. See below for specific examples. As you can see, this calls for a very disciplined approach to trading as both profit opportunities and potential risks are very large indeed. Please refer to our page Forex Rates & Conditions for current Spreads, Margins and Conditions.

Base Currency and Variable Currency

When you trade, you will always trade a combination of two currencies. For example, you will buy US dollars and sell euro. Or buy euro and sell Japanese yen, or any other combination of dozens of widely traded currencies. But there is always a long (bought) and a short (sold) side to a trade, which means that you are speculating on the prospect of one of the currencies strengthening in relation to the other.

The trade currency is normally, but not always, the currency with the highest value. When trading US dollars against Singapore dollars, the normal way to trade is buying or selling a fixed amount of US dollars, i.e. USD 1,000,000. When closing the position, the opposite trade is done, again USD 1,000,000. The profit or loss will be apparent in the change of the amount of SGD credited and debited for the two transactions. In other words, your profit or loss will be denominated in SGD, which is known as the price currency. As part of our service, Saxo Bank will automatically exchange your profits and losses into your base currency if you require this.

Dealing Spread, but No Commissions

When trading foreign exchange, you are quoted a dealing spread offering you a buying and a selling level for your trade. Once you accept the offered price and receive confirmation from our dealers, the trade is done. There is no need to call an exchange floor. There are no other time-consuming delays. This is possible due to live streaming prices, which are also a great advantage in times of fast-moving markets: You can see where the market is trading and you know whether your orders are filled or not.

The dealing spread is typically 3-5 points in normal market conditions. This means that you can sell US dollars against the euro at 1.7780 and buy at 1.7785. There are no further costs, commissions or exchange fees.

This ensures that you can get in and out of your trades at very low slippage and many traders are therefore active intra-day traders, given that a typical day in USDEUR presents price swings of 150-200 points.

Spot and forward trading

When you trade foreign exchange you are normally quoted a spot price. This means that if you take no further steps, your trade will be settled after two business days. This ensures that your trades are undertaken subject to supervision by regulatory authorities for your own protection and security. If you are a commercial customer, you may need to convert the currencies for international payments. If you are an investor, you will normally want to swap your trade forward to a later date. This can be undertaken on a daily basis or for a longer period at a time. Often investors will swap their trades forward anywhere from a week or two up to several months depending on the time frame of the investment.

Although a forward trade is for a future date, the position can be closed out at any time - the closing part of the position is then swapped forward to the same future value date.

Interest Rate Differentials

Different currencies pay different interest rates. This is one of the main driving forces behind foreign exchange trends. It is inherently attractive to be a buyer of a currency that pays a high interest rate while being short a currency that has a low interest rate.

Although such interest rate differentials may not appear very large, they are of great significance in a highly leveraged position. For example, the interest rate differential between the US dollar and the Japanese yen has been approximately 5% for several years. In a position that can be supported by a 5% margin deposit, this results in a 100% profit on capital per annum when you buy the US dollar. Of course, an even more important factor normally is the relative value of the currencies, which changed 15% from low to high during 2005 – disregarding the interest rate differential. From a pure interest rate differential viewpoint, you have an advantage of 100% per annum in your favour by being long US dollar and an initial disadvantage of the same size by being short.
Please refer to our page Forex Rates & Conditions for current Spreads, Margins and Conditions!

Such a situation clearly benefits the high interest rate currency and as result, the US dollar was in a strong bull market all through 2005. But it is by no means a certainty that the currency with the higher interest rate will be strongest. If the reason for the high interest rate is runaway inflation, this may undermine confidence in the currency even more than the benefits perceived from the high interest rate.

Stop-loss discipline

As you can see from the description above, there are significant opportunities and risks in foreign exchange markets. Aggressive traders might experience profit/loss swings of 20-30% daily. This calls for strict stop-loss policies in positions that are moving against you.

Fortunately, there are no daily limits on foreign exchange trading and no restrictions on trading hours other than the weekend. This means that there will nearly always be an opportunity to react to moves in the main currency markets and a low risk of getting caught without the opportunity of getting out. Of course, the market can move very fast and a stop-loss order is by no means a guarantee of getting out at the desired level.

But the main risk is really an event over the weekend, where all markets are closed. This happens from time to time as many important political events, such as G7 meetings, are normally scheduled for weekends.

For speculative trading, we always recommend the placement of protective stop-lossorders. With Saxo Bank Internet Trading you can easily place and change such orders while watching market development graphically on your computer screen.

History of forex trading

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Brief history of Forex trading

Initially, the value of goods was expressed in terms of other goods, i.e. an economy based on barter between individual market participants. The obvious limitations of such a system encouraged establishing more generally accepted means of exchange at a fairly early stage in history, to set a common benchmark of value. In different economies, everything from teeth to feathers to pretty stones has served this purpose, but soon metals, in particular gold and silver, established themselves as an accepted means of payment as well as a reliable storage of value.

Originally, coins were simply minted from the preferred metal, but in stable political regimes the introduction of a paper form of governmental IOUs (I owe you) gained acceptance during the Middle Ages. Such IOUs, often introduced more successfully through force than persuasion were the basis of modern currencies.

Before World War I, most central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Although paper money could always be exchanged for gold, in reality this did not occur often, fostering the sometimes disastrous notion that there was not necessarily a need for full cover in the central reserves of the government.

At times, the ballooning supply of paper money without gold cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability. To protect local national interests, foreign exchange controls were increasingly introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility.

In the latter stages of World War II, the Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The Bretton Woods Conference rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favour of a system built on the US dollar. Other international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WW2 searched for a way to avoid the destabilising monetary crises which led to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that partly reinstated the gold standard, fixing the US dollar at USD35/oz and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar - and was intended to be permanent.

The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the sixties. A number of realignments kept the system alive for a long time, but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early seventies following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was no longer suitable as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits.

The following decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the largest global market by far. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values.

But the idea of fixed exchange rates has by no means died. The EEC (European Economic Community) introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when pent-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. Nevertheless, the quest for currency stability has continued in Europe with the renewed attempt to not only fix currencies but actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2001.

The lack of sustainability in fixed foreign exchange rates gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates, in particular in South America, looking very vulnerable.

But while commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have found a new playground. The size of foreign exchange markets now dwarfs any other investment market by a large factor. It is estimated that more than USD 3,000 billion is traded every day, far more than the world's stock and bond markets combined.

Forex Trading

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Foreign Exchange

This short introduction explains the basics of trading Forex online, a brief explanation of the markets and the major benefits of trading Forex online. There are also two scenarios describing the implications of trading in a bear as well as a bull market to better acquaint you with some of the risks and opportunities of the largest and most liquid market in the world.

As an additional aid for those who are new to Forex, there is also a glossary at the bottom of this text which explains some of the terms used in connection with currency trading.
Overview
Foreign exchange, Forex or just FX are all terms used to describe the trading of the world's many currencies. The Forex market is the largest market in the world, with trades amounting to more than USD 3 trillion every day. Most Forex trading is speculative, with only a low percentage of market activity representing governments' and companies' fundamental currency conversion needs.

Unlike trading on the stock market, the Forex market is not conducted by a central exchange, but on the “interbank” market, which is thought of as an OTC (over the counter) market. Trading takes place directly between the two counterparts necessary to make a trade, whether over the telephone or on electronic networks all over the world. The main centres for trading are Sydney, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt and New York. This worldwide distribution of trading centres means that the Forex market is a 24-hour market.

Trading Forex

A currency trade is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another one. The currency combination used in the trade is called a cross (for example, the euro/US dollar, or the GB pound/Japanese yen.). The most commonly traded currencies are the so-called “majors” – EURUSD, USDJPY, USDCHF and GBPUSD.

The most important Forex market is the spot market as it has the largest volume. The market is called the spot market because trades are settled immediately, or “on the spot”. In practice this means two banking days.

Forward Outrights
For forward outrights, settlement on the value date selected in the trade means that even though the trade itself is carried out immediately, there is a small interest rate calculation left. The interest rate differential doesn't usually affect trade considerations unless you plan on holding a position with a large differential for a long period of time. The interest rate differential varies according to the cross you are trading. On the USDCHF, for example, the interest rate differential is quite small, whereas the differential on NOKJPY is large. This is because if you trade e.g. NOKJPY, you get almost 7% (annual) interest in Norway and close to 0% in Japan. So, if you borrow money in Japan, to finance the trade and buying NOK, you have a positive interest rate differential. This differential has to be calculated and added to your account. You can have both a positive and a negative interest rate differential, so it may work for or against you when you make a trade.

Trading on Margin
Trading on margin means that you can buy and sell assets that represent more value than the capital in your account. Forex trading is usually conducted with relatively small margin deposits. This is useful since it permits investors to exploit currency exchange rate fluctuations which tend to be very small. A margin of 1.0% means you can trade up to USD 1,000,000 even though you only have USD 10,000 in your account. A margin of 1% corresponds to a 100:1 leverage (or “gearing”). (Because USD 10,000 is 1% of USD 1,000,000.) Using this much leverage enables you to make profits very quickly, but there is also a greater risk of incurring large losses and even being completely wiped out. Therefore, it is inadvisable to maximise your leveraging as the risks can be very high. For more information on the trading conditions of Saxo Bank, go to the Account Summary on your SaxoTrader and open the section entitled “Trading Conditions” found in the top right-hand corner of the Account Summary.

Why Trade Forex?
24 hour trading
One of the major advantages of trading Forex is the opportunity to trade 24 hours a day from Sunday evening (20:00 GMT) to Friday evening (22:00 GMT). This gives you a unique opportunity to react instantly to breaking news that is affecting the markets.
Superior liquidity
The Forex market is so liquid that there are always buyers and sellers to trade with. The liquidity of this market, especially that of the major currencies, helps ensure price stability and narrow spreads. The liquidity comes mainly from banks that provide liquidity to investors, companies, institutions and other currency market players.
No commissions
The fact that Forex is often traded without commissions makes it very attractive as an investment opportunity for investors who want to deal on a frequent basis.
Trading the “majors” is also cheaper than trading other cross because of the high level of liquidity. For more information on the trading conditions of Saxo Bank, go to the Account Summary on your SaxoTrader and open the section entitled “Trading Conditions” found in the top right-hand corner of the Account Summary.
100:1 Leverage
Leverage (gearing) enables you to hold a position worth up to 100 times more than your margin deposit. For example, a USD 10,000 deposit can command positions of up to USD 1,000,000 through leverage. You can leverage the first USD 25,000 of your investment up to 100 times and additional collateral up to 50 times.
Profit potential in falling markets
Since the market is constantly moving, there are always trading opportunities, whether a currency is strengthening or weakening in relation to another currency. When you trade currencies, they literally work against each other. If the EURUSD declines, for example, it is because the US dollar gets stronger against the euro and vice versa. So, if you think the EURUSD will decline (that is, that the euro will weaken versus the dollar), you would sell EUR now and then later you buy euro back at a lower price. In case that the EURUSD indeed declines, then you can take your profit. The opposite trading scenario would occur if the EURUSD appreciates.

Important Forex Trading Terms
Spread
The spread is the difference between the price that you can sell currency at (Bid) and the price you can buy currency at (Ask). The spread on majors is usually 3 pips under normal market conditions. For more information on the trading conditions at Saxo Bank, go to the Account Summary on your Client Station and open the section entitled “Trading Conditions” found in the top right-hand corner of the Account Summary.
Pips
A pip is the smallest unit by which a cross price quote changes. When trading Forex you will often hear that there is a 3-pip spread when you trade the majors. This spread is revealed when you compare the bid and the ask price, for example EURUSD is quoted at a bid price of 0.9875 and an ask price of 0.9878. The difference is USD 0.0003, which is equal to 3 “pips”.

On a contract or position, the value of a pip can easily be calculated. You know that the EURUSD is quoted with four decimals, so all you have to do is cancel out the four zeros on the amount you trade and you will have the value of one pip. Thus, on a EURUSD 100,000 contract, one pip is USD 10. On a USDJPY 100,000 contract, one pip is equal to 1000 yen, because USDJPY is quoted with only two decimals.

Trading Scenario – Trading Rising Prices
If you believe that the euro will strengthen against the dollar you'll want to buy euro now and sell it back later at a higher price.

• You buy euro We quote EURUSD at Bid 0.9875 and Ask 0.9878, which means that you can sell 1 euro for 0.9875 USD or buy 1 euro for 0.9878 USD.

In this example you buy euro 100,000, at the quote price of 0.9878 (ask price) per euro.

• The market moves in your favor Later the market turns in favour of the euro and the EURUSD is now quoted at Bid 0.9894 and Ask 0.9896.

• Now you sell your euro and get the profit You sell euro at a Bid price of 0.9894.

• The profit is calculated as follows Sell price-buy price x size of trade
(0.9894 minus 0.9878) multiplied by 100.000 = USD 140 Profit
(Note that the profit or loss is always expressed in the secondary currency)

Trading Scenario – Trading Falling Prices
If, on the other hand, you believe that the euro will weaken against the dollar, you'll want to sell EURUSD.

• You sell euro We quote EURUSD at a Bid price of 0.9875 and Ask price of 0.9880 and you decide to sell euro 100,000 at a Bid price of 0.9875.

• The market moves in your favour The euro weakens against the dollar and the EURUSD is now quoted at bid 0.9744 and ask 0.9749.

• Now you buy back your euro You buy EUR at an ask price of 0.9749.

• Your profit/loss is then Sell price-buy price x size of trade
(0.9875 minus 0.9749) multiplied by 100.000 = USD 1260 Profit

Remember that trading EUR 100,000 as we have done in our examples, does not mean that you have to put up euro 100,000 yourself. On a 2% margin means that you have to deposit 2.0% of euro 100,000, which is euro 2,000 on margin as a guarantee for the future performance of your position.

Further Reading
To see how you can trade the Forex market and benefit from our toolbox of information and live quotes, please proceed to the Forex Quick Start found under the Trading menu of SaxoTrader.

Glossary
• Appreciation An increase in the value of a currency.

• Ask The price requested by the trader. This usually indicates the lowest price a seller will accept.

• Base currency The currency that the investor buys or sells (i.e. EUR in EURUSD).

• Bear Someone who believes prices are heading down. A bear market is one in which there has been a sustained fall in prices and which does not look like it will recover quickly.

• Bid The price offered by the trader. This usually indicates the highest price a purchaser will pay.

• Bid/Ask The Bid rate is the rate at which you can sell. The Ask (or offer) rate is the rate at which you can buy.

• Bull Someone who is optimistic about the market. A bull market is characterised by enthusiastic and sustained buying.

• cross When trading with currencies, the investor buys one currency with another. These two currencies form the cross: for example, EURUSD.

• Cross rate An exchange rate that is calculated from two other exchange rates.

• Depreciation/decline A fall in the value of a currency.

• Exchange rate What one currency is worth in terms of another, for example the Australian dollar might be worth 58 US cents or 70 yen.

Currencies traded freely on foreign-exchange markets have a spot rate (applying to trades settled “spot”, i.e., two working days hence) and a forward rate. Countries can determine their exchange rates in a variety of ways.
1. A floating exchange rate system where the currency finds its own level in the market.
2. A crawling or flexible peg system which is a combination of an officially fixed rate and frequent small adjustments which in theory work against a build-up of speculation about a revaluation or devaluation.
3. A fixed exchange-rate system where the value of the currency is set by the government and/or the central bank.

• EURUSD Means that you trade EUR against dollars. If you buy euro you pay in dollars and if you sell euro you receive dollars.

• FX, Forex, Foreign Exchange All names for the transaction of one currency for another, e.g. you buy GBP 100.00 with USD 150.25 or sell USD 150.25 for GBP 100.00.

• Interbank Short-term (often overnight) borrowing and lending between banks, as distinct from a banks business with their corporate clients or other financial institutions.

• Interest rate differential The yield spread between two otherwise comparable debt instruments denominated in different currencies.

• Leverage (gearing) The investor only funds part of the amount traded.

• Long To buy.

• Long position A position that increases its value if market prices increase.

• Liquid (-ity) The capacity to be converted easily and with minimum loss into cash. A liquid market is one in which there is enough activity to satisfy both buyers and sellers. Ultra-short-dated treasury notes are an example of a liquid investment.

• Margin The deposit required when entering into a position as well as to hold an open position. Your margin status can be monitored in the Account Summary.

• NYSE The New York Stock Exchange.

• Open position A position in a currency that has not yet been offset. For example, if you have bought 100,000 USDJPY, you have an open position in USDJPY until you offset it by selling 100,000 USDJPY, thus “closing” the position.

• Over the counter When trading takes place directly between two parties, rather than on an exchange. Over the counter trades can be customised whereas exchange-traded products are often standardised.

• Pips A pip is the smallest unit by which a Forex cross price quote changes. So if EURUSD bid is now quoted at 0.9767 and it moves up 2 pips, it will be quoted at 0.9769.

• Position Traders talk of “taking a position” which simply means buying or selling currency cross. “Position” can also refer to a trader's cash/securities/currencies balance, whether he or she is short of cash, has money to lend, is overbought or oversold in a currency, etc.

• Risk Trying to control outcomes to a known or predictable range of gains or losses. Risk management involves several steps which begin with a sound understanding of one's business and the exposures or risks that have to be covered to protect the value of that business. Then an assessment should be made of the types of variables that can affect the business and how best to protect against unwelcome outcomes. Consideration must also be given to the preferred risk profile – whether one is risk – averse or fairly aggressive in approach. This also involves deciding which instruments to use to manage risk and whether a natural hedge exists that can be used. Once undertaken, a risk-management strategy should be continually assessed for effectiveness and cost.

• Secondary currency (variable currency or counter currency) The currency that the investor trades the base currency against (i.e. USD in EURUSD).

• Short position A position that benefits from a decline in market prices.

• Short To sell.

• Speculative Buying and selling in the hope of making a profit, rather than doing so for some fundamental business-related need.

• Spot A Spot rate is the current market price of an asset.

• Spot market The part of the market calling for spot settlement of transactions. The precise meaning of “spot” will depend on local custom for a commodity, security or currency. In the UK, US and Australian foreign-exchange markets, “spot” means delivery two working days hence.

• Spread The difference between the bid and the ask rate.

Forex Pivot

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Forex Pivot:

A pivot point is a price level of significance in technical analysis of a financial market that is used by traders as a predictive indicator of market movement. A pivot point is calculated as an average of significant prices (high, low, close) from the performance of a market in the prior trading period. If the market in the following period trades above the pivot point it is usually evaluated as a bullish sentiment, whereas trading below the pivot point is seen as bearish.
Monthly pivot point chart of the Dow Jones Industrials average for the first 8 months of 2009, showing sets of first and second levels of resistance (green) and support (red). The pivot point levels are highlighted in yellow. Trading below the pivot point, particularly at the beginning of a trading period sets a bearish market sentiment and often results in further price decline, while trading above it, bullish price action may continue for some time.

It is customary to calculate additional levels of support and resistance, below and above the pivot point, respectively, by subtracting or adding price differentials calculated from previous trading ranges of the market.

A pivot point and the associated support and resistance levels are often turning points for the direction of price movement in a market. In an up-trending market, the pivot point and the resistance levels may represent a ceiling level in price above which the uptrend is no longer sustainable and a reversal may occur. In a declining market, a pivot point and the support levels may represent a low price level of stability or a resistance to further decline

Calculation

Several methods exist for calculating the pivot point (P) of a market. Most commonly, it is the arithmetic average of the high (H), low (L), and closing (C) prices of the market in the prior trading period:

P = (H + L + C) / 3.

Sometimes, the average also includes the previous period's or the current period's opening price (O):

P = (O + H + L + C) / 4.

In other cases, traders like to emphasize the closing price, P = (H + L + C + C) / 4, or the current periods opening price, P = (H + L + O + O) / 4.

Support and resistance levels

Price support and resistance levels are key trading tools in any market. Their roles may be interchangeable, depending on whether the price level is approached in an up-trending or a down-trending market. These price levels may be derived from many market assumptions and conventions. In pivot point analysis, several levels, usually three, are commonly recognized below and above the pivot point. These are calculated from the range of price movement in the previous trading period, added to the pivot point for resistances and subtracted from it for support levels.

The first and most significant level of support (S1) and resistance (R1) is obtained by recognition of the upper and the lower halves of the prior trading range, defined by the trading above the pivot point (H - P), and below it (P - L). The first resistance on the up-side of the market is given by the lower width of prior trading added to the pivot point price and the first support on the down-side is the width of the upper part of the prior trading range below the pivot point.

* R1 = P + (P - L) = 2×P - L
* S1 = P - (H - P) = 2×P - H

Thus, these level may simply be calculated by subtracting the previous low (L) and high (H) price, respectively, from twice the pivot point value:[1]

The second set of resistance (R2) and support (S2) levels are above and below, respectively, the first set. They are simply determined from the full width of the prior trading range (H - L), added to and subtracted from the pivot point, respectively:

* R2 = P + (H - L)
* S2 = P - (H - L)

Commonly a third set is also calculated, again representing another higher resistance level (R3) and a yet lower support level (S3). The method of the second set is continued by doubling the range added and subtracted from the pivot point:

* R3 = P + 2×(H - L)
* S3 = P - 2×(H - L)

This concept is sometimes, albeit rarely, extended to a fourth set in which the tripled value of the trading range is used in the calculation.

Qualitatively, the second and higher support and resistance levels are always located symmetrically around the pivot point, whereas this is not the case for the first levels, unless the pivot point happens to divide the prior trading range exactly in half.

Forex Swap

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Forex Swap:

In finance, a forex swap (or FX swap) is a simultaneous purchase and sale of identical amounts of one currency for another with two different value dates (normally spot to forward)

Structure

A forex swap consists of two legs:

* a spot foreign exchange transaction, and
* a forward foreign exchange transaction.

These two legs are executed simultaneously for the same quantity, and therefore offset each other.

It is also common to trade forward-forward, where both transactions are for (different) forward dates.

Uses

By far and away the most common use of FX swaps is for institutions to fund their foreign exchange balances.

Once a foreign exchange transaction settles, the holder is left with a positive (or long) position in one currency, and a negative (or short) position in another. In order to collect or pay any overnight interest due on these foreign balances, at the end of every day institutions will close out any foreign balances and re-institute them for the following day. To do this they typically use tom-next swaps, buying (selling) a foreign amount settling tomorrow, and selling (buying) it back settling the day after.

The interest collected or paid every night is referred to as the cost of carry. As currency traders know roughly how much holding a currency position will make or cost on a daily basis, specific trades are put on based on this; these are referred to as carry trades.

Pricing

The relationship between spot and forward is as follows:

F = S \left( \frac{1+r_1}{1+r_2}\right)^T

where:

* F = forward rate
* S = spot rate
* r1 = simple interest rate of the term currency
* r2 = simple interest rate of the base currency
* T = tenor (calculated according to the appropriate day count convention)

The forward points or swap points are quoted as the difference between forward and spot, F - S, and is expressed as the following:

F - S = S \left[ \left(\frac{1+r_1}{1+r_2}\right)^T -1 \right] \approx S \left( e^\left(\left(r_1 - r_2\right)T\right) - 1\right)

where r1 and r2 are small. Thus, the absolute value of the swap points increases when the interest rate differential gets larger, and vice versa.

Forex Scam

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Forex Scam:

A forex (or foreign exchange) scam is any trading scheme used to defraud traders by convincing them that they can expect to gain a high profit by trading in the foreign exchange market. Currency trading "has become the fraud du jour" as of early 2008, according to Michael Dunn of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.[1] But "the market has long been plagued by swindlers preying on the gullible," according to the New York Times.[2] "The average individual foreign-exchange-trading victim loses about $15,000, according to CFTC records" according to The Wall Street Journal.[3] The North American Securities Administrators Association says that "off-exchange forex trading by retail investors is at best extremely risky, and at worst, outright fraud."[4]

"In a typical case, investors may be promised tens of thousands of dollars in profits in just a few weeks or months, with an initial investment of only $5,000. Often, the investor’s money is never actually placed in the market through a legitimate dealer, but simply diverted – stolen – for the personal benefit of the con artists."[5]

In August, 2008 the CFTC set up a special task force to deal with growing foreign exchange fraud.”[6]

The forex market is a zero-sum game,[7] meaning that whatever one trader gains, another loses, except that brokerage commissions and other transaction costs are subtracted from the results of all traders, technically making forex a "negative-sum" game.

These scams might include churning of customer accounts for the purpose of generating commissions, selling software that is supposed to guide the customer to large profits,[8] improperly managed "managed accounts",[9] false advertising,[10] Ponzi schemes and outright fraud.[4][11] It also refers to any retail forex broker who indicates that trading foreign exchange is a low risk, high profit investment.[12]

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which loosely regulates the foreign exchange market in the United States, has noted an increase in the amount of unscrupulous activity in the non-bank foreign exchange industry.[13]

An official of the National Futures Association was quoted as saying, "Retail forex trading has increased dramatically over the past few years. Unfortunately, the amount of forex fraud has also increased dramatically."[14] Between 2001 and 2006 the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has prosecuted more than 80 cases involving the defrauding of more than 23,000 customers who lost $350 million. From 2001 to 2007, about 26,000 people lost $460 million in forex frauds.[1] CNN quoted Godfried De Vidts, President of the Financial Markets Association, a European body, as saying, "Banks have a duty to protect their customers and they should make sure customers understand what they are doing. Now if people go online, on non-bank portals, how is this control being done?"

Not beating the market

The foreign exchange market is a zero sum game[7] in which there are many experienced well-capitalized professional traders (e.g. working for banks) who can devote their attention full time to trading. An inexperienced retail trader will have a significant information disadvantage compared to these traders.

Although it is possible for a few experts to successfully arbitrage the market for an unusually large return, this does not mean that a larger number could earn the same returns even given the same tools, techniques and data sources. This is because the arbitrages are essentially drawn from a pool of finite size; although information about how to capture arbitrages is a nonrival good, the arbritrages themselves are a rival good. (To draw an analogy, the total amount of buried treasure on an island is the same, regardless of how many treasure hunters have bought copies of the treasure map.)

Retail traders are - almost by definition - undercapitalized. Thus they are subject to the problem of gambler's ruin. In a fair game (one with no information advantages) between two players that continues until one trader goes bankrupt, the player with the lower amount of capital has a higher probability of going bankrupt first. Since the retail speculator is effectively playing against the market as a whole - which has nearly infinite capital - he will almost certainly go bankrupt.

The retail trader always pays the bid/ask spread which makes his odds of winning less than those of a fair game. Additional costs may include margin interest, or if a spot position is kept open for more than one day the trade may be "resettled" each day, each time costing the full bid/ask spread.

According to the Wall Street Journal (Currency Markets Draw Speculation, Fraud July 26, 2005) "Even people running the trading shops warn clients against trying to time the market. 'If 15% of day traders are profitable,' says Drew Niv, chief executive of FXCM, 'I'd be surprised.' "[15]

Paul Belogour, the Managing Director of a Boston based retail forex trader, was quoted by the Financial Times as saying, "Trading foreign exchange is an excellent way for investors to find out how tough the markets really are. But I say to customers: if this is money you have worked hard for – that you cannot afford to lose – never, never invest in foreign exchange." [16]
[edit] The use of high leverage

By offering high leverage, the market maker encourages traders to trade extremely large positions. This increases the trading volume cleared by the market maker and increases his profits, but increases the risk that the trader will receive a margin call. While professional currency dealers (banks, hedge funds) never use more than 10:1 leverage, retail clients are generally offered leverage between 50:1 and 200:1[2].

A self-regulating body for the foreign exchange market, the National Futures Association, warns traders in a forex training presentation of the risk in trading currency. “As stated at the beginning of this program, off-exchange foreign currency trading carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all customers. The only funds that should ever be used to speculate in foreign currency trading, or any type of highly speculative investment, are funds that represent risk capital; in other words, funds you can afford to lose without affecting your financial situation.“ [17]

Forex Bank

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forex Bank:

Forex AB is a Swedish financial services company. The company was started in 1927 as a currency exchange service for travellers, at the Central Station in Stockholm. The owner of Gyllenspet's Barber Shop, according to the legend, discovered that most of his customers were tourists in need of currency for their trips. The owner began keeping the major currencies on hand.

The company was subsequently acquired by Statens Järnvägar (now SJ AB), the Swedish State Railways, which expanded the operations until it was sold off to one of the managers, Rolf Friberg, in 1965. The company was the only one apart from the banks that was licensed to conduct currency exchange in Sweden.

The company, which is still wholly owned by the Friberg family, has expanded into Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland and has over 60 shops, usually located at train stations or airports. The decrease in the business brought on by introduction of the euro has made the company look for alternative sources of revenue, like applying for a banking licence and attempting to move into more regular transaction services, earlier handled by Svensk Kassaservice, a subsidiary of the state owned Swedish postal company, Posten.

Since 2003 Forex is a licensed bank.

forex platform

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forex platform:

Retail forex trading is a segment of the vast foreign exchange market. It has been speculated that it represents 5 percent of the whole forex market which amounts to $50-100 billion [1][2] in daily trading turnover. One thing is certain: The retail forex market is explosively growing and is increasingly becoming an powerful force in the broader FX marketplace. Due to the increasing tendency in the past years of the gradual shift from traditional intrabank 'paper' trading to the more advanced and accurate electronic trading, there has been spur in software development in this field. This change provided different types of trading platforms and tools intended for the use by banks, portfolio managers, retail brokers and retail traders.

One of the most important tools required to perform a forex transaction is the trading platform providing retail traders and brokers with accurate currency quotes.
[edit] History and new developments

Since 1996, when retail forex trading was first introduced, several brokers who lacked the sufficient tools developed their own trading platforms tailored specifically to their needs. The 1st retail FX brokers were MG Forex, The Matchbook FX ECN, GFT, CMC Markets, Saxo Bank (then known as Midas)and a handful of others. Most except CMC, Saxo & Matchbook FX were based on the ACT forex trading technology & GUI. These platforms were good enough at the time but required constant investments in R&D and this development cost too much. This was the first wave.

The second wave was in the early 2000s: several software companies entered the retail forex trading market by launching their own versions of trading platforms. Typically these versions were cumbersome for both front-end users (retail traders) and back-end users (retail brokers) due to the misunderstanding of the developers about the forex market and also because of the insufficient programming tools/languages at the time. Simultaneously most of the retail brokers kept using and developing their own systems as they waited for better platforms which were yet to be developed.

There are currently few to no brokers which were part of the first wave trading systems. By now most of the first wave brokers have either vanished, merged or progressed to the second wave trading platforms – the most common example of which is Metaquotes.

It is only in the last couple of years that the advanced trading platforms started to emerge. These platforms put much stronger emphasis on the user interface (GUI) making it more accessible to the retail traders while making trading on it very simple and intuitive. Moreover a very strong emphasis was put on the back-end which allowed the retail brokers better control over their operations, better reporting and accurate system and ways to manage marketing campaigns. Gradually this wave is replacing the previous second wave with a major shift now to the friendlier and more intuitive systems of the third wave which according to Aite Group are necessary in order to maintain growth [3].

Nowadays, banks have also jumped on the retail forex trading platform bandwagon and have started offering those services to individual traders and money mangers, expanding the forex trading appeal. DBFX and Citibank are some of the banks that are currently offering this service.

Forex Platform

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Forex Dealer

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Forex Dealer:

What is a forex dealer?

A forex dealer provides online trading services to allow individuals to speculate on rapidly changing foreign exchange rates. Forex Dealer Members (FDMs) are regulated by the CFTC and National Futures Association in the United States, as well as by national and local regulatory bodies where they conduct business, and are held to stringent business and ethical standards.
[edit] How does forex trading work?

Many U.S. and international companies provide online trading software and services for individuals (traders) who want to speculate on the exchange rate differences between two currencies. In doing so, these speculators buy or sell currencies with the objective of making a profit when the value of the currencies changes in their favor, whether those fluctuations derive from market news, supply and demand principles, or geo-political events taking place throughout the world. In addition, the forex market is available to trade 24 hours a day, 5.5 days a week, so customers can trade at nearly any time, not just when an exchange is open.
[edit] Popularity of forex trading

The growth of trading OTC foreign exchange (known as retail FX or retail forex trading) has nearly doubled from 2004 to 2007[1], and has been projected to continue well beyond 2010[2]. Industry innovation, competition and consumer demand helped spur this growth.

The public has recognized U.S. forex companies as leaders in technology, with three of the leading forex firms named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500[3], a ranking of the top North American technology companies, for three consecutive years. The leading U.S. forex companies have also been named to the Inc. 500 list of the country’s fastest growing companies. In 2006, the top FX companies made up nearly 20 percent of the total number of financial services industry firms on the Inc. 500 list[4]. As indicated by these rankings, the popularity of this growing market with active traders has helped to make foreign exchange one of the fastest growing industries in the United States.
[edit] A legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship

In the late 1990s, a group of American entrepreneurs saw the future of trading. Over-the-counter (or “off exchange”) foreign exchange trading was generating significant profits for large banks and corporations and, likewise, it lured individual traders who were increasingly becoming interested in participating in this large, but seemingly closed, market.

However, individuals with relatively small capital and no access to proprietary bank-to-bank computer systems were only able to trade currencies as futures through two exchanges. There was no method for traders to participate in the over-the-counter (OTC) forex market. The rapid pace of the currency market made it very difficult to trade on exchange, as most exchanges still traded currencies in the pit – an age-old system requiring multiple interactions to place a single trade. In addition, there were only a handful of currency markets available to trade, with inconsistent pricing and trading volumes. The pricing spreads fluctuated to widen significantly during times of increased market volatility, and market liquidity was not sufficient for overnight trading.

Meanwhile, Internet technologies were making rapid advances, and small upstarts recognized that these new technologies could solve the service delays and other problems faced when trading currencies with exchanges. These entrepreneurs became forex dealers who saw the Internet as an ideal avenue to provide customers with what they needed – instant and efficient access to the rapidly moving currency markets.

Acceptance among investors

The retail forex trading community provides a service that the global banking community cannot. Since forex dealers were originally intended to serve individual traders, they can provide around-the-clock service while managing risk to give customers consistent pricing and market liquidity, 24 hours a day. This is something that even the largest banks cannot provide 24 hours a day: to constantly deliver competitive prices day or night to individual traders.

These small forex dealer startups have evolved into major global financial institutions, yet their commitment to innovation and customer service allows everyday citizens to access the world’s prime market, all because of the emergence of online technologies and the determination of a few dedicated leaders.

Forex Rates

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Forex rates:

The following theories explain the fluctuations in FX rates in a floating exchange rate regime (In a fixed exchange rate regime, FX rates are decided by its government):

(a) International parity conditions: Relative Purchasing Power Parity, interest rate parity, Domestic Fisher effect, International Fisher effect. Though to some extent the above theories provide logical explanation for the fluctuations in exchange rates, yet these theories falter as they are based on challengeable assumptions [e.g., free flow of goods, services and capital] which seldom hold true in the real world.

(b) Balance of payments model (see exchange rate): This model, however, focuses largely on tradable goods and services, ignoring the increasing role of global capital flows. It failed to provide any explanation for continuous appreciation of dollar during 1980s and most part of 1990s in face of soaring US current account deficit.

(c) Asset market model (see exchange rate): views currencies as an important asset class for constructing investment portfolios. Assets prices are influenced mostly by people’s willingness to hold the existing quantities of assets, which in turn depends on their expectations on the future worth of these assets. The asset market model of exchange rate determination states that “the exchange rate between two currencies represents the price that just balances the relative supplies of, and demand for, assets denominated in those currencies.”

None of the models developed so far succeed to explain FX rates levels and volatility in the longer time frames. For shorter time frames (less than a few days) algorithm can be devised to predict prices. Large and small institutions and professional individual traders have made consistent profits from it. It is understood from above models that many macroeconomic factors affect the exchange rates and in the end currency prices are a result of dual forces of demand and supply. The world's currency markets can be viewed as a huge melting pot: in a large and ever-changing mix of current events, supply and demand factors are constantly shifting, and the price of one currency in relation to another shifts accordingly. No other market encompasses (and distills) as much of what is going on in the world at any given time as foreign exchange.

Supply and demand for any given currency, and thus its value, are not influenced by any single element, but rather by several. These elements generally fall into three categories: economic factors, political conditions and market psychology.

Market psychology and trader perceptions influence the foreign exchange market in a variety of ways:

* Flights to quality: Unsettling international events can lead to a "flight to quality," with investors seeking a "safe haven." There will be a greater demand, thus a higher price, for currencies perceived as stronger over their relatively weaker counterparts. The Swiss franc and gold have been traditional safe havens during times of political or economic uncertainty.[11]
* Long-term trends: Currency markets often move in visible long-term trends. Although currencies do not have an annual growing season like physical commodities, business cycles do make themselves felt. Cycle analysis looks at longer-term price trends that may rise from economic or political trends.[12]
* "Buy the rumor, sell the fact": This market truism can apply to many currency situations. It is the tendency for the price of a currency to reflect the impact of a particular action before it occurs and, when the anticipated event comes to pass, react in exactly the opposite direction. This may also be referred to as a market being "oversold" or "overbought".[13] To buy the rumor or sell the fact can also be an example of the cognitive bias known as anchoring, when investors focus too much on the relevance of outside events to currency prices.
* Economic numbers: While economic numbers can certainly reflect economic policy, some reports and numbers take on a talisman-like effect: the number itself becomes important to market psychology and may have an immediate impact on short-term market moves. "What to watch" can change over time. In recent years, for example, money supply, employment, trade balance figures and inflation numbers have all taken turns in the spotlight.
* Technical trading considerations: As in other markets, the accumulated price movements in a currency pair such as EUR/USD can form apparent patterns that traders may attempt to use. Many traders study price charts in order to identify such patterns.[14]

Forex Exchange Rate

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Forex Exchange Market:

The foreign exchange market (forex, FX, or currency market) is a worldwide decentralized over-the-counter financial market for the trading of currencies. Financial centers around the world function as anchors of trading between a wide range of different types of buyers and sellers around the clock, with the exception of weekends.

The purpose of the foreign exchange market is to assist international trade and investment. The foreign exchange market allows businesses to convert one currency to another. For example, it permits a U.S. business to import European goods and pay Euros, even though the business's income is in U.S. dollars.

In a typical foreign exchange transaction a party purchases a quantity of one currency by paying a quantity of another currency. The modern foreign exchange market started forming during the 1970s when countries gradually switched to floating exchange rates from the previous exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system.

The foreign exchange market is unique because of

* trading volume resulting in market liquidity
* geographical dispersion
* continuous operation: 24 hours a day except weekends, i.e. trading from 20:15 UTC on Sunday until 22:00 UTC Friday
* the variety of factors that affect exchange rates
* the low margins of relative profit compared with other markets of fixed income
* the use of leverage to enhance profit margins with respect to account size

As such, it has been referred to as the market closest to the ideal perfect competition, notwithstanding market manipulation by central banks.[citation needed] According to the Bank for International Settlements,[1] average daily turnover in global foreign exchange markets is estimated at $3.98 trillion.[when?] Trading in the world's main financial markets accounted for $3.21 trillion of this. This approximately $3.21 trillion in main foreign exchange market turnover was broken down as follows:

* $1.005 trillion in spot transactions
* $362 billion in outright forwards
* $1.714 trillion in foreign exchange swaps
* $129 billion estimated gaps in reporting

Retail foreign exchange brokers

Retail traders (individuals) constitute a growing segment of this market, both in size and importance. Currently, they participate indirectly through brokers or banks. Retail brokers, while largely controlled and regulated in the USA by the CFTC and NFA have in the past been subjected to periodic foreign exchange scams.[7][8] To deal with the issue, the NFA and CFTC began (as of 2009) imposing stricter requirements, particularly in relation to the amount of Net Capitalization required of its members. As a result many of the smaller, and perhaps questionable brokers are now gone.

There are two main types of retail FX brokers offering the opportunity for speculative currency trading: brokersand dealers or market makers. Brokers serve a an agent of the customer in the broader FX market, by seeking the best price in the market for a retail order and dealing on behalf of the retail customer. They charge a commission or mark-up in addition to the price obtained in the market. Dealers or market makers, by contrast, typically act as principal in the transaction versus the retail customer, and quote a price they are willing to deal at—the customer has the choice whether or not to trade at that price.

In assessing the suitability of a FX trading services, the customer should consider the ramifications of whether the service provider is acting as principal or agent. When the service provider acts as agent, the customer is generally assured of a known cost above the best inter-dealer FX rate. When the service provider acts as principal, no commission is paid, but the price offered may not be the best available in the market—since the service provider is taking the other side of the transaction, a conflict of interest may occur.
[edit] Non-bank foreign exchange companies

Non-bank foreign exchange companies offer currency exchange and international payments to private individuals and companies. These are also known as foreign exchange brokers but are distinct in that they do not offer speculative trading but currency exchange with payments. I.e., there is usually a physical delivery of currency to a bank account. Send Money Home offer an in-depth comparison into the services offered by all the major non-bank foreign exchange companies.

It is estimated that in the UK, 14% of currency transfers/payments[9] are made via Foreign Exchange Companies.[10] These companies' selling point is usually that they will offer better exchange rates or cheaper payments than the customer's bank. These companies differ from Money Transfer/Remittance Companies in that they generally offer higher-value services.
[edit] Money transfer/remittance companies

Money transfer companies/remittance companies perform high-volume low-value transfers generally by economic migrants back to their home country. In 2007, the Aite Group estimated that there were $369 billion of remittances (an increase of 8% on the previous year). The four largest markets (India, China, Mexico and the Philippines) receive $95 billion. The largest and best known provider is Western Union with 345,000 agents globally followed by UAE Exchange Financial Service Ltd

Send Money Home is an international money transfer price comparison site that allows consumers access to a range of alternative products and rates available when remitting (transferring) money worldwide.

About Forex

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forex ;

The foreign exchange market or better known as FOREX is when one currency is traded for another country’s currency. It is an alternative form of business where the goods to be bought and sold are money itself using money.

In the past, people would normally engage in stocks and pool their savings in the money market to build up their investment portfolio.

Nowadays, with more than 1.5 trillion USD of FOREX being exchanged on a daily basis, even the “small-time” investor can participate in the FOREX market. There is leverage in the FOREX market where a minimum amount of currency can have access to a large deal of money.

A lot more advantages to study and dive into FOREX trading include the following:

Why FOREX?

24-hour trading

Compared to stocks, FOREX trading is twenty-fours. A FOREX trader can trade right away once they spot an opportunity to buy low and sell high. Remember, money has time value. And a lot of factors in the economics and politics of a government affect how low a currency will drop or how high a currency will gain. It is fairly easy to say buy low and sell high. But the trick is to know when to do it. With twenty-four trading, the FOREX trader has the ultimate advantage already. Since, after all, time is money.

High liquidity

A market or business is considered very liquid if the assets involved can enable the person to directly meet his payment obligations. In other words, if cash is at hand—immediately. What is a more liquid market than the FOREX market?

FOREX has high liquidity, because it can be traded swiftly, without considerable loss of value, and anytime within the trading hours or in FOREX trading’s case—24/7.

No commission

FOREX trading need not have brokers in between to facilitate. With other forms of money market ventures and stock trading, brokers come in handy; because they are able to handle varied forms of portfolios and company stocks for the investor. Even if FOREX trading is involved with multiple currencies, it is a very direct business where the trader himself can act on his own; thus no commissions are leaked out and all profits are kept!

Steady market availability

In all businesses, businessmen strive for a steady market, if not an increasing one. Why spend time in a trading scene when it is short-term?

Because FOREX trading is all about the buying and selling of currencies, it is a continuously moving market. Money make the world go round, as the cliché goes.

The market will always be there. The trader only has to be aware of the rising and falling of the currencies. When is the currency starting to be weak? When is it going strong? Is there a trend?

Taking action

This benefits and advantages all the more make FOREX trading a very attractive business venture. For first time FOREX traders, why not inquire now at your home bank on how to start making your money work for you? FOREX trading is the way to go.

forex 1

2009-12-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

How did the taipans and billionaires get so filthy rich?!

The more obvious hard work and diligence and always saving little by little in their piggy banks, the really rich guys know how to work up the foreign exchange.

Basically, foreign exchange trading or simply FOREX trading is just the buying and selling of the world’s currencies. Money today is not the same as money tomorrow. Money has time value. The worth of a currency can go up or down.

There is one secret that FOREX traders live by. And it is buy low, sell high. Don’t ever forget that rule.

However, the trick is to know when to buy and when to sell. In FOREX trading, everything is by speculation. Sure, there are graphs to aid decisions. Business pages also give out strategies for the day. But the next step is always a guess based from the previous actions.

FOREX traders like to call their speculations as smart guesses. Usually, patterns on the currency values can be derived from how the politics of a specific country is running.

For example, if there is a plan to oust the president, most probably the value of that country’s currency will go down—how low, we don’t know. Usually. Because there are still a lot of factors to consider why a currency is going strong or not.

Improvement on the tourism sector can mean more foreign investments. This will be good for a particular currency, but this may affect how the other countries are doing.

These are just trade scenarios. As the cliché goes, one man’s medicine may be another man’s poison. One country’s good tidings may be another country’s, well, downfall.

That is why in FOREX trading, another secret to live by is to be aware of the national news in the country concerned.

Current events have a say on the economics of a country. Money makes the world go round, so to speak.

But, if one is truly serious in earning their first million in FOREX trading, another secret is—it might be a good idea to invest in a FOREX trading training school. Learn from the pros and conquer the world afterwards.

Let me leave you one last secret I learned from my father. If everyone is going in this direction, go the other way. This applies to FOREX and other areas of life. You won’t ever get rich by following the crowd.

Besides buying low and selling high, follow that last secret and you might just join the ranks of the taipans and billionaires.

Debt relief

2009-12-14T05:45:00.001-08:00

debt relief

Debt relief is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations. It concerns in particular the Third World debt, which started exploding with the Latin American debt crisis (Mexico 1982, etc.).

Debt relief for heavily indebted and underdeveloped developing countries was the subject in the 1990s of a campaign by a broad coalition of development NGOs, Christian organizations and others, under the banner of Jubilee 2000. This campaign, involving, for example, demonstrations at the 1998 G8 meeting in Birmingham, was successful in pushing debt relief onto the agenda of Western governments and international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Ultimately the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative was launched to provide systematic debt relief for the poorest countries, whilst trying to ensure the money would be spent on poverty reduction.

The HIPC programme has been subject to conditionalities similar to those often attached to IMF and World Bank loans, requiring structural adjustment reforms, sometimes including the privatisation of public utilities, including water and electricity. To qualify for irrevocable debt relief, countries must also maintain macroeconomic stability and implement a Poverty Reduction Strategy satisfactorily for at least one year. Under the goal of reducing inflation, some countries have been pressured to reduce spending in the health and education sectors.

The Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) is an extension of HIPC. The MDRI was agreed following the G8's Gleneagles meeting in July 2005. It offers 100% cancellation of multilateral debts owed by HIPC countries to the World Bank, IMF and African Development Bank.

Origins

Debt relief existed in a number of ancient societies:

* Debt forgiveness is mentioned in the Book of Leviticus, in which God councils Moses to forgive debts in certain cases every Jubilee year – at the end of Shmita, the last year of the seven year agricultural cycle or a 49-year cycle, depending on interpretation.
* This same theme was found in an ancient bilingual Hittite-Hurrian text entitled the "The Song of Debt Release".[1]
* Debt forgiveness was also found in Ancient Athens, where in the 6th century BCE, the lawmaker Solon instituted a set of laws called seisachtheia, which canceled all debts and retroactively canceled previous debts that had caused slavery and serfdom, freeing debt slaves and debt serfs.

Arguments against debt relief

Opponents of debt relief argue that it is a blank cheque to governments, and fear savings will not reach the poor in countries plagued by corruption. Others argue that countries will go out and contract further debts, under the belief that these debts will also be forgiven in some future date. They use the money to enhance the wealth and spending ability of the rich, many of whom will spend or invest this money in the rich countries, thus not even creating a trickle-down effect. They argue that the money would be far better spent in specific aid projects which actually help the poor. They further argue that it would be unfair to third-world countries that managed their credit successfully, or don't go into debt in the first place, that is, it actively encourages third world governments to overspend in order to receive debt relief in the future. Others argue against the conditionalities attached to debt relief. These conditions of structural adjustment have a history, especially in Latin America, of widening the gap between the rich and the poor, as well as increasing economic dependence on the global North.

Personal debt relief

Personal debt has become an increasingly large problem in recent years. For instance, it is estimated that the average US household has $19,000 in non-mortgage debt. With such large debt loads, many individuals have difficulty making repayments on debts and are in need of help.

There are many companies who offer debt consolidation services. However, such services may not always be in the best interests of the person involved and may involve taking out a loan secured by a person's home. Marketing materials are designed to persuade customers to take up the company's offer rather than offering a personal best solution for reducing debt. Where debt has become a problem, it is often best to turn to an independent consumer's association for advice before calling debt consolidation companies as consumer's associations often have great experience with such problems and may be able to advise the most effective avenues for debt relief.

As long as some form of Chapter 7 bankruptcy debt relief exists within American law, the credit card companies must pay attention, and do as much as they can to help their clients repay debts through relatively traditional means (depending upon the service those clients have entered). Even leaving bankruptcy aside, it is in the best interest of credit card companies that their debtors at least feel some motivation to continue repaying their accounts and not simply disappear or view those ever growing balances as untouchable.

Debt consolidation help

2009-12-14T05:44:00.001-08:00

Debt consolidation help :

Debt consolidation entails taking out one loan to pay off many others. This is often done to secure a lower interest rate, secure a fixed interest rate or for the convenience of servicing only one loan.

Debt consolidation can simply be from a number of unsecured loans into another unsecured loan, but more often it involves a secured loan against an asset that serves as collateral, most commonly a house. In this case, a mortgage is secured against the house. The collateralization of the loan allows a lower interest rate than without it, because by collateralizing, the asset owner agrees to allow the forced sale (foreclosure) of the asset to pay back the loan. The risk to the lender is reduced so the interest rate offered is lower.

Sometimes, debt consolidation companies can discount the amount of the loan. When the debtor is in danger of bankruptcy, the debt consolidator will buy the loan at a discount. A prudent debtor can shop around for consolidators who will pass along some of the savings. Consolidation can affect the ability of the debtor to discharge debts in bankruptcy, so the decision to consolidate must be weighed carefully.

Debt consolidation is often advisable in theory when someone is paying credit card debt. Credit cards can carry a much larger interest rate than even an unsecured loan from a bank. Debtors with property such as a home or car may get a lower rate through a secured loan using their property as collateral. Then the total interest and the total cash flow paid towards the debt is lower allowing the debt to be paid off sooner, incurring less interest.

Because of the theoretical advantage that debt consolidation offers a consumer that has high interest debt balances, companies can take advantage of that benefit of refinancing to charge very high fees in the debt consolidation loan. Sometimes these fees are near the state maximum for mortgage fees. In addition, some unscrupulous companies will knowingly wait until a client has backed themselves into a corner and must refinance in order to consolidate and pay off bills that they are behind on the payments. If the client does not refinance they may lose their house, so they are willing to pay any allowable fee to complete the debt consolidation. In some cases the situation is that the client does not have enough time to shop for another lender with lower fees and may not even be fully aware of them. This practice is known as predatory lending. Certainly many, if not most, debt consolidation transactions do not involve predatory lending.

Student loan consolidation

In the United States, federal student loans are consolidated somewhat differently than in the UK, as federal student loans are guaranteed by the U.S. government.
USA

In a federal student loan consolidation, existing loans are purchased and closed by a loan consolidation company or by the Department of Education (depending on what type of federal student loan the borrower holds). Interest rates for the consolidation are based on that year's student loan rate, which is in turn based on the 91-day Treasury bill rate at the last auction in May of each calendar year.[citation needed]

Student loan rates can fluctuate from the current low of 4.70% to a maximum of 8.25% for federal Stafford loans, 9% for PLUS loans.[citation needed] The current consolidation program allows students to consolidate once with a private lender, and reconsolidate again only with the Department of Education.[citation needed] Upon consolidation, a fixed interest rate is set based on the then-current interest rate. Reconsolidating does not change that rate. If the student combines loans of different types and rates into one new consolidation loan, a weighted average calculation will establish the appropriate rate based on the then-current interest rates of the different loans being consolidated together.

Federal student loan consolidation is often referred to as refinancing, which is incorrect because the loan rates are not changed, merely locked in. Unlike private sector debt consolidation, student loan consolidation does not incur any fees for the borrower; private companies make money on student loan consolidation by reaping subsidies from the federal government.

Student loan consolidation can be beneficial to students' credit rating, but it's important to note that not all federal student loan consolidation companies report their loans to all credit bureaus

UK

In the UK Student Loan entitlements are guaranteed, and are recovered using a means-tested system from the students future income. Student Loans in the UK can not be included in Bankruptcy, but do not affect a persons credit rating because the repayments are recovered from the students future salary at source by the employer before any income is paid, similar to Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. Many students however, are struggling with debt well after their courses have finished

The level of personal debt in the UK has also risen astonishingly in recent years:

"Total UK personal debt at the end of February 2008 stood at £1,421bn. The growth rate increased to 8.9% for the previous 12 months which equates to an increase of £111bn.

Debt consolidation vs loans

The multiple options available to consolidate ones debts can be quite confusing, credit counseling programs, debt settlement, debt consolidation loans, bankruptcy are just a few options available today. Trying to find the best option to suit your current financial situation can be a difficult task.

Typically, debt consolidation programs are debt repayment programs. They can consolidate most types of unsecured debts from major credit cards to personal and student loans. You choose the accounts you want to enter into the program when joining. Once enrolled, the company will contact your creditors to negotiate more favorable repayment terms on your accounts and possibly reducing your interest rates and it may even eliminate late fees. You will then send that company one lump sum payment monthly which they will disperse to the creditors you enrolled on your account when joining.

Most so called debt consolidation loans are just home equity loans in disguise. They use the equity built up in your current home loan and use it to repay all of your unsecured debts. These types of loan options usually come with heavy application fees and can greatly extend the amount of time it will take you to pay off those debts. These loans also convert all of your current unsecured debts into a secured debt which is now backed by your home. If you fall behind on your payments you could risk losing your property.

cheap fioricet

2009-12-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

cheap fioricet

About fioricet:

Fioricet and Esgic are brand name drugs made from a combination of butalbital (a barbiturate, 50 mg), acetaminophen (325 mg), and caffeine (40 mg). They are indicated for the treatment of tension headaches and muscle contraction headaches. Although not indicated, they are commonly used to treat migraines and other pain related ailments. Note that Fioricet (and some other pain medications) are implicated as causing repeat headaches with over-use (see NYT citation below)

Usage and dosage

Fioricet is indicated for the treatment of complex and muscle contraction headaches. It is also commonly prescribed for migraines although it is not FDA indicated for this use. The usual adult dose is 1-2 tablets every four hours as needed, not exceeding six tablets in a 24 hour period.

Mechanism of action

Butalbital has generalized depressant effect on central nervous system and, in very high doses, has peripheral effects. Acetaminophen has analgesic and antipyretic effects; its analgesic effects may be mediated through inhibition of prostaglandin synthetase enzyme complex. Caffeine is thought to produce constriction of cerebral blood vessels.

Butalbital has a half-life of about 35 hours. Acetaminophen has a half-life of about 1.25 to 3 hours, but may be increased by liver damage and after an overdose. Caffeine has a half-life of about 3 hours.

Side effects

Side effects for any drug are difficult to predict, but commonly reported side effects for Fioricet include:

* Dizziness
* Drowsiness
* Intoxicated feeling
* Light-headedness
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Sedation
* Addiction
* Shortness of breath
* Abdominal pain

Variations

* Phrenilin is an equivalent combination of butalbital and acetaminophen, without the caffeine (325/50).
* Esgic Plus and Phrenilin Forte contains 500 and 650 miligrams of acetaminophen respectively, instead of 325 milligrams. Additionally, Esgic Plus contains 40 milligrams of caffeine.
* Fiorinal contains aspirin instead of acetaminophen.
* Fiorinal and Fioricet also come as combination drugs with codeine called Fiorinal with Codeine and Fioricet with Codeine, respectively, which add 30 milligrams of codeine phosphate to each mixture.

External links

* Fioricet - drugs.com
* Fiorinal & Fioricet - National Headache Foundation
* A Hidden Cause of Headache Pain - New York Times

Buy soma Online

2009-12-14T05:42:00.002-08:00

Buy soma Online

Buying soma should be the easiest thing in the world. Keep in mind that buying soma online can often be deemed as a hassle. However, it is a much cheaper alternative than shopping for it at a brick and mortar pharmacy. When you buy soma online, you can to avoid many of the hassles that a genuine store will create – such as the queing, the expensive visits to the doctors (most of which know less than many a patient).

If you wish to buy soma online, then you have absolutely come to the right place. Here, we stock and sell only the highest quality fully approved Soma medications. To buy soma online, you must make sure you purchase from only reputable online stores, and not from backwater, or fly-by-night business operations that may be open one day and close the next.

The easiest way to ensure that you buy soma online at such a reputable store is always to ensure that your purchase is secure. When buying soma online, double check to ensure that there is a secure certificate when checking out.

Don’t just target to buy some online at the cheapest possible prices. There are many other considerations that one should take into account when buying soma online, of which only ONE of the considerations should be the pricing.

After all, these are medications that you will be putting into your body – does it not make sense to buy soma online where you can feel safe, and secure, and not just trying to save a few cents?

Here at 3amed we don’t neccessarily guarantee the LOWEST prices when you buy soma online here. We do however assure you that when you buy soma online with 3amed, you are purchasing at very competitive pricing, and most importantly, you are purchasing a 100% quality product that you can use and consume with full peace of mind.

More Articles have arrived!! Beat the Pain with Tramadol, Buying Tramadol Online, Is Tramadol Safe, Issues About Buying Pain Pills Online, Take Away the Pain With Medication, The Unique Pain Medication, Tramadol-Superb Analagesic, Tramadol Precautions, What Is Tramadol.

Want To Suppress Pain? Why Not Buy Tramadol

Probably the first question that you will be asking if Tramadol is really that effective when it comes to reducing pain. Of course if you are in pain, and you would like to be able to resolve this at the soonest time possible, you would be looking for the best option that would help you alleviate the problem.

Tramadol would be one of the leading medications that you will come across on your search, because this is one of the leading brands in the market today. The drug was then manufactured by a German company and was distributed to other companies around the world using different labels and different names. Tramadol is distributed in different formulations such as a medication and an injection.

This drug can easily kill pain. It is a narcotic drug which contains only a minimum amount of opium which can help in reducing pain effectively. If you are searching for immediate relief, this is one of the most effective medications you can get from your doctor and even from pharmacies if you have a normal prescription to avail of it.

You'll just have to look into some of the possible side effects that you may encounter if it is the first time that you'll be using this drug. You may experience a feeling of nausea, a light-headed feeling, and sometimes even having dry mouth would be one of its side effects. So, do not panic thinking that you have overdosed yourself after using it. As long as you are taking in the prescribed dosage given by your doctor, then it is safe.

Tramadol is one of the most effective pain relievers we have in the market today. If you buy Tramadol, what you are getting is worth the value of your money. It is tested to work to react with our body receptors and help suppress pain. So wither if you have mild pain issues or severe ones, you can definitely rely on this type of medication.

Always keep in mind that before you use a drug for certain medication, either if it is highly regarded in the market or not, you should ask a prescription from your doctor. It is not the drug that can actually cause problems but it is the dosage that does. If you have the right dosage needed to kill the pain, you will not have to worry about getting yourself overdosed by that medication that you are taking in.

Common Uses

Soma relaxes muscles and relieves pain and discomfort associated with strains, sprains, spasms or other muscle injuries. Muscle relaxers are for specific muscle injury and pain and should not be used for general body aches and pains. For more advice on types of drugs and their uses refer to numerous online resources on the web.

Before You Buy.
Do not take Carisoprodol if you have acute intermittent porphyria. Codeine is habit forming and should only be used under close supervision if you have an alcohol or drug addiction. Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you have · kidney disease, · liver disease, · an ulcer in your stomach or intestines, · a bleeding or blood-clotting disorder, · urinary retention, · an enlarged prostate, · hypothyroidism, · a head injury, or · Addison's disease. You may not be able to take Carisoprodol, or you may require a lower dose or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above. It is not known whether Soma will harm an unborn baby. Do not take it without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant. It is also not known whether Soma / Carisoprodol passes into breast milk. Do not take the drug without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. It is not approved for use in children younger than 12 years of age.

How to Use
Take Soma / Carisoprodol exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you. Take each dose with a full glass of water. The maximum amount you should take in one day is 1600 mg of Carisoprodol, 2600 mg of aspirin. Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Precautions
Use caution when driving, operating machinery, or performing other hazardous activities. Soma / Carisoprodol may cause dizziness or drowsiness. If you experience dizziness or drowsiness, avoid these activities. Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness while you are taking this drug. Also, in combination with aspirin, alcohol can be very damaging to your stomach. Watch for bloody, black, or tarry stools or blood in your vomit. This could mean damage to your stomach. Never take more of this medication than is prescribed for you. If your pain is not being adequately treated, talk to your doctor

Side Effects
If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking Soma / Carisoprodol and seek emergency medical attention: · an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives); · paralysis (loss of feeling) or extreme weakness; · vision loss; · agitation or tremor; · red, black, or bloody stools; or · blood in your vomit. Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Do not Continue to take Soma / Carisoprodol and talk to your doctor if you experience · drowsiness or dizziness; · headache; · depression; · blurred vision or small pupils; · insomnia; · hiccups; · faint ringing in the ears; or · nausea, vomiting, or constipation. Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

If You Take Too Much
Seek emergency medical attention. Symptoms of a Soma / Carisoprodol overdose include headache; ringing in the ears; dim vision, small pupils; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; sweating; increased thirst; low blood pressure (weakness, fainting, confusion); decreased breathing; and unconsciousness.

Reduce Credit Card Debt

2009-12-14T05:42:00.001-08:00

Reduce Credit Card Debt:

If you have a serious problem with credit card debt

I am going to include some tips which helps you:

1.step 1

Make a list of all of your credit cards. Start with the smallest balance on the top of the list and the largest balance on the bottom. Also write down the minimum payment that is due on the credit card at this time. Credit card minimum payments go down as the balance goes down which increases the payoff time exponentially.
2.
Step 2

Stop using your credit cards. If you cannot pay cash for an item, do not purchase it. You will never get out of credit card debt if you do not stop using your credit cards today. You can cut them up, freeze them, or shred them – whatever you think will help you stop using them.
3.
Step 3

Pay the current minimum payment on your account, or more, every month. As the balance goes down, and subsequently the minimum payment is reduced, do not reduce your minimum payment. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce your credit card debt.
4.
Step 4

Use unexpected income to boost your credit card payment. If you receive unexpected income, instead of considering it a ticket to splurge put the total amount of the unexpected income onto your smallest credit card balance. This will help expedite the card’s payoff thus reducing your overall credit card debt load.
5.
Step 5

Roll over the minimum payment from a credit card that has been paid off onto the next credit card in your list. If you have multiple credit card accounts, as one is paid off, apply that card’s minimum payment to the payment you are making on the next account. Your total monthly credit card payment remains the same however the payments are restructured. This will also quickly expedite your credit card payoff.
6.
Step 6

Consider liquidating certain savings account to pay off your credit card debt. Do not liquid retirement funds as the penalties are prohibitive. If, however, you have a savings account earning 1% interest, use a portion of those funds to pay down on a credit card charging a higher interest rate. Do not completely liquidate your savings as you will want access to non-credit card funds in the event of an emergency.
7.
Step 7

Track your progress in a visual manner. Put a pie chart up on your refrigerator and update it every month. As you see your progress daily, you will be more motivated to stay on track to reduce your credit card debt.

Here are some things you should know about getting off the revolving credit merry-go-round:

1. Pay more than the minimum payment each month, if you ever hope to pay off your credit card debt. You must also pay on time or a finance charge will be added onto the total, creating a larger minimum payment for the next month -- and a larger finance charge added to the total again if you don't pay it.

2. Get a system for credit card debt reduction. You need your own deadline each month for paying bills. There are great software programs for keeping track of your financial records (and even writing checks). Quicken, by Intuit, is a popular money-management program. So is Microsoft's Managing Your Money.

3. Negotiate with credit card companies. The amount of credit card debt in this country has made creditors realize that if they don't want people backing down from their obligations completely (in other words, if they want to get any money back), they have to make deals, like these:

Scenario One: You tell the company's collection department that you're having financial difficulties and need to have your interest rate lowered, simple as that. They say, "What can you manage?" You tell them. (I recently got one account to lower my rate to 10 percent and cut off future finance charges.)

Scenario Two: A credit card company has offered to pay off all your old credit card debt at nine percent if you switch. Call your old companies and tell them the deal you've been offered; ask if they can do better, and go with whichever is lowest.

4. If you have a limited budget for debt reduction, write letters to each of your creditors acknowledging the situation, and tell each one when you can begin repayment. They'll appreciate your openness and likely be a lot nicer to you. You'll get yourself some breathing space (something we all need when we're dug in deep), and dealing rather than hiding will help boost your bruised self-esteem.

5. If you have a limited budget for debt repayment, write down what you can pay each creditor each month.

Here's a sample budget:

Say you owe a total of $1,000: $200 to the dentist, $400 to the doctor, and $400 to the accountant who got you out of trouble with the IRS last year. That means 40 percent of your debt is to the doctor, 40 percent is to the accountant, and 20 percent is to the dentist. If you have $50 a month for repaying debt, that means the doctor gets 40 percent of $50, which is $20, as does the accountant. The dentist gets $10, or 20 percent of $50.

A final note on dealing with creditors: Keep your cool. It will make you feel better. And remember, some creditors have been taught to be mean and nasty. Don't be intimidated. You have figured out a plan and are truly attempting to deal with your situation.

Online Criminal Justice Degree

2009-12-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

Online Criminal Justice Degree:

The top Universities offering criminal jutice degree online are

1) University of Phoenix

The University of Phoenix first established in 1976 by Dr. John Sperling. Today the school offers more than 100 online associate's bachelor's master's and doctoral degrees. The school operates campuses in 40 U.S. states as well as Mexico Canada Chile... More»

* Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice
* Bachelor of Science in Organizational Security Management
* Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
* Master of Science in Administration of Justice and Security

2) Kaplan University

Based in Davenport Iowa Kaplan University is owned by Kaplan Inc. which is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company. The school originally started as the American Institute of Commerce in 1937 before the name changed to Quest College.... More»

* Management and Supervision Certificate in Criminal Justice
* Crime Scene Technician Certificate
* A.A.S. in Criminal Justice
* B.S. in International and Comparative Criminal Justice
* B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration and Management

3) Ashford University

Ashford University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The school trumpets a combination of affordability convenience and accelerated learning. Online degrees at Ashford University are mostly business oriented but... More»

* BA/Social Science - Criminal Justice
* BA/Social and Criminal Justice
* BA/Organizational Management - Criminal Justice

4)Walden University

Walden University has a reputation as a quality institution of higher learning. The school offers a number of online degree options giving students considerable room to select a program best suited to their individual needs interests and career goals. Some... More»

* B.S. in Criminal Justice - Crime and Criminals
* B.S. in Criminal Justice - Criminal Justice Management and Administration

5)American InterContinental University Online

The American InterContinental University Online is an extension of the American InterContinental University which features campuses in Atlanta Los Angeles Houston South Florida and London. AIU Online earned accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges... More»

* Associate of Arts in Business Administration (AABA) - Criminal Justice Administration
* Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement
* Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (BSCJ) - Special Populations

Top Online Criminal Justice Degree Information
Criminal Justice Online Journals

A helpful resource for academic research and study of criminal justice are criminal justice journals, which can be found and studied online. Some of these include the "Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice", "Criminology and Criminal Justice", "Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice" and "The Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture". Students can simply go to the journal's online page and register with the website to access valuable criminal justice information and research material.
Other Criminal Justice Related Journals

* Western Society of Criminology Journal
* University of Pennsylvania - Journal of Constitutional Law
* Oxford - British Journal of Criminology

Criminal Justice Research Tools

Other tools for researching criminal justice information include: The National Academies Press, which offers thousands of books, including criminal justice texts that can be read online, The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), headquartered at the University of Michigan, which provides access to a massive database of social science research and analysis and the American Society of Criminal Justice, one of the leading criminal justice professional organizations in the country.
Criminal Justice Articles And Databases

In some cases, articles on a specific aspect of criminal justice will be required. These articles should also be accessible in the school's library to be searched by topic, author or article title. "Criminal Justice Magazine," an American Bar Association publication, is also a good student resource for information about criminal justice articles. In addition to your school's general library database and the law library database, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service can be an important resource for research material. Students can reference article abstracts by title, subject, author and journal name from the NCJRS Library/Abstracts page.
Recent Articles

* Attorney general defends actions in investigation of affair between judge, DA (dallasnews.com)
* Criminal justice solutions not easy to come by (wausaudailyherald.com)
* Another Innocent Man, Another Wake-up Call for the Criminal Justice System (huffingtonpost.com)
* Department of Justice Observes National Day of Remembrance For Murder Victims (marketwatch.com)
* Suicidal driver a model of bias in justice system (suntimes.com)

Criminal Justice Books

In order to advance in the field of criminal justice, students must study a variety of texts. Here are a few recommended books:

* Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century (Frank Schmalleger)
* Criminal Justice: A Brief Introduction, Student Study Guide (Steve Chermack)
* Introduction to Criminal Justice (Larry J. Siegel, Joseph J. Senna)
* Criminal Justice in America (George F. Cole, Christopher E. Smith)
* Criminal Justice: Mainstream and Crosscurrents (John Randolph Fuller)
* Juvenile Delinquency: Mainstream and Crosscurrents (John Randolph Fuller)

Online Casino

2009-12-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

Online Casino:

The Online casino is the web leading free online casino at online.casino.com

This site the the following features:

* Fantastic odds: 98.5% Payout!
* Amazing Welcome Bonus - worth up to $200!
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* Now with more than 35 games to play!
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The bonus provided by online casino:

1. All new Members will receive a Welcome Bonus, upon their first Deposit to their Casino-on-Net Account. Cassava reserves the right to limit the Welcome Bonus to (i) one bonus per household or (ii) one bonus per computer terminal. The Welcome Bonus shall be limited to one Bonus per household. This Welcome Bonus and any accumulated winnings may be Cashed Out only after an amount totaling no less than 20 times* the Bonus amount has been wagered - for example, a Member must wager $1000, before Cashing Out a Welcome Bonus totaling $50 and any accumulated winnings.
1. Members that made a first deposit at 21.com prior to making a first deposit at Casino-on-Net will not be eligible for the Welcome Bonus at Casino-on-Net.
2. The terms Initial Deposit Welcome Bonus, First Deposit Bonus, Match Up Bonus and First Time Bonus all refer to the same Welcome Bonus.
*- Subject to the relevant terms that apply to specific offers.
- For our Members in Finland, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine
Estonia, Hungary, Thailand,Czech Republic, Brazil, Singapore,and Taiwan
Welcome Bonuses may be Cashed Out only after an amount totaling no less than 50
times the Bonus amount has been wagered.
-The Welcome Bonus will not be available to members registered,
logging in from or depositing from China.

For more information about this offer, click here.

-PLEASE NOTE: All monetary amounts referred to herein this bonus policy
are in US Dollars. Where players receive any bonus in currencies other
than US Dollars, such bonus amounts shall be given to players based on the
US Dollar amount according to the relevant daily exchange rate.
2. Members receiving Eight magazine trivia game bonus may Cash Out their Bonus amount only after an amount totaling no less than 15 times the Bonus amount has been wagered.
3. All Invite a Friend Bonuses may be Cashed Out only after an amount totaling no less than 20 times the Bonus amount has been wagered.
4. All 888-Day Bonuses ($88 Bonus) may be Cashed Out only after an amount totaling no less than 20 times the Bonus amount has been wagered.
5. Members receiving Happy Hour Bonuses may Cash Out their Bonus amount only after an amount totaling no less than 20 times the Bonus amount has been wagered.
6. All Welcome Bonuses, 888-Day Bonuses ($88 Bonus) and Happy Hour Bonuses received via funds Deposited by NETELLER may be Cashed Out only after an amount totaling no less than 50 times the Bonus amount has been wagered.
7. All other Casino-on-Net Bonuses may be Cashed Out only after an amount totaling no less than two (2) times* the Bonus amount received has been wagered - for example a Member must wager $100, before Cashing Out a Bonus totaling $50.
1. Bonus Points accumulated via low-risk wagering in Wild Wheel, Roulette, Baccarat and Craps bets will not be eligible for any of our events and will not be calculated as a valid wager with regard to Casino-on-Net's Bonus Policy Cash Out requirements.
8. Casino-on-Net's Bonus Policy applies to all event or promotion funds received in excess of regular payouts.
9. All Bonuses and promotional offers extended to Members must be wagered at Casino-on-Net within 90 days of being credited to a Member's Account or within the period specified in the notification of a promotional offer if different. Casino-on-Net reserves the right, at its sole discretion and at a time of it's choosing, to revoke any Bonuses and promotional offers, or any parts thereof, not used by a Member within the relevant time period.
10. Casino-on-Net reserves the right to withhold the amount of any Bonus from a Member's Cash Out.
11. In the event of abuse, Casino-on-Net reserves the right to discontinue the Member's Casino-on-Net Membership and to prevent the Member from accessing the Casino in the future.
12. This Policy has been drafted in the English language. In the event of any discrepancy between the meanings of any translated versions of this Policy and the English language version, the meaning of the English language version shall prevail.

MBA SPECIALISATIONS

2009-07-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

MBA SPECIALISATIONS

1) MBA IN COMMUNICATIONS

2) MBA IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

3) MBA IN FINANCE

4) MBA IN INTERNATIONAL BUSSINESS

5) MBA IN MARKETING

6) MBA IN OPERATIONS

7) MBA IN REAL ESTATE

8) MBA IN SYSTEMS

CAT MBA

2009-07-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

CAT MBA

CAT (COMMON ADMISSION TEST) EXAM IS AN COMPUTER ADAPTIVE TEST THAT HAS TO BE CLEARED BY CANDIDATES WILLING TO DO MBA IN IIMs(INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES).

NOT ONLY IIM SOME OTHER INSTUTIONS ALSO AACEPT CAT SCORES FOR ADDMISSION

AFTER THE WRITTEN EXAM, THE SELECTED CANDIDATES HAVE TO UNDERGO A GROUP INTERVIEW.THIS WIL BE MORE LIKE A STRESS INTERVIEW WHERE THE CANDIDATES ARE POSED WITH REAL PROBLEMS FOR WHICH THEY HAVE TO DISCUSS AND ARRIVE TO AN AMICABLE SOLUTION.

CAT BASIC PATTERN

1) VERBAL ABILITY

2) READING COMPREHENSION

3) PROBLEM SOLVING

4) DATA INTERPRETATION

5) LOGICAL REASONING

6) DATA SUFFICIENSY

7) MATHS PROBLEMS

THE CANDIDATES WHO CLEARED ALL THE SEGMENTS OF SELECTION THEY WILL GET ADMISSIONS IN THE FOLLOWING INSTUTIONS

1) IIM AHMEDABAD

2) IIM BANGLORE

3) IIM CALCUTTA

4) IIM LUCKNOW

5) IIM INDORE

6) IIM KOZHIKODE

CAT HAS BEEN RATED AS THE MOST DIFFICULT MBA ENTRANCE TEST IN THE WORLD.

CAT SCORE IS ALSO ACCEPTED BY MORE THAN 75 NON-IIM INSTUTIONS ACROSSS INDIA.

CAT IS ONE OF THE DEMANDING ENTRANCE EXAMINATION FOR ANY GRADUATE INSTITUTE.

U CAN HAVE DETAIL ABOUT IIMs

1)www.iimahd.ernet.in FOR AHMEDABAD

2)www.iimb.ernet.in FOR BANGLORE

3)www.iimcal.ac.in FOR CALCUTTA

4)www.iimidr.ac.in FOR INDORE

5)www.iimk.ac.in FOR KOZHIKODE

6)www.iiml.ac.in FOR LUCKNOW

7)www.rgiim.ac.in FOR RGIIM SHILLONG

MBA

2009-07-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

MBA:

MBA IN THE SENSE MASTER OF BUSSINESS APPLICATIONS

THE MBA DEGREE IS CONSIDER AS AN NECESSITY FOR THE FLIGHT OF THEIR CARRERS BECAUSE BY DOING DEGREE IN MBA AFTER ENGINEERING,MEDECINE,SCIENCE,ARTS AND COMMERECE

FOR BETTER PAY AND BETTER TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

AN MBA GIVES UR CARRER A PUSH, OPENS UP NEW POSSSIBILITIES AND PUTS IT ONA FAST TRACK.

AN MBA GIVES U THE LEVERGE NEDDED TO BARGAIN FOR BETTER TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT.MBA BRINGS U A POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE IN UR CARRER AND OPENS UP AVENUES FOR PROMOTION, BETTER PAY

AND A BRIGHT FUTURE .

FOR eg ANY APPLICANT EARNING 6-10 LAC PER ANNUM BEFORE THEIR MBA SHIFT TO THE 15-20 LAC RANGE AFTER MBA COURSE.

MBA ENTRANCE AND ELIGIBILITY:

THE FIRST STEP IN MBA SELECTION PROCEDURE IS WRITTEN TEST IT MAINLY CONSISTS OF

1) QUANTITATIVE ABILITY

2) ANALYTICAL

3) LOGICAL REASONING

4) DATA INTERPRETATION

5) READING COMPREHENSION

SOME TESTS ALSO HAVE A SELECTION ON GENERAL AWARENESS

THE TESTS CONDUCTED BY VARIOUS UNIVERSITIES TO DO MBA DEGREE

1)CAT

2)XAT

3)FMS

4)TANCET

5)MAT

6)IIFT

7)JMET

8)SNAP

9)CET

10)NMAT

11)IBSAT

12)ATMA

2009-07-10T09:50:00.005-07:00

SHARES

ARE YOU NEW TO INVESTING IN SHARES

IF YOU ARE NEW TO INVESTING THEN YOU GET GET HOLD OF SHARE MARKET THROUGH INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN SHAREKHAN FIRST STEP .
IF U FOLLOW THAT U CAN BECOME A STOCK MARKET KA SHER .

IN STOCK MARKET OR IN INVESTMENT NOT EVERY BODY GETS SAME RESULTS IN ORDER TO GET GOOD RESULTS HE MUST THINK WISELY AND WELL TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR INVESTMENTS.

BY JOINING IN SHAREKHAN FIRST STEP U WILL KNOW THE FOLLOWING

1) WHY TO INVEST IN SHARES

2) HOW TO SELL AND BUY SHARES

3)HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT SHARES

4) HOW TO MINIMIZE THE RISK AND MAX RETURNS

5) HOW TO BENEFIT FROM ONLINE TRADING

FOR ANY ONE TO START SHARE MARKET TRADING HE HAS TO OPEN ACCOUNT LIKE DEMAT ,ONLINEBROKING ACCOUNT THIS TYPE OF ACCOUNTS OFFERS VARIOUS BAKS

BEFORE U STAART I SUGGEST U TO UNDERGO ELECTRONIC DEMOS HOW TO BUY AND SELL.

FOREX

2009-07-10T09:50:00.003-07:00

FOREX:

AT FIRST FOREX MEANS FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATES.

WHAT ARE FORIEGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES?

FORIEGN CURRENCY XCHANGE RATE IS WHT IT COSTS TO XCHANGE ONE COUNTRY'S CURRENCY FOR ANOTHER COUNTRY'S CURRENCY.

IF U GO TO ENGLAND, U HAVE TO PAY FOR ALL MEANS IN BRITISH POUNDS,LETS THINK THAT U HAVE US DOLLARS,THEN U HAVE TO SELL SOME OF UR DOLLARS TO BUY BRITISH POUNDS

LET ASSUME U GO TO UR BANK BEFORE U LEAVE TO LONDON FROM US AND U BUY $1000 WORTH OF BRITISH POUNDS,U GET 565.83 POUNDS FOR UR $1000 DOLLARS i.e. FOR EACH $1 U GET .56583 POUNDS THIS IS THE XCHANGE RATE FOR CONVERTING DOLLARS TO POUNDS.

IF 565.83 POUNDS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR UR TRIP THEN U HAVE XCHANGE STIIL MORE $1000 IF U GO AND XCHANGE IF U GET 557.02 POUNDS THIS SHOWS THAT THERE IS DROP IN CONVERTING.

HOW TO TRADE FORIEGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES?

THE EXAMPLE STATED ABOVE SHOWA RISE AND FALL IN EXCHANGE RATES SO BUY SHARES WHERE THERE DROP IN EXCHANGE RATE AND SELL WHEN THERE IS PROFIT IN EXCHANE RATE.\

HOW DOES THE OFF-EXCHANGE CURRENCY MARKET WORK?

THE OFF- EXCHANGE FOREX MARKET IS A LARGE ,GROWING AND LIQUID FINANCIAL MARKET THAT OPERATES 24 HOURS A DAY. THIS MARKET TRADING MAINLY DONE BY TELEPHONE OR ELECTRONIC TRADING NETWORKS.

WHAT TRANSACTION COSTS WILL I PAY?

IN ORDER TO TRADE U HAVE TO OPEN DEMAT ACCOUNT OFFERED BY SEVERAL BANKS BEFORE OPENING U HAVE TO CHECK HOE A DEALER CHARGES THE CUSTOMER AND THE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THEM.IF UR ACCOUNT IS MANAGED BY SOMEONE , U MAY BE CHARGED A SEPERATE AMOOUNT FOR THIRD PARTY SERVICES.

HOW DO I CLOSE OUT A TRADER?

RETAIL FOREX CUSTOMER ARE NORMALLY CLOSED OUT BY ENTERING INTO AN EQUAL BUT OPPOSITE TRANSACTION WITH THE DEALER.

FOR EX: IF U ARE BOUGHT EUROS WITH DOLLARS, U WULD CLOSE OUT A TRADE BY SELLING EUROS FOR US DOLLARS,THIS IS CALLED OFFSETTING OR LIQUIS TRANSACTION.

IN THE RETAIL FOREX TRANSACTION U WILL SETTLEMENT DATE WHEN CUUENCIES ARE DUE TO DELIVERED. IF U WANT TO KEEP UR POSITION BEYON SETTLE MENT DATE U HAVE TO ROLL THE POSITION OVER TO NEXT SETTLEMENT DATE.IN THE THE DEALER CHARGES FOR EVERY ROLLL U MADE.

HOW TO CALCULATE PROFIT AND LOSS?

WHEN U CLOSE OUT A TRADE , U CAN CALCULATE UR PROFITS AND LOSES

PROFIT OR LOSS = PRICE(XCHANGE RATE) WHEN SELLING THE BASE CURREENCY - PRICE WHEN BUYING THE BASE CURRRENCY * TRANSACTION SIZE

HOW MUCH MONEY NEED TO TRADE FOREX?

FOREX DEALERS CAN SET THEIR OWN MIN ACCOUNT SIZES, U HAVE TO ASK DEALER HOW MUCH MONEY NEEED TO PUT TO BEGIN TRADING.MOST DEALERS WILL ALSO REQUIRE CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR TRANSACTION AND THEY MAY ALSO ASK FOR SECURITY BOND.

RISKS OF TRADING IN THE FOREX MARKET:

1) THE MARKET COULD MOVE AGAINST YOU

2)U COULD LOSE YOUR ENTIRE INVESTMENT

3)U ARE RELYING ON THE DEALERS CREDITWOTHINESS AND REPUTATION

4)THERE IS NO CENTRAL MARKET PLACE

5)THE TRADING SYSTEM COULD BREAK DOWN

6) U COULD BE A VICTIM OF FRAUD.

THE OTHER ISSUES TO CONSIDER

1) WHO REGULATES OFF-XCHANGE FORIEGN CURRENCY TRADING?

forex accounts

2009-07-10T09:50:00.001-07:00

FOREX ACCOUNT TYPES :

1)ICTS FOREX

2)METATRADER

ICTS FOREX:

THIS TYPE OF FOREX ACCOUNT IS IDEAL FOR TRADER WHO ARE WISHING TO TRADE CURENCY AND MANY OTHER FINANACIAL PRODUCTS .
THIS ACCOUNTS OFFERS WITH LOW MIN TRANSACTION SIZE AND LOW ACCOUNT OPENING

THE FOLLOWING ARE FOR OPENING ICTS FOREX

1) $2000 TO OPEN

2) 10,000 CURRENCY UNITS PER LOT

3) CURRENCIES,CRUDE OIL, EQUITY INDICIES AND METALS

4) 2 PIPE SPREADS

5) ICTS FOREX TRADING SOFTWARE

META TRADER:

THIS FOREX ACCOUNT OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND A FOREX SOFTWARE PLATFORM.

THE DEFAULT SIZE IS 100,000 CURRENCY UNITS AND TRADERS CAN SELECT AS LITTLE AS .10 LOTS TO TRANSICT.

THIS FOREX ACCOUNT PROVIDES UNLIMITED CHARTING AND PROGRAMMBLE TRADING SIGNALS ARE THE FEATURES OFFERED IN GCI META TRADER ACCOUNT

FOR THIS ACCOUNT:

1) $2000 TO OPEN
$25000 FOR LOWEST SPREADS

2) $100000 CURRENCY UNITS PER LOT

3) CURRENCIES,EQUITY,CRUDE OIL,METALS AND SHARES

4) 1 TO 2 PIP SPREADS

5) META TRADING SOFTWARE

6) NO REQUOTES AND DELAYS

forex

2009-07-10T09:46:00.001-07:00

FOREX

THE FOREX MARKET OFFERS US

1)ACCESSIBILITY

2)24 HOUR MARKET

3)NARROW FOCUS

4) LIQUIDITY

THIS FOREX MARKET IS LARGEST FINANCIAL MARKET IN THE WORLD WITH TURN OVER OF 3 TRILLION DOLLARS BY THIS MARKET UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS U CAN BUY AND SELL
CURRENCY AS UR WISH

IF U WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE FOREX MARKET LOG ON TO www.etoro.com, THIS SITE PROVIDES FREE DEMO .

FOREX MARKET ALLOWS U TOO START TRADING WITH CAPTIAL 25 DOLLARS WHICH IS LOW WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER MARKETS

IN THIS U WILL HAVE A SPECULATION OF ALL SHARES THAT IS RISING OR SINKING WITH GRAPHS

THE EIGHT WAYS OF TRADING CURRENCIES IN FOREX MARKET

EURO

BRITISH POUND

JAPANESE YEN

CANADIAN DOLLAR

SWISS FRANC

NEW ZEALAND DOLLAR

AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR

IN FOREX MARKET THE CURRIENCIES PAIR RATES ARE VOLATILE ALWAYS ONE WAY TO GET PROFIT IS TO BUY AT PAIR THEN SELLING IT HIGHER RATE AND SECOND WAY IS SELLING PAIR AT HIGHER RTE AND BUYING AT LOW RATE

IN FOREX MARKET ONE OPTION PROVIDED IS LEVERGE.

IN FOREX BROKERS PROVIDES THEIR CUSTOMER WITH THE OPTION TO TRADE ON BORROWED CAPTIAL SO THEN THE TRADER HAS THE OPTION TO NOT TO IONVEST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

IN ORDER TO MAKE PROFIT. WHEN A CUSTOMER TRADES AT A LEVERGE OF RATIO 1:100 I.E. FOR EVERY $1 THAT INVESTED IN MARKET,THE BROKER INVESTS $100 BY THIS U CAN CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF $10000 BY INVESSTING $100

THE RATIO OF TRADE SIZE AND LEVERGE AND LOT U GET IS SHOWN BELOW

TRADE LEVERGE LOT
25 400 10,000

50 200 10,000

100 100 10,000

BY ETORO U CAN GET THE OPTION LEVERGE SO U CAN EARN LOT OF AMOUNT ,SO LOGIN TO etoro.com AND TRADE.

IN FOREX MARKET IF THERE IS LOSS OCCURING TO UR INVESTMENT THEN THEY WILL ISSUE STOPLOSS ORDERS AT THE SAME TIME IF PROFITS OCCURING THEN THEY WILL ISSUE TAKE PROFIT ORDERS.

THE MONEY MANAGEMENT IS REQUIRED IN FOREX MARKET FOR ANY TRADER TO BECOME SUCCESFUL TRADER AND EARN MONEY

1) USING LIMIT ORDERS

2)SIZE OF TRADES

3) PRACTICE WITH VIRTUAL MONEY,THIS PRACTICE CAN BE DONT THROUGH ETORO

GCI

2009-07-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

GCI FINANCIAL

GCI IS ONE OF THE REGULATED SECURITIES AND COMMODIYIES TRADING FIRM IN ONLINE FOREIEGN EXCHANGE i.e. FOREX.

IN ADDITION TO FOREX GCI IS A MARKET MAKER IN CFD(CONTRACTS FOR DIFFERENCE) ON SHARES .

GCI HAS 10,000 CLIENTS WORLDWIDE INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL TRADERS ,INSTITUTIONS AND MONEY MANAGERS .

GCI PROVIDES SECURE ,ADVANCE AND COMPREHENSIVE ONLINE TRADING SYSTEM.

GCI IS RECOMMENDED BY TOP INDUSTRIES AND IT HAS MARKET ANALYSIS IN PUBLICATUONS AND FINANCIAL TIMES

GCI INCLUDES J.P MORGAN,HSBC,GOLDMAN SACHS.

GCI IS REGUALTED BY IFSC FOR TRADING IN FANANCIAL AND COMMODITIES .

GCI INCLUDES INDIAN FORIEGN EXCHANGE.

GCI REPORTS EVERY ACTION AND IT ALSO KEEPS THE RECORDS AND IT DICLOSES THE DISCLOSURE TO THE CLINETS.

Software Project Management

2009-02-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

Software Project Management

Software Project Management is one application that have been designed from the start with taking security in mind. It is a very fast, efficient, with clear and user friendly interface specifically developed for use by different users in the intranet and internet.
Software Project Management taking care of all those things that are needed for developing the projects. It stores all the information i.e. which organization handle how many projects , the list of projects , how many people associated with a particular projects, who is the project leader what is the tasks associated with the projects, which module handle by which people , what is the duration of total project i.e. starting date and completion date.

Software Project Management is the easiest and most cost-effective way for web-enable organization for using inter networking communication. It will greatly help organization to assign tasks & utilizing resources about the projects. If any problem occurring in any situation that can be solve by communicate the problems & receive solution from other experts in the organization.
If there is any bugs occurring in the process then just submitting the bugs in the bug tracking page if there is any possible solution for this then it can be handle by other experts in real time.
Another facility of this project that it has strong report generation capabilities. It shows the summary of the projects. And strong queries facilities. Which helps organization to take a strong decision?
The application operates on the data that is stored in central database on the server such as MS Access, SQL SERVER, MS SQL, etc. It can be installed virtually on any web server, whether internal within the organization, or external, hosted by a web hosting company. Certain functional options can be configured using administrative module.
This revolutionary Software Project Management is a great online solution for various IT Company or organization. It combines several online applications into one easy to use package. It is a excellent solution for various organization developing projects.

3.2 ABOUT USERS
There are two types of users associated with this project.
1. ADMIN
The admin is the super user it has authenticates to access all the pages. The administrator is responsible for creating new members. The admin can access all the users.

2. MEMBERS
The members are registered users. The members can access all the pages except some pages which is access only by administrator.

3.3 OVERVIEW OF THE MODULES (FUNCTIONALITY)

The Software Project Management consists seven modules
• My workplace
• My Project
• People Finder
• News
• Forums
• My details
• Administrator

Module 1 My WorkPlace ::
This module is actual workplace for a members i/e. for authenticate users. In this module the users takes care of his project i.e. how many project he/she handle. I.e all the documents about the projects, project activities, starting date & completion date of the project. And assign that to which team to develops which project ,who is the the project leader of this project ,who is the programmer etc.
This module is again has a sub modules
• Projects
This sub module contains all the documents i.e. information about all the project handle by the logged in user. The information about projects starting date, completion date, status of the project activities of the project.

.

Module 2 My Project::
This module handles a specific project. In this new project can be added. This handles all the tasks of the project.
This module is again has some sub modules
• Details
• Organizations
• Milestones
• Documents
• Announcements

Details
This sub module contains the details about the project i.e. name of the project, description about the project, starting date of the project, completion date of the project, which team performing this projects, about the team leader, programmer associated with the project. New project details can be added here.
Organizations
Here the user assigns the tasks about the project organization. I.e. who is the project manager, who is the programmer manager, create team members to assigns work on this project.
Milestones
This sub module gives the information about the project i.e. status of the project. This gives the information that the project is in progress or completed or not started or if progress then how many percent it complete.
Document
The document store information about milestone, description, category, version and status of the project.
Announcements
Here the member who had logged in is considering as the project manager. The program manager issues the announcements or comments to the assigned member for the project. The user can customize the announcement according to his requirement.
Module 3 People Finder:

The main function of this module is to search the users associated with this application and email id of the users i.e. information about the users.
Module 4

NEWS::

Here the user advertises its news. The users can customize the news according to his requirement. The user also creates links to any news page. The user can says that the expire date of the news. This module has two sub tasks
• Show current news
This shows the current news available on that page.
• Show Expire News
This shows the expired news available on the news page.

Module 5 Forum::
This module gives the facilities to the members to chat or talk to each other about any matter. Here any user can send message to other and also sending reply. And customize the messages according to own.

Module 6 My Details ::
This module gives the description about the current user logged in. It shows the login name, role, name, email, password of the login user.

Module 7

Administrator::

The administrator is the super user of this application. Any body except admin cannot enter into this page. The admin can give authenticate to user & gives privileges that which portion they can access. The admin can create new users. The administrator has all the information about all the users & about all the projects. There are two sub module of administrator
• Projects :: This contains the information about all the projects i.e. project list. And also information about manager of the project ,starting date and completion date etc.
• Users :: This contains the information about all the users and role of the users.

4.5 Software Required:

Operating System: Windows 2000 Server/Professional or Above.
Framework: .Net 2003 Frame Work or Above.
Languages: ASP. Net, C#. Net,ADO.NET
Data Base: SQL Server.
WEB Server: IIS 5.0 OR Above.
4.6 Hardware Required:

PROCESSOR : Intel Celeron/ P3/p4 (600 MHz or Above).
RAM (SD/DDR) : 512MB or above.

HARD DISC : 10GB or above.

unix interview questions

2009-02-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

1. Construct pipes to execute the following jobs.
1. Output of who should be displayed on the screen with value of total number of users who have logged in
displayed at the bottom of the list.
2. Output of ls should be displayed on the screen and from this output the lines containing the word ‘poem’
should be counted and the count should be stored in a file.
3. Contents of file1 and file2 should be displayed on the screen and this output should be appended in a file
.
From output of ls the lines containing ‘poem’ should be displayed on the screen along with the count.
4. Name of cities should be accepted from the keyboard . This list should be combined with the list present
in a file. This combined list should be sorted and the sorted list
should be stored in a file ‘newcity’.
5. All files present in a directory dir1 should be deleted any error while deleting should be stored in a file
‘errorlog’.
2. Explain the following commands.
$ ls > file1
$ banner hi-fi > message
$ cat par.3 par.4 par.5 >> report
$ cat file1>file1
$ date ; who
$ date ; who > logfile
$ (date ; who) > logfile
3. What is the significance of the “tee” command?
It reads the standard input and sends it to the standard output while redirecting a copy of what it has read to
the file specified by the user.
4. What does the command “ $who | sort –logfile > newfile” do?
The input from a pipe can be combined with the input from a file . The trick is to use the special symbol “-“
(a hyphen) for those commands that recognize the hyphen as std input.
In the above command the output from who becomes the std input to sort , meanwhile sort opens the file
logfile, the contents of this file is sorted together with the output of who (rep by the hyphen) and the sorted
output is redirected to the file newfile.
5. What does the command “$ls | wc –l > file1” do?
ls becomes the input to wc which counts the number of lines it receives as input and instead of displaying
this count , the value is stored in file1.
6. Which of the following commands is not a filter man , (b) cat , (c) pg , (d) head
Ans: man
A filter is a program which can receive a flow of data from std input, process (or filter) it and send the result
to the std output.
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7. How is the command “$cat file2 “ different from “$cat >file2 and >> redirection operators ?
is the output redirection operator when used it overwrites while >> operator appends into the file.
9. Explain the steps that a shell follows while processing a command.
After the command line is terminated by the key, the shel goes ahead with processing the command line in
one or more passes. The sequence is well defined and assumes the following order.
Parsing: The shell first breaks up the command line into words, using spaces and the delimiters, unless
quoted. All consecutive occurrences of a space or tab are replaced here with a single space.
Variable evaluation: All words preceded by a $ are avaluated as variables, unless quoted or escaped.
Command substitution: Any command surrounded by backquotes is executed by the shell which then
replaces the standard output of the command into the command line.
Wild-card interpretation: The shell finally scans the command line for wild-cards (the characters *, ?, [, ]).
Any word containing a wild-card is replaced by a sorted list of
filenames that match the pattern. The list of these filenames then forms the arguments to the command.
PATH evaluation: It finally looks for the PATH variable to determine the sequence of directories it has to
search in order to hunt for the command.
10. What difference between cmp and diff commands?
cmp - Compares two files byte by byte and displays the first mismatch
diff - tells the changes to be made to make the files identical
11. What is the use of ‘grep’ command?
‘grep’ is a pattern search command. It searches for the pattern, specified in the command line with
appropriate option, in a file(s).
Syntax : grep
Example : grep 99mx mcafile
12. What is the difference between cat and more command?
Cat displays file contents. If the file is large the contents scroll off the screen before we view it. So
command 'more' is like a pager which displays the contents page by page.
13. Write a command to kill the last background job?
Kill $!
14. Which command is used to delete all files in the current directory and all its sub-directories?
rm -r *
15. Write a command to display a file’s contents in various formats?
$od -cbd file_name
c - character, b - binary (octal), d-decimal, od=Octal Dump.
16. What will the following command do?
$ echo *
It is similar to 'ls' command and displays all the files in the current directory.
17. Is it possible to create new a file system in UNIX?
Yes, ‘mkfs’ is used to create a new file system.
18. Is it possible to restrict incoming message?
Yes, using the ‘mesg’ command.
19. What is the use of the command "ls -x chapter[1-5]"
ls stands for list; so it displays the list of the files that starts with 'chapter' with suffix '1' to '5', chapter1,
chapter2, and so on.
20. Is ‘du’ a command? If so, what is its use?
Yes, it stands for ‘disk usage’. With the help of this command you can find the disk capacity and free space
of the disk.
21. Is it possible to count number char, line in a file; if so, How?
Yes, wc-stands for word count.
wc -c for counting number of characters in a file.
wc -l for counting lines in a file.
22. Name the data structure used to maintain file identification?
‘inode’, each file has a separate inode and a unique inode number.
23. How many prompts are available in a UNIX system?
Two prompts, PS1 (Primary Prompt), PS2 (Secondary Prompt).
24. How does the kernel differentiate device files and ordinary files?
Kernel checks 'type' field in the file's inode structure.
25. How to switch to a super user status to gain privileges?
Use ‘su’ command. The system asks for password and when valid entry is made the user gains super user
(admin) privileges.
26. What are shell variables?
Shell variables are special variables, a name-value pair created and maintained by the shell.
Example: PATH, HOME, MAIL and TERM
27. What is redirection?
Directing the flow of data to the file or from the file for input or output.
Example : ls > wc
28. How to terminate a process which is running and the specialty on command kill 0?
With the help of kill command we can terminate the process.
Syntax: kill pid
Kill 0 - kills all processes in your system except the login shell.
29. What is a pipe and give an example?
A pipe is two or more commands separated by pipe char '|'. That tells the shell to arrange for the output of
the preceding command to be passed as input to the following command.
Example : ls -l | pr
The output for a command ls is the standard input of pr.
When a sequence of commands are combined using pipe, then it is called pipeline.
30. Explain kill() and its possible return values.
There are four possible results from this call:
‘kill()’ returns 0. This implies that a process exists with the given PID, and the system would allow you to
send signals to it. It is system-dependent whether the process could be a zombie.
‘kill()’ returns -1, ‘errno == ESRCH’ either no process exists with the given PID, or security enhancements
are causing the system to deny its existence. (On some systems, the process could be a zombie.)
‘kill()’ returns -1, ‘errno == EPERM’ the system would not allow you to kill the specified process. This means
that either the process exists (again, it could be a zombie) or draconian security enhancements are present
(e.g. your process is not allowed to send signals to *anybody*).
‘kill()’ returns -1, with some other value of ‘errno’ you are in trouble! The most-used technique is to assume
that success or failure with ‘EPERM’ implies that the process exists, and any other error implies that it
doesn't.
An alternative exists, if you are writing specifically for a system (or all those systems) that provide a ‘/proc’
filesystem: checking for the existence of ‘/proc/PID’ may work.
31. What is relative path and absolute path.
Absolute path : Exact path from root directory.
Relative path : Relative to the current path.

Make your pc speed faster

2009-02-08T11:06:00.000-08:00

Make your pc speed faster

DISABLE INDEXING SERVICES

Indexing Services is a small little program that uses large amounts of RAM and can often make a computer endlessly loud and noisy. This system process indexes and updates lists of all the files that are on your computer. It does this so that when you do a search for something on your computer, it will search faster by scanning the index lists. If you don't search your computer often, or even if you do search often, this system service is completely unnecessary. To disable do the following:

1. Go to Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Control Panel
4. Double-Click Add/Remove Programs
5. Click the Add/Remove Window Components
6. Uncheck the Indexing services
7. Click Next

OPTIMISE DISPLAY SETTINGS

Windows XP can look sexy but displaying all the visual items can waste system resources. To optimize:

1.Go to Start
2. Click Settings
3. Click Control Panel
4. Click System
5. Click advanced tab
6. In the Performance tab Click Settings
7. Leave only the following ticked:
- Show shadows under menus
- Show shadows under mouse pointer
- Show translucent selection rectangle
- Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop
- Use visual styles on windows and buttons

DISABLE PERFORMANCE COUNTERS

Windows XP has a performance monitor utility which monitors several areas of your PC's performance. These utilities take up system resources so disabling is a good idea.

To disable:

1. download and install the Extensible Performance Counter List
2.Then select each counter in turn in the 'Extensible performance counters' window and clear the 'performance counters enabled' checkbox at the bottom.button below.

SPEEDUP FOLDER BROWSING

You may have noticed that every time you open my computer to browse folders that there is a slight delay. This is because Windows XP automatically searches for network files and printers every time you open Windows Explorer. To fix this and to increase browsing significantly:

1. Open My Computer
2. Click on Tools menu
3. Click on Folder Options
4. Click on the View tab.
5. Uncheck the Automatically search for network folders and printers check box
6. Click Apply
7. Click Ok
8. Reboot your computer

IMPROVE MEMORY USAGE

Cache man Improves the performance of your computer by optimizing the disk cache, memory and a number of other settings.

Once Installed:

1.Go to Show Wizard and select All
2.Run all the wizards by selecting Next or Finished until you are back to the main menu. Use the defaults unless you know exactly what you are doing.
3.Exit and Save Cache man
4.Restart Windows

OPTIMISE YOUR PAGEFILE

If you give your pagefile a fixed size it saves the operating system from needing to resize the page file.

1. Right Click on My Computer and select Properties
2. Select the Advanced tab
3. Under Performance choose the Settings button
4. Select the Advanced tab again and under Virtual Memory select Change
5. Highlight the drive containing your page file and make the initial Size of the file the same as the Maximum Size of the file.

Windows XP sizes the page file to about 1.5X the amount of actual physical memory by default. While this is good for systems with smaller amounts of memory (under 512MB) it is unlikely that a typical XP desktop system will ever need 1.5 X 512MB or more of virtual memory. If you have less than 512MB of memory, leave the page file at its default size. If you have 512MB or more, change the ratio to 1:1 page file size to physical memory size.

RUN BOOTVIS - IMPROVE BOOT TIMES

BootVis will significantly improve boot times

1. Download and Run
2. Select Trace
3. Select Next Boot and Driver Trace
4. A Trace Repetitions screen will appear, select Ok and Reboot
5. Upon reboot, BootVis will automatically start, analyze and log your system's boot process. When it's done, in the menu go to Trace and select Optimize System
6. Reboot.
7. When your machine has rebooted wait until you see the Optimizing System box appear. Be patient and wait for the process to complete

REMOVE THE DESKTOP PICTURE

Your desktop background consumes a fair amount of memory and can slow the loading time of your system. Removing it will improve performance.

1. Right Click on Desktop and select Properties
2. Select the Desktop tab
3. In the Background window select None
4. Click Ok

REMOVE FONTS FOR SPEED

Fonts, especially TrueType fonts, use quite a bit of system resources. For optimal performance, trim your fonts down to just those that you need to use on a daily basis and fonts that applications may require.

1. Open Control Panel
2. Open Fonts folder
3. Move fonts you don't need to a temporary directory (e.g. C:\FONTBKUP?) just in case you need or want to bring a few of them back. The more fonts you uninstall, the more system resources you will gain.

DISABLE UNNECESSARY SERVICES

Because Windows XP has to be all things to all people it has many services running that take up system resources that you will never need. Below is a list of services that can be disabled on most machines:

Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Distributed Link Tracking Client
Fast User Switching
Help and Support - (If you use Windows Help and Support leave this enabled)
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service
IPSEC Services
Messenger
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for extra security)
Portable Media Serial Number
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
Remote Registry Service
Secondary Logon
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service - (Unplug n' Pray will disable this)
Telnet
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Upload Manager
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (Do not disable if you use a wireless network)
Workstation
To disable these services:

Go to Start and then Run and type "services.msc"
Double-click on the service you want to change
Change the startup type to 'Disable"

TURN OFF SYSTEM RESTORE

System Restore can be a useful if your computer is having problems, however storing all the restore points can literally take up Gigabytes of space on your hard drive. To turn off System Restore:

Open Control Panel
Click on Performance and Maintenance
Click on System
Click on the System Restore tab
Tick 'Turn off System Restore on All Drives'
Click 'Ok'

DEFRAGMENT YOUR PAGEFILE

Keeping your pagefile defragmented can provide a major performance boost. One of the best ways of doing this is to creat a separate partition on your hard drive just for your page file, so that it doesn't get impacted by normal disk usage. Another way of keeping your pagefile defragmented is to run PageDefrag. This cool little app can be used to defrag your pagefile, and can also be set to defrag the pagefile everytime your PC starts. To install:

Download and Run PageDefrag
Tick "Defrag at next Reboot",
Click "Ok"
Reboot

SPEEDUP FOLDER ACCESS - DISABLE LAST ACCESS UPDATE

If you have a lot of folders and subdirectories on your computer, when you access a directory XP wastes a lot of time updating the time stamp showing the last access time for that directory and for ALL sub directories. To stop XP doing this you need to edit the registry. If you are uncomfortable doing this then please do not attempt.

Go to Start and then Run and type "regedit"
Click through the file system until you get to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contr ol\FileSystem"
Right-Click in a blank area of the window on the right and select 'DWORD Value'
Create a new DWORD Value called 'NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate'
Then Right Click on the new value and select 'Modify'
Change the Value Data to '1'
Click 'OK'

DISABLE SYSTEM SOUNDS

Surprisingly, the beeps that your computer makes for various system sounds can slow it down, particularly at startup and shut-down. To fix this turn off the system sounds:

Open Control Panel
Click Sounds and Audio Devices
Check Place volume icon in taskbar
Click Sounds Tab
Choose "No Sounds" for the Sound Scheme
Click "No"
Click "Apply"
Click "OK"

IMPROVE BOOT TIMES

A great new feature in Microsoft Windows XP is the ability to do a boot defragment. This places all boot files next to each other on the disk to allow for faster booting. By default this option in enables but on some builds it is not so below is how to turn it on.

Go to Start Menu and Click Run
Type in "Regedit" then Click ok
Find "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOp t imizeFunction"
Select "Enable" from the list on the right
Right on it and select "Modify"
Change the value to "Y to enable"
Reboot

MPROVE SWAPFILE PERFORMANCE

If you have more than 256MB of RAM this tweak will considerably improve your performance. It basically makes sure that your PC uses every last drop of memory (faster than swap file) before it starts using the swap file.

Go to Start then Run
Type "msconfig.exe" then ok
Click on the System.ini tab
Expand the 386enh tab by *** on the plus sign
Click on new then in the blank box type"ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1"
Click OK
Restart PC

MAKE YOUR MENUS LOAD FASTER

This is one of my favourite tweaks as it makes a huge difference to how fast your machine will 'feel'. What this tweak does is remove the slight delay between *** on a menu and XP displaying the menu.

Go to Start then Run
Type 'Regedit' then Click 'Ok'
Find "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\"
Select "Menu Show Delay"
Right Click and select "Modify'
Reduce the number to around "100"
This is the delay time before a menu is opened. You can set it to "0" but it can make windows really hard to use as menus will open if you just look at them - well move your mouse over them anyway. I tend to go for anywhere between 50-150 depending on my mood

MAKE PROGRAMS LOAD FASTER

This little tweak tends to work for most programs. If your program doesn't load properly just undo the change. For any program:

Right-Click on the icon/shortcut you use to launch the program
Select properties
In the 'target' box, add ' /prefetch:1' at the end of the line.
Click "Ok"
Voila - your programs will now load faster.

************8IMPROVE XP SHUTDOWN SPEED ********************

This tweak reduces the time XP waits before automatically closing any running programs when you give it the command to shutdown.

Go to Start then select Run
Type 'Regedit' and Click ok
Find 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\'

Select 'WaitToKillAppTimeout'
Right Click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now select 'HungApp Timeout'
Right Click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now find 'HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Desktop'
Select 'WaitToKillAppTimeout'
Right Click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'
Now find 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contr ol\'
Select 'Wait To Kill ServiceTimeout'
Right Click and select 'Modify'
Change the value to '1000'
Click 'OK'

*********************************************
SPEED UP BOOT TIMES I

This tweak works by creating a batch file to clear the temp and history folders everytime you shutdown so that your PC doesn't waste time checking these folders the next time it boots. It's quite simple to implement:

1. Open Notepad and create a new file with the following entries:

RD /S /q "C:\Documents and Settings\"UserName without quotes"\Local Settings\History"
RD /S /q "C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\Local Settings\History"
RD /S /q "D:\Temp\" <--"Deletes temp folder, type in the location of your temp folder"

2. Save the new as anything you like but it has to be a '.bat' file e.g. fastboot.bat or deltemp.bat

3. Click 'Start' then 'Run'

4. Type in 'gpedit.msc' and hit 'ok'

5. Click on 'Computer Configuration' then 'Windows Settings'

6. Double-Click on 'Scripts' and then on 'Shutdown'

7. Click 'Add' and find the batch file that you created and then press 'Ok'

SPEED UP BOOT TIMES II

When your PC starts it usually looks for any bootable media in any floppy or cd-rom drives you have installed before it gets around to loading the Operating System from the HDD. This can waste valuable time. To fix this we need to make some changes to the Bios.

1. To enter the bios you usually press 'F2' or 'delete' when your PC starts

2. Navigate to the 'Boot' menu

3. Select 'Boot Sequence'

4. Then either move your Hard drive to the top position or set it as the 'First Device'

5. Press the 'Escape' key to leave the bios. Don't forget to save your settings before exiting

Note: Once this change has been made, you won't be able to boot from a floppy disc or a CD-rom. If for some strange reason you need to do this in the future, just go back into your bios, repeat the steps above and put your floppy or CD-rom back as the 'First Device'

SPEED UP BOOT TIMES III

When your computer boots up it usually has to check with the network to see what IP addresses are free and then it grabs one of these. By configuring a manually assigned IP address your boot time will improve. To do this do the following:

1. Click on 'Start' and then ''Connect To/Show All Connections'

2. Right-Click your network adapter card and Click 'Properties'.

3. On the 'General' tab, select 'TCP/IP' in the list of services and Click 'Properties'

4.I n the TCP/IP properties, Click 'Use the following address' and enter an IP address for your PC. If you are using a router this is usually 192.168.0.xx or 192.168.1.xx. If you are not sure what address you could check with your ISP or go to 'Start/run' and type 'cmd' and then 'ipconfig/all'. This will show your current IP settings which you will need to copy.

5. Enter the correct details for 'Subnet mask', 'Default gateway' and 'DNS Server'. Again if you are not sure what figures to enter use 'ipconfig/all' as in stage 4.

FREE UP MEMORY

I found this useful app via FixMyXP. ClearMem Is an Excellent Tool for speeding up your XP Computer (especially if your system has been on for awhile and you have a lot of applications open). What it does, is it Forces pages out of physical memory and reduces the size of running processes if working sets to a minimum. When you run this tool, the system pauses because of excessive high-priority activity associated with trimming the working sets. To run this tool, your paging file must be at least as large as physical memory. To Check your Paging File:

1. Go to your control panel, then Click on 'System', then go to the 'Advanced' Tab, and Under 'Performance' Click 'Settings' then the 'Advanced' Tab

2. On the Bottom you should see 'Virtual Memory' and a value. This is the value that must be at least as large as how much memory is in your system.

3. If the Virtual Memory Value is smaller than your system memory, Click Change and change the Min Virtual Memory to a number that is greater than your total system memory, then Click 'Set' and Reboot.

4. Once you have rebooted install ClearMem

ENSURE XP IS USING DMA MODE

XP enables DMA for Hard-Drives and CD-Roms by default on most ATA or ATAPI (IDE) devices. However, sometimes computers switch to PIO mode which is slower for data transfer - a typical reason is because of a virus. To ensure that your machine is using DMA:

1. Open 'Device Manager'

2. Double-Click 'IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers'

3. Right-Click 'Primary Channel' and select 'Properties' and then 'Advanced Settings'

4. In the 'Current Transfer Mode' drop-down box, select 'DMA if Available' if the current setting is 'PIO Only'

ADD CORRECT NETWORK CARD SETTINGS

Some machines suffer from jerky graphics or high CPU usage even when a machine is idle. A possible solution for this, which, can also can help network performance is to:
1. Right Click 'My Computer'

2. Select 'Manage'

3. Click on 'Device Manager'

4. Double-Click your network adaptor under 'Network Adapters'

5. In the new window, select the 'Advanced' tab

6. Select 'Connection Type' and select the correct type for your card and then Reboot

REMOVE ANNOYING DELETE CONFIRMATION MESSAGES

Although not strictly a performance tweak I love this fix as it makes my machine 'feel' faster. I hate the annoying 'are you sure?' messages that XP displays, especially if I have to use a laptop touchpad to close them. To remove these messages:

1. Right-Click on the 'Recycle Bin' on the desktop and then Click 'Properties'

2. Clear the 'Display Delete Confirmation Dialog' check box and Click 'Ok'

If you do accidentally delete a file don't worry as all is not lost. Just go to your Recycle Bin and 'Restore' the file.

DISABLE PREFETCH ON LOW MEMORY SYSTEMS

Prefetch is designed to speed up program launching by preloading programs into memory - not a good idea is memory is in short supply, as it can make programs hang. To disable prefetch:

1. Click 'Start' then 'Run'

2. Type in 'Regedit' then Click 'Ok'

3. Navigate to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\'

4. Right-Click on "EnablePrefetcher" and set the value to '0'

5. Reboot.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE

2008-08-25T04:53:00.002-07:00

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's: - Respect for self - Respect for others and - Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

7 stages of love

2008-08-25T04:53:00.001-07:00

LOVE
It's that feeling, that nobody could explain cause it different ppl have different experiences in this regard.
Love just not happens at a sight. It is a horizon and every horizon have a fall, so love travels through seven stages.

ATTRACTION:
First of all see someone, you meet hundred of new people in your daily life. The first stage is attraction, that something appeals you, look twice, you get attracted by a person.

INFATUATION:
Then you get infatuated by that person. You start admitting it to yourself, that you like him/her, you ask yourself that what does that person means to you why you want to see him/her, why you adore his/her voice, why you get excited, when the attracted person looked at you, even a general look makes your heart bloom.

COMMUNION:
Then the third stage comes, when you admit it in front of that person, you introduce yourself like HI! i have noticed you around , I found you to be very attractive would you like to spend sometime with me or you started becoming closer to that person , so that he/she can notice you and you start chatting.

INTIMACY:
A very famous song is "everybody is looking for intimacy", that is deep friendship. Your communion stage is over & you both become necessary for each other to share, are the ideas and thoughts of each other , you have started thinking on the same levels that other person is thinking.

SURRENDER:
Then after coming or passing through the intimacy stage, your love enters in deliver our stage i.e surrender, you surrender yourself to that person, yes i am in love with that person.

PASSION:
Once you surrender, your loved one becomes passion for you. You want that person like anything, you adore & can't escape the thoughts about him/her you become passionate.

ECSTASY:
Last but not the least is the stage when you have strong feelings or agitation i.e ecstasy, thinking about one thing & that's the person, your all thoughts starts & finishes with that person. Here you decide that you
can't live without that person. So you got or you lose. The most interesting thing i find out after reading this love horizon is the end. Now you read it

THE END
In the end, if you got then you lose the charm and if you lose you lost yourself

What is a friend??

2008-08-25T04:52:00.001-07:00

A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy and grace and makes the world we live in, a better, happier place.
A friend is someone to laugh with, over little personal things, a friend is someone we're serious with, in facing whatever life brings.
Friends gently teach you, how to give and how to care, and true friends warmly reach out to you anytime, anywhere.
Among the great and glorious gift that we are blessed with, it is the gift of understanding that we find in loving and true friends.
A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need lift, a friend is someone we treasure, for true friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone very dear, who shares your hopes and dreams, who shows you that the grayest day is brighter than it seems.
Friends are for sharing, when life brings you gladness, for being supportive, whenever there's sadness.
A friend is someone who believes in you when faith is running low, and whose gentle words of wisdom help you choose which way to go.
A friend is someone who comforts us when we feel blue, whose special warmth and happy smile makes us feel that life's worthwhile.
A true friend always thinks of you, when all the others are thinking of themselves.
A friend is someone who knows your joy, your sorrows and tears. Someone who cares and shares your world throughout the sad-sweet years.
A friend is kind and thoughtful, whose company is pleasure, someone who listens and understands, whose good advice is treasure.
A friend is someone whose warmth and patience, never seems to have an end,someone who has caring heart...that someone is a friend.
A true friend hears the song in your heart and sings it to you when your memory fails.
A true friend is someone who brings us laughter, even in our tears, whose memories make us smile across the miles and though the years.
Silence make the real conversations between friends, not the saying but the never needing today is what counts.
A true friend is someone who walks into your world, when the rest of the world walks out on you.
The friends who are really worth having are those who will listen to your deepest hurts, and feel they are theirs too.

An Open Letter to a Graduating Daughter

2008-08-25T04:50:00.000-07:00

The writer's daughter graduates this March from the Ateneo de Manila University, and he shares his letter of advice to her with all college students graduating this year.
Dear Elynaea,

Today is your day. As you sit barely listening to the endless stream of graduation speeches, a lot of things must be rushing through your head and producing a mix of emotions.

You must be recalling those days of struggle -- the countless hours spent studying, doing research, preparing projects, agonizing over possible test results -- and relief passes through you as you realize that they are finally over.

Too, your mind must be trying to peer into the future. You daydream of landing your first job, of earning your first salary, even of eventually getting your own car, acquiring your own flat and traveling to different places.

But as you gaze around, the sight of your classmates must dampen your enthusiasm and fuel feelings of anxiety. So many new graduates soon to go looking for a job, just like you. And you must be wondering: How will I fare in the job market? Will I be another jobless statistic? Or will I be among the lucky ones who find a good job right away? How tough is it really out there? Will I be successful in my chosen career?

Your trepidation is understandable, and I wish I could guarantee your future for you. But I can't. Only you can decide your fate through the priorities you set, the decisions you make, the efforts you spend, the sacrifices you make.

The best thing I can do for you today is to share years of insight on how to effectively manage one's career. These insights come not only from my own experience but also from observing successful people -- friends and former classmates, peers in the profession, my superiors, work associates and many others. They come from different fields and took different approaches, but the underlying principles for their success are uncannily similar. Here they are:

Have a clear vision. Your vision should be as clear and as specific as you can make it. Aim as high as you believe you can go. If you aim too low, you might find the challenge insufficient and the achievement too shallow. If you aim too high, you may have difficulty hitting your target and may live a life full of frustration.

Your vision should be something you truly believe will give your life significance and meaning. Being young, you may think that financial reward or fame would make you happy. They won't. People with such vision often end up miserable and empty inside even when they do succeed. To find your vision, imagine yourself retiring four decades later and asking yourself, "Did my achievements make me the best of what I could be?"

Draw up a focused plan. This plan will give you the focus and the general guidelines to attain your vision and mission. For now, it should contain only the broad strokes and offer answers to the "what" and the "when." The specifics (the "how") will come later.

It is also very important that you know the value of properly pacing yourself. A pace that is too fast can lead to exhaustion and burnout. A pace that is too slow can lead to complacency, meandering and loss of interest.

Right now, you will not be able to determine your correct pace, but you can start creating a time frame containing rough estimates. With experience, you will develop a better sense of timing and can adjust your plan accordingly.

Prepare a specific action plan. After you have defined your vision and mission then it is time for implementation.

The first thing you have to do is, of course, get a job based on your vision. Find the organization that can help you achieve your vision -- provide you proper training and development, recognize your talents and give you opportunities to move up. The search may be long and hard, but if you put your heart and mind to it, you will find this organization. There are many articles on job hunting, including those that I have written. Now is the time to apply the insights you have gained from them.

Once aboard that organization, try to acquire a clear idea of how the company works. What are its vision, goals, strategies and priorities? How aligned are these with yours? Use this information to prepare your strategy for accomplishing each step of your mission. These are now the specifics, the detailed action plan.

To help you draw up that action plan, try answering these questions: How long will it realistically take you to move from one level to the next higher one? What are the things you have to accomplish? What preparatory training and developmental steps must you take? Can the organization provide you these? If it can, how can you avail yourself of them? If it cannot, can you obtain them outside the company? How much will it cost you? What assistance will you need?

As I said earlier, this is just a very rough framework for career success. The gaps and details will have to be filled by you.

Later in life, certain events may occur that will require you to revise your plan, rethink your strategy, or adjust your timing. Some of them may be good -- an unexpected promotion, a significant transfer, even a better job offer. If this happens, do not become complacent or overconfident. Always keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Some may be bad and derail your plan -- an economic or industry slump, a shift in the organization's priorities, a change in management. Don't despair. Adjust your plan and timing, but keep your mind focused on your vision. The road to success is not always straight and paved; there may be detours and rough trails along the way. But with patience, perseverance and determination, no doubt you will make it.

I have saved the best for last that you may remember it best: Always pray to God for guidance and strength in all your endeavors. No matter how well you plan and how hard you work, without His blessing, all will be in vain.

God bless and Godspeed!

Watch your table manners!

2008-08-25T04:49:00.000-07:00

While most job interviews take place in an office, not all do. There are interviews that take place in clubs, restaurants and various other places that are tucked well away from the office. If you find part or all of an interview being conducted while you are expected to have a drink or eat, be careful.

The first tip we can give is for you to be just as alert in these surroundings as you would be in the office. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security by thinking there is no interview or the interview is over and you can now relax. You are still being observed just as carefully as ever - maybe, even more so.

A typical example of what not to do: Andy has nervously gone through a series of morning interviews with different people in the organisation. As lunchtime approached, he was invited to go to lunch with two of the people with whom he had already interviewed. As the three crossed the street to the restaurant, Andy breathed a sigh of relief and indicated he was glad the interviews were over. He proceeded to act as if they were. He no longer gave thoughtful responses to questions and he seemed very opinionated. Indeed, the company associates got to see Andy as he really was and decided they didn’t like what they saw. You are on stage until you take your exit. Don’t forget your part.

The second advice is to follow the leader as far as possible. If the interviewer orders only a soft drink, do not up the ante by ordering liquor. The worst is if you decide to order food while others do not. At lunch, the best advice is to decide on a fruit juice or something equally neutral even if others have ordered a beer. They may be testing you, and going back to work or more interviews after even one drink is not advisable no matter how well you think you can handle it.

Finally, if food is offered, order something that’s easy to eat and in small portions. Try to avoid spaghetti, fried chicken, and bony fish. You’re probably not hungry anyway, and you won’t be eating much because you will be talking most of the time. But be sure you direct your attention to your audience, not your food! Your social graces - and especially your table manners -- are particularly on display in such settings.

Smile, What wonders a smile can do...

2008-08-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

She smiled at a sorrowful stranger.
The smile seemed to make him feel better.
He remembered past kindnesses of a friend
And wrote him a thank you letter.
The friend was so pleased with the thank you
That he left a large tip after lunch.
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
Bet the whole thing on a hunch.
The next day she picked up her winnings,
And gave part to a man on the street.
The man on the street was grateful;
For two days he'd had nothing to eat.
After he finished his dinner,
He left for his small dingy room.
He didn't know at that moment
that he might be facing his doom.
On the way he picked up a shivering puppy
And took him home to get warm.
The puppy was very grateful
To be in out of the storm.
That night the house caught on fire.
The puppy barked the alarm.
He barked till he woke the whole household
And saved everybody from harm.
One of the boys that he rescued
Grew up to be President.
All this because of a simple smile
. . .That hadn't cost a cent.

10 secrets to be a better person

2008-08-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

The FIRST secret - the power of THOUGHT.
Love begins with our thoughts. We become what we think about.Loving thoughts
create loving experiences and loving relationships. Affirmations can change
our beliefs and thoughts about others and ourselves. If we want to love
someone, we need to consider his or her needs and desires. Thinking about
your ideal partner will help you recognise her when you meet her.
The SECOND secret - the power of RESPECT.
You cannot love anyone or anything unless you first respect them.
The first person you need to respect is yourself.
To begin to gain self-respect, ask yourself, What do I respect
about myself?-
To gain respect for others, even those you may dislike, ask
yourself,
What do I respect about them?-
The THIRD secret - the power of GIVING.
If you want to receive love, all you have to do is give it!
The more love you give, the more you will receive.
To love is to give of yourself, freely and unconditionally.
Practice random acts of kindness. Before committing to a
relationship ask not what the other person will be able to give to
you, but
rather what will you be able to give them.
The secret formula of a happy, lifelong, loving relationship is to
always focus on what you can give instead of what you can take.
The FOURTH secret - the power of FRIENDSHIP.
To find a true love, you must first find a true friend.
Love does not consist of gazing into each other"s eyes, but rather
looking outward together in the same direction.
To love someone completely you must love him or her for who they
are and not for what they look like.
Friendship is the soil through which love seeds grow.
If you want to bring love into a relationship, you must first
bring friendship.
The FIFTH secret - the power of TOUCH.
Touch is one of the most powerful expressions of love, breaking
down barriers and bonding relationships.
Touch changes our physical and emotional states and makes us more
receptive to love.
The SIXTH secret - the power of LETTING GO.
If you love something, let it free. If it comes back to you, it"s
yours, if it doesn"t, it never was.
Even in a loving relationship, people need their own space.
If we want to learn to love, we must first learn to forgive and
let go of past hurts and grievances.
Love means letting go of our fears, prejudices, egos and
conditions.
Today I let go of all my fears, the past has no power over me -
today is the beginning of a new life.-
The SEVENTH secret - the power of COMMUNICATION.
When we learn to communicate openly and honestly, life changes.
To love someone is to communicate with them.
Let the people you love know that you love them and appreciate
them.
Never be afraid to say those three magic words: .I Love You.-
Never let an opportunity pass to praise someone.
Always leave someone you love with a loving word -
it could be the last time you see him or her.
If you were about to die but could make telephone calls to the
people you loved, who would you call, what would you say and .. why
are you waiting?
The EIGHTH secret - the power of COMMITMENT.
If you want to have love in abundance, you must be committed to
it, and that commitment will be reflected in your thoughts and
actions.
Commitment is the TRUE test of love. If you want to have loving
relationships, you must be committed to loving relationships.
When you are committed to someone or something, quitting is never
an option.
Commitment distinguishes a fragile relationship from a strong one.
The NINTH secret - the power of PASSION.
Passion ignites love and keeps it alive.
Lasting passion does not come through physical attraction alone;
it comes from deep commitment, enthusiasm, interest and
excitement.
Passion can be recreated by recreating past experiences.
When you felt passionate spontaneity and surprises produce
passion.
The essence of love and happiness are the same;
all we need to do is to live each day with passion.
The TENTH secret - the power of TRUST.
Trust is essential in all loving relationships.
Without it one person becomes suspicious, anxious and fearful
and the other person feels trapped and emotionally suffocated.
You cannot love someone completely unless you trust him or her
completely.
Act as if your relationship with the person you love will never
end.
One of the ways you can tell whether a person is right for you is
to ask yourself, .Do I trust them completely and unreservedly?
If the answer is .no-, think carefully before making a
commitment.

How to say I Love You in 100 Languages !!!

2008-08-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

English - I love you

Afrikaans - Ek het jou lief

Albanian - Te dua

Arabic - Ana behibak (to male)

Arabic - Ana behibek (to female)

Armenian - Yes kez sirumen

Bambara - M'bi fe

Bangla - Aamee tuma ke bhalo aashi

Belarusian - Ya tabe kahayu

Bisaya - Nahigugma ako kanimo

Bulgarian - Obicham te

Cambodian - Soro lahn nhee ah

Cantonese Chinese - Ngo oiy ney a

Catalan - T'estimo

Cheyenne - Ne mohotatse

Chichewa - Ndimakukonda

Corsican - Ti tengu caru (to male)

Creol - Mi aime jou

Croatian - Volim te

Czech - Miluji te

Danish - Jeg Elsker Dig

Dutch - Ik hou van jou

Esperanto - Mi amas vin

Estonian - Ma armastan sind

Ethiopian - Afgreki'

Faroese - Eg elski teg

Farsi - Doset daram

Filipino - Mahal kita

Finnish - Mina rakastan sinua

French - Je t'aime, Je t'adore

Gaelic - Ta gra agam ort

Georgian - Mikvarhar

German - Ich liebe dich

Greek - S'agapo

Gujarati - Hoo thunay prem karoo choo

Hiligaynon - Palangga ko ikaw

Hawaiian - Aloha wau ia oi

Hebrew - Ani ohev otah (to female)

Hebrew - Ani ohev et otha (to male)

Hiligaynon - Guina higugma ko ikaw

Hindi - Hum Tumhe Pyar Karte hae

Hmong - Kuv hlub koj

Hopi - Nu' umi unangwa'ta

Hungarian - Szeretlek

Icelandic - Eg elska tig

Ilonggo - Palangga ko ikaw

Indonesian - Saya cinta padamu

Inuit - Negligevapse

Irish - Taim i' ngra leat

Italian - Ti amo

Japanese - Aishiteru

Kannada - Naanu ninna preetisuttene

Kapampangan - Kaluguran daka

Kiswahili - Nakupenda

Konkani - Tu magel moga cho

Korean - Sarang Heyo

Latin - Te amo

Latvian - Es tevi miilu

Lebanese - Bahibak

Lithuanian - Tave myliu

Malay - Saya cintakan mu / Aku cinta padamu

Malayalam - Njan Ninne Premikunnu

Mandarin Chinese - Wo ai ni

Marathi - Me tula prem karto

Mohawk - Kanbhik

Moroccan - Ana moajaba bik

Nahuatl - Ni mits neki

Navaho - Ayor anosh'ni

Norwegian - Jeg Elsker Deg

Pandacan - Syota na kita!!

Pangasinan - Inaru Taka

Papiamento - Mi ta stimabo

Persian - Doo-set daaram

Pig Latin - Iay ovlay ouyay

Polish - Kocham Ciebie

Portuguese - Eu te amo

Romanian - Te ubesk

Russian - Ya tebya liubliu

Scot Gaelic - Tha gra\dh agam ort

Serbian - Volim te

Setswana - Ke a go rata

Sign Language - ,\,,/ (represents position of

fingers when

signing'I Love You')

Sindhi - Maa tokhe pyar kendo ahyan

Sioux - Techihhila

Slovak - Lu`bim ta

Slovenian - Ljubim te

Spanish - Te quiero / Te amo

Swahili - Ninapenda wewe

Swedish - Jag alskar dig

Swiss-German - Ich lieb Di

Tagalog - Mahal kita

Taiwanese - Wa ga ei li

Tahitian - Ua Here Vau Ia Oe

Tamil - Nan unnai kathalikaraen

Telugu - Nenu ninnu premistunnanu

Thai - Chan rak khun (to male)

Thai - Phom rak khun (to female)

Turkish - Seni Seviyorum

Ukrainian - Ya tebe kahayu

Urdu - mai aap say pyaar karta hoo

Vietnamese - Anh ye^u em (to female)

Vietnamese - Em ye^u anh (to male)

Welsh - 'Rwy'n dy garu

Yiddish - Ikh hob dikh

Yoruba - Mo ni fe

Live and be Happy

2008-08-25T04:45:00.000-07:00

________________________________________
~Watch a sunrise at least once a year
~Look people in the eye
~Sing in the shower
~Be forgiving of yourself and others
~Never give up on anybody, miracles happen everyday
~Surprise loved ones with little unexpected gifts
~Make the best of bad situations
~Admit your mistakes
~Slow dance
~Remember that the most important thing is trust
~Make it a habit to do nice things for people who'll never find out
~Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures
~Never cheat
~Smile a lot
~Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have
~Strive for excellence, not perfection
~Be kinder than necessary
~Never take action when you're angry
~Be romantic
~When someone hugs you, let them be first to let go
~Seek out the good in people
~Look at the stars
~Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying
peace, health and love
~Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them
~Laugh a lot
~Love deeply and passionately
~Eat meals with your family
~Be the first to forgive
~Don't let Weeds grow around your dreams
~Live and Be Happy

________________________________________
~Watch a sunrise at least once a year
- cause watching it will tell u each day starts anew.
~Look people in the eye
- to let the people know that u are confident of what u are doing or saying.
~Sing in the shower
- to make urself appreciate ur own voice.....and to keep urself jolly
~Be forgiving of yourself and others
- So that others would forgive u when u make mistakes

~Never give up on anybody, miracles happen everyday
- cause people change everyday.
A person may not be able to do something today but by u giving up on them
they will have the spirit to do that something someday
~Surprise loved ones with little unexpected gifts
-to make them smile and to show them that u care

~Make the best of bad situations
-so that life will never be upsetting

~Admit your mistakes
-cause when u admit, u are showing u are courageous to face the consequences
~Slow dance
- to relax ur mind in times of stress

~Remember that the most important thing is trust
-Trust is the base of life. Trust can do wonders
~Make it a habit to do nice things for people who'll never find out
- Just imagine someone u have helped without their knowledge,. Seeing their happiness will make u feel
contented
~Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures
- to show that u appreciate even little things
~Never cheat
- cause cheating will set ur mind guilty all the time....
~Smile a lot
- cause smiling reduces wrinkle
~Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have
- hope can even make the blind see

~Strive for excellence, not perfection
-cause no one is perfect

~Be kinder than necessary
-so that others will be happy

~Never take action when you're angry
-cause that is when u will be very regretful

~Be romantic
- so as to make ur partner and urself happy

~When someone hugs you, let them be first to let go
- to signify that u will never let go no matter what happens

~Seek out the good in people
-to forget their bad

~Look at the stars
-to think of life as beautiful as the skies

~Judge your success by the degree that you're enjoying
peace, health and love
-cause there is no use of success if u don't enjoy it at al
~Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them
- cause no one is guranteed to be alive when u want to tell them

~Laugh a lot
-to make urself happy

~Love deeply and passionately
-so as to have a closer bond with ur partner

~Eat meals with your family
-to have a easy talk with ur family

~Be the first to forgive
-cause no one is perfect so do forgive others

~Don't let Weeds grow around your dreams
- cause those weeds will be ur life then

~Live and Be Happy

Two Days We Should Not Worry

2008-08-25T04:42:00.002-07:00

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry,
two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is Yesterday with all its mistakes and cares,
its faults and blunders, its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed;
we cannot erase a single word we said.
Yesterday is gone forever.
The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow
with all its possible adversities, its burdens,
its large promise and its poor performance;
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's sun will rise,
either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow,
for it is yet to be born.
This leaves only one day, Today.
Any person can fight the battle of just one day.
It is when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities
Yesterday and Tomorrow that we break down.
It is not the experience of Today that drives a person mad,
it is the remorse or bitterness of something which happened Yesterday and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring.
Let us, therefore, Live but one day at a time

Mother love, A very touching poem

2008-08-25T04:42:00.001-07:00

He cannot tell his mother he's dying.
Somehow he's embarrassed, ashamed of fifty-six years
of imperfections, of doing everything she told him
(even as a teenager) not to do.
He's ashamed for her, too--her second son to die this way,
that out of her milk-white and perfect bones
came a perfect cell that would divide and divide
her heart into a million pieces, if she only knew.
His world was every yellow tulip she breathed in April,
every strawberry whose redness she swallowed in July,
every song on her lips whose notes
slid in tenor waves through her thin skin
and lulled him off to sleep again hush little baby don't say a word.
She once felt his fingers and toes fluttering
beneath the tight skin of her belly, his straining to open his mouth
and tell her everything in the world he knew was beautiful.
Now he feels an invisible weight
pushing out on his belly and his love has no words
for all the nothing in the world
he knows is beautiful.

WORK TO LIVE, NOT LIVE TO WORK

2008-08-25T04:40:00.001-07:00

It's 5 o'clock in the morning; the alarm sets off. You get out of bed. You take a bath. You have your breakfast. You leave the house. You're ready to face another working day. Or are you?

When I was a kid, I would ask my mom why she and my father had to work. She would always tell me that they had to, so we could have the money to buy food, to pay for the bills, to pay for schooling & so on. Both my parents worked but I'm really grateful to God; that in spite of that, I was never lacking in love, time, nor care from my parents.

As a matter of fact, I grew up to be a responsible individual because my parents really took care of me. Although they were at the office 5 days a week from 8am to 6pm, they still found time to look after me, and teach me, my lessons in the evening.

They made sure that I did my homework. They didn't pressure me to aspire for honors, but I was motivated enough to study hard so I'd get good grades. It was my way of repaying my parents who never complained about working. I guess fate has been really good to me because, modesty aside, I managed to land in the top of my respective classes.

My parents taught me that one has to work in order for him to live a good life. They stressed, however, that this should not be taken as having to live just to work! They said that work should only be a part of life and it should not occupy one's whole existence.

And they lived this philosophy. At the end of the work day, they would leave all their work-related problems in the office so that at home they could be devoted to us 100% as a family, no less.

I must say that I agree with them. To this day, I still hear their message that work should be just a part of life and not life itself. I pity those people who have their way in this game called life. They have forgotten how to really live because they work too hard.

There' nothing wrong with striving at work, but people must watch out for signs that they have begun to work themselves to death. Remember that anything in excess is bad. Maybe, they want to achieve something badly, that's why they work so hard. But I believe that success in the workplace doesn't always bring happiness.

To be successful means that you have to sacrifice some things and sometimes, you end up sacrificing your family, your friends, your life; you achieve your professional goals, but you lose yourself. Then you wonder if the loss is worth the gain.

Everybody's wish, in this world, is happiness and there are many ways to be happy. But when we work too hard or worry too much, we often forget that the simple things in life are those that make us happy…. a call from a friend, a smile from a stranger, the sight of a lovely flower, a surprise gift, a filling meal, a pat on the back, etc. It doesn't require much to get these gifts. These gifts are for free, but they provide immeasurable happiness.

Work to live and not live to work. Find time for yourself, for your family, for your friends. Keep in mind that your priority is your loved ones, and not your work. Everybody deserves to be happy and I hope that everyone grows old without any regret in life.

I hope each of us will have a smile on our faces when we reminisce the old times, I hope that everyone finds living exciting, wonderful. It is my wish that we would all find the time to do the things that really matter most.Let us work hard, not purely for our professional goals, but for a better life and thus a better world.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Friendship

2008-08-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

Topic: FRIENDSHIP
________________________________________

1. A friend is someone who knows all there is to know about you, but loves you anyway.
---Glenda Nunn
2. We must love each other enough to cause growth.
---Neal A. Maxwell
3. The milestones into gravestones turn, and under each a friend.
---Cicero
4. A true friend always leaves us better than he finds us.
---Bennie Harris
5. You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
---Ruth Smeltzer
6. It is easy to die for a friend, but difficult to find a friend who is worth dying for.
---Submitted by Tarun Shah
7. Those who do not believe in love, are dead to the world and were dead from birth.
---Submitted by Ursula Mayr
8. Thee lift me, and I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together.
---Quaker Proverb submitted by Risë Harris
9. What is a friend? One soul in two bodies.
---Aristotle submitted by Shannon Shan
10. If you seek the very best of friends in your life, a great spouse won't be far behind.
---Submitted by Anita Popp
11. We may rise or fall, but in the end we'll meet our fate together.
---Creed submitted by Warrick Ball
12. A friend in need is a pest.
---Submitted by Jeff Buchop
13. Always forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
---Robert Kennedy submitted by Rueben Aitchison
14. You become what you surround yourself in.
---Submitted by Anita Popp
15. It is difficult to be depressed when the focus is on helping someone else.
---Submitted by Anita Popp
16. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
---New Age saying and Christian hymn submitted by Wilfredo Jose de Jesus Maldonado Diazvia
17. If you found a friend you found a treasure (Chi trova un amico, trova un tresoro).
---Italian Proverb submitted by Lorena Vassallo
18. All for one and one for all.
---Alexandre Dumas submitted by Lorena Vassallo
19. We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.
---Submitted by Beth Ann Allison
20. We need to learn, practice, study, know and understand how angels live with each other. When this community comes to the point to be perfectly honest and upright, you will never find a poor person; none will lack, all will have sufficient. Every man, woman, and child will have all they need just as soon as they become honest. When the majority of the community are dishonest, it maketh the honest portion poor, for the dishonest serve and enrich themselves at their expense.
---Brigham Young
21. If you have friends who are not good influences, make changes; even if it means facing loneliness.
---Boyd K. Packer
22. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.
---Jesus Christ
23. When two souls finally find each other there is between them a union which begins on earth and continues forever in Heaven.
---Submitted by Tennille Winfrey
24. Life is to be fortified by many feelings. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence.
---Sydney Smith submitted by Tennille Winfrey
25. If you want to know what love is, give much of yourself. Be honest. Be sincere. Be thoughtful. Be understanding. Be patient and still. Be ready to get hurt.
---Marie
26. Friendship lasts until the next quarrel.
---Uldarico Kulalapnot
27. A friend of your friend is your enemy.
---Unknown
28. Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.
---Woodrow Wilson submitted by Lacey Rader
29. Love is not blind. It sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less.
---Rabbi Julius Gordon submitted by C. Woodhouse
30. Love has the patience to endure the fault it sees, but cannot cure.
---Edgar A. Guest submitted by C. Woodhouse
31. Sometimes you cannot get the exact love you want, only the love someone can give.
---Unknown submitted by Lauralee Johnson
32. A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
---Moriah Seibert submitted by Denise Stokes
33. One friend in a lifetime is much, two is many, and three nearly impossible.
---Unknown submitted by Kim
34. Some people have a large circle of friends while others have only friends they like.
---Unknown submitted by Kim
35. Love between two people is hard to see, but when you are in love you can see it.
---A.J. Santiago submitted by Hernan A. Santiago
36. If you love something let it go. If it comes back, it's yours; if it doesn't, it was never yours to begin with.
---Submitted by Aisling Walsh
37. Loving yourself prepares you to love others.
---Shelia Mari Pabalan
38. A smile is just a smile, but when you are in love with someone, a smile can be a thousand words.
---Submitted by Beth Ledger
39. Some people come into our lives and quickly go; others stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same.
---Submitted by Jen_ds3
40. True friendship is a tree of slow growth.
---Submitted by Joanne C.
41. Friends are not necessary to live. They do, however, make life worth living.
---C. S. Lewis submitted by Sean
42. When you love somebody a whole lot, and you know that person loves you, that's the most beautiful place in the world.
---Ann Cameron
43. The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way.
---Jean Webster
44. Sometimes you know in your heart you love someone, but you have to go away before your head can figure it out.
---Sharon Creech
45. You can't expect two start to drop in the same field in one lifetime.
---P.L. Travers
46. A friend will help you move. A good friend will help you move a body.
---Nate K
47. Love is what you hope and hope determines what you choose to love.
---Siddarth Seth
48. Who ceases to be a friend never was one.
---Greek Proverb submitted by Stacy Sher
49. Without friends you are like a book nobody bothers to pick up.
---Submitted by Ummul Khair
50. Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and wait to hear the answer.
---Ed Cunningham
51. Friends are people who have your permission to be a pain in your butt.
---W. Jonathan McCoy
52. A real friend is one who walks in when the world walks out.
---Submitted by Karren
53. If you lived to be a hundred, I wish I could live to be a hundred minus one day. So I would never have to live without you.
---Winnie the Pooh submitted by Lindsey
54. It is not only necessary to love, it is necessary to say so.
---French Proverb submitted by Kandance Welch
55. If you open your heart and listen, you'll hear the whisper of angels.
---Submitted by Pamela Rose
56. Trust is easily broken, hard to receive, and even harder to regain.
---Roger L. Marsh
57. A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.
---Unknown
58. True friends are like diamonds, precious and rare, false friends are like autumn leaves falling everywhere.
---Submitted by Sabrina Lee
59. If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever.
---Winnie the Pooh submitted by Annie Posea
60. Without love, we are like birds without wings.
---Mitch Albom submitted by Annie Posea
61. When you hug someone never be the first to let go.
---H. Jackson Brown, Jr. submitted by Annie Posea
62. The vitamin for friendship...............B-1
---Submitted by Bob Brown
63. Men are like stars, there are a million of them, but only one can make your dreams come true!
---Submitted by Katie Boyers
64. The death of a best friend is a lot like suicide.
---Matt King
65. We are angels, but with one wing, and we fly by embracing each other.
---Vicki Bothwell
66. Guys and girls are fully capable of just being friends, granted that both are ugly and heartless.
---Duc Nguyen
67. True love can not be found where it does not truly exist, nor can it be hidden where it truly does.
---Submitted by Justin Goodwin
68. You never lose by loving..you always lose by holding back.
---Submitted by Jenna Weag
69. A smile relieves a heart that grieves.
---The Rolling Stones submitted by Hope Martin
70. Keep a fair-sized cemetery in your back yard, in which to bury the faults of your friends.
---Henry Ward Beecher
________________________________________

useful links

2008-08-13T00:33:00.001-07:00

www.screensavers.com

www.myyearbook.com

www.rentalo.com

www.hotmat.com

www.jdate.com

www.prize-o-matic.com

www.reunion.com

www.tickle.com

www.directdegree.com

www.ebay.it

www.search4careercolleges.com

www.monster.com

rentalo

2008-08-13T00:32:00.002-07:00

it make a visit to this site by clicking on the link rentalo.com spend at least 20-25 minutes over there, understand the complete concept, how it works, what it offers, submit a request for a location where you want to spend time with you family or friends, see the response you get.

inetcashincome

2008-08-13T00:32:00.001-07:00

it have provided several add-on features keeping in mind the current internet scenario in INDIA. Again this always will be one of the ways by which you can promote Affiliate Marketing. There are many more ways, can be more than what we have described in our iniGoogleCash package. It’s up to you to find out more innovative ideas, and you sure will get it automatically, once you start your work.

monster

2008-08-13T00:30:00.002-07:00

it make a visit to this site by clicking on the link monster.com spend at least 5-10minutes over there, fill up the displayed form about my monster or send a resume or search for a resume or jobs or whatever category you select. Understand the complete concept, how it works, what its offers know about more details.

screensavers

2008-08-13T00:30:00.001-07:00

it just makes a visit to this site, browse through the site as per your convenience and download any screensaver you like for free. Screensavers.com pays an Affiliate US$0.60, if someone downloads a screensaver via the link placed by an Affiliate, i.e., you. This is one good site as screensavers there are of very high quality and not even a registration is needed. Moreover, everyone likes to have a great screensaver on their PCs or laptops. Visit www.screensavers.com and complete the process of downloading a screensaver on your PC to get a fair idea as to how a lead is generated

eay

2008-08-13T00:29:00.003-07:00

it is one such advertiser in India which currently offers a lot of earning potential for all of us. The company is doing a lot of promotion to make its brand popular in India. Have you ever made a Sale or Purchase on eBay.in? This is important and has various advantages, one you will understand how the e-commerce transaction takes place in India which is very important to understand as you are stepping in the world of online Business. Second it always improves your chances of getting approval from respective company to participate in their affiliate programs.

Westernisation or modernisation

2008-07-16T12:59:00.001-07:00

Westernisation or modernisation

The modernisation of Indian society was a matter of concern for those who assumed power when the country became independent more than 50 years ago. The intelligentsia, as a whole, viewed modernisation with favour if not enthusiasm. This was true not only of India but of newly-independent countries throughout the world. Decolonisation was viewed as an opportunity not for a return to the past but for a more effective and meaningful participation in the modern world. It was tacitly assumed that some countries had travelled further along the road to modernity than others but that the others too could and should catch up with the former.

The modernisation of society was regarded as not only desirable for its own sake but also as a precondition for the development of the economy and the advance of democracy. Economic development was an urgent task in a country in which poverty and stagnation were widespread. Much of the blame for the poor state of the economy was laid at the door of colonial rule. With the removal of that constraint, the road to economic development seemed wide open. But there were internal constraints as well in the form of age-old social habits, practices, customs and institutions. In the newly-independent countries of Asia and Africa, the obstacles to economic growth were not only technological, they were also institutional. The removal of those obstacles or the modernisation of society was thus viewed as essential for growth and development.

The advance of democracy also required some recasting of traditional social arrangements. Indeed, the idea of `political development' soon took its place by the side of economic development. The creation of democracy did not stop with the adoption of adult franchise and the holding of regular elections, important as they were. It required effective political socialisation and political participation, in short, education in citizenship.

The impulse for modernisation came from many different sources and not just from the requirements of economic development and democratic politics. In the wake of Independence, Indians looked forward to participating in the modern world as free and equal members. The political leadership under Jawaharlal Nehru was modernist and not traditionalist. Independence created new opportunities for breaking free from the cobwebs of the past. The Indian middle class wanted a modern and not a traditional education for its children. The urge for a modern, not to say a western, education for their children has expanded and intensified among middle class families in the last 50 years.

The seeds of modernisation along with those of democracy and development, were planted in Indian soil during the colonial rule. Independence and decolonisation brought in new elements and new configurations, but at least in India they did not lead to a complete break with the immediate past. Neither Nehru, the first Prime Minister, nor B. R. Ambedkar, the main architect of the Constitution, wanted such a break; and even Sardar Patel threw in his weight in favour of retaining the ICS, till then regarded as the steel frame of imperial rule.

Attitudes to modernity and modernisation have changed between the middle of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Fifty years ago, the modernists held the field because the traditionalists spoke in a weak voice and post-modernism was yet to be born. There are various reasons why modernisation has lost some of the appeal it once enjoyed. First, as the process unfolded its social costs became more and more apparent, and to some at least they seemed to outweigh its benefits. In some areas and in certain phases it tends to increase rather than reduce the gap between the socially advantaged and the disadvantaged. Second, certain homogenising tendencies inherent in modernisation make it appear as a perpetual threat to the social and cultural identity of the nation as a whole. The prophets of doom declare that modernisation will rob Indian society and culture or its identity and yet leave Indians far behind on the path of progress.

Apprehensions of loss of identity are not easy to dispel; one can at best try to see that they do not assume pathological forms. In its origin and evolution, the idea of modernisation has been tied inextricably to that of westernisation: that has been the poisoned chalice for many ardent nationalists who want their country to progress. Many might like to subscribe to modernisation but they would not like to submit to western hegemony. Is it possible to have a modernity that will be completely untainted by any association with western ideas and values?

In an important study of the Arab world conducted just after decolonisation began, Daniel Lerner spoke by preference of modernisation rather than westernisation. He explained his preference by saying his Arab readers would be more comfortable with the first than with the second. They welcomed modernisation but were deeply ambivalent towards the West.

In his Tagore lectures barely a decade later, M. N. Srinivas decided to face the issue squarely and chose `westernisation' instead of `modernisation'. He pointed to the complexity of westernisation and to the depth of its penetration in Indian society. Although it had spread widely, its spread was not uniform. It started during colonial rule, but the end of colonial rule did not bring westernisation to an end. Rather, as Srinivas noted, "the process has become greatly intensified, in many ways, since 1947 when India became independent." Further, there was, according to him, a change in the motive force by which the process was driven. In the 19th century, the desire for social reform took precedence over the urge for national freedom, but the priorities became reversed in the course of time.

Srinivas' account of social change in modern India, published in the mid-1960s, is remarkable for its depth of historical insight and its freedom from ideological cant. He gave the due share of credit to British rule but did not fail to point out that the British generally acted in their own interest, which was not always the interest of their Indian subjects. Nor did he believe that "the mindless imitation of the West" was all that there was to the process of westernisation. Although by no means uncritically admiring of India's modernising elite, he gave its members credit for their capacity for adaptation and innovation.

Indian society has moved too far along the road to modernity for it to be able to turn back now or even to stay at a standstill. No society can today opt out of the modern world without doing irreparable harm to itself. Being part of the modern world means remaining open to influences from all around. There will be blind imitation, no matter how much we deplore it; but there will also be intelligent adaptation as there has been in the past. Too much anxiety about the loss of identity and authenticity puts the brakes on a society's natural growth process.
Modernisation has not led all societies to become carbon copies - or caricatures - of any one society, and is unlikely to do so in the future. The modern world allows choices to be made, but the choices are not unrestricted. There are those who say that the modernity that emerged in the West in the wake of Enlightenment is irredeemably flawed, and that we should turn our back on it and create our own alternative modernity. That would be a vain and hopeless pursuit. Modernisation is not like a bus which one boards as one chooses and from which one alights as one pleases.

NT Bureau

2008-07-16T12:58:00.001-07:00

There is a perceptible shift from foreign-dependent mindset to India-centric approach to handle globalisation due to geopolitical reasons.

The intellectual Indians initially failed to grasp the fact that instead of welcoming and advocating globalisation, the nation had to face this new trade war designed by the West as a strategic game-plan to sustain its dominance in the world economy. But now, even elite Indians are trying to benchmark this global phenomenon from Indian standards, said S Gurumurthy, chartered accountant and convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an economic forum that supports native enterprise.
He was speaking on 'What Price Globalisation' at a meet hosted by The Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the city yesterday. 'Indian economy is driven by community and family entrepreneurship, unlike in America where individuals run big corporations. So, when the West has conceived something like WTO, it is primarily for its own benefit and not for the rest of the world,' he said.
It is rather immature to talk of globalisation driven by world trade. 'For every bit of world trade is managed by the West. There are powerful civilisational and religious influences that have a say in the evolving globalisation,' he said. Citing the recent studies of Francis Fukuyama and Alvin Toffler, well-know authors in geopolitics, he said that even as technology would be a determinant in world economy, the market dynamics will be managed by the private sector and the governments of the West to keep America on its consumerist binge.

Behind every woman... lies history

2008-07-16T12:56:00.001-07:00

Behind every woman... lies history

Using a well-worn axiom, namely that `behind every woman lies... ( unstated).. a man', Supriya RoyChowdhury has argued (The Hindu, 21 April, 2002) that the effort to `empower women' by reserving seats for them in local self-government, has not only been a farce, but it has distracted from developing a more genuine voice of women, for removing the age-old discrimination.

To quote "many of the emerging features of women's role in panchayats indicate that first, reservation, in itself, is insufficient as an instrument of empowerment. Second, reservation in fact may turn out to be a handicap insofar as an obvious insignia of empowerment detracts attention from deeper, structural sources of powerlessness and the need to address these through movemental struggles rather than through institutionalised power'' . . .

She questions the elected women's "capacity to effectively represent the general interests of the community, and second, more specifically, their capacity to conceptualise and effectively represent the interests of women in the community. . .''

She notices, "There appeared to be a hiatus between the projects that the women seemed to uniformly want to implement in their villages, and the absence of a vision of overall economic betterment, which would provide, above all, employment and higher wages . . .'' and goes on to say, "More importantly, perhaps, their political placement in these institutions in relationships of dependence to locally powerful persons prevents them from evolving a broader political agenda to push for the interests of the poor in the community. Effectively, the women remain tied to the project / grant discourse which reinforces the power of the local strongman.''

``In such a context, participation in institutionalised forms of power, through mechanisms of state-sponsored affirmative action, has only limited possibilities of addressing larger issues of justice and equality.''

She builds her argument from her interviews / interaction with elected women in Karnataka, who informed her that they were stimulated, guided or ordered to stand for elections by their husbands; that they did not see women as their constituency, as those whom they represented, that they perceived themselves as representing the area or perhaps their class, caste or political party. Further, that many of them belonged to the contractor or landlord class.

Thus apart from being male and elite-driven, her investigations showed that women are not representing women. Some labouring women she interviewed said they had not really heard about anything called panchayat, but one said that they were happy that some drinking water arrangement had been made for them - and she believed by the panchayat.

Her critical analysis, she suggests is (I quote), "necessary in the context of the present euphoria over women's role in panchayats''.

Taking the first finding of Ms. Chowdhury, namely that women were there because of their men. The seats reserved for women, have been "taken'' from men, - a reallotment of an occupied seat. In the first instance, it is quite natural that the dislodged man would put his women - be it wife, daughter or daughter-in-law - as a "proxy''. But what is missing from Ms. Chowdhury's commentary is the fact that in many constituencies, areas, especially in the second round of elections, women have gained more than 33 1/3 per cent of the seats reserved. In Karnataka, in successive elections, it went up to above 40 per cent. So also in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh etc

In those areas where women fought in non-reserved seats, they have come out on top because of their own political drive and show it too. A pilot study with 60 women G.P. members (Stephen 2001), who had undergone a three-phased training, revealed that one-third were still functioning as proxy candidates, one-third did not face any constraints at home but found it difficult to overcome gender-subordination within the gram panchayat and about one-third were functioning effectively and have gained some power within the family.

Secondly, in many parts of Karnataka for example, women who belong to the Mahila Samakhya Sanghas fought electoral battles not because their men told them to, but because they could see this as a natural next step to the evolution of what could be called a consciousness of themselves as citizens, as persons with some special voice, issues on which they required power to redress their subordination. Here and in some areas where there have been strong women-led community-based organization, or women support centers, women are their own agents. In some constituencies, resolutions have been passed removing a woman sarpanch, after manipulating non-attendance. In as many places, local women's campaigns have had them re-instated. Thus important battles are being fought in local areas between women and men, and the historically male-dominated political arenas, restructuring gender relations which would not have been possible without the Amendment and the reservation.

Here are interesting findings from conversations with groups of political Elected Women Representatives (EWRs). First, it was women as different in their opinion from their men, in Karnataka as far back as in 1987 when Karnataka introduced reservation of seats for women in local self-government (prior to the Constitutional amendment) who objected to the clause in the Bill - (which has now been unfortunately passed) that elections to Gram Sabha are to be held on a non-party basis. Their explanation was that it is through party membership and party participation that they could rise in the political sphere. This mature political sense shook the women NGOs.

In consultations, in several States, "EWRs'' have said they see themselves as representatives of the area. "We are interested in all the issues and development initiatives." Why, we asked. Again, if they associate themselves only with one social category, they feel they cannot gain the area support which is what they need when it comes to fighting elections.

Thus women at the grassroots are getting politicised. As they understand and deal with hard politics, they also push for its transformation to accommodate their own location and needs. This political astuteness has to be recognised, rather than demeaned.

Behind every woman who attempts to claim power lies a history - a complex experience of exclusion, requiring deep understanding of her attempts to emerge from the underground. It may look like scratches on the surface; but the one million women released through the reservation of seats in local self-government, will crack open that chink in the contemporary political armour.

Behind every woman... lies history

2008-07-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Software Industry

2008-07-16T12:55:00.000-07:00

Software Industry

The Indian software industry truly symbolizes India’s strength in the knowledge based economy. Highly skilled human resources coupled with low wage structure and world class quality have transformed India into a global powerhouse in the Information Technology (IT) software services and solutions sectors.

The Indian IT industry has grown from US$ 0.8 billion in 1994-95 to US$ 10.1 billion in 2001-02. The figure below illustrates the growth of the Indian IT sector. Software and services exports are expected to account for more than 50 per cent of the sector turnover in 2001-2002.

• Despite a slowing global economy, Indian Software exports grew by 23 percent in 2001-02, while overall exports fell down by 2 per cent.

• India currently exports software to around 95 countries around the globe and more than 250 Fortune 500 companies have outsourced some part of their software requirements from India. North America and Europe accounted for 86% of Indian exports in 2000-2001.

• The growth of India as a software hub has also been facilitated by the initiatives taken by the Union and State Governments. Many State Governments have set up Hi-Tech Parks and implemented e-governance projects.

• Many global software majors have set-up operations in India. They include Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe among others.

• The government has also announced incentives for adhering to Quality Standards such as ISO 9000, SEI CMM by providing import duty concessions. Similarly, Exim bank subsidises the cost of acquiring the quality standard by around 50%.

• The growth of the sector has also been enhanced by a flourishing venture capital (VC) industry. The VC industry was estimated to be worth around US$ 408 million in 2000 and is expected to grow to US$ 10 billion by 2008. This shows a CAGR of around 50 per cent.

Policy Initiatives

• Besides Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Export Promotion Zones (EPZs), the government is encouraging the setting up of Software Technology Parks (STPs). STPs offer zero import duty on the import of all capital goods, special 10 years income tax rebates, availability of infrastructure facilities such as high-speed data communication links, etc.

• Foreign companies can set-up operations in these zones either through incorporation of the company as per Indian Companies Act (with 100% equity holding), through a joint venture with an Indian company or through a wholly owned subsidiary.

Opportunities

• Strong cost value proposition, driven by the low cost of quality manpower and high quality work delivery.

• India has a large base of English speaking, skilled manpower resource with experience on state-of-the-art hardware and software platforms. This is supported by a flourishing IT education market, producing high quality software professionals across different areas in the field.

• The government has announced software export sector tax incentives-setting up of STPs and a VC funds.

• India has a well developed infrastructure support to aid connectivity and data transfers.

Conditional access system for cable TV watchers boon or bane

2008-07-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

The Indian Readership Survey 2001 reveals urban cable penetration of 84.7 per cent in towns and 32.7 per cent in villages. Cable/satellite broadcasters have current revenues of Rs 3600 crore mainly from advertisement revenues with the expected growth by 2006 to Rs 8100 crore largely on the strength of subscriber revenue.Herein lies the rub.

The average growth in the TV segment sector has been 38 per cent. Naturally the broadcasters want a greater share of the cable pie and local cable operators are unwilling to give in easily to demands of full declaration when no broadcaster is willing to reveal his cost of acquisition of content or operating costs and when the whole trp audience rating issue has become tainted with controversy. In the past two years broadcasters and multi-system cable operators have resorted to bitter litigation on various issues and inevitably settled out of court.Broadcasters have had to face flak from advertisers for not providing assured connectivity. Cable operators have had to face wrath of consumers for blank screens.

The cable industry is 'governed' by the Cable Network Regulation Act 1995 which only provides for post office registration and is otherwise a toothless and technologically redundant law. Ultimately the Convergence Bill will become law but in the meanwhile government has been resorting to piecemeal legislation to take care of burning issues affecting the electronic media. These include major amendments to the Cable Act in 2000, a local (satellite) up-linking policy in 2001, and DTH guidelines in 2002. Now the government has accepted the Rakesh Mohan task force report on introduction of a conditional access system for pay channels. This mandates that all pay channels would be available only through a set top box to provide the consumer the choice of viewing and an option to pay for what he chooses to watch. Free-to-air channels would continue to be available through present receivers at an' affordable price' to be determined by the government.

After the initial round of euphoria in the cable industry, various queries are being raised mainly by broadcasters and consumer organisations: Is the set top box a feasible solution for ensuring that broadcasters are paid? Broadcasters have been able to double their subscription revenue in the last one year forcing cable operators to raise rates to Rs 300 per month in Mumbai. Any further raise will not be tolerated. Will consumer choice be reduced by government mandated solutions? All that the government is doing is restoring the right of choice of watching channels to the consumer who will only now pay for channels he chooses to watch. Who will bear the costs of regulation? Obviously, the consumer will bear the cost of the set top box. The cable operator will bear the cost of the subscriber management system. The broadcaster will have to fix a maximum retail price to compensate the cable operator for use of the infrastructure and system upgrade including the subscriber management system.

The government has to chart the road ahead once conditional access becomes mandatory. Government has to continue to take a proactive consumer stance by taking the following additional measures immediately: 1) Ensuring a three-phase roll out to cover metros in the next six months, mini metros in the next 12 months and the entire country in 18 months. 2) To ensure easy acceptability of set top boxes and subscriber management systems for cable operators all duties including central/state and local levies be waived for a period of three years. 3) As government has decided to fix a maximum retail price for free-to-air channels, it should also freeze all current pay channel rates till deployment of set top boxes is actually in place. Thereafter the broadcasters would have to persuade customers to subscribe to their channels both in terms of attractive content and pricing. 4) As the Convergence Bill is still being scrutinised by a standing committee of Parliament, an interim arrangement to settle all disputes in the TV segment between broadcasters, cable operators and consumers may be considered by enlarging the function of the Telecom Regulatory Authority or appointment of an ombudsman.

Kids today are not what they used to be

2008-07-16T12:52:00.001-07:00

Kids today are not what they used to be

The following points could be discussed under this topic:

The environment in which kids grow today are different. kids today are exposed to different kinds of media like radio, television Internet etc. They learn many things quickly and mature faster.They have a lot of information in their access compared to before. There are a lot of negative influences too. Kids are more demanding. Also exposure to these media can cause negative effect on them.

From the education point of view, competition has become so fierce that it forces them to compete from the beginning. This leads to non inculcation of values like sharing and giving.

From the parents aspect, we have a scenario where both the parents are working and are able to buy the kids all materialistic things but are unable to spend time with them...etc...

Economic freedom not old fashioned theories of development will lead to growth and prosperity

2008-07-16T12:51:00.001-07:00

Economic freedom not old fashioned theories of development will lead to growth and prosperity

As my colleague and I walked down towards immigration at the airport in Bali, we saw a large banner which read, 'Welcome Delegates.' Before we could absorb the pleasant surprise of being welcomed by the government of Indonesia, we spotted the rest of the message, which clarified that the welcome was for delegates to a meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.Wrong number. We were in Bali for a meeting of the Asian Economic Freedom Network (AEFN) organised by Friedrich Naumann Stiftung.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the World Economic Freedom Index created and computed by the Fraser Institute in Canada and to assess its findings for Asia. The contrast between the two meetings is instructive. There is a vast difference in the fundamental concepts, principles and policies that were discussed at the two meetings. Economic freedom refers to the freedom to engage in economic activity without interference from the government as long as the freedom of others is respected. The delegates at the AEFN meeting discussed what empirical variables capture this idea and what policy changes are required to increase economic freedom.'Sustainable development', discussed at the other meeting, begs some fundamental questions: sustainable for how long? For whom? And what is it that we're trying to sustain? Are we to sustain the amount and distribution of natural resources that exist today for future generations? Or the current standards of living, the amount and distribution of material goods and services? Should we sustain whatever it is that we agree to sustain only for future generations of Homo sapiens or also for other species of flora and fauna? And how long are we planning to sustain these-ten generations, a hundred, or longer?

The absurdity of the concept becomes clearer with a hypothetical example. Suppose we live in a period when charcoal is the main source of energy in the world. Charcoal is made by burning wood and destroy forests and ecosystems and generate greenhouse gases. This world does not seem sustainable.So, the Charcoal World Summit for Sustainable Development is called by concerned international agencies, NGOs, and businesses. The heads of state and governments present at the summit agree on time-bound targets to reduce charcoal use and production of greenhouse gases, to offer official assistance to less developed countries, and to subsidise the discovery of alternative fuels.A Charcoal Summit could have occurred about 150 years ago when Malthus' worries about population growth overtaking production were prevalent. The dire predictions of Malthus did not come true. A world powered by charcoal can't sustain 6 billion people. Would subsidies for the discovery of alternative fuels have reached the right individuals and would they have found coal, petroleum, solar and wind power or fuel cells? Given the history of government subsidy programs, it seems quite unlikely.

I am thankful that no Charcoal Summit took place 150 years ago, that we didn't have too many concerned agencies and NGOs then, that we were allowed to grope our way and discover new fuels. The forces of supply and demand are more powerful than any bribes by governments in focussing human ingenuity to solve problems. Market forces took us from whale oil, to charcoal, to coal, to petroleum. The forest cover in the industrialised world today is higher than it was 150 years ago, and large quantities of coal are lying underground. No one can predict what will be the next source of energy, but the historical achievements of the human mind give us great confidence that we will have it well before any emergency. Then large quantities of petroleum will be left underground and future generations will grin about how primitive our energy sources were in the 21st century.What kinds of policies are pushed by the confused proponents of sustainable development? The Draft Plan of Implementation issued on June 12 by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development is 77 pages of dense text. It covers all that the humanity would have ever wanted: gender equality, racial harmony, fair income, equitable access to education, healthcare, water, sanitation, including the mandate to reduce by half, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world's people whose income is less than $1 a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger and, by the same date, to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water.

The market keeps producing prosperity and the commissions keep setting target dates.The consequences of the edicts of the final Johannesburg meeting in late August would resemble those of our hypothetical Charcoal Summit. The difference would be of magnitude, but the pattern would remain the same. Fundamentally, ecology and economy are similar-none can stay stagnant for long, it must either grow or decline. The choice is between a growing and a declining economy.The most critical ingredient for economic growth is economic freedom. The Fraser study concludes that no country with a persistently high economic freedom rating during the last 20 years failed to achieved a high level of income. All 17 countries in the most-improved category experienced average per capita GDP growth of 2.7%. In contrast, all 16 countries which declined the most on the index of economic freedom declined at an annual rate of 0.6%. As incomes increase, people demand higher quality, of housing, education, healthcare, and environment.

At higher incomes - studies suggest above per capita income of $2,000 - people begin to invest in the quality air and water, sanitation, visits to parks and wildlife. The vision underlying the two meetings in Bali was antithetical. We don't need sustainable development, but sustained development. For the sake of humanity the next official welcome should be for

Is the patents bill good for India

2008-07-16T12:49:00.001-07:00

Is the patents bill good for India?

Global pressure, coercion, ignorance, cowardice and conspiracy and not national interest are forcing India's Parliament to amend our exemplary Patents Act 1970 under threat from WTO and its TRIPS treaty.America's Super 301 places India on 'priority watch' threatening sanctions.

India has buckled supinely. Public debate was throttled. Signing WTO was deliberately not fully discussed in Parliament.Bills to implement TRIPS are being cascaded through on voice votes and minimum attention. The Joint Committee (1999-2001) ignored most suggestions and toed the line - with many legal stalwarts barely attending meetings. Parliament became Geneva's rubber stamp.The issues are simple. A patent is a monopoly which, in a free trade treaty is, itself a contradiction. But, we know that 60-90 % of patents are, and will be, owned by foreigners.

Why has India followed TRIPS to grant 20-year monopolies to foreigners through patents? The argument that research will stop without the incentive of luxurious returns is bogus.Research gets huge tax benefits. Good returns follow in 3-4 market years. India's sovereign Parliament could have declared a shorter patent of 5-10 years from the date of sealing.To protect public health, patents should be given only for molecules. Patented combinations can last forever. Researchers are troubled by issues relating to micro-organisms, genetic research and steps in basic research being patented.This will stifle basic research. Doha required stronger compulsory licensing provisions, fixed royalties of around 4 % and better public interest provisions enabling a modified licence of right as scheduled by the government for health, food and energy and research.Poor nations with ailing needs should be empowered to break corporate monopolies at will to meet their needs. The Parliament cannot mindlessly translate treaty into law.American law declares that its law will prevail over the WTO. India would have been better off telling WTO that its sovereign parliament does not accept certain provisions.It was cowardice not to do so. The promise of a possible third amendment is illusory. Yet, another ruse.

Media is a mixed blessing

2008-07-16T12:48:00.001-07:00

Media is a mixed blessing

WHEN Hindus vandalise Muslim places of worship and plant small statues of Hanuman in each of these mosques, what does the media do - tell it like it is? In a State that is already burning? Star News and Aaj Tak decided not to show these Hulladia Hanumans as they were called, in Gujarat last month, even though neither news channel has much of a reputation for restraint. The Gujarat Samachar however saw no reason not to report this. On March 1, 2002 it carried a front-page box item, which said, "Reaction of Godhra in Ahmedabad. Several Mosques and Dargahs Ravaged - Hanuman Idol installed after destroying mosque at Paldi. The new idol is named Hulladia Hanuman."

Pictures of these Hanumans were not hard to come by in Ahmedabad. Vendors were hawking them in front of the District Magistrate and District Commissioner's offices. Yet how many of them did you see carried in the much-maligned metropolitan press? The Indian Express did carry one day a picture of one of these Hanumans planted on the razed remains of a mosque.

The more developed countries are much more evolved in the area of media ethics. Our media is still young, our regulations still in the pipeline. But while their ethical dilemmas are more conventional, ours defy imagination. Just pick a few examples from Gujarat. Should TV and print report that a foetus was ripped from its mother's womb and then burnt? Should they report that people were electrocuted in a room by avenging mobs? Should they carry pictures of bodies in wells?

So what do we do about media ethics when all hell is breaking loose?

Gujarat's leading newspapers did not tie themselves into knots asking the questions that the rest of the media has been torturing itself with since the violence broke out. They went right ahead and took the decisions that they thought would endear them to the popular mood. On February 28, Gujarat Samachar carried photographs of the dead on the Godhra platform and the burning bogies, above its masthead. Its banner headline below the masthead said (translated), "Most barbaric and shameful incident of the country at Godhra station". And below that, "60 roasted in the train". A box item enshrined Bal Thackeray's by-now famous quote about Hindus cowering like dogs with tails between their legs.

Its rival Sandesh, while matching the photographs and the banner, was more graphic. It said bodies of the burnt victims were glued to each other. The paper bristled with horror stories. Inside it said that two mutilated bodies of young girls had been found, something its rival, Samachar, denied the next day in a three-column story. Later the editor of Sandesh would tell the Editor's Guild team which went to Gujarat to look at the role of the media, that he had a paper to sell, and a rival to out-manoeuvre. His paper's circulation during the month of massacre was up by 150, 000, he is reported to have told them. The Guild team was shown a letter of congratulations sent by the Chief Minister to some Gujarati newspapers, for their coverage. And of course, none of those asked for his resignation as the press in the rest of the country did.

While on the subject of media and massacre, let's hark back not to the Gulf War, which is held to be the first milestone in live conflict reporting, but to Tiananmen Square in 1989 which was believed to be a watershed moment in defining different roles for television and print journalism. "Television became the raw `news' and print became the analysis and research-based reservoir of facts. While newspapers used to set the news agenda for both television and print, that was reversed by the live shots from Beijing." (Turmoil at Tiananmen. A study of U.S. press coverage of the Beijing Spring of 1989, The Joan Shorenstein Barone Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard University, 1992)

In retrospect, though some Pulitzers were won for the memorable coverage there, it was found to have suffered from biases, and endangered those whom it featured. It set a pro-student framework for the coverage: there was not enough objectivity about the students' movement, and the not-so-positive aspects of it. The technology outpaced the journalism, which created some serious problems. Lopsided access created lopsided coverage. The use of new technology allowed the inclusion of misleading or irrelevant materials, including unverified rumours that were hard to check and resist in the competitive pressure to provide something new. Some Chinese sources who appeared in news reports suddenly found themselves in danger. They were identified by authorities.

Can the economy achieve an 8 percent growth rate

2008-07-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

Can the economy achieve an 8 percent growth rate?

In an economy where the GDP has been growing at 5-6 per cent, it's difficult to believe that growth can be pushed up to eight per cent during the next five years. Prospects of drought have made people more sceptical.

Achieving the ambitious target of eight per cent depends both on an increase in investment and on more efficiency. While these may be technically feasible, they are unrealistic for the Indian economy.

A government that is quick to roll back even the smallest unpopular measure at the slightest opposition, can hardly be expected to take on the long list of tough decisions that are needed.

Looking at the scenario built by the Planning Commission, we see that the share of GDP invested should rise to 33 per cent. This has to be financed to some extent by foreign capital but largely by domestic savings.

For the last three years, household savings have been increasingly financing government consumption rather than going into productive investment. This can be easily corrected by raising taxes and cutting expenditure.

But these affect voters and interest groups. As a result, steps such as reducing public sector employment, cutting subsidies and raising user charges, will face political opposition.

Equally difficult will be the policy changes needed to increase productivity. For achieving a growth of eight per cent, industry has to grow by 10 per cent. In the last 10 years, this sector has grown at about seven per cent.

As the role of the public sector gets reduced, the onus of growth falls on the private sector. Creation of an industrial policy environment that will push up private sector investment and lead to improvements in growth is not simple. There are deeply-entrenched vested interests that would oppose such moves.

For instance, a recent ordinance aims to improve the system by which banks and other financial institutions can recover their money from defaulters. But there is huge pressure by industrial lobbies on the government to change it.

Loans to the order of a mind-boggling Rs 1.5 lakh crore are owed to lenders. Some of them, such as the IDBI, have been pushed to the verge of bankruptcy because of these defaults.

When the government saves them by doling out tax-payers money, it effectively channels public money to corrupt industrialists. But since those who gain from the current system are those who fund elections and contribute to parties, the pressure on the government to weaken the ordinance might well work.

Another policy that has restricted growth has been the reservation for small-scale industry. There is little rationale for this after allowing foreign companies to compete with the SSI units. Other than pandering to some petty industrialists, there is no reason why this policy should be continued.

Thus, the question is not whether the target of eight per cent growth is feasible, but whether it's realistic to think that the BJP has the strength to resist pressure from the support base of its voters and financiers.

And this, unfortunately, is why it may not be achieved.

outsourcing really bad for the US

2008-07-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

The debate over American companies outsourcing jobs is often tainted by misconceptions and anecdotal evidence, which the media tends to accept at face value. But as outsourcing emerges as a hot-button issue in the presidential election , it is time that some of the most common myths about outsourcing be dispelled.

Radley Balko, Fox News

There is still a real danger that politicians working with incomplete or incorrect information will hobble American competitiveness. Scapegoating poor Third World countries, “Benedict Arnold CEOs,” and free trade will not improve the US economy or labour market, but would likely cause great harm.

Tim Kane, Brett Schaefer, and Alison Fraser at Heritage.org

Political and emotional baggage has made outsourcing an explosive issue, especially in countries which offshore work. Here are some myths about outsourcing and the truths behind them.

Myth No.1

Outsourcing takes jobs away from Americans

The truth

It is usually taken for granted that when a company creates say 1,000 jobs abroad, they will take away these 1,000 jobs from the US . But the truth is far from that.

Go to Techsunite.org, the Website run by an 'IT workers union', and you will find that there is a board declaring the number of jobs outsourced and lost. Starting April 1, 2001 till date, 160,785 jobs were outsourced. At the same time 99,556 jobs were lost in the US , meaning many more jobs were created abroad than were lost in the US .

Also in case of companies like JP Morgan and EDS many more jobs were outsourced but that did not come at the cost of US jobs as such. (JP Morgan created 5,840 jobs abroad at the cost of 800 US jobs. In case of EDS, 17,600 were outsourced at the cost of 2,750 US jobs only.)

Can China beat India at BPO game

2008-07-16T12:42:00.002-07:00

Whatever goes up, comes down. The cassandras of the world are confident that India's booming IT and ITeS sectors are heading for a bust! And they are hoping that the balance of BPO power will tilt towards China this time. And this notwithstanding the 30% growth, translating into $16 billion revenues till April this year.

The much-touted English speaking capability of the Indian, which had been so far giving it an edge in the BPO stakes is under attack by the Chinese. In fact, India is not even the largest country of English speakers after the US . It is the Philippines!.

India's detractors argue that While English is still an elitist language taught in certain schools, China is making it a national priority for people to learn English! The results, they say will certainly be a tilt towards China in the near future. And who knows? China may emerge as the country with the largest number of English speaking persons then!

US Congressman, Jim McDermott, currently visiting India is certain that India is losing jobs to China . "Companies would naturally move over to destinations where they can get their job done for less. "India is losing jobs to China," he said.

Ironically, though India has been the butt of most anti-outsourcing anger, it is not even the largest outsourcing destination for the US. Ireland is.

It is true that offshore wages in India are going up thanks to higher salaries and fresh hiring brought about by the booming state of the Indian BPO industry. Over the years, India's greatest attraction for outsourcing companies, its cost advantage, is bound to come down. Slowly wages in India will go up and that in the West will come down. But even then there is bound to be enough difference between the two extremes for the outsourcing balance to rem ain with India.

Michael Beckman writing in Australia's The Age points out that India's competion is coming up in the form of countries like China, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Romania and South Africa. These countries exhibited their capabilities at last month's OutsourceWorld Conference in London.

Why stop there? There are countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, and even Mauritius, all whetting their apetite for a piece of the action.

China In The Forefront

Chinese IT companies for long have been providing outsourcing work to MNCs. Now, they are trying to emulate the Indian success and trying their hands in outsourcing. The Chinese city of Dalian is trying to emulate Bangalore's success and the mayor of Dalian visited the Indian software hub for picking up tricks of success.

Already there are some Chinese outsourcing giants. The Beijing-based IT United Corporation is one such company. Its clients include Airbus, British Airways, Cisco Systems, Siemens, and Kraft Foods.

The company has around 100 mostly Chinese staff. It now offers its web and IT-based solutions and call centre management services not just to companies based in China or with operations there but to companies worldwide.

IT research company Gartner estimates that China has 6,000-plus software companies against India's 3,000-plus. Add to this China's domestic software sales of $4.3 billion aginst $2.06 billion for India.

It is not that Indian companies are not aware of the Chinese threat. IT giants like Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys have picked outsourcing to China as a future trend and are hiring Chinese staff and opening branches in China.

Agreed, there are some black and white criteria for showing China's superiority. Like, both have billion plus populations but China has always the favourite FDI destination with $800 billion poring in that country against $20 billion in India in the last 20 years.

Gross domestic product per capita in China is $5000 against India's $2,900.

All that may be true, but equally true is the emergence of India as a more favoured destination MNCs in recent times. Also, last year in the third quarter, India's GDP growth had been the highest in the world, beating even China's.

By all accounts India and China are the superpowers of the future with Goldman Sachs predicting that even if the Indian economy continues to grow over the next 20 years at just the same pace as it has over the past ten years (about five and a half per cent each year), it will become the third largest economy in the world, after US and China. If it can match China's growth rate (more than seven per cent a year) its economy will, within 50 years, exceed China's and be the world's second largest economy!

Is the consumer really the king in India

2008-07-16T12:42:00.001-07:00

Is the consumer really the king in India?

Thursday was a red-letter for consumers in the country. Parliament put its seal of approval on the National Legal Services Authorities (Amendment) Bill. The Bill, which among other things, puts lok adalats on a permanent basis, offers a much-delayed but sorely-needed alternative mechanism for dealing with disputes.

Consumers, long at the receiving end, especially in their dealings with public utilities, will now have an alternative avenue for redressal of their grievances. About time too.The steady deterioration in the quality of governance over the past few years, has been matched by a corresponding decline in the quality of delivery in public utility services. Unfortunately, consumers had very few avenues where they could take their grievances.

Sure, they could take their complaints to the consumer courts but the latter could barely cope with the pressure. Consumer courts, moreover, can address only 'consumer' complaints. This effectively keeps public utilities such as health and civic services out of the purview of these courts. The amended Act also gives the adalats adjudicatory powers.This is a major improvement over the erstwhile system under which they could only try to settle disputes on the basis of a compromise formula. Especially since the decision of the adalat will be binding and treated on a par with the decree of a civil court. It is not only consumers who have reason to be happy. Lok adalats have made a significant contribution in settling industrial disputes and in disposing of cases where banks have filed suits against erring borrowers.

Given the numbers involved -according to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs there are 24 million cases pending in different courts - lok adalats can offer only one kind of remedy for a legal system that is close to choking. Part of the reason for the huge backlog of cases is the inadequacy of judicial officers. There are only 10.5 judges for every one million of our people as compared to 107 in the US. Moreover, the majority of our laws are antiquated.The remedy, therefore, lies in tackling the problem on many fronts: making our laws more relevant to the times, strengthening the judicial system, allowing courts to function uninterruptedly and dealing severely with litigants who deliberately create delays. Lok adalats can only help at the margin.

Education and success-Is there a correlation

2008-07-16T12:41:00.001-07:00

Education and success-Is there a correlation?

The following points could be discussed under this topic:

This is a topic which provides ample scope for dialectics. One can argue for and against it.One of the best examples is Bill Gates who went on to become the richest man in the world despite dropping out of hid education. Closer home we have the example of Dhirubhai Ambani. What a person learns and what he really wants to do has no correlation many a times. A person succeeds only if he likes what he does.The argument for education will be that , in practice, it is your marks and qualifications that opens doors for you.While one can become successful without education, education brings about a richness in one's life. One is able to appreciate many facets of life due to the extended knowledge that education provides. It opens a new window and provides a different perspective towards things, ability to distinguish between ethical and unethical, moral and amoral ....etc.......

Should businessmen run the finance ministry

2008-07-16T12:40:00.001-07:00

Should businessmen run the finance ministry

The objective of the finance ministry cannot be merely to bolster the prospects of business and industry.The finance ministry's primary goal must be the welfare of the people in keeping with the obligations the Constitution imposes on the Union government.Viewed in this context, the appointment of a businessman as one of the ministers in the finance ministry would seriously undermine the very purpose for which the ministry exists.

That apart, the decade and more of economic reforms in India has been characterised by crony capitalism of the worst order.Acts of omission and commission by the government in this direction continue to grow by the day as scam after scam has shown.Given this background, putting a businessman in a key ministry like the finance ministry can only compound the problem of crony capitalism. All major business houses are borrowers to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees from public sector banks and financial institutions.

In many cases, the loans have turned into NPAs for banks and FIs. When NPAs are worth thousands of crores and we need tough action against defaulters, it would be anachronistic to make a person from a business family a minister in charge of banks and FIs.In the specific case being talked about now - that of R N Dhoot of Videocon - there are also other conflicts of interest that would arise.Videocon has expressed an interest in bidding in the disinvestment of some PSUs. For someone from the bidders to be simultaneously a minister in the government is an obvious conflict of interest.There is another kind of conflict of interest that cannot be ignored either.

That is the conflict of interest between rival business groups.When these are becoming increasingly heightened, appointing a businessman as a minister in the finance ministry could turn the ministry into a playground for advancing narrow business interests to the detriment of all others.In the final analysis, if a businessman is appointed to the finance ministry, it would mean legalising the unholy nexus that already exists between business, the bureaucracy and politicians in power.

Globalisation is good for developing countries

2008-07-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

Globalisation is good for developing countries

MOST developing countries are both integrating with the world economy and devolving power to local governments and communities. This combination of globalisation and localisation is best called glocalisation. The centralised nation-state is giving way to both supra-national and sub-national institutions.

Underlying both trends is a single force: the empowerment of individuals and communities at the expense of the monolithic nation state. Glocalisation improves the voice, participation and prosperity of individuals and communities. It is an idea whose time has come.This reverses decades of centralized rule and autarkic economic policies in developing countries. Colonial experience led them to believe that globalisation meant imperial enslavement. And many claimed that political decentralisation could spark secession, endangering their new-found nationhood. Alas, too often centralisation and autarky proved to be excuses for concentrating all political and economic power in the hands of ruling cliques, thus disempowering citizens.

A few countries like India genuinely sought to use autarkic centralization for the public good, and made some modest gains. But most developing countries suffered economic stagnation and political oppression. Self-sufficiency and centralization did not produce prosperous, united countries. Instead they produced more than 100 weak, misgoverned countries which, by the 1990s, needed to be rescued by the IMF. The collapse of the Soviet Union and rise of Deng's China showed that more socialism was not the solution. And so developing countries began moving in two new directions, globalisation and localisation.Why did post-independence leaders in developing countries go so badly wrong? Mainly because they equated globalisation with 19th century colonialism. They failed to see that, in the late 20th century, globalisation was not political conquest but economic partnership, creating unprecedented opportunities for the poor to rise.

This faulty interpretation led to faulty policies aimed at de-globalisation.Indian socialists cheered as India's share of world trade fell from 2.5 per cent at independence to 0.4 per cent by 1985. They thought such self-sufficiency was a passport to prosperity, and derided outward-looking countries like Singapore and Taiwan as neo-colonial puppets. Alas, the supposed puppets rapidly became rich while India remained poor. All colonial masters extracted large sums from their colonies. The net transfer of capital from India to Britain averaged 1.5 per cent of GDP. The drain from Indonesia to Holland was as high as 10 per cent of GNP. To make these payments, the colonies had to chalk up large trade surpluses, and so were very export-oriented. India's export-import ratio ranged from 172.5 per cent in 1840-69 to 133.4 per cent in 1913-38.

Socialists like Nehru interpreted this to mean that export-orientation was a tool of colonial exploitation, and free trade a ploy to help Britain dump its manufactures on a de-industrialised India. He and other Third World leaders knew that globalisation in the 19th century had produced alien rule, poverty and transfer of wealth to colonial powers. They assumed that 20th century globalisation would do the same. They were wrong in several ways:u19th century globalisation represented colonialism. 20th century globalisation has been the era of decolonisation.uIn the 19th century, wealth flowed from colonies to their imperial masters. In the 20th century capital has flowed the other way, through aid and FDI.19th century globalisation yielded GDP growth rates of no more than 3 per cent annually in the fastest-growing countries like the USA. But 20th century globalisation has yielded GDP growth rates of up to 10 per cent in many developing countries, creating huge opportunities for the poor. Indians moan today their GDP growth rate is only 5.4 per cent, but this is double the British rate a century ago.In the 19th century, the rich imperial powers grew fastest.

India

2008-07-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

India's nuclear balance sheet

Nuclear weapons have already proved incapable of conferring great power status on India.

Four years after the nuclear tests of 1998 is a good time to assess India's stock as a regional and global strategic player. Great power status and consolidation of India's claims to it were claimed to be the primary aim of the tests. The `resurgence of India', which the tests were supposed to herald, seems today some long distance away. In fact, the mood at present is one of despair within and disquiet outside the country, on the prospects of its political stability, economic buoyancy and strategic reliability. India's military is in its battle stations against Pakistan. The Government at the Centre is reduced to retaining power through political deals, which both defy ideological ideals and violate electoral promises to the people. The follow-up required on achieving the stability of nuclear deterrence is missing. Nuclear deterrence seems to have failed both the country and its leadership in making the nation more secure. It would be appropriate to posit that the political leadership which obtained nuclear weapons has not yet understood their essential meaning.

The nuclear reality in South Asia is one of loss of direction after the big bangs of May 1998. India has done no more than raise a few Prithvi regiments for the Army and Air Force. The Agni tests have evoked hardly a ripple in and outside the country. They are soon to be inducted in the defence services. Doubts nevertheless continue to be expressed by scientists in and outside India about its capacity to miniaturise the nuclear warheads adequately to mate with existing missile delivery systems. The Government is unwilling to set these doubts at rest. The first principle of deterrence stability, that of leaving no doubts in the adversary's mind on one's capability, is thus being disregarded. The nuclear doctrine of the nation hangs in limbo, with neither its authors nor the Government claiming it to be official, legitimate or authoritative. There is no known nuclear command authority; the chain of command is unclear to both friends and adversaries. There is no nuclear risk reduction dialogue among the Indian, Chinese and Pakistani Governments.

As far as public perception is concerned, there was a time soon after Independence when the perception was that a few Ministers were corrupt (in the general sense in which we are using the term) and that very few, if at all, senior officers were corrupt. It was also believed that the honest ones, both among Ministers and officers, not only more than made up for the dishonest ones but also kept the latter reasonably under control. The current perception - purely as an informed guess - is that the majority of Ministers and quite a few senior offices (still a minority) are corrupt, and that the honest ones have very little control or influence over the dishonest ones who are, in fact, believed to be in real control. Neither public perception nor any study on politics or public administration seems to support the contention that the real, sole villains are the officers and that the Ministers are more sinned against than sinning.

hii

2008-07-16T04:06:00.000-07:00

hai come on dude
my name is david.I AM DOIng B.Tech in Kits.