Some coming attractions are some interviews with people who have interesting websites. These interviews will be in the chat room.Bill Gates
Bill Gates, the co-founder and chairman of the Microsoft Corporation, has certainly reached legend status and not only because he is considered as the world’s richest man. As the moving force behind a company that is considered “The Most Innovative Company Operating in the U.S.” (1993, Forbes magazines), Gates is certainly in a league of his own. With Gates at the helm, Microsoft launched a number of revolutionary technological advancements that have changed the face of the computer industry and the way people around the world use computers.
History has acknowledged Microsoft’s great contributions and has judged Mircrosoft to be the first truly dominant player in home computer operating systems. Even today, Microsoft’s influence is felt around the world through the broad usage of Microsoft Windows, currently the most widely used operating system in the world.
Gates first made his mark as is widely regarded as the prime mover and innovator behind the Microsoft Corporation from the time it was founded in 1975 until 2006. As the man responsible for product strategy, Gates greatly expanded Microsoft’s product lines and established as well as defended the leadership position in many of its key areas of operation. Gates has not been perfect as some of his decisions have led to antitrust litigation over Microsoft’s business practices. But his reputation as one of the most popular and respected entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution is unquestioned. Gates is actually one of those men who is larger than his area of expertise. To illustrate this point, New Statesman magazine voted Gates as number eight among the “Heroes of Our Time.”
Of late, Gates has been delegating many of his key functions in Microsoft. He announced last June that he would be naming someone else as the head of operations of Microsoft by July 2008 although he did say that he will still sit as the company’s chairman and as an advisor on special projects. Sources say that the leading candidate to succeed Gates as operations hear is Ray Ozzie, former president of the Groove company, which Microsoft purchased in 2005.
His latest focus has been in the area of philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Some sources in the press estimate that Gates has probably contributed over half his fortune to charity.
About the Author: Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Business, Real Estate, and Business
Source: www.isnare.com 3/05/07
By Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga And Yolanda Bishop
Not every city has the proper political and social environment to sustain growth. In fact, there are some cities who are completely opposed to growth and work very hard to maintain the status quo, regardless of how the world is changing around them.
Land developers and investors specifically look for cities that are fully open to growth and progress. Cities that have municipalities open to growth and development are prime locations to build large commercial and multi-family properties. These cities often have future land use maps where they outline land and color code them based on the zonings, or type of properties they will allow within the border. This is a city that is looking to grow and they actually have a plan for it. These cities will be ready to help you with anything you need to get that land developed, especially with a growing population or major change in infrastructure.
The cities that are not open to growth have three major characteristics that are clear signs that growth or development are NOT in their future.
The first is purely political. Even if city officials are pro-business and development, well-organized opposition can sway votes and cause projects to die. Maybe not with the city, but with the people in the city as well. The city officials may have an election coming up or there are strong opposing forces and any major moves may hurt their campaign and position. It could even carry to the lenders in that if they realize there is opposition, even though they could say “Yes,” they will say “No,” to avoid public ridicule. Politics can be a huge constraint to growth in a city.
The second is that the people voted into local office are elected to keep the city the way things are. The politicians are put into office because of their commitment to keep things the same so growth and development are out of the question. They focus in maintaining not growing which is suicide for a developer. You can bet 30 acres of raw land zoned commercial will not be approved as a new mall or office park. The red tape and barriers would be so thick, that it would take years and years before a project would ever be approved- or ever approved for that matter. City officials would simply lay every obstacle in your route before they would allow such huge changes. These are the cities a land developer MUST avoid unless they want to spend 3-5 years spending money and trying to get a project approved.
The third is state law restricts local governments from planning growth. So the local government may have ideas, but the state restricts them from actually moving forward. There may be extremely strict guidelines or jurisdictions or even conflicting views between the local and state governments. And you know where this leaves the land developer or investor? In the middle running around with no real future for a project. This is where you do NOT want to find yourself.
As you can see, there are multiple reasons as to why a land developer or investor would not want to work in a specific city. You can easily find out by asking to the local brokers. You can ask them if the municipality is open to development. They will either say, oh yes definitely. In fact, they may mention that the local government will provide tax incentives for the jobs that are created and will be willing to help any way they possibly can. Or, you may get, our city government is very strict and it takes a while for projects to be approved.
A simple discussion with the local brokers and even Chamber of Commerce will give you a good idea if they will be open to working with you and your proposal. Otherwise, no matter how good the deal looks theoretically, leave it alone if the city won’t cooperate. Don’t expect that red tape to disappear- it rarely does without a good, long, expensive fight.
As a commercial real estate land developer or investor, the golden rule is to only work in cities that are willing to work with you. It makes the process so much easier and enjoyable working in a city that welcomes your presence and efforts.
About the Author: Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga and Yolanda Bishop of http://www.maverickrei.com specialize in commercial and investment real estate. As of May, 2006, they and their partners are managing over $600 million dollars worth of new projects.
Source: www.isnare.com
Insane Offer! - $2 For Your Classified Articles With Unlimited
Features
By Glenn Prialde
Advertising through articles has been proven to be very effective. Many marketers at present would rather submit articles on article sites like iSnare to hit two birds in one stone.
1) To get more targetted traffic through search engine inclusion via the article site.
2) Increase SEO by taking advantage of a one-way link system.
But wouldn't it be great to hit 3 birds in one stone? I mean most article sites would probably accept and publish your articles if they were just informative or useful and not just merely advertising your products.
Have you thought that it would be better to combine product classified ads marketing with article marketing? It is very possible with iSnare Classified Article posting. Your $2 will give you instant approval to your Classified Article Submission. Just register for free and submit a classified article and pay then we will right away approve and publish it together with the endorsement placement at the front page.
Your classified articles will ofcourse be treated as a normal article. It will be crawled by search engines and will have no limits with word counts, unlike most classified sites where your ads have some certain limits as to the number of words it may contain. And most importantly it will be stored for more than just 6 months and also be included in iSnare's article search as it will be treated as a normal article.
So grab the offer now!
About the Author: About the Author: Glenn Prialde is the owner
and maker of iSnare Articles Directory. He is also leading the
iSnare Outsourcing Services Team. Here is a list all iSnare
sites: http://www.isnare.com , http://shop.isnare.com ,
http://hosting.isnare.com , http://outsourcing.isnare.com
Source: http://www.isnare.com
New Articles Published!
8 Money Resolutions For The New Year
by James H. Dimmitt
Looking for a way to get a fresh financial start? Want to improve your overall financial health? Try these 8 resolutions designed to help you gain control of your income and expenses. At year's end, you'll be surprised at how much you've reduced your debt and the money you've
saved!
1) Create and use a budget.
A budget helps you see exactly where your money is going from week to
week and month to month. Creating and using a budget, no matter what
your income level, will help you track and reach your financial goals
more easily than without one.
2) Use your budget to help reduce credit card debt.
Let's say you are able to save $20 a month by budgeting your money.
You could take that $20 and place it in a savings account where you
would earn minimal interest. Or you could use that same $20 and add
it to your budgeted credit card payment reducing your credit debt in
two ways. You'll be reducing the amount you owe your creditor and
you'll also reduce the finance charge on next month's bill.
3) Always pay more than the minimum due on credit card bills.
If you just pay the minimum due on credit card bills, you'll barely
cover the interest you owe. It will take you years to pay off your
balance and you'll end up spending thousands of dollars more than the
original amount you charged.
4) Make payments on time to avoid late fees.
Making late payments adds to your debt load and may increase the annual percentage rate (APR) your creditors charge you. Additionally, late payments are reported to the credit reporting agencies and negatively affect your credit rating. This in turn could raise the APR on other credit accounts which have a "universal default" clause.
5) Never use a credit card at an ATM or a bank for a cash advance.
Cash advances on credit cards are assessed special fees and higher interest rates than what you pay for purchases made with your credit card. Creditors apply the majority of your monthly payment to your purchase debt rather than cash advance debt which increases the overall amount of interest you'll pay to your creditor.
6) Spend your money sensibly.
Using your budget, you may find that you're spending a good chunk of your income on discretionary items: morning coffee and donut, a weekly magazine, fast food lunches, etc. Each purchase seems like a small amount of money at the time, maybe $3-5. But these small purchases add up quickly and can amount to hundreds of dollars per year. Ask yourself if you really need these items and reduce your amount of discretionary spending. Use what you save to pay down credit card debt.
7) Live within your means.
Are you an impulse buyer? Do you use your credit cards to supplement your income? Do you feel the need to have the latest fashions, cars, stereos, etc.? If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are good that you are overspending. And overspending means more debt - debt that will keep you from achieving your financial goals.
8) Check your credit report regularly.
Anyone in the U.S. can check their credit report annually by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com and check their credit with all three national credit reporting agencies. Checking your credit will help fight against errors and identity theft.
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© http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com
James is editor of "TO YOUR CREDIT", a free weekly newsletter with
tips to help you manage your personal finances. Subscribe today and
receive his ebook "IDENTITY THEFT- How To Avoid Becoming the Next
Victim!" and other free bonuses by visiting
http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com
By Peter Murphy
Very often when you are talking to people what you really want deep down is to feel significant, liked and important. Consequently you watch what you are saying and are careful not to say the wrong thing. This in turn can mean that the way you express yourself is stifled and constricted.
What if there was a better way? What if you could feel better about yourself and at the same time express yourself with greater freedom?
What you need is the Self Appreciation Enhancer!
All you need to get started is a mirror, some memories and a few minutes.
The Self Appreciation Enhancer:
1 Wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself
2 Stand in front of a full length mirror
3 Close your eyes and go back in time to an occasion when someone paid you a compliment. Recall what this person said and hear the words in your ears. See what you were seeing at the time and notice how you felt. Imagine that you are stepping back into that experience.
As the feelings of appreciation and the sense of being valued build - open your eyes and look yourself in the eye in the mirror as you bask in these pleasurable feelings.
As soon as the feelings fade close you eyes.
4 Repeat step 3 by picking a different memory to indulge yourself in.
By using this approach you can quickly feel great about yourself and as a result you will express yourself with more confidence and with less concern for the approval of others.
When would this process be most useful to you?
* Anytime you are not feeling good about yourself=20
* before an important meeting
* in preparation for a job interview
* after getting severely criticized for your abilities or actions
Go on, give it a go and enjoy feeling deeply appreciated and valued.
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very
popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. This report reveals the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at:
http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm
Things Dumb People Have Done ...
1. Police in Wichita, Kansas, arrested a 22-year-old man at an airport hotel after he tried to pass two (counterfeit) $16 bills.
2. A man in Johannesberg, South Africa, shot his 49-year-old friend in the face, seriously wounding him, while the two practiced shooting beer cans off each other's head.
3. A young teller was new to the job when she was approached by her first robber. Noticing that the man's grammar was not the greatest, the teller figured that the would be criminal was slightly slow. She told the robber that he had to have an account to rob a bank. Disappointed, the man left.
4. A company trying to continue its five-year perfect safety record showed its workers a film aimed at encouraging the use of safety goggles on the job. According to Industrial Machinery News, the film's depiction of gory industrial accidents was so graphic that twenty-five workers suffered minor injuries in their rush to leave the screening room. Thirteen others fainted, and one man required seven stitches after he cut his head falling off a chair while watching the film.
5. The Chico, California, City Council enacted a ban on nuclear weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within city limits.
6. A criminal who broke into a couple's house started to take the TV, but instead he turned it on and began to watch. He supposedly liked the program that was on and laid down on the bed. Since it was at night he was tired and fell asleep. So when the couple came home the next day they found him and called the police.
7. A bus carrying five passengers was hit by a car in St. Louis, but by the time police arrived on the scene, fourteen
bravenet.com