Monday, February 28, 2011

Placing Stop Losses And Take Profits Effectively

There is no rule of thumb when setting stops or take profit's but generally you will want to keep your risk to reward a minimum of 1, preferably 2 or higher

In case your not familiar with R:R, it is how much you intend to risk vs. how much you intend to gain,

An R1 would mean you are risking as much as you intend to gain

An R2 would mean you are targeting twice what you are risking

These are controlled by stops and take profits.

An R1 would mean your stop and take profit are equal

An R2 would mean your take profit is twice your stop loss

A lot of new traders will formulate a plan as they've been instructed whereby they will be adamant at using a particular R:R such as 2:1, they will spot a setup and decide they want to trade intra-day so there stop will be 30 thus giving them an automatic take profit of 60.

These kind of trades are unlikely to be very profitable as there is no real premise behind the placement of stops or take profits.

You should take support and resistance into consideration when placing stops and take profits, and by support and resistance I'm referring to drawn up horizontal lines across recent highs, lows, double/ triple tops or bottoms, trend lines and Fibonacci retracements. the strongest support and resistance will be where several of these coincide, you can also try to spot candle patterns forming around the S + R areas or lines for extra confirmation.

Using the methods mentioned above, begin to work out the distance between your entry, nearest support/s and resistance/s to begin planning your trade and working out your risk: reward ratio.

For example you plan on entering at the market on the Usd/Jpy pair at a price of 89.65, you have establish a very strong resistance at 90.00 and a very strong support at 88.60. your entry is 35 points from resistance and 105 points from support, if you take a short position you would have a trade with a risk: reward ratio of 3:1 which is by any standards a very nice trade. you will most likely then want to tweak this slightly by putting your stop say 10 points above resistance and your take profit 10 points above support, you have now greatly increased your chance of protecting your stop and price reaching your target whilst still maintaining a R2+

Hope this has helped, sorry if some of it seems as though I'm pointing out the obvious to some but a lot of new traders find this harder to grasp than you may think, I have in the recent months starting teaching trading to some wealthy clients and as intelligent as they are, they sometimes really struggle with certain concepts

Lee J Brown

http://www.ProFXBlog.com

My name is Lee J Brown and I am a full time forex trader from London, UK. I have been trading forex a little over 4 years now and would like to share my experience with the world

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_J_Brown

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Business Sales Tax Dischargeability

Many small business owners are concerned about tax liability, and whether it can be discharged through bankruptcy. If you have studied bankruptcy much, you likely know that income taxes owed can be discharged so long as the tax return was filed at least three (3) years prior to the debtor filing a bankruptcy petition. However, for many small businesses, an issue of sales taxes can come up in their bankruptcy filings.

A 1986 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case (In re Shank) reviewed whether sales taxes can be discharged. In that case, Shank ran a business in the State of Washington. For each of his sales, Shank was to collect sales tax and remit the funds to the State as sales tax. Shank, in turn, failed to remit the funds and ultimately filed bankruptcy five (5) years after the business ceased operations. He sought to discharge the debts in the bankruptcy.

The court reviewed the rule that certain tax debts can be discharged after three (3) years. However, a law was enacted under the Bankruptcy Code in 1966 wherein certain tax liabilities would not be dischargeable, no matter how much time had passed. One such tax was "trust-fund tax." The case went on to review the history of the legislation enactment through both the United State House of Representatives and the United State Senate.

The court's ruling presented two separate forms of sales tax liability: "[1] those owed personally by a retailer and [2] those incurred by a retailer's customers which are collected by the retailer under the authority of the state, held in trust, and then remitted by the retailer to the state." To understand the difference between the two taxes, a Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals case determined that a 5% occupation tax on the gross receipts was not considered a "trust fund tax." However, Shank's obligation to remit the sales tax he collected for his sales, did fall under the trust category, and could not be discharged. Another court reasoned that if the tax is paid by the purchasers of goods or services, it is likely that the tax is part of a trust that will not be discharged.

Friday, February 25, 2011

News for Bookwors

There are many people who are fond of reading and they do not hesitate to invest on the books. They are actually fond of making a collection on the latest volumes and they do not stop themselves on purchasing all of them. There are some people who like to read but they do not feel very comfortable on spending money on it. They know that their money is going to waste as they hardly read once or twice in a year so why waste money on buying new volumes? Well, if you are in the circle of book lovers then find ways in which you do not have to waste a lot of time and a lot of money every time. Try out ways in which you do not have to spend much and get more which equals your home brochure holders or brochure displays. Why are you wasting your time when there are free hand methods available, which can provide you free literature for your reading?

The public library:

The very common place where you can get the excessive amount of literature is the public library. Public library is the bright and easiest way to reach out thousands of books all in one place. Once you step inside the public library you will find thousands of old and latest volumes on the books of your finding. You will easily get your favorite writers and authors which are hardly available on the bookstores.

Public library is the best place for passionate readers as it is all there for you without any cost or charge on the books. Actually public libraries run on the basis of the taxes which public pays to the Government. So it runs on the basis of taxes you pay and you don't have to pay anything at the time of issuing any book.

Book swaps:

Book swapping can be another good way to provide you a good amount of literature which you have been waiting for such a long time. You can swap books from your old friends by giving them another book which you have. It is a very famous and the easiest way to get books without paying any charges on it.

There are also some online sites that allow you to swap any of the books you want and for this you do not have to pay anything. The only liability is to give one book which you are having and take one which you want. In online book swapping stores, you will also find a lot of variety. It provides you a vital chance to get the latest volumes which are still unreleased in the offline book market. By this you can have a good variety for further book swapping.

Book swapping with friends:

Book swapping is easier than going to a library and finding your kind of book to read. You can settle things with your friends, cousins, relatives and all fellows who you find are the true readers. You can swap books from them and pass them their kind of book. This is the easiest way to get the instinct literature with no price at all.

Stewart Wrighter recently purchased and set up several brochure holders introducing the high school musical to the community. His wife set up brochure displays to advertise her new restaurant.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stewart_Wrighter

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Credit Spreads - Profiting From Time Decay With Short Dated Options

All option values are made up of two components; time value and intrinsic value. Intrinsic value is the in-the-money portion of option premium, and the left over portion represents time value. Options lose two-thirds of their time value in the last one-third of their life. As option traders, we can profit from this time decay by selling credit spreads.

Options lose the most time decay the closer they move to expiration. Therefore, it makes sense to be a seller of options with only a few weeks left to expiry. Selling "naked" options involves the risk of unlimited loss, but credit spreads will cap your maximum loss at the difference between strike prices less the option premium received. A credit spread trade means we are selling one option and buying another at a lower strike price (in the case of a put spread, higher for a call spread). A put credit spread is a bullish strategy and a call credit spread is a bearish strategy. The great advantage of credit spreads, is that we don't have to be 100% correct. We can have a margin for error.

Let's assume that we are slightly bearish on the current market. With the SPY trading at 129.39, we could sell a February call credit spread. Picking strike prices would depend on how much of a margin for error you desired, how bearish you are and how much profit would like to make. We could sell the February 18, $134 calls for $0.37 and buy the February 18, $136 calls for $0.14 This would give us a net credit of $0.23, so $23 is the maximum profit per contract. Our maximum loss would be $177 per contract (13600 - 13400 - 23). That's a 12.99% return on capital at risk in 4 weeks. The margin required for this trade by most brokers is equal to the maximum loss.

At expiration, SPY could finish at $134.23 before we start to experience losses and $136.23 before we hit our maximum loss. That's a 4.50% and 6.06% margin for error.

You should note that with this trading strategy, you are looking to make minor monthly gains while trying to avoid significant losses. As the maximum loss is 7.7 times greater than the maximum gain, you would need to have 7.7 winning trades for every 1 losing trade with this options trading strategy. That's not a great ratio to have. For this reason it is especially important to set stop losses. Each person should choose their own stop loss levels and trading rules based on their risk tolerance. Some options sellers use a 200% rule, meaning that if the sold spread rises in value by 200%, they are stopped out. In this example, that would be if the spread increased from $0.23 to $0.69. The investor would be stopped out with a loss of $46 per spread which is much less than the maximum potential loss of $177. By using this stop loss level you would decrease your required winning trade ratio from 7.7 to 2. You can use this options trading tutorial as a great way to develop you trading strategies.

Gavin McMaster
Options Trading IQ

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gavin_McMaster

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Quality Content Counts

The content website is a favored business model for many of us and is at the core of our marketing strategy. If you wish to make your business venture more financially rewarding, then you don't want to underestimate the importance of featuring quality content. This type of marketing is also known as Syndication marketing - because we let the consumer subscribe to information if they are interested and we don't shove it in their face.

I want to talk a little about writing good content. There are a few things you need to keep in mind when adding it your site. You need to write it in such a way that, it goes straight to the point and fills a need. By providing quality on your site you will essentially be providing the keystone to your success online. The content of the page should not be used only to determine what kind of ads to show.

Think like your potential market and try to create the kind of quality content that you would be thirsty for. Then promote it all over the web via Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, YouTube, forums and many other distribution channels. It is very important to make sure you are using the right keywords when writing articles for your website. If done correctly, you will target excellent search results, as well as, lower online search competition.

Anyone can make a pretty website using Flash, AJAX and Content Management Systems. However, it takes time and determination and a little writing talent to produce fresh original content. You can do it yourself or if you feel that you're creatively challenged or don't have enough hours in the day, you can outsource your content. Just monitor outsourced material closely for good quality before promoting it. Quality content is worth its weight in gold in attracting links and helping your page rank.

Now that you have the knowledge, you can go out there and create some awesome new stuff, get great links to your website and dominate the search engines. By creating good articles and product reviews you will get warm traffic to promote your products to and boost your online profits.

If you want to try your hand at article marketing and driving traffic to you site by proving fresh new content, then you want to check out more free information at: http://MikeGaspardMarketing.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Gaspard

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Popularity audio books

Audio books are gaining popularity all through out the world and in every generation. There are so many reasons why this is happening. There are lot of people who enjoys using these products, sellers sees this as a great stream of cash flow. Another reason is the excitement and enjoyment, when you listen to the recording of your favorite artist or author reading the book. It is also designed to help salespeople be more successful and a great way for people to sharpen there vocabulary skills.

People nowadays are so busy, that they don't have the time to read a book or two. With the busy lifestyle that we all have, we can't do anything that we want. We have other work to do besides reading. However with audio books we can listen to our favorite novels and stories anytime we want. Rather it is when we drive to work, cooking our food, having our daily exercise, waiting for your doctor or even before we sleep. You don't have to read the whole thing, you just have to listen. You spend less energy listening rather than reading. It is more comfortable and it's automatically bookmarked when you pause or stop it.

Another reason why it is gaining popularity, is that more and more people wants to listen to their favorite stories rather than reading it.

While the first format of audio books were recorded on cassette tapes and CD's. You could not take it anywhere you want, unless you have a portable CD player or a cassette player. However with the recent changes in our technology, it is almost certain that these kind of products will be on the top. Cellphones now a days could be used for entertainment, like listening to music or playing some videos. MP3's and iPods are fast evolving. These could play any video or audio format and audio books are not a exception. With these you don't need to carry large and heavy books around just to learn or read something that interest you. All you need is a cellphone, MP3 player, iPod or anything that could store and play these.

The biggest booster for audio books is the Internet. Going online on the Internet. You could see a lot of freebies and other stuffs. Websites offers free audios books or event let you rent a audio book. It is a growing business. A lot of people use the internet to find there favorite audio books. Most of them do transactions online. It is much easier and hassle free. With just a click of a mouse you can buy your favorite books. Not only the customers but the retailers and authors seize this opportunity to sell there products.

Then lastly why these products are rapidly gaining it's popularity is that it is cheaper than buying a paperback book version of the novels and stories that you want. It takes a little amount of money to reproduces a lot of copies of these items. Thus reducing the retailing price. Get into this trend, because it is not going anywhere. It will take over the book industry in next decades to come.

Mira Jane is an avid book fan and a aspiring book collector. The genre that she most love is the fictional books. She loves to start her own book store and her own library. Her favorite author is JK Rowling. She loves the Harry Potter series. Aside from books, she has a lot of collection on fictional audio books.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mira_Jane

Days of the download

There was a time when you would pay $30 for a music CD at the local music retailer. To make sure you were not wasting your money you could stand there in the store wearing headphones and listen to every tune on the album. When satisfied you walked out 30 bucks poorer, a tiny plastic bag with a plastic case and a CD in it.

Then came the days of the Download.

You can hear the whole album on the net and you can buy an MP3 download of lesser quality than the CD for less than half price.

You can have standard movies downloaded to your computer for half price or less. It is very difficult to download a Blu ray DVD you need a very large bandwidth and a plan that permits you to download a large amount of GBs. Good for you Blu Ray DVD! You can download Wii cheats, PS2 cheats, free apps, essentially anything that can be put on a DVD can be downloaded from the internet.

So who is the winner out of all this? For the average download-er it's great news, for a bit of effort on the internet they can have whatever they desire and cheap. In many cases the quality is not the same but it'll do. As for the movie companies, artists, production companies, whilst they are not going bankrupt they are losing out on a lot of money to the download market. Movie-goers will always enjoy going out for the night, eating popcorn and watching the blockbuster on the big screen, that will hardly change. It is the DVD rental business which was a great earner will suffer enormously. Customers now have the choice, get in the car, drive to the DVD Rental, to find the DVD isn't there, take something else they don't enjoy and receive a fine because they returned it late. Or they can sit down in front of the internet for a quick movie download.

Ashley Lennon.
For more info about Downloads check out my website: http://www.get-blu-ray-dvd.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ashley_Lennon

Monday, February 21, 2011

Promotional Items - Small Item, Big Promotion

This is age of information if you have something that you want to sell then you must spread the word around otherwise you won't get any buyers for that product even if it's the best in the world. Some products fly off the shelf just because it was promoted properly and in this new era where competition is fears it's important for you to promote your business properly to make your mark in the market. For publicity of your brand you can opt for expensive advertisements on television, news paper, internet etc or introduce some promotional items for your customers and associates to remember you by.

They were popular long before media gained popularity and it got much hype during the recession because promotions were important and advertisements were expensive so they played a very important role during that time. Promotional items can be something as simple as a pen to something as big as a car some of the most preferred products are;

Pens- something that has been there for generations and one of the most widely used product by young and old equally and it is reasonable and lasts long making an excellent option.

Mugs-brew your coffee or place it in your shelf it's up to you, mugs are a daily use item and it has a wide range of varieties like ceramic mugs, travel mugs, plastic mugs etc and the best part is that it is not expensive and not season dependent you can give it to your customers at any time of the year.

Key rings- everyone needs it as it's impossible to keep separate keys in one place so every time your customer uses it they would be reminded of your name. There are many options to choose from like plastic key rings, leather key, metal key rings etc.

Paper products-nature friendly and cost effective and its needed every time, as not every job can be done virtually, when your customers keep it in their desks it will be seen by many.

Clothing-at first there were promotional t-shirts and now there is a whole new range of clothing items you can put your name on like jackets, caps, ties etc and these are cost effective and long lasting.

Bags- your shoppers walk away with a carry bag with them every time they shop at your store but that won't last long so try to give your product in a bag that would last long like bag made out of cloth or a gift like travel bag, hand bag etc.

Apart from these you can give some simple and useful things like files or folders for your customers so that they use it at their work place. If you have a decent budget for promotion then you can go with advertising through various media as well as promotional items,in that way you can be in your consumers mind for a longer time.

For more information on Promotional items, check out the info available online; these will help you learn to find the Promotional products!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Preston_Romeo

The Advantage of Making Use of No Cost Web Based Classified Advertising's Websites

Online Classifieds Above Local News Publishers

In this content we are going to discuss some specifics pertaining to the value of on the net classified ads over the newspaper press classified advertising. For starters the paper media regarding classified advertising's involves newspaper, magazines and even the free ad service magazine publications. When an individual think much more extensive, you'll be able to find a serious disadvantage of the classified advertisements, that are typically posted inside the normal newspapers. Pretty much the ordinary folks do not have the desire to read the regular newspaper after the actual distribution date. So if the classified listing is printed in a normal paper, then there is every likelihood that the potential buyer of that classified advertisement can become a cold lead after a day of the newspaper publication. Additionally, a given newspaper is actually an international news media. The span of the volume geographic location of a newspaper is often state local level or for the most part national level.

Free Classifieds Websites

Free classified campaigns is an excellent advertising concept to increase online traffic at no cost to ones online sites or any product or service you're going to be marketing. Lots of people look through plenty of classified ads sites for specific goods and services. Free advertising's target shoppers susceptible to buying some sort of goods and services. 100% free online classified listings websites normally are of two options - a few offer an option for upgrading your 100% free classified ad to a paid one, and for others it remains completely free of charge. Free of charge web based classified advertising's internet pages get revenues by means of bringing in advertisers that like to add textual content web links as well as banners and ads directing to the companies websites.Online classified advertising's free internet sites which offer to place free classified advertisements really need real people filtration systems in place. Online sites which do not manage its values in such a way isn't going to simply be recognized as beneficial internet sites, besides the fact that they offer the system cost free.

The Trend of Internet Free Classified Sites

Free classified sites can easily be described as a specific type of advertisement. Free classified sites in general feature a little personal facts, corporation information by any type of firm, or the details regarding any kind of future event. Classified advertisements were typically implemented to produce mainly in newspapers prior. Right after that the classified were presented to expose by way of television and even radio stations. Soon after the Web developed into the choice of putting up classified promotions.Currently the web based facet of classified promoting is highly acknowledged throughout the overall globe.

Many Benefits of Web Based Classified Ads

Moreover, classified promotions put upon free of charge web-based marketing and advertising web pages along these lines supply you with you long-lasting rewards considering that your classified ads will be listed throughout the Yahoo and Google. This gives you endless cost-free site visitors to your online business, goods, services and also affiliate marketing systems some time from this point. Utilize our no cost classified advertisement service today by signing up with us now at Hampton Roads Classifieds List and start building long-term internet marketing amazing benefits into your company.

Take complete advantage of what our totally free classified ads websites can provide for you, and also your business. Stop by Hampton Roads Classifieds List and participate in our 100 % free advertising, as well as our totally free targeted traffic to help your webpage get noticed. Place your free listings, and sell your merchandise or services. http://hamptonroadslist.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chad_Wickham

Birds

Gouldian Finches are native to the northern region of the Australian tropics although, since the 1960’s, Australia has banned the exportation of animals from the country.  Although today the Gouldian Finch is endangered in its natural habitat, there are plenty still available as pets.

 These splendidly colored finches can have gray, red, or orange heads, blue or green backs, and are purple, white, or yellow underneath.  Their colors are so brilliant that they almost appear to be unnatural.  There are three varieties of Gouldian Finches that are naturally-occurring in color.  They are the black-headed (Poephila gouldiae), the red-headed (Poephila mirabilis) and the yellow-headed (Poephila armitiana).  Although these are the color varieties that are generally recognized, there can be any number of color combinations derived from these basic colorations including blue and yellow-bodied mutations.  The coloration of the male Gouldian Finch is much more brilliant than that of the female.  The male also has a noticeably longer center tail feather.
Arguably, Gouldian Finches are one of the most colorful birds in the world.   

Gouldian Finches are much more difficult to care for and breed than the heartier finch breeds like the Zebra and the Society Finches.  Gouldian Finches are not recommended for the novice bird owner who may have little or no experience with captive finches.  Gouldian Finches, like many other types of finches, do not like to be petted or held.  Those who would like a pet bird that can easily be finger tamed should probably stay away from the Gouldian Finch.  All finches are social and should be kept in one or more pairs in order to satisfy their need to be social.  Also, Gouldian Finches are easily disrupted by frequent changes in their housing environment or by movement of their cage.  When these birds undergo frequent stress, it can eventually lead to weakening in the birds’ resistance to disease. 

Finches are very active birds and this does not exclude the Gouldian Finch.  Whether they are in a cage or an aviary, they need the largest flying space out of any other finch species.  Although they are only between five and five and a half inches in size, they need a minimum flying space of about twenty inches.  Cages for housing Gouldian Finches can either be metal or wooden.  Just make sure that the space between cage bars is never greater than one-half inch to prevent injury and escape.  Brass cages are not recommended for Gouldian Finches because of the potential toxic qualities.  But most cages that are brass in color are not actually made of brass. 

 In addition to their quirky personalities and their bouncy energy, Gouldian Finch lovers also love to hear the background sounds these small birds make.  They have a beautiful soft chirp but, not all Gouldian Finches sing.  It is only the males that sing, and some better than others.  Although the care of the Gouldian Finch is a little bit more involved then some of the other finch species, their vibrant colors and their pleasant personalities make the care and involvement in the Gouldian Finches’ life wonderful.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Birds Breeding

Finches make great pets due to their hardiness and their quirky little personalities.  They are easy to care for and that does not change when it comes to breeding.  Along with the Society Finch, the Zebra Finch is one of the easiest types of finches to breed.  These two finches, the Zebra in particularly, will even help to rear the young of other finches like rare types of Australian Grass Finches.  

Sexes in many species of finch differ in appearance while other species look alike and can only be sexed by the behavior or song of the male.  There are several ways to tell the difference between male and female Zebra Finches.  Although there are a number of mutations that can alter the colors and characteristics of the Zebra Finch, several things remain the same.  Males have a number of distinguishing features including: orange cheek patches, stripes on the throat, black bar on the breast and a chestnut colored flank with white spots.  Female Zebra Finch lack these features and are gray in those areas mentioned.  Beak color is generally a brighter red in males and an orange color in females.  Juveniles look like females, but with a black beak.  The beak and adult colors are usually complete by the time the young are 90 days old.

Breeding season begins with the arrival of spring.  Each finch species has a specific environment that will be suitable for successful breeding.  Some finch species will do very well as a single pair in a breeding box, while others types of finches need a large aviary with many other birds around.  A compatible pair of Zebra Finches will nest in almost any environment.  Zebras Finches are good parents and rarely have breeding related problems.  The male and female Zebra Finch both share responsibility in raising the young.  It is the male who will weave the nest.  You can supply him with nesting materials like grasses, feathers, or commercially prepared finch nesting material in the cage or aviary.  But, as soon as the hen lays her eggs, you should remove any excess nesting material from the cage to prevent the male from covering up the eggs in his enthusiasm to make improvements. 

Zebra Finches will lay one egg every other day until their clutch is complete, with the average clutch size being four to five eggs.  Some species of finches will lay only two eggs while another species can lay up to ten eggs.  After the eggs are laid it is the hen who will spend most of her time on the nest but the male will often accompany her and relieve her for food and exercise breaks.  Twelve to eighteen days after the eggs are laid, they will begin to hatch. 

Parents will need an unlimited access to calcium which may be supplied by cuttlebone and high protein foods when chicks are in the nest.  The chicks will feather out and start to leave the nest at about 18 days old and by the time the chicks are about a month old they will be eating completely on their own and can be separated from their parents.  If the parent birds go back to nest before the chicks are totally weaned, you might need to place the male and the chicks in a separate cage.  The male Zebra Finch will finish feeding the babies and can rejoin his mate after the chicks are completely weaned.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Book Review

No one can bring to book Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit : An American Legend, of ever accomplishing a half-effort job of analysis when she writes narrative nonfiction. Spending 7 years on this effort, the author has executed one of the most complex stories of an American POW being held by the japanese during WWII that I have ever read. With the various discussions with the subject during her exploration, along with consultations of family members, other POW's and their loved ones, reading over untold confessions, personal letters, and army documents, it would have been simple for this booklet to are now a long drawn-out and sterile story that would read like a text book. Instead we're treated to a captivating and on occasions heart-wrenching story that takes a bunch of unfamiliars and provide them in a way that you actually come to understand them.

The subject of the book is Louis Zamperini, whose life would've been a fascinating read even before the events during WWII. A comparatively difficulty child who lifted everything in sight, he grows up to get to be one of the best track stars of his time, breaking the nationwide school record in the mile and becoming one of the youngest members of the U.S. Olympic team in 1936. Many felt that Zamperini would become the first individual to break the four minute mile. With the onset of the war, he was drafted into the regiment Air Force and became a bombardier allotted to the semi-unreliable B-24. After surviving numerous bombing missions against Japanese targets his plane goes down in the middle of the ocean while hunting for another downed plane. What's coming is a story of survival by sheer will, first being adrift at sea for 46 days and then spending over 2 brutal years as a POW in Japan.

Hillenbrand takes us step-by-step thru the events, introducing us to other Allied captives as well as a considerable number of the Japanese guards and personnel. Her descriptions of the brutality Louie Along with other prisoners, went through are extraordinarily detailed and heart-wrenching. His daily beatings from a guard known as "The Bird" would've been enough to smash anyone but Zamperini endured each one. One thing I found interesting isn't just did she name names of the guards that tortured the captives terribly she also didn't back away from indicating the japanese staff who did their best to shield the prisoners even at the risk of their own safety. Then after the war the author takes us through the post-traumatic years as Zamperini's life spirals downward, and his eventual rebirth as he learns leniency and peace.

I'd highly recommend this to those looking for a galvanizing story of, as the sub-title of the book asserts, "Survival, Resilience, and Redemption." Just be aware, a large portion of the story will target the savagery and suffering inflicted on the POW's by the japanese war machine. It can be on occasions a very disturbing and difficult narrative to read, one that will bring tears to your eyes. It is both one of the best books of the WWII POW experience I've read, and one of the most troubling.

WONDERFUL DEVICES

I purchased this device for my father as he's somewhat technically challenged. He kept telling me that he wanted to watch Netflix on his 52" LCD TV. He was under the impression he had to purchase a Blue Ray player to achieve a high quality streaming experience. I figured it might be sweet to purchase a Blue Ray player since he'd have the player for all the DVD's he owns and the Netflix streaming would be gravy. After pricing the BR players I realized that if i wanted WIFI built in, I'd have to buy an off brand unit to be at a comfortable price tag. Further research made clear the Roku XDS which is a superb piece of tech. It is straightforward to set up. From the time you open the package to the moment you are watching a production streaming from Netflix is around 15 minutes. You could likely even do it quicker, but I was playing with some of the other channels that Roku has to offer.

Since WIFI connectivity was a crucial feature, I quickly went to that screen in the set-up sequence to make certain I had a good signal. Since my router is 10 feet from the Roku box my throughput is exceedingly high. I may have ran a cable to the ethernet connection but then we're chatting more wires. I dislike wires!!! I put in my WEP password and the box smartly started updating the firmware. So as to link your Netflix account the Roku will show you an alphanumeric code. You just go to [...]and input the code that is on the screen. Within 15 seconds or so that the Roku screen will advance and you're now fully incorporated with Netflix. There is no need to do this again unless you reset the Roku back to factory settings. The same procedure is used for Pandora and other channels offered on the Roku.

There are lots of other channels you can add to Roku. If you've got an Amazon VOD account, it integrates just as easily as the Netflix account. Then you have the power to add Hulu + as well but I don't counsel that. The cost is $7.99 / month as of this writing and since you still need to watch ads, I don't see the worth. Ultimately, if you're on the fence about which Roku to buy ( there are 3 ) you need to consider the top of the line model or the 2nd tiered unit. Do not consider the least expensive model because it lacks WIFI and will not broadcast in HD.

I actually happen to have the latest generation of Apple TV ( virtually same size as Roku ). The reason i have the Apple unit is due to how it firmly integrates with iTunes and the iPhone 4 which I have. I am able to easily recommend the Roku player to anyone who wants to add a pleasant piece of tech to their multi-media systems. Best of luck and thanks for reading my review.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Proposition 19

Proposition 19 - Prop 19 Tell Us What You Think!

Prop 19, also known as proposition 19 is aimed at regulating, controlling and hopefully tax the users of cannabis (Marijuana) in California.  We all have the right to voice our opinion as American citizens and this article or platform, is intended to do just that. Please tell us why you think Californians should vote yes or no to this proposition.

Please be polite in putting across your opinion. There is absolutely no need to be derogatory and violate other people rights. Let’s be adults about it and let’s treat each other with the respect they deserve.

To start the discussion, let me use this opportunity as the author of this article to view my concern. As a professional in health industry and an expert in addictions and addiction recovery, i encourage all Californians to vote no to the proposition. My work entails daily interactions with the victims of marijuana addictions and other drugs and I will do anything in my power and is legal to stop Prop 19.

Marijuana does more harm than good when in the hands of wrong people. It is true marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes, but what is the percentage of people using it for medicine. Another disturbing factor is that, most of the addicts that started using it for medicinal purposes. I will definitely vote yes for health professionals to use marijuana for medicinal purpose and at the same time, i will vote No for ordinary people to have access to marijuana.

Ok, let me here your site of the story, invite your friends and let’s start the discussion.

 .....has helped over 5 million people all over the world to treat alcohol, sugar, wine, tobacco, and marijuana addiction in the privacy of their own home or office. He has been distributing the remarkable science discovery called alcohol addiction treatment.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Laura Hilenbrand Book Review

Nobody can bring accusation to Laura Hillenbrand, writer of Seabiscuit : An American Celebrity, of ever bringing to fruition a half-effort job of analysis when she writes story nonfiction. Spending seven years on this effort, the author has produced one of the most detailed stories of an American POW being held by the japanese during World war ii that I've ever read. With the many meetings with the subject at the time of her investigation, along with interviews of family members, other POW's and their loved ones, reading over unuttered diary, personal letters, and military documents, it would be simple for this booklet to are now a long drawn-out and sterile story that would read like a text book. Instead we're treated to an entertaining and on occasions heart-warming story that takes a group of unfamiliars and offer them in a way that you actually come to understand them.

The subject of the book is Louis Zamperini, whose life would have been a fascinating read even before the developments during WWII. A relatively difficulty child who lifted everything in sight, he grows up to become one of the greatest track stars of his time, shattering the national highschool record in the mile and becoming one of the youngest members of the U.S. Olympic team in 1936. Many felt that Zamperini would become the first individual to break the four minute mile. With the commencement of the war, he was drafted into the regiment Air Force and became a bombardier allotted to the semi-unreliable B-24. After surviving a number of bombing missions against Japanese targets his plane goes down in the middle of the ocean while looking for another downed plane. What's coming is a story of survival by sheer will, first being adrift at sea for 46 days and then spending over 2 savage years as a POW in Japan.

Hillenbrand takes us step by step thru the events, introducing us to other Allied captives as well as a bunch of the Japanese guards and personnel. Her descriptions of the savagery Louie Along with other captives, went thru are extraordinarily detailed and heart-wrenching. His daily thrashings from a guard known as "The Bird" would've been enough to smash anybody but Zamperini endured each one. One thing I found engaging is not just did she reveal names of the guards that tortured the captives mercilessly she also didn't back away from indicating the japanese staff who did their best to shield the prisoners even at the risk of their own safety. Then after the war the author takes us thru the post-traumatic years as Zamperini's life spirals downward, and his eventual rebirth as he learns leniency and peace.

I would strongly recommend this to those looking for an electrifying story of, as the sub-title of the book asserts, "Survival, Resilience, and Redemption." Just be aware, a huge portion of the tale will target the brutality and suffering inflicted on the POW's by the japanese war machine. It can be at times a really disturbing and tricky story to read, one that will bring tears to your eyes. It is both one of the best books of the WWII POW experience I have read, and one of the most worrying.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Roku SDS Streaming player

I bought this device for my dad as he is slightly technically challenged. He kept telling me that he needed to watch Netflix on his 52" LCD TV. He was sure he had to get a Blue Ray player to gain a high quality streaming experience. I figured it might be good to buy a Blue Ray player since he'd have the player for all the DVD's he owns and the Netflix streaming would be gravy. After pricing the BR players I realized that if i wanted WIFI built in, I'd have to buy an off brand unit to be at a cushty price point. Further research made clear the Roku XDS which is a fantastic piece of tech. It is extremely easy to line up. From the time you open the package to the moment you're watching a film streaming from Netflix is around Fifteen minutes. You could likely even do it quicker, but I was playing with some of the other channels that Roku has to give.

Since WIFI connectivity was an extremely important feature, I quickly went to that screen in the set up sequence to make certain I had a good signal. Since my router is Ten feet from the Roku box my throughput is exceedingly high. I could have ran a wire to the ethernet connection but then we're speaking more wires. I dislike wires!!! I put in my WEP password and the box promptly started updating the firmware. To link your Netflix account the Roku will show you an alphanumeric code. You simply go to [...]and input the code that is on the screen. Within 15 seconds or so that the Roku screen will advance and you are now totally integrated with Netflix. There is no need to do this again unless you reset the Roku back to factory settings. The same procedure is utilized for Pandora and other channels offered on the Roku.

There are lots of other channels that you can add to Roku. If you've an Amazon VOD account, it integrates just as simply as the Netflix account. Then you have the ability to add Hulu + as well but I don't counsel that. The price is $7.99 / month as of this writing and since you still have to watch adverts, I don't see the value. Finally, if you're on the fence about which Roku to get ( there are 3 ) you must consider the apex of the line model or the second tiered unit. Do not consider the cheapest model as it lacks WIFI and won't broadcast in HD.

I actually happen to have the new generation of Apple Television ( nearly same size as Roku ). The reason why I have the Apple unit is because of how it firmly integrates with iTunes and the iPhone Four which I have. I am able to simply recommend the Roku player to anyone who wants to add a pleasant piece of tech to their multi-media systems. Best of luck and thanks for reading my review.


Unbroken Book Review

No one can accuse Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit : An American Legend, of ever executing a half-effort job of study when she writes account nonfiction. Spending 7 years on this effort, the author has done one of the most complicated stories of an American POW being held by the japanese during WWII that I've ever read. With the various meetings with the topic at the time of her study, together with consultations of family members, other POW's and their families, reading over unspoken life story, private letters, and military documents, it would be simple for this book to are now a long drawn-out and sterile story that would read like a text book. Instead we're treated to an entertaining and on occasions heart-wrenching story that takes a group of unfamiliars and tell them in a way that you really come to understand them.

The subject matter of the book is Louis Zamperini, whose life would have been an engaging read even before the developments during WWII. A comparatively trouble child who lifted everything in sight, he grows up to end up being one of the best track stars of his time, breaking the state school record in the mile and becoming one of the youngest members of the U.S. Olympic team in 1936. Many felt that Zamperini would become the first individual to break the four minute mile. With the beginning of the war, he was drafted into the army Air Force and became a bombardier allotted to the semi-unreliable B-24. After surviving a considerable number of bombing missions against Japanese targets his plane goes down in the middle of the ocean while hunting for another downed plane. What's coming is a tale of survival by sheer will, first being adrift at sea for 46 days and then spending over two brutal years as a POW in Japan.

Hillenbrand takes us step-by-step through the events, introducing us to other Allied prisoners as well as a number of the Japanese guards and personnel. Her outlines of the savagery Louie Along with other captives, went thru are really detailed and heart-wrenching. His daily thrashings from a guard known as "The Bird" would have been enough to break anyone but Zamperini endured each one. One thing I found engaging is not just did she mention any names of the guards that tortured the prisoners terribly she also did not back away from pointing out the japanese personnel who did their best to shield the prisoners even at the risk of their own safety. Then after the war the author takes us through the post-traumatic years as Zamperini's life spirals downward, and his eventual rebirth as he learns leniency and peace.

I would strongly recommend this to those looking for a galvanizing story of, as the sub-title of the book claims, "Survival, Resilience, and Redemption." Just be aware, a large portion of the story will target the brutality and suffering inflicted on the POW's by the japanese war machine. It can be on occasions a really disturbing and tricky narrative to read, one that may bring tears to your eyes. It is both one of the finest books of the WWII POW experience I have read, and one of the most discouraging.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Let Me Hear Your Thoughts

One of the reason i have this blog was to put content that we can discuss with other people on daily basis. As a writer, sometimes you ran out of things to wroite about and this is where the readers of your blog come in. I am opening this oppotunity for anyone who wants to share his or her ideas with us.

You are welcomes to share anything you want. it can be a book review, a product review, a plitical statement or anything that is appropriate and does not offend other people. So this challenge to contribute content will be open for some time.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Red Special Edition - Bruce Willis

Red (Special Edition)

44 days in top 100 Amamzon bestselling list is quite an achievement for the movie RED. The movie is based on retired CIA who continued to do investigation work. The word RED stands for Retired and Extremely Dangerous. These retired CIA were about to be wiped off by some of the jealous government officials. The group fought hard and exposed those who were involved.

RED is very entertaining, silly and yet funny. The movie has a couple of award winning actors and actress including Helen Mirren, Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman. Those that have already seen the trailers of the movie, will surely enjoy it to the fullest. The movies is simply awesome and its one of those you want to watch every time you have a chance.

The movie is really funny, the actors have put their best in this movie to be a success. Bruce Willis, he had a ball and he had fun although he looked young to be retired. Mary Louise Parker (WEEDS) also enjoyed her part and acted it very well a call center worker who sometimes was involved in dangerous staff.  Put Mirren and Freeman together and you have fun. The two pair has outdone themselves in the movie. Richard Dreyfuss also appeared in a couple of scenes. You have to almost feel sorry for Karl Urban, he did not have a lot of fun but nevertheless played his role very well.

The best of the best was my favourite actor John Malkovich who appears in almost every scene and is very funny and hilarious. He steals every scene he's in with amazing ease. He was the craziest of the all and had everyone laughing by just his facial expressions

RED is not a classic film but the time I spent watching this movie was actually for a good reason and I don’t regret that a bit. The movie plays for about 110 minutes and those were 110 minutes worthy of my attention. The movies was enjoyed by different age group as I sat watching almost everyone in the cinema. It was a struggle for me to come with a rating for this movie but I ended up giving it 4 out of 5.