The Dbottino Weblog

Forex exchange-rate index is designed to measure how, over time, movements in the dollar will affect U.S. imports and exports. And to do this well, Forex index must also take account of any differences between the rate of inflation in the United States and the rates of inflation in other countries. Suppose that the rate of inflation were 10 percent a year in the United States but only 3 percent a year in Germany. The buying power of the dollar in the United States is falling 7 percent a year faster than the buying power of the German mark.

Now suppose that Forex exchange rate of the dollar declined by 7 percent from one year to the next against the mark. Then German buyers would be getting 7 percent more dollars for their marks; but the decline in the exchange rate would be exactly undone by the greater increase in prices in the United States than in Germany. The number of Mercedes that it took to trade for one Boeing 757 would be the same in the two years. (At least, this would be true on average for many goods.) This means that, when a change in Forex exchange rate simply compensates for differences in inflation rates, the relative prices of U.S. imports (from Germany) and U.S. exports (to Germany) do not change.

Readers let us notify: international Forex trade economists do it differently. One of the most confusing concepts in economics is the way in which Forex rate of exchange between two currencies should be expressed. As we indicate in the article, we choose to express the rate as the number of units of foreign currency that can be purchased with one dollar (e.g., let’s say the yen is trading at 130 yen to the dollar). This approach is commonly used in the media and it squares with the intuitive idea of appreciation or devaluation of the dollar. When Forex exchange as we have defined it goes up (e.g., from 100 yen to 120 yen), the dollar buys more foreign currency – the dollar has appreciated. When Forex exchange rate goes down (e.g., from 100 yen to 90 yen), the dollar buys less foreign currency – the dollar has depreciated.

Unfortunately, this approach is the inverse of the concept that international trade economists focus on when they describe Forex foreign-exchange markets. They define Forex exchange rate in terms of the price of foreign exchange, so the yen to dollar exchange rate is the cost of purchasing one yen with dollars. If Forex exchange rate in our terms is equal to 100 yen to the dollar, the inverse would be $0,01 (one cent) per yen. If the dollar appreciates, from 100 yen to 120 yen to the dollar (dollar purchases more yen), then Forex exchange rate, expressed as the cost of yen, declines in dollar terms, in this example dropping from $0,01 to $0,0083.

The appreciating dollar means that yen purchased in foreign exchange Forex markets are now cheaper to buy with dollars, exactly the concept that trade economists wish to show. But it also means that their definition of the Forex dollar-exchange rate falls when the dollar appreciates! This is very confusing and so we define Forex exchange rate as yen per dollar, rather than dollars per yen.

For those who go on to further studies in international economics, however you, you will find that the trade economists’ definition usually appears in international Forex articles and journals.

The Largest Online Money-Making Directory

The most friendly forum about online money-making

Nick Larson

Copyright 2006 Timothy Rohrer

There is a new type of business sweeping across the internet. If you haven’t heard already, e-currency trading is becoming the fastest growing online business in the years 2005 and 2006.

Just exactly how does this new type of business work? E-currency trading is still a relatively unknown, yet lucrative market. E-currency trading is the act of exchanging one online currency in exchange for another. When the exchange takes place, the middle man receives a fee for processing the exchange. This is where everyday people just like you and I are able to step in and be that middle man and collect that fee for processing a transaction.

So how do we become that middle man? There are multiple online courses available that will teach anyone the e-currency exchange business. Most are rather pricey on the order for $700 to $1000. However, there are a few reliable training courses that you can find for much less. Through one of these training courses, you will be taught how to effectively trade e-currency and take $200 and double that amount in just less than 1 month.

Like anyone else, I was a bit skeptical at first and reluctant to buy anything online. Given the recent growth of the internet over the past 5 years, I decided to give it shot. I funded my account with $200 as suggest from the online training course and away I went. During the first month of trading I earned a profit of $278 from a $200 initial investment. My skepticism and fear were completely gone and I had all the confidence in the world and I ended up investing another $100. To this day I am still and active e-currency trader and it has definitely changed my life.

I can say the most difficult part of e-currency trading was finding a course that was learning all the terminology and how to navigate through the system. Through the help of an online training course I was able to do this and what seemed to be difficult at first became extremely easy.

Gardening is a wonderful and relaxing hobby enjoyed by many all over the world. People who enjoy gardening often feel a deep-rooted sense of calm and tranquility, and they also forge a stronger connection with nature.

There are many types and forms of gardening. Organic gardening is a unique method of gardening and allows the gardener to really bond with Mother Nature. Organic gardening really gets down to the basics of growing fruits and vegetables, using only what Mother Nature provides. Container gardening is another way of gardening and allows many people who do not have their own garden to still enjoy gardening using pots and containers.

Container gardening is a great way to decorate and accentuate your house and your outdoor area. Plant containers such as clay urns, metal pans, terra cotta pots, wine tubs, wood boxes, bath tubs, glass bowls, wire baskets, sisal rope planters, cement hollows etc. all work well. You want to be sure to have an assortment of beautiful flowers and plants of varying heights as well as shapes and textures when planning your garden.

Organic gardening requires much more attention and involvement in the whole process. When you grow the plants organically, you do not add any artificial or chemical substances to the soil to avoid their negative health consequences. In organic gardening natural compost is needed to fertilize the soil. Natural compost is derived from plant, fruit or kitchen waste and contains no harmful chemical pesticides in it.

Whether you go for container gardening or organic gardening, the preparation and gardening methods are pretty similar. After you decide on what type of gardening you want to do, prepare your spot and soil for planting. You must remove all weeds, grass, stones, etc using various gardening supplies or herbicides. When this is completed, you can plow the planting area and add nutrients such as manure, compost, peat or sand to the soil. If your soil is too sandy, you will need to add compost to give it the necessary nutrients it needs.

Gardening supplies are essential for good gardening. They make gardening easy, and there are certain gardening supplies that gardeners find indispensable, including gloves, spade, scissors, pruners, levelers etc. Make sure to buy good quality gardening supplies for ease of use, such as gardening gloves made of high quality leather, and gardening spades or pruners made of stainless steel.

To learn more about Gardening, visit Susan’s sites at love-gardening.info, gardening-club.info and gardening-fun.info.

It’s safe to say that anything that seems to be too good to be true probably isn’t, but that doesn’t stop scam artists from trying out their ploys on unsuspecting cell phone users. Many more people are finding unsolicited text messages on their phones, offering stock tips that will make them rich, but are these messages really designed to help the phone user out?

While email messaging can be filtered with junk mail filters, text messaging isn’t able to do so. Scam artists are finding this mode of communication most effective in getting their scam to someone who might think that it’s well-intentioned. Because the cell phone user believes that their number can only be used by those that they have sanctioned, they initially believe that the information is coming from a truthful source.

The scam is known as the ‘pump and dump’ whereby the scam artist gives the victim misleading information about a stock (this is the pump part). When enough people have taken this information and used it, the demand for the stock then goes up and thus so does the price. The scam artists will then sell the shares that they purchased in this same company, lessening the price and leaving the victims with worthless stocks.

A stock tip scam is easily identified when a person takes the time to use their common sense. If a person should receive a tip about a stock that will rise in price and value significantly, that may be an indication of a scam. The text message may also include a low priced stock (often fifty cents or less) that can be more easily targeted. These identifiers along with a pressure filled message and approach are almost definite signs of a scam on stocks.

It’s always smart not to take the advice of anyone that you have not requested information from. Unsolicited advice is something that can be misleading in an attempt to fraud the recipient of the message.

While it might seem simple enough to ignore the message, a person can also report the source in order to possibly stop the text messages to everyone else. These messages can be forwarded to the NASD via email. Other possible ways to block the transmission of such messages is via the government’s Do Not Call list. More than one number can be registered so long as the person has a working email address.

Some text messages may include options to opt out of further messages, so a person can also complete those forms to be left out of the next round of stock tips. Other people find that avoiding chances to opt into third party offers on websites that they have visited is a great way to cut back on the unsolicited messages. Leaving a false phone number is another way to avoid receiving these kinds of annoyances.

There are laws that are in place to prohibit this kind of scam, but vigilance is the best defense as is using common sense.

Joel Arberman is the Managing Member of Stock Aware, LLC. We publish a free investment research and analysis newsletter and offer investor awareness services. Learn more at StockAware.com.

Most politicians bend the laws of the land and steal money or solicit bribes because they need the funds to support networks of patronage. Others do it in order to reward their nearest and dearest or to maintain a lavish lifestyle when their political lives are over.

But these mundane reasons fail to explain why some officeholders go on a rampage and binge on endless quantities of lucre. All rationales crumble in the face of a Mobutu Sese Seko or a Saddam Hussein or a Ferdinand Marcos who absconded with billions of US dollars from the coffers of Zaire, Iraq, and the Philippines, respectively.

These inconceivable dollops of hard cash and valuables often remain stashed and untouched, moldering in bank accounts and safes in Western banks. They serve no purpose, either political or economic. But they do fulfill a psychological need. These hoards are not the megalomaniacal equivalents of savings accounts. Rather they are of the nature of compulsive collections.

Erstwhile president of Sierra Leone, Momoh, amassed hundreds of video players and other consumer goods in vast rooms in his mansion. As
electricity supply was intermittent at best, his was a curious choice. He used to sit among these relics of his cupidity, fondling and counting them
insatiably.

While Momoh relished things with shiny buttons, people like Sese Seko, Hussein, and Marcos drooled over money. The ever-heightening mountains of greenbacks in their vaults soothed them, filled them with confidence, regulated their sense of self-worth, and served as a love substitute. The balances in their bulging bank accounts were of no practical import or intent. They merely catered to their psychopathology.

These politicos were not only crooks but also kleptomaniacs. They could no more stop thieving than Hitler could stop murdering. Venality was an
integral part of their psychological makeup.

Kleptomania is about acting out. It is a compensatory act. Politics is a drab, uninspiring, unintelligent, and, often humiliating business. It is
also risky and rather arbitrary. It involves enormous stress and unceasing conflict. Politicians with mental health disorders (for instance,
narcissists or psychopaths) react by decompensation. They rob the state and coerce businessmen to grease their palms because it makes them feel better, it helps them to repress their mounting fears and frustrations, and to restore their psychodynamic equilibrium. These politicians and bureaucrats “let off steam” by looting.

Kleptomaniacs fail to resist or control the impulse to steal, even if they have no use for the booty. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual IV-TR (2000), the bible of psychiatry, kleptomaniacs feel “pleasure, gratification, or relief when committing the theft.” The good book proceeds to say that ” … (T)he individual may hoard the stolen objects …”.

As most kleptomaniac politicians are also psychopaths, they rarely feel remorse or fear the consequences of their misdeeds. But this only makes them more culpable and dangerous.

Sam Vaknin ( samvak.tripod.com ) is the author of Malignant Self Love – Narcissism Revisited and After the Rain – How the West Lost the East. He served as a columnist for Global Politician, Central Europe Review, PopMatters, Bellaonline, and eBookWeb, a United Press International (UPI) Senior Business Correspondent, and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory and Suite101.

Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

Visit Sam’s Web site at samvak.tripod.com

The Automobile Association, which is now more commonly known as the AA was formed in London on the 29th June 1905 and believe it or not was a club originally formed to avoid speed traps.

Since then like the RAC, the AA has been at the forefront of motoring development. Even as early as 1906 the AA was erecting warning signs for motorists and by 1918 had 83,000 members.

The AA had responsibility for the signs until the 1930’s when the authorities took over. In 1910 say the beginning of hand written routes, which have now expanded to today, with hotel reviews, maps and tourist guides and are now the UK’s biggest travel publisher.

But the main service that everyone in the UK would associate them with is breakdown cover. Whenever you see black and white photo of the AA in most cases represents the patrolman in his van or on his motorcycle, assisting motorists in their time of need.
Of course in those days, motor mechanics were deemed as a speciality and was almost compulsory to be a member of a motoring club in case you should breakdown. And of course, with reliability not as it is today, that would surely happen at some point.

Spreads along the UK roads were the AA emergency telephones and telephone boxes that looked like old police telephone boxes. If you were to breakdown you would walk to the nearest box, use your special AA key to enter the box then speak to an operator to get you a patrolman as soon as possible. Of course mobile phones have removed the need for most of these telephones now which now only tend to be shared phones an the motorways only.

By the second world way over 2 million cars were now on the road and nearly 3/5 of a million of these owners had joined the AA.

Always campaigning for the good and safety of the motorist they helped pave the way for the compulsory wearing of seatbelts and the introduction of lead free petrol which we take for granted in the 21st century.

The 1970s saw the introduction of the AA’s roadwatch, which was originally used over the radio and now also features heavily on the Internet.

By the 1990’s the membership had reached 8 million members, and today is the UK’s biggest breakdown cover provider with over 3,000 patrolmen.

Little did they know back in 1905 how much the motorcar would change how we live and the freedom it would give. It is true that the motoring organisations today including the AA are more insurance orientated and or course need to keep the shareholders happy as well as the motorists. But it is also true to say that they have been more successful than the rest and have kept some members, all their motoring life.

Satellite navigation and computerised diagnostics rule the modern breakdown cover service, but it is we, the consumer who have driven this. If we want to go back to the good old days, then we need to throw away the mobile phone, and trade in the BMW for a Morris Minor.

Over 100 years have gone and good luck to another 100 years.

Mark is webmaster for AA Breakdown Cover and Race Track Experience and Dialaphone

This article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked questions on the topic of buying diamonds and diamond jewelry from sites on the Internet. I hope you find all of this information helpful.

Considering all of the possible ways you can be scammed when shopping for diamonds, buying diamonds online almost seems unimaginable! Even so, you absolutely can acquire diamonds online, with no problems as long as you are careful. First, consider your reasons for wanting to buy the diamond online, contrary to making a purchase from a local jewelry outlet. The most common reason is price. Due to low overhead costs, online jewelers and wholesalers are able to offer reduced prices. However, you should be wary, because sometimes a price that is too low is a possible indication of a scam.

One of the excellent things about purchasing diamonds online is the unconstrained selection. When shopping offline, you are limited to the choices in the stores in your general location. Online, there are no such limits. But again, you must use a great deal of care and attentiveness prior to handing your cash over to someone that you cannot see and have never met in person.

Before shopping, learn as much as you can about diamonds – specifically cut, clarity, color and carat weight. When you know more about diamonds, it will be that much more difficult for an unscrupulous merchant to rip you off. When you know significantly more about diamonds, you will then be prepared to start shopping in earnest.

Take your time. Don’t purchase the first diamond you see that interests you. Instead, look for diamonds that are very similar but are priced lower. Do some comparison shopping to find the lowest prices. Once you have found the best price, start your investigation. Now you know about diamonds, you’ve found a diamond that you love, and you’ve found the lowest price… but you are still quite a ways from actually purchasing that new diamond or piece of jewelry.

Ask about the seller’s credentials. Do a search for customer reviews on this particular company around the Internet. Be sure to check with the BBB Online to see if there have been any complaints lodged against them. You’ll want to know any professional jeweler associations they belong to. View and print the seller’s return and refund policy, as well as their upgrade policy. Also, inquire about additional services, such as providing settings and mountings, sizing rings, and free shipping. Ask for a diamond grading report from an independent laboratory, such as GIA, EGL, or AGS. These are organizations that are respected around the world in the gem industry. You need to see this before making a jewelry purchase that includes diamonds, such as diamond engagement rings or anniversary rings.

Lastly, use a trustworthy escrow service for high-priced diamonds and diamond jewelry – preferably one that will have the diamond appraised while it is in their keeping. The merchant sends the gem to the escrow company, and you send the money to pay for the diamond to the escrow service. The escrow service has the diamond independently appraised, sends the diamond to you, and forwards the money you’ve paid to the seller. This is the surest way to shield yourself. Again, make sure that you use a reputable escrow service that you’ve also vetted for security and excellent business practices.

I hope you have gotten some good ideas from this article and that you are able to use them in preparation for your upcoming diamond purchase. Remember, always investigate the diamond merchant’s credentials and any complaints filed with the local Better Business Bureau. If you still have a nagging little voice telling you something’s wrong, you should move on and check out another seller.

© John Schwartz (all rights reserved)

Everyday we shed hair regardless of age or how healthy our hair is, just the same as we shed skin. Most of us fortunately never have any problems with noticeable hair loss, but then there are an ever increasing amount of us that do experience the almost ‘nightmare’ of losing our hair at all different ages. Once hair has been lost it is normally replaced in a reasonable amount of time, but it is only when the hair is not replaced for whatever reason that may be, that the loss of hair starts to become noticeable.

There are many myths of hair loss as usual, just as there are with any medical condition, but there are numerous known contributors to hair loss, that are present in most of our lives. Excessive bleaching and colouring of your hair and the constant use of products that are full of chemicals can be detrimental for your hair’s condition. The process of aging can have the effect of hair loss even if you have lived a stress free healthy life, and can cause you to search for hair loss treatment.

Most drugs whether they have been prescribed by doctors or taken for recreational purposes can not only have an effect on practically all of your bodily functions, and lot term effect on your body mentally and physically, but can also contribute to the loss of hair at all stages of life. Any type of skin infection or hormonal imbalance with women can influence the loss of hair, and so can any illness that has taken a hard toll on your body.

One of the most common thoughts of hair loss is down to stress, and working a lot of hours and spending most of your working week stressed up to your eyeballs, and not been able to distress before you commence with another stressful day at work seems to contribute to a lot of hair loss across the nation. A simply remedy to this is work less hours, or do not let your work stress you up as much. This is quite often easy to say, and very difficult to put into practice.

More information on Hair Loss Treatment can be found at the author’s website at http://www.nohairloss.info

Some companies are jumping into software outsourcing before they are ready. They hire a team, sometimes the wrong one, and then expect them to start producing software right away. In their rush, they skip the planning, goal setting and careful evaluation of how outsourcing fits into their organization.

What does it mean to be ready for outsourcing? Is there a way to measure your readiness? Now you can answer a set of twenty questions on-line to get an idea of where you stand. The results will tell you if you are ready to go, if should proceed cautiously, or that you should seek immediate help. Here is the link to this free, no obligation, outsourcing readiness test:

http://www.accelerance.com/readinessTest.php3

One company I met with recently is already doing outsourced software development from their engineering group. “How is it going?” I asked. “It depends on who you talk to,” I was told. The executives of the company thought it was going great. The company was paying less for engineering talent. Board members seemed satisfied.

But after further conversation, I learned the engineering department had never really bought into the concept of outsourcing. They resisted working with the outsourced team. Their results were actually less than spectacular. Clearly this was a company not completely ready for outsourcing.

And look at this email I received the other day:

We are looking to get started soon. I would like to get a quote from your firm for its services. I need an auction style web site to be built that could withstand up to 10 million hits per day. I need to know how fast it can be built and how much it will cost. I look forward to hearing from you…

I replied asking for more information about what was needed. At least a few additional details or some sort of specification are required to give any meaningful answer. If you do not have these details prepared, you are probably not ready to outsource.

And if you are not ready to outsource, you face the risks of extra costs, huge delays and the complete failure of your outsourced software development.

Why do people start outsourcing without planning? There are different reasons. Sometimes it is ignorance. Other times it is an intense desire to get the software developed as quickly as possible.

Before you jump into outsourcing make sure you are ready. Take this free test and think about your answers. Be honest. Then seek out advice and other resources to help in areas where you need improvement.

The on-line readiness test divides the questions into four areas – Your Previous Outsourcing Experience, Technology, Business, and Management Approach.

Even if you are not completely ready for outsourcing, you can get help to compensate for areas of weakness. That is the other benefit of the readiness test – just by answering the questions honestly, you can focus on areas where you may need help to minimize your outsourcing risks.

The help you need in these areas can come from several different sources. It might be books and articles that describe proven methods for outsourcing. It might be software tools to help you manage outsourcing. Or it might mean hiring additional resources that have outsourcing experience.

Don’t get discouraged if you get a low score on the readiness test. Remember that one of the seven deadly dangers of outsourcing is not taking advantage of outsourcing at all. Learn from your test results and make the changes needed to make your outsourcing risk-free.

Steve Mezak is a successful Silicon Valley technical entrepreneur and global outsourcing expert. Take his free Outsourcing Readiness Test on the Accelerance web site now at http://www.accelerance.com/readinessTest.php3

If you’re reading this right now you probably have been broke, are broke, or know someone who is struggling with being broke. The pain and suffering of being in this state is truly awful. Being broke causes thoughts of despair, feelings of failure, desperation, struggle, lack and need. Being broke prevents us from reaching our potential, from living our lives freely. Being broke prevents us from being wealthy.

How is this possible? Like attracts like. Being broke attracts more experiences of being broke. It is a vicious cycle, once that can very easily be transformed once we understand the fundamental laws of how our mind and spirit interact with the universe.

It is your underlying state of BEING, in this case, being broke, that creates the resultant thoughts and feelings in your mind. As a package, this whole message is broadcast to the universe, which in return gives you more of the same: experiences of being broke.

One of the laws of manifestation is that we must BE before we can DO, and DO before we can HAVE. Of course modern society has twisted this all around. Being broke is a powerful message we are sending to the universe and ourselves. We are in a state of BEING, and it is broke. This will inform our actions to act in ways to continue to be broke, and we will continue to have this condition of being broke in our lives.

Your life experience is an outer reflection of your inner reality. All the thoughts and feelings you hold, consciously and unconsciously, are what create the experience that is your life. Your past created your present, and your present is creating your future.

It can be hard to understand that we are responsible for what we experience. I remember being unhappy, and then experiencing events that I perceived as causing me to be unhappy. Then I would say to myself, I am unhappy because of this… no wonder I am unhappy. I was trapped in my own vicious cycle and had no idea it was me who was responsible for my experiences of unhappiness.

To break the cycle I first needed to know what was broken in order to fix it. It was the message I was sending out. I found there was a very simple way to fix it.

If I notice one day that I am unhappy, and understand that BEING unhappy is the cause of my continuing experience of unhappiness, it is that day that I can choose to change. All I need to do to break the cycle is: choose to be happy. It doesn’t take anything from outside myself to be happy. All I have to do is gain awareness, pause, and pull up from within myself the state of being happy, replacing the unhappiness. We all have this capacity.

Choosing is an exercise of free will. You can choose BE happy, healthy, wealthy, whatever you desire. Take a moment and just BE happy. It is possible for anyone to do and a very powerful exercise once you have done it and understood it. If you are being happy, you will do things that make you happy, and you will attract happy experiences into your life. Being happy is the first step towards living a happy life. It seems almost like a riddle, but understanding it unravels the secrets of life.

If you find yourself broke, look within. You’ll find you feel broke, and are in a powerful state of BEING. The awareness of this gives you the choice. You can choose your state of being. Imagine what it is like to feel wealthy. Take that feeling and hold it, you are now BEING wealthy. This is how to break the vicious cycle of being broke. By BEING wealthy, you are now transforming the signals you are broadcasting. You are emanating wealth and the laws of cause and effect have no choice but to bring to you what you already are. Now your actions will begin to bring to you the wealth you feel inside.

By being conscious of your states of being, you can choose to change them. The positive results will return to you without fail, following the natural laws of the universe.

Carina MacInnes is an author and entrepreneur offering a free e-course by her favorite mentor, with incredible wealth secrets – receive it now: milliondollarsecret@robotreply.com For a powerful way to increase both health and wealth in your life, see her site here: http://imagineacai.com