Top 10 Reasons Why Web Startups Fail

Source: GetHelp

#10 Marginal Niche
Web Startups fail by choosing a small, obscure niche in the hope of avoiding competition. If you make anything good, you’re going to have competitors, so you may as well face that. You can only avoid competition by avoiding good ideas.

#9 Copying Success
Web Startups fail by trying to duplicate a great idea. If it’s been done once then chances are others have tried, and failed. There can only be one amazon.com or ebay.com. Come up with your own unique and fresh concept.

#8 Inflexibility
Your business plan should be an organic document that can adapt to change. Web Startups fail because they refuse to deviate from the plan. Listen to others, get advice and keep your eyes open; adaptation is the mark of a successful business.

#7 Getting the Wrong Help
Good people demand good wages. Hiring the cheapest person is a recipe for Web Startup failure. Old sayings become old because they are true, the best example being “you get what you pay for”.

#6 Listening to an Un-Expert
Web Startups fail by acting on advice given by an unqualified person. Anyone can claim to be an expert at something and often we lack the knowledge necessary to determine their qualifications. To protect yourself from the Un-Expert get a second, third or fourth opinion. It never fails to ask around.

#5 Forgetting the User
Web startups fail because the websites are designed from the perspective of the business owner, not the user. In an entrepreneur’s excitement and passion for their idea, they can often lose sight of their customer’s accessibility needs. Focus groups and user trials can be a great way to improve customer interaction with your website.

#4 Running out of Runway
Web Startups fail by forgetting or downplaying funding. Every startup that isn’t profitable has a certain amount of time left before the money runs out and they have to stop. This is sometimes referred to as runway, as in “How much runway do you have left?” It’s a good metaphor because it reminds you that when the money runs out you’re going to be airborne or dead.

#3 Spending Too Much
Often caused by listening to the Un-Expert, Web Startups fail because they over spend needlessly. Unless your doing volume of business equal to chapters.ca you do not need a dedicated co-located IBM Xeon server when a $20.00 hosting account will suffice.

#2 Believing the Hype
The web is all about Hype; from get rich quick schemes to seemingly endless unsolicited emails claiming to have insider information. The reality is that the people who get rich quick from the internet put a lot of thought and energy into their projects, just like anything else. The internet is a great medium for scammers

#1 A Half-Hearted Effort
The failed startups you hear most about are the spectacular flameouts. Those are actually the elite of failures. The most common type is not the one that makes spectacular mistakes, but the one that doesn’t do much of anything—the one we never even hear about, because it was some project a couple guys started on the side while working on their day jobs, but which never got anywhere and was gradually abandoned. In other words, starting startups is just like everything else. The biggest mistake you can make is not to try hard enough.

What's New in Windows Vista SP1

Source: Microsoft

Security

• Provides security software vendors a more secure way to communicate with Windows Security Center.
• Includes application programming interfaces (APIs) by which third-party security and malicious software detection applications can work with kernel patch protection on x64 versions of Windows Vista. These APIs help ISVs develop software that extends the functionality of the Windows kernel on x64 computers without disabling or weakening the protection offered by kernel patch protection.
• Improves the security of running RemoteApp programs and desktops by allowing Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) files to be signed. Customers can differentiate user experiences based on publisher identity.
• Adds an Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC) pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) to the list of available PRNGs in Windows Vista.
• Enhances BitLocker Drive Encryption (BDE) to offer an additional multifactor authentication method that combines a key protected by the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) with a Startup key stored on a USB storage device and a user-generated personal identification number (PIN).

Reliability

• Improved reliability and compatibility of Windows Vista when used with newer graphics cards in several specific scenarios and configurations.
• Improved reliability when working with external displays on a laptop.
• Improved Windows Vista reliability in networking configuration scenarios.
• Improved reliability of systems that were upgraded from Windows XP to Windows Vista.
• Increased compatibility with many printer drivers.
• Increased reliability and performance of Windows Vista when entering sleep and resuming from sleep.

Performance

• Improves the speed of copying and extracting files.
• Improves the time to become active from Hibernate and Resume modes.
• Improves the performance of domain-joined PCs when operating off the domain; in the current release version of Windows Vista, users would experience long delays when opening the File dialog box.
• Improves performance of Windows® Internet Explorer® 7 in Windows Vista, reducing CPU utilization and speeding JavaScript parsing.
• Improves battery life by reducing CPU utilization by not redrawing the screen as frequently, on certain computers.
• Improves the logon experience by removing the occasional 10-second delay between pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL and the password prompt displaying.
• Addresses an issue in the current version of Windows Vista that makes browsing network file shares consume significant bandwidth and not perform as fast as expected.

Administration Experience

• BitLocker Drive Encryption encrypts extra local volumes. For example, instead of encrypting only drive C, customers can also encrypt drive D, E, and so on.
• Addresses problems with printing to local printers from a Windows® Terminal Services session.
• The Network Diagnostics tool will help customers solve the most common file sharing problems, in addition to the basic problems that it already diagnoses.
• Administrators can control the volumes on which to run Disk Defragmenter.

NOTE: SP1 will remove the Group Policy Management Console.

Emerging Hardware and Standards

• In the future, flash memory storage and consumer devices will use the exFAT file system. Windows Vista SP1 adds support for this file system to Windows Vista.
• The service pack will include support for Secure Digital (SD) Advanced Direct Memory Access (DMA), which will be on compliant SD host controllers soon, to improve transfer performance and decrease CPU utilization.
• x64 PCs can boot using the EFI. Windows Vista currently supports network boot by using Windows Deployment Services for x86, a PC's basic input/output system (BIOS) for x64 PCs, and EFI for IA-64 PCs. Windows Vista SP1 will add support for network boot by using x64 EFI.
• The service pack will add support for Direct3D 10.1, adding application programming interfaces (APIs) and features that enable 3-D applications, so game developers can better take advantage of a new generation of Direct3D graphics hardware.
• The Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) is a remote access tunneling protocol that will be part of the Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) platform. This protocol helps provide full-network virtual private network (VPN) remote access connections without challenges that other protocols face when traversing NATs, Web proxies, and firewalls. Windows Vista SP1 will include support for SSTP.

Now Playing on YouTube: Ads

Source: BusinessWeek

Fifteen seconds into a rock music video on YouTube, a large pink-frosted donut rolls across the bottom of the screen, obscuring the image of the musician's girlfriend. A beat later, a bright yellow Homer Simpson chases after the cartoon confection. The ad for an animated movie based on the popular Fox television show contrasts sharply with the tone of the somber emo video, but it gets the message across: The Simpsons Movie is playing in theaters now.

There's an even bigger message conveyed by Homer and his donut: For the first time, ads are playing in videos posted on Google's video site, and watching clips on the world's most popular video-sharing site may never be the same. The move to include ads with videos was expected. Ever since Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion last October, it has said new forms of advertising were on the way (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/10/06, "YouTube's New Deep Pockets"). Analysts say it's a smart way to generate greater revenue from online video, but viewers may nevertheless balk at having ads clutter an in-progress clip.

Embedded Advertising On Aug. 21, Google announced plans to show ads within thousands of YouTube videos, breaking with the current practice of placing ads on a page where videos are featured, but never inserting them immediately before, during, or after the clip plays on screen. The new ads will primarily appear as translucent animations or graphics overlaid on the lower section of professionally produced videos, such as those from media companies like Warner Music Group. In some cases, Google will also place ads on clips created by amateurs. "This is the first time that we are inserting an ad within the video experience itself," says Eileen Naughton, Google's director of media platforms.

Google will charge advertisers each time an ad is shown, sharing part of the revenue with the maker of the video, including the chosen few individuals whose homemade videos are deemed worthy. Google began a revenue-sharing program with users back in May. It plans to append ads to more user-generated videos that have been vetted for copyrighted material.

The Web search giant could find other ways to wring sales from its new practice. Google could charge more for clicks on the ads or specific actions, such as purchasing a music download after being prompted by an ad. "We are continuing to experiment with other formats, and as time goes by I'm sure we will continue to create and introduce new formats and expand on existing formats," says Shashi Seth, a group product manager at YouTube.

Error in Skype's Software Shuts Down

Source: NYTimes

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 16 — The online telephone service Skype was not working for much of the day on Thursday, leaving its 220 million users, some of them small businesses that had given up their landlines, without a way to call colleagues, customers and friends.

Executives at Skype, a division of eBay that is based in Luxembourg, said its engineers worked throughout the day to bring the service back online. But they said that while they had pinpointed the source of the problem, they still did not know why it had resulted in a network failure, and they could not ensure that the service would be running smoothly again by Friday.

“There is a chance this could go on beyond tomorrow, but it’s our hope that it’s going to be resolved,” Kurt Sauer, Skype’s chief security officer, said. “What happened today was caused by a unique set of events, the genesis of which is not entirely understood.”

Skype allows its users to make calls over their computers. Calls to other Skype members are free. To make and receive calls to and from traditional telephones, users are charged below-market rates.

The Skype network uses a so-called peer-to-peer infrastructure, meaning that calls are routed through other users’ computers instead of a central hub. But it does have servers around the world, known as supernodes, that manage access to the network. A flaw in a crucial piece of software that connects users to these servers appears to have been the source of the problem.

Skype engineers said the flaw existed in every copy of the Skype software that had been downloaded since the service’s start in 2003.

Skype executives said they still did not know why the error, sitting dormant for four years, suddenly crashed the network. They cited problems with the Internet backbone in some parts of the world as a possible contributing factor.

In the community of devoted Skype users, the shutdown was met with a few conspiracy theories and a little frustration that a communication tool they had come to rely on was not available.

Phil Wolff, editor of the Skype Journal blog in Oakland, Calif., said he uses Skype to communicate with contributors in a half-dozen countries. “It’s just really awkward,” he said. “All of a sudden these channels of communication aren’t available anymore.”

Mr. Wolff and Mr. Sauer of Skype noted that the service had never had a major breakdown like this.

“We have a good track record about uptime,” Mr. Sauer said. “That doesn’t help people who were down today, but we are working every moment to recover from this issue and not to let it occur again. We want to get it fixed quickly and ensure that we are what we always said we were — a highly reliable, resistant network.”

American Pie- by Don Mc Lean

Lyrics:
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock ’n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin’,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

They were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die."

The "Most" of the Earth

Source: Google Earth Forum

The Tallest Bridge on the Earth
Millau Viaduct
The Millau Viaduct (French: le Viaduc de Millau) is a cable-stayed road bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by French bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux in collaboration with British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one pier's summit at 343 meters (1,125 ft)—slightly higher than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building. It was formally opened on 14 December 2004 and opened to traffic on 16 December 2004.

Its construction took only three years, thanks to a pre-fabrication process in which 2,000 sections of the steel roadway were manufactured off-site, lifted into place, and aligned with the help of a GPS. The technique also allowed for the minimum disruption of the surrounding environment -- echoing the bridge's overall goal of relieving the river valley of traffic while connecting the highway systems of France and Spain. Its remarkably slender profile and the way its graceful span emphasizes the drama of the landscape prove that cutting-edge building technology need not be at odds with the natural landscape.

8 Effective Habits for Effective Study!

Source: Study Guide

You can prepare yourself to succeed in your studies.
Try to develop and appreciate the following habits:

• Take responsibility for yourself
  Recognize that in order to succeed you need to make decisions about your priorities, your time, and your resources

• Center yourself around your values and principles
  Don't let friends and acquaintances dictate what you consider important

• Put first things first
  Follow up on the priorities you have set for yourself, and don't let others, or other interests, distract you from your goals

• Discover your key productivity periods and places
  Morning, afternoon, or evening?
  Find spaces where you can be the most focused and productive. Prioritize these for your most difficult study challenges

• Consider yourself in a win-win situation
  When you contribute your best to a class, you, your fellow students, and even your teacher will benefit. Your grade can then be one additional check on your performance

• First understand others, then attempt to be understood
  When you have an issue with an instructor (a questionable grade, an assignment deadline, etc.) put yourself in the instructor's place. Now ask yourself how you can best make your argument given his/her situation

• Look for better solutions to problems
  For example, if you don't understand the course material, don't just re-read it. Try something else! Consult with the professor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a classmate, a study group, or your school's study skills center

• Look to continually challenge yourself

50 Most Decadent Hotels in the World

Source: BusinessWeek

For the same reasons people buy Ferraris and vintage wine, staying at one of the world's most expensive hotels is a life-enhancing, wallet-punishing experience. BusinessWeek.com recommends these 50 but warns that your bank account and your sense of restraint will never be the same again.
For Slide show , click on this link: BusinessWeek

Burj Al Arab, UAE













Peninsula, Hong Kong









Lapa Palace, Lisbon, Portugal

50 Factors that Affect the Value of the US Dollar

Source: Currency Trading

By Jessica Hupp

Would you believe something as mundane as a rainstorm in New England can affect the value of the Dollar? It’s true. The US Dollar is subject to numerous influences, from politics to Walmart, and everything in between. The following list contains 50 factors that affect the value of the US dollar, both big and small.

Balance of trade and investment

The balance of trade and investment is often cited by analysts as the most important influence on the value of the dollar, with good reason. The balance of trade, related to the current account, represents the difference between what the US exports and imports in terms of goods and services.

The balance of investment, or financial account, represents the difference in exports and imports of capital. If exports exceed imports, in either the current account or financial account, it is called a surplus. When imports exceed exports, on the other hand, it is referred to as a deficit. The following points elaborate on how the current account and financial account affect the USD.

1. Balance of trade: Otherwise known as the current account balance, the trade balance is equal to the difference between imports and exports. The US has been running a trade deficit with the rest of the world for most of recent memory. At $2 billion a day and growing, the trade deficit is making foreign investors increasingly nervous and can affect the dollar significantly.
2. Falling prices on foreign goods: When the prices of foreign goods decrease, they become more attractive to American consumers, creating a larger trade deficit. Conversely, a rise in the prices of foreign goods, through natural price inflation or because or increased demand, can make American goods look more attractive and help to narrow the trade deficit. This also supports American industry and the economy. All of this serves to help the dollar.
3. Balance of investment: When the US imports more than it exports, it means investors from other countries have to buy US assets to keep the dollar from falling. Simply stated, if the US imports more than it exports, foreign investors must buy dollar-denominated assets like bonds or treasury securities in order to offset the difference.

Politics

Government policies often have a great impact on the value of the dollar. Savvy foreign investors know to keep an eye on the state of our political affairs, especially as they impact the strength of our economy and our ability to service the national debt.

4. Budget deficit and national debt: The US government’s budget can affect the dollar’s value, too. If foreign investors see that the government is spending more money than it currently has, they know that it will be forced to borrow from future generations as well as from the private sector from foreign entities. The US national debt currently stands at $9 trillion and is growing by over $1 billion per day.
5. Little or no default on debt: When the government keeps a good credit history, risk goes down and the dollar goes up. Fortunately, the US is currently considered the world’s most credit-worthy borrower, which in large part explains why the dollar has remained strong.
6. President’s popularity: Often, the popularity of the US president is tied to the value of the dollar. Experts debate whether or not the two have an effect on each other, but reports point out that “international investors like to a see a strong U.S. executive because they prefer a single national decider setting the agenda and fear a fractious, parochial Congress.”
7. Terrorist attacks and war: Attacks damage consumer and business confidence, hampering economic growth. They also increase the likelihood of war, and consequently, a budget deficit to support associated spending. An ongoing war can quickly become expensive. It makes investors nervous because it will likely increase our national debt, and slightly increase the risk of default.
8. Geopolitical events: Anything that could be seen as precipitating a conflict or foreign involvement can affect the dollar negatively. The value isn’t necessarily about what it’s actually worth, but rather what investors think it’s worth. Perception is often reality in the forex markets.
9. Consistent policies: If investors feel that things will largely stay the same, they’ll flock to the dollar because it’s a safe bet. This increases demand and thus, the value of the dollar. Remember, unlike many other investment vehicles, forex is hurt by volatility. This is especially true with regard to financial policy: if investors believe US policy is on the right track, they’ll want to put money in dollar-denominated investments. Conversely, investors can lose faith in an economy that can change with new policies, so they’ll see the dollar as less of a safe bet.
10. Government expansion: New departments and increased government functions cost money, too. Like other government expenses, expanding or creating new groups like the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security can lower the dollar’s value due to their opportunity cost against other expenses in the budget.
11. Elections: Confidence in or wariness of a new administration can cause investors to flock to or flee from the dollar. Also, as new members of Congress are elected, new laws are passed which can affect our economy. Foreign investors may react positively or negatively to these changes, affecting the dollar’s value.
12. Tax cuts for consumers: Tax cuts for consumers fuel spending, which can improve the economy of our country as well as others, like China. This can be good for the dollar as long as it does not deepen the trade deficit or our budget deficit. On the other hand, increases in taxes discourage personal spending, but they help with government spending and debt. This can slow the economy, but at the same time lessen our deficits.

Other countries

Political impact on the dollar does not originate entirely from the US; it can come from all over the world. Trade, conflict, consumption, and other issues can affect the dollar from outside our country.

13. Turmoil in other countries: When other countries are in a state of conflict, their respective currencies may be perceived as unstable. In this case, investors may flock to the dollar because it is considered a safer bet.
14. Stability in other countries: On the other hand, if other countries are consistent in their policy-making as well as politically and economically stable, the dollar may weaken because investors have more confidence in these alternative currencies. They’ll see them as less risky and diversify into non-dollar denominated assets.
15. A change in foreign reserves: The USD benefits strongly from being the world’s reserve currency. Most central banks hold more dollars than any other currency, but the dollar faces problems when they decide to diversify their currency investments. This could mean that they sell dollars, or simply just stop buying more. This is especially damaging when a large purchaser like China decides to stop adding to its foreign reserves.
16. A strengthening Euro: The dollar faces competition from the rising Euro. It’s an attractive alternative to the dollar when investors choose to diversify or if the dollar becomes unstable.
17. Acceptance of oil in dollars: As long as the majority of world oil contracts are settled in USD, other countries have to use the currency. This increases demand for the dollar and therefore, its value. Additionally, most oil exporters hold a significant portion of their oil proceeds in dollars.
18. Strong foreign economies: If other countries’ economies are booming, the dollar may fall because it will become a relatively less attractive place to invest.

Entitlements

As a significant government expense, entitlement programs can have a large impact on the way investors view the value of the dollar. If it looks like the US is letting things get out of hand, these programs can shake the confidence of investors. These are a few of the programs and issues that affect the dollar.

19. Social Security: It’s apparent to Americans and foreigners alike that Social Security is a sinking ship that will only get worse with time. Clearly, this causes investors to lose faith in the US money management system, but when the US works to reform the program, some of this confidence is restored and the dollar can benefit.
20. Medicare/Medicaid: Like other costly entitlements, government sponsored-health care programs are becoming difficult to maintain, which could drive investors to seek countries with more stable budgets.

Economic theory

The laws of supply and demand are ever-present in economics, and currency trading offers a prime example of this law in action. These are a few of the effects that supply and demand exert on the value of the dollar.

21. Demand for dollars: This factor can be tied to most others, but it can function on its own as well. For example, “if French investors saw an opportunity in the U.S., they might be willing to pay more francs in order to get dollars to invest in the U.S.” More francs per dollar means the dollar’s value has risen.
22. Demand for physical currency outside the US: Some countries accept dollars as a physical currency, so they need a supply. For example, “large international demand for US currency bills in the 1990s gave the US government a unique and inexpensive-to-produce export.” Although it requires supplying more currency, this is a factor that can strengthen the dollar’s value.
23. Increase in money supply: With every new dollar printed, each one is valued less than before. The more dollars there are in circulation, the less the currency is valued because the supply has been increased. In practice, this usually causes inflation, which directly eats into the value of the dollar. While this would seem difficult to measure, the Federal Reserve periodically publishes M2 and M3 data reports on the US money supply.

Interest rates

Just like consumers might shop around for the highest-yielding savings account, foreign investors look for the best deal in currencies. Here’s how interest rates affect the dollar’s value.

24. Rise in interest rates: Higher interest rates mean more profit for investors, so a US rate hike will generally strengthen the dollar. In the long-term, however, the law of interest rate parity dictates that currency valuations and interest rates should move in opposite directions. The opposite also holds true. If the Fed lowers interest rates, investors might drop the dollar in the short-term because there’s not enough profit in it.
25. Attractive interest rates in other countries: Regardless of whether US interest rates are rising or falling, the dollar’s value also depends on how US interest rates stack up to those of other countries. If US rates are lower, investors may switch to different currencies that can offer a better return. On the other hand, if other currencies have unattractive interest rates, that allows us to entice investors with a better deal.
26. News about interest rates: Investors like to be ahead of the game, so if news of an interest rate hike or fall is released, the dollar may fluctuate in response to the coming inflow or outflow of investments that are expected to happen in the future.

American consumers

American consumers have the most at stake in the dollar’s value. A fall in the dollar makes consumers’ money worth comparatively less, putting a squeeze on the budgets of the Average Joe. Yet there are several things that consumers do that serve to drive down the buying power the dollar. Here’s how Americans do it.

27. Consumer savings: Americans aren’t big on savings. In fact, most families have a negative net worth. While this has contributed to a strong economy in the short-term, it means the US is ill equipped to support the economy in the long-term. Additionally, negative domestic savings drives us to import foreign savings, which harms the dollar.
28. Gas prices: Rising gas prices leave consumers with less money to spend elsewhere, or worse, drive them to borrow money to keep up their standard of living.
29. The Walmart/Honda factor: When Americans buy foreign goods like items at Walmart or Honda cars, we contribute to an economy that supports more imports than exports. This creates a trade deficit that weakens the dollar.
30. Slow spending: Just as too much spending can hurt the dollar, too little spending can have a negative effect as well. Analysts report that when we hit a slow shopping season, “the Fed might see that as a sign of consumer fatigue and choose to cut rates in an attempt to stimulate growth. That could hurt the dollar.”

Housing

Recently, we’ve seen how a housing boom and subsequent bust can cause problems for families, investors and lenders in the form of defaulted loans and drops in the value of homes. These same issues cause problems for the dollar, too.

31. Slow housing market: A slow housing market creates a domino effect. Sellers are forced to lower their asking prices, which creates a decline in household spending and results in slowed economy growth, all of which hurts the dollar.
32. Strong housing market: A growing, steady housing market builds the equity and net worth of home owners, spurring spending and growing our economy. This supports the dollar.
33. Overinflated housing market: This kind of housing market results in a fall of equity and personal wealth, but it doesn’t stop there; it makes the dollar fall as well, as the effect of declining home prices ripples throughout the economy.

Industry and economic indicators

American industry both affects and reacts to the value of the dollar. When the dollar falls, our goods become cheaper and more attractive. However, when we have a strong dollar, our industries have to compete harder against cheaper foreign labor and goods.

34. Low growth in manufacturing: Manufacturing levels serve as an indicator for the health of the US economy. An industry slowdown means a general slowing in the economy and can cause investors to become wary of the dollar.
35. Strong manufacturing growth: Conversely, strong manufacturing growth can indicate that the economy is picking up, creating a more attractive dollar.
36. Outsourcing: Outsourcing creates a trade deficit and causes US employment to suffer, resulting in a fall of the dollar. However, outsourcing also makes US companies more profitable and more attractive targets for foreign investment.
37. Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship creates attractive investment opportunities for foreign investors, supporting a stronger dollar.
38. Employment growth: Like manufacturing growth, employment growth is a good indicator for the overall health of the economy. Positive employment growth will attract more investors and create a stronger dollar. Unnaturally high unemployment causes the dollar to drop because the government loses tax revenue that could help with the deficit. It also takes consumer purchasing power away, which causes the economy to suffer.
39. Wage data: Higher or lower wages can either attract or scare off investors, creating a fluctuation in the dollar’s value.

US capital markets

US stocks, bonds, and other investments can be appealing no matter where you are in the world. The performance of US capital markets can either attract or reduce foreign investment, which directly affects the dollar.

40. Bear markets: Falling values create investment losses that shake investor confidence and cause them to diversify or liquidate their portfolios, resulting in a loss for the dollar if the diversification involves an exodus from dollar-denominated assets.
41. Bull markets: Strong market values have the opposite effect, creating profits that attract new investors and encourage current investors to put more money into dollar-denominated assets. A booming market can attract investors, but it can also cause the dollar to fall when it corrects itself and investors pull out.
42. Accounting scandals: Accounting scandals like Enron can burn investors and cause foreign investment in US stocks to fall.

Economy

The current performance of the US economy is synonymous with the financial health of our nation. It signals to investors our ability to pay back debts as well as the profit level they may earn.

43. Economic growth and stability: In general, a strong economy will raise confidence, assuring foreign investors that they’ll earn a good profit on a stable investment. Economic growth is even better, attracting investors who hope that their investment will grow, too. A boom in the economy can cause an investment rush that results in a temporary overvalue of the market. This can lead to a dollar loss when it corrects itself in a slow of the economy.
44. Economic recession: What goes up must come down. A slowing economy hurts the dollar, causing investors to pull out for fear that their investment will lose value.
45. Outperforming other economies: Economic performance is all relative. If the US economy is stronger than others, investors may turn to the dollar as a safe bet.

Weather

Weather affects the agricultural industry, energy consumption, and local economies. Any change, for better or for worse, can create a ripple affect that impacts the economy as a whole and causes the dollar to fluctuate.

46. Unfavorable farming conditions: Unfavorable farming conditions can result in slow crops and force grocers to turn to other countries to satisfy US agricultural needs. This further opens up the trade deficit and weakens the dollar.
47. Unusually hot summers: An unusually hot summer can cause a rise in energy costs for both consumers and industries. This can create a strain on the economy and cause the dollar to fall. Just like an unusually hot summer can sink the dollar, an excessively cold winter can do the same thing. It can cause energy costs to rise, and since must of our energy is imported, the dollar may be adversely affected. Additionally, consumers will presumably have less disposable income to pour into other areas of the economy.
48. Natural disasters: Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina create a strain on local economies as well as the local and federal government as we work to repair damage and spend money on relief and rebuilding. This can cause the dollar to struggle.

Inflation

Inflation directly eats into the value of the dollar. The law of purchasing power parity (PPP) holds that a nation’s currency and its general price levels should move in opposite directions.

49. Slow in inflation of foreign goods: A slow in inflation of foreign goods keeps prices of those goods steady, allowing American consumers to purchase the same amount or more of the same goods. This does not help to close the trade deficit and can weaken the dollar.
50. News about inflation: Of course, any news about possible inflation of the dollar or foreign goods can cause the foreign exchange market to react preemptively and fluctuate the dollar one way or another.

Dining Etiquette...It's somehow important!

Source: Ball State University












Dining Etiquette Table manners play an important part in making a favorable impression. They are visible signals of the state of our manners and therefore are essential to professional success. Regardless of whether we are having lunch with a prospective employer or dinner with a business associate, our manners can speak volumes about us as professionals.

Napkin Use

The meal begins when the host unfolds his or her napkin. This is your signal to do the same. Place your napkin on your lap, completely unfolded if it is a small luncheon napkin or in half, lengthwise, if it is a large dinner napkin. Typically, you want to put your napkin on your lap soon after sitting down at the table (but follow your host's lead). The napkin remains on your lap throughout the entire meal and should be used to gently blot your mouth when needed. If you need to leave the table during the meal, place your napkin on your chair as a signal to your server that you will be returning. The host will signal the end of the meal by placing his or her napkin on the table. Once the meal is over, you too should place your napkin neatly on the table to the right of your dinner plate. (Do not refold your napkin, but don't wad it up, either.)

Ordering

If, after looking over the menu, there are items you are uncertain about, ask your server any questions you may have. Answering your questions is part of the server's job. It is better to find out before you order that a dish is prepared with something you do not like or are allergic to than to spend the entire meal picking tentatively at your food.

An employer will generally suggest that your order be taken first; his or her order will be taken last. Sometimes, however, the server will decide how the ordering will proceed. Often, women's orders are taken before men's.

As a guest, you should not order one of the most expensive items on the menu or more than two courses unless your host indicates that it is all right. If the host says, "I'm going to try this delicious sounding cheesecake; why don't you try dessert too," or "The prime rib is the specialty here; I think you'd enjoy it," then it is all right to order that item if you would like.

"Reading" the Table Setting

Should you be attending a formal dinner or banquet with pre-set place settings, it is possible to gain clues about what may be served by "reading" the place setting. Start by drawing an imaginary line through the center of the serving plate (the plate will be placed in the center of your dining space). To the right of this imaginary line all of the following will be placed; glassware, cup and saucer, knives, and spoons, as well as a seafood fork if the meal includes seafood. It is important to place the glassware or cup back in the same position after its use in order to maintain the visual presence of the table. To the left of this imaginary line all of the following will be placed; bread and butter plate (including small butter knife placed horizontally across the top of the plate), salad plate, napkin, and forks. Remembering the rule of "liquids on your right" and "solids on your left" will help in allowing you to quickly become familiar with the place setting.

Use of Silverware

Choosing the correct silverware from the variety in front of you is not as difficult as it may first appear. Starting with the knife, fork, or spoon that is farthest from your plate, work your way in, using one utensil for each course. The salad fork is on your outermost left, followed by your dinner fork. Your soupspoon is on your outermost right, followed by your beverage spoon, salad knife and dinner knife. Your dessert spoon and fork are above your plate or brought out with dessert. If you remember the rule to work from the outside in, you'll be fine.

There are two ways to use a knife and fork to cut and eat your food. They are the American style and the European or Continental style. Either style is considered appropriate. In the American style, one cuts the food by holding the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left hand with the fork tines piercing the food to secure it on the plate. Cut a few bite-size pieces of food, then lay your knife across the top edge of your plate with the sharp edge of the blade facing in. Change your fork from your left to your right hand to eat, fork tines facing up. (If you are left-handed, keep your fork in your left hand, tines facing up.) The European or Continental style is the same as the American style in that you cut your meat by holding your knife in your right hand while securing your food with your fork in your left hand. The difference is your fork remains in your left hand, tines facing down, and the knife in your right hand. Simply eat the cut pieces of food by picking them up with your fork still in your left hand.

When You Have Finished

Do not push your plate away from you when you have finished eating. Leave your plate where it is in the place setting. The common way to show that you have finished your meal is to lay your fork and knife diagonally across your plate. Place your knife and fork side by side, with the sharp side of the knife blade facing inward and the fork, tines down, to the left of the knife. The knife and fork should be placed as if they are pointing to the numbers 10 and 4 on a clock face. Make sure they are placed in such a way that they do not slide off the plate as it is being removed. Once you have used a piece of silverware, never place it back on the table. Do not leave a used spoon in a cup, either; place it on the saucer. You can leave a soupspoon in a soup plate. Any unused silverware is simply left on the table.

Poweful Earthquake Hurts Indonesia

Source: NYTimes

Filed at 1:50 a.m. ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- A powerful earthquake under the Java Sea rattled Indonesia's capital early Thursday, violently shaking tall buildings and sending panicked residents into the streets.

There were no reports of damage and the temblor didn't trigger a tsunami, probably because of its depth 180 miles beneath the Java Sea, geophysicists said.

The quake, which struck at 12:04 a.m. (1:04 p.m. EDT Wednesday) had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered about 65 miles east of Jakarta, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Residents said tall buildings and single story homes shook violently in the city of 9 million people, and water sloshed from swimming pools.

Many people were awakened by the quake and some people screamed ''Allah akbar!'' or ''God is great!'' as they ran outside.

El-Shinta radio reported that the quake could be felt from Sumatra island in the west to Bali to the east.

The quake also was felt in parts of Malaysia, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.

None of the instruments closest to the earthquake indicated that a tsunami was triggered, said Robert Cessaro, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. He added that there were no instruments ''very close'' to the quake's epicenter.

''Because this earthquake was so far below the ocean bottom, it didn't trigger a tsunami or cause a lot of damage,'' said John Bellini, another USGS geophysicist.

The Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake that triggered the tsunami off the coast of Sumatra and killed more than 131,000 in Indonesia's Ache province was only 18 miles deep, according to the USGS.

''The earthquake center in 2004 was close enough that it actually ruptured the surface of the sea floor, which caused a tsunami,'' Bellini said. ''This one was felt by people on the ground, and it shook buildings, but it was too deep to cause the ocean bottom to move.''

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific ''Ring of Fire,'' an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

The Ice Age in Real World Version

Can anyone tell me which country is this??

Learning as an Adult

Source: Study Guide

Does higher education
seem like a foreign culture to you?

You have expectations
as you register for and take classes,
as well as work through your program in higher education.

Higher education also has expectations of you!
It has its own rules, patterns, and culture. There are important differences between private and public schools, community colleges and universities, liberal arts and research institutions, graduate schools, etc.

Key concepts in higher education
include disciplines/departments, scholarship, research , verbal orientation, tenure, collegiality, academic freedom, etc.
Take time to understand the culture of higher education.

Significant groups include faculty and students,
administrators and trustees, alumni, and even larger communities and legislators. They all are important resources. Staff also are there to help you, and wait for you to appear so that their services and centers can help you succeed.

Do you wonder about your skills
in finding your way around this strange land of higher education?

As an adult learner, you

• tend to be self-directed

• have a rich reservoir of experience that can serve as a resource for learning

• are frequently affected by your need to know or do something

• tend to have a life-, task-, or problem-centered orientation to learning
  as opposed to a subject-matter orientation

• are generally motivated to learn from within (internally/intrinsically)
  as opposed to being obligated, or subject to, external or extrinsic forces

Adult learners, as they return to, and progress through their education,

often question and reevaluate their original assumptions and motivation
as they use education to re-create their lives.

As such, your learning will be more successful if you

• Take an active role
  in planning, monitoring, and evaluating your education

• Discard preconceived notions
  about what college is and isn't; open your mind to the experience

• Choose subjects and courses that
  are most relevant to your job/profession or personal life
  that fit into your academic program

Course descriptors
important to adult learning

Outcomes	Process	Content
Shared responsibility for learning objectives Continuous negotiation, or openness to renegotiation Non-prescriptive; open to change Value process Intrinsic motivation	Integrates thinking and learning Problem-centered rather than content oriented Demand mutual respect & equality for learners Incorporate, promote dialogue & openness Recognizes the value of experience in contributing to learning Includes projects and/or active learning (as opposed to lectures and/or passive learning) Built in monitor for feedback and evaluation	applies learning to practical applications issue-centered curricula Multiple/diverse sources of information Variety of format

Too Much of Eating and Watching Television

How to Remove Scratches from CDs or DVDs?

Source: WiseBread

I used to look in wonder and amazement at some of the CDs and DVDs in my best friend's collection. How could he let them get in such a state? "Dude, treat them with more respect" I'd say. Then I had children, and found my CDs and DVDs were perfect replacements for frisbee toys, coasters and anything else they could think of.

Recently, I found several of my favorite music CDs and movies were unplayable due to some innocent playtime fun. Kids will be kids, there's little you can do to avoid that (especially if your CDs and DVDs are at kid-height). But before I reluctantly bought replacements, I figured I had nothing to lose by going to the web and finding remedies. If they worked, great. If not, I had lost nothing anyway.

I had heard of toothpaste, which was the first remedy I tried. But I found other methods, too. Below are the results of my exploration, complete with my own experience with the remedy. Remember, I can't guarantee results. If your scratches are very deep you're probably out of luck. But if a few scratches are giving you some skipping or the CD/DVD is unreadable, this may save you a trip to your local Best Buy.

Note: NEVER clean any CD or DVD in a circular motion. Always clean in straight lines from the center of the disc outwards. Otherwise, you'll just make things even worse.

Toothpaste

How To Remove CD Scratches With A Little Magic - video powered by Metacafe

Banana

How To Remove CD Scratches With A Banana - video powered by Metacafe

Chewing Gum


Repair CDs Using Chewing Gum! - video powered by Metacafe

Brasso(Metal Polish)


Remove Scratches From ANYTHING! - video powered by Metacafe

Collosal Four-Galaxy Collision Discovered

Source: National Geographic

Four galaxies are crashing into each other in one of the largest collisions ever seen, scientists say.
The galactic crash was spotted by astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which detected a fan-shaped plume coming from a cluster of galaxies nearly five billion light-years away.

When fully merged, the new galaxy will be up to ten times as large as the Milky Way, astronomers said.

"Most galaxy mergers are like small pickup trucks filled with sand colliding," explained Kenneth Rines, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"This big merger is like two big rigs full of sand colliding and flinging sand everywhere. In this case, the sand represents stars."

Common Occurrence Made Unique

Galactic mergers are fairly common, Rines explained.

Most cosmic crashes involve two galaxies of similar size or smaller galaxies coalescing into a larger one.

What makes this event unique is the sheer size and number of galaxies involved, Rines said.

"This is a very unusual case," Rines said. "It's a first to have four galaxies merging."

Three of the star systems are about the size of the Milky Way, and the fourth is about three times as large.

Another unique aspect of the merger is the apparent lack of new stars being formed, Rines added. Typically when galaxies converge, the intervening gas clouds compress and begin to form stars, he explained. But scientists have not detected gas clouds in the four galaxies, which means no new stars will be born from the merger.

Rines' team will publish the discovery in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Benefit of Happenstance

Rines said the megacollision will help scientists learn more about how large galaxies are formed.

"This merger tells us that you can make a clear distinction between when a star in a galaxy forms and when the galaxy itself assembles," he said.

In this case, all of the stars had formed before the merger.

"But if you had just looked at the star age [once the new galaxy is fully formed], you would have assumed the galaxy is much older than it really is," he noted.

Rines hopes to see more of these megamergers, but he admits it was happenstance that his team spotted the new one during a survey of distant galaxy clusters.

He's also not holding out hope that he'll see the monster galaxy fully formed in his lifetime—it will take about a hundred million years for these four galaxies to finally become one.

Ski Dubai is Amazing!!!

Source : Wikipedia
Ski Dubai is claimed to be one of the largest indoor ski resorts in the world, with 22,500-square metres of indoor ski area. It is a part of the Mall of the Emirates, which is one of the largest malls in the world.

An extremely efficient insulation system is the key to maintain the temperature of -1 degrees Celsius during the day and -6 degrees during the night when the snow is produced.

Ski Dubai is part of the Majid Al Futtaim Group of Companies, a leader for Shopping Malls in the region. Ski Dubai has 5 runs of varying difficulties, the longest being 400m.

Some other facts, according to Ski Dubai's website [listed below]:

• 22,500m² covered with real snow all year round – (equivalent to 3 football fields).

• 85 metres high (approximately 25 stories) and 80 metres wide.

• Full capacity of 1500 guests.

8 Ways to Think Like a Genius!!!

Source : Study Guides
"Even if you're not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future."

The following eight strategies encourage you to think productively,
rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. "These strategies are common to the thinking styles of creative geniuses in science, art, and industry throughout history."

1. Look at problems in many different ways, and find new perspectives that no one else has taken (or no one else has publicized!)

Leonardo da Vinci believed that, to gain knowledge about the form of a problem, you begin by learning how to restructure it in many different ways. He felt that the first way he looked at a problem was too biased. Often, the problem itself is reconstructed and becomes a new one.

2. Visualize!

When Einstein thought through a problem, he always found it necessary to formulate his subject in as many different ways as possible, including using diagrams. He visualized solutions, and believed that words and numbers as such did not play a significant role in his thinking process.

3. Produce! A distinguishing characteristic of genius is productivity.

Thomas Edison held 1,093 patents. He guaranteed productivity by giving himself and his assistants idea quotas. In a study of 2,036 scientists throughout history, Dean Keith Simonton of the University of California at Davis found that the most respected scientists produced not only great works, but also many "bad" ones. They weren't afraid to fail, or to produce mediocre in order to arrive at excellence.

4. Make novel combinations. Combine, and recombine, ideas, images, and thoughts into different combinations no matter how incongruent or unusual.

The laws of heredity on which the modern science of genetics is based came from the Austrian monk Grego Mendel, who combined mathematics and biology to create a new science.

5. Form relationships; make connections between dissimilar subjects.

Da Vinci forced a relationship between the sound of a bell and a stone hitting water. This enabled him to make the connection that sound travels in waves. Samuel Morse invented relay stations for telegraphic signals when observing relay stations for horses.

6. Think in opposites.

Physicist Niels Bohr believed, that if you held opposites together, then you suspend your thought, and your mind moves to a new level. His ability to imagine light as both a particle and a wave led to his conception of the principle of complementarity. Suspending thought (logic) may allow your mind to create a new form.

7. Think metaphorically.

Aristotle considered metaphor a sign of genius, and believed that the individual who had the capacity to perceive resemblances between two separate areas of existence and link them together was a person of special gifts.

8. Prepare yourself for chance.

Whenever we attempt to do something and fail, we end up doing something else. That is the first principle of creative accident. Failure can be productive only if we do not focus on it as an unproductive result. Instead: analyze the process, its components, and how you can change them, to arrive at other results. Do not ask the question "Why have I failed?", but rather "What have I done?"

StumbleUpon the Best Pages on the Web

Source : Lifehacker
Collaborative web search tool StumbleUpon makes finding good content online fast, easy and fun. Using StumbleUpon, you can cut down on your Googling and get straight to what you're looking for - whatever the subject - using the StumbleUpon community hive mind. Let's take a closer look.

What is StumbleUpon?

StumbleUpon is browser add-on that you can use to search, or "stumble", the web. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer versions are available here. Use it to find new sites merely by hitting the "stumble!" button; once you find a site you like/dislike, you can give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. Multiply your thumbs up and down with the thousands of other StumbleUpon users, and you've got a whole lot of actual people - not cold heartless machines - sending the best content on the web your way.

However, there's more here than immediately meets the eye.

Make the most of your StumbleUpon settings

Now, you don't have to grok your Stumble toolbar; you can happily click away on the "Stumble!" button and basically fall into random rabbit holes (I do this quite often, actually). However, the benefits of tweaking your Stumble settings are almost immediate.

You can get into your Stumble settings a coupla different ways; I just logged into my profile and clicked on "Stumbling" to start. One of the very first things you're going to want to do is decide what kind of filtering options, if any, you want. For instance, I'd rather not stumble on any PDF files because it makes my very old (temporary, new one comes soon thank Jebus) laptop go kablooey.

Once you've got that straightened out, you'll want to visit the Tags page. Click on any of these tags, for instance, humor, and that particular tag is added to the list of topics you'd like to explore.

Of course, you can do this from your toolbar as well (it's easier). Click on the All dropdown menu and go to Update Topics. You'll get a ton of suggested categories for you to stumble; check or uncheck the ones you want to see the most. StumbleUpon also suggests topics you might like; this is more perfectly matched to your unique interests the more you rate sites - remember those thumbs up and thumbs down buttons? Yep - the more you use those, the more you train StumbleUpon to do your evil bidding. These simple tweaks are pretty elementary, I know - but the ROI is incredible.

How I use StumbleUpon

The simplicity of StumbleUpon is its most appealing characteristic - you click, you find great sites, you click again. However, StumbleUpon is a pretty powerful tool if used creatively. Here's just some of the uses that I've found for StumbleUpon so far:

• Generate ideas. You can use StumbleUpon as an instant idea mill - just type in a keyword and go. I've been able to take small kernels of ideas and build upon them using this method.
• Research. For anyone doing any kind of research, StumbleUpon is a dream come true, because the websites included in SU are hand-picked and filtered through many sets of eyes before they get to you. I've been able to find many, MANY incredibly rich research-oriented sites through StumbleUpon, faster and easier than using Google.
• Exploration. I really love the fact that StumbleUpon enables me to find information that I would never have had the inclination to look for before. It's that delish feeling of not knowing what's coming next - and knowing that if you don't like it, another super possibility is just a click away.

Why StumbleUpon is important

I've already gushed about StumbleUpon enough to make you hunt for the insulin; however, it's just that cool. Not only can it connect you to the quality content you're looking for - often it'll hand you stuff you didn't know you were looking for.

How Long Foods Stay Fresh in Fridge

Source: CBS News
It's easy to put something in the refrigerator and forget about it.

But foods don't stay fresh in the fridge forever, and the day will come when you take something out and wonder if it's still good to eat or has gone bad.

On The Early Show Monday, ShopSmart magazine Editor in Chief Lisa Lee Freeman had the lowdown on how long foods last in the fridge.

ShopSmart consulted a panel of experts to determine which foods could be spoiling by just sitting in the fridge.

Freeman says it's not always the best idea to rely on labels. Some foods don't have them, and the ones on others can be confusing.

Also, most people don't realize that once they open certain popular items found in containers or cans, a new freshness clock starts ticking.

So, it's important to know which foods have a shorter lifespan once placed in the fridge.

If items that have been sitting in the fridge too long are eaten, they can lead to food poisoning and, in some cases, serious health problems.

BABY FOOD: LASTS 1 - 3 DAYS IN FRIDGE ONCE OPENED

An open jar of strained fruits and veggies lasts two-to-three days in the fridge. Opened cooked meat and vegetable combos need to go after a day or two. Meat and veggie combos should go after two days, tops. The bottom line: Don't leave open jars of baby food in the fridge longer than three days. A hidden danger with baby food is that parents may feed babies right out of the jar, so saliva transferred to the jar can promote bacterial growth when placed back in the fridge. If you're using a jar more than once, make sure you portion out what you're going to use, so the dirty spoon doesn't go back into the jar.

PASTA SAUCE: LASTS 5 DAYS ONCE OPENED

Once opened, tomato-based sauces are only good for five days to a week. Don't wait for the mold to form. In many cases, you won't see the mold in the sauce after five days, but it actually could be there. Some mold produce toxins that can be harmful, so why take the risk? Mold grows in very wet environments. What promotes the mold is the high moisture content. No amount of cooking will kill the toxins. So, to be safe, you need to throw it away.

MAYONAISE: LASTS 2 MONTHS ONCE OPENED

Mayo has a high fat content, which means it's not as susceptible to mold and bacteria growth. But the oils in mayo break down over time, so its flavor changes, and it will no longer taste good. There may be a subtle "off" smell, but you may or may not be able to smell it, so be on the safe side and dispose of it after two months, no matter what type of container it comes in. For other condiments, such as ketchup, oil, and salad dressing, refer to the expiration dates, which are normally accurate for these products.

Because it's not always easy to keep track of how long your food has been living in the fridge, Freeman suggests taking tape and a marker and writing down the date you open any glass jars or metal cans. Use the dates as your reference point. Once you've gone past the date, it is time to trash it!

CHEESE: LASTS 1 - 4 WEEKS

Softer cheeses generally have a shorter shelf-life than hard chesses. Hard cheeses ( e.g. cheddar or Swiss) last three to four weeks in the fridge after they're opened; soft cheeses (e.g. Brie) last one week. With cheeses, you can follow the "use/sell by" dates as your guide, but it's best to examine the cheese: Look for mold and smell the cheese to see if it has an odor of ammonia.

It's possible to prolong cheese's shelf life before you store it in the fridge: Remove the plastic that firm cheeses often come in, and wrap the cheese in wax paper. Finish it off with a light layer of plastic wrap.

It's also still possible to eat cheese that has mold on it, but you must be careful: Cut off an inch beyond the mold on all sides, keeping the knife clean between cuts, so you won't spread it. Re-cover it with some fresh wrap.

EGGS: LASTS 3 - 5 WEEKS

Eggs should last three to five weeks after you put them in the fridge. Keep in mind that it's very important that you don't put eggs in the front of the fridge — even if there are compartments for them there. They'll spoil earlier if they're in the front. Stick eggs along with milk, and raw food (fish, meat, and poultry) in the back of the fridge, because it's cooler there. Bacteria grow at a slower rate in colder temperatures. The back of the fridge is typically the coldest part of your fridge, so store items there that need to be kept freshest. Butter is good to keep in the front of the fridge, to keep it warmer so it's easy to cut. Butter, bottled water, and other unopened drinks are items that are less susceptible to temperature problems.

LEFTOVERS: LAST 3 - 4 DAYS

Kung Pao chicken, pepperoni pizza, or tuna salad must go in the fridge within two hours of serving to reduce your risk of food-borne illnesses, because bacteria grow more quickly at room temperature. Don't leave leftovers hanging out in the kitchen. Put them in the fridge as soon as you're done with them. Cold temperatures slow the rate of bacteria growth. For larger items, such as macaroni salad or large quantities of Chinese food, refrigerate in several shallow containers rather than large clumps. That way, the food will cool evenly and more quickly. You don't want a big clump: That risks the chance of something growing in the center because it didn't cool properly.

IP shortage could raise Internet Prices!!!

Source: Herald Tribune
IP shortage is predicted will happen in 2010..

German has Pencil in Head Removed After 55 years

Source: Yahoo! News

BERLIN (Reuters) - A 59-year-old German woman has had most of a pencil removed from inside her head after suffering nearly her whole life with the headaches and nosebleeds it caused, Bild newspaper reported on Monday.

"The pencil went right through my skin and disappeared into my head," Wegner told the newspaper.

It narrowly missed vital parts of her brain.

At the time no one dared operate, but now technology has improved sufficiently for doctors to be able to remove it.

The majority of the pencil, some 8 cm (3.1 inches) long, was taken out in an operation at a private Berlin clinic, but the 2 cm tip had grown in so firmly that it was impossible to remove.