Big Brother Fighters

Introduction

The way one lyrist has written, “Hum logo ko samajh sako to samjho dilbar jaani; jitna bhi tum samjhoge utni hogi hayerani”…in a nut-shell we Indian’s are most “unpredictable”. When the expectations are low…we have performed really well and contrary to that when expectations were very high…most of the time we have failed to live up to those expectations.

As we are going to complete 58 yrs of independence on 15th August 2005, it is a pleasure to share with you the facts about India, Vision India 2025 (From Ordinary person’s point of View), and India in 21st Century.

From Independence…till now

India was a British colony. It earned its independence from the British on 15th August 1947. Day before that Pakistan which was created as a result of partition of British India was established and flanked on two sides of India: West Pakistan which is called today Pakistan, and east Pakistan, now an independent state called Bangladesh. After its independence, the political leaders of India adopted the liberal democratic system for the country.

Since its independence, India has transformed a lot. When India attained independence in 1947, its population was around 400 million people. Now there are billion people in India. India is the largest democracy in the world. It has the biggest number of people with franchise rights and the largest number of Political Parties, which take part in election campaign.

Before its independence, India was never a single country but a bunch of different entities. Many predicted that India, because of diversities in its cultures, religion, languages, castes, manners, local histories, nationalities and identities, would not survive as a single democratic country, but would break up into smaller countries.

Since independence, India had many political problems. During independence the most burning issues were the riots between the Hindus and Muslims while the Sikhs were siding with Hindus. Another issue was convincing the Princely states not to declare independence or join Pakistan but to join the Indian Union. India also had a few wars with its neighbors on border issues.

India also has many internal problems. Different communities with different identities - regional, language, caste, religion - demanded different rights for their communities. Some communities demanded more autonomy for their cultures within the Indian states. Others demanded autonomous states within the Indian Union, while the others demanded to be independent from India.

With all its problems India survives as a single state with democratic character.

How much do you know about India? (India - Fact File)

Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Population: 1,080,264,388 (July 2005 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 1.4% (2005 est.)

Life expectancy: 64.35 years

Sex ratio: 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Composition of Religion: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Languages: English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language

Administrative Break-up: 28 states and 7 union territories

Executive Heads: President A.P.J. Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002)
Head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since May 2004)

Economic Overview: India’s diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, though two-thirds of the workforce is in agriculture. The UPA government has committed to furthering economic reforms and developing basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. Government controls on foreign trade and investment have been reduced in some areas, but high tariffs (averaging 20% in 2004) and limits on foreign direct investment are still in place. The government has indicated it will do more to liberalize investment in civil aviation, telecom, and insurance sectors in the near term. Privatization of government-owned industries has proceeded slowly, and continues to generate political debate; continued social, political, and economic rigidities hold back needed initiatives. The economy has posted an excellent average growth rate of 6.8% since 1994, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank and others worry about the combined state and federal budget deficit, running at approximately 9% of GDP. The huge and growing population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took at least 60,000 lives in India, caused massive destruction of property, and severely affected the fishing fleet.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.319 trillion (2004 est.)

Important Years for India, since independence

1947: India gains independence at the stroke of midnight on Aug. 15. Hours before, Pakistan is born. As many as 6 million people cross the communal border in a two-way exodus. Rampages among Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs claim a million lives.

1948: Spiritual leader Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi is shot dead Jan. 30 by a Hindu extremist. An advocate of non-violent political action, Gandhi had campaigned against British rule and sectarian violence for two decades.

The fighting stops in Kashmir; the disputed territory belongs to India.

1951: India’s first Five-Year Plan is initiated.

1961: Indian troops move in to liberate Goa from the Portuguese.

1962: Indo-Chinese hostilities break out on the Tibetan border.

1965: Political tension rises with Pakistan over Kashmir. India proclaims Hindi the national language.

1967: Drought and major famine strike India, especially the Bihar region.

1971: India goes to war against Pakistan, recognizes the independent state of Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan).
1974: Nuclear tests are performed in the Rajasthan desert.

1975: PM Gandhi is accused of electoral crimes. A state of emergency is declared across the country, restricting political and individual rights.

1977: State of emergency ends. Cyclones plague the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu regions.

1984: Sikhs occupy the Golden Temple compound in Amritsar. On June 6, Indian troops storm the temple. On Dec. 2, a leak at the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal kills 2,000 and leaves millions affected by chemical poisoning.

1987: Indian peacekeeping troops are sent to Sri Lanka to deal with Tamil insurrectionists.

1990: Singh announces plans to reserve places for the lower castes in the public service. Riots erupt across the country.

Hindu militants attempt construction of a temple on the site of the former Babri Masjid mosque in Uttar Pradesh. A procession to the site leads to thousands of arrests. Clashes between police and Hindu militants occur throughout Northern India.

1992: India’s worst financial scandal, involving state-owned commercial banks, leads to a major slump on the Bombay stock market.

Sectarian violence erupts after Hindu extremists level the 16th century Babri mosque at Ayodhya on Dec. 6. The violence is the worst seen since Partition. The government’s offer to build a mosque and a Hindu temple at the site fails to appease both sides.

1993: Hundreds are killed when bombs go off in Bombay public buildings. Four days later, a bomb ignites in Calcutta. Pakistan denies complicity.

1995: The World Bank allocates a $980 million loan, its largest ever, to aid Indian bank reforms.

2002: Communal riots in Gujarat, hundred’s of people were killed.

Vision India, 2025 (From an Ordinary Person’s Point of View)

1) Ensure dignity, Self-Respect and Pride for each individual, irrespective of age, gender, region or religion.

2) Drinking Water, Food, Cloth, Shelter and education for all.

3) World Class infrastructure: roads, airports and railways.

4) Every year there is a loss of billions of rupees due to flood; only solution is “Unification” of all rivers.

5) Only one caste (Brotherhood) and one religion (Humanity), across the length and breadth of the country.

6) No “reservation”, no subsidiary, no “special privilege” and no discount, on the basis of Region, Religion, Community, Profession and Community.

7) Minimum education (Graduate), Minimum Administrative Experience (7-10 yrs) and retirement age (67 yrs) for all politicians. Also, annual appraisal system for all ministers.

(These are the few points, I am able to pen down; however I have not mentioned anything about security and foreign policy…because as an ordinary person above mentioned things are of more importance than anything else)

India in 21st Century

Everyone recognizes that the twenty-first century is the Century of Knowledge. Nations, which have mastered the production of knowledge, its dissemination, its conversion into wealth and social good and its protection have assumed a leadership position in the world today. But it must be recognized that knowledge without innovation is of no value. It is through the process of innovation alone that new knowledge can be created. It is innovation, which converts knowledge into wealth and social good.

India was a leader in innovation several centuries ago. In fact, our innovations were diverse and pioneering. They included

1. Remarkable town planning,

2. The use of standardized burnt bricks for dwelling houses

3. Interlinked drainage systems

4. Wheel-turned ceramics and solid-wheeled carts.

5. The dockyard at Lothal in Gujarat is regarded as the largest maritime structure ever built by a bronze-age community.

6. The discovery of zero and the decimal place value system by Indians dates back to the Vedic period.

7. Our pioneering work in algebra, trigonometry and geometry was truly outstanding.

8. Indian innovations in medicine, especially in Ayurveda, not only aimed at the cure of diseases but, more importantly, on the preservation of health.

9. The innovations in surgery included pioneering efforts in laprotomy, lithotomy and plastic surgery.

10. The iron pillar at Delhi, which testifies to the achievements in metallurgy some 1500 years ago, is truly inspirational even today.

Indian civilization was characterized by scientific thought, capabilities and techniques at levels far more advanced than others.

In spite of this great heritage and record of accomplishments, why did India fall behind in the ensuing centuries? When the scientific and industrial revolutions took place in the West a few hundred years ago, there was a period of stagnation in India. The lack of development over this period was a result of a hierarchical approach, irrational subjective thinking, and build up of superstitions and superficial ritualism. We have lost the leadership position. This cannot continue into the twenty-first century. We must regain this position with determined action.

Our confidence in building the new innovative India of our dreams stems from our major successes in the arena of many technological innovations that have made such a difference to the nation. Some prominent examples include
the blue (space), green (agriculture), white (milk) and gray (software) revolutions. Let us just take one example.

1. The Indian space program, for example, has designed and sent into space a series of satellites that, among other things, comprise the largest domestic communication system in the Asia-Pacific region.

2. It has also developed a range of launch vehicles, the most recent being a geo-synchronous launch vehicle with an 1800 kg payload. These developments have helped in the application of space technology for national needs in communication, meteorology, broadcasting, and remote sensing. All of this has been achieved in a relatively cost-effective manner. The Indian space programmer’s current annual budget is equivalent to US $450 million while NASA’s budget, in comparison, is over $15 billion.

3. Other innovations serving specific Indian needs include C-DOT digital switches, CorDECT cost-effective wireless-local-loop products, the Simputer, which is a low-cost computer and the Param supercomputer.

4. The last is an example of “denial-driven innovation,” illustrating that India has the potential to tackle highly advanced technological issues, given the proper motivation.

Conclusion

Yesterday was good since then we have traveled a lot; covered a lot of distance, but still there are miles to go. Building a nation is not easy. We have to “learn from our past and focus on future”. The way ahead is not easy…is not a bed of roses. Instead of pulling each other, lets grow together…lets be a “Team India”.

On this independence, this is all I have to share…to write.
Have a great day and take care of yourself.

Awaiting your feedback and comments,

Sanjeev Himachali
E-mail: ss_himachali@yahoo.com; sanjeev.himachali@gmail.com
Blog: http://sanjeev.himachali.blogspot.com/
You can read my research papers at http://www.bpoindia.org/research/ or http://www.contactcenterworld.com/articles.asp

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Already putting off your New Year’s resolution to get fit until 2007? If you’ve already fallen off the fitness-wagon, these tips are for you. After all, winter will soon be over (honestly!) and you’ll be ready to hit the beach. And you want to be ready for that, don’t you? Here are my 5 simple steps to help you lose fat and get lean.

1. Find a source of social support. It can be a friend, spouse, or co-worker, but research from Stanford University shows the ideal social support is a professional that you feel obligated to report to on a consistent basis.

2. Eat 6 small, balanced snacks and meals per day, rather than 2 or 3 large meals.

3. Commit to eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, and lean protein sources, rather than processed foods like muffins, fast food, and sugary snacks. Use fitday.com to monitor your food intake.

4. If you want to lose fat, start by reducing your calorie intake by 200 calories per day. One easy way to do this is to replace sweetened beverages with water or Green Tea.

5. To get lean, you’ll need to include some form of strength training and cardiovascular training. If you haven’t worked out in years, start conservatively and get professional advice on how to structure your workouts in the safest, and most efficient and effective manner possible.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend hour after hour in the gym to get great results. A good program should have you in and out of the gym (shower included) in only an hour. Pretty small investment for such a great return, isn’t it?

Craig Ballantyne trains athletes and executives in Toronto, and writes for Men’s Fitness magazine. His trademarked Turbulence Training workouts and his comprehensive workout manuals (including “The Ultimate Bodyweight Workout”) are featured on his website Turbulence Training.

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Television or TV as we abridge it to is a well-known used telecommunications course of action for delivering and receiving moving images & audio, or as we more traditionally know it as, television programmes. Commercially on hand since the 1930’s the telly set has developed into a regularly used home communications machine in homes and organisations, chiefly as a resource of entertainment & news. Since the nineteen-seventies video recording on VCR tapes & later, digital media devices which include DVD’s, have allowed the television to be used to view pre-taped dramas & other programmes.

Telly devices are made-up of many parts so a TV that doesn’t have an interior tuner to attain the broadcast signals is called a monitor rather than a TV. Given that the future is here, televisions have evolved on greatly and technology has advanced, TVs these days are constructed to attain numerous telly broadcasts or video arrangements, like that of high definition TVs universally referred to as HDTV. At the beginning when High Definition Tellies were first available to buy they were tremendously expensive, however, at the moment it is viable to acquire low-cost TV’s from most retailers. Such as a 37 inch LCD television could have once have cost you £1,000 it is in our day probable to discover one up for a vast amount less than this, you will find that a various number of Plasma widescreens tellies have fallen greatly in cost compared to a handful of years ago. Find bargain televisions to buy at Digital Direct.

There are 2 varieties of TVs at the moment, plasma & LCD both are dreadfully alike nevertheless, some what dissimilar at the same time. Plasma is a type of flat panel display that you will normally only see on large television displays, which effectively suggests you will not be able to get plasma in something smaller than a thirty-seven inch. Plasma displays in there primary form are just gas tubes. You then have LCD screens which you can uncover in any size & they can also be used as computer monitors.

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I have worked with a number of people who once suffered from the symptoms of Fibromyalgia or from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are two similar disorders with overlapping symptoms. They include chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, immune system dysfunction and psychological depression. People with Fibromyalgia also experience muscle and fibrous tissue pain, as well as gastro intestinal challenges. The cause or causes of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are unclear and some regard them as syndromes rather than actual diseases. Therefore, established medical treatments are based on the management of individual symptoms and can often be a game of cat and mouse for the medical professional.

With such complexities it is easy to understand why the role of nutrition in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has largely been overlooked. However since we now understand the importance of dietary components like glyconutrients (Mannose, Fucose, Galactose, Glucose, Xylose, N-Acetylgalactosamine, N-Acetylglucosamine and Sialic Acid) in regulating the immune, nervous, muscular systems as well as cell-to-cell communication in general, it is apparent that the biological activities of such nutritional components may play a significant role in maintaining proper function of those systems.

Also associated with these two conditions is an abnormal sleep pattern. Any number of gland failures resulting in hormonal imbalance may influence this. As sleep is a function regulated by a number of hormonal factors, nutritional support of glyconutrients as well as certain plant sterols may provide benefit in this area by supporting improved production and coordination of key hormones.

Some studies have shown possible linkages of viral and bacterial infections, such as Herpes, Coxsackie B and Lyme disease, to Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The reason for this is that many of the symptoms are closely associated with that of an active infection. There is also a high association with the diagnosis of either of the conditions and a positive test for one or more of these pathogens.

Other scientific evidence also suggests that Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are related to immune system dysfunctions based on measurements of various immune markers in patients with these disorders. This can be measured in levels and activity of Natural Killer Lymphocytes, Cytokines such as Interleukin as well as other immune system factors. Through the measure of this activity, some studies have suggested that these two conditions may be autoimmune in nature. Whether or not they are, it is apparent that support of proper immune system function through improved nutrition can bring benefits to those suffering from any of the effects of these conditions. For example, acemannan, has been shown to enhance the killing activity of Macrophage against Candida Albicans, and can be found in certain glyconutrient supplements.

Regardless of the precise mechanisms in Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome it should be apparent from the review of scientific and medical literature that all systems of the body are intimately involved in the syndrome. Proper dietary support for the cells from which these systems are composed calls for appropriate levels of a range of micronutrients. This is not limited to mere vitamins and minerals, but may also involve other categories of so-called phytonutrients including anti-oxidants, plant sterols and glyconutrients.

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Over time, even the most sophisticated, memory packed computer can begin to run slow if we don’t do something to prevent it. The reason why has less to do with how computers are made and how they age and more to do with the way we use them. You see, all of the daily tasks that we do on our PC from running programs to downloading and deleting software can make our computer sluggish.

To keep this from happening, you need to understand the reasons why your PC is getting slower and do something to keep your PC running at its best. You can do this through regular maintenance and PC performance optimization programs.

Before we discuss all of the things that could be affecting your PC’s performance, let’s talk a little about what symptoms a slow computer can have.

In addition to being excruciatingly slow when it comes to opening programs or finishing tasks, your PC may also experience data loss, unwanted shutdowns, Windows crashing and Windows hang up. All of these can be very annoying to deal with and are a sure sign that you need to optimize your PC and maintain it.

There are many reasons why your PC is getting slower and not performing quite the way it used to. Any one of them may be just the thing that is holding your PC back. In some cases, there is more than one culprit at work. But there are solutions to keep your computer from being affected by these nuisances, and we will talk about what you can do to maintain your PC and keep it running smoothly if it encounters any of these problems.

When you download and use programs on your PC, sometimes they are set up to start running as soon as you turn on your computer. These programs may be running in the background without you even knowing it and they use up precious memory needed for other tasks.

To see if you have any programs running in the background, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete at the same time.

A list of all of the currently running programs will appear in a pop up window. You can choose to stop the programs by highlighting the program and clicking “end task.” If you want to keep those programs from starting when you turn on your PC, change the individual settings for each program so that they will not automatically be turned on.

Memory is a computer component that allows it to do all of the various tasks that you require of it. When you start to do a task, a segment of memory is assigned to that task. If you don’t have enough memory and you try to do several tasks at once, you may run out of memory and not be able to perform any tasks properly. In order to optimize and maintain memory, you can use a Memory Optimizer program. This program changes the way that Windows manages memory so that you can use it more efficiently.

Your hard drive is like a huge filing cabinet containing all of the files that you need for your computer to perform properly. When you add programs, files are added to this data base. When you delete data or programs, files are removed. This process results in holes or empty spaces in your filing cabinet.

These holes make it harder for your computer to work because it continuously has to search for information over a larger distance and sometimes search for information that is completely out of order. To combat this, you need to defragment your hard drive. You can do this with your Windows system optimization tools or with a Registry Deffrager and Optimizer. These programs eliminate holes and arrange your files in a sensible order.

Just as your PC’s hard drive could be filed improperly, it can also be too full to work at its best. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 2MB to 3MB of space on your hard drive for your PC to function properly. To free up space, simply delete unused programs on the C: drive.

Maintaining your PC’s performance is vital if you want you computer to always complete tasks at its top speed. While Windows has some system tools to help you do this, they do not work on their own. You have to actually go and start the programs to optimize your computer. And they may not be enough. In this case, you may want to opt for optimization software such as PC Programs to help maintain your PC’s performance.

Brought to you by PC Power Suite The new PC Power Suite is an all in one utility suite for maintaining your Windows operating system. Take control of your computer now! www.pcpowersuite.com

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We hear a lot of talk about junk mail nowadays. Many people
will tell you that they dump it straight in the trash. But
why do you think so many organisations send out so called
junk mail - because it works!

I dump most of my junk mail just like everyone else, but
every so often I’m attracted and respond to something that
comes through the mail.
Whatever it is, grabs my interest just at the right time.
Sometimes it’s a mailing I’ve seen several times and I’ve
been slightly interested; however, there comes a time when I
decide to do something about it.

Research has shown that, on average, people need to see an
advertisement seven times before they respond - it’s the
same with direct mail.

I’m not looking for a new credit card at present; however
there are thousands of people who are. These people will
respond to a credit card company mailing because they want a
new card with a better interest rate or because their other
card is at its limit or they want to transfer a balance.

It has to be said that the average response rate for direct
mailing is less than 1% and as you’ll appreciate, the large
organisations send out millions of direct mailers.
Small to medium sized businesses can have success with
direct mailing by keeping it small, focussed and personal.

Target the right people - You need to have a good mailing
list. The best one you can have is the one you’ve built
yourself. You build it with all the contacts you make from
your networking and all the enquiry phone calls you receive.
(If anyone contacts your business you need to capture all
their relevant information. Tell them you’ll add them to
your mailing list so that they’ll receive all the up to date
information)

Buy or rent a mailing list - There are many reputable
suppliers (and some not so reputable) who’ll supply you with
a closely targeted list. If you wanted the names of
Transport Managers in the food industry in your city - then
they can provide it. For consumers, they can supply details
of people by zip or postal code, age group, gender, special
interests etc.
You could probably get the details of female accountants
under thirty, interested in fishing and living in a specific
area of your city or country. (Not sure why you’d want that,
but I’m sure you get the point)

The product or service has to be appealing - It has to have
benefits or problem solving abilities for the person you’re
targeting

It must be clear - easy to understand and be believable

There must be a call to action - There are three things that
someone will do with a piece of direct mail - 1. Scan it and
throw it in the trash 2. Put it aside to make a decision
later. (However later never comes or when it does, most mail
will hit the trash) 3. Take action - Phone the free number
or tear off the pre-paid reply coupon or complete the order
form

It’s vitally important that your mailing prompts action
immediately.

Discover how you can generate more business without having
to cold call!
Alan Fairweather is the author of “How to get More Sales
without Selling” This book is packed with practical things
that you can do to - get customers to come to you .
Click here now
http://www.howtogetmoresales.com

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Copyright The Quipping Queen 2006.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY ALL YOU PARTY POOCHES!

Or, time to kowtow to bow-wow!

Theolonius McTavish, a dansey-headed, deep-musing,
do-it-yourself dendranthopologist, (better known as one who’s
just descended from the Tree of Knowledge to learn that it’s
time to pay tribute to man’s best four-legged friend in a
dilettantish dog-eat-dog world!)

The Chinese New Year always makes for great fun and oodles of
frolic. And 2006 is no exception with everyone and his dog
paying tribute to the “Year of the Dog” …naturally.

So put on your weatherproof woof-woof outfit, and shake a leg
(preferably near a fire-hydrant if you please)! Or if that’s out
of the question, just try waddling, wiggling or wagging your
trusty tail at man’s best friend, “Fido” or “Fifi” as the case
may be.

According to Chinese astrology, here’s what’s in store for these
four categories of canine creatures:

Wood Dog - Best advice: stay away from all manner of
extreme-stuff, especially mutt-makeovers and skateboarding with
stray scamps! And, whatever you do, beware of pesky pooches and
nervous-Nellies, they’re sure to leave you with a bad case of
the hives or else far too many itches in places that you can’t
scratch …not in a million years!

Fire Dog - Some people will call you one very “hot dog”,
and why not? Finally your creative imagination is paying off
…as all those delightful duct tape sculptures and
paint-by-numbers portraits of dogmatic do-it-yourselfers just
like you will finally grace the well-disposed walls of dapper
doghouses the world over!

Earth Dog - We all know that you love keeping your nose
to the grindstone which means you’ll have difficulty this year
sniffing out useless opportunities leading nowhere fast. The
good news is you can eliminate a gloomy atmosphere by exercising
your seething jealous genes for a change. That’s bound to make
your pooch partner one very unhappy camper …in what otherwise
might have been a “hot diggety-dog-diggity, boom what you do to
me” moment in time!

Metal Dog - Heavy metal music has always been your thing,
but this year you may run into some domestic disasters. A
certain whippet wunderkin next door is threatening to call the
city bylaw enforcement officer (who’s determined to put you
behind bars where you’ll be obliged to listen to nothing but
“Jailhouse Rock” for the rest of the year). Smile, it could be
worse!

Water Dog - Yes, we know how much you adore your water
wings and why you love to show off your dog-paddle. But the
astral climate is changing throwing monkeys into wrenches,
raining cats and cogs, and melting polar ice caps leaving
Abominable people of snow and one red tunic jocular-challenged
pissed off with the impending loss of their habitat and jobs.
Suck it up, adapt, and learn how to become a frequent flyer
…that’s why the Big-Guy-In-The-Sky gave you large floppy ears,
a streamlined undercarriage, and a wee wagger to handle
tailwinds!

So, count your lucky stars this year …cause every dog will
have his day!

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Every year, the IRS announces that it is holding unclaimed tax refunds. Taxpayers have a limited time to claim the $2 billion dollars the IRS is currently holding.

Three years is a magical number when it comes to tax returns. It refers to the statute of limitations on certain tax issues such as when an audit can occur, when refunds can be claimed and when amended tax returns can be filed. The IRS is currently holding $2 billion dollars in unclaimed tax refunds for the 2002 tax year and taxpayers must file their claims by April 17, 2006 or lose the refunds forever.

Approximately 1.7 million people are due refunds out of the $2 billion dollars currently held by the IRS. These people have refunds due because they failed to file tax returns for 2002. This occurred most likely because people felt they did not make enough money to warrant filing a tax return. By failing to file, however, they have left $570 on average with the IRS.

If a taxpayer fails to claim the tax refund by filing a tax return for 2002, the money will default to the federal government. Importantly, there is no penalty associated for filing late if a taxpayer is due a tax refund. This is common misconception among non-filers.

One group of taxpayers that almost always has a large percentage of non-filers is military personnel. Obviously, it is a bit hard to file from Afghanistan, but now is the time to do so for 2002. Members of the military that failed to file in 2002 are owed an average of $749 per taxpayer.

The IRS releases demographic on the areas in the United States where refunds are due. To this end, California and Texas are the states where the most individuals are due refunds while Idaho has only 6,200 people due a refund.

Nobody finds filing taxes an exciting prospect. The pain is much less, however, is you know you are due a refund. If you failed to file in 2002, you might be throwing away a nice little chunk of change.

Richard A. Chapo is with www.businesstaxrecovery.com - recovery of business taxes through tax help and tax relief. Visit www.businesstaxrecovery.com/articles to read more business tax articles.

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The following tips have come from a wide variety of sources; some from other successful businesses we know, some from our Home-Based and Small Business Support Group meetings and some we’ve developed by trial and error.

Some of the ways to get clients are: contact previous employers; mailing lists; cold call your target market; attend group meetings and seminars for your target market (conventions for doctors, lawyers; computer seminars); attend local Chamber of Commerce meetings; join groups related to your target market; if your target market uses a specific system, for example accountants use the SafeGuard system, contact them and tell them that you are available to teach them how to use the system or you can do it for them. Knock on doors and call others in your line of business for overload work, or clients they have trouble working with. Send surveys to your clients. This will also help you to obtain testimonials. Do a general survey of your target market. This will give you better leads. For example, for my classes, I have a survey I use that contains, what type of equipment is being used, what type of programs they are using, and whether or not they do desk top publishing in-house. This survey gives me the name, address, and phone number of the person to send my class listings to, in addition, to determining whether or not they are a desk top publishing prospect.

Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2000

About the Author

Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our “how to” Home Business Solutions Digest, it’s like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com
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The more you expose someone to a particular concept or idea, the more that concept or idea will become favorable to them. Things do grow on us. Have you ever heard a song on the radio that you didn’t like until it started to grow on you? This is also true with people. You may not like some people at first, but after awhile you grow to like them, and sometimes you even become their friend. Ever wonder why politicians want signs and posters with their names and faces all over everyone’s yards, street corners, bumpers, and windows? The use of repetition can be very effective. It is often said that repetition is the mother of all learning, but it is also the mother of effective persuasion. Repetition increases awareness, understanding, and retention.

You have to be careful to use repetition wisely, however. My motto is, “Repackage; Don’t Repeat.” This means you can use the power of repetition, but you don’t always have to say the words exactly the same way. You can make the same point with a story, a fact, a statistic, an analogy, or a testimony and never have to repeat yourself. You know how you feel when you hear the exact same joke for the second or even third time–it doesn’t carry the same punch as it did the first time, so you usually tune out.

Even when repackaging, keep it to no more than three times. If you present your message less than three times, it will not have a very strong effect. If you present your message more than three times, it becomes “worn out” and loses its potency. For example, in a study where children were shown the same ice cream commercial over and over while watching a cartoon, the children who saw the commercial three times actually wanted the ice cream more than those who had seen the commercial five times. .

For additional information on Branding and Exposure, go to Magnetic Persuasion and kick start your success!

Conclusion
Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.

Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available!

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