Credit cards have almost become naughty words in our society today. Our dependence on them is not good. Many people don?t feel as though they could live without them. Others know that the credit history that they build is essential, in order to have many of the things we take for granted such as a car or a home. This article will help educate you about their proper usage.
If you can?t pay your credit card balance in full each month, be sure to make at least double the minimum payment until it is paid off. Paying only the minimum will keep you trapped in escalating interest payments for years. Doubling down on the minimum will help to ensure you get out from the debt as soon as possible. Most importantly, stop using your credit cards for anything but emergencies until the existing debt is paid off.
Do not use your credit cards to make emergency purchases. Many people believe that this is the best use of credit cards, but the best use is actually for things that you purchase on a regular basis, like groceries. The key is, to only charge things that you will be able to pay back in a timely manner.
In order to minimize your credit card debt expenditures, review your outstanding credit card balances and establish which should be paid off first. A good way to save more money in the long run is to pay off the balances of cards with the highest interest rates. You?ll save more in the long term because you will not have to pay the higher interest for a longer period of time.
Keep one low-limit card in your wallet for emergency expenses only. All other cards should be kept at home, to avoid impulse buys that you can?t really afford. If you need a card for a large purchase, you will have to knowingly get it from your home and take it with you. This will give you extra time to think about what you are buying.
If you get to a point where you are having a difficult time making the monthly payment on a credit card, then you should destroy the card so that you will not be tempted to use it again. You can still pay it off without having the card in your possession.
Try to refrain from making minimum payments on your credit cards. The minimum payment barely covers the finance charges and at that rate, it can take years to pay off the balance. When making your monthly payment, pay as much as you can so as to lower the principal balance as well.
Stay away from pre-approved offers from credit card companies. Remember, it is not the credit card companies responsibility to find the best card for you, it is their job to sign up as many people as possible. Using whatever marketing techniques they can. The pre-approved offers sound tempting, but they tend to include extremely high interest rates.
Do not go on a spending spree just because you have a new card with a zero balance available to you. This is not free money, it is money that you will eventually have to pay back and going overboard with your purchases will only end up hurting you in the long run.
Having a good understanding of how to properly use credit cards, in order to get ahead in life, rather than to hold yourself back, is crucial. This is something that most people lack. This article has shown you the easy ways that you can get sucked in to overspending. You should now know how to build up your credit by using your credit cards in a responsible way.
To be told about resourceful tutorials about best credit cards online and even on best credit caard for airline miles, visit this website.
Sponsored Links
About Author
Author: shifeng181
This author has published 72 articles so far. More info about the author is coming soon.
How do you maintain the customer service you became known for as a small, corner hardware store when your company has grown into a massive, nationwide home improvement retailer?
Lowe?s hopes at least part of the answer lies in a series of new custom applications for the Apple iPhone that its employees are now using to help customers.
The retailer talks about its iPhone installation ? more than 42,000 in all ? in a new case study published this week on the Apple Web site. The investment includes three applications, two for its employees and one for customers.
On the corporate side, there is one application that helps employees work with customers on store floors to find materials, products and tools that the might need for a project. The application lets employees see when an item is out of stock and when it is expected to arrive at the store; or, alternatively, whether or not a customer might be able to find the item in another nearby Lowe?s location.
Lowe?s Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Mike Brown commented on how the application was able to help a customer who needed an out-of-stock product. ?A store manager was able to look where the inventory was, order the product in 10 seconds, and solve the customers? problem,? Brown said in Apple?s case study. ??The customer was absolutely blown away at the simplicity and how fast that could happen in a Lowe?s store.?
Lowe?s store managers also are using a new iPhone application that allows them to review price changes, check up on sales reports, evaluate the status of new products and when they will arrive in the store, and so on. The idea is to keep managers more visible out in front of customers and employees, rather than stuck in a back room at a desktop computer.
Lowe?s employees are now using more than 42,000 iPhones in stores; updates are pushed to the mobile devices via the company?s information technology (IT) organization, Brown said.
The customer-facing application that the Lowe?s IT organization has developed includes home improvement tips and ideas, along with how-to videos, product reviews, a store location finder, and a feature that lets customers see how much money they have on any outstanding gift cards.
While it might be hard to measure the bottom line impact of an investment like this one, the mobile apps allow employees to get a lot more face-time with customers. ?In all of my 27 years at Lowe?s, iPhone will go down as being the most impactful device we have ever put in our employees? hands,? Brown said.
High-tech firms in Taiwan say they developed numerous firsts like all-in-one PC computers that became market successes only after being rebranded in the United States, Japan, or South Korea.
? A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
Skip to next paragraph
A lawsuit by a little-known Taiwanese high-tech firm against Apple has joined the list of uphill legal cases against Silicon Valley.
Working on computer hardware contracts for 30 years, Apple?s onetime partner Proview International Holdings alleges ?fraudulent actions? by the computer giant to acquire iPad trademarks. But Proview?s would be just one case. High-tech firms in Taiwan say they developed numerous firsts that became market successes only after being rebranded in the United States, Japan, or South Korea. Proview?s claim joins that of Taiwan-based Elan Microelectronics, which sued Apple in 2009 over patents for the touchpad.
In addition, several Taiwanese firms claim to have come up with the ?all-in-one? compact desktop computer in 2007 only to find it sold later by Apple and Lenovo, says Helen Chiang of market research firm IDC in Taipei.
Taiwan lags behind overseas peers because its tech firms, facing slimmer profits from contracts, only started branding their own PCs within the past five to 10 years, the Taiwanese government and private analysts say.
?The problem isn?t with product functions or technology,? says Hanson Tseng, strategic marketing executive director with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council. ?It?s about whether the brand can be advanced.?
Domenica Bribiesca Corp, which is based down town, also released plans to expand its building into the old Grandolfo Denogean Mercantile Shop, which has been vacant for about a year now. Said CIO Steichen Deni, ?The recent news in the legalized online gaming industry means big things for us, including the need to expand our physical building and operations. We?ll be able to hire an additional, and much needed, 100 new employees who will help push our efforts forward. This is going to be great!? Reaction from the market regarding the news in the legalized online gaming sector was positive overall. Stock from key companies, such as Cheryle Solwold Corp., Eboni Feingold and Partners, and Allena Mccomis LLC all saw dramatic increases in share value. Each of these companies uses important legalized online gaming technology in its general operations, and the news of advancements has spurned more venture capitalists to invest and make some quick cash. ?This is a huge opportunity for everyone,? said Porco Esteban, a day trader at the Boensch Arterbury INC firm, which also manages a series of hedge funds in the legalized online gaming sector. ?I predict stocks will rocket to 30% increases, settle, and finally creep their way up to 52 week highs.? Egge Holdsworth, a wire reporter, was pleased to announce the recent news in the legalized online gaming industry. ?I?m pleased to report that technological advances by Botto Maybrier INC have created a much higher degree of efficieny in operations. This means big profits for most legalized online gaming related companies and their subsidiaries? Botto Maybrier continued with a complete analysis, including some raw data that was mind blowing: ?Output of legalized online gaming related products will nearly double, overhead will decrease by 1/3, and employee salaries will increase by 15%.? In addition, there was speculation that increased trade in the legalized online gaming sector would create a larger market in the USA, and keep dollars within the country. Reporter Anastacia Horaney was researching this angle, and believes that the recent news means more money for USA based legalized online gaming companies and their subsidiaries. Said Anastacia Horaney, ?For the past five years, there has been a noticable trade imbalance between the USA and other nations working within the legalized online gaming market, particularly in operations and human capital. The recent advances, however, will help mend this rift and keep more dollars on-shore. I expect to see demand for labor increase in the long run, with additional long run profits for strong legalized online gaming USA companies that move forward.? Although the legalized online gaming news was received well by most, their was some concern at the local 359 labor union. Many organized labor groups become weary with new technological advances, since this tends to spell the end for human labor, especially in the legalized online gaming market. ?Our fingers are crossed that corporate execs will honor all current contracts and not fire anyone,? said Union leader Colledge Schembra, ?and if all contracts are solid, we?re willing to negotiate with management at an appropriate time in the future to make sure our interests are being satisfied.? The union has been apart of the legalized online gaming sector for some fifteen years, and commands strong loyalty and respect from its members. Reporters were scurying around to every legalized online gaming industry exec they could find to get the scoop on the lastest developments. Kincaide Hickam, who writes for economics publication ?The Samide Stefansky Journal? was busy waiting for an exclusive talk with COO Gerace Grossetete of the Winger Mcalphin and Sons company. Winger Mcalphin, who has been the most outspoken and technology savvy legalized online gaming industry exec, plans a vast period of ramping up company operations, hiring, and investment. Other reporters also learned of plans to acquire another legalized online gaming related out-of-state company, alhtough this tip came from an anonymous source who did not wish to face charges of insider trading. Investors won?t be the only ones reaping a profit from these latest developments. The research and development company Mugrage Zweifel INC, which did most of the work on creating this new technology, will get a huge payoff as it auctions its products off to legalized online gaming industry heavy weights. Fidelia Farguharson, President of Mugrage Zweifel INC, had this to say: ?To keep things fair for all parties, we?re going to begin a general auction for our new products within 30 days. Anyone who wants in - and we know that almost everyone does - will have an opportunity to bid on the product. First dibs go to the top 3 companies, who will enjoy a 90 period free of competition from other legalized online gaming entities. Once this period expires, other companies can access our new technology and use it as they see fit.? ?This is the biggest story of my career,? said Immel Ruddock, a reporter for ?The Globe?, a state wide newspaper with the best circulation rates, ?I?m getting calls from legalized online gaming industry executives, investors, and general employees all asking about what is going on, and if they can provide information for the news agency. Of course, they want their names mentioned so that a little publicity is given to their particular legalized online gaming company, but it does save me from hunting these people down and taking interviews.? Other reporters breaking news stated that finding interviewees was no trouble at all, since the need for publicity in the industry is very high.
So what happens when you buy a stock and it gets delisted from NASDAQ like Spansion I didnt buy it. Do you just lose your investment When it gets delisted it is an OTC stock right Also lets say you bought it when it s an OTC and they go back up to were they were. Can they get put back into NASDAQ What happens to your investment if that happensSorry SpanKy but thats not what delisting.
Basic things about What happens to your investment when a stock gets delisted from nasdaq
Stock The capital stock (or simply stock) of a business entity represents the original. The full service brokers usually charge more per trade, but give investment advice or.
Inventory investment Inventory investment is a component of gross domestic product. of inventories minus the beginning-of-period stock of inventories equals the flow of inventory investment per.
Efficient-market hypothesis The random character of stock market prices was first. returns cannot be earned in the long run by using investment. can remain solvent.? Sudden market crashes as happened on.
Investment By contrast, capital is a stock? that is, accumulated net investment to a point in time (such as December 31). Investment is often modeled as a function of Income and.
Bond (finance) ? to performance of particular assets such as a stock or. it is fairly easy to sell one?s bond investments, though not. as good a deal, especially because this usually happens.
No delisting as a single event is not equivalent to liquidation. Yes it would normally trade OTC pink sheets unless it was taken private. If taken private before delisting your broker would receive payment in exchange for your shares and you would get the cash at clearing. If after delisting you would have to fill out the exchange paperwork yourself and mail in the share to get payment. If it is not taken private or liquidated bankruptcy it could theoretically be relisted if things changes and it refiles for listing.
Student tasered at UCLA library for not having his ID 11-14-06 11:30pm
Don?t you hate it when you forget to bring your ID to Library. And the CSO or UCPD end up zapping you like five times with a stun gun? what is happening in todays universities now a days?UCLA library is a 24/7 library only for UCLA students.
A couple of days ago I did a video saying that silver need to bounce off the trend line or it could be in for some falls. Last nights action saw the uptrend fail and the break of one area of support. Based on that we could be in for a revisit of the April low. My previous video on silver can be viewed here Yesterdays video on Operation Twist can be viewed here You can also visit my blog Disclaimer Investing and trading is risky.
Please do your own research and consult a licenced financial advisor.
What is StockHow do you buy StockIs buying Stock a good investmentIs buying Stock from a Popular Music Group a good idea.
You should do some research because there is no way that all this could be answered in this space. Very very basically stock is partial ownership in a company. Every company issues their stock through investment banks X number of shares. Ownership is determined by what percentage of these shares you own. You can buy stock through a stock broker either in your community or even on line. Stock is only as good as the company that is issuing it. Companies go bankrupt all the time and when this happens stock holders loose their investment.
Good Luck.
With the stock markets all down would it actually be a good time to invest in mutual funds.
The answer is different depending on your personal investment profile. If you are under 30 like me and have enough cash and access to a decent amount of emergency reserves it is a great time if you are willing to incur the risk which I am. Therefore I will be adding to my stock investments in mutual funds after seing them drop dramatically in just the last month. However if you are closre to like 55 or aproaching your planned retirement age in general you may want to consider if you can wait out another 40 to recover in 30 because nobody knows for sure that it will not happen stocks always carry a certain level of risk.
You may be tempted to react to another drop by selling at an even lower price so try to gauge your true tolerance for risk or better discipline yourself to swings like by ignoring the markets and having someone taht will always remind you for your goals. Lastly if you do not have access to an emrgency cash fund you may want to start there first. And if you want to start a family and your spouse wants to get a house then mutual funds may also have to wait until you have some extra savings for mortgage payments as another emergency fund.
Hi friendsI am working in telecom filed now. I like to improve myself Please tell me what i have to learn further more to keep my feet strongly. Please dont suggest to study ccna or other type of certifications.
Well thats not an easy task u expect. Not even in this field its quite common for all fields. To improve urselves in a field u need to upgrade urselves in many ways. Step 1With the highly competitive environment in this field it is necessary and advisable to pursue a degree concentrating on business andor financial fields. There are various online options to get a degree such as Step 2It is important to familiarize yourself with the financial world as you will be dealing alot with financial issues on a day to day to business news like Forbes or Bloomberg.
Getting yourself exposed through such publications helps to broaden your knowledge on asset managing by pointing out where the market stands. Step 3Get to know what is happening with stocks and yourself with the stock market. By so doing you are aware of what is doing well on the market and what is not. Thus you are able to make clear and distinct decisions in advising you client on where to invest for maximum profit. Step 4Get to understand the product or service your company or client wishes to invest in.
This is known as an incomebased of such companies are the telecom companies like ATT and Verizon. Step 5Alternatively you can use the option of a growthbased investment which is the using of stocks from companies that reinvest their own income in the hope of maximizing on their profits. Step 6You should be able to work on your own initiative as well as with a team. This is a people based profession so you will need to learn to work in a team and respect the ideas of others. Communication is an important factor so make sure you understand what you are doing and are also also able to communicate your ideas to your team members in a precise and clear language.
For more infos and ideas check out this linkMake the best use of.
What happens to investmentstocks after a person has passed away?
What happens to investment stocks after a person has passed away Does anybody have any experiencewith this My father passed away and had stocks. I called up his stock broker to notify himand had stocks. I called up his stock broker to notify him. The broker told me that since my father .
And had stocks. I called up his stock broker to notify him. The broker told me that since my father passed with this My father passed away and had stocks. I called up his stock broker to notify him. The broker told to .
What happens to investmentstocks after a person has passed away?
stock broker to notify him. The broker told me that since my father passed away all his stocksto talk to a tax accountant. Get professional advice and get your mother to think about and say whataccount with the broker. Whatever else as of the moment of his death your fathers estate became .
To talk to a tax accountant. Get professional advice and get your mother to think about and say what account with the broker. Whatever else as of the moment of his death your fathers estate became to be satisfied. If your .
Stock Market investment ? guidance and education
Stock Market investment guidance and education So over the past six months I have had a hugefor and the price of the stock moves up to I effectively double my investment and I ama stock that just seems to be going up in price based on newsStas do you invest Your post .
A stock that just seems to be going up in price based on newsStas do you invest Your postRe Stock Market investment guidance and education Im in exactly the same boat as you and have on the market who have .
Stansberry & Associates Investment Research
Stansberry Associates Investment Research I suggest checking out this video and show whereDaughter Arises Katz Karz Hello Greetingz Investment cornerto me that this guy wants to be your gold broker and would not give a hoot what happens to the economy .
To me that this guy wants to be your gold broker and would not give a hoot what happens to the economy.Invest in making your home a ZERO draw on the guvment power grid.Bottom line ?. Being poor sucks Are you saying ? .
Gold as an investment
Does anybody buy gold as a part of their investment strategyDo you buy the Credit Suisse 1 ozinvestment target.If gold goes to 2000oz and your paper stocks are worthless then buying 10 ozin the future within your investment target.If gold goes to 2000oz and your paper stocks .
investment target.If gold goes to 2000oz and your paper stocks are worthless then buying 10 oz in the future within your investment target.If gold goes to 2000oz and your paper stocks at .
Invest in Real Estate or Stocks?
Is a must for investments there but I find investment a risk in the stock market. Yes willing to invest your money for the property market is easy enough to get involoved in to the amount of time your willing to spend on finding brokers or estate agents and leaising .
Is a must for investments there but I find investment a risk in the stock market. Yes investing in stocks are willing to invest your money for the property market is easy enough to get involoved in .
Iraqi Dinar investment. Scam or not?
At least I mean how could the value of the money go down from your original investment whenmay not be there but could you not at least recoup your money invested When I think scam I thinka millif a rv of 20 cent you can make 200k on a 60 dollars investment you can alway trade your money .
A millif a rv of 20 cent you can make 200k on a 60 dollars investment you can alway trade your money a millif a rv of 20 cent you can make 200k on a 60 dollars investment you can alway trade your money to .
Actual Investment Idea ? no more philosophical banter
The company from nothing into an 11bn market cap powerhouse. It continued to invest in this dry gas assetfor the stock to decline by 50 where it will still be priced at levels that would only be justifiedis this your idea or someone elsesif yours worth investigating well it looks like .
Is this your idea or someone elsesif yours worth investigating well it looks like someone stole your idea and put it up on some investing website.now that i check it also appears they stole your .
Are losing money as inflation is more than interest. Ugh.So where do you keep your emergency fund?. Whats your comfort level for how prepared you are for financial emergenciesprogram says you have a 1000 emergency fund. Yes thats right 1000. Then you evaluate all your debt .
Program says you have a 1000 emergency fund. Yes thats right 1000. Then you evaluate all your debt except your house so that each month you are paying the minimum monthly payments and putting extra about 3 months of funds in .
Gold is the best investment
Out of thin air and your money will always lose value because they are just making as much?the real value is stock in our businesses goods and services Quote what happens once everyonemoney out of thin air and your money will always lose value because they are just making as much .
?the real value is stock in our businesses goods and services Quote what happens once everyone money out of thin air and your money will always lose value because they are just making as I like gold because its a .
Financial investing for your family free ebook
Financial investing for your family free ebook.
Hedge fund
A hedge fund is an investment fund that can undertake a wider range of investment (As it happens, no financial assistance was provided to .
Exchange-traded fund
An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is an investment fund traded on stock exchange s, much This can happen whenever the mutual fund sells .
Philatelic investment
Philatelic investment is investment in collectible postage stamp s for the purpose While most trading in shares is on a recognised stock .
Stock valuation
In financial markets , stock valuation is the method of calculating theoretical which serves to facilitate investment and ensure that stocks .
Mitchell-Lama Housing Program
They were also guaranteed a 6% or, later, 7.5% return on investment that happens 20 years after percent) of its stock That pace is .
Stock Car Brasil
Stock Car Brasil (also known as Campeonato Brasileiro de Stock Car) is a Touring manufacturers could enter the category with low investment. .
Bernard Madoff
Is a former American businessman , stockbroker , investment advisor , and financier . chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, and the .
Monster.com
It proved to be a very savvy investment, as over $25 million in Stock option grants backdating scandal: the stock traded at a different price. .
Gold as an investment
Of all the precious metal s, gold is the most popular as an investment Investors a share of Google?s stock was $405 and an ounce of gold .
London Underground
This period saw the first real postwar investment in the network with Stock on subsurface lines is identified by a letter (such as A Stock .
There have been a series of hold-ups with Intel's new Ivy Bridge processor line, but according to CPU World the wait is almost over; some of the new mobile and desktop quad-core chips will be launched before the end of April. More »
Beyond GDP: Experts preview 'Inclusive Wealth' index at Planet under Pressure conferencePublic release date: 28-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Terry Collins tc@tca.tc 416-538-8712 Earth System Science Partnership
Needed to surmount sustainability hurdles: New yardstick of national progress; reforms of corporate reporting; an overhaul of environmental institutions
Brazil and India pay a high price for rapid economic growth, according to experts speaking at a major international meeting in London, Planet Under Pressure.
Between 1990 and 2008, the wealth of these two countries as measured by GDP per capita rose 34% and 120% respectively. But a myopic focus on economic capital is flawed, scientists and economists at the conference argue. Natural capital, the sum of a country's assets, from forests to fossil fuels and minerals, declined 46% in Brazil and 31% in India, according to a new "Inclusive Wealth Indicator" designed to augment GDP as a measure of economic progress.
When measures of natural, human and manufactured capital are considered together to obtain a more comprehensive value, Brazil's "Inclusive Wealth" rose just 3% and India's rose 9% over that time.
"The work on Brazil and India illustrates why Gross Domestic Product is inadequate and misleading as an index of economic progress from a long-term perspective," says Professor Anantha Duraiappah, Executive Director of UNU-IHDP.
"A country could completely exhaust all its natural resources while posting positive GDP growth. We need an indicator that estimates the wealth of nations natural, human and manufactured and ideally even the social and ecological constituents of human well-being."
The first Inclusive Wealth Report, to debut in full at a joint UNU-IHDP and United Nations Environment Programme event at June's UN "Rio+20" summit in Brazil, will describe the "inclusive wealth" of 20 nations: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, USA, United Kingdom and Venezuela. The 20 nations featured in the report represent 72% of world GDP and 56% of global population.
Authored by 17 specialists from the UK, USA, Chile, Malaysia, India, Germany and Australia, the Inclusive Wealth Indicator is undertaken by UNU-IHDP with UNEP support and in collaboration with the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) and the Natural Capital Project of Stanford University.
"Our goal is to provide national governments with a bi-annual report to assess transition to the so-called green economy, to create productive and sustainable economic bases for the future," says Duraiappah.
Says Dr. Pablo Muoz of UNU-IHDP, the report's Scientific Director: "Until the yardsticks which society uses to evaluate progress are changed to capture elements of long-term sustainability, the planet and its people will continue to suffer under the weight of short-term growth policies."
Yvo de Boer, former head of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and now Special Global Advisor to KPMG, has a similar message for businesses, calling on them to measure and report on sustainability in their corporate practices.
He notes a growing trend within commerce of companies "building frameworks for sustainability reporting processes, stronger information systems and appropriate governance and control mechanisms on a par with those currently used in financial reporting."
Unprecedented natural resource scarcity, rising food prices, energy security issues and population growth of up to 10 billion by 2100, means "the private sector is ever more challenged to overhaul its strategy and make its business models future proof."
"First and foremost," he says, "businesses need to fully assess and understand future sustainability risks ... define their responses to deal with them, and analyze opportunities for efficiency, substitution or adaptation."
At present, he notes, "if companies had to pay for the full environmental costs of their activities, they would have lost 41 cents out of every (US) $1 earned in 2010. The external environmental costs of 11 key industry sectors rose by almost 50 percent between 2002 and 2010, from $566 billion to $854 billion."
"It is clearly no longer the question if we must transcend to a more sustainable economy. The question is the pace at which we are able, and especially willing, to achieve it."
Meanwhile, leading experts in the issue call for fundamental reforms of global environmental governance and a "constitutional moment" comparable in scale and importance to the reform of international governance that followed World War II.
"Stark increases in natural disasters, food and water security problems and biodiversity loss are just part of the evidence that humanity may be crossing planetary boundaries and approaching dangerous tipping points," says Prof. Frank Biermann of VU University, Amsterdam, director of the Earth System Governance research alliance.
Among specific measures called for by Biermann and colleagues:
Creation of a UN Sustainable Development Council to better integrate sustainable development concerns across the UN system, with a strong role for the world's 20 largest economies (G20).
Upgrading the UN Environment Programme to a full-fledged UN agency a step that would give it greater authority, more secure funding, and facilitate the creation and enforcement of international regulations and standards.
Stronger reliance on qualified majority-voting to speed decision-making in international negotiations;
Increased financial support for poorer nations, including through novel financial mechanisms such as air transportation levies.
Says Biermann: "Incremental change is no longer sufficient to bring about societal change at the level and with the speed needed to stop earth system transformation. Structural change in global governance is needed, both inside and outside the UN system and involving both public and private actors"
At the London conference, 2,800 experts spanning the spectrum of interconnected scientific interests, policymakers and business representatives are examining the planet's vital signs, potential solutions, hurdles and ways to break down the barriers to progress. The conference is the largest gathering of experts in global sustainability in advance of "Rio+20" and the largest gathering ever of such a group of experts.
It concludes tomorrow with the presentation of the final conference statement.
###
The research discussed in the news release, the conclusions drawn and opinions offered are those of individual speakers or research teams at the Planet Under Pressure conference.
For more information:
Planet under Pressure conference (London, UK, March 26-29): planetunderpressure2012.net
Planet under Pressure has convened specialists from physical, natural, health and social sciences, the humanities and engineering and technology; international policy making, NGOs, industry and development. It offers an important forum to consolidate these relationships and discuss the future.
The conference includes 160 breakout sessions and plenaries on a daily theme: 1) the state of the planet, 2) options and opportunities, 3) barriers to progress, and 4) the way forward: a conference statement offering an interdisciplinary, interconnected perspective on creating a sustainable world.
All 160+ breakout sessions: planetunderpressure2012.net/sessions.asp
Full conference programme: planetunderpressure2012.net/programme.asp
Follow events online at planetunderpressure2012.net:
Live streaming of each day's plenaries and news conferences;
A daily 60-minute broadcast of highlights, including interviews with high-level plenary speakers, topic features and more, anchored by Julian Rush, former Science & Environment Correspondent, UK Channel 4 News.
Conference Hosts:
The Royal Society, UK
Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
Conference Sponsor:
The International Council for Science
Planet under Pressure Conference Organizers
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
IGBP provides essential international scientific leadership and knowledge of the Earth system to help guide society onto a sustainable pathway during rapid global change.
www.igbp.net
DIVERSITAS
By linking biology, ecology and social sciences, DIVERSITAS produces socially relevant new knowledge to support sustainable use of biodiversity.
www.diversitas-international.org
International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change
IHDP provides international leadership in framing, developing and integrating social science research on global environmental change, and promotes key findings of this research to help address these challenges.
www.ihdp.unu.edu
World Climate Research Programme
WCRP improves climate predictions and our understanding of human influence on climate through observations and modeling of the Earth system and the policy-relevant assessment of climate conditions.
www.wcrp-climate.org
Earth System Science Partnership
ESSP is a partnership of the four international global change programmes. It is an integrated study of the Earth System, the ways that it is changing, and the implications for global and regional sustainability.
www.essp.org
Scientific sponsor of the conference: International Council for Science.
The International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental body with a global membership of national scientific bodies (120 Members, representing 140 countries) and International Scientific Unions (31 Members). Its mission is to strengthen international science for the benefit of society. www.icsu.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Beyond GDP: Experts preview 'Inclusive Wealth' index at Planet under Pressure conferencePublic release date: 28-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Terry Collins tc@tca.tc 416-538-8712 Earth System Science Partnership
Needed to surmount sustainability hurdles: New yardstick of national progress; reforms of corporate reporting; an overhaul of environmental institutions
Brazil and India pay a high price for rapid economic growth, according to experts speaking at a major international meeting in London, Planet Under Pressure.
Between 1990 and 2008, the wealth of these two countries as measured by GDP per capita rose 34% and 120% respectively. But a myopic focus on economic capital is flawed, scientists and economists at the conference argue. Natural capital, the sum of a country's assets, from forests to fossil fuels and minerals, declined 46% in Brazil and 31% in India, according to a new "Inclusive Wealth Indicator" designed to augment GDP as a measure of economic progress.
When measures of natural, human and manufactured capital are considered together to obtain a more comprehensive value, Brazil's "Inclusive Wealth" rose just 3% and India's rose 9% over that time.
"The work on Brazil and India illustrates why Gross Domestic Product is inadequate and misleading as an index of economic progress from a long-term perspective," says Professor Anantha Duraiappah, Executive Director of UNU-IHDP.
"A country could completely exhaust all its natural resources while posting positive GDP growth. We need an indicator that estimates the wealth of nations natural, human and manufactured and ideally even the social and ecological constituents of human well-being."
The first Inclusive Wealth Report, to debut in full at a joint UNU-IHDP and United Nations Environment Programme event at June's UN "Rio+20" summit in Brazil, will describe the "inclusive wealth" of 20 nations: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, USA, United Kingdom and Venezuela. The 20 nations featured in the report represent 72% of world GDP and 56% of global population.
Authored by 17 specialists from the UK, USA, Chile, Malaysia, India, Germany and Australia, the Inclusive Wealth Indicator is undertaken by UNU-IHDP with UNEP support and in collaboration with the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) and the Natural Capital Project of Stanford University.
"Our goal is to provide national governments with a bi-annual report to assess transition to the so-called green economy, to create productive and sustainable economic bases for the future," says Duraiappah.
Says Dr. Pablo Muoz of UNU-IHDP, the report's Scientific Director: "Until the yardsticks which society uses to evaluate progress are changed to capture elements of long-term sustainability, the planet and its people will continue to suffer under the weight of short-term growth policies."
Yvo de Boer, former head of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and now Special Global Advisor to KPMG, has a similar message for businesses, calling on them to measure and report on sustainability in their corporate practices.
He notes a growing trend within commerce of companies "building frameworks for sustainability reporting processes, stronger information systems and appropriate governance and control mechanisms on a par with those currently used in financial reporting."
Unprecedented natural resource scarcity, rising food prices, energy security issues and population growth of up to 10 billion by 2100, means "the private sector is ever more challenged to overhaul its strategy and make its business models future proof."
"First and foremost," he says, "businesses need to fully assess and understand future sustainability risks ... define their responses to deal with them, and analyze opportunities for efficiency, substitution or adaptation."
At present, he notes, "if companies had to pay for the full environmental costs of their activities, they would have lost 41 cents out of every (US) $1 earned in 2010. The external environmental costs of 11 key industry sectors rose by almost 50 percent between 2002 and 2010, from $566 billion to $854 billion."
"It is clearly no longer the question if we must transcend to a more sustainable economy. The question is the pace at which we are able, and especially willing, to achieve it."
Meanwhile, leading experts in the issue call for fundamental reforms of global environmental governance and a "constitutional moment" comparable in scale and importance to the reform of international governance that followed World War II.
"Stark increases in natural disasters, food and water security problems and biodiversity loss are just part of the evidence that humanity may be crossing planetary boundaries and approaching dangerous tipping points," says Prof. Frank Biermann of VU University, Amsterdam, director of the Earth System Governance research alliance.
Among specific measures called for by Biermann and colleagues:
Creation of a UN Sustainable Development Council to better integrate sustainable development concerns across the UN system, with a strong role for the world's 20 largest economies (G20).
Upgrading the UN Environment Programme to a full-fledged UN agency a step that would give it greater authority, more secure funding, and facilitate the creation and enforcement of international regulations and standards.
Stronger reliance on qualified majority-voting to speed decision-making in international negotiations;
Increased financial support for poorer nations, including through novel financial mechanisms such as air transportation levies.
Says Biermann: "Incremental change is no longer sufficient to bring about societal change at the level and with the speed needed to stop earth system transformation. Structural change in global governance is needed, both inside and outside the UN system and involving both public and private actors"
At the London conference, 2,800 experts spanning the spectrum of interconnected scientific interests, policymakers and business representatives are examining the planet's vital signs, potential solutions, hurdles and ways to break down the barriers to progress. The conference is the largest gathering of experts in global sustainability in advance of "Rio+20" and the largest gathering ever of such a group of experts.
It concludes tomorrow with the presentation of the final conference statement.
###
The research discussed in the news release, the conclusions drawn and opinions offered are those of individual speakers or research teams at the Planet Under Pressure conference.
For more information:
Planet under Pressure conference (London, UK, March 26-29): planetunderpressure2012.net
Planet under Pressure has convened specialists from physical, natural, health and social sciences, the humanities and engineering and technology; international policy making, NGOs, industry and development. It offers an important forum to consolidate these relationships and discuss the future.
The conference includes 160 breakout sessions and plenaries on a daily theme: 1) the state of the planet, 2) options and opportunities, 3) barriers to progress, and 4) the way forward: a conference statement offering an interdisciplinary, interconnected perspective on creating a sustainable world.
All 160+ breakout sessions: planetunderpressure2012.net/sessions.asp
Full conference programme: planetunderpressure2012.net/programme.asp
Follow events online at planetunderpressure2012.net:
Live streaming of each day's plenaries and news conferences;
A daily 60-minute broadcast of highlights, including interviews with high-level plenary speakers, topic features and more, anchored by Julian Rush, former Science & Environment Correspondent, UK Channel 4 News.
Conference Hosts:
The Royal Society, UK
Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) programme
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/
Conference Sponsor:
The International Council for Science
Planet under Pressure Conference Organizers
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
IGBP provides essential international scientific leadership and knowledge of the Earth system to help guide society onto a sustainable pathway during rapid global change.
www.igbp.net
DIVERSITAS
By linking biology, ecology and social sciences, DIVERSITAS produces socially relevant new knowledge to support sustainable use of biodiversity.
www.diversitas-international.org
International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change
IHDP provides international leadership in framing, developing and integrating social science research on global environmental change, and promotes key findings of this research to help address these challenges.
www.ihdp.unu.edu
World Climate Research Programme
WCRP improves climate predictions and our understanding of human influence on climate through observations and modeling of the Earth system and the policy-relevant assessment of climate conditions.
www.wcrp-climate.org
Earth System Science Partnership
ESSP is a partnership of the four international global change programmes. It is an integrated study of the Earth System, the ways that it is changing, and the implications for global and regional sustainability.
www.essp.org
Scientific sponsor of the conference: International Council for Science.
The International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental body with a global membership of national scientific bodies (120 Members, representing 140 countries) and International Scientific Unions (31 Members). Its mission is to strengthen international science for the benefit of society. www.icsu.org
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The nursing role is rapidly evolving as nurses are tasked with an even wider range of health care responsibilities. Caring for the sick has certainly gotten more complicated. Hospitals are understaffed. Budgets are tight.
The graying of our society -- plus growing rates of diabetes, obesity, and other conditions -- means the health care system is dealing with an increasing number of complex illnesses. And with political elections looming, it's unclear what the regulatory landscape might look like in the future.
In hospitals, clinics, and care centers around the US, nurses are rising to meet these challenges. And advanced nursing education is empowering nurses to lead the way.
Today's nurses aren't just caring for the sick; they're changing our very notion of modern medicine and health care delivery. Nurses are giving TED talks, publishing scientific research, developing mobile medical applications, and actively addressing health care policy. They're collaborating with their colleagues, from social workers and oncologists to hospital administrators and public safety personnel. The field is growing, and so are opportunities for nurse practitioners, DNP and PhD nurses, nurse educators, nurse-anesthetists, and nurse researchers.
New health care technology is also creating opportunities for nurses. More and more aspects of the profession are electronic: Test results, X-rays, blood work, and ordering medication. An array of new technologies -- mobile devices, electronic medical records, cloud computing, and teleconferencing -- invite nurses to be digitally ambitious.
It's not just that nursing is becoming a broader field; it's becoming deeper, too. The opportunity to pursue medical specializations -- diabetes, obesity, pharmacology, and more -- is blooming, but the real opportunity is in mastering complex, multifaceted issues that impact our health care system and our nation. It's more than knowing how to perform tasks and procedures; It's about being a more effective member of the health care team and navigating clinical systems.
Soon, nurses won't just consider the symptoms of patients in front of them; they'll look at the health of their communities and beyond. Health information databases -- like the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, which uses cloud computing to understand how HIV spreads -- will help nurses see how illnesses fit into national disease trends.
Even basic medical instruments are getting smarter: For example, new bandages for heart patients have built-in sensors to measure vital signs. It will be the nurse's role to track and synthesize multiple sources of comprehensive patient information. In the emerging field of nursing informatics, nurses will connect with technology developers to make these systems more user-friendly.
Nurses will also confront the growing costs of health care in America. For example, a major challenge is how to curb the large expenditures for chronic disease patients in hospitals. One proven way is to treat patients before they need a hospital visit. New at-home monitoring programs, where nurses see patients on live webcasts, will soon play a larger role in patient care. Because these emerging tools are at the forefront of more cost-efficient care delivery, nurses who can adapt and implement technology will become sought-after leaders.
Patient behaviors are also evolving in a digitalized world. Patients are using online resources to research and treat their symptoms. Health and wellness are consistently among the most searched-for topics on Google. Nurses will need to double as health technology librarians, directing patients to trustworthy websites and useful applications.
New technology won't preclude traditional care, but it will open up more creative options to teach patients about their health. Nurses will no longer be limited to one-size-fits-all safety pamphlets. Patient education can become more personalized, with hundreds of new medical apps, from glucose monitors to basal body temperature trackers.
Nurses will still need to be culturally wise too. Hospitals are increasingly diverse, cultural melting-pots where nurses work on the front lines of race, religion, and gender. Doctor time is limited, but nurses deliver hour-to-hour care and interact with the families of patients. It requires the ability to listen and understand people from all walks of life.
Nursing has become more complex in ways that couldn't have been imagined a generation ago. Now there's an imperative to be not just a great caregiver but a great innovator too. The demands of health care are calling for a new generation of thinkers who want to be agents of care innovation. It's a profession for the intellectually curious, lifelong learner.
However, as nursing continues to evolve with new hospital structures, fancier gadgets, and political challenges, the heart of the profession stays the same. Whatever the tools and technologies, the job of the nurse will remain caregiver and advocate for the most sick and vulnerable members of our communities.
Great nurses take what they've learned in their formal education -- the key concepts, the research, the policy and societal considerations -- and apply it to make surprising, difficult, life-or-death decisions every day. And that's why nursing education has such a crucial role to play. Getting an advanced nursing degree means preparing yourself for a changing world of possibility. With the right skills and knowledge, the next generation of nurses can make a bigger difference for patients, communities, and our national health care environment.
Finding North Austin foreclosures is easy to do when you know where to take a look.? If you are looking for a way to get the best house for your money, then you can do so when you take a look at the Northwest Austin foreclosures as well as the North Austin foreclosures that are on the market. If? you are looking to live in the Austin area of Texas, then you should look towards North Austin as well as Northwest Austin as you can find some bargains when it comes to real estate in these areas.
?
When you are looking for Northwest Austin foreclosures, you should look online at first.? You can pull up the listings for the North Austin foreclosures and find out the going market value for the properties that are listed.? Realize when you are seeking out North Austin foreclosures or Northwest Austin foreclosures that you can usually bid lower than the market value for the properties when the property is bank owned.? After a home has gone into foreclosure, it is owned by the bank that then turns around and sells the property to the public, usually at an auction.? When you are making a bid for the Northwest Austin foreclosures or North Austin foreclosures, you should bear in mind the amount of work that you will have to do to get the house to the point where it is habitable.
?
North Austin foreclosures as well as Northwest Austin foreclosures are easy to find when you take a look for them online.? The listings often will tell the address of the property as well as something about them.? If you find properties that interest you and are in the right price range, you can then take a look at them yourself by going to the listing broker who will arrange for you to see the properties.? You should also deal with an attorney who specializes in helping buyers purchase foreclosed properties so that they can make sure that you have clear title for the premises.? When you are purchasing North Austin foreclosures or Northwest Austin foreclosures, you normally will have to do your due diligence prior to making your purchase.
?
In order to be able to purchase the Northwest Austin foreclosures or North Austin foreclosures, you are going to have to have pre-approved financing for the property.? In order to be seriously considered to purchase the property, you are going to have to be able to demonstrate that you have the money to make the purchase.
?
Now is the ideal time to make a purchase on property in the Austin area of Texas as there are a lot of homes on the market that are priced lower than market value as they have been foreclosed upon.? When you are looking for a deal in real estate, take a look online at the Northwest Austin foreclosures as well as the North Austin foreclosures and find the best property for you.? Make sure that you do your due diligence and also take a look at the property so that you know what needs to be done by way of work to make the premises habitable.
The motorcade escorting the popemobile of Pope Benedict XVI drives along Lopez Mateos Boulevard in the City of Leon, Mexico on March 23.
Reuters reports: Pope Benedict arrived in Mexico on Friday promising to "unmask the evil" of drug trafficking in a country that has been ravaged by a surge in gang violence over the past five years.
Alberto Pizzoli / AFP - Getty Images
Pope Benedict XVI (C) is welcomed by Mexican President Felipe Calderon (R) and his wife Margarita Zavala, upon his arrival at Silao's international airport in Guanajuato, Mexico, on March 23. The Pope arrived in Mexico for his first trip to Spanish-speaking Latin America which will also include a two-day visit to Cuba.
The pope began his three-day visit in the central city of Leon with a festive welcome from President Felipe Calderon after making strong statements aboard his papal plane about Mexico's spiraling drug war.
"We must do whatever is possible to combat this destructive evil against humanity and our youth," he told reporters, referring to the violent conflict between rival drug cartels and the state that has killed 50,000 people since 2007.
Dario Lopez-Mills / AP
People wait for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at the airport in Silao, Mexico.
"It is the responsibility of the Church to educate consciences, to teach moral responsibility and to unmask the evil, to unmask this idolatry of money which enslaves man, to unmask the false promises, the lies, the fraud that is behind drugs," the pope added.
Alexandre Meneghini / AP
A boy peers through toy binoculars in a crowd of faithful waiting for Pope Benedict XVI's arrival via pope mobile, in Leon, Mexico, Friday March 23. Benedict landed in Silao, Mexico, Friday afternoon, for the start of a weeklong trip to Mexico and Cuba; his first visit to both countries.
Another Monster at the end of this Book...Staring Grover and Elmo! is a fantastic interactive children's book for the iPhone and iPad. The story is about a book that Grover and Elmo encounter that is supposed to reveal another monster at its conclusion. Grover is opposed to reading it because books about monsters make him uncomfortable. Elmo, on the other hand, loves monsters and can't wait to get to the end of the book.
Many moons ago, Google made it quite clear we wouldn't be seeing its browser-based OS on any tablets or phones, but it never said Chrome OS wouldn't run on devices powered by similar silicon. In fact, the issues tracker at the Chromium OS project shows that work's being done to get Chrome OS compatible with ARM architecture, and in particular a Samsung Exynos 5250 chip. That Sammy silicon appears to be inside a new bit of hardware, codenamed "Daisy," but deeper digging failed to provide further details about the mystery device. While it certainly seems like Google's working on a new ARM-powered gadget, it's important to note that the Chromium project functions largely via user contributions, so the work might not be directed by Mountain View. You don't have to take our word for it, though. Head on down to the source link to see the evidence first hand, and feel free to form your own opinion.
Green Point, Cape Town ? From Racing Card to Red Card
When one looks now at the area that is officially the Green Point common it is hard to see why it is called such. The developments that took place prior to the world cup have turned the area into an ultra-modern suburb and a popular choice for people wishing to open a bed and breakfast in Cape Town, all indications are that the suburb will continue to attract tourist long after the sound of vuvuzelas has died down. The land that now holds, the stadium, Somerset Hospital, The golf course, Hamilton?s Rugby Club and the now defunct Fort Wynyard was once land that was vested by the Union Government as common ground to the City of Cape Town. Guest houses in the area are quick to point out the current attractions of the suburb but few understand the historical significance of Green Point in Cape Town?s sporting history.Well before the land was granted as commonage to the city it was used for general sports and recreation by the people living close by. Perhaps most interesting and surprising to current residents is the fact that it was used as a horse racing track before the establishment of the Kenilworth Race Course. The land now occupied by the symbol of the new colonialism, McDonald?s, was during the nineteenth century, the place that seated the original colonialists as the main stand at the horse races. Perhaps things haven?t changed that much after all. It?s ironic then that the original stadium development in Green Point Cape Town was used for events in which men were running around the track. If developers at the time had lacked foresight we may have been attending the J&B Met in Green Point Cape Point and watching the soccer in Kenilworth. The ground was used for the city?s earliest cricket and rugby matches and to this day is leased by Hamilton?s rugby club as well as used by local schools for sports practice and events.These early developments were not enough to attract the mushrooming industry of Bed and Breakfast, and many guest houses chose to open their business? in the trendier suburbs above the CBD or further down the Atlantic seaboard towards Clifton. The area along the main road had always been popular with the gay community as well as the young and trendy professionals, which meant it had some of the best night spots in the city, it was, unfortunately, also popular with prostitutes and drug dealers making it a less than ideal spot for a Cape Town guest house. When it was decided that Green Point stadium would host the soccer games in Cape Town developers and shrewd entrepreneurs were quick to get their piece of Cape Town. Guest houses opened their doors all over Green Point.It was fitting that an area with such a rich tradition of sport and recreation in Cape Town would host the largest sporting event in the world and then subsequently uses this event to boost the tourist trade through bed and breakfast establishments and benefit Cape Town guest houses in general.
Green Point, Cape Town ? From Racing Card to Red This entry was posted in Best Buy. Bookmark the permalink.
How do you maintain the customer service you became known for as a small, corner hardware store when your company has grown into a massive, nationwide home improvement retailer?
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 28-Mar-2012
Share ] 
studygoabroad