Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Offshore Credit Cards

Offshore Credit Cards
By: Geoff Thomas
Until a recently, the typical offshore investor did not have access to the payment convenience and flexibility associated with a credit card–at least not from the standpoint of accessing and spending the money he or she had safely placed offshore. Consider the predicament of yesterday's offshore investors seeking to access smaller amounts of money residing in their offshore bank accounts–say, under $10,000. If those individuals wanted to use offshore funds to make a purchase while living in North America or traveling abroad, they would have to personally withdraw funds from their offshore bank or have money wired to bank accounts where they lived.
Offshore credit cards have greatly facilitated the use of money held in offshore accounts. Offshore institution-branded Visa and MasterCard credit cards have ushered in a whole new realm of payment flexibility and convenience for today's offshore investor, but they are products that still require careful consideration and research. How do they work and what do they cost? How secure and private are they? What are the possible pitfalls and ramifications associated with using these cards?
How they work
Offshore credit cards share the same characteristics as ones in your own Country. They all carry a Visa or MasterCard label, are accepted at more than 14 million locations worldwide and provide cash advances at several hundred thousand automatic teller machines and banking institutions around the world.
Despite their similarities, a significant difference exists between domestic and offshore credit cards. The vast majority of reputable offshore credit cards are "secured" cards. They require offshore investors to provide a security deposit with their application for the card and therefore do not require offshore investors to go through credit checks.
To increase a credit line, investors simply need to increase the amount of their security deposit by the appropriate factor, either by sending a draft or by wiring funds to the card company. The requirement for a security deposit contrasts with a domestic credit card and effectively renders these products not credit cards per se. They are rather hybrid cards that access a line of credit that is fully secured with one's own money. Most of the card companies do not refer to their products as "credit cards" but either as "offshore cards" that provide the "benefits and acceptance of a Visa or MasterCard" or "offshore cards" that provide investors with access to "offshore collateral investment accounts."


wireless credit card reader and merchant credit card machines

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Caring For Bonsai Trees

Caring for bonsai trees starts from the time you buy the tree. After buying your bonsai tree from the stores ensure that you keep it outside for the first two weeks. It is also important to protect the bonsai plant from strong wind and sun during the first few days.

If you are buying your bonsai tree during the winter season, then its better not to expose it to the harsh winter conditions.

If the bonsai plant is kept in a warm room for too long a time, it will simulate conditions of spring and this will result in budding of the plant. Keeping the plant for long durations in warm conditions will be detrimental to the health of the plant.

Caring for bonsai trees also includes, ensuring proper exposure to sunlight. It is generally advisable to keep the plant away from the sunlight immediately after pruning or repotting of the plant, during other time the bonsai plant should be kept in a well lighted place.

In case you do not have sunlight for a long duration of time, then it's better to keep your plant exposed to artificial light. Usually grow lights are used for this purpose.

Another important aspect of caring for bonsai trees is watering. Bonsai plants usually require more watering as compared to other general house plants. Lot of other factors also affects the amount of water needed for your bonsai plant. The species of the plant, the season of the year, the amount of sunlight the plant is exposing to, and the kind of soil used for growing of the plant. Ideally the bonsai plant should be watered during the early morning time or the late afternoon. During the winter season if the plant is exposed to too much of water it might lead to formation of frost in the soil during the night time, and this could cause the roots get affected by frost bite. Hence it is advisable to water the plants well before night sets in to avoid frost bite.

Caring for bonsai trees also includes deciding on the kind of soil used. Usually you could either use a high drainage soil or a water retaining soil.

Proper pruning is another important aspect of caring for bonsai trees. This ensures that the bonsai plant stays in proper shape and the growth is balanced enough to help keep the plant in the confines of the bonsai container. Pinching is another way of trimming your bonsai plant; some species need constant pinching to keep them in proper shape.

Bonsai plans are made to grow in the small pots by cutting excessive growth of branches and roots. In order to ensure that this does not affect the growth of the plant it is vital to keep repotting the bonsai plant once every one to two years. This has to be an important part of your regimen for caring for bonsai trees.

Ensuring that the bonsai plant gets proper feed and fertilizers is also another important aspect of caring for bonsai trees. Since the bonsai plants are restricted to grow in the confines of small containers, they get very little amount of soil to support their nutritional needs, hence it is important to supplement this with some additional nutrients by using fertilizers.

Protecting your plant from pests and diseases is another aspect of taking care of bonsai trees. It is better to use some insecticidal spray once every week to protect the plant from most common pests and insects.

These were a few pointers which would help you out while taking care of your bonsai trees.

For more information on Bonsai and bonsai care tips please visit http://www.thebonsaihub.com


Get your bonsai tree informations from our site.

Learn about indoor bonsai with our articles.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

IMPORTANT POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING YOUR BANNER AD CAMPAIGN

There are several aspects to consider when planning out your banner advertising campaign.

The first consideration should be your ad graphic itself. These are usually animated GIF images but remember you want to attract customers -- not simply attention -- and remember the overall tone of your ad campaign when designing your graphic. Also keep in mind that many sites limit the file size of the graphic to somewhere between 12 and 16 KB.

Your banner can come in variety of sizes. The full banner size is 468 x 60 pixels. Some other standard banner sizes include:

Size(pixels).Type
468 x 60.....Full banner
234 x 60.....Half banner
392 x 72.....Full banner with vertical navigation bar
120 x 240....Vertical banner
125 x 125....Square button
120 x 90.....Button #1
120 x 60.....Button #2
88 x 31......Micro button

Your graphic will be hyper-linked to a target url of your choice so you may want to spend some time planning how you will track traffic and clicks. Some programs provide a tracking and statistics service for you but most individual sites can't offer that information.

When selecting where to display your banner ad the first consideration should really be choosing a site offering information that appeals to your target audience. A high-traffic dating site isn't going to be much good for advertising your maternity clothing line, for example.

Then you should look at traffic. When looking at site stats you want to make sure you focus on page views or page impressions rather than hits (which may count individually each graphic viewed). Depending on your banner and market you may be primarily concerned with unique page impressions.

Banner advertising is often sold by CPM (Cost Per Thousand displays, the Roman numeral "M" stands for one thousand). Many sites also offer a fixed rate price for a set period of time.

Many marketers do not concern themselves as much with click-through rates and instead see banner ads as "branding" tools. They create brand awareness and a brand image in the viewer's mind. The hope is that when the viewer gets ready to make a purchase then your "brand" pops into their mind. Branding can also generate sales over the long-term. Branding is difficult to measure, but can be very powerful.

If you have a big advertising budget then you might want to consider an ad agency or media buyer. They can offer a lot of value for the dollar because they have the experience, knowledge, and contacts to make the most of your budget.

It is quite possible to be your own media buyer, if you are willing and able to handle the increased workload. The biggest difficulty is finding the right sites on which to advertise your product or service. Then after you find a site that might be a good match you need to negotiate the best possible deal. It is important you be as knowledgeable as possible as it is a buyer's market and you don't want to pay too much. Of course you also don't want to alienate a web master whose site is a perfect match for you.

You also have the option to buy banner space on many search engines and directories. Often this option allows you to display your ad only to a targeted audience which can obviously increase your chances for a successful campaign but it can be a pricey option.

Banner ad networks are another targeted option that might be more affordable. Individual web site owners contract with a single company to serve their banner ads and handle ad sales for them. In turn, these networks divide their sites into categories and subcategories to allow advertisers to advertise on particular sites within the network that are the most highly targeted. They also offer very sophisticated tracking tools that give you lots of valuable information about who is visiting your site, and what actions they are taking.

Some networks offer pay-per-click advertising which only charges you when someone clicks on your banner and comes to your site. However, this approach is subject to fraud by unscrupulous site owners.

A pay-per-sale network, otherwise known as an affiliate program, only charges the advertiser when a purchase is actually made. The advertiser pays both the affiliate and the network but only when there is a sale. Of course the competition to attract quality affiliates is high so while this can be effective it shouldn't be the only method of banner advertising you use.

And some final banner advertising tips:

* Keep your message brief, direct and simple.
* Attract more attention using words such as "free" and "now".
* Put "click here" somewhere on the banner.
* Create different versions of the banner.
* Animate your banner but only if it improves it.
* Keep the file size as small as possible.

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Selecting Bedding For A Dorm

When you initially start faculty you have a ton of things to think about. If you're entering into a dorm or school sponsored residence, you may not have to bring a lot of within the way of furniture. You'll have a desk and a bed already provided for you, however you'll have to get things like lamps, electronics, and dorm area bedding. This stuff do not have to cost a lot of money, however make sure you place some thought into them before you buy.

After I bought dorm room bedding for school, I did not think about what I was purchasing. In the end, I wish I had selected something different. The problem wasn't that it wasn't warm, because it was, and it wasn't that it did not fit my bed. The matter was the color. If you think that you are not going to have accidents, you must think again. Most of these accidents can be things that others do, and you'll finish up with a discolored comforter that makes you feel uncomfortable each night when you lay down to go to sleep. When you buy dorm room bedding, make positive you get a dark color.

Additionally remember to get dorm space bedding that's straightforward to clean. You do not want something that has to be dry-cleaned or you're going to find yourself spending a ton of money on cleaning, and you may have a hard time finding someone close by who can do it for you. You do not have to lay our a fortune of cash to induce good dorm space bedding, and you actually will be sensible to travel with something that goes in the laundry machine. Also remember that although you'll need one thing that is terribly bulky, it might not fit in your dorms laundry machines. You don't need something you've got to haul across city to get washed.

One last thing to consider when shopping for dorm space bedding is that you should understand what you are getting before you go. If your faculty doesn't let you know what size your bed will be, make sure you ask. Do not assume you recognize what size bed you are getting, or you will end up with a ton of dorm space bedding that merely doesn't fit your bed. This can be a huge trouble and an enormous waste of cash on your half when money is one thing you really should be worried about.

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Tips On Choosing An Air Mattress

There are many nice uses for an air mattress, however it will be quite easy to search out the incorrect one and waste your money. They're simply like anything else in that there are good ones, and there are ones that are going to fail quite easily. Whereas having a heel break on a shoe is an nuisance, having an air mattress go down in the middle of the hours of darkness when you've got guests can be down right upsetting. When buying something like this, you ought to always see if you'll notice air mattress reviews to make certain you are getting a high quality product.

There are a few things you can seek for when reading air mattress reviews that will help you out. If you have got pets, you ought to recognize that some don't seem to be made to handle them. All they may have to do is walk across the top and there will be a hole in the mattress, and it can go down rather quickly. That means you should seek for air mattress reviews that say the ones they have, have stood up well when there are animals within the home.

You also should take into account what you wish to use your mattress for when you are looking out for air mattress reviews. Are you using it for camping? Will you have got company sleeping on them? Can they be in the closet aside from in the future of the year? These are all things to consider when reading your air mattress reviews. If you merely have a use for one yearly, and you do not have pets, you'll not have to induce the best priced models out there.

Looking around on-line for air mattress reviews is one of the most effective ways to find them. Search for reviews by quite a few totally different people so you'll be able to get a smart idea to which are really the best. Some sites that sell these can offer area for buyers to jot down a review, and people are nice ones to find. If you cannot find them very easily, you'll be able to continuously use a research engine to find them on your own.

Be careful in the ones you choose to scan though, as some are put out there by the companies in hopes that they will persuade you to buy. Those reviews may be pretty correct, but they are continually slanted towards the positive for the sake of sales.

Before you purchase an Aerobed For Kids or any other airbed such as the popular Aerobed Raised be sure to visit us for tips on how to select the best model for you, and how to get the best deal.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Free Publicity For Your Landscaping Business

Regardless of whether you are just venturing out into the business world or already have a successful company, budgeting your expenses will help to improve profits and the overall health of the business. The largest expenses that a landscaping business has are advertising and the cost of equipment. The prices associated with a print advertisement can be significant, which is why a growing number of business owners are turning toward an alternative way of spreading the word about their landscaping business. With a company that provides local services, such as landscaping, it is more important to reach a local audience as opposed to a national one.

The most common way to generate free publicity for a landscaping business is through a press release, which is distributed to local newspapers, magazines and trade publications. Whether the landscaping business has an actual storefront present, is home or web-based, this option may have a positive success rate. In order for a press release to be worthy of publication, it must feature some type of news. A terrific example would be a grand opening, the launch of a new website, a free landscaping project contest or similar newsworthy event. A photograph of the business owner would make a nice accompaniment to any press release and may even grab the editor’s attention. Press releases can be submitted via mail, e-mail or fax and should be directed to the editor’s attention.

Many businesses, including those that provide landscaping services, often choose to have a website. Although the internet does provide for national exposure, many local customers may surf the web for landscaping information. A website should be professionally designed, regularly updated and feature plenty of landscaping example photos to showcase your ability. With a website, the free promotional opportunities are unlimited. From press release submission websites to article marketing and search engines, there are plenty of ways to get the word out about your new web presence.

Just as there are a number of ways to generate paid advertising, there are even more ways to obtain free publicity for your landscaping business. Most local companies will find paid advertising works most effectively in the telephone book’s yellow pages, but may also find limited success with newspaper and/or radio advertising. The main problem with the latter is that newspapers are often discarded quickly and most people do not have a pen handy when listening to the radio in order to write down a contact number. When you reduce the advertising costs and increase profits, your company’s bank account will begin to glimmer just as much as the dew on a beautifully landscaped lawn.

Mansfield Lawn Care

Mansfield Landscaping

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

December 21 2012 - Doomsday - Will it Be the End of Mankind?

Perhaps nothing has grabbed the attention of people more than the various December 21 2012 doomsday predictions that have been floating around for quite some time. Some of these prophecies, being based on some indisputable facts do indeed need to be taken seriously. Although there are several December 21 2012 doomsday predictions propagated by different groups, the most prominent among them seems to be that of the Mayans. The Mayans, who were known to be a highly intelligent race, were the first ones to arrive at this exact date, on which their calendar predicts a major turn of events on the earth.

There are several other groups too which seem to agree with the Mayan December 21 2012 doomsday predictions. For instance, there are many who people that the Yellowstone volcano in the United States erupts once in 650,000 years could be due for eruption on the particular date in 2012. A new explosion could block even sunlight and freeze the earth for thousands of years. A group of geologists have predicted that the explosion date is set for the year 2012.

There are many scientists who believe that the Mayan December 21 2012 doomsday prediction has got to do with polar shifts taking place on earth. These polar shifts which take place once in thousands of years can trigger of a chain reaction of catastrophic events, which could lead to the wiping out of life from earth in a few days time.

There are many who believe that the December 21 2012 doomsday could be caused by solar storms hitting the earth. If they were to hit the earth with any sort of intensity, then the chances of life surviving on earth is extremely slim.

Though many believe that an event such as doomsday could be entirely invoked due to human activities, there are many others who believe that such an even could only be an act of God and that only time has the answer to all the questions.

Learn much more about the significance and severity of the events in 2012 and how you can be prepared to save yourself and your loved ones.

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




Learn about the rumors of a 2012 asteroid hitting the earth.

Have you seen the latest 2012 doomsday movie at home or in cinema?