Blog

US Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing for Katrina refugees

Friday, September 2, 2005

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will make many of their marketable housing properties in the southeastern United States and elsewhere available to hurricane refugees. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said that an “overwhelming” response from government and private officials would make housing available as soon as the middle of next week. HUD housing centers as far away as Philadelphia and Detroit would be making properties available. HUD is considering offering these properties to displaced persons regardless of their income and allowing the refugees to use the properties for up to one year.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=US_Department_of_Housing_and_Urban_Development_to_provide_housing_for_Katrina_refugees&oldid=440688”
Uncategorized

7 Essential Items In A Woman’s Purse When On A Date

By Joseph Pressley

As a woman, you must get ready when going on a date. There are a lot of things that you need to prepare and they do not only include what to wear but also what to bring. When going out to meet someone especially for a dinner date, you must bring your purse that will contain the following seven essential items.

Prior to going out on a date, you must place in your purse the enhancements that you will use to maintain your physical glow. They must include a few make-up items like lip gloss and powder. It is not necessary to bring everything. Just make sure to bring along a small mirror and comb to look at your face once in a while.

The second thing that you must not forget to bring is your cell phone. It is your means of communication where you can get in touch with other people when the need arises. In addition to that, they can also contact you just in case they need something important even when you are in the middle of a date.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LkBe4Rs-q8[/youtube]

Thirdly, you must also remember to bring along your wallet where inside it are your ATM card, a few cash and some of the important identification cards. Even if you are treated out by your date for dinner, you need to have emergency cash just in case you want to take a cab for instance.

Since you are going out at night, a flashlight would be best. It is one of must-haves on a woman’s purse. It is your emergency light when in dark places or when the lights are dimmed. Your flashlights can go with your pen and even your self defense stun gun. Just have one which is small enough to fit on your purse.

Moreover, you need to bring a pen or paper. These things are important especially when going on a date and you need to exchange your numbers, addresses, schedules or when you just want to leave a note or write something. These are just small items that would not put too much weight on your purse.

The sixth item that is typically important to have in your handbag more importantly when going on a date is a device for self-defense. You can have a choice on a lot of things. Some women even prefer to have a c2 tazer because it is small and handy and a reliable form of protection. Others bring along a canister of pepper spray.

Lastly, bring along your feminine products most especially a tampon. You can never tell that when on a date, it will be the start of your monthly menstrual period. When this happens, you do not have to panic because you have what you need inside your bag.

These are the seven essential items that every woman must have inside their purse especially when going out for a dinner date. You have to remember that it is best to prepare for the event so that you will be able to handle any situation with grace and poise like every woman on a date should do.

About the Author: Joseph Pressley is a certified TASER instructor and a Tae Kwon Do black belt and a father of two. He is the co-founder of BestStunGun.com which provides the best selection of

stun gun

and

mace spray

for self defense. To learn more on how these products can save your life, please visit http://www.beststungun.com.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=625931&ca=Womens+Interest

Banned film ‘The Profit’ appears on Web

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Copies of The Profit, a 2001 film blocked from distribution in the United States due to a court injunction won by the Church of Scientology, appeared on the Internet Friday on peer-to-peer file-sharing websites and on the video sharing site YouTube.

Directed by former film executive Peter N. Alexander, the movie has been characterized by critics as a parody of Scientology and of its founder L. Ron Hubbard. Alexander was a Scientologist for twenty years, and left the organization in 1997. The film was funded by Bob Minton, a former critic of Scientology who later signed an agreement with the Church of Scientology and has attempted to stop distribution of the film. Alexander has stated that the movie is based on his research into cults, and when asked by the St. Petersburg Times about parallels to Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard said: “I’ll let you draw that conclusion … I say it’s entirely fictional.”

The film was released in August 2001, and was shown at a movie theatre in Clearwater, Florida and at a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France. A Scientology spokesman gave a statement at the time saying “the movie is fiction and has nothing to do with Scientology”. The Church of Scientology later took legal action in an attempt to stop further distribution of the film. The Church of Scientology claimed that the film was intended to influence the jury pool in the wrongful death case of Scientologist Lisa McPherson, who died under Scientology care in Clearwater, Florida.

In April 2002, a Pinellas County, Florida judge issued a court order enjoining The Profit from worldwide distribution for an indefinite period. According to the original court injunction received by Wikinews, the movie was originally banned because the court found that it could be seen as a parody of Scientology. In his April 20, 2002 ruling on the injunction, Judge Robert E. Beach of the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court in Pinellas County, Florida wrote: “…an average person viewing the film entitled The Profit could perceive that it is a parody of the Church of Scientology”.

“To the extent that any person considered as a potential juror in evaluating any issues involving the Church of Scientology, the process of voir dire provides a fair and complete remedy to eliminate any potential juror that may possibly have been influenced to be less than fair and impartial,” added Beach.

Luke Lirot, the attorney for the film’s production company, announced on the film’s website on April 7, 2007 that “We have absolutely no exposure for any repercussions from the court order,” but that the film was still blocked from distribution due to an ongoing legal battle. Lirot wrote: “all that’s stopping the release of the movie is the legal battle with the partner who was compromised by Scientology (Robert Minton) and is currently using his power as partner to stop the release of the film.”

In an October 2007 article, The Times described the film as “banned in the US because of a lawsuit taken out against it by The Church of Scientology,” and Russ Kick’s The Disinformation Book of Lists included the film in his “List of 16 Movies Banned in the U.S.”. An 8-minute teaser segment from The Profit appeared on the film’s website and on the video sharing site YouTube in February 2008, and an attorney representing Bob Minton sent a letter to Luke Lirot requesting that the film clip be taken down. In a response letter, Lirot wrote that “Rather than damage any asset of the LLC, the short clip merely keeps the film in the public eye, and in a positive way.”

On Friday, copies of the film began to circulate on peer-to-peer file-sharing websites and on YouTube. A link related to the film’s appearance on the Internet on the community-based link aggregator website Digg.com had 3,638 “Diggs” – and hit the front page of the site’s Entertainment section on Saturday.

I had nothing to do with this release at all. But I’m happy it’s out there.

On Saturday, Scientology critic and Emmy award-winning journalist Mark Bunker put a streaming version of the film on his website, www.xenutv.com, and encouraged others to watch and discuss the film on a real-time chat channel. In a video posting to YouTube Saturday, Bunker said “I did not do it. I had nothing to do with it … I had nothing to do with this release at all. But I’m happy it’s out there … people are finally having a chance to see it. A lot of people have been curious over the years and there’s been a lot of interest in seeing the film, so finally you can.”

We have all wanted to see this movie that scientology kept hidden away from us. We have all wondered just how damning could this story be that we were banned from watching it.

On the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology, a poster by the username “Alexia Death” commented on the film’s appearance on the Internet in the context of censorship: “It is out! And so it is a WIN if many people review it even if they say it SUCKS! … Being bad is no cause to allow censorship … And being censored is no cause to assume its good”. A post to the blog Blogsreel commented: “We have all wanted to see this movie that scientology kept hidden away from us. We have all wondered just how damning could this story be that we were banned from watching it.”

In a post on Sunday to the message board attached to the official website for the film, attorney Luke Lirot asked that individuals stop distributing copies of The Profit over the Internet. Lirot wrote: “It has been brought to my attention that several unauthorized transmissions and downloads of this protected work have taken place over the last 72 hours. Such actions are copyright violations and are unlawful. I request that any further distribution and/or dissemination of this important work cease immediately and any copies of the work that have been downloaded please be deleted.” In his statement, Lirot recognized the rights of individuals under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, but also said that unauthorized distribution of the film “will only serve to harm the goal of vast distribution”.

Blog postings have attributed the film’s appearance on the Internet as part of the anti-Scientology movement Project Chanology organized by the Internet-based group Anonymous, but this has not been confirmed. Wikinews previously reported on international protests against Scientology which took place as part of Project Chanology on February 10 and March 15. A third international protest by Anonymous is scheduled for April 12. Titled “Operation Reconnect”, the third international protest will focus on highlighting Scientology’s practice of disconnection.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Banned_film_%27The_Profit%27_appears_on_Web&oldid=4383247”
Uncategorized

Zarqawi shows face in new video

Saturday, April 29, 2006

The first “visual issue” of the Emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was issued April 25, 2006, by the Mujahideen Shura Council. A thirty-four minute video containing an approximately twenty minute oration by Zarqawi, footage of him leading mujahideen in training on the battlefield and in a war room, and seated amongst local leaders of al-Anbar province. His speech touches upon a variety of topics, including the purportedly victorious and successful state of the mujahideen in Iraq, waging jihad in Iraq while steadying eyes on Jerusalem, and Usama bin Laden’s proposed truce with the West. In fact, the video proper opens with an excerpt of a speech by bin Laden urging Muslim youth to jihad. On the refusal of the proposal, he warns U.S. President George W. Bush, his allies of the “Crusaders, Shi’ites and the converters” that they will never enjoy life as long as blood courses through the veins of the mujahideen.

Zarqawi also speaks of the alleged lies of the administration and the true state of the American soldier in Iraq. He states: “Why don’t you tell about the reality of your soldiers and their failure to fight…why don’t you tell your people about the soldiers who commit suicide, why don’t you tell your people that your soldiers can not have any sleep without taking drugs which makes them like animals… and they are driven by your generals, who are like the Crusaders and evangelists, to the slaughterhouse.” He also condemns the Iraqi political process, and those who speak falsely of being one of the mujahideen, trying to convince Muslims that the government is an attempt to apply Shari’a law.

Concerning the Mujahideen Shura Council, which appeared on the Iraqi land following the seeming disappearance of Zarqawi, he admits to “being one of them” and continues to hold title as the Emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq, part of the umbrella for the mujahideen in that state. “They all stretch their hands and stand on the same line,” Zarqawi argues. Other portions of the video show Zarqawi inspecting local areas, using a rocket with a range of 50 kilometers, and a final image of him firing an automatic weapon, and stating: “American will go out of Iraq, humiliated, defeated.”


A Full transcript of the video has been provided below:

In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most Merciful

Mujahedeen Shura Council of Iraq

Then fight in Allah’s cause thou are held responsible only for thyself and rouse the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the fury of the disbelievers; for Allah is the strongest in might and in punishment (Alnisa’a:84)

O’ Banner’s holders stand,Where are the lions of Anbar?Where are the lions of Salah Aldeen?Where are Baghdad’s men?Where are the knights of Ninawah and the champions of Dyalah?Where are the courageous of Kurdustan?Where are you the lions of Monotheism?

Be fully aware of the apostate media sources.

I swear by Allah, that they have nothing with us except the sharp swords, and between them and us will only be the frightened nights.

I swear by Allah that America will be defeated in Iraq.

(Field commander is talking):

As for the developing and manufacturing, the brothers, by the grace of Allah have developed and improved two missiles in Alanbar province in particular.

(When missile was fired):Against the make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts of) the enemies, of Allah and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye may not know, but whom Allah doth know. (Alanfal:60)

A message for Mankind

(Osama)I focus this call to the young men of Islam; gather together in fighting the crusades and the Jews, and remember Allah at all times repeatedly, by Allah, it’s either victory or martyrdom. No one will surpass his fate, and he who ever turns out to be a martyr, his sole will freely be flying around the paradise as it wishes, close to the throne of Allah; what a great difference between being near his family and/or near his lord.O’ young men of Islam every where, especially those near the battles, where the obligation is further; O’ young men in Aljazeera, Egypt, and Sham; O’ siblings of Salah Aldeen, O’ knights of Mohammad Alfateh, continue your support to your brothers in Iraq, whereby the gravest of the wars is continues, and its fire is on the rise, the crusades have invaded them, killed thousands of them, and abducted thousands, whishing to eliminate them. And they are instead, by the grace of Allah, fighting the crusades patiently, giving up all they’ve got for the sake of Allah and in order to defend themselves. May Allah be with them and those who support them.

(Abu Musaab)All praise be to Allah granting might to his religion with his victory, lowering the infidels with his supremacy. Sorting circumstances by his order; Plotting for the disbelievers with his arrangement; He who alternated the days with his divine justice.And peace be upon who Allah raised the minaret of Islam with his sword.

My treasured nation,I am conversing to you not with falsehoods, hoping to find with you open ears and prudent hearts, for the honest man does not deceive his family.

The crusade enemy, when invaded Iraq, meant to control this nation and reinforce the Zionist state, from the Nile to the Euphrates. However, Allah granted your sons the Mujahedeen by standing firm before the strongest crusaders attack to the Islamic land.They stood strong against this attack for over three years, disbursing their soles and their wealth. They stood against this massive military, media, and economical attack not for anything except to defend you, your religion, your sons, and your honor.Allah dispersed the enemies’ gathering and their defeat became clearer to who ever has eyesight and prudent heart.Here are your sons, by the grace of Allah, indulging into one battle after another, and attack after attack; they by the will of Allah hold the upper hand in the battle field now.

If it wasn’t for the continuous and ongoing media muting, you would’ve seen the astonishing. By Allah it’s the championships and the victories coming to us, and you my nation should thank Allah for this great bounty, that Allah prepared a group of your sons the Mujahedeen defending you and protecting your honor, otherwise the Sunnah in Iraq would’ve been in between a revulsion crusade and a betraying Shiite. And the women of the Sunnah would’ve been on the laps of the revulsion crusades and the betraying Shiites; Abu Ghraib and the interior ministry jails remain memorable.

My treasured nation,We are in Iraq a stone throw from the Masjed Alaqsa, we fight in Iraq and our eyes are on Alqsa which will never be freed except with a guiding Quraan and a prevailing sword; “but enough is thy Lord to guide and to help” (Alforqan:31)

The history and experience had showed that you have no one after Allah except your Mujahedeen sons; they are your protection, your strong shield, and your beating heart. They become happy to your happiness and sad to your sadness; they stay up all night for your protection and have jealousy for you. Their hearts burst in sorrow for your state, and their tongues never stop chanting: O’ Allah elevate the state of humiliation and defeat away from my nation, O’ Allah bring back victory to my nation.

As for the American administration, and to its chairman the cross banner’s holder Bush, we say to him and to whoever is swimming in his space from the Jews and the crusades and form the Shiites and others, we say that you will never be safe in the Islamic land, and by Allah you will never feel secured so long we still have a beating nerve and a moving eyelash.Previously, our leader Osama Bin Laden may Allah protect him, had offered you a long truce. It could’ve been better for you and those who are with you if you’d have accepted, but your arrogance pushed you to refuse. Here you are today, running from east to west trying to find solutions “will not stand except as stands one whom the evil one by his touch hath driven to madness” (Albaqarah:275). You turned to be a grave liar, betraying your own people that everything is under control, and then soon everyone finds out about your lies and so on. You became like the one who’s treating himself from alcohol by alcohol. You were never at any time truthful with yourself or your people, although it’s found some truth in your great grandparents you are fully detached from.Why don’t you show the truth about your soldiers and their inferior state of struggle?Why don’t you tell your people about the continuous suicides amongst your soldiers?Why don’t you tell your people that your soldiers can never go to sleep unless they take the hallucinating and drugging pills? So they become like cattle driven by your war generals, the Neozionists, to the killing fate.Why don’t you tell your people about the congregational escape and the defiance among your troops?

Listen you grave liar and insolent one; your dreams will never come true, our blood and bodies are between you and your imaginings. And what is coming your way is much greater than what passed by the will of Allah.

The game of rotten democracy that you brought to Iraq, after you gave hope to people about freedom, happiness, and the economical/personal security; all of these lies went with the winds and will never come back by the will of Allah.

There we see you today, trying with all what you got to bring together the clusters, the parties, the partners from your tails to bring about a handicapped government that it might pull you out from your crucial pitfall.

We believe that any government you place in Iraq, whether be it from the betrayal Shiites or Zionist Kurds, or your tails from the Sunnah; it will only be an apostate government that will aid the crusades, and it came only to be a poisoned dagger stabbed in the heart of the Islamic Nation.

America learned today that its planes, tanks, momentous troops, and its tails from the Shiites army will never be able to finalize the battle with Mujahedeen. Therefore, it’s trying to surround the Jehad by pushing its tails from those who are counted to Sunnah, those who accepted to play the role and be a rope that tightens around the Sunnah’s necks and pull the Americans from their defeat. They used those who use the Islamic slogans as a mask to spread their masters’ propaganda on the importance of organizing the military and the police, and confuse the Muslims with their mixed messages injecting poison in honey, forgetting intentionally or not that every occupier throughout history used a cover up face from the occupied to use them in order to establish a solid base and embezzle the wealth of the country and its people.Allah has said: “And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them” (5:51)That is by constituting for this life and the hereafter.And Allah has said: “for Pharaoh and Haman and (all) their hosts were Men of sin” (28:8)

Therefore, we repeat our warning to whoever is trying to reorganize and spread the military and the police forces, which was established only to be a tool for the occupier in their bigger plan, and to implement laws other than the law of Allah.Be extremely aware, those who join these apostate forces have nothing with us except the sharp swords, and between them and us will be nothing except grave days and nights.Allah has said;” Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of evil: so fight ye against the friends of Satan: feeble indeed is the cunning of Satan” (4:76)

Having said the previous, and having mentioned the defeat of the enemy and his paraphernalia. The enemy is trying today to seduce two kinds of people to the alleged parliamentary game to harvest the fruits of the Mujahedeen whom only trying to make the word of Allah prevails.The first kind of which is the one trying to attach oneself with the Mujahedeen, although they never lived the Mujahedeen life nor they ever supported them at the occupation time. The second of which is those who had at the beginning the honor of fighting the crusades, however what counts is the end; their efforts won’t be accepted by the law of Islam unless they strive with action to make the word of Allah prevails, using what Allah lawfully guided us with, the clean means, not by using evil parliaments striving to have the word of Allah mixed with other man made constitutions and laws. The aim does not justify the means here.Although these two kinds, and whoever follows their footsteps, allege that they are trying with these parliaments to implement the law of Allah. However, the actions and the historical experiences oppose their myth. Anyone that is following the political map in Iraq knows that the majority of the parliaments’ members are from the Shiites and the atheists of Kurds and Sunnah, not to mention those of the mixed motion believes. Therefore, the heavy side in the balance of the parliaments will always be in the hand of evil.Allah has said: “beware of them lest they beguile thee from any of that (teaching) which Allah hath sent down to thee” (5:49)

And Allah has said: “Fast thou not turned thy vision to those who declare that they believe in the revelations that have come to thee and to those before thee? their (real) wish is to resort together for judgment (in their disputes) to the evil one, though they were ordered to reject him but Satan’s wish is to lead them astray far away (from the right” (4:60)

As for you patient truthful Mujahedeen, may Allah accept from you and us the best of deeds, and may Allah bless your Jehad. You were able by the will of Allah and his support to stop this crusades’ attack and you’ve bounded him with injuries. Thus, continue your Jehad and operations, and elevate your hits, it’s only the sign of victory and it’s the last breath of the cross worshipers in the land of two rivers. The low fighting self-esteem of the crusades’ soldiers is an only obvious sign in Iraq. Therefore, renew your intentions, and correct yourselves, and carry on together against your enemy. Your enemy is uncovered, by the will of Allah, weakened, unprotected, and broken in pieces. Do not give him a chance to take its breath, continue your stabbings one after the other, O’ Banner’s holders stand,

Where’s are the lions of Anbar?Where are the lions of Salah Aldeen?Where are Baghdad’s men?Where are the knights of Ninawah and the champions of Dyalah?Where are the courageous of Kurdustan?Where are you the lions of Monotheism?O’ siblings of Khaled and Muthananh, Saad and Meqdad and Salah Aldeen.Where are the immigrants? Where are the supporters?Where are the people of Surat Altawbah and Alanfal?Where are the people of Alfath and Alqital?

O’ leaders of this nation; who is for the crying women, who is for the jailed dignified women, who is for the purified women in the jails of the Shiites.O’ Allah, there is no life except the life of the hereafter, O’ Allah grant victory to immigrants and their supporters.

Be very aware from the embezzlers, with their masters the crusades, trying to surround you. Be aware and extremely aware from putting down your weapons, and then you will harvest nothing but the defeat, beat and crush in this life and the hereafter.You were always supplicating to Allah day and night to ease the way for you to join the Jehad in Afghanistan and Chechnya or other places. After that, Allah chose you for the trade of Jehad at your own land, and opened for you the doors of paradise. Be extremely aware of closing these blessed doors, be aware “And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands the yarn which she has spun, after it has become strong”(16:92)

Do not let the trade of Jehad depart your land; otherwise you will be disgraced and you’ll be only ruled by the scum; “they set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women folk live” (2:49)

“If ye turn back (from the Path), He will substitute in your stead another people; then they would not be like you” (47:38)

Finally, I glad tied the nation by establishing the Mujahedeen Shura Council of Iraq, which will be by the grace and will of Allah as the kernel for the establishment of an Islamic State, in which, the word of Allah prevails. All praise be to Allah, the efforts are being joined, and the hands are being extended and shaken for the obedience of Allah and his messenger and the Jehad in the cause of Allah. And this Council will be, by the will of Allah, an umbrella for every truthful Mujahed. I am honored to be one member of this blessed Council under its blessed leadership. At the same time remaining the Ameer (leader) of the Alqaeda Organization in the land of two rivers (Iraq).

The servant of Jehad and Mujahedeen, glorifying Allah, your brother Abu Musaab Alzarqawi.Friday, 23 Rabii Awal 1427,April 21, 2006.

All praise be to Allah.

(One of the commanders in Anbar speaking)

In the name of Allah the most gracious the most merciful, and peace be upon our prophet Muhammad his family and companions.

I welcome our beloved sheikh in the land of Anbar, the land of Jehad. And we ask Allah to keep it a thorn in the eyes of the disbelievers.

I would like to inform about the great victory in the battles of Ramadi, killing many of the disbelievers and taking over the center and headquarter of the infidels.Taking over the city for several days, preventing the crusades from even coming near it.And this operation was a clear message against the visit by the infidels’ ambassadors ( Rice and Straw).In general, the self esteem of the Mujahedeen is high, in opposite to the infidels whom are always in continuous deterioration.

As for the developing and manufacturing, the brothers, by the grace of Allah have developed and improved two missiles in Alanbar province in particular, that will be used soon, one has the ability to travel 40km with a 50kg warhead, here’s a picture of it…

Then fight in Allah’s cause thou are held responsible only for thyself and rouse the believers. It may be that Allah will restrain the fury of the disbelievers; for Allah is the strongest in might and in punishment (Alnisa’a:84)

And the other is anti armored vehicles, is carried on the shoulder and has been internally modified to penetrate armored vehicles, and here’s a picture of it.

“It is part of the mercy of Allah that dost deal gently with them. Wert thou severe or harsh hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (their faults), and ask for (Allah\’s) forgiveness them in affairs (of moment). Then when thou hast taken a decision, put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in him” (3:159)

If Allah helps you, non can overcome you: if he forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? in God, then, let believers put their trust (3:160)

Sheikh Ayman Alzahahre’s voice:O’ Islamic Nation, the turf of Iraq now is the most dangerous field of Jehad in this century. Therefore, the nation must support the courageous Mujahedeen that are fighting in the very forefront defending the honor of Islam and its dignity.

Sheikh Abu Musaab: by Allah, American will be defeated in Iraq, by the will of Allah, and it’ll leave Iraq humiliated, crushed, and defeated by the will of Allah.

  • BBC News. “al-Zarqawi on tape” — 
  • Mujahideen Shura Council. “Transcript” — Official Press-Release,
Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Zarqawi_shows_face_in_new_video&oldid=3853261”
Uncategorized

Virtual Secretary Jobs: Should You Start Your Own Virtual Assisting Business?

By Melissa Brewer

If you’ve been looking for a virtual secretary job or online data entry job, and haven’t had any luck, you may have considered starting your own virtual assistant business. A virtual assistant works for themselves – and creates their own client base. If you want to work from home and have more control over the amount you earn, the types of projects you accept, and the number of hours you work, then starting a virtual assisting business may be the right work at home option for you.

In order to become a virtual assistant, you will need a computer with a reliable Internet connection, fax machine, dedicated phone line, and the ability to market your services effectively.

Vital Skills for Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants provide services that traditional secretaries do not. These include technical writing, editing, desktop publishing, and web design. Even though you may not possess these skills, if you’ve worked as an administrative assistant or you have experience in business writing, marketing, public relations, event planning, or legal experience, you should be able to use these skills when promoting your business. Many of your virtual assisting clients may need your help with email inquiries and content management – basically, a person to handle their daily small tasks while they focus on their main jobs. A good dose of web-savvy is a great launching point for a virtual assistant business.

Traditional secretarial skills like typing, transcription, monitoring email, setting up meetings, updating calendars, and reviewing documents are also needed by those too busy to do this type of work themselves. Depending on your prior experiences, you may be able to offer a wide variety of services to prospective clients. Keep in mind that you can also learn new skills once your business is up and running – don’t be afraid to ask your potential clients what daily web chores they could do without on a daily basis.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEdNsoben1k[/youtube]

Finding and Retaining Virtual Assisting Clients

Virtual assistants market themselves in many different ways, and you’ll want to find what works for you. Like most small businesses, marketing your services is important if you want to maintain a certain level of income. Using the Internet to conduct searches in online classifieds, joining social networking groups, freelance job sites, and contacting people you know are all ways to find work.

A great place to find prospective clients is LinkedIn.com – an online networking community for business professionals. You can give and receive recommendations and target businesses in your area of expertise by answering questions and participating in groups.

Offline promotions can offer just as much business as your online marketing campaign. This may mean taking out an ad in your local newspaper, networking with people you already know, going to conferences and other functions to meet people in need of your services, or making phone calls to companies you believe could benefit from your services.

Once you have a steady stream of clients, you should continue your marketing efforts by attending social functions, updating your website if you have one, and making phone calls to companies in your area who might need your services. Unlike other jobs you’ve had in the past, clients who use your services will come and go, so you need to be prepared to find new clients at any time.

Average Income and Terms of Payment for VA’s

If you live in an urban area, you will probably earn more than someone who lives in a rural area because the need for virtual assistants is less. The average virtual assistant earns $20.00-$25.00 per hour and works at least 20-30 hours a week. You can choose to be paid weekly, bi-weekly, per project, or you can work with clients on a retainer. A retainer, commonly used in the legal profession, is paid by the client in order to secure your services. A monetary amount is agreed upon by the client and the business owner for a set number of hours during the month. If you work fewer hours, you get to keep the full retainer. If you work over the set amount, then you can invoice the client for any extra hours worked.

Because you are the owner of a small business, you will be responsible for health care, retirement funds, and other expenses that an employer usually pays their employees.

Becoming a virtual assistant may mean working long hours in the beginning until you have enough clients. You may also have to work occasionally in the evening, on weekends, and during holidays.

Virtual Assistance: The Future of Virtual Secretaries

Currently, there are 3,000 to 5,000 virtual assistants working worldwide. The number keeps getting bigger as more companies take advantage of the services offered by those who want to work from home.

If you want to start a virtual assisting business, creating a sound business plan, having enough in savings to pay for living costs until you begin earning a steady income and aggressively marketing your services to various industries are all important to your success. But once you establish yourself, there are many opportunities to be had in this profession.

About the Author: Want to learn more about virtual opportunities? The Little White eBook of Homeshoring Jobs profiles 180+ companies that regular hire home-based workers for inbound and outbound callers, customer care, and tech support. All readers get free updates!

Source: isnare.com

Permanent Link: isnare.com/?aid=208143&ca=Jobs

Microsoft bids $44 billion for Yahoo!

Friday, February 1, 2008

United States software giant Microsoft has launched an unsolicited bid to buy Internet search giant Yahoo! for US$44 billion or approximately US$31 per share.

The deal, which is half in cash and half in stock, if accepted by Yahoo!’s shareholders, could create a major competitor to Google, the search giant which currently dominates the Internet search market.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft_bids_$44_billion_for_Yahoo!&oldid=4374709”
Uncategorized

Bank of England governor warns housing market is biggest threat to UK economy

Sunday, May 18, 2014

The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has warned that the state of the housing market in the United Kingdom is the current biggest domestic threat to the country’s economy, due to lack of house building, and regulatory issues.

In an interview to be aired on Sky News today, he said the housing market is the “biggest risk” to the economy and has “deep, deep structural problems”. Of house building he said: “There are not sufficient houses built in the UK. To go back to Canada, there are half as many people in Canada as in the UK, twice as many houses are built every year in Canada as in the UK and we can’t influence that.”

“We’re not going to build a single house at the Bank of England. We can’t influence that. What we can influence […] is whether the banks are strong enough. Do they have enough capital against risk in the housing market?”

Carney also said the Bank of England would look into the procedures used to issue loans and mortgages to see if they were being granted appropriately: “We’d be concerned if there was a rapid increase in high loan-to-value mortgages across the banks. We’ve seen that creeping up and it’s something we’re watching closely.”

Kris Hopkins responded to Carney on behalf of the government, saying the government “inherited a broken housing market, but our efforts to fix it are working”. “We’ve scrapped the failed top-down planning system, built over 170,000 affordable homes and released more surplus brownfield sites for new housing. We’ve also helped homebuyers get on the housing ladder, because if people can buy homes builders will build them. Housebuilding is now at its highest level since 2007 and climbing. Last year councils gave permission for almost 200,000 new homes under the locally-led planning system and more than 1,000 communities have swiftly taken up neighbourhood planning. It’s clear evidence the government’s long-term economic plan is working.”

Earlier this month, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development called on the UK government to “tighten” access to the ‘Help to Buy’ scheme introduced by George Osborne and the coalition government in 2013. ‘Help to Buy’ has also recently been criticised by three former Chancellors of the Exchequer — the Conservatives Norman Lamont and Nigel Lawson, and former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling. Darling said: “Unless supply can be increased substantially, we will exacerbate that situation with schemes like Help to Buy.”

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Bank_of_England_governor_warns_housing_market_is_biggest_threat_to_UK_economy&oldid=4228589”
Uncategorized

Apple unveils new MacBook Air laptops, iLife ’11 software suite

Saturday, October 23, 2010

In a Wednesday media event, Apple Inc. released a new lineup of MacBook Air laptops and the 2011 version of the company’s iLife software suite. The “Back to the Mac” event also included a preview of Apple’s forthcoming Mac OS X Lion operating system, to be released in mid-2011.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the new products at the Cupertino, California event, saying the company has “been inspired by the work [it has] done on the iPad, and [it wants] to bring it back to the Mac.” Apple has plans to import more features of its iOS mobile operating system to the Mac OS X operating system.

Jobs announced today that the “Lion” release to OS X, which is scheduled for release next summer, will include more support for multitouch and a desktop version of the company’s App Store. He said that the App Store will be available for Apple’s current OS “Snow Leopard” within 90 days, and that applications can be submitted starting next month. Jobs also announced that a beta version of FaceTime, Apple’s IOS video calling application, would be available for OS X users immediately. Several new applications will be added in OS X Lion, dubbed “Mission Control” and “Launchpad.”

“Lion brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones like Mission Control that Mac users will really like. Lion has a ton of new features, and we hope the few we had time to preview today will give users a good idea of where we are headed.”

In his keynote address Wednesday, Jobs announced the release of Apple’s iLife ’11 software suite, which includes the iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand programs. iPhoto has new slide show templates, while iMovie has added audio editing capabilities. GarageBand now includes several new piano- and guitar-playing lessons. iLife ’11 was released on Wednesday as a US$49 upgrade, and is also available free with new Mac purchases.

In another move to bring iOS functionality to Macintosh computers, Jobs announced an updated MacBook Air series of laptops, on sale now. The new MacBook Air uses flash memory rather than a traditional hard drive, and has no CD/DVD drive, an approach seen on the iPad tablet computer. In addition, the laptop’s battery life has been extended, even though it is only 0.68 in (1.73 cm) thick and weighs less than 3 lbs (1.36 kg). “We think it’s the future of notebooks,” said Jobs. There are now two models of the MacBook Air: an 11.6-inch (29.46-cm) version and a 13.3-inch (33.78-cm) model. Analyst Shawn Wu says the company “priced it really aggressively,” referring to the computer’s base price of US$999.

Jobs said that his company sold 13.7 million Macs last year, totaling US$22 billion. In the last financial quarter, Mac sales increased 22 percent, comprising 24 percent of total revenue for Apple. However, the original MacBook Air did not fare so well. Sales and hype over the first Air decreased soon after its introduction, and the line was overshadowed by the release of Apple’s 13-inch (33.02-cm) MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air had not been significantly updated since 2008.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Apple_unveils_new_MacBook_Air_laptops,_iLife_%2711_software_suite&oldid=4246614”
Uncategorized

How To Find The Best Hot Tubs In Pearland

byadmin

Finding ways to increase the appeal and functionality of a home is a lot harder than most people realize. A homeowner will need to do a great deal of research before choosing additions for their residence. If a person is looking for a way to add a higher degree of relaxation to their residence, investing in Hot Tubs in Pearland is a great idea.

There are a number of hot tubs on the market. That is why a homeowner will have to do their homework before choosing one. Here are just some of the things a homeowner needs to focus on when trying to get the best hot tub.

Where Will the New Hot Tub Be Installed?

Before heading out to look at hot tubs, a homeowner needs to get an idea of where they want to put it. If the home has a deck, a person may want to think about putting their hot tub on it. Once a homeowner has made a decision on where to put the hot tub, they will need to take some measurements.

With these measurements, a homeowner will have no problem narrowing down the selection of hot tubs on the market. Going into this buying process without this type of information will generally lead to mistakes being made.

Choosing the Right Supplier

The key to getting the right hot tub is finding a reputable and experienced supplier. Before a person uses a particular hot tub supplier, they will need to do some research. Finding out how long a supplier has been in business and what type of track record they have is essential.

Once a homeowner has the important information, they should have no problem making this important decision. Getting some guidance from professionals can help a homeowner avoid making costly mistakes.

The money paid for quality hot tubs in Pearland will be worth it considering how much enjoyment a hot tub can provide. The team at Cryer Pools have quality hot tubs at very affordable prices. Call them or click here to get a look at the hot tubs they have in stock and to see how much they charge.

Al-Jazeera poll shows many Pakistanis identify America as ‘biggest’ threat

Monday, August 10, 2009

A poll commissioned by the news network Al Jazeera in Pakistan has concluded that a majority of Pakistanis believe that Pakistan’s largest military aid donor, the United States, is the “biggest” threat to the country today.

The polling was conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International. Of the more than 2,600 Pakistanis polled 11% believed Taliban fighters to be the biggest threat, another 18% believed neighboring India to be the biggest threat to Pakistan. However, 59% (1,534) of the 2,600 Pakistanis polled believed that the United States is the biggest threat to Pakistan today.

A probable cause of resentment of the United States in Pakistan are the drone attacks, which are opposed by 66% of those polled, according to Al Jazeera. Drone attacks killed four civilians in Southern Afghanistan near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on Wednesday, August, 5. In October, 2006, a drone attack hit a school in South Waziristan killing 80 people causing unrest in Pakistan.

Other results of the poll showed that 67% of Pakistanis polled, oppose U.S military intervention on Pakistan soil. Another 41% support negotiations with the Taliban.

The poll also revealed that some are dissatisfied with the current government of Pakistan, showing only 11% support for the current president, Asif Ali Zardari.

A sample size of 2662 people (52% men and 48% women) across all four Pakistani provinces was utilized for face-to-face questioning. The poll was conducted on July 26 and 27, 2009 and is considered accurate to the 95% confidence level with a margin of error of +/- 2-3%.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Al-Jazeera_poll_shows_many_Pakistanis_identify_America_as_%27biggest%27_threat&oldid=4576566”
Uncategorized