With this article, I am launching a new series of informational posts about blogging for real estate professionals, which you will find here on Real Estate and How.I'm seeing several other businesses promoting their blogging services, or their advice, for sale regarding real estate blogging. I wanted to provide you with the same information for free.I've been blogging professionally since 2004, and have published websites going back to 1997. I've been engaged in affiliate marketing since 1999, and have been doing this as my full time career since 2003. So, I think I know something about it.Why Blog?The biggest reason is to build trust with your website visitors. An article written by you, in a first-person perspective, is a great way to break the ice and make your prospective clients feel comfortable.Search engine referrals are also a big reason. Google, Yahoo, and MSN, the top three search engines, seem to spider blog content immediately, often within minutes of it being published. There are also theories that Google gives higher page rank value to blog posts. I'm not sure if this is totally true, or if it has more to do with blog posts being indexed immediately. Either way, there's nothing like a blog to elevate search engine positioning of a website.Syndication of content is another big reason. How would you like to have other websites republishing your content, complete with links back to your website? Better yet, how would you like it to be automated as soon as you post an article? That's what an RSS feed does, and all blogs support RSS feeds.And speaking of automation, that's also what a blog does for you. Once a blog is set up on your website, you don't have to do much else other than write your article and click the "Publish" button. That's it. Perfect for Realtors, right?Will A Blog Cost You More Money?Technically, no. You can launch a blog for free. John Mudd, probably the most successful real estate blogger to date, runs a blog which he pays zero for. (Update, John Mudd has since passed away)However, there are other options that do cost money. Moreover, you may want to contact the person that built or maintains your website to find out about integrating a blog, or linking your website to your blog, or syndicating content from your blog into your website. We'll get to that in the future.Real Estate Blogging 101Real Estate Blogging 101 is my series of articles designed to help you understand what blogging means to your Internet marketing strategy, and how to actually get it done.Visit the Real Estate Blogging archive page to find an index of all articles in this series.Check back to this website regularly for more.
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Why Start a Real Estate Blog?
In my Introduction to Real Estate Blogging, I included a section entitled, "Why Blog". I want to expand on that, to give you a further understanding on why you start a real estate blog.Why Start a Real Estate Blog?The main reason is to increase your exposure. The better blogger you become, the more people will take notice of you.But instead of getting more people to notice you, how about getting more people to notice your real estate website? How about getting more people to notice your properties? It can be done.One thing that blogs tend to do better than standard websites is that they attract links, mainly other blogs. Getting links from other sites and blogs is the primary means of improving your position on Google, Yahoo, and all the other search engines.As your blog attracts incoming links and Google page rank, you'll want to distribute that value to your existing website, where you promote yourself and your properties.Why do blogs attract links?It's largely because the general public views blogs as personal, like an informal expression of one's thoughts, a diary if you will. Other bloggers and website users like to comment about someone else's thoughts by linking to that person's blog post, and then rambling on.Consider that there are millions of other blogs out there, many of them personal in nature. These bloggers love to write, and are always looking for something to inspire them. They often use blog search engines like Technorati to help them find interesting blog posts. When they find an interesting blog post, they write their own blog post in response to it, and provide a reference link.Think about your existing real estate website. Are there any pages on this website that other bloggers might something inspiring to write about? Probably not. I imagine your website is strictly business. But what if you added a blog that incorporated something more personal, or with some eye-opening insider information? Now you're giving other bloggers food for response, and reasons to write about you.Blogs as a selling pointA blog is also a great way to give your potential clients an inside look at who you really are. That is, people can read something about you beyond the typical website brochure you already have. By writing a blog, you're providing your clients with an informal resume of yourself.To make this effective, you'll have to put the blog on the homepage of your website. I'd recommend you do this for all the reasons we explained above. In fact, this is what I recommend in order to get the maximum benefit of blogging, put it right on the homepage of your main real estate website. I'll go into this further later on.Listing your properties through bloggingYou could actually publish the details of a property through a blog. You'd have to update this blog post whenever the details change, such as a reprice, or if it gets taken off the market. But, by doing this your properties will get indexed into Google, as well as all the blog search engines too.In fact, you could launch a dedicated blog just for your properties, and another one for your writings. You can have them linked together, or better yet, have them both hosted on your real estate website. A great way to draw more traffic to your site.
Menifee Real Estate Blog
One of the problems that real estate professionals face with launching a blog is that they can't attract loyal readers, that is, they only attract visitors in the market for buying or selling a property.The reason why that's an issue is because a real estate professional can't develop a relationship with their audience. Their audience doesn't know them; the audience has only seen their website for the first time, and doesn't visit again.Pat Kitano, who writes the real estate blog, "Transparent RE", describes the same problem in an article here...http://transparentre.com/....hyperlocal-content.aspxSo, I've tried to solve that problem by introducing a "1-2" punch, with the launch of my new real estate blog "Menifee Homes"...http://homes.menifee247.comWhat makes it different than most, is that it's a sister blog to my Menifee news blog, "Menifee 24/7".Menifee 24/7 publishes news and announcements of what's going on my in local community of Menifee, CA. It has attracted a steadily growing audience of local residents. These residents are also very much interested in the real estate market because many of them are home owners in a market that saw a crazy rise in appreciation, and is now seeing a crazy rise foreclosures.By introducing a sister real estate blog, "Menifee Homes", I can use the same audience to build a real estate audience.I recruited a few local real estate agents and brokers to write the content for me. I've given their names, photos, and contact info prominent placement on the blog, and allowed them sign each article they post with their name, contact, and website link.The bottom line is that these real estate agents and brokers are writing to a loyal audience that revisits the blog reguarly to read new content, and are able to establish their own "brand" within the community. I'm able to get a benefit from this because it not only attracts new readers to my Menifee 24/7 blog, but I can also monetize it with AdSense.
Hosting a Real Estate Blog
What's the best way to host a real estate blog?In short...
Register your own domain name (www.mydomainname.com)
Find webspace on a host other than the host your agent site is hosted on
Use a well known blogging platform (Blogger, WordPress, TypePad)One of the biggest reasons for creating a real estate blog, is to help build PageRank to your agent website. Think of it as a tool to create some backlinks to your agent site, in addition to driving some referrals.When Google evaluates all the websites that link to your agent site, it doesn't count every inbound link. Inbound links from sites that are spammish, or where links appeared to have been sold, or sites that have no editorial oversight, are ignored and don't transfer any PageRank to your site.But Google seems to like blogs, particularly those with lots of content, and content that isn't duplicated on other sites. So by creating your own blog, on its own domain name, and on a server other than the one your agent site is hosted on, it's an easy way to get one or more backlinks counted towards your PageRank.The reason why you want to host the blog on its own domain name is because these blogs carry more PageRank value, as opposed to blogs hosted on Blogger's, WordPress', or TypePad's subdomain.The reason why you want to host the blog on a server other than the server your agent site is hosted on, is because this mimics a real life scenario where someone else is linking to you. There's concensus that when two websites are hosted on the same IP address, Google can tell that these two sites are owned by the same owner.Lastly, the reason why you want to use a well-known blogging platform is because Google seems to know these platforms better. I'm convinced that Google prefers blogs from Blogger, because of the fact that Google owns Blogger. But, I know there are many people who will argue that Google plays no favorites.If you don't know how to set up a blog in this fashion, any website design company can do it for you. The company that set up your agent site can do it for you.And you don't need to stop at just one blog. You can set up a blog for real estate matters in your hometown. Another blog for real estate in general. Another blog for just what's going on in your community. Another blog for your personal stuff. Another blog for your hobbies....On each blog, link to your agent site. You don't need to link from your agent site to your blog(s) however. Through an RSS feed, and by pinging Google's BlogSearch, Google will automatically find your blog.When you link to your agent site from a blog, do it from within an article. You can also do it from a "Blogroll" on a side bar, but linking from within an article is seen by Google as having greater value.
Blogger or WordPress - Which?
A big debate on blogging is often on which platform to use, Blogger or WordPress.I've built up a successful business using Blogger blogs, one of which is the blog you're reading now. They're really easy to set up, free to use, and they seem to get indexed faster into Google.Let me clarify that again, they get indexed faster, I didn't say they get a PageRank boost.Google owns Blogger. There has been much discussion in SEO circles on whether or not Google gives Blogger blogs any extra weight in PageRank. I don't believe so. But does Google give Blogger blogs any other kind of advantage?I think they do, in the form of speedier indexing.Blogger is tied into Google Blog SearchGoogle has its own dedicated blog search engine, "Google Blog Search", and Blogger has a pipeline into it.Blogger provides its publishers with a control setting called, "Let search engines find your blog"... This setting allows you to get your blog indexed by Google Blog Search. By default, it's set to "Yes".This tells me that a Blogger blog and its articles will automatically get into Google Blog Search, instanteously, within seconds. And once in Google Blog Search, it's sure to get into Google Web Search.But the truth is that WordPress blogs can get into Google Blog Search too. It's just that it's not joined at the hip to it. Instead, WordPress blogs have to ping Google Blog Search to get in there.So the question is, how fast is Google's ping service? I don't have the answers to that. But I have done my own tests to get some circustantial evidence.One such peculiarity I often find is that certain extremely popular blogs, such as Gizmodo for example, will have their articles syndicated on other blogs, in full. Many times, Google Blog Search will index the articles on those other blogs, before it indexes the same articles on Gizmodo. Assuming that Gizmodo is pinging Google Blog Search, how is it that its content doesn't show up there before the syndicated content?Bottom LineWhat all this means is that when people run searches on Google Blog Search, they're more likely to find Blogger content before they find WordPress content.And while this does provide Blogger blogs with a small advantage, it's not a significant advantage by any means. The fact is that many WordPress blogs have become very popular blogs. But so have Blogger blogs.I'd wish that more SEO consultants would start a discussion on the connection between Google Web Search and Google Blog Search, to see how the two influence each other.
Writing Good Blog Titles
How do you know what title to use when writing a new blog article?As a rule, you combine two elements:
What keyword/phrase variation do people search for, and
What phrase will lure people into clickingIt's not enough to just pack your keywords into the blog title, and hope that it shows up at #1 on Google's listings. You have to write the title in such a way as to make people want to click on it. To do that, figure out what will make the title SO compelling, that it convinces people to think that your page is the best page.Writing Compelling TitlesA compelling title is a combination of two things;
Providing the right phrase that Google searchers will connect with, and
Not saying too much, so as to create a hint of mystery.In other words, you want your blog article title to sound like it will answer the questions that searchers have in mind, yet be vague enough to make them want to click. Maintaining some ambiguity in the title makes searchers ask themselves, "Hmmm, I think this has what I want, let me check to see if it does".A title that "connects" with Google searchers is one that acknowledges their question. For example, if you searched Google for, "how to write a good blog title", and among the results you saw one that read, "Writing Good Blog Titles", those words immediately acknowledges your question.The "compelling" component is simply keeping the title short enough, so as not to give away too much. That mystery makes people want to investigate.Finding the right keywords and phrasesThis is mostly a matter of using Google's keyword tool, punching in a word or two, and seeing what shows up.When I wrote this article, I entered "blog titles". The results showed me phrases containing those two words, as well related phrases. I simply sorted them by most popular, and then examined the top 10-15 to find patterns.Ideally, you could do everything I outlined above, on every new blog article you write, and maximize your Google referrals.
What keyword/phrase variation do people search for, and
What phrase will lure people into clickingIt's not enough to just pack your keywords into the blog title, and hope that it shows up at #1 on Google's listings. You have to write the title in such a way as to make people want to click on it. To do that, figure out what will make the title SO compelling, that it convinces people to think that your page is the best page.Writing Compelling TitlesA compelling title is a combination of two things;
Providing the right phrase that Google searchers will connect with, and
Not saying too much, so as to create a hint of mystery.In other words, you want your blog article title to sound like it will answer the questions that searchers have in mind, yet be vague enough to make them want to click. Maintaining some ambiguity in the title makes searchers ask themselves, "Hmmm, I think this has what I want, let me check to see if it does".A title that "connects" with Google searchers is one that acknowledges their question. For example, if you searched Google for, "how to write a good blog title", and among the results you saw one that read, "Writing Good Blog Titles", those words immediately acknowledges your question.The "compelling" component is simply keeping the title short enough, so as not to give away too much. That mystery makes people want to investigate.Finding the right keywords and phrasesThis is mostly a matter of using Google's keyword tool, punching in a word or two, and seeing what shows up.When I wrote this article, I entered "blog titles". The results showed me phrases containing those two words, as well related phrases. I simply sorted them by most popular, and then examined the top 10-15 to find patterns.Ideally, you could do everything I outlined above, on every new blog article you write, and maximize your Google referrals.
Real Estate Blogging Ideas
When asking yourself the question, "What should a real estate agent blog about?", here are some ideas...1. Newspaper reactions - Go through the local newspaper (use their online edition), and react to its articles. Write a new blog article telling your readers about a news item you read in the paper, and you can even post a quote from the item, and then provide your response or interpretation.Look for articles that are real estate related, or, find a way a put a real estate spin on an otherwise unrelated article. Do a search for "real estate" on Google News, and look for blogging ideas.2. MLS Updates - Each month gather data from whatever MLS you're linked up with, and publish statistics from the previous month. Show the number of new listings, properties sold, average price, average square foot, price per square foot.3. Strange stuff - Everyone loves to read stories about the strange, odd, and funny. Assuming you're someone who spends some time reading real estate news, and visiting real estate forums, I'm sure you come across funny or weird real estate news. Stuff like this gets people to e-mail your URL to their friends.4. Tips - Tips for sellers and buyers are always good, but the problem with most tips is that they're too short, or not specific enough. Identify one tip, for example the smell of a house when you first walk in, and go in-depth on it, devoting 3-5 paragraphs. 5. Your Properties - It's certainly good to blog each new property you've listed. When blogging a property, use a different title for each one. For example, use the neighborhood as the title, "Wilshire Square Home For Sale". This will create more keyword variation for search engine indexing.6. What's new with you - Write about what you've been doing lately, but try to put a real estate spin on it. You want to keep mentioning "real estate" or "homes" in each blog post to help reinforce your authority as a real estate blog with Google.7. React to other real estate blogs - Maintain a list of real estate blogs and visit them regularly. When you read something that interests you, react to it by writing an article on your blog. Then, include a link to that other blog article. When finished, write to that other blogger, let him/her know that you mentioned them. 50% of the time, they will voluntarily link back, even if you didn't ask for a link.
365 Real Estate Blog Ideas
Ever get writers block when trying to come up with hot topics for your real estate blog? Well, youre not alone, so here is the complete list (so far) of blogging topics for real estate. Just in case you are ever blogged out, you can reach into this bag of goodies and pull out an idea or two that might satisfy the hungry buyer/seller/investor and spark your creativity again. Fear not, this isnt just a list of ideas, I have included a detailed explanation of how to get the most bang for your blogging buck out of these ideas and examples of Realtors and Mortgage Brokers using these ideas.
Were always up for adding to this ever growing list, so if you are a blogging genius, blogging creative and fresh ideas, let us know and wed be happy to include you and your blog in this series.
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 1
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 2
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 3
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 4
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 5
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 6
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 7
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 8
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 9
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 10
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 11
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 12
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 13
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 14
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 15
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 16
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 17
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 18
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 19
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 20
Were always up for adding to this ever growing list, so if you are a blogging genius, blogging creative and fresh ideas, let us know and wed be happy to include you and your blog in this series.
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 1
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 2
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 3
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 4
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 5
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 6
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 7
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 8
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 9
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 10
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 11
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 12
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 13
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 14
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 15
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 16
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 17
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 18
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 19
Real Estate Blogging Ideas Week 20
Learn How To Blog for Real Estate
Ready to start the journey and learn how to blog? Well, RSS Pieces has a sure fire system that will guarantee that your real estate blog is a success. Learn how to select a search engine and reader friendly title, format your text for easy scannng and write to engage readers and incite them to participate on your blog. Just read the following articles posted here and you will be a real estate blogging expert. Once you have the blogging down, be sure to check out our Blog Marketing Series.
Ultimate guide to real estate blogs
Formula for a successful real estate blog post
The lazy man’s guide to real estate blogging
How to avoid the bipolar blog
How to drive local traffic to your blog
Build credibility with tutorial marketing
Traffic driving blog titles
How to write a blog that generates leads
Using links to retain visitors and generate leads
Humanizing your blog for intimacy
Pimp my blog: become a guilty pleasure
Killing me softly with your blog
Predatory blogging
Real estate blog writing 101
Shhh, is your blog full of it?
Is your blog sleeping with the fishes?
Feed your blog to the dogs: attracting niche markets of local readers
Link bait: crazy laws in America
Do you have a stick up your blog?
Ultimate guide to real estate blogs
Formula for a successful real estate blog post
The lazy man’s guide to real estate blogging
How to avoid the bipolar blog
How to drive local traffic to your blog
Build credibility with tutorial marketing
Traffic driving blog titles
How to write a blog that generates leads
Using links to retain visitors and generate leads
Humanizing your blog for intimacy
Pimp my blog: become a guilty pleasure
Killing me softly with your blog
Predatory blogging
Real estate blog writing 101
Shhh, is your blog full of it?
Is your blog sleeping with the fishes?
Feed your blog to the dogs: attracting niche markets of local readers
Link bait: crazy laws in America
Do you have a stick up your blog?
Learn How to Market Your Blog
Got a blog that isn’t performing as well as you would like? Well, RSS Pieces has a sure fire blog marketing system that will guarantee that your real estate blog is a success. Learn how to market your blog to search engines, readers and social networks to spike traffic, leads and participation on your real estate blog. Just read the following articles posted here and you will be a real estate blogging expert. Once you have the blog marketing down, be sure to check out our SEO Series.
Ultimate guide to blog marketing
Ultimate guide to branding a real estate blog
Increase blog subscribers with 7 easy steps
Boost traffic by 40% in 1 hour/day
7 day plan to real estate blog success
Are you contagious: viral marketing 101
Plan a blog war for increased traffic
What Madonna can teach you about blogging
Guerrilla blogging: marketing strategy
Rules of commenting for traffic
Do you know the 6 signs of blog death?
Marketing to Google with directories
Using social bookmarks to promote your blog
Online event marketing for real estate blogs
Using celebrity to market your blog: What Anna Nicole Smith can teach you about blogging
Ultimate guide to blog marketing
Ultimate guide to branding a real estate blog
Increase blog subscribers with 7 easy steps
Boost traffic by 40% in 1 hour/day
7 day plan to real estate blog success
Are you contagious: viral marketing 101
Plan a blog war for increased traffic
What Madonna can teach you about blogging
Guerrilla blogging: marketing strategy
Rules of commenting for traffic
Do you know the 6 signs of blog death?
Marketing to Google with directories
Using social bookmarks to promote your blog
Online event marketing for real estate blogs
Using celebrity to market your blog: What Anna Nicole Smith can teach you about blogging
Formula for a successful real estate blog post
Formula for a successful real estate blog post
Wouldn't it be nice if you had a sure fire formula for writing killer real estate blog posts that drive huge targeted traffic and search engine interest?
Wouldn't it be nice if you had a sure fire formula for writing killer real estate blog posts that drive huge targeted traffic and search engine interest? I know I would. So, over the past few months, I have been experimenting with my copy writing style and linking formulas to see what gets the best results. I looked at what it takes to interest both people and search engines and came up with a very simple formula that will guarantee readership and search engine placement for your real estate blog. Sounds pretty far-fetched, right? Not really. Now, I'm no copy writing or SEO virtuoso. I simply combined the trusted copy writing formulas newspaper and magazine writers have been using for decades with the key components outlined in Google's own Page Rank algorithm to come up with a combination that has worked for RSS Pieces. Want to learn how you can use this success formula to build traction for your real estate blog, read on.
Anatomy of a killer real estate blog post that drives huge traffic:
Write a keyword rich title that expresses benefits
Open your real estate blog post with a keyword rich and benefit expressing sentence.
Use your keyword or phrase at least 4 times in your post.
Link to at least 3 other websites that will offer readers more information on the given topic.
Link to at least 3 other posts on your own blog that will give more insight on the topic.
Engage readers with a controversial or "how to" article penned in a conversational tone
Format the post with heading tags, bolded text, numbered lists and/or bullet points
Close with a call to action asking readers to subscribe to your blog, contact you, fill out your lead generation tool or search for a home
Select 100% content relevant keywords for your meta data tag
For more copy writing tips, visit http://www.copyblogger.com/copywriting-101/>CopyBlogger
1. Write a keyword rich title that expresses benefits
What a search engine wants: According to the GoogScore algorithm worked out by Randfish, keywords in the title of your post are essential. That means that if your post is about buying condos in Cape Coral, you need to use the terms "Buying," "Condos" and "Cape Coral" in your title.
What people want: People like to be able to easily scan a title and figure out what the article is about. So, instead of coming up with a clever metaphor and play on words, go for the obvious title. Try to include a specific benefit in the title as well. Readers like to know what's in it for them when they read an article. They want to know that the article will in some way make their life easier, faster, better, richer... So, let them know exactly what the benefit of reading the article is. The more specific the title is the more readership it will get.
* Please note - when I say they are essential does that mean startng every single post with Cape Coral Real Estate: Post title here? NO. That looks spammy to me. It means use varyng keywords where appropriate.
Example: How to buy condos in Cape Coral for $50,000 under market value
Example: Has Southwest Florida's real estate market hit rock bottom?
See how those 2 post titles have different keywords and read completely NATURALLY?
Read also: How to write catchy titles that drive traffic
Google's Page Rank Formula
Read also:Google's algorithm cracked
SEOmoz' GoogScore algorithm explanation
Formula: Include at least 2 keywords in your title and 1 benefit
2. Open your real estate blog post with a benefit and keyword rich first sentence
What a search engine wants: Search engines place greater value on the words closest to the top of the page, so you will need to include your primary keywords in the very first sentence.
What people want: The purpose of the first sentence in your article is to make the reader need to read the second sentence. So, coming up with a killer first sentence is key. You need to engage readers with your first sentence by either asking a leading question that expresses the benefits of reading the article or summarizing the key points of your post.
For example:
Wouldn't you just love to buy a luxury condo in Southwest Florida and save more than $50,000?
Learn a Realtors secrets for buying luxury condos in Cape Coral under market value
Read also: Killing me softly with your blog
Formula: Include at least 2 keywords in your title and 1 benefit
3. Engage readers and search engines with emotionally engaging, keyword rich content that contains at least 3 internal and 3 external links
What a search engine wants: All search engines really care about in your posts are keywords and links. So, pepper each post with the keywords you want it to be searchable by and link out to other resource sites that would provide further information on the topic you are writing about. You also want to link to other posts on your own site that might add further value to the topic and keep visitors on your site longer.
Read also: Using links to retain visitors and build traffic
What people want: People want to be emotionally engaged by your post. That means that your post has to either answer an urgent need a readers life or generate strong feelings on a particular issue. So, creating controversy or penning a great tutorial post are the best ways to engage a reader.
Read also: How to create controversy on your real estate blog
Formula: 3 links to reference websites and 3 links to other articles on your own site
4. Format your real estate blog post so that it is easy to scan and uses heading tags and textual formatting to denote which content is most important
What a search engine wants: Search engines use formatting tags like Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, bolded and italicized fonts to determine which words and phrases they should place greater value on when indexing your blog. So, use heading and formatting tags liberally when writing your posts.
What people want: People like to be able to scan over large bodies of text quickly to find what they are looking for. Make the copy easy to read by breaking it up with numbered lists or bullet points. Use a bolder font for topic headings and always include lots of white space. The easier your posts are to read, the more reads they will get. Visitors feel overwhelmed when they are faced with text that seems to go on and on forever, so use formatting techniques to break up the text into easily digestible chunks.
Read also: How to write a killer tutorial post
5. Close your real estate blog post with a call to action and direct readers to your lead generation tool
What people want: People like to be told what to do on the web. It creates comfort and a sense of purpose. So, at the end of each post, guide readers to your lead generation tool, RSS subscription page or back to your website where they can contact you or search for a home. Simply create a 3-5 sentence call to action for each of your target readers. Generally, those will be buyers, sellers and investors. The place a link to your applicable lead generation tool. You'll be amazed how this will improve lead generation on your site.
For example:
Buyers: Ready to start your dream home search? Contact me and I can guide you on finding the perfect home in Cape Coral to suit your lifestyle and needs.
Sellers: Ready to sell your home? Get started by finding our what your home is worth by clicking here.
Investors: Like what you've read here? Well, subscribe and get all the latest news from this blog delivered direct to you RSS reader or email.
Read also: How to write a real estate blog post that generates leads
Read also: How to increase blog subscribers in 7 easy steps
6. Select 100% search engine relevant keywords for your meta data
What search engines want: Search engines don't care about what you want to be searched by, they care about how relevant your content is to the keywords in your meta tag. So, don't guess at what search engines are going to like, use a keyword generator that looks at the content and selects keywords to 100% relevancy. To ensure that the terms you want to be searched for are included in the results, pepper your post with those key terms.
Tool: RSS Pieces Keyword Extraction Tool
To use this tool, select "term extraction" and either enter the url with your content on it or click the body text option and paste your content into the input box, enter 2-3 terms that give the general theme of the content like "real estate" and "buying homes" then click "go."
NOTE: This makes me laugh so I will share it. I recently noticed my competitor coming to my site on a regular basis. Hmmm... wonder what he was doing... Apparently learning how to blog the right way.
Wouldn't it be nice if you had a sure fire formula for writing killer real estate blog posts that drive huge targeted traffic and search engine interest?
Wouldn't it be nice if you had a sure fire formula for writing killer real estate blog posts that drive huge targeted traffic and search engine interest? I know I would. So, over the past few months, I have been experimenting with my copy writing style and linking formulas to see what gets the best results. I looked at what it takes to interest both people and search engines and came up with a very simple formula that will guarantee readership and search engine placement for your real estate blog. Sounds pretty far-fetched, right? Not really. Now, I'm no copy writing or SEO virtuoso. I simply combined the trusted copy writing formulas newspaper and magazine writers have been using for decades with the key components outlined in Google's own Page Rank algorithm to come up with a combination that has worked for RSS Pieces. Want to learn how you can use this success formula to build traction for your real estate blog, read on.
Anatomy of a killer real estate blog post that drives huge traffic:
Write a keyword rich title that expresses benefits
Open your real estate blog post with a keyword rich and benefit expressing sentence.
Use your keyword or phrase at least 4 times in your post.
Link to at least 3 other websites that will offer readers more information on the given topic.
Link to at least 3 other posts on your own blog that will give more insight on the topic.
Engage readers with a controversial or "how to" article penned in a conversational tone
Format the post with heading tags, bolded text, numbered lists and/or bullet points
Close with a call to action asking readers to subscribe to your blog, contact you, fill out your lead generation tool or search for a home
Select 100% content relevant keywords for your meta data tag
For more copy writing tips, visit http://www.copyblogger.com/copywriting-101/>CopyBlogger
1. Write a keyword rich title that expresses benefits
What a search engine wants: According to the GoogScore algorithm worked out by Randfish, keywords in the title of your post are essential. That means that if your post is about buying condos in Cape Coral, you need to use the terms "Buying," "Condos" and "Cape Coral" in your title.
What people want: People like to be able to easily scan a title and figure out what the article is about. So, instead of coming up with a clever metaphor and play on words, go for the obvious title. Try to include a specific benefit in the title as well. Readers like to know what's in it for them when they read an article. They want to know that the article will in some way make their life easier, faster, better, richer... So, let them know exactly what the benefit of reading the article is. The more specific the title is the more readership it will get.
* Please note - when I say they are essential does that mean startng every single post with Cape Coral Real Estate: Post title here? NO. That looks spammy to me. It means use varyng keywords where appropriate.
Example: How to buy condos in Cape Coral for $50,000 under market value
Example: Has Southwest Florida's real estate market hit rock bottom?
See how those 2 post titles have different keywords and read completely NATURALLY?
Read also: How to write catchy titles that drive traffic
Google's Page Rank Formula
Read also:Google's algorithm cracked
SEOmoz' GoogScore algorithm explanation
Formula: Include at least 2 keywords in your title and 1 benefit
2. Open your real estate blog post with a benefit and keyword rich first sentence
What a search engine wants: Search engines place greater value on the words closest to the top of the page, so you will need to include your primary keywords in the very first sentence.
What people want: The purpose of the first sentence in your article is to make the reader need to read the second sentence. So, coming up with a killer first sentence is key. You need to engage readers with your first sentence by either asking a leading question that expresses the benefits of reading the article or summarizing the key points of your post.
For example:
Wouldn't you just love to buy a luxury condo in Southwest Florida and save more than $50,000?
Learn a Realtors secrets for buying luxury condos in Cape Coral under market value
Read also: Killing me softly with your blog
Formula: Include at least 2 keywords in your title and 1 benefit
3. Engage readers and search engines with emotionally engaging, keyword rich content that contains at least 3 internal and 3 external links
What a search engine wants: All search engines really care about in your posts are keywords and links. So, pepper each post with the keywords you want it to be searchable by and link out to other resource sites that would provide further information on the topic you are writing about. You also want to link to other posts on your own site that might add further value to the topic and keep visitors on your site longer.
Read also: Using links to retain visitors and build traffic
What people want: People want to be emotionally engaged by your post. That means that your post has to either answer an urgent need a readers life or generate strong feelings on a particular issue. So, creating controversy or penning a great tutorial post are the best ways to engage a reader.
Read also: How to create controversy on your real estate blog
Formula: 3 links to reference websites and 3 links to other articles on your own site
4. Format your real estate blog post so that it is easy to scan and uses heading tags and textual formatting to denote which content is most important
What a search engine wants: Search engines use formatting tags like Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, bolded and italicized fonts to determine which words and phrases they should place greater value on when indexing your blog. So, use heading and formatting tags liberally when writing your posts.
What people want: People like to be able to scan over large bodies of text quickly to find what they are looking for. Make the copy easy to read by breaking it up with numbered lists or bullet points. Use a bolder font for topic headings and always include lots of white space. The easier your posts are to read, the more reads they will get. Visitors feel overwhelmed when they are faced with text that seems to go on and on forever, so use formatting techniques to break up the text into easily digestible chunks.
Read also: How to write a killer tutorial post
5. Close your real estate blog post with a call to action and direct readers to your lead generation tool
What people want: People like to be told what to do on the web. It creates comfort and a sense of purpose. So, at the end of each post, guide readers to your lead generation tool, RSS subscription page or back to your website where they can contact you or search for a home. Simply create a 3-5 sentence call to action for each of your target readers. Generally, those will be buyers, sellers and investors. The place a link to your applicable lead generation tool. You'll be amazed how this will improve lead generation on your site.
For example:
Buyers: Ready to start your dream home search? Contact me and I can guide you on finding the perfect home in Cape Coral to suit your lifestyle and needs.
Sellers: Ready to sell your home? Get started by finding our what your home is worth by clicking here.
Investors: Like what you've read here? Well, subscribe and get all the latest news from this blog delivered direct to you RSS reader or email.
Read also: How to write a real estate blog post that generates leads
Read also: How to increase blog subscribers in 7 easy steps
6. Select 100% search engine relevant keywords for your meta data
What search engines want: Search engines don't care about what you want to be searched by, they care about how relevant your content is to the keywords in your meta tag. So, don't guess at what search engines are going to like, use a keyword generator that looks at the content and selects keywords to 100% relevancy. To ensure that the terms you want to be searched for are included in the results, pepper your post with those key terms.
Tool: RSS Pieces Keyword Extraction Tool
To use this tool, select "term extraction" and either enter the url with your content on it or click the body text option and paste your content into the input box, enter 2-3 terms that give the general theme of the content like "real estate" and "buying homes" then click "go."
NOTE: This makes me laugh so I will share it. I recently noticed my competitor coming to my site on a regular basis. Hmmm... wonder what he was doing... Apparently learning how to blog the right way.
Wakulla County Real Estate Report
Wakulla County real estate reporting is sporadic at best here at the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog. I focus my efforts on Leon County, as it is truly the heart of my market area. But every once in a while, I think it is important to see how our surrounding counties are performing in home sales.
This Wakulla County real estate report is happening today because I received a tip through our real estate survey asking that we keep reporting about Wakulla County on a regular basis. I mention this to point out how important your feedback is to determining the direction of what we address in this real estate blog.
So, if you have not taken the opportunity to take our five question real estate survey, please do it now. It takes less than a minute and you can have an impact on what is written about and how our future real estate site looks.
This Wakulla County real estate report is happening today because I received a tip through our real estate survey asking that we keep reporting about Wakulla County on a regular basis. I mention this to point out how important your feedback is to determining the direction of what we address in this real estate blog.
So, if you have not taken the opportunity to take our five question real estate survey, please do it now. It takes less than a minute and you can have an impact on what is written about and how our future real estate site looks.
Wakulla County Home Sales Drop 65% From Market Peak
Wakulla County real estate sales appear to be mirroring those in the Tallahassee real estate market. The number of homes sold has dropped 65% since the peak of the market in 2006. Additionally, foreclosures are also on the rise.
This real estate graph shows us that sales (blue line) are falling, while foreclosures (red area) is rising. For a county that has very few foreclosures occurring in the past, we see the Wakulla County real estate market really starting to get active with foreclosures. The increased foreclosure activity is not surprising, as everywhere else in the State and in the Country is experiencing the same thing.
Wakulla County real estate sales appear to be mirroring those in the Tallahassee real estate market. The number of homes sold has dropped 65% since the peak of the market in 2006. Additionally, foreclosures are also on the rise.
This real estate graph shows us that sales (blue line) are falling, while foreclosures (red area) is rising. For a county that has very few foreclosures occurring in the past, we see the Wakulla County real estate market really starting to get active with foreclosures. The increased foreclosure activity is not surprising, as everywhere else in the State and in the Country is experiencing the same thing.
Wakulla County Average Real Estate Prices Continue To Fall
Just as we see the falling count of home sales in Wakulla, we also see a continual decline of the average real estate prices. The average single family detached home in Wakulla County was once selling for over $180,000, now that number has dropped below $150,000. From peak to trough, that is a drop of nearly 20%.
The red line in the real estate graph above represents condo sales in Wakulla County. These are so few that I do not believe that the data is significantly relevant. Mobile home sales in Wakulla County seem to be rebounding nicely (green triangles on graph), but take a close look at what has/is happening with Wakulla County lot sales.
Just as we see the falling count of home sales in Wakulla, we also see a continual decline of the average real estate prices. The average single family detached home in Wakulla County was once selling for over $180,000, now that number has dropped below $150,000. From peak to trough, that is a drop of nearly 20%.
The red line in the real estate graph above represents condo sales in Wakulla County. These are so few that I do not believe that the data is significantly relevant. Mobile home sales in Wakulla County seem to be rebounding nicely (green triangles on graph), but take a close look at what has/is happening with Wakulla County lot sales.
Wakulla County Lot Sales In The Tank
It appears as if lot sales in Wakulla County exploded in 2005. In the real estate graph below, the red vertical bars represent the number of Wakulla County lot sales each month, while the blue field represents the average lot price each month. The yellow trend line shows the one year average price for a lot in Wakulla County.
Lot sales have declined by 87% since April 2006, with the 24 lots sold each month, on average. The average price of a lot in Wakulla County has dropped from a high exceeding $83,000 to a current low of $26,000, a drop of 69%. The average price of a lot sold in Wakulla County last month was only $9,500!
Because I do not track Wakulla County real estate on a daily basis, I could be missing something. Right now, my biggest concern is that there are more vacant lots that need to be consumed, by a market that does not currently need them. If this is the case, it will have an impact not only on existing developed lots, but also on homes for sale in Wakulla.
It appears as if lot sales in Wakulla County exploded in 2005. In the real estate graph below, the red vertical bars represent the number of Wakulla County lot sales each month, while the blue field represents the average lot price each month. The yellow trend line shows the one year average price for a lot in Wakulla County.
Lot sales have declined by 87% since April 2006, with the 24 lots sold each month, on average. The average price of a lot in Wakulla County has dropped from a high exceeding $83,000 to a current low of $26,000, a drop of 69%. The average price of a lot sold in Wakulla County last month was only $9,500!
Because I do not track Wakulla County real estate on a daily basis, I could be missing something. Right now, my biggest concern is that there are more vacant lots that need to be consumed, by a market that does not currently need them. If this is the case, it will have an impact not only on existing developed lots, but also on homes for sale in Wakulla.
Timeless Advice About Getting A Home Mortgage Loan
A recent Wall Street Journal article about the first-time homebuyer tax credit cautions buyers under contract to wait until after closing before purchasing appliances, furniture or similar items on credit. The article notes that some mortgage lenders are running credit reports on closing day, and even an additional credit inquiry (let alone a purchase) may raise a red flag that could require additional documentation and potentially delay closing.
At Century 21 First Realty, we know how important the mortgage process is for more than 80% of our customers, so we thought we would share some insights regarding how lenders view credit to ensure a smoother mortgage experience. I know that when I am a customer for a service that I rarely utilize, I appreciate understanding “how it works” as much as I need to trust the professional with who I am working.
Lenders need to know: can you afford the payment? Before offering a loan, the lender examines debt-to-income (DTI) ratios. If a buyer under contract takes on additional debt, then that could change the ratio—potentially making the mortgage unaffordable. That’s a situation that both lenders and buyers want to avoid. Keeping your total debit-to-income as low as possible makes lenders feel more confident that you can afford the monthly mortgage payment.
Lenders make a loan offer based on 3 to 4 months banking history. By looking at a borrower’s bank statements over several months, a lender has a pretty good idea where the borrower’s money comes from and where it goes. An unusually large withdrawal or deposit before closing may require further documentation, so the lender knows the customer isn’t accumulating additional debt. In other words, a borrower will have to justify his or her recent financial past, so if you are thinking about buying a home soon, start planning now.
Lenders want to know the customer’s track record at paying their debts. That’s where the credit rating comes in. If a new credit report is pulled before closing, it suggests that the consumer may be looking to acquire more debt—and this could jeopardize the affordability of the mortgage. Do not even talk to somebody in an industry that pulls credit reports (like a car dealer) until after your closing. Activity in your credit report might indicate your future inability to repay the loan, so the key is to “lay low” until after closing.
In summary: If you are looking to buy a home (and get a home mortgage loan), then you need to be aware of what the mortgage underwriter is looking at when analyzing your “willingness and ability” to repay the loan. All new activity in your credit history is “bad,” so limiting your financial activity is critical. A buyer’s best bet is to work with a mortgage lender who will take the time to offer professional guidance and explain up front exactly what they need to do to close on time (and then follow that advice!).
Forecasting Real Estate Market Changes
Forecasting changes in the Tallahassee real estate market is part art, part science, and of course, a whole lot of experience. Knowing the past history of the market (by measuring long-term trends) helps us get an idea of where the market likes to be.
But knowing what current buyer expectations and seller motivations (by working with customers buying and selling real estate) tell us short-term trend expectations. It is when we combine these that the art of the real estate forecast (we hope) is created.
But knowing what current buyer expectations and seller motivations (by working with customers buying and selling real estate) tell us short-term trend expectations. It is when we combine these that the art of the real estate forecast (we hope) is created.
Past History Of The Real Estate Market
If you are a regular reader of the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, then you have a good feel for the past and recent history of the Tallahassee housing market. We have been reporting this regularly here and there have been no real surprises of late.
Currently, we are in a streak of 39 straight year-over-year declines in residential home sales. We had seen some information from the Tallahassee MLS that made us believe that September could be the first “upward” month in over three years, but unfortunately that did not pan out when we checked the total market results in the home sales that were recorded with the Leon County Property Appraisers office.
Tallahassee MLS Shows Home Buyers More Active
Two housing reports that we track on a daily basis from the Tallahassee MLS demonstrate how current buyer activity is changing. The first real estate graph is the “pending home sales report,” and shows how the momentum of new contracts is changing.
The next graph also comes from the Tallahassee Board of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service (Tallahassee MLS), and shows the overall supply and demand dynamics of homes in the Tallahassee housing market and surrounding areas. Both real home supply as well as relative home supply are measured over time, showing that both are finally starting to fall.
The Art Of The Real Estate Forecast
So, we know where the real estate market has been, and we are getting signs that the mood of the market is starting to change. How do we convert that to a real estate market forecast?
I think we need to create a baseline of what we feel is a “normal” housing market in Tallahassee. We can then see recent past and present moods in the market to determine if we are “seeking normal” or moving away from normal.
The real estate graph above demonstrates that the average number of homes sold each month during the 1990s was about 380 homes. For the sake of our real estate forecast, let us assume that 380 home sales in Tallahassee is the market “normal” month.
From the graph above, we observe that we soared well above this average in 2002, and stayed above it for more than five years. In order to regain our average of 380 home sales per month, we need to be below this average line for the same number of home sales.
What I see when I look at this graph is a recovery that appears to be about 1/2 of the way over. I think the market will be heading into a slow and steady recovery period beginning at the end of this year, but it will not be back to the 380 homes per month level for another few years.
Montana Real Estate Opportunity
The real estate market in Montana doesn't have huge transaction making it hard to tell about the current situation 'cause it's one of the few state that doesn't make real estate transaction prices a matter of public record.
But obviously it's in the downturn direction as the rest of the country. This may be the chance and opportunity 'cause prices of big amenity ranches about more than half lower than normal. Sales have gone 75% down making prices to be less than half. More detail on the link below.
But obviously it's in the downturn direction as the rest of the country. This may be the chance and opportunity 'cause prices of big amenity ranches about more than half lower than normal. Sales have gone 75% down making prices to be less than half. More detail on the link below.
The Real Truth about Renter's Insurance
Many renters mistakenly assume that they do not need renter's insurance, only to find out the truth when it is too late. Many of them are under the assumption that their landlord's policy will cover them or that the landlord, and not they, would be liable if someone were to be injured while in the rental property. The sad truth is that renters have very few rights in the majority of states, and renters should never assume that their belongings are covered in the event of a disaster or that they have no liability for injury just because it is not their property.
In most states, if someone is injured or if they incur damage to their property while within a rented dwelling, it is in fact the renter, not the property owner or landlord, who is liable for damages. For example, if you have a guest in your rented property and the guest manages to fall or otherwise injure themselves, you may be surprised to find that you, the renter, are liable for the damage. Likewise, if the guest damages some of his or her property in an accident in your rented dwelling, the renter is responsible for the damage to the item. Renter's insurance provides protection against liability in cases of personal injury or personal property damage that occurs in a rented dwelling.
In the case of fire, flood, theft, or other natural disaster, a renter's property is not protected by the insurance coverage that the landlord or property owner carries. Many renters are surprised to find that, after a disaster, they have no recourse to recoup damages caused to their belongings. The only way to have some level of protection is to purchase renter's insurance.
Clearly, anyone who rents a property should have renter's insurance protection. Renter's insurance is quite affordable, and the peace of mind that it offers is well worth the relatively small premiums.
In most states, if someone is injured or if they incur damage to their property while within a rented dwelling, it is in fact the renter, not the property owner or landlord, who is liable for damages. For example, if you have a guest in your rented property and the guest manages to fall or otherwise injure themselves, you may be surprised to find that you, the renter, are liable for the damage. Likewise, if the guest damages some of his or her property in an accident in your rented dwelling, the renter is responsible for the damage to the item. Renter's insurance provides protection against liability in cases of personal injury or personal property damage that occurs in a rented dwelling.
In the case of fire, flood, theft, or other natural disaster, a renter's property is not protected by the insurance coverage that the landlord or property owner carries. Many renters are surprised to find that, after a disaster, they have no recourse to recoup damages caused to their belongings. The only way to have some level of protection is to purchase renter's insurance.
Clearly, anyone who rents a property should have renter's insurance protection. Renter's insurance is quite affordable, and the peace of mind that it offers is well worth the relatively small premiums.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Aspirin Can Prevent Colon Cancer in High-Risk Group, Study Says
Taking aspirin daily for at least five years can prevent patients at high risk of a hereditary type of colorectal cancer known as Lynch syndrome from developing tumors, researchers said in a study to test the 110- year-old medicine’s usefulness against the malignancy.
Patients given 600 milligrams of aspirin a day had about one-third of the cases of colon cancer 10 years after the trial began than those who didn’t take the drug. An analysis of the 1,071 patients in the trial failed to show any benefit after 29 months.
Researchers presented the data today at the European Cancer Organization and European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin. Though Lynch syndrome accounts for only about 5 percent of all colon cancers, the findings could point toward effectiveness in the general population as well, study author John Burn, a professor at the Institute of Human Genetics at Newcastle University, said at a press conference.
“At least in a high-risk group, we’ve got a treatment that works, that we know the side effects of, and it’s cheap,” Burn said. Previous trials may not have been long enough to prove aspirin’s benefit, he said. Burn’s team targeted people genetically at risk for Lynch syndrome because these are likely to develop cancer more quickly.
“The benefits are probably not seen in the general population for at least 10 years,” he said.
Cancer Rates
The difference in cancer rates didn’t emerge until about five years after initial treatment. Researchers tracked 628 of the people that began the trial, finding six cases of colon cancer among people who took aspirin and 16 cases among people who didn’t. The effect continued about six years after patients used aspirin and correlates with how long they took the drug.
Eleven of the people taking aspirin had gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers, compared with nine in the placebo group, Burn said. Three of the people taking aspirin had heart attacks or strokes, compared to eight in the placebo group.
Harvard Medical School researchers this summer found that regular use of aspirin, first patented by German drugmaker Bayer AG in 1899, may be able to lower patients’ risk of dying of colon cancer by more than half.
Cox-2 Link
The Harvard study suggested aspirin could prevent tumors from growing by inhibiting Cox-2, an enzyme that may play a role in the initial growth of a tumor. That study found that people who tested positive for the Cox-2 enzyme saw a greater benefit than those who didn’t.
Researchers aren’t sure why aspirin prevented tumors in today’s study, but they don’t think Cox-2 is the reason, Burn said. Aspirin could be affecting cancer stem cells, he said.
Colorectal cancer includes malignancies that form in the tissues of the colon, which is the longest part of the large intestine, and tumors that develop in the rectum, the part of the large intestine closest to the anus, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is the fourth-most-common cancer in the U.S.
Burn’s research team plans to study whether a lower dose of aspirin will also ward off colon cancer.
The study presented today was financed by U.K. cancer research funds and Bayer.
Patients given 600 milligrams of aspirin a day had about one-third of the cases of colon cancer 10 years after the trial began than those who didn’t take the drug. An analysis of the 1,071 patients in the trial failed to show any benefit after 29 months.
Researchers presented the data today at the European Cancer Organization and European Society for Medical Oncology conference in Berlin. Though Lynch syndrome accounts for only about 5 percent of all colon cancers, the findings could point toward effectiveness in the general population as well, study author John Burn, a professor at the Institute of Human Genetics at Newcastle University, said at a press conference.
“At least in a high-risk group, we’ve got a treatment that works, that we know the side effects of, and it’s cheap,” Burn said. Previous trials may not have been long enough to prove aspirin’s benefit, he said. Burn’s team targeted people genetically at risk for Lynch syndrome because these are likely to develop cancer more quickly.
“The benefits are probably not seen in the general population for at least 10 years,” he said.
Cancer Rates
The difference in cancer rates didn’t emerge until about five years after initial treatment. Researchers tracked 628 of the people that began the trial, finding six cases of colon cancer among people who took aspirin and 16 cases among people who didn’t. The effect continued about six years after patients used aspirin and correlates with how long they took the drug.
Eleven of the people taking aspirin had gastrointestinal bleeding or ulcers, compared with nine in the placebo group, Burn said. Three of the people taking aspirin had heart attacks or strokes, compared to eight in the placebo group.
Harvard Medical School researchers this summer found that regular use of aspirin, first patented by German drugmaker Bayer AG in 1899, may be able to lower patients’ risk of dying of colon cancer by more than half.
Cox-2 Link
The Harvard study suggested aspirin could prevent tumors from growing by inhibiting Cox-2, an enzyme that may play a role in the initial growth of a tumor. That study found that people who tested positive for the Cox-2 enzyme saw a greater benefit than those who didn’t.
Researchers aren’t sure why aspirin prevented tumors in today’s study, but they don’t think Cox-2 is the reason, Burn said. Aspirin could be affecting cancer stem cells, he said.
Colorectal cancer includes malignancies that form in the tissues of the colon, which is the longest part of the large intestine, and tumors that develop in the rectum, the part of the large intestine closest to the anus, according to the National Cancer Institute. It is the fourth-most-common cancer in the U.S.
Burn’s research team plans to study whether a lower dose of aspirin will also ward off colon cancer.
The study presented today was financed by U.K. cancer research funds and Bayer.
Climate Agreement Doubts Grow as Obama, Hu Plan UN Address
Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama and China’s President Hu Jintao will address the United Nations today on climate change amid doubt that an international accord on global warming can be reached this year.
“Negotiations are dangerously close to deadlock at the moment,” European Commission President Jose Barroso said yesterday of the treaty talks set to culminate in Copenhagen at a United Nations-led meeting in December.
The U.S. and China, the biggest greenhouse gas polluters, are stuck on issues such as how much aid rich nations should give poor ones to deal with climate change and how much industrialized economies should pledge to reduce emissions. Divisions among developed and developing nations make a completed deal by December unlikely, said Eileen Claussen, head of the nonprofit Pew Center on Global Climate Change in Arlington, Virginia.
“I don’t see us coming to a full, final, ratifiable agreement in Copenhagen,” Claussen said in an interview.
There’s too little time to narrow the differences between countries before the December deadline, and even an interim agreement outlining principles of a deal will require stepped-up efforts, Barroso told reporters yesterday in New York.
“I’ve been in global negotiations like this, and I tell you that 80 days before usually we were much closer to the outcome then we are now,” Barroso said. “So if we don’t move this week there is a real risk that we miss the opportunity in Copenhagen.”
Some political leaders said they were optimistic that Hu will offer new initiatives in his speech to the UN’s climate conference today that will create momentum.
Hu Speech Important
“If we and China can come to an agreement, and we in Congress will recognize that, I believe the rest of this is just going to move very, very rapidly because everybody else is going to come on board,” U.S. Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during a panel discussion in New York yesterday. “So what President Hu says tomorrow is very important.”
The U.S. House has approved climate-change legislation backed by Obama. The Senate has yet to act.
More than 190 nations are negotiating an accord to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which set emissions limits on industrialized countries that expire in 2012. Neither the U.S. nor China is part of the Kyoto agreement. China is exempt as a developing country. The U.S. under President George W. Bush rejected the pact over concern that it would harm the economy and because lawmakers objected that China wasn’t included.
The European Union says binding targets are needed to keep the increase in global temperatures to within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of pre-industrial times, a target that averts the worst effects of climate change.
Changing the Dynamic
Obama’s top climate negotiator, Todd Stern, told reporters yesterday in New York that progress in discussions leading up to Copenhagen is “slower than we would like.”
“We need to change that dynamic and we can, so long as all of us do our part,” he said.
Stern told reporters last week that the goal in December is to get the “most ambitious, most far-reaching accord” possible. “And to the extent that there’s some things that need to be completed after that, then that will happen,” he said.
Kim Carstensen, head of the World Wildlife Federation’s global climate initiative, said “it’s “clear we aren’t going to get everything in Copenhagen,” and leaders should work on their “political messaging” so the gathering won’t be seen as a failure.
Specifics also had to be worked out after the 1997 climate meeting in Kyoto, he said in an interview.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is overseeing today’s climate forum, urged advocates for stronger climate policies to put the “heat” on leaders.
“We must seal the deal in Copenhagen,” he said yesterday. “This is a political and moral imperative for all of us, particularly those leaders.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in New York at kchipman@bloomberg.net; Jim Efstathiou Jr. in New York at jefstathiou@bloomberg.net.
“Negotiations are dangerously close to deadlock at the moment,” European Commission President Jose Barroso said yesterday of the treaty talks set to culminate in Copenhagen at a United Nations-led meeting in December.
The U.S. and China, the biggest greenhouse gas polluters, are stuck on issues such as how much aid rich nations should give poor ones to deal with climate change and how much industrialized economies should pledge to reduce emissions. Divisions among developed and developing nations make a completed deal by December unlikely, said Eileen Claussen, head of the nonprofit Pew Center on Global Climate Change in Arlington, Virginia.
“I don’t see us coming to a full, final, ratifiable agreement in Copenhagen,” Claussen said in an interview.
There’s too little time to narrow the differences between countries before the December deadline, and even an interim agreement outlining principles of a deal will require stepped-up efforts, Barroso told reporters yesterday in New York.
“I’ve been in global negotiations like this, and I tell you that 80 days before usually we were much closer to the outcome then we are now,” Barroso said. “So if we don’t move this week there is a real risk that we miss the opportunity in Copenhagen.”
Some political leaders said they were optimistic that Hu will offer new initiatives in his speech to the UN’s climate conference today that will create momentum.
Hu Speech Important
“If we and China can come to an agreement, and we in Congress will recognize that, I believe the rest of this is just going to move very, very rapidly because everybody else is going to come on board,” U.S. Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said during a panel discussion in New York yesterday. “So what President Hu says tomorrow is very important.”
The U.S. House has approved climate-change legislation backed by Obama. The Senate has yet to act.
More than 190 nations are negotiating an accord to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which set emissions limits on industrialized countries that expire in 2012. Neither the U.S. nor China is part of the Kyoto agreement. China is exempt as a developing country. The U.S. under President George W. Bush rejected the pact over concern that it would harm the economy and because lawmakers objected that China wasn’t included.
The European Union says binding targets are needed to keep the increase in global temperatures to within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) of pre-industrial times, a target that averts the worst effects of climate change.
Changing the Dynamic
Obama’s top climate negotiator, Todd Stern, told reporters yesterday in New York that progress in discussions leading up to Copenhagen is “slower than we would like.”
“We need to change that dynamic and we can, so long as all of us do our part,” he said.
Stern told reporters last week that the goal in December is to get the “most ambitious, most far-reaching accord” possible. “And to the extent that there’s some things that need to be completed after that, then that will happen,” he said.
Kim Carstensen, head of the World Wildlife Federation’s global climate initiative, said “it’s “clear we aren’t going to get everything in Copenhagen,” and leaders should work on their “political messaging” so the gathering won’t be seen as a failure.
Specifics also had to be worked out after the 1997 climate meeting in Kyoto, he said in an interview.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who is overseeing today’s climate forum, urged advocates for stronger climate policies to put the “heat” on leaders.
“We must seal the deal in Copenhagen,” he said yesterday. “This is a political and moral imperative for all of us, particularly those leaders.”
To contact the reporters on this story: Kim Chipman in New York at kchipman@bloomberg.net; Jim Efstathiou Jr. in New York at jefstathiou@bloomberg.net.
Bank of America to Pay for Merrill Backstop, Faces SEC Trial
Sept. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Bank of America Corp., the biggest U.S. bank, said it will pay the government $425 million to cancel an unused guarantee of Merrill Lynch & Co.’s assets and cut reliance on federal support after two bailouts.
The payment would end a dispute over what the bank owes the U.S. for a promise to help absorb losses on $118 billion of holdings, mostly at Merrill Lynch. The federal guarantee helped seal Bank of America’s takeover of the New York-based brokerage after fourth-quarter losses spiraled past $15 billion. While the accord was announced in January, an agreement was never signed and the bank resisted paying.
Chief Executive Officer Kenneth D. Lewis has said he wants to shrink the U.S. role in company affairs. Paying the fee is part of a plan to reduce “reliance on government support and return to normal market funding,” the company said yesterday in a statement. The Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will get the money.
“The bank is a wounded duck and everybody wants a piece of them,” said Robert Serino, a partner at Buckley Sandler LLP in Washington and a former director of the Comptroller of the Currency’s enforcement and compliance division. “In the past, Ken Lewis was a pretty strong character but now he’s been beaten down like everybody else.”
Even as the payment was announced, the Securities and Exchange Commission pledged to “vigorously pursue” a case against the bank for not disclosing $3.6 billion in bonuses to Merrill before the acquisition was completed. U.S. Judge Jed Rakoff last week rejected a $33 million settlement, accusing both the bank and SEC of trying to avoid a public trial.
Congressional Pressure
Bank of America also faces pressure from Representative Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who scolded the bank yesterday for missing a deadline to turn over documents sought by his panel. Chief Marketing Officer Anne Finucane plans to meet with Towns to discuss how to provide information “without violating attorney- client privilege,” bank spokesman Scott Silvestri said.
Lewis “is holding up very well,” spokesman Robert Stickler said. “He doesn’t dwell on things that he can’t control and he remains convinced that the deal will be a good one for shareholders over time.”
The Merrill asset guarantees prompted regulators to press for compensation from the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank. The government said Bank of America benefited from the accord’s implied U.S. backing for three to four months as investors were speculating the company might fail or be nationalized.
‘Encouraging Sign’
The agreement reflects “an encouraging sign of increased stability in the financial system,” Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams said. The bank said in July it expected a settlement of the dispute within 30 days.
“This is another terrible deal for taxpayers negotiated by the U.S. Treasury,” said Linus Wilson, a University of Louisiana professor who has studied government bailout programs. The bank is paying less than 10 percent of a potential $4.3 billion cost, including warrants associated with $4 billion in preferred shares cited in the term sheet and never issued.
“The insurance company does not refund most of your premium just because you did not wreck your car in the last six months,” Wilson said.
Bank of America hasn’t received permission to repay the extra $20 billion of U.S. rescue funds that came with the Merrill deal, Chief Financial Officer Joe Price said last week. The bank received a total of $45 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program and expects to repay the money in installments, pending approval by regulators, Price said.
New Board Member
The bank added its sixth new board member this year, tapping DuPont Co. Chairman Charles “Chad” Holliday Jr. Bank of America will have 15 members on its board, down from 18, with all positions now filled.
Holliday “will get the board to gel in the proper way,” said Ram Charan, an author, management consultant and former Harvard Business School professor who said he has known the DuPont executive for 25 years. “The board will do what is necessary to get the most out of a franchise that is the envy of the rest of the banking industry.”
During Holliday’s 11 years as DuPont CEO, the shares of the third-biggest U.S. chemical maker declined 55 percent. Bank of America shares have dropped by more than a third since Lewis took over as CEO in April 2001. Holliday didn’t respond to a request for a comment through DuPont spokeswoman Lori Captain.
To contact the reporters on this story: Margaret Popper in New York at mpopper1@bloomberg.net; David Mildenberg in Charlotte at dmildenberg@bloomberg.net.
The payment would end a dispute over what the bank owes the U.S. for a promise to help absorb losses on $118 billion of holdings, mostly at Merrill Lynch. The federal guarantee helped seal Bank of America’s takeover of the New York-based brokerage after fourth-quarter losses spiraled past $15 billion. While the accord was announced in January, an agreement was never signed and the bank resisted paying.
Chief Executive Officer Kenneth D. Lewis has said he wants to shrink the U.S. role in company affairs. Paying the fee is part of a plan to reduce “reliance on government support and return to normal market funding,” the company said yesterday in a statement. The Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will get the money.
“The bank is a wounded duck and everybody wants a piece of them,” said Robert Serino, a partner at Buckley Sandler LLP in Washington and a former director of the Comptroller of the Currency’s enforcement and compliance division. “In the past, Ken Lewis was a pretty strong character but now he’s been beaten down like everybody else.”
Even as the payment was announced, the Securities and Exchange Commission pledged to “vigorously pursue” a case against the bank for not disclosing $3.6 billion in bonuses to Merrill before the acquisition was completed. U.S. Judge Jed Rakoff last week rejected a $33 million settlement, accusing both the bank and SEC of trying to avoid a public trial.
Congressional Pressure
Bank of America also faces pressure from Representative Edolphus Towns, a New York Democrat and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who scolded the bank yesterday for missing a deadline to turn over documents sought by his panel. Chief Marketing Officer Anne Finucane plans to meet with Towns to discuss how to provide information “without violating attorney- client privilege,” bank spokesman Scott Silvestri said.
Lewis “is holding up very well,” spokesman Robert Stickler said. “He doesn’t dwell on things that he can’t control and he remains convinced that the deal will be a good one for shareholders over time.”
The Merrill asset guarantees prompted regulators to press for compensation from the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank. The government said Bank of America benefited from the accord’s implied U.S. backing for three to four months as investors were speculating the company might fail or be nationalized.
‘Encouraging Sign’
The agreement reflects “an encouraging sign of increased stability in the financial system,” Treasury spokesman Andrew Williams said. The bank said in July it expected a settlement of the dispute within 30 days.
“This is another terrible deal for taxpayers negotiated by the U.S. Treasury,” said Linus Wilson, a University of Louisiana professor who has studied government bailout programs. The bank is paying less than 10 percent of a potential $4.3 billion cost, including warrants associated with $4 billion in preferred shares cited in the term sheet and never issued.
“The insurance company does not refund most of your premium just because you did not wreck your car in the last six months,” Wilson said.
Bank of America hasn’t received permission to repay the extra $20 billion of U.S. rescue funds that came with the Merrill deal, Chief Financial Officer Joe Price said last week. The bank received a total of $45 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program and expects to repay the money in installments, pending approval by regulators, Price said.
New Board Member
The bank added its sixth new board member this year, tapping DuPont Co. Chairman Charles “Chad” Holliday Jr. Bank of America will have 15 members on its board, down from 18, with all positions now filled.
Holliday “will get the board to gel in the proper way,” said Ram Charan, an author, management consultant and former Harvard Business School professor who said he has known the DuPont executive for 25 years. “The board will do what is necessary to get the most out of a franchise that is the envy of the rest of the banking industry.”
During Holliday’s 11 years as DuPont CEO, the shares of the third-biggest U.S. chemical maker declined 55 percent. Bank of America shares have dropped by more than a third since Lewis took over as CEO in April 2001. Holliday didn’t respond to a request for a comment through DuPont spokeswoman Lori Captain.
To contact the reporters on this story: Margaret Popper in New York at mpopper1@bloomberg.net; David Mildenberg in Charlotte at dmildenberg@bloomberg.net.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Brief history of Forex trading
Initially, the value of goods was expressed in terms of other goods, i.e. an economy based on barter between individual market participants. The obvious limitations of such a system encouraged establishing more generally accepted means of exchange at a fairly early stage in history, to set a common benchmark of value. In different economies, everything from teeth to feathers to pretty stones has served this purpose, but soon metals, in particular gold and silver, established themselves as an accepted means of payment as well as a reliable storage of value.
Originally, coins were simply minted from the preferred metal, but in stable political regimes the introduction of a paper form of governmental IOUs (I owe you) gained acceptance during the Middle Ages. Such IOUs, often introduced more successfully through force than persuasion were the basis of modern currencies.
Before World War I, most central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Although paper money could always be exchanged for gold, in reality this did not occur often, fostering the sometimes disastrous notion that there was not necessarily a need for full cover in the central reserves of the government.
At times, the ballooning supply of paper money without gold cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability. To protect local national interests, foreign exchange controls were increasingly introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility.
In the latter stages of World War II, the Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The Bretton Woods Conference rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favour of a system built on the US dollar. Other international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WW2 searched for a way to avoid the destabilising monetary crises which led to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that partly reinstated the gold standard, fixing the US dollar at USD35/oz and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar - and was intended to be permanent.
The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the sixties. A number of realignments kept the system alive for a long time, but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early seventies following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was no longer suitable as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits.
The following decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the largest global market by far. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values.
But the idea of fixed exchange rates has by no means died. The EEC (European Economic Community) introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when pent-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. Nevertheless, the quest for currency stability has continued in Europe with the renewed attempt to not only fix currencies but actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2001.
The lack of sustainability in fixed foreign exchange rates gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates, in particular in South America, looking very vulnerable.
But while commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have found a new playground. The size of foreign exchange markets now dwarfs any other investment market by a large factor. It is estimated that more than USD 3,000 billion is traded every day, far more than the world's stock and bond markets combined.
Originally, coins were simply minted from the preferred metal, but in stable political regimes the introduction of a paper form of governmental IOUs (I owe you) gained acceptance during the Middle Ages. Such IOUs, often introduced more successfully through force than persuasion were the basis of modern currencies.
Before World War I, most central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Although paper money could always be exchanged for gold, in reality this did not occur often, fostering the sometimes disastrous notion that there was not necessarily a need for full cover in the central reserves of the government.
At times, the ballooning supply of paper money without gold cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability. To protect local national interests, foreign exchange controls were increasingly introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility.
In the latter stages of World War II, the Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The Bretton Woods Conference rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favour of a system built on the US dollar. Other international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WW2 searched for a way to avoid the destabilising monetary crises which led to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that partly reinstated the gold standard, fixing the US dollar at USD35/oz and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar - and was intended to be permanent.
The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the sixties. A number of realignments kept the system alive for a long time, but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early seventies following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was no longer suitable as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits.
The following decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the largest global market by far. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values.
But the idea of fixed exchange rates has by no means died. The EEC (European Economic Community) introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when pent-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. Nevertheless, the quest for currency stability has continued in Europe with the renewed attempt to not only fix currencies but actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2001.
The lack of sustainability in fixed foreign exchange rates gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates, in particular in South America, looking very vulnerable.
But while commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have found a new playground. The size of foreign exchange markets now dwarfs any other investment market by a large factor. It is estimated that more than USD 3,000 billion is traded every day, far more than the world's stock and bond markets combined.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Cathy’s Teeth Whitening Success
My story of how I stumbled upon a special combination of two different FREE products that when put TOGETHER took me from this:
To this:
My name is Cathy Anderson. I live in Kathmandu,
00 and I want to tell you how I changed my teeth from being something I was ashamed of to being something I’m proud to show off. This teeth whitening trick changed my life and I hope it can change yours too. I’m not a dentist, doctor or medical expert, I’m just a mom who stumbled upon a special combination of two different products that work wonders when put together. This is my story.
How did my teeth get so bad?
Well, honestly, I did quite a few things that probably contributed to my yellow teeth. I love a glass of red wine, I’m an avid coffee drinker, and, most regrettably, I started smoking way back in college when I was about 21 years old. I smoked for just over 10 years before finally quitting, and although I’m very happy I did quit, I was disappointed that my teeth really didn’t recover. Finally, I was self employed for many years and had no dental coverage whatsoever. I can’t claim to have brushed twice a day every single day, but I honestly think I was usually pretty good about it… and I didn’t see any improvement, no matter how many “whitening toothpastes” I tried. Anyway, long story short, the coffee (couple cups a day), red wine here and there, and about ten years of smoking made my teeth look the way they appear in the “before” picture above.
Fortunately, with the help of a little “dumb” luck I found a teeth whitening solution that really works.
I guess in some strange way, I owe my new teeth to the reporters at CNN. After having no success at all with the tooth whitening toothpastes over the years, I was casually talking to my son one night when he started telling me about a news report on CNN in which a famous New York dentist discussed the advancements and effectiveness of modern “at home” tooth whitening products. The dentist on CNN’s exact words were, “Yes, two years ago I used some of the products that were on the market. And my teeth lightened up to five shades. We tested 22 volunteers, and it ranged from one shade difference to eight shades lighter.” 8 shades lighter sounded pretty good to me and I trusted that CNN, being a reputable news station, wouldn’t be featuring “shady” doctors, so I started looking around on the internet at some of the recommended products. First I tried some of the popular strip options and didn’t notice much of a difference with any of them, although at the time I thought I might be seeing some slight improvement (you know, the “placebo” effect )
The “dynamic duo” of teeth whitening
Next I did what I should have done right off the bat and followed the dentists’ recommendation. I had wanted to all along, but I’m not a rich woman and didn’t think I could afford it. But after looking around online, my son helped me find a few special offers where you could try the product by only paying a few dollars for shipping. That allowed me to get two different products–completely free! :). My idea was that I’d just use one first and once I ran out I’d switch to the other, and that’s exactly what I did. The results were good with the first product alone, but what I hadn’t expected was that when I followed it with the second, I noticed improvements in parts of my teeth that the other product hadn’t affected, or had only slightly improved. Like I said, I’m no doctor or medical expert, but it appears that each of the separate products focus on DIFFERENT parts of the problem, or that the second one just gave the whitening enough of a “boost” that it finished the job! By using them both in a row I was able to get even better results, and because they both had trials I was able to do the whole thing by just paying a few dollars in shipping charges. By using TWO trials, I effectively got a super whitening that was even better than either them would have been on its own. I am absolutely blown away by the results. For years I was afraid to smile for fear of showing my yellow teeth - now, I’m regularly getting compliments on how great my teeth are, and I smile all the time . I’m happy to have a chance to share the secret - after all, it was really pretty simple to do. The trick is just to combine two trials. There are still trials available for the following two products (at least there were when I wrote this!).
Step 1: Dazzle Smile
Dazzle White is the first product in the two product dynamic duo. I found a “promo code” for this offer that reduces the shipping cost for the trial down to just $1.95. Make sure that you enter “bedazzled” (without the quotation marks) in the coupon code box (yellow background). This will lower the shipping to $1.95 and saves a few extra bucks. The trial is still available and last I checked the promo code was working!
Dazzle White Helps With:
General Yellowing of the Teeth
Aging Stains
Coffee/Wine Stains
Smoking Stains (my problem)
Genetic Stains
You can get a trial by clicking this link: Dazzle White
Offer T&Cs
Step 2: Cleanwhites
EZ Bright is the “second ingredient” in the white smile recipe–it basically fills in the spots the Dazzle White misses and adds to the overall whiteness. Again, after some digging I was able to find a another "promo code" online (this one reduces shipping down to $0.97). Using the promo codes along with the trials is the key to doing the whole whitening without spending a bunch of money. When you're checking out on this one, make sure to put "save" (without the quotation marks) in to the promo code box on the second page of the checkout process (this one has a yellow background also) and your shipping charge should go down to $0.97. Last I checked it was still working.
EZ Bright helps:
Whiten the areas the Dazzle White doesn’t hit.
Reinforce and complete the general improvement.
Complete the whitening using just trials to save money.
The trick is using two TRIAL products that compliment each other to give yourself a whitening that’s better than you ever could have expected. Pictures speak better than words, and looking at the change always makes me smile, so I’ll end with my improvement again.
To this:
My name is Cathy Anderson. I live in Kathmandu,
00 and I want to tell you how I changed my teeth from being something I was ashamed of to being something I’m proud to show off. This teeth whitening trick changed my life and I hope it can change yours too. I’m not a dentist, doctor or medical expert, I’m just a mom who stumbled upon a special combination of two different products that work wonders when put together. This is my story.
How did my teeth get so bad?
Well, honestly, I did quite a few things that probably contributed to my yellow teeth. I love a glass of red wine, I’m an avid coffee drinker, and, most regrettably, I started smoking way back in college when I was about 21 years old. I smoked for just over 10 years before finally quitting, and although I’m very happy I did quit, I was disappointed that my teeth really didn’t recover. Finally, I was self employed for many years and had no dental coverage whatsoever. I can’t claim to have brushed twice a day every single day, but I honestly think I was usually pretty good about it… and I didn’t see any improvement, no matter how many “whitening toothpastes” I tried. Anyway, long story short, the coffee (couple cups a day), red wine here and there, and about ten years of smoking made my teeth look the way they appear in the “before” picture above.
Fortunately, with the help of a little “dumb” luck I found a teeth whitening solution that really works.
I guess in some strange way, I owe my new teeth to the reporters at CNN. After having no success at all with the tooth whitening toothpastes over the years, I was casually talking to my son one night when he started telling me about a news report on CNN in which a famous New York dentist discussed the advancements and effectiveness of modern “at home” tooth whitening products. The dentist on CNN’s exact words were, “Yes, two years ago I used some of the products that were on the market. And my teeth lightened up to five shades. We tested 22 volunteers, and it ranged from one shade difference to eight shades lighter.” 8 shades lighter sounded pretty good to me and I trusted that CNN, being a reputable news station, wouldn’t be featuring “shady” doctors, so I started looking around on the internet at some of the recommended products. First I tried some of the popular strip options and didn’t notice much of a difference with any of them, although at the time I thought I might be seeing some slight improvement (you know, the “placebo” effect )
The “dynamic duo” of teeth whitening
Next I did what I should have done right off the bat and followed the dentists’ recommendation. I had wanted to all along, but I’m not a rich woman and didn’t think I could afford it. But after looking around online, my son helped me find a few special offers where you could try the product by only paying a few dollars for shipping. That allowed me to get two different products–completely free! :). My idea was that I’d just use one first and once I ran out I’d switch to the other, and that’s exactly what I did. The results were good with the first product alone, but what I hadn’t expected was that when I followed it with the second, I noticed improvements in parts of my teeth that the other product hadn’t affected, or had only slightly improved. Like I said, I’m no doctor or medical expert, but it appears that each of the separate products focus on DIFFERENT parts of the problem, or that the second one just gave the whitening enough of a “boost” that it finished the job! By using them both in a row I was able to get even better results, and because they both had trials I was able to do the whole thing by just paying a few dollars in shipping charges. By using TWO trials, I effectively got a super whitening that was even better than either them would have been on its own. I am absolutely blown away by the results. For years I was afraid to smile for fear of showing my yellow teeth - now, I’m regularly getting compliments on how great my teeth are, and I smile all the time . I’m happy to have a chance to share the secret - after all, it was really pretty simple to do. The trick is just to combine two trials. There are still trials available for the following two products (at least there were when I wrote this!).
Step 1: Dazzle Smile
Dazzle White is the first product in the two product dynamic duo. I found a “promo code” for this offer that reduces the shipping cost for the trial down to just $1.95. Make sure that you enter “bedazzled” (without the quotation marks) in the coupon code box (yellow background). This will lower the shipping to $1.95 and saves a few extra bucks. The trial is still available and last I checked the promo code was working!
Dazzle White Helps With:
General Yellowing of the Teeth
Aging Stains
Coffee/Wine Stains
Smoking Stains (my problem)
Genetic Stains
You can get a trial by clicking this link: Dazzle White
Offer T&Cs
Step 2: Cleanwhites
EZ Bright is the “second ingredient” in the white smile recipe–it basically fills in the spots the Dazzle White misses and adds to the overall whiteness. Again, after some digging I was able to find a another "promo code" online (this one reduces shipping down to $0.97). Using the promo codes along with the trials is the key to doing the whole whitening without spending a bunch of money. When you're checking out on this one, make sure to put "save" (without the quotation marks) in to the promo code box on the second page of the checkout process (this one has a yellow background also) and your shipping charge should go down to $0.97. Last I checked it was still working.
EZ Bright helps:
Whiten the areas the Dazzle White doesn’t hit.
Reinforce and complete the general improvement.
Complete the whitening using just trials to save money.
The trick is using two TRIAL products that compliment each other to give yourself a whitening that’s better than you ever could have expected. Pictures speak better than words, and looking at the change always makes me smile, so I’ll end with my improvement again.
Insurance Quotes
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If the process of buying life insurance seems somewhat overwhelming, you can rest easy. InsuranceQuotes.com offers plenty of resources to take the mystery out of shopping for online insurance quotes of all types. Check out our library of informative articles then start shopping for free insurance quotes today!
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Auto Insurance Quotes
Whether you’re shopping for car insurance quotes for a new car or looking for better prices on your current auto insurance let InsuranceQuotes.com help you find the coverage you need with the top auto insurance quotes available. Get your free car insurance quotes today–and see just how much you could save!
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Discovering Online Insurance!
The Internet is a powerful tool for the savvy online consumer. You can review products, compare prices, research companies and purchase almost anything. Following this trend is the increase availability of insurance online. Insurance companies are providing coverage information, quotes and even contracts online. This includes automobile, homeowners, life, medical and even pet insurance. Insurance has traditionally been a high customer service field with direct human contact with your insurance agent. Because of the change in customer contact, the migration towards providing insurance online has not always been a smooth one. Instead, companies are finding some tools work and others only cause frustration or confusion. Indeed, the availability of insurance online is still fluctuating and developing. Below we have compiled a few of the ways you can utilize online insurance options and determine if it is the right tool for you.
Researching and obtaining insurance online is much easier today. Many websites now offer comparison tools that will provide quotes and coverage information (some of these sites are listed below). Keep in mind if you choose a carrier from these searches, you will then be contracting with that carrier for your insurance, not the original site. This will either be done by forwarding you to the carrier's website or the comparison site will forward your information to the insurance company and they will then contact you. Many insurers still prefer to have a representative call you and discuss your coverage over the phone. Although not the same as meeting with a personal insurance agent, it allows them to make certain you understand the coverage provided. Also, because buying insurance online is new, many companies believe that individualized customer care is still the best way to get your business and a follow up call still provides some of this customer service.
The Pros There are many benefits for utilizing online insurance:
Easy comparison shopping: Using insurance comparison websites you can compare coverage and prices on almost any type of insurance. You can also browse the individual insurance carrier websites once you have narrowed your search. Almost all companies now have libraries and tools for you to learn more about their services online.
Your time is money: Shopping for insurance online can be done at any time of day. It is hard to get time away from your daily schedule to sit down and comparison shop with insurance brokers, or indeed, individual agents.
Low pressure: Let's face it, many people find it easier to stand firm without the person-to-person contact. Users feel they can be more savvy and better informed when every option is at their fingertips rather then relying on an agent's account.
Save money: Due to the time needed to comparison shop, the pressure to stay loyal with one company, and the uncertainty about other companies, some may lose money by staying blindly loyal to one insurance carrier. The online market allows for easy comparison shopping, less pressure, and research tools to learn more about other companies. By becoming well informed, you can either work out a better rate with your current provider or move to a new provider who offers better coverage for your dollar.
The Cons Be aware of these complications when purchasing insurance online:
Understanding coverage options: Without an agent to explain 'insurance speak' you may not know all the coverage you may need. This is especially the case for those getting insurance for the first time. However, if you have discussed options with an agent before and have a generally good idea of the type of coverage you will need, this may be something that is manageable with a little extra research.
Is that quote really a deal: All quotes may not be equal. Take care to examine all the coverage included with quotes. The online quotes may help you narrow your search, but should not be taken at face value as not all companies offer the same 'comprehensive' coverage.
Buying insurance coverage in your state: Not all states will allow you to purchase insurance online. Some allow you to get quotes but still require you to meet with an agent before signing any contracts. Also, because the internet clouds locality, you will need to make sure the insurance carrier is licensed in your state.
Individual customer care: Do you really want to push 1, then 2, then 4 to talk to someone about your insurance coverage? Working with a local agent still offers the advantages of individualized customer service. This agent can offer coverage that speaks to your locality as it is more likely they live in your community. They will also have a better knowledge of the coverage their carrier provides and can help you understand all of your options. They may also be aware of more discounts available to you that you may not know to ask for online. In this way they can offer better individualized care.
Whether you choose to shop for insurance online or not, you should look at your insurance carrier websites. Insurance carriers now offer detailed information about coverage online. In fact, once you have settled on a carrier you can often answer coverage questions, pay bills, get updates on claims and find useful tip sheets and information on how to better protect yourself and your property. A primary example of this is your health coverage. Most health insurance carriers still prefer you to sign up through your employer or an agent. However, once you have your coverage, they offer information about doctors, medical options, prescriptions, and claims. Considering health care is one of the most complex types of insurance used, their increasing online presence is an invaluable tool. To explore online insurance options more, please see the links below.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart,[1] the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.[2] Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases risk of other asbestos-induced cancer.[3] Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).
The symptoms of mesothelioma include shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss. The diagnosis may be suspected with chest X-ray and CT scan, and is confirmed with a biopsy (tissue sample) and microscopic examination. A thoracoscopy (inserting a tube with a camera into the chest) can be used to take biopsies. It allows the introduction of substances such as talc to obliterate the pleural space (called pleurodesis), which prevents more fluid from accumulating and pressing on the lung. Despite treatment with chemotherapy, radiation therapy or sometimes surgery, the disease carries a poor prognosis. Research about screening tests for the early detection of mesothelioma is ongoing.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Jobs in Nepal
District Coordinators : Detail
Here are the details of this job listing. From this page you can apply for this job, or send it to a friend, by clicking on one of the buttons below.
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Category: Social Science
Detailed Job Description / Requirements:
The Dalit NGO federation is an umbrella organisation dedicated to establishing Dalit Rights. It has around 300 member organisations and a presence in 60 districts. DNF has its regional chapters in five headquarters (Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Nepalgunj and Danghadi) of the country. DNF with the support of DFID/ESP has recently launched the project "Improved Access to Socio-economic Opportunities for poor Dalits" in 10 districts (Mahattori, Rautahat, Siraha, Saptari, Surkhet, Banke, Kallali, Battadi, Baglung and Syanga) from five development regions of Nepal. The project focuses on 3 key areas: access to health and education, strengthening livelihood opportunities and advocacy for Pro-Dalit policies. DNF is looking for committed project staff for the following regional and district based positions. District Coordinators (10) KEY RESPONSIBILITIES • Assist in the planning, implementation and monitoring of field level project activities • Ensure coordination of project activities with local Dalit NGOs, DDCs, CDO, VDCs and other government district line agencies and civil society organisations and staff • Ensure full participation of Dalit NGOs and Dalit communities in the project activities * Support local Dalit NGOs in implementing project activities • Submit regular progress reports to the Project Manager. SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE: Minimum requirement of an Intermediate's degree with 5 year's experience or a Bachelor's degree with 3 year experience in social science or any related field. Experience in working with community groups, managing partnerships and working to strengthen civil society will be additional advantage. HOW TO APPLY Please send your CV outlining your key roles and responsibilities plus a personal statement of up to 1 page maximum outlining why you would be suitable for the post along with interested region/district to jobs@dnfnepal.org by no later than the 5th October 2009. The application also can be sent to following addresses of DNF regional offices: Dalit NGO Federation (DNF): Far-western Region: Hasanpur-5-Dhangadhi. Phone: 091-524879, Mid-Western Region: Shantinagar-5, Nepalgung. Phone: 081-550022, Western Region: Simalchaur-8, Poknara. Phone: 061-539843 Eastern Region: Biratnagar-15, Morang Phone: 021-521891. Central Region: Sanepa-2, Lalitpur Phone: 01-5529075 DNF welcomes applications from interested candidates, particularly minority groups, including Dalits, Women, Indigenous groups and people with disabilities. Note: Published in the Himalayan Times Daily Date: 17/09/2009
Special Instructions for Applicants:
All the applicants are requested to apply to the respective addresses mentioned in the individual job postings and NOT to Websoft International Pvt. Ltd OR JobsNepal.com.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Govt-TU temporary teachers reach agreement; indefinite fast ends
The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Tribhuvan University's temporary teachers have signed a seven-point pact regarding the demands raised by the teachers, Wednesday night.
The temporary teachers have called off all programmes of agitation following the agreement at the talks held with ministry officials, late evening, Yesterday.
MoE has agreed to give permanent status to the temporary teachers after fulfilling the official criteria and increase the pay to a minimum of Rs 200 per class.
Likewise, an agreement has been reached to form a seven-member task force comprising the teachers' representatives to work out strategies to address the remaining demands of the teachers.
Three temporary teachers were on fast-unto-death since past ten days to pressure the government on their demands. One of the fasting teachers, Lila Raj Baral, had been admitted to hospital after his condition deteriorated.
They have broken the fast at midnight, Wednesday following the agreement.
Earlier on Wednesday, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued a statement expressing concern over the deteriorating health condition of the teachers and urged the government to find a solution through talks.
NEA seeks 100 MW more electricity from India
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has asked Power Trading Corporation (PTC) of India to provide at least 100 MW of electricity to Nepal at a commercial rate from December, this year.
NEA wrote to PTC requesting it to supply electricity to Nepal through the transmission lines in Naikatiya, Biratnagar, Gandak and Nawalparasi from December and Tanakpur of Kanchanpur from January about two weeks ago. PTC has not replied yet.
In the letter, NEA has also asked PTC to determine the commercial rate.
Earlier, India had refused to provide more electricity to Nepal at subsidised rate. Nepal is importing about 100 MW of electricity at subsidised rate.
NEA has predicted at least 12 hours of load shedding this winter. Last year, load shedding had exceeded 16 hours per day. nepalnews.com
For Democrats, 60 Senators Is Magic Number for Health Bill
WASHINGTON — The unveiling of a compromise health care proposal has Senate Democrats pondering a daunting mathematical challenge: how to keep all 59 Democrats united and attract at least one Republican to pass an overhaul measure.
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Senator Olympia J. Snowe, a Republican whose support Democrats want on a health care bill, with reporters on Wednesday.
A blog from The New York Times that tracks the health care debate as it unfolds.
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Baucus Offers Health Plan but Lacks G.O.P. Support (September 17, 2009)
Guarded Optimism Among Insurers, but Some Health Sectors Remain Skeptical (September 17, 2009)
As many lawmakers on Wednesday got their first detailed look at a Finance Committee plan that was months in the making, senators immediately began exploring whether the plan — when combined with elements of another, more liberal one — could win enough senators to reach that magic procedural number of 60.
“We have to meld a couple of things together and see where we are,” said Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut. “I wouldn’t say today with absolute certainty that you could get to 60, but it would be just as foolish to say you can’t get there either. This is the Senate.”
In trying to reach critical mass for legislative success, advocates of health care overhaul face an extremely delicate balancing act. With the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Democrats control 59 seats, meaning they need at least one Republican to join them if they are to proceed without employing a procedural shortcut that could cause havoc in the Senate.
And Senate Democrats have substantial differences of their own. More liberal members like Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia and Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont, have been strong advocates of a public insurance option; many of the more centrist Democrats have come down just as strongly against one. Centrists are interested in holding costs down; progressives want to bring more Americans under the insurance umbrella, a push that drives costs up.
As a result, changes intended to bring the centrists and conservatives in line could drive away progressives, while any move to draw in the more liberal elements could end up alienating the centrists. There is little margin for error.
“I continue to believe that you start at the center and then move to collect additional support on both ends of the political spectrum,” said Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat and health policy expert whose seat on the Finance Committee makes him a key player as that panel considers the new plan from Senator Max Baucus, the Montana Democrat who leads the committee.
Juggling the individual party demands can be dizzying. Another Finance Committee member, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, is digging in against potential Medicare cuts. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania wants to make sure the plan does enough for poor children, while Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana is worried about health costs for small businesses and middle-class families.
And Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, typically one of the hardest votes for Democratic leaders to corral, is looming as a particularly tough sell. “At the end of the day, I want to see everything before I commit to anything,” said Mr. Nelson, who added that he would have trouble backing a bill that did not have some Republican support.
Yet winning over just one Republican will take extraordinary effort, partly because of the intense pressure from colleagues to deny Democrats a legislative victory. Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, the Republican viewed as the most likely to back the proposal, did not endorse the plan on Wednesday, though she is talking to Democrats.
Other Republicans considered potential allies under the right circumstances have their own reservations. Senator Susan Collins, another Maine moderate who has joined with Democrats in the past, has not seen enough emphasis on cutting health care costs over all.
Senator George V. Voinovich of Ohio, who is retiring and thus may face fewer political constraints, said he feared the expansion of coverage for the poor could bankrupt states. “To be candid, I don’t know how you pay for it,” he said.
Given the steep climb toward 60, Senate Democratic leaders have begun to make another argument to lawmakers. They are pressing colleagues to vote with the party on procedural matters related to health care legislation and against any filibuster — a 60-vote issue — even if they intend to oppose the measure in the end when simple majority rules.
Senators are usually reluctant to clear the way for a bill they might vote against since they relinquish their most powerful leverage, but the message is evidently reaching some.
“It is difficult to ask someone to facilitate the enactment of legislation with which they disagree,” Mr. Bayh said. “But to move the process forward, to improve things, to get to the point where you can support it substantively, that of course I would be willing to do.”
Even with all the policy disputes compounded by political and procedural hurdles, Democrats said they still believe they can get a bill through. But it will not be easy.
“Do I believe there is enough consensus around here to get a bill done in the end? Yes,” Mr. Casey said. “But I also believe it is going to be a difficult couple of weeks.”
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