Archive for April, 2009

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Market Manipulations Come From Goldman, Citi, BoA, JP Morgan Investment Divisions April 28th, 2009

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The hybrid bank entities then go to the government and ask for billions of bail out money. Guess what? They are not using the bailout money to lend. These entities keep the bailouts and form an insider trading circle to manipulate the market (the good old boys network is still intact). Not possible? These hybrid entities and few hedge funds combined have at least 300 billion to trade. If that kind of number doesn’t move the market, what will? Notice how the government doesn’t ask where the money is going after its dole out? Accounting rules (GAP) allow these entities to show money is still in the books, but not how it is used. Since nobody has any idea how much the bank’s derivatives and CDOs are worth, if these hybrid entities lose money to market gambling, they will go back to Washington and ask for more bailout, claiming the CDOs and derivatives are killing them.

You will only see strong manipulation with Dow Jones Industrial Average, because there are only 30 stocks to manipulate, and 300 billion goes a long way compared to say, S&P 500.

PPT pulls the strings by providing ammo (money) through government bailouts. This forms plausible deniability if PPT was found out to be manipulating the market; finger pointing would logically point to Goldman, JP Morgan, et al.

Here is the sad part: the middle class lose either way. First, middle class lose money via deteriorating pension fund and 401Ks, because not every mutual fund and pension fund manager can join the insider trading circle. Second, money is taken away by taxation so these hybrid entities can gamble with your money. This is the biggest scam of the century. And don’t get me started with financially irresponsible people.

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Yellow Pages Advertising Design: Must You Use That Gargantuan Phone Number? April 28th, 2009

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Have you ever noticed that a lot of Yellow Page advertisers like to display gigantic telephone numbers in their Yellow Page ads? Do you happen to be one of them? After 3 decades of designing print ads, I’m still perplexed (and amused) when clients occasionally comment on their Yellow Page ad proof with… “The ad is perfect, just make the phone number 5 times larger”. I guess the thinking goes like this: The larger the numerals appear, the more likely your prospect will be to punch in those numbers. Sounds funny when put into words doesn’t it? The truth is that displaying a HUGE phone number doesn’t mean your prospects are any more likely to call you.

A huge phone number just eats up costly and precious ad space. Your telephone number, along with your other Call-to-Action information (business name, logo, hours, etc.), should appear in the bottom portion of your ad, in a suitable size that does not detract from the overall LOOK and CONTENT of your yellow page advertisement. Correct proportional relationships between the various ad elements (Headline, Body Copy, Artwork & Call-to-Action) are far more essential to achieving a successful, phone-ringing yellow page advertisement. Regardless of the size of your ad, a 14-20 point phone number is PLENTY legible for all but the legally blind.

So what will cause prospects to call – in other words, what should you do with all that space that would have been taken up by your gargantuan phone number? Use every square millimeter of your limited ad space for what REALLY counts: A big, benefit-related headline that sets you apart from the others in a powerful, meaningful way
A unique, eye-grabbing photo or illustration that reinforces the theme of your headline
Compelling use of “white space” that makes your ad inviting to the eye and easy to navigate
Persuasive and compelling ad copy that speaks to your prospect’s emotional state of mind

So, if your phone number screams and dominates your Yellow Page ad space, downsize it and redirect the emphasis of your ad to the four items above. These elements (and how they interact with each other) will determine whether your next Yellow Page ad is a powerful, phone-busting winner OR just a plain ‘ol sore loser.

Would you like additional Yellow Page ad design tips and suggestions? Perhaps you have specific Yellow Pages advertising questions? Please contact me and I’ll be happy to help.

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Instant Approval Credit Cards – Where to Find Them April 27th, 2009

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When you go in for instant approval credit cards, you will usually receive a verdict on your application flat within minutes In some cases, more time may be required to process your application and you will be told after a few moments whether or not you have been accepted for the same. Good to excellent credit rating by you is usually required to get instant approval for an online decision credit card.

Instant Approval Cards

The greatest advantage about applying for a credit card online is that not only can you choose among the best credit card offers available, you may also be able to get an instant response to your credit application which you have entered online.

Online approval for instant decision cards is a great convenience because you do not have to wait for weeks to find out whether you are approved or not. by means of online approval credit cards, you usually get a reply within less than a minute. So if one corporation decline your request, you have the alternative to attempt with a different card company immediately. Various convenient online tools are available to compare credit cards to choose from a list of the ones that are available and in which you are interested in.

Of course, not to forget even with instant credit card approvals, you still have to wait in anticipation of your recently approved card arrives through the snail mail previous to you can start using it. That will usually take at least 5 to 7 business days.

Would you like too know how companies offer credit cards with immediate endorsement make a decision so fast? The decision is made by the computer and based mainly on your credit score, in addition to a match of your social security number, address and phone number. Before mailing out the credit card, the card issuer will take time to double-check the information that you have submitted, and make the decision about how high a credit card limit can be issued.

It is always recommended that you do not apply to more than 2 or 3 cards at one time. Applying to many cards in a short period of time will definitely affect your credit score.

Many more credit card offers available do not unavoidably give instant sanction but still have great features. If you look for a transfer balance, cards offering 0 apr for an introductory period will work well.

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Trademark Monitoring April 27th, 2009

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After you’ve had your trademark application filed, it’s absolutely necessary that you monitor your trademark in some way. The USPTO does conduct a search of their own files so if someone does file for a Federal trademark after your registration it typically is rejected. However, relying on the USPTO to protect your trademark is a mistake for several reasons.

First and foremost, the USPTO is going to operate by their guidelines, which are strict to an extent. However, they may not be strict enough for your own liking. Let’s look at a real life example:

• Norcross Safety Products has a registered Federal trademark for Ladybug for “garden clogs and garden boots,” which is in International Class 25, the clothing class
• TSP Fashion has a pending Federal trademark for Lady B. for clothing of all types in International Class 25 and specifically mentioned “shoes, sandals and slippers”

On the surface they look different except in looking at the record for Lady B.

you can see that there is also an inclusion of a design of a ladybug. Again, the names are different but the message of the name is similar as is the industry, namely clothing. This is not to say that the USPTO is wrong in not refusing Lady B’s filing but it does prove my point.

Let’s just assume that Norcross would take issue with this mark. Unless they’re monitoring their mark in some way, Norcross would not have a clue that Lady B. is close to becoming registered.

Second, it can take the USPTO almost 6 months to conduct a search of their records. This means that a competitor can be using the same or similar name that whole time, which means you’re likely losing customers and if so, you’re definitely losing money.

Third, the USPTO only searches their records, which consist of the Federal trademarks.

Yes, that’s a large number of records however State trademarks are going to be relevant to your business as well.

Let’s say your business primarily does business on the West Coast but you have plans to expand to the East Coast. A Federal trademark does give you the right to the entire country, however, if someone has a New York trademark you’ll have new hurdles to deal with in expanding that can be time consuming and costly.

Those are three important reasons why monitoring your registered trademark is a necessary part of your business plan. There are a couple of different ways you can go about monitoring your mark – 1) hire a trademark monitoring service OR 2) have comprehensive trademark research conducted every 2-3 years.

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