Posts Tagged ‘international’
Online Merchant Account – Costs and Alternatives
Merchant Account Basics
A Merchant Account is a commercial bank account established by a merchant to receive payment via credit cards. Three parts are required to accept credit cards. Besides a merchant account, you need a local bank checking account to deposit funds and a processing solution, such a terminal or web-based store front to take credit card payments. Online merchant account, or ecommerce merchant account, is a merchant account that can take credit orders on the Web.
Cost of Merchant Account
An online merchant account will boost your online sales, but merchant account incurs various types of cost. A merchant account usually requires a one-time setup fee between $50 – $100. Some merchant account providers waive the setup fee in promotion period or in conjunction with other services. Other costs include gateway fee, statement fee, annual fee, transaction fees and discount rate fees.
Accept Credit Card without Merchant Account
When you first start an online business and have limited resources, the alternative would be to use the services of a credit card processor. You can enjoy the benefits of processing credit card transactions online without the requirements of a merchant account and high costs involved. Paypal, WorldPay, PaySystems and Clickbank are some of popular credit processing services. Popular shopping carts or online storefronts, such as eBay Store, Yahoo! Store and Microsoft bCentral, offer built-in credit card processing capability.
International Merchant Account
International merchant accounts, or Offshore Merchant Accounts, are merchant accounts that allow the merchants to accept payments from around the world– regardless of where your business or customers are located. Comparing to an online merchant account, two major services that come with an International merchant account are Multiple-Currency Support and International Fraud Protection.
Wireless/Mobile Merchant Account
Mobile merchants used to face unique issues when accepting credit card payments. With the advancement of high-speed wireless networks and mobile technology, mobile businesses are no longer limited in their payment options to just cash or checks.
Many mobile merchant account (http://www.4th-media.net/online_payment/mobile_merchant_account.php) service providers waive application fee and setup fees to attract more businesses. However, the use of wireless service provider does incur the expense of the terminal hardware, activation fee, monthly service fee, and transaction cost.
Copyright @2005, Bruce Zhang
Bruce Zhang has over 10 years experience in developing ecommerce and e-business application such as literature fulfillment (http://www.4th-media.net/order_fulfillment/literature_fulfillment.php) and supply chain management applications.
Protect Your Family From Solar Flares
Protect your family from solar flares. Solar flares emit dangerous gamma radiation, which affects everything from gravity waves to the Earth’s tectonic system. These solar flares are dangerous to human life. The Gamma Radiation is dangerous to the human bio system. Many severe solar flares can cause cancer and It heats up the atmosphere and can drastically change weather patterns too. We have had some serious solar flares in the last few years, which have affected our lives. Some say that Earthquakes are in part due to the disruption of the natural electromagnetic distribution of the Earth along with causing disruptions in gravity waves.
One group of scientists and future prediction study group is calling for a huge solar flare which could kill 2 billion humans if it occurs on the side of the sun where they Earth is passing thru. That is pretty drastic indeed. It could cause massive seismic activity, cook you alive or kill all the crops and many might starve. These scientists and remote viewer people are not anyone you wish to quote in the mass media. We know as the sun gets older and perhaps within ten billion years the sun will expand and cook the Earth before it burns out. This would be a very bad day for Earthlings indeed.
How can you protect your family from solar flares of such extreme magnitude? There are many ways actually. NASA has done many studies to protect astronauts in the International Space Station and Space Shuttle. Our Satellites have lots of protection. Luckily we have a strong atmosphere protecting life on Earth, but there are ways as shown by NASA to do even better. One could use a dense material on the roof. Titanium or lead; one might also use water tanks which block out such solar radiation. For instance put swimming pool on your roof or build a water collection device for rain and leave it on the roof under a cover so it does not evaporate. You could use it to grow plants and it might help the nearby smog and air pollution issues.
You could buy a nano carbon material sheet, which is very dense and it will block out most all of the gamma radiation. Bend it over your bed and simply sleep in during the sunlight period that day. You will be protecting your self and your family from cancer causing radiation. No sense in getting skin cancer due to a one or two day solar flare problem? You might wish to be thinking of ways to protect you and your family from solar flares while you are at home. Think on this.
“Lance Winslow” – If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
An Aspirin A Day Can Give You Cancer
I want to share a health alert with you. So many people today are taking an aspirin a day – many upon the recommendation of their doctors and many simply because they think it is the “healthy” thing to do. However, a recent study involving 88,000 nurses revealed a 58% increase in the risk of pancreatic cancer among those who took 2 or more aspirins per week for 20 years or more. (“Daily aspirin use linked with pancreatic cancer,” Reuters Health News, 10/27/03)
I expect the standard disclaimers from the medical profession – something about balancing the risks with the rewards. However, pancreatic cancer is a doctor’s nightmare. It is very hard to diagnose and there is no cure. And, there are natural, safe alternatives to reduce the risk of inflammation and clot formation.
If you are taking an aspirin daily to prevent the formation of blood clots, I recommend a daily dose of vitamin E, high potency bromelain and gamma linolenic acid (found in evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil and borage oil). Some authorities also recommend a daily dose of fish oil. If you want to know more about how much you should take (since the dose is individualized to body weight), call the office for a brief consultation and I can give you your exact dosage.
Dr. Richards is a Diplomate of the American Board of Chiropractic Internists, a certified herbalist, and a Fellow of the International Academy of Clinical Acupuncture. She was recently awarded the distinction of being invited to become a Fellow in the International College of Chiropractors. Dr. Richards has been in practice for over eighteen years, teaches professionals, lectures, and is currently working on several books. Her website is http:// http://www.richardsfamilyhealth.com/
Dr. Richards can be reached at Richards Family Health Center (626) 963-1678.
Brain Development and Due Process
DUE PROCESS
Africans, especially Nigerians are stereotyped on the internet and offline in foreign countries as corrupt, cheats and thieves.
Whenever I have to introduce myself to foreign contacts, whether online or offline, I must make visible effort to prove my contact wrong, because he or she instantly sees me as a scammer-419, another Nigerian cheat or thief.
This situation must be very disheartening to innocent Nigerians, who must be wondering why government seems unable to correct the awful situation. But should the question; why is our nation bedeviled with the scam scourge and corruption that rubbish us in the eyes of the international community not be asked?
The answer is: Our society is carbohydrate dependent and so poor brained, and government officials are products of this same carb-society. Just as over consumption of carbohydrate predisposes the awful degenerative disease known as diabetes, our country and continent progressively degenerate into poverty, corruption and scam scourge of international dimension.
Yes, that’s true!
The genesis of corruption is poverty. Both Continental and national poverty stem from lack of balanced diets that result stunted brain development.
Nigerian and indeed African diets are 90% carbohydrate and 10% of overcooked soups, with very little or no nutrients required by human brain to develop fully in order to be able to handle due process.
Because of this situation, cheating which begins right from school coupled with lopsided curricular taught by teachers, tutors and lecturers who are ill-equipped both intellectually and materially produce graduates whose main goal in life is consumption by all means, in a comatose economy of abject lack of honest means of livelihood.
The brain is the intelligent part of the body. It controls the rest of the body through the interpretation of sensory impulses that triggers the different functions of life. A brain that is carbohydrate dependent is incapable of due process, both within and without.
The highest function of life is thinking which takes place in the brain by the constant transfer of chemical signals between brain cells, up to one thousand limes a second.
To be able to do its work of coordination and control of life’s functions, the brain’s nutritional needs must be met for it to manufacture correct and adequate quantity of chemicals that it requires, diet must delivered correct and adequate quantity of nutrients into the blood stream and across the blood-brain barrier to provide constant nourishment, replenishment and both hormonal and chemical balances that will support brain’s mental ability for due process.
Just like other cells and organs of the body, the brain’s requirement and availability or non-availability of nutrients forestalls or predisposes stress, impairment or lack of vigour. Which leads to the brain devising shortcuts such as cheating and corruption instead of due process?
This is a heavy price for depending on diets that are devoid of both major and trace minerals, vitamins and protein.
Most Nigerian and indeed black African diets are 90% carbohydrate and 10% of useless overcooked vegetable soups. Fruits are eaten inconsistently, even though both vegetable and fruit’s nutrient contents are almost totally diluted by poor soil, hazardous agricultural practices and food processing methods that leave little or no nutrients for the brain to develop fully and be able to handle due process.
Nigeria, therefore, suffers from poverty occasioned by poverty of the mind due to poor nutrition, which results chronic corruption.
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The best things we will ever do are those things that improve our lives and those of other people http://tianshi.wealthyhealthyways.com
Choosing The Perfect Coach
So, you’re ready to start coaching. You either have some issues that you think a coach can help you overcome, or you just think it’s time for a quality of life tune-up. You’ve reviewed your budget and set aside some money to cover the fees and you’ve ascertained that you are reasonably free of any serious mental or emotional issues that might interfere with the process. But now comes the big question: “How can I find a coach that’s right for me?”
To Niche Or Not To Niche?
For starters, you need to know what kind of coach you want to work with. Do you want a generalist or someone who specializes in your issue or lifestyle? Some professionals hang out the shingle of a “life coach” and field anything and everything that comes their way, within their own personal standards and competencies. Others specialize so tightly that you wonder how they can find a big enough market to stay in business (and yet, they do!). A generalist can be great if you’re not sure what your main issue is, or if you want the freedom to move around from one life issue to another over a wide range of areas and subjects, whereas a specialist is perfect for someone who wants to concentrate on a very specific segment of their life or activities. And for every possible niche, problem, situation or person there are at least a handful of coaches – parenting coaches, menopause coaches, family coaches, business coaches, family business coaches, custody coaches and coaches for single dad’s who own their own business and who want to be better fathers and businessmen (see what I mean about a narrow market wedge?). If you live it, run it, do it or live through it there’s a coach out there who works with people just like you.
Quack or Jack?
One thing you should know before setting off to find a coach is that as of this writing (9/04), there is no consistent or required certification process for coaches in America (or in many other countries, that I know of). However, that does not mean that the industry is full of fakes and fumblers. As in many professions, lack of credentials do not necessarily indicate a lack of skills and ability any more than a wall full of degrees guarantees them.
Currently, the International Coaching Federation and the International Association of Coaches are the top two certifying boards in America. However, since coach certification itself is so new, very few coaches have been certified to date. This means that there are thousands of perfectly competent and even gifted coaches out there with no “papers” to speak of. So how do you tell a good coach from a bad one? The only real way to tell is to do your homework. Ask for references from prior clients. Check to see if the coach in question is a registered member of any of the ethical regulating boards, such as the IAC or ICF. If your coach gets results, doesn’t cross any ethical lines (diagnosing mental illness, offering guarantees of improvement, crossing personal/professional boundaries, etc) and fits well with your personality and way of being, then you are probably in good hands.
Be Vewwy Vewwy Quiet – I’m Hunting Coaches
Now that you’ve narrowed down your choice, it’s time to go on the hunt for a few coaches who meet your requirements on availability, price and personality. Of course, word of mouth is always the best way to find any professional service provider, as they come prescreened and pre-approved by people you trust. If you don’t know anyone who can recommend a coach, one of the easiest ways to find one is through a coach referral system. Be sure the referring site’s requirements for listing submissions meet your personal guidelines for coaches – some sites require little more than a submission fee. A few of the more popular and reputable coach referral sites are Coachville, the International Association of Coaches, the International Coach Federation, and the European Coaching Institute.
Check out the prospective coach’s profile and their website, if they have one. Do they inspire a feeling of competence and professionalism? Read through any articles or other material they have written to get a feel for what sort of person they are and if their views and outlook mesh with yours.
See if they offer a free initial interview – most do – and set up a call with your top picks. Come prepared with a list of questions you want to ask – don’t forget to inquire about price, frequency of sessions, between session support such as emails and brief phone calls and anything else that you can think of that gives you pause. Share any fears and concerns you have with the coach and pay attention to how they answer as much as what they say. Are they evasive, or effusive? Do they make sure they understand your question completely before answering or do they give you a canned speech? Are they warm and inviting or brusque and fast-paced?
You’ll have to decide for yourself who fits your personality best – ask about cancellation policies if you’re worried about getting “stuck” in a coaching relationship – but if you follow these guidelines you’ll have a sound start on your next great adventure – exploring you. Bon voyage!
(c) Soni Pitts
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.
She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.
