“What should I sell? What products are hot selling? These are the questions most people are trying to find an answer in order for them to make the definite decision. And if we really want to know the answer to this question, our only choice is to do some research. There are all kinds of twists along the road that may lead you to think you have a high-demand idea. We must be able to understand and satisfy the need, wants and expectations of our customers on a certain product that they’re trying to buy. This three are called the basic needs or minimum requirements in a purchase. Needs are the basic reasons or the minimum requirements consumers are looking for in a product or service. They are called the qualifying or “gatekeeper” dimensions in a purchase. Wants are the determining dimensions among many choices. Expectations, on the other hand, are values or intangibles associated with a product or service. Expectations are actually part of “wants” but they become extremely important when products or services are not differentiated.

For example, in reading a logic book, university students look for the following: Relevant logic concepts use of simple language, easy to understand and affordable prices. These similar ideas can be applied to Internet Sales as well. After all, the Internet is just another place to sell products. The basic concept of demand is the same there as it is anywhere else, and has been all the time.

Now, the second thing that must be considered in finding “hot” products to sell are the level of competition or the market shares do your product will have. Market share or level of competition means the ratio of your brand sales versus the total market sales. While companies would naturally define its target competitors, it is actually the consumers who ultimately decide the competitive frame, or the list related products or services that consumers consider when exercising their purchasing power. We must therefore choose the market segment where we can have a potential leadership or at least a strong challenger role. Because the overriding objective of getting into this business is not just to satisfy the needs and wants of our customers but to do so profitably better than his competition. Otherwise, our competition will end up satisfying the customers better than our own interest.

Third factor to be considered in finding hot selling products is finding out the general interest level about the product. General interest in a product helps us to gauge where our demand and competition numbers fall into the big picture. Simply saying, if there isn’t much demand for the product, and there isn’t much competition, it would seem that it might not be good a good put up for sale. But the research doesn’t stop here; there is one last thing to be considered to exactly find the hot selling products that you’ve been looking for. We must also learn how others are advertising those products. If there are a good number of them doing so, it may mean that it’s a good product to get into. Coming to the last phase of the process is analyzing and evaluating all the information that has been collected. We have to look at all of the data we have collected on demand, competition, and advertising, and make decision as how they all balance out.

And here are several factors or aspects that must be measured: (a) not enough demand means not enough people are going to buy (b) too much competition means not enough of a profit to go around (c) too much advertising drives up the price of pay per click ads, and competition as well (d) not enough general interest, combined with low demand, means there may not be a good market even if there is competition trying to make the sales.

http://tinyurl.com/3vn3yn

Source: CRU Analysis: Steel Sheet Quarterly, April 2005

Koda, et. al. (1995) observed in 1995 that self-support ratio between capacity expansion and steel demand increase over time, but a situation of lack of supply capacity in ASEAN will continue until the year 2005.

By 2000, ASEAN steel mills only accounted for 6.2% of Asia’s 170.56-million tons per year (Mtpy) Hot Rolled mill capacity, and only 2.5% of the world’s 431.09Mtpy. For Cold Rolled mill capacity, moreover, ASEAN steel mills accounted for 8.6% of Asia’s 87.54Mtpy and 3.2% of the world’s 233.68Mtpy. For Galvanized mill capacity, however, ASEAN steel mills accounted for 11.8% of Asia’s 38.02Mtpy and 4.0% of world’s 111.25Mtpy, refer to Appendix Q: List of Asian Steel Companies. These capacities would change in 2006 (IISI, 2007).

Notes:

Composite Resources Unit (CRU) (2005), International Steel Sheet Quarterly Industry and Market Outlook. London: CRU, April 2005. back to text

Koda, S., Kaihara, T. and Dobashi M. (1995), “Steel Demand Projection in Asia,” Tokyo: Kawasaki Steel, 03 August 1995. pp. 1-5. back to text

International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) (2007), World Steel in Figures 2007, Brussels, Belgium: IISI, Committee on Economic Studies, 04 September 2007. back to text

Well, I found a politician who does understand, at least some things.  His name is President George W. Bush.

The following is from the Q&A session that followed the President's Press Conference on July 15, 2008 with a few of my own comments thrown in.  Any text highlighted was done by me.

Q Gas prices are now approaching $5 a gallon in some parts of the country. Offshore oil exploration is obviously a long-term approach. What is the short-term advice for Americans? What can you do now to help them?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, there is a psychology in the oil market that basically says, supplies are going to stay stagnant while demand rises. And that's reflected somewhat in the price of crude oil. Gasoline prices are reflected -- the amount of a gasoline price at the pump is reflected in the price of crude oil. And therefore, it seems like it makes sense to me to say to the world that we're going to use new technologies to explore for oil and gas in the United States -- offshore oil, ANWR, oil shale projects -- to help change the psychology, to send a clear message that the supplies of oil will increase.

Secondly, obviously good conservation measures matter. I've been reading a lot about how the automobile companies are beginning to adjust -- people -- consumers are beginning to say, wait a minute, I don't want a gas guzzler anymore, I want a smaller car. So the two need to go hand in hand. There is no immediate fix. This took us a while to get in this problem; there is no short-term solution. I think it was in the Rose Garden where I issued this brilliant statement: If I had a magic wand -- but the President doesn't have a magic wand. You just can't say, low gas. It took us a while to get here and we need to have a good strategy to get out of it.

theClassicLib: There has been a lot of hyperbole about "speculators" lately (see here), however, the President clearly understands the law of supply and demand.  He understands that even the idea of increased world oil supplies will reduce the price of futures contracts currently being bought.  This is no different than when shares of company XYZ decline on a rumored earnings warning some time off in the future.

Bush also points out that consumers, not government drive markets (aka supply and demand), and that nobody in government has a magic wand to make economic changes on demand.

Q But you do have the Strategic Oil Petroleum Reserve. What about opening that?

THE PRESIDENT: The Strategic Oil Petroleum Reserve is for, you know, emergencies. But that doesn't address the fundamental issue. And we need to address the fundamental issue, which I, frankly, have been talking about since I first became President -- which is a combination of using technology to have alternative sources of energy, but at the same time finding oil and gas here at home. And now is the time to get it done. I heard somebody say, well, it's going to take seven years. Well, if we'd have done it seven years ago we'd be having a different conversation today. I'm not suggesting it would have completely created -- you know, changed the dynamics in the world, but it certainly would have been -- we'd have been using more of our own oil and sending less money overseas.

theClassicLib: Right!  Everyone today is so focused on the immediate (which requires the use of that magic wand), that they can't see the forest through the trees.  Now is the time to start drilling, so we don't have the same (or worse) conditions a mere 7 years from now.

Q Mr. President, understanding what you say about energy supplies being tight and the debate over energy ... one thing nobody debates is that if Americans use less energy the current supply/demand equation would improve. Why have you not sort of called on Americans to drive less and to turn down the thermostat?

THE PRESIDENT: They're smart enough to figure out whether they're going to drive less or not. I mean, you know, it's interesting what the price of gasoline has done, is it caused people to drive less. That's why they want smaller cars, they want to conserve. But the consumer is plenty bright, Mark. The marketplace works.

So no question about what you just said is right. One way to correct the imbalance is to save, is to conserve. And as you notice my statement yesterday, I talked about good conservation. And people can figure out whether they need to drive more or less; they can balance their own checkbooks.

theClassicLib: This Q&A addresses a fundamental difference between today's Left and Right.  On the Left, they simply don't believe people can and/or will make good choices in their lives without the explicit direction (and regulatory authority) of the Federal Government.  On the Right, there is trust in individuals to make wise choices for themselves and their families.

This is further illustrated in the following Q&A ...

Q But you don't see the need to ask -- you don't see the value of your calling for a campaign --

THE PRESIDENT: I think people ought to conserve and be wise about how they use gasoline and energy. Absolutely. And there's some easy steps people can take. You know, if they're not in their home, they don't keep their air-conditioning running. There's a lot of things people can do.

But my point to you, Mark, is that, you know, it's a little presumptuous on my part to dictate to consumers how they live their lives. The American people are plenty capable and plenty smart people and they'll make adjustments to their own pocketbooks. That's why I was so much in favor of letting them keep more of their own money. It's a philosophical difference: Should the government spend their money, or should they spend their own money? And I've got faith in the American people.

And as much as I regret that the gasoline prices are high -- and they are -- I also understand that people are going to make adjustments to meet their own needs. And I suspect you'll see, in the whole, Americans using less gasoline. I bet that's going to happen ... And as you notice, the automobile industry is beginning to adjust here at home as consumer demand changes. And the great thing about our system, it is the consumer that drives our system; it's the individual American and their collection that end up driving the economy.

theClassicLib: Yes, it's a philosophical difference.  No additional comment needed.

Q `You never mention oil companies. Are you confident that American oil producers are tapping all of the sources they have out there, including offshore?

THE PRESIDENT: What about them -- do I think they're investing capital to find more reserves with the price at $140 a barrel? Absolutely. Take an offshore exploration company. First of all, it costs a lot of money to buy the lease, so they tie up capital. Secondly, it takes a lot of money to do the geophysics, to determine what the structure may or may not look like. That ties up capital. Then they put the rig out there. Now, first of all, in a federal offshore lease, if you're not exploring within a set period of time, you lose your bonus; you lose the amount of money that you paid to get the lease in the first place.

And once you explore, your first exploratory, if you happen to find oil or gas, it is -- you'll find yourself in a position where a lot of capital is tied up. And it becomes in your interest, your economic interest, to continue to explore so as to reduce the capital costs of the project on a per-barrel basis. And so I -- I think -- I think they're exploring. And hopefully a lot of people continue to explore so that the supply of oil worldwide increases relative to demand.

theClassicLib: Are oil companies investing in oil exploration?  LOL!  That's what they do! That's their business!  I'm sorry, but whoever the journalist is that asked this question, isn't even bright enough to ask questions of the local class C softball team, let alone the President of the United States of America.

Yet ... The Mainstream Media can't figure out why their losing money and market share ... um, uh ... well ... maybe it has a lot to do with insulting your customers intelligence with such ridiculous questions.

Supply and demand have a relationship?  What is this nonsense?  Errr...uhh....jobs....environment...rich people suck.  (Lest anyone think I'm a big GOP fan, I'd suggest a similar article for the GOP, but perhaps having them attend a civil liberties course)

HotAir.com

The New Hampshire Union-Leader has a novel approach to solving the energy crisis: send Democrats to economics classes.  In an editorial yesterday, the U-L flunks Congressional Democrats for their work so far on addressing a supply shortage by blaming those reacting to it.  Instead of demonizing “speculators” who can only foresee more shortages as America refuses to produce its own resources, perhaps Congress should unshackle domestic production instead:

MAYBE THE quickest way to lower oil and gas prices would be this: Immediately enroll every Democratic member of Congress in an entry-level economics class.

The lack of even a basic grasp of economic concepts has led Democrats to oppose sensible policies that would begin to lower oil and gas prices. Instead, they push hair-brained ideas that make no sense.

That should be hare-brained, but let’s not split hares.  Er, hairs.   On speculators and their effect on oil prices, the U-L has it exactly correct:

Any step Congress takes to produce a large increase in future supply — opening the outer continental shelf to drilling, for example — will reduce current prices. If there will be a lot more oil 10 years from now, a barrel of oil today loses some of its investment value, and its price falls.

As Harvard economics professor Martin Feldstein wrote in The Wall Street Journal on July 1, “Increasing the expected future supply of oil would also reduce today’s price. That fall in the current price would induce an immediate rise in oil consumption that would be matched by an increase in supply from the OPEC producers and others with some current excess capacity or available inventories.”

This is pretty basic stuff. And yet Democrats are oblivious. They adamantly oppose more domestic drilling, claiming that it won’t affect prices for decades. Clearly, they have yet to grasp the basic concepts of supply and demand.

Democrats clearly don’t understand the mechanisms of pricing.  Their rhetoric on speculators demonstrates this, as it misses the point.  Speculators matter only in shortage economies, as the future value of any commodity becomes more relevant in inverse proportion to its availability.  Even apart from that, speculators want to make money just as in any other commodity trading.  If they foresaw a glut of oil, they’d bet short on it just as quickly as they’re going long on oil now.

All of this is Econ 101, as the U-L notes.  That may be a bit below King Banaian’s focus as chair of economics at St. Cloud State University, but I’m pretty certain that King would be gracious enough to schedule a lecture series for Congressional Democrats who want to learn how markets work rather than continually work from ignorance to the detriment of the nation.  (via Let Freedom Ring)

2. Anderson believes that popular taste is the result of poor supply and demand matching. Would Anderson consider the Beatles’ success the result of poor music supply? Why are their songs still famous all over the world in a decade that has many other options available?

3. In the chapter 11, Anderson writes that the blogosphere is already competing with the mainstream online media. Even though there are blogs that produce high quality and accurate content, there are many blogs without credible sources and others that are still online but were abandoned. How can Anderson be sure that people will maintain their blogs for years? And for those that are good, how does he know bloggers will maintain the same quality standard?

On page 13 it states that an approach is being exploited that will "design services that reflect the needs of customers not arbitrary targets or performamnce measures", which seem to contradict the 'raison d'etre' of NI 14 itself?

On page 18 is the statement "Understanding the demand and thus avoidable contact will not necessarily be easy", which is true but I can't see how the relationship has been established at this stage, 'avoidable contact' or 'failure demand' cannot by themselves indicate where the problem exists, they indicate an issue with the whole system of in the case of a summary indicator, the entirity of council services.

On page 21 we have the very obvious: "local authorities should look for what is regularly (in other words predictably) being raised by customers as a problem". I would argue that regularity and predicatbility are an indication that the citizen has waited too long! The first report of a problem. or dissatisfaction, should set alarm bells ringing, if only quietly!

Primarily, page 34 says it all: "Finally, we should not forget the contribution of customers themselves. Not only will they often help you to identify instances of avoidable contact (...), they may also be able to suggest improvements (...). You may therefore want to consider how you can pick up key instances of avoidable contact in any surveys or focus groups you run with citizens. And where your analysis is telling you there is a problem is a particular service area or customer group, you will need to think how best to get customer input into the redesign of the service."

Which all seems to be to be the tail wagging the dog! If the systems are designed around the citizen in the first place and recording of dissatisfaction is in place and actioned, the 'avoidable contact' will be only what is required as part of the system, where legislation enforces it for example and which central government needs to resolve or leave. Some of the classic examples are around electoral registration where an e-form can be made available but cannot be returned electronically, since it requires a signature and then must be returned by post or face-to-face, which probably falls in the realm of exceptional circumstances (page 40).

Therefore, Containerisation International has drawn on its extensive knowledge and contacts in the industry, together with the leading economic and trade forecasting group Global Insight and resurrected its Future Liner Supply & Demand report.

It covers 11 trade lanes and projects how the market will develop in each direction over the next two years, deriving supply/demand balance percentages and slot utilisation levels.

These routes include Asia, Western Asia, North America - West and East Coast, South America East Coast, Europe, Northern Europe, Mediterranean, Australasia and Southern Africa.

A detailed assessment is then made of the impact of the changes in the supply/demand balance on freight rates.

For the first time, CI intends adding 3 quarterly reports and will add additional trades lanes to the study over the next 12 months.

The report provides all of the necessary intelligence required by ocean carriers in working out their ship deployment programmes, planning their investment strategies, plus it helps ports assess their terminal capacity requirements and shippers in contracting future services; i.e should they sign long-term contracts or rely on the spot market etc.

An essential forecasting tool, presented in an easy to understand format including tables for quick reference - Future Supply and Demand for Liner Services 2006/08 is available in electronic PDF format only and is due to be published December 2007.

For more information kindly visit our website :  http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=6354

ERS advises that Clients are using cost savings to enhance the attractiveness of the package offered to secure quality Permanent employees, as Employers enjoy the benfits of stabilising the workforce, allowing greater investments in the development of valuable personnel and enhanced retention within specialist teams. ERS report that Clients are offering very attractive packages to secure the very best staff as competition hots up.

ERS is finding that in these days of economic uncertainty, a well paid and secure permanent postion is proving very attractive to the best quality candidates, keen to secure the best ongoing terms for their skillsets. 

ERS advise that excellent career opportunities now exist with some of the leading Specialist Engineering firms and Nuclear Operators for personnel with qualifications and experience in  Mechanical, Engineering, Electrical, EC&I, Safety, Compliance, Quality Control and Assurance, Process, Business Development, Commercial Management, Project Management, Planning, Design, Structural and Civil Engineering, New Power Plant Build, Construction, Commissioning, Decommissioning, Construction, Site Management, Waste Management, etc.

Details of current vacancies can be found via http://www.ersjobs.co.uk or feel free to contact Simon Turner direct for an informal chat about your career objectives. More information about ERS is available on  http://www.nuclear-energy.co.uk

To discuss how to best leverage your skillset and enjoy the best possible terms of engagement, contact Simon Turner of ERS on +44(0) 1454 203 460 or submit a CV to cv@energyrs.co.uk to register your interest or request a Job Search.

For example, Arcane Dust, search for it on the auction house and you will most likely find tons of it. The reason for this is that people can post as much as they want without riscing loosing money. Another good point is that since it doesnt cost any money to post it you can use your surplus to drive up the prices. Remember what I warned you about with the auctioneer addon, that it might not tell the full truth? Here is what happens. Say you want to sell Arcane Dust at 1 gold / dust. Post some 10-15 arcane dust at 1 gold / dust and then post some 10-15 more at for example 2 gold / dust! This will fool the auctioneers into believing that the 1 gold stacks are cheap. If you do this on a regular basis everybody who trusts the auctioneer prices will think that 1 gold is cheap. Since there is no deposit you can do this constantly and should you sell any of the 2 gold stacks well then you can consider yourself even luckier.

With trade goods like Arcane Dust that there always is a demand for you can also play the auction house in a slighly larger game. If you decide that the minimum price of Arcane Dust should be 1 gold then you buy everything available below 95 silver. The reason I say 95 silver is because when you sell an item at 1 gold you will get 95 silver since the little goblins (or dwarfs or trolls) take a 5% cut for selling the item, therefore as to not loose money when selling for 1 gold you may never buy above 95 silver. Now this requires a bit of attention becuase now you have to constantly monitor the auction house and buy out everything that is cheaper and re-post it more expensive. If you stop monitoring it odds are someone will start selling theirs a few silver cheaper than yours.

To make this "game" safer choose any no-deposit product and find the normal sell value of it (by monitoring the auction house). Once you've estimated a good sell price (which works, try and sell some items) then buy everything below 20% of that price and resell at your normal price (and as I said earlier with some high prices to drive up the average). This way you can make profit of almost any no-deposit item in game that has a fairly high consumption in the server population (Arcane Dust, Void Crystals etc).

One thing you almost always get (except more money) while doing tricks like these is tons of the items you are trading. A good idea could be to pick an item that you have use for yourself since you do not want to flood the market with your surplus stacks. An example is to use the surplus items for crafting and sell the result (for example Arcane Dust to Wizard/Mana oil).

We have alternatives, substitutes if you will.   By substituting other things for foreign oil, we destroy some of the demand that drives the runaway prices.   Oil will eventually crash anyway.  Why not in the interest of our national economy and national securtiy just stop buying oil stocks and futures and sell what you have?  It's a smart move financially.  It is a patriotic move.

The U.S. is the largest user of crude oil.  A patriotic move by investors and consumers could pull us out of an eventual depression.  We have the power to do this.   Do we have the will?

The silver lining in this dark cloud is that the pain at the pump is creating a resolve in the general public to replace oil.  I'm seeing electric cars on the road.   More people are buying scooters for short trips around town.  Long distance vacations are being replaced by creative stay-at-home vacations.  Telecommuting jobs are in big demand.

The oil market has created permanent enemies with the painfully high prices.  The goose that laid the golden egg (the public demand) is terminally ill.   Gasoline is endured now, no longer embraced.  The public mindset has been historically and permanently altered.

When addicts go to a residential treatment facility, they make a clean break with their addictive substance and begin the painful process of de-tox.  We need a clean break with foreign oil and then let the withdrawl pains run their course.   This problem cannot be solved without sacrifice and pain.  It's time to get America off the park bench and throw the bottle in the garbage.

         Many Americans have already started to alter aimless driving habits.  I see nothing wrong with that...we all could do better in planning where we go and what we do while we are out and about.  Some people are in denial about the severity of the situation regarding supply and demand as well as all of the damage to our planet that our carelessness has brought.  

         Would the general population get behind a national drive 55 speed limit?  I think it is going to take some convincing as it will be viewed by many as an inconvience after being legally allowed to drive up to 70 mph on some highways.  After all, it will take longer to get where they are going.  I think more people would be willing to do it if they felt that the automakers were doing more to ensure that we were getting more miles to the gallon by the way that they factory set the computers on our vehicles to use the gasoline we spend our hard earned dollars on.

        Back in the seventies, I remember the drive 55 campaign; it was something like, Stay Alive...Drive 55.  The focus was on safety.  There are studies that show that driving 55mph saves up to 4,000 lives a year from traffic deaths.  That is a serious number of lives that could be saved.  Is it worth the inconvience of driving a slower speed on the highway if it saves families from prematurely loosing loved ones?  I think so.  Do i WANT to be slowed down...not necessarily, however; if i stop and think that maybe one of those loved ones that could be saved could possibly be one of my own family or friends...definately, slowing down is worth the inconvience.

        Senator Warner refers to the previously mentioned studies that show that 167,000 barrels of oil a day could be saved by driving 55 mph.  With the cost over $141.00 a barrel; that could be a significant savings of both oil and money.   Is that reason enough to lower the national speed limit to 55mph?   Driving 55 instead of 70 or 75 ( we all know people drive at least 5 miles over the limit because they get away with it) can save up to 25% of the United States oil consumption.  So, maybe driving 55 will work because the oil supply is not going to last forever; it is already becoming harder to pump out of the ground because of the heavy demand.

        Looking at the impact on the Earth's atmosphere is another area of concern regarding our usage of gas and oil without regard for long term reprecussions.  Greenhouse gasses have been poo poohed for quite while now; people are in denial about the damage our planet has sustained because of our daily choices in how we conduct our lifestyles.  That denial no longer works.  Scientists, doctors, inventors, engineers and world leaders are now getting on board with many in the general population trying to come up with ways to cut down on the damage; and, coming up with ways to heal the damage that has already been done, by making greener choices.  Coming up with alternative energy sources is a must; in the meantime, we must support ideas of utilizing the resources we have in better ways.

      Today, G-8 or Group of Eight world leaders have decided to set a goal to half the greenhouse gasses in the world by the year 2050.  This is admirable to have the wealthiest industrial countries to set the lead.  Those countries include the US, Italy, Great Britain, Japan, Russia, Germany, Canada, and France; I am happy that they are taking the bull by the horns.  However, of great concern is China which is having a surge in people who are buying and using automobiles rather than public transportation.  In China, the population is growing and the demand for gasoline is growing as well.  China is developing their roadways and highway systems and that is going to enable more people to buy vehicles; which is going to add to the demand for gasoline and oil consumption.  Awareness and cooperation, as well as, education is going to be the key to limiting the demand by consumers.   Is that reason enough for the United States to lower the speed limit to 55 mph; probably not, many will say, why limit ourselves if China won't or some other country won't.

        When you stop and start tallying up the reasons to lower the speed limit in the US...you start to see a pretty compelling argument for the call to slow down.  Saving lives, saving money, saving the Earth's resources of gas and oil, limiting the damage to our environment by limiting the production of greenhouse gasses that can destroy our quality of life...together, those are all pretty darn good reasons to take life a little slower and realize that each person, each city, each state, each country or providence can combine their efforts to change the world for the better. 

         I am going to make a committment to slow down to 55.  I will rewrite my expectations of myself and plan ahead for the sacrifice of speed by leaving a bit earlier instead of driving faster.  I will encourage others to realize that they too can make changes that will benefit us all.  How about you...are you willing to endorse a drive 55 national speed limit?

"Precious metals have had value in all civilizations, have survived all financial crises, and can be expected to do the same in the future. However, it is to all investors' interests that they know what they are doing before investing in precious metals." - Bill Haynes, President of Certified Mint, Inc.

Any precious metal investor before he/she buys gold or silver coins or bullion has to learn to separate truth from hype, and to discern what is a good price for their investment. Today we look at one such myth all investors must be aware of.
Many precious metals sellers actively promote (or at best, choose to actively ignore) many widespread myths and misunderstandings regarding the purchase of precious metals, like gold, silver and platinum. In general, these misconceptions and falsehoods foster the public notion that the government may yet again "call-in" or confiscate gold as it did in 1933, and that requiring purchases of precious metals to be reported are a major prelude to confiscation. When such unfounded fears in run rampant in the minds of precious metal investors, unscrupulous precious metals firms can sell larger volumes of expensive (and often overpriced) gold and silver coins, and ingots.

Investors who believe those stories will invariably pay too much for, or buy the wrong coins. And that is certainly something at any savvy investor should avoid, or at least be wary of.

This is a preview of "Understanding the Myth of Government Gold Confiscation". To read the full entry, go to http://finegoldsilver.com/information/understanding-the-myth-of-government-gold-confiscation/2008/05/18/

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<< How to reduce oil dependency

David Kirsch, an oil analyst at PFC Energy, said that if the most promising areas off Florida and California were opened for drilling, their peak production in a decade could be as little as 250,000 barrels a day — less than a quarter of what the gulf produces now. “It’s almost a desperate attempt to take advantage of the political climate brought on by high energy prices to steamroll through legislation that won’t fundamentally address those high energy prices,” Mr. Kirsch said. (As reported in the New York Times)

250,000 barrels a day – to put this number in perspective, it's the amount that the Cantarell oilfield in Mexico declined in the last six months (and its decline will continue).

It's the amount that North Sea oil fields declined in the last year (and their decline will continue). It's the amount taken offline recently when rebels in speedboats attacked an oil rig off the coast of Nigeria. It's a little over 1% of our current oil consumption and maybe a third of a percent of the world's. It's spit in the bucket.

Meanwhile, conservation methods offer us a way to reduce our dependence on oil by as much as one-third. That would be 28 times as great an effect. Twenty-eight times. We wouldn't have to spend anything, or spoil anything, to do it. We could start right away, rather than waiting 10 years. And perhaps most tellingly, it would be a benefit that actually accrued to squeezed U.S. citizens, rather than a benefit that accrued to oil companies and whoever will bid the highest for the offshore oil.

It's what the other developed nations of the world have done. Maybe we should take advantage of the research they've done in this area? Or must we live through the World Without Oil scenario first?

Related news articles:

• Driving Less, Americans Finally React to Sting of Gas Prices, a Study Says, NY Times, June 19, 2008.
• Prices Curtail U.S. Gasoline Use, Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2008.
• Gas demand may have topped off, Bloomberg, June 19, 2008.
• With gas prices soaring, Americans driving less, Associated Press, June 19, 2008.
• Gas May Finally Cost Too Much, BusinessWeek, April 23, 2008.
• Short-Term Energy Outlook, US Energy Information Administration.

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If you already caught this informational video (Robert Kiyosaki’s 2008 Predictions for the Economy), you would be wondering how to invest in silver bullion. In today’s post, we examine the various varieties of silver bullion bars available for investors to purchase.

One hundred-ounce .999 fine silver bullion bars are a convenient way for precious metals investors to invest in silver. 100-oz silver bars are uniform in shape, which means they are easier to stack and store. Because a 100-oz silver bar weighs roughly 6.86 pounds, silver bars are easier to handle.

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• Gold Price Reaches New Record Of $1,000 An Ounce
• Gold at record on firm oil prices

The mainstream media is catching up to World Without Oil's vision for an oil-challenged future. Experts are "shuddering at the inflation-fueled chaos" and "foreseeing fundamental shifts in the way we work, where we live and how we spend our free time." "You'd have massive changes going on throughout the economy," said Robert Wescott, president of Keybridge Research. "Some activities are just plain going to be shut down." Push prices up fast enough, said Michael Woo, a Los Angeles Planning Commissioner, and "it would be the urban-planning equivalent of an earthquake." And S. David Freeman, president of the L.A. Board of Harbor Commissioners, said "The purchasing power of the American people would be kicked in the teeth so darned hard that they won't have the ability to buy much of anything." Do you remember the abandoned cars in WWO? Experts support this and offer a rough number: 10 million abandoned cars.

Read all about it in this LA Times article by Martin Zimmerman. Graphic from the article.

Who = Peoples Republic of China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Company (SNPTC) has recently selected the Westinghouse/Shaw Consortium and Westinghouse’s AP1000 passive Generation III technology as the basis for four nuclear power plants

The AP1000 Consortium will be working closely with Energy Recruitment Solutions in the  implementation of the new build program with positions and assignments.

As part of the AP1000 Consortium, Shaw provide engineering, procurement, commissioning, and management services for the four Chinese nuclear generation units.

We have an ongoing need for staff to fulfill this large scale demand for professional skilled and educated construction and engineering experts.  We have positions across all disciplines within construction and Engineering for long term ex pat staff positions near Shanghai.

We would like to hear from candidates with recent & current experience in construction engineering of Nuclear Power Stations across the world.

Experience from Ukraine, Romania, South Africa ,Sweden, Slovenia Bulgaria ,Finland, Russia, Lithuania ,India, slovakia, france Canada  & China.

Why= With the fastest growing economy in the world and its population aggressively demanding to catch up with the western world.  Huge demand is placed on the shoulders of the PRC to enable businesses to operate across its vast lands.

With an enormous percentage of its population still living off the land and largely still existing without mains electricity. You have another demand for upgrading the national infrastructure to support the businesses and as the population that converts to working within its factories is looking to emulate its western counterparts.

Wages enable independence better quality of life with improved towns and buildings.

Mainland China already has eleven nuclear power stations in commercial operation with a further six under construction, and plenty more in the planning stages about to start construction.  China needs more Nuclear reactors if it is to continue its vertical climb in world wide dominance.

The countries rapid expansion in its growth of commercial and industry factories leads not only to national power shortages but also a heavy reliance on Fossil fuels that as a direct result is also a big impact on health and its smog related effects on the nation.

More Why China has to reduce its carbon foot print as its the second-largest contributor to energy-related carbon dioxide emissions after the USA.

Nuclear power is a natural choice to support the required power capacity in the coastal areas remote from the coalfields and where the economy is developing quickest

Where  Shanghai and north and south at Sangmen and Haiyang.

At the end of February 2007 a framework agreement was signed between Westinghouse and SNPTC specifying Haiyang in Shandong province  as the site of the second pair of AP1000 units, with Sanmen.

In July 2007 Westinghouse, along with consortium partner Shaw, signed the AP1000 contracts with SNPTC, Sanmen Nuclear Power Company, Shangdong Nuclear Power Company and China National Technical Import & Export Corporation (CNTIC). There were no specific terms released however figures of $5.3 billion for the deal have been widely quoted.

The Sanmen site works commenced in February 2008 and full construction for unit 1 is to start in March 2009, with the first power expected late in August 2013. 

Its is widely acknowledged that EDF will take a 30% share in the Taishan project as joint venture partner with CGNPC.

We understand that the Taishan Nuclear Power Company which will oversee the building, then own and operate the plant.  Cost is estimated for the project, including fuel supply, to total in excess of 8 billion Euros.  The Steam turbine generators alone will cost circa 300 million Euros

Contact ERS, the specialist Nuclear Recruitment firm on 01454 203 460 or info@energyrs.co.uk for further details of Nuclear Job opportunities in China and the Far East.

People who want to drill for more oil are like the addict who in desperation steals his child's piggy bank to get a fix. This is almost a perfect analogy. Except that the addict who steals his child's money to get a fix actually gets the fix. People who push for more drilling probably won't. If they would only examine the reality of that future:

1. No oil will actually be produced for about 10 years.

2. When it is produced, it will be sold at market rate to the highest bidder.

3. When it is produced, it will be a trickle meandering through a mostly dry riverbed. The world will be running on 20% to 50% less oil than it is today, and the new oil won't even offset the continuing slide.

So the perfect analogy would be the drug addict who steals his child's piggy bank to pay a runner who will go off for ten years then return with a tiny bag of dope which he will sell to the person who can best afford his astronomical price. Someone who can afford to pay multiple times what we are paying now.

So I can understand why owners of private jets are all for drilling, because they have a huge sum invested in their jets and you'll never fly a jet on alternative power. And of course Big Oil is pushing for it (played by Darrin McGavin in the movie). But for the average person, drilling makes no sense. But then, neither does addiction.

Mr. Fong,

I was quite surprised when I read in the Sacramento Bee about a couple facing a fine for conserving water by not irrigating their lawn (http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1054905.html).

While I certainly understand the need to maintain healthy and aesthetically acceptable areas around our houses, a fine for not irrigating a lawn in a drought year is irresponsible at best. As a water resources professional, I see a fundamental disconnect between attempts to more efficiently manage water at the state-wide level and demand management at the municipality level.

We should be encouraging as little water use as possible by promoting, for example, use of native vegetation and other low to zero irrigation schemes, rather than penalizing those who realize that we do, indeed, live in a dry region and choose to act accordingly.

I thank you for your concern for and leadership in responsible water use.

Regards, David R... (Land Park)

On penguin chat 3, an older version of club penguin, you could be a ninja. Here is a pic:

There is also a roomer going round that you can become a ninja by visiting the dojo and staying still for 10 minutes and then you have the choice to be a ninja.

That concludes this weeks ninja mysteries, let me know what you think about them!

~hasta la vista, baby!

Until recently, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software had the unenviable reputation for being difficult to implement in many mid-sized enterprises. Reasons for project failure included high start-up & maintenance costs, I/T resource requirements, lack of user adoption, and large changes to existing business processes.

Fortunately, vendors have recognized these issues and have adapted their products accordingly. Currently there are many hosted CRM solutions that can be quickly implemented at reasonable costs. Read this summary to learn the benefits of hosted CRM and understand the current marketplace.

What is a Hosted CRM System?

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a business strategy that covers methods and technologies used by companies to manage their relationships with clients. Information stored on existing customers (and potential customers) is analyzed and used to this end. Automated CRM processes are often used to generate automatic personalized marketing based on the customer information stored in the system.

There are two major types of CRM system: in-house or hosted. Hosted software, or 'on-demand' as it is often called, is delivered via the Internet. Examples of common hosted software systems include Hotmail, Travelocity.com, and online banking.

Hosted CRM System Benefits:

• Monthly Subscription-Based Pricing - most hosted CRM systems provide a very attractive subscription-based pricing model. Ranging between $20-$125/user/month, these systems are affordable for mid-sized enterprises.
• No I/T Resources Required - organizations that have do not have I/T resources find exceptional value from the hosted model, as systems users and administrators can have little or no prior technology experience.
• Very Quick Implementation - most deployments can be implemented within a few weeks. When compared to in-house deployments of 6-18 months, the hosted model becomes a much more viable option.
• High Availability - Application Service Providers (ASP) deliver these hosted solutions and provide Service Level Agreements, which guarantee availability. Although these systems have been known to go down from time-to-time, there is a better chance that your in-house system would be less reliable.

Key Mid-Market Vendors:

• Quaero SpringBoard Hosted CRM Solutions - this package combines Campaign Management, Predictive Modeling, Marketing Resource Management, Web Portal, Report Builder, and Marketing Knowledge Center in a very flexible and affordable manner. Customers can select which modules they require and develop a completely customized system that can later be brought in-house should their requirements change.
• Salesforce.com - unquestionably the market-leader, Salesforce.com provides very user-friendly Sales Force Automation, Marketing Automation, Customer Support, and Reporting capabilities. Their platform integrates with many third-party applications, and they boast over 400 applications that are available on their AppExchange, a directory full of on-demand applications.
• RightNow Technologies - this vendor provides Sales Automation, Marketing Automation, Voice, Analytics, and Service & Support applications that can be combined in a product suite to meet customer requirements. With 1,700 customers, RightNow Technologies will continue to compete in this space.
• SugarCRM - known for its open-source architecture, this platform is very easily customized by internal application developers. Coming in at around $40/user/month for their Professional version, this solution is less expensive than Salesforce.com, but with only 90 employees, may be less viable.
• NetSuite CRM+ - this solution is available in two versions with their 'PLUS' edition offering standard CRM capabilities plus Order Management, Incentive Management, Project Tracking, Customer Portal, Website & Analytics, and Partner Management which they claim Salesforce.com, Siebel On-Demand, and Microsoft CRM do not offer out of the box.
• Siebel On-Demand - recently purchased by Oracle, Siebel On-Demand is a new offering from Siebel was a market-leader for in-house CRM systems. Particularly effective for customers who already have mainly Oracle systems, this solution is geared for larger enterprises.

Action Plan:

1. Discuss with Steering Committee - have a brief discussion regarding your organization's ability to track Sales, Marketing, & Customer Service activities to determine if migrating to a newer, more advance system makes sense.
2. Evaluate Existing Systems - conduct an audit of your current systems, such as excel spreadsheets, client lists, or CRM software to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your current environment to determine potential impact.
3. Make a Decision - determine if your current systems are adequate, or if a new CRM system is required. If you need a new system, have a discussion regarding the benefits of a hosted CRM solution versus an in-house system.
4. Document Requirements - work with Sales, Customer Service, and Senior Management to understand what your requirements are. Next, prioritize these requirements so that you will be in a good position to compare vendors.
5. Assess Hosted CRM Providers - create a short-list of potential vendors and book a few demonstrations to learn about the pros & cons of each solution. Use independent research firms, or buyer's guides to save time with this exercise.
6. Select a Solution(s) - based on your key requirements, determine which system can meet your requirements and budget. Include stakeholders from each department who will be using the system in the decision-making process, as their buy-in and adoption of the solution is absolutely essential.
7. Conduct a Pilot - test the system with a small group of users for a 30-90 day period. Adapt your business processes to accommodate for the new system and analyze performance results. It is critical that your new system enables more sales, improved marketing tracking, and better customer service, or else it is not worth the time & resources needed to migrate from your old system.
8. Roll-out to Enterprise - once the business case has been proven, scale up your deployment. Have each department come on-board one-at-a-time so that you can build momentum and internal system knowledge incrementally. Appoint a system administrator who can head up the training process.

Bottom-Line:

CRM systems are one of the top investment priorities for mid-sized enterprises this year. Learn how the hosted model for service delivery can provide strong return on investment, and get your pilot started immediately.

Related Reports & Tools:

Are you Prepared for CRM?

CRM Consulting Partners Revealed

CRM Consulting Services RFP

CRM Readiness Assessment Tool

Develop Customer-Centricity with CRM

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