Information Centre

Advantages of banking on rural area

2009-10-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

“The strength of the Bank’s credit policy coupled with its knowledge of the rural sector are important elements in limiting the impact of drought conditions on its financial performance,” Mr Hutchinson said.
Though banking transaction in the rural area is not a new idea for other country it is still unapproachable to the people of Nepal.Now a new concept of rural development through banking on industrialization, on agriculture,and many more has been thought.Small rural government Bank provide people by providing equipment and money so that they can do what they are skilled in. Small help can also give lot of back support for the development.

Online banking

2009-09-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

Online banking allows customers to conduct financial transactions on a secure website operated by their retail or virtual bank, credit union or building society.Protection through single password authentication, as is the case in most secure Internet shopping sites, is not considered secure enough for personal online banking applications in some countries. Basically there exist two different security methods for online banking.
The PIN/TAN system where the PIN represents a password, used for the login and TANs representing one-time passwords to authenticate transactions. TANs can be distributed in different ways, the most popular one is to send a list of TANs to the online banking user by postal letter. The most secure way of using TANs is to generate them by need using a security token. These token generated TANs depend on the time and a unique secret, stored in the security token (this is called two-factor authentication or 2FA). Usually online banking with PIN/TAN is done via a web browser using SSL secured connections, so that there is no additional encryption needed.
This has made banking more easier and fast any one can have banking transaction easily.

Many financial solutions for student

2009-07-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Solution Provided by TRFCU
Three Rivers Federal Credit Union offers many financial solutions to help ease the burden of financing a college education. From Debit and ATM Cards, Credit Cards, and shared branches; we offer it all. Talk to a Three Rivers F CU representative today.
Many students feel that education after high school is simply out of reach financially. You might think you can't go because you parents can't afford it. Below are some commonly asked questions about planning for college:
*How can I afford to go to college?
There is money, called financial aid, to help you pay for college. Financial aid comes from different places: the Federal Government, the State you live in, the college you choose, educational associations, and financial institutions such as Three Rivers Federal Credit Union. Your chances of getting financial aid are as good as anyone ease's. All you have to do is plan ahead and apply for it.
*Can I get financial aid without high grades?
Probably, since most financial aid is based on need, not grades. You and your family have to show you need help paying for college.
*I have to pay financial aid back, right?
There are three basic types of financial aid: grants, work-study, and loans. Grants are like gifts because you don't have to pay them back. Some grants, called scholarships, are based on grades, athletic skill, and other abilities. Work-study is a part-time job, usually on campus, that helps you earn money to pay for your college expenses. Loans must be paid back after you graduate or leave college. Most students obtain a "package" mixing all three types of financial aid.
*What if I want to go to an expensive college?
Financial aid can help you afford even the most expensive college. That's because aid is based on the difference between what a college costs and what the federal or college formula used to determine aid says a family can pay. So, you could be eligible for more aid at an expensive college, while the amount of money you pay should stay the same.

Banking transaction for student

2009-07-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is the most significant facilities for the student for the further career development.Different bank provide different banking services for the convenience of the student.
Bank of Ireland is delighted to bring you this offer in association with Vodafone. When you open a student current account and become a Vodafone customer, you will receive free texts and calls for life to any Vodafone number. This is subject to one top-up of €20 per month. Vodafone are the first and leading 3G Network so you can search with Google, share with MySpace, see with Video Calling and lots more. With loud, clear coverage and award-winning customer service, Vodafone has great value for everyone.
What is the offer?If you open a 2nd level Bank of Ireland account between 1st June 2009 and 31st of May 2010 you will receive a €50 voucher off a pre-pay Vodafone mobile phone and instructions on how you can register for €10 free call credit a month to May 2010. The voucher will be posted to you approximately one month after you open your account and you will begin receiving credit the month following that.

Actions of NBFCs.

2009-07-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

NBFCs

Non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) are financial institutions that provide banking services without meeting the legal definition of a bank, i.e. one that does not hold a banking license. Operations are, regardless of this, still exercised under bank regulation. However this depends on the jurisdiction, as in some jurisdictions, such as New Zealand, any company can do the business of banking, and there are no banking licenses issued.Non-bank institutions frequently acts as
*suppliers of loans and credit facilities,
*Trading money market instruments
*funding private education,
*wealth management such as Managing portfolios of stocks and shares and
*Underwrite stock and shares, TFCs and other obligations
*retirement planning
*Advise companies in merger and acquisition
*Prepare feasibility, market or industry studies for companies
*Discounting services e.g., discounting of instruments

US Taxation of life insurance

2009-07-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

Taxation of life insurance in the United StatesPremiums paid by the policy owner are normally not deductible for federal and state income tax purposes.
Proceeds paid by the insurer upon death of the insured are not included in gross income for federal and state income tax purposes;however, if the proceeds are included in the "estate" of the deceased, it is likely they will be subject to federal and state estate and inheritance tax.
Cash value increases within the policy are not subject to income taxes unless certain events occur. For this reason, insurance policies can be a legal and legitimate tax shelter wherein savings can increase without taxation until the owner withdraws the money from the policy. On flexible-premium policies, large deposits of premium could cause the contract to be considered a "Modified Endowment Contract" by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which negates many of the tax advantages associated with life insurance. The insurance company, in most cases, will inform the policy owner of this danger before applying their premium.
Tax deferred benefit from a life insurance policy may be offset by its low return in some cases. This depends upon the insuring company, type of policy and other variables . Also, other income tax saving vehicles (i.e. Individual Retirement Account (IRA), may be better alternatives for value accumulation. This will depend on the individual and their specific circumstances.
The tax ramifications of life insurance are complex. The policy owner would be well advised to carefully consider them. As always, the United States Congress or the state legislatures can change the tax laws at any time.

what is IFC?

2009-07-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

IFC

IFC (International Finance Corporation), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, issued today a publication entitled "Banking on Sustainability," which demonstrates that banks that integrate environmental, social and governance concerns into their business strategy and seek out opportunities in those fields add value to their business.
The publication provides practical examples of 14 financial institutions in 12 countries that have taken concrete steps to integrate sustainability into their policies, practices, products, and services.
"While detailing the evidence of potential benefits for banks in integrating sustainability into their business strategy, the report reveals a dramatic shift in banks’ awareness of these benefits," said Rachel Kyte, IFC Director of Environment and Social Development.
"There are real opportunities for banks in reaching previously unserved segments of the market, including women entrepreneurs or energy efficiency projects," said Jyrki Koskelo, IFC Director for Global Financial Markets. "The publication provides a tool for banks to recognize these opportunities."
*Implemented social and environmental management systems
*Developed innovative financial products to expand their business into areas related to social and environmental sustainability.
*Reaped positive business impact by integrating social and environmental considerations into their operations and investment decisions.

IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, promotes open and competitive markets in developing countries. IFC supports sustainable private sector companies and other partners in generating productive jobs and delivering basic services, so that people have opportunities to escape poverty and improve their lives.

Whats Online Banking features?

2009-06-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Online banking (or Internet banking) allows customers to conduct financial transactions on a secure website operated by their retail or virtual bank, credit union or building society.
Online banking solutions have many features and capabilities in common, but traditionally also have some that are application specific.
The common features fall broadly into several categories

Transactional (e.g., performing a financial transaction such as an account to account transfer, paying a bill, wire transfer... and applications... apply for a loan, new account, etc.)

Electronic bill presentment and payment - EBPP

Funds transfer between a customer's own checking and savings accounts, or to another customer's account

Investment purchase or sale

Loan applications and transactions, such as repayments Non-transactional

Financial Institution Administration - features allowing the financial institution to manage the online experience of their end users

ASP/Hosting Administration - features allowing the hosting company to administer the solution across financial institutions

Features commonly unique to business banking include

Support of multiple users having varying levels of authority

Transaction approval process

Wire transfer

Features commonly unique to Internet banking include

Personal financial management support, such as importing data into personal accounting software. Some online banking platforms support account aggregation to allow the customers to monitor all of their accounts in one place whether they are with their main bank or with other institutions.

Benifit of Credit Union Banks

2009-06-28T15:37:00.001-07:00

Credit Union

A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members, and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at reasonable rates, and providing other financial services to its membersWorldwide, credit union systems vary significantly in terms of total system assets and average institution asset size since credit unions exist in a wide range of sizes, ranging from volunteer operations with a handful of members to institutions with several billion dollars in assets and hundreds of thousands of members. Credit unions differ from banks and other financial institutions in that the members who have accounts in the credit union are the owners of the credit union and they elect their board of directors in a democratic one-person-one-vote system regardless of the amount of money invested in the credit union. A credit union's policies governing interest rates and other matters are set by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by and from the membership itself.Credit unions offer many of the same financial services as banks, often using a different terminology; common services include: share accounts (savings accounts), share draft accounts, credit cards, share term certificates and online banking.The first credit union in North America, the Caisse Populaire de Lévis in Quebec, Canada, began operations on January 23, 1901 with a ten cent deposit. Founder Alphonse Desjardins, a reporter in the Canadian parliament.

Having Life insurance

2009-06-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Life insurance or life assurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the insured individual's or individuals' death or other event, such as terminal illness or critical illness. In return, the policy owner agrees to pay a stipulated amount called a premium at regular intervals or in lump sums. There may be designs in some countries where bills and death expenses plus catering for after funeral expenses should be included in Policy Premium. In the United States, the predominant form simply specifies a lump sum to be paid on the insured's demise.
The value for the policyholder is derived, not from an actual claim event, rather it is the value derived from the 'peace of mind' experienced by the policyholder, due to the negating of adverse financial consequences caused by the death of the Life Assured.The insurer (the life insurance company) calculates the policy prices with intent to fund claims to be paid and administrative costs, and to make a profit. The cost of insurance is determined using mortality tables calculated by actuaries. Actuaries are professionals who employ actuarial science, which is based in mathematics (primarily probability and statistics). Mortality tables are statistically-based tables showing expected annual mortality rates. It is possible to derive life expectancy estimates from these mortality assumptions. Such estimates can be important in taxation regulationThe insurance company receives the premiums from the policy owner and invests them to create a pool of money from which it can pay claims and finance the insurance company's operations. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of the money that insurance companies make comes directly from premiums paid, as money gained through investment of premiums can never, in even the most ideal market conditions, vest enough money per year to pay out claims.

The Bank of England Policy

2009-06-26T20:57:00.002-07:00

The Bank of England said it would accept a wider range of collateral, including some triple-A rated corporate and consumer loans, from banks under strain from a lack of cash in funding markets.The Financial Services Authority said Friday that it had raised the compensation limit for savings from £35,000 to £50,000, or about $88,000, per claim after signs that bank customers were withdrawing cash to put into perceived safer alternatives.
Several countries have tried to restore confidence among savers this week because of a credit crisis that has raised fears that more bank failures could result in savers losing money. British depositors were unsettled after the government rescued Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley and broker a takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB.
Britain's move on savings accounts fell short of Ireland's complete guarantee for all savers. Some analysts expect deposits to begin flowing into Irish banks as a result of the blanket guarantee.
The Financial Services Authority said that the new compensation ceiling would take effect starting Tuesday and that customers with joint accounts would be eligible to claim up to £100,000. "The chancellor has made clear that the authorities will do whatever is necessary to maintain financial stability and protect depositors," said the financial regulator's chief executive, Hector Sants.The British Bankers' Association said the move would "bring welcome certainty for customers," about 98 percent of whom would be covered.

Federal Reserve Banks

2009-06-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Federal Reserve banks are Government agencies that perform many financial services for the Government. Their chief responsibilities are to regulate the banking industry and to help implement our Nation’s monetary policy so our economy can run more efficiently by controlling the Nation’s money supply—the total quantity of money in the country, including cash and bank deposits. For example, during slower periods of economic activity, the Federal Reserve may purchase government securities from commercial banks, giving them more money to lend, thus expanding the economy. Federal Reserve banks also perform a variety of services for other banks. For example, they may make emergency loans to banks that are short of cash, and clear checks that are drawn and paid out by different banks.
Interest on loans is the principal source of revenue for most banks, making their various lending departments critical to their success. The commercial lending department loans money to companies to start or expand their business or to purchase inventory and capital equipment. The consumer lending department handles student loans, credit cards, and loans for home improvements, debt consolidation, and automobile purchases. Finally, the mortgage lending department loans money to individuals and businesses to purchase real estate.

Working Conditions in Financial Companies

2009-06-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hours.
Employees with automobile dealers work longer hours than do those in most other industries. Eighty-four percent of automobile dealer employees worked full time in 2006, and 37 percent worked more than 40 hours a week. To satisfy customer service needs, many dealers provide evening and weekend service. The 5-day, 40-hour week is the exception, rather than the rule, in this industry.
Work environment.
Most automobile salespersons and administrative workers spend their time at shared desks or nearby offices in dealer showrooms. The competitive nature of selling is stressful to automotive salespersons, as they try to meet company sales quotas and personal earnings goals. Compared with that for all occupations, the proportion of workers who transfer from automotive sales jobs to other occupations is relatively high.

How to smile!??

2009-06-19T23:25:00.002-07:00

Frown and you frown alone, but smile and the whole world smiles with you.

This is one of the wellknown proverbs that we normally get to hear. Many people are a little nervous about smiling. They don't think their smile looks good, or they think that smiling makes them look unprofessional or vulnerable. It's true that a smile does show a little vulnerability, but that's part of what makes it so powerful. No matter how professional, intelligent, or in control you think a serious face makes you appear, people almost always respond better to a smile.

Tips to smile

*Smile with your eyes.

When we think of smiling, we think of the mouth, but the eyes may actually be more essential to a warm, genuine smile. Smiling with your eyes is difficult to describe--in general your cheekbones lift slightly and your eyebrows dip a little--but when you see it, you know it: it's that look of your eyes "lighting up" or "twinkling." To get a feel for how to make your eyes smile, get in front of a mirror and practice smiling, but concentrate only on your eyes. You may find it helpful to cover the lower part of your face with a piece of paper. Play around with it a bit, and you'll find that you can make your mouth smile when your eyes aren't smiling, and you can also smile only with your eyes. When your eyes do smile, remember how it feels, which muscles are working and how. With practice, you'll be able to smile with your eyes at will.

*You don't need perfect teeth to have a perfect smile.

Not everybody has perfect teeth, and that's okay. Beautiful teeth are nice, but a great smile doesn't depend on Abercrombie & Fitch teeth. That said, if you feel uncomfortable about your teeth you may be reluctant to smile, and that's no good. If that's the case, either learn to appreciate your individuality or look into cosmetic dentistry procedures. Begin your smile with your eyes. If you find that every time you try to smile with your mouth, you look like you're faking it or, worse, like you're in pain, you may find it useful to look in a mirror and smile only with your eyes. Once your eyes are smiling, they tend to pull your whole face (including your mouth) into a natural, beautiful smile. You've probably heard of "contagious" or "infectious" smiles. There's a reason for this. When you smile, it does tend to make others around you smile. Even in the most stressful times, a roomful of smiles can brighten everybody's mood. Either that or make someone seriously angry at you, just because you are smiling when they are talking about someones funeral...

*Think happy thoughts.

The easiest way to a great smile is to be happy. You can be happy all the time, but not everybody is; when you are not, you can think happy thoughts instead. Think about something or someone that you care about, or think about a joke that you just find hilarious. Remarkably, when you're feeling down, smiling can help cheer you up, even if you have to coax a smile out at first.

A fake smile can make you look phony, nervous, or even dangerous, so don't just try to put on a smile without first practicing or putting yourself in a happy state of mind. A fake smile can make you look phony, nervous, or even dangerous, so don't just try to put on a smile without first practicing or putting yourself in a happy state of mind.

So always try to have a great smile in ur face like the small baby smiling.

Hydro Powers

2009-06-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Different type of hydro power and its uses

Hydropower is power that is derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes.Prior to the widespread availability of commercial electric power, hydropower was used for irrigation, and operation of various machines, such as watermills, textile machines, sawmills, dock cranes, and domestic lifts.
Hydroelectric power now supplies about 715,000 megawatts or 19% of world electricity according to reserch. Large dams are still being designed. Apart from a few countries with an abundance of hydro power, this energy source is normally applied to peak load demand, because it is readily stopped and started. It also provides a high-capacity, low-cost means of energy storage, known as "pumped storage".
Hydropower produces essentially no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions, in contrast to burning fossil fuels, and is not a significant contributor to global warming through CO2.
Hydroelectric power can be far less expensive than electricity generated from fossil fuels or nuclear energy. Areas with abundant hydroelectric power attract industry. Environmental concerns about the effects of reservoirs may prohibit development of economic hydropower sources.
The chief advantage of hydroelectric dams is their ability to handle seasonal high peak loads. When the electricity demands drop, the dam simply stores more water . Some electricity generators use water dams to store excess energy, by using the electricity to pump water up into a basin. Electricity can be generated when demand increases. In practice the utilization of stored water in river dams is sometimes complicated by demands for irrigation which may occur out of phase with peak electrical demands.
Tidal power
Harnessing the tides in a bay or estuary has been achieved in France, Canada and Russia, and could be achieved in other areas with a large tidal range. The trapped water turns turbines as it is released through the tidal barrage in either direction. A possible fault is that the system would generate electricity most efficiently in bursts every six hours. This limits the applications of tidal energy; tidal power is highly predictable but not able to follow changing electrical demand.
Tidal stream power
A relatively new technology, tidal stream generators draw energy from currents in much the same way that wind generators do. The higher density of water means that a single generator can provide significant power. This technology is at the early stages of development and will require more research before it becomes a significant contributor. Several prototypes have shown promise.
Wave power
Generators either coupled to floating devices or turned by air displaced by waves in a hollow concrete structure would produce electricity. Numerous technical problems have frustrated progress.
Wave energy is captured by an air driven generator and converted to electricity. For countries with large coastlines and rough sea conditions, the energy of waves offers the possibility of generating electricity in utility volumes.Hydro-powered electricity, however is not without its drawbacks. In addition to the significant threat that dams pose to fish populations and the ecosystems of rivers and streams, hydropower can negatively impact both the flow and quality of water. Lower levels of oxygen in the water can present a threat to animal and plant life,

It has become one of the important source of power generation.

Arts the way of life

2009-06-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Art

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics.
The definition and evaluation of art has become especially problematic since the early 20th century. Richard Wollheim distinguishes three approaches: the Realist, whereby aesthetic quality is an absolute value independent of any human view; the Objectivist, whereby it is also an absolute value, but is dependent on general human experience; and the Relativist position, whereby it is not an absolute value, but depends on, and varies with, the human experience of different humans. An object may be characterized by the intentions, or lack thereof, of its creator, regardless of its apparent purpose. A cup, which ostensibly can be used as a container, may be considered art if intended solely as an ornament, while a painting may be deemed craft if mass-produced.
Traditionally, the term art was used to refer to any skill or mastery. This conception changed during the Romantic period, when art came to be seen as "a special faculty of the human mind to be classified with religion and science".Generally, art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions.
Art can describe several things: a study of creative skill, a process of using the creative skill, a product of the creative skill, or the audience’s experience with the creative skill. The creative arts are a collection of disciplines (arts) that produce artworksthat are compelled by a personal drive and echo or reflect a message, mood, or symbolism for the viewer to interpret (art as experience). Artworks can be defined by purposeful, creative interpretations of limitless concepts or ideas in order to communicate something to another person. Artworks can be explicitly made for this purpose or interpreted based on images or objects. Art is something that stimulates an individual's thoughts, emotions, beliefs, or ideas through the senses. It is also an expression of an idea and it can take many different forms and serve many different purposes. Although the application of scientific theories to derive a new scientific theory involves skill and results in the "creation" of something new, this represents science only and is not categorized as art.
Art is often intended to appeal and connect with human emotion. It can arouse aesthetic or moral feelings, and can be understood as a way of communicating these feelings. Artists express something so that their audience is aroused to some extent, but they do not have to do so consciously. Art explores what is commonly termed as the human condition; that is, essentially what it is to be human. Effective art often brings about some new insight concerning the human condition either singly or en-mass, which is not necessarily always positive, or necessarily widens the boundaries of collective human ability. The degree of skill that the artist has, will affect their ability to trigger an emotional response and thereby provide new insights, the ability to manipulate them at will shows exemplary skill and determination.

Atonic Bombs

2009-06-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Atomic Bombs

An Atomic weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter; a modern thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than a thousand kilograms can produce an explosion comparable to the detonation of more than a billion kilograms of conventional high explosive.Even small nuclear devices can devastate a city. Nuclear weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, and their use and control has been a major aspect of international policy since their debut.

In the history of warfare, only two nuclear weapons have been detonated offensively, both near the end of World War II. The first was detonated on the morning of 6 August 1945, when the United States dropped a uranium gun-type device code-named "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The second was detonated three days later when the United States dropped a plutonium implosion-type device code-named "Fat Man" on the city of Nagasaki, Japan. These bombings resulted in the immediate deaths of around 120,000 people (mostly civilians) from injuries sustained from the explosion and acute radiation sickness, and even more deaths from long-term effects of ionizing radiation. The use of these weapons was and remains controversialNuclear warfare strategy is a way for either fighting or avoiding a nuclear war. The policy of trying to ward off a potential attack by a nuclear weapon from another country by threatening nuclear retaliation is known as the strategy of nuclear deterrence. The goal in deterrence is to always maintain a second strike status (the ability of a country to respond to a nuclear attack with one of its own) and potentially to strive for first strike status (the ability to completely destroy an enemy's nuclear forces before they could retaliate). During the Cold War, policy and military theorists in nuclear-enabled countries worked out models of what sorts of policies could prevent one from ever being attacked by a nuclear weapon.

Library and its necessity

2009-06-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Library

A library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed: it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. The term can mean the collection, the building that houses such a collection, or both.
Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by people who choose not to — or cannot afford to — purchase an extensive collection themselves, who need material no individual can reasonably be expected to have, or who require professional assistance with their research.
However, with the sets and collection of media and of media other than books for storing information, many libraries are now also repositories and access points for maps, prints, or other documents and various storage media such as microform (microfilm/microfiche), audio tapes, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, and DVDs. Libraries may also provide public facilities to access CD-ROMs, subscription databases, and the Internet.
Thus, modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. In addition to providing materials, they also provide the services of specialists, librarians, who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting information needs.

Libraries have materials arranged in a specified order according to a library classification system, so that items may be located quickly and collections may be browsed efficiently. Some libraries have additional galleries beyond the public ones, where reference materials are stored. These reference stacks may be open to selected members of the public. Others require patrons to submit a "stack request," which is a request for an assistant to retrieve the material from the closed stacks.
Larger libraries are often broken down into departments staffed by both paraprofessionals and professional librarians.
Circulation - Handles user accounts and the loaning/returning and shelving of materials.
Collection Development - Orders materials and maintains materials budgets.
Reference - Staffs a reference desk answering user questions (using structured reference interviews), instructing users, and developing library programming. Reference may be further broken down by user groups or materials; common collections are children's literature, young adult literature, and genealogy materials.
Technical Services - Works behind the scenes cataloguing and processing new materials and deaccessioning weeded materials.
Stacks Maintenance - Reshelves materials that have been returned to the library after patron use and shelves materials that have been processed by Technical Services. Stacks Maintenance also shelf reads the material in the stacks to ensure that it is in the correct library classification order.

How internet card works

2009-06-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

Internet Card

In todays world there are number of facilities availiable for the process of communication. People get connected to their beloved ones. One of the easy way to get connected to the people we want is through internet. Through internet we can communicate with any one in this world from any part of the world.

Wireless Internet cards, also known as Local Area Network, or LAN, cards, are one of the many types of adapter cards that add capabilities to your computer. Other adapter cards can enable teleconferencing, improve sound systems or download photos from a digital camera.
Wireless Internet cards come in several forms. Different cards exist for laptops, desktops and PDAs. Many computers come with one preinstalled, but they can also be purchased relatively inexpensively and self-installed or simply inserted into a slot on the side of the computer.

PCI network adapters come in many different shapes and sizes called form factors. Two common form factors are the mini PCI, which is a wireless network card that comes embedded inside a laptop computer, and the PCI wireless adapter card for desktops. Since a desktop computer's bus is located inside the computer, wireless Internet cards for desktops have to be installed inside the unit, and most computers come with one preinstalled. If you want an external Internet adapter, you need to look for one that connects through the USB.
Other labels you might see are the PC Card or ExpressCard designations. Whereas PCI wireless network adapters communicate through a computer's bus, PC Card adapters just fit into a slot on the side and are used mainly in laptops because of their thin design. The newer ExpressCard technology has gradually been replacing PC Card adapters.
The PC Card and ExpressCard designations come from PCMCIA, the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, which is the organization that developed a standard network adapter using the PC form factor. You'll sometimes see these cards labeled as PCMCIA cards. Regardless of the name, they all insert into a slot on the laptop's side, and typically stick out a little bit to better transmit and receive signals with their built-in WiFi antennas.
You also can buy USB keys that plug in to use as wireless adapters. These devices, which resemble the memory sticks or flash drives you stick into an available USB port on the side of your computer, seem to be an increasingly popular choice.
Yet another type of wireless Internet card exists for PDAs. For people who haven't yet jumped on the BlackBerry bandwagon, there is WCF. Wireless CompactFlash cards, like PC Cards, fit into a slot on the side or back of a PDA and enable it to communicate with the Internet.

Property Insurance

2009-06-17T15:26:00.000-07:00

Property Insurance

There are diferent kind of insurance provided among them is property insurance.Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance or boiler insurance. Property is insured in two main wayThere are three types of insurance coverage. Replacement cost pays the cost of replacing your property regardless of depreciation or appreciation. Extended replacement cost will pay over the coverage limit if the costs for construction have increased. This generally will not exceed 20% of the limit. Actual Cash Value provides replacement minus depreciation. When you obtain an insurance policy, the coverage limit established is the maximum amount the insurance company will pay out in case of loss of property.[citation needed] This amount will need to fluctuate if homes in your neighborhood are rising; the amount needs to be in step with the actual value of your home. In case of a fire, household content replacement is taDwellings, Offices, Shops, Hospitals (Located outside the compounds of industrial/manufacturing risks) Industrial / Manufacturing Risks Utilities located outside industrial/manufacturing risks Machinery and Accessories Storage Risks outside the compound of industrial risks Tank farms / Gas holders located outside the compound of industrial risks
Perils Covered- Cause of Loss
Fire Lightning Explosion/Implosion Aircraft damage Riot, Strike Terrorism Storm, Flood, inundation Impact damage Subsidence, landslide Bursting or overflowing of tanks Missile Testing Operations Bush fire etc.
Exclusions- Loss or damage caused by war, civil war and kindered perils. Loss or damage caused by nuclear activity. Loss or damage to the stocks in cold storage caused by change in temperature. Loss or damage due to over-running of electric and/ or electronic machines
Claims In the event of a fire loss covered under the fire insurance policy, the Insured shall immediately give notice there of to the insurance company. Within 15 days of the occurrence of such loss the Insured should submit a claim in writing giving the details of damages and their estimated values. Details of other insurances on the same property should also be declared.

In case of high value items, the insurance company may ask to specifically cover these items separate from the other household contents. One last coverage option is to have alternative living arrangements included in a policy. If a fire leaves your home uninhabitable, the policy can help pay for a hotel or other living arrangements.s - open perils and named perils.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

2009-06-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Bank for International Settlements
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is an international organisation which fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks. The BIS fulfils this mandate by acting as: a forum to promote discussion and policy analysis among central banks and within the international financial community a centre for economic and monetary research a prime counterparty for central banks in their financial transactions agent or trustee in connection with international financial operations. The head office is in Basel, Switzerland and there are two representative offices: in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and in Mexico City. Established on 17 May 1930, the BIS is the world's oldest international financial organisation. As its customers are central banks and international organisations, the BIS does not accept deposits from, or provide financial services to, private individuals or corporate entities. The BIS strongly advises caution against fraudulent schemes. Related informationAnnual Report Mission Statement Organisation chart, PDF The BIS in profile Research and statistics The economic, monetary, financial and legal research of the BIS supports its meetings and the activities of the Basel-based committees. The BIS is also a hub for sharing statistical information amongst central banks, and for publishing statistics on global banking, securities, foreign exchange and derivatives markets. Research is carried out primarily by BIS staff, supplemented by visiting researchers from central banks and the academic community. From time to time, the BIS organises special meetings and conferences with central bank researchers and academics. This research finds its way into the Bank's regular publications, such as the Annual Report and Quarterly Review, and into its BIS Papers and Working Papers series, as well as external publications such as professional journals. Seminars and workshops Through seminars and workshops organised by its Financial Stability Institute (FSI), the BIS promotes dissemination of the work undertaken by the supervisory community. The FSI not only familiarises financial sector supervisors worldwide with the recommendations of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, but also provides practical training for senior participants. Cooperation with regional central bank groupings also helps to make information about BIS activities more widely known. This cooperation takes the form of participation Currently more than 5,000 senior executives and officials from central banks and supervisory agencies participate in meetings organised by the BIS every year. The Bank continually adapts its product range in order to respond more effectively to the evolving needs of central banks. Besides standard services such as sight/notice accounts and fixed-term deposits, the Bank has developed a range of more sophisticated financial products which central banks can actively trade with the BIS to increase the return on their foreign assets. The Bank also transacts foreign exchange and gold on behalf of its customers. The Bank's Statutes do not allow the Bank to open current accounts in the name of, or make advances to, governments. The BIS does not accept deposits from, or generally provide financial services to, private individuals or corporate entities.

Digital Camera

2009-06-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Digital Camera
A digital camera (or digicam for short) is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor.Many compact digital still cameras can record sound and moving video as well as still photographs. In the Western market, digital cameras outsell their 35 mm film counterparts.
Digital cameras can do things film cameras cannot: displaying images on a screen immediately after they are recorded, storing thousands of images on a single small memory device, recording video with sound, and deleting images to free storage space.Digital cameras are incorporated into many devices ranging from PDAs and mobile phones (called camera phones) to vehicles. The Hubble Space Telescope and other astronomical devices are essentially specialised digital cameras. Many digital cameras include a video output port. Usually sVideo, it sends a standard-definition video signal to a television, allowing the user to show one picture at a time. Buttons or menus on the camera allow the user to select the photo, advance from one to another, or automatically send a "slide show" to the TV.HDMI has been adopted by many high-end digital camera makers, to show photos in their high-resolution quality on an HDTV.In January 2008, Silicon Image announced a new technology for sending video from mobile devices to a television in digital form. MHL sends pictures as a video stream, up to 1080p resolution, and is compatible with HDMI.Some DVD recorders and television sets can read memory cards used in cameras; alternatively several types of flash card readers have TV output capability. Most digital cameras utilize some form of removable storage to store image data. While the vast majority of the media types are some form of memory card using flash memory (CompactFlash, SD, etc.) there are storage methods that use other technologies such as Microdrives (very small hard disk drives), CD single (185 MB), and 3.5" floppy disks.

Digital Camera is one of the beautiful outcome of todays technology.It is the advance form of the camera that are being generally used. Todays world need the faster work done in every field, due to ehich these type of camera is suppoded to be boon for us.

Sport

2009-06-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Sport

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play.

Sports that are subjectively judged are distinct from other judged activities such as beauty pageants and bodybuilding shows, because in the former the activity performed is the primary focus of evaluation, rather than the physical attributes of the contestant as in the latter.

The Olympic Games are an international event of summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes compete in a wide variety of events. The Games are currently held every two years, with Summer and Winter Olympic Games alternating. Originally, the ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD. In the late 19th century, Baron Pierre de Coubertin was inspired by Olympic festivals to revive the Games. For this purpose, he founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, and two years later, the modern Olympic Games were established in Athens. The IOC has since become the governing body of the Olympic Movement, whose structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter.

There are large number of sport clubs established in the different part of world under different field of sport.sports club is characterized by having professional and amateur sports departments in various sports disciplines like football (soccer), basketball, futsal, Cricket, volleyball, handball, rink hockey, water polo, rugby, athletics (track and field), boxing, baseball, tennis, sport rowing, gymnastics and other. An eclectic collection of competitive, recreational, and instructional athletic programs is available through club sports. The teams and athletes belonging to a sports club compete in several different leagues, championships and tournaments wearing the same club logotype, equipment colors and using the same club name, sharing also the same club fan base, supporters and facilities. Many sports clubs have an associate system where the affiliated supporters pay an annuity fee. In those cases, the supporter becomes eligible to attend the club's home matches and exhibitions across the entire season, and have the right to practice almost every kind of sport at the club's facilities. Registered associate member fees, attendance receipts, sponsoring contracts, team merchandising, TV rights, and athlete/player transfer fees, are usually the primary sources of sports club financing.

Music

2009-06-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm.To people in many cultures, music is inextricably intertwined into their way of life.

Performance is the physical expression of music. Often, a musical work is performed once its structure and instrumentation are satisfactory to its creators; however, as it gets performed, it can evolve and change. A performance can either be rehearsed or improvised. Improvisation is a musical idea created without premeditation, while rehearsal is vigorous repetition of an idea until it has achieved cohesion. Musicians will sometimes add improvisation to a well-rehearsed idea to create a unique performance.
Many cultures include strong traditions of solo and performance, such as in Indian classical music, and in the Western Art music tradition. Other cultures, such as in Bali, include strong traditions of group performance. All cultures include a mixture of both, and performance may range from improvised solo playing for one's enjoyment to highly planned and organised performance rituals such as the modern classical concert, religious processions, music festivals or music competitions. Chamber music, which is music for a small ensemble with only a few of each type of instrument, is often seen as more intimate than symphonic works.

Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. Amateur musicians compose and perform music for their own pleasure, and they do not derive their income from music. Professional musicians are employed by a range of institutions and organisations, including armed forces, churches and synagogues, symphony orchestras, broadcasting or film production companies, and music schools. Professional musicians sometimes work as freelancers, seeking contracts and engagements in a variety of settings.

The music that composers make can be heard through several media; the most traditional way is to hear it live, in the presence, or as one of the musicians. Live music can also be broadcast over the radio, television or the Internet. Some musical styles focus on producing a sound for a performance, while others focus on producing a recording which mixes together sounds which were never played "live". Recording, even of styles which are essentially live, often uses the ability to edit and splice to produce recordings which are considered better than the actual performance.
Music therapy is an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their health. In some instances, the client's needs are addressed directly through music; in others they are addressed through the relationships that develop between the client and therapist. Music therapy is used with individuals of all ages and with a variety of conditions, including: psychiatric disorders, medical problems, physical handicaps, sensory impairments, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, communication disorders, interpersonal problems, and aging. It is also used to: improve learning, build self-esteem, reduce stress, support physical exercise, and facilitate a host of other health-related activities.

Computer

2009-06-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Computer

A computer is a machine or a electronic device that manipulates data according to a set of instructions given to it.
Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first resembling a modern computer were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). The first electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. Modern computers based on tiny integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space. Simple computers are small enough to fit into a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch battery. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age, what most people think of as a "computer", but the embedded computers found in devices ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots, digital cameras, and toys are the most numerous.
The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore computers ranging from a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.

A general purpose computer has four main components: the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), the control unit, the memory, and the input and output devices (collectively termed I/O). These parts are interconnected by busses, often made of groups of wires.
The control unit, ALU, registers, and basic I/O (and often other hardware closely linked with these) are collectively known as a central processing unit (CPU). Early CPUs were composed of many separate components but since the mid-1970s. CPUs have typically been constructed on a single integrated circuit called a microprocessor.

It has basiclly two important part:
Control unit
The control unit (often called a control system or central controller) manages the computer's various components; it reads and interprets (decodes) the program instructions, transforming them into a series of control signals which activate other parts of the computer. Control systems in advanced computers may change the order of some instructions so as to improve performance.

Arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)
The ALU is capable of performing two classes of operations: arithmetic and logic.
The set of arithmetic operations that a particular ALU supports may be limited to adding and subtracting or might include multiplying or dividing, trigonometry functions (sine, cosine, etc) and square roots. Some can only operate on whole numbers (integers) whilst others use floating point to represent real numbers—albeit with limited precision. However, any computer that is capable of performing just the simplest operations can be programmed to break down the more complex operations into simple steps that it can perform. Therefore, any computer can be programmed to perform any arithmetic operation—although it will take more time to do so if its ALU does not directly support the operation. An ALU may also compare numbers and return boolean truth values (true or false) depending on whether one is equal to, greater than or less than the other.

In time, the network spread beyond academic and military institutions and became known as the Internet. The emergence of networking involved a redefinition of the nature and boundaries of the computer. Computer operating systems and applications were modified to include the ability to define and access the resources of other computers on the network, such as peripheral devices, stored information, and the like, as extensions of the resources of an individual computer. Initially these facilities were available primarily to people working in high-tech environments, but in the 1990s the spread of applications like e-mail and the World Wide Web, combined with the development of cheap, fast networking technologies like Ethernet and ADSL saw computer networking become almost ubiquitous. In fact, the number of computers that are networked is growing phenomenally. A very large proportion of personal computers regularly connect to the Internet to communicate and receive information. "Wireless" networking, often utilizing mobile phone networks, has meant networking is becoming increasingly ubiquitous even in mobile computing environments.

computer has now become a part of our daily life.

Television

2009-06-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Television
Television (TV) is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic ("black and white") or color, usually accompanied by sound.A standard television set comprises multiple internal electronic circuits, including those for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is properly called a monitor, rather than a television. A television system may use different technical standards such as digital television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV). Television systems are also used for surveillance, industrial process control, and guiding of weapons, in places where direct observation is difficult or dangerousA standard television set comprises multiple internal electronic circuits, including those for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is properly called a monitor, rather than a television. A television system may use different technical standards such as digital television (DTV) and high-definition television (HDTV). Television systems are also used for surveillance, industrial process control, and guiding of weapons, in places where direct observation is difficult or dangerous.In its early stages of development, television employed a combination of optical, mechanical and electronic technologies to capture, transmit and display a visual image. By the late 1920s, however, those employing only optical and electronic technologies were being explored. All modern television systems rely on the latter, although the knowledge gained from the work on mechanical-dependent systems was crucial in the development of fully electronic television.The first time images were transmitted electrically were via early mechanical fax machines, including the pantelegraph, developed in the late 1800s. The concept of electrically-powered transmission of television images in motion, was first sketched in 1878 as the telephonoscope, shortly after the invention of the telephone. At the time, it was imagined by early science fiction authors, that someday that light could be transmitted over wires, as sounds were.The idea of using scanning to transmit images was put to actual practical use in 1881 in the pantelegraph, through the use of a pendulum-based scanning mechanism. From this period forward, scanning in one form or another, has been used in nearly every image transmission technology to date, including television. This is the concept of "rasterization", the process of converting a visual image into a stream of electrical pulse.

Pendrive

2009-06-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Pendrive

A USB flash drive consists of a NAND-type flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, much smaller than a floppy disk, and most USB flash drives weigh less than an ounceUSB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They have a more compact shape, operate faster, hold much more data, have a more durable design, and operate more reliably due to their lack of moving parts. Additionally, it has become increasingly common for computers to be sold without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on almost every current mainstream PC and laptopThe development of high-speed serial data interfaces such as USB for the first time made memory systems with serially accessed storage viable, and the simultaneous development of small, high-speed, low-power microprocessor systems allowed this to be incorporated into extremely compact systems. Serial access also greatly reduced the number of electrical connections required for the memory chips, which has allowed the successful manufacture of multi-gigabyte capacitiesThe development of high-speed serial data interfaces such as USB for the first time made memory systems with serially accessed storage viable, and the simultaneous development of small, high-speed, low-power microprocessor systems allowed this to be incorporated into extremely compact systems. Serial access also greatly reduced the number of electrical connections required for the memory chips, which has allowed the successful manufacture of multi-gigabyte capacitiesUses USB flash drive with lanyard Personal data transportThe most common use of flash drives is to transport and store personal files such as documents, pictures and videos. Individuals also store medical alert information on MedicTag flash drives for use in emergencies and for disaster preparation.
Secure storage of data, application and software filesWith wide deployment(s) of flash drives being used in various environments (secured or otherwise), the issue of data and information security remains of the utmost importance. The use of biometrics and encryption is becoming the norm with the need for increased security for data; OTFE systems such as FreeOTFE and TrueCrypt are particularly useful in this regard, as they can transparently encrypt large amounts of data. In some cases a Secure USB Drive may use a hardware-based encryption mechanism that uses a hardware module instead of software for strongly encrypting data.
System administrationFlash drives are particularly popular among system and network administrators, who load them with configuration information and software used for system maintenance, troubleshooting, and recovery. They are also used as a means to transfer recovery and antivirus software to infected PCs, allowing a portion of the host machine's data to be archived. As the drives have increased in storage space, they have also replaced the need to carry a number of CD ROMs and installers which were needed when reinstalling or updating a system.
Application carriersFlash drives are used to carry applications that run on the host computer without requiring installation. While any standalone application can in principle be used this way, many programs store data, configuration information, etc. on the hard drive and registry of the host computer
The U3 company works with drive makers (parent company SanDisk as well as others) to deliver custom versions of applications designed for Microsoft Windows from a special flash drive; U3-compatible devices are designed to autoload a menu when plugged into a computer running Windows. Applications must be modified for the U3 platform not to leave any data on the host machine. U3 also provides a software framework for ISVs interested in their platform.
Ceedo is an alternative product with the key difference that it does not require Windows applications to be modified in order for them to be carried and run on the drive.
Similarly, other application virtualization solutions, such as VMware ThinApp can be used to run software from a flash drive without installation.
A range of portable applications which are all free of charge and able to run off a computer running Windows without storing anything on the host computer's drives or registry is available from portableapps.com; unlike U3 programs which run from a special U3-compatible USB stick, the PortableApps menu will run from a standard device, and can also use the Windows AutoRun feature.
Computer forensics and law enforcementA recent development for the use of a USB Flash Drive as an application carrier is to carry the Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE) application developed by Microsoft. COFEE is a set of applications designed to search for and extract digital evidence on computers confiscated from suspects. Forensic software should not alter the information stored on the computer being examined in any way; other forensic suites run from CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, but cannot store data on the media they are run from (although they can write to other attached devices such as external drives or memory sticks).

Life Insurance

2009-06-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

Life policies are legal contracts and the terms of the contract describe the limitations of the insured events. Specific exclusions are often written into the contract to limit the liability of the insurer; for example claims relating to suicide, fraud, war, riot and civil commotion.
Life-based contracts tend to fall into two major categories:
Protection policies - designed to provide a benefit in the event of specified event, typically a lump sum payment. A common form of this design is term insurance.

Investment policies - where the main objective is to facilitate the growth of capital by regular or single premiums. Common forms (in the US anyway) are whole life, universal life and variable life policies. Life insurance or life assurance is a contract between the policy owner and the insurer, where the insurer agrees to pay a sum of money upon the occurrence of the insured individual's or individuals' death or other event, such as terminal illness or critical illness. In return, the policy owner agrees to pay a stipulated amount called a premium at regular intervals or in lump sums. There may be designs in some countries where bills and death expenses plus catering for after funeral expenses should be included in Policy PremiumThe beneficiary receives policy proceeds upon the insured's death. The owner designates the beneficiary, but the beneficiary is not a party to the policy. The owner can change the beneficiary unless the policy has an irrevocable beneficiary designation. With an irrevocable beneficiary, that beneficiary must agree to any beneficiary changes, policy assignments, or cash value borrowing.
In cases where the policy owner is not the insured (also referred to as the celui qui vit or CQV), insurance companies have sought to limit policy purchases to those with an "insurable interest" in the CQV. For life insurance policies, close family members and business partners will usually be found to have an insurable interest. The "insurable interest" requirement usually demonstrates that the purchaser will actually suffer some kind of loss if the CQV dies. Such a requirement prevents people from benefiting from the purchase of purely speculative policies on people they expect to die. With no insurable interest requirement, the risk that a purchaser would murder the CQV for insurance proceeds would be great. In at least one case, an insurance company which sold a policy to a purchaser with no insurable interest (who later murdered the CQV for the proceeds), was found liable in court for contributing to the wrongful death of the victim (Liberty National Life v. Weldon, 267 Ala.171 (1957)).Permanent Life InsurancePermanent life insurance is life insurance that remains in force (in-line) until the policy matures (pays out), unless the owner fails to pay the premium when due (the policy expires OR policies lapse). The policy cannot be canceled by the insurer for any reason except fraud in the application, and that cancellation must occur within a period of time defined by law (usually two years). Permanent insurance builds a cash value that reduces the amount at risk to the insurance company and thus the insurance expense over time. This means that a policy with a million dollar face value can be relatively expensive to a 70 year old. The owner can access the money in the cash value by withdrawing money, borrowing the cash value, or surrendering the policy and receiving the surrender value.
The four basic types of permanent insurance are whole life, universal life, limited pay and endowment.
Whole life coverage

Whole life insurance provides for a level premium, and a cash value table included in the policy guaranteed by the company. The primary advantages of whole life are guaranteed death benefits, guaranteed cash values, fixed and known annual premiums, and mortality and expense charges will not reduce the cash value shown in the policy. The primary disadvantages of whole life are premium inflexibility, and the internal rate of return in the policy may not be competitive with other savings alternatives. Also, the cash values are generally kept by the insurance company at the time of death, the death benefit only to the beneficiaries. Riders are available that can allow one to increase the death benefit by paying additional premium. The death benefit can also be increased through the use of policy dividends. Dividends cannot be guaranteed and may be higher or lower than historical rates over time. Premiums are much higher than term insurance in the short-term, but cumulative premiums are roughly equal if policies are kept in force until average life expectancy.
Universal life coverage

Universal life insurance (UL) is a relatively new insurance product intended to provide permanent insurance coverage with greater flexibility in premium payment and the potential for a higher internal rate of return. There are several types of universal life insurance policies which include "interest sensitive" (also known as "traditional fixed universal life insurance"), variable universal life insurance, and equity indexed universal life insurance.
Limited-pay

Another type of permanent insurance is Limited-pay life insurance, in which all the premiums are paid over a specified period after which no additional premiums are due to keep the policy in force. Common limited pay periods Accidental DeathAccidental death is a limited life insurance that is designed to cover the insured when they pass away due to an accident. Accidents include anything from an injury, but do not typically cover any deaths resulting from health problems or suicide. Because they only cover accidents, these policies are much less expensive than other life insurances.

Group life insurance: is term insurance covering a group of people, usually employees of a company or members of a union or association. Individual proof of insurability is not normally a consideration in the underwriting. Rather, the underwriter considers the size and turnover of the group, and the financial strength of the group. Contract provisions will attempt to exclude the possibility of adverse selection. Group life insurance often has a provision that a member exiting the group has the right to buy individual insurance coverageThe insurer (the life insurance company) calculates the policy prices with intent to fund claims to be paid and administrative costs, and to make a profit. The cost of insurance is determined using mortality tables calculated by actuaries. Actuaries are professionals who employ actuarial science, which is based in mathematics (primarily probability and statistics). Mortality tables are statistically-based tables showing expected annual mortality rates. It is possible to derive life expectancy estimates from these mortality assumptions. Such estimates can be important in taxation regulation

Tourism in Nepal

2009-06-16T06:54:00.001-07:00

Tourism:
People move from one place to other for various purpose like recreation, enjoyment, and may for business activities. Those people are called as Tourist and process of moving from one place to other is called traveling. Tourism has become one of the sources of incomes for most of the country whose main target become to introduce more number of tourists in the country. One of the countries among them is Nepal.
Nepal covers a span of 147,181 sq. kilometers ranging from altitude of 70 meters to 8,848 meters. Nepal is rich in its culture, tradition, natural beauty, mountain and various wild life species. It is the birth place of the Lord Buddha and the country of highest peak in the world Sagarmatha known as “Mount Everest”. Climatic conditions of Nepal vary from one place to another in accordance with the geographical features. In the north summers are cool and winters severe, while in south summers are sub tropical and winters mild.
The most abundant natural resource in Nepal is water. Other resources found here are quartz, timber, lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore and scenic beauty. Nepal lies in second place in water resources. Nepal offers a plethora of outdoor activities, from paragliding near the mountains to waiting for the Royal Bengal tiger in Chitwan's wild. Trekking and mountain climbing are still the most popular sport among visitors
The diverse geography of Nepal ranging from Himalayas in the north to the southern Terai region renders it home to a wide range of culture. A prominent factor in a Nepali's everyday life is religion. The natives of Nepal still follow age-old customs of Hindu and Buddhist religious practices. Adding color to the lives of Nepalese are festivals the year round which they celebrate with much pomp and joy. It is said that Nepal has more number of festivals than the days in a year. Food plays an important role in the celebration of these festivals.
Visitors are fascinated by ethnic ambience in local restaurants that serve authentic Nepali food. Art galleries and museums of the Valley exhibiting cultural treasures are also among preferred tourist choices. Health clubs and gymnasiums are available for sports lovers. They can: partake in cultural shows that include theater and local art; wine and dine at premier hotels that provide excellent service; enjoy music and dance at newly-opened discotheques; try a luck at rummy or blackjack at one of our casinos; enjoy a game of golf in our Himalayan serenity.

Technology

2009-06-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Technology

Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affectTechnology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, claiming that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.s an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Entire industries have arisen to support and develop succeeding generations of increasingly more complex tools. The relationship of technology with society ( culture) is generally characterized as synergistic, symbiotic, co-dependent, co-influential, and co-producing, i.e. technology and society depend heavily one upon the other (technology upon culture, and culture upon technology). It is also generally believed that this synergistic relationship first occurred at the dawn of humankind with the invention of simple tools, and continues with modern technologies today. Today and throughout history, technology influences and is influenced by such societal issues/factors as economics, values, ethics, institutions, groups, the environment, government, among others. The discipline studying the impacts of science, technology, and society and vice versa is called Science and technology in society

Films

2009-06-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Films

Entertainment is one of the need of the people. The way of recreation is watching the movies

Film encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.
Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment and a powerful method for educating — or indoctrinating — citizens. The visual elements of cinema gives motion pictures a universal power of communication. Some films have become popular worldwide attractions by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue.
Traditional films are made up of a series of individual images called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a viewer has the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see the flickering between frames due to an effect known as persistence of vision, whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Viewers perceive motion due to a psychological effect called beta movement.
The origin of the name "film" comes from the fact that photographic film (also called film stock) had historically been the primary medium for recording and displaying motion pictures. Many other terms exist for an individual motion picture, including picture, picture show, photo-play, flick. A common name for film in the United States is movie, while the Europeans prefer cinema.As a medium, film is not limited to motion pictures, since the technology developed as the basis for photography. It can be used to present a progressive sequence of still images in the form of a slideshow. Film has also been incorporated into multimedia presentations, and often has importance as primary historical documentation. However, historic films have problems in terms of preservation and storage, and the motion picture industry is exploring many alternatives. Most movies on cellulose nitrate base have been copied onto modern safety films. Some studios save color films through the use of separation masters — three B&W negatives each exposed through red, green, or blue filters (essentially a reverse of the Technicolor process). Digital methods have also been used to restore films, although their continued obsolescence cycle makes them (as of 2006) a poor choice for long-term preservation. Film preservation of decaying film stock is a matter of concern to both film historians and archivists, and to companies interested in preserving their existing products in order to make them available to future generations (and thereby increase revenue). Preservation is generally a higher-concern for nitrate and single-strip color films, due to their high decay rates; black and white films on safety bases and color films preserved on Technicolor imbibition prints tend to keep up much better, assuming proper handling and storage.
Some films in recent decades have been recorded using analog video technology similar to that used in television production. Modern digital video cameras and digital projectors are gaining ground as well. These approaches are extremely beneficial to moviemakers, especially because footage can be evaluated and edited without waiting for the film stock to be processed. Yet the migration is gradual, and as of 2005 most major motion pictures are still recorded on film.

2009-06-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

Nuclear Power

Different country has increased the use of Nuclear Power which has given a lot of benifit to the development of the present condition of world as well as provide a lots of disvantages and negative impact to the world. Nuclear use in the war have normally, not only afffected the human beings but also to the living being in the world. The different kind of nuclear that has been used are as follows:

Uraniun
Uranium is a fairly common element in the Earth's crust. Uranium is approximately as common as tin or germanium in Earth's crust, and is about 35 times more common than silver. Uranium is a constituent of most rocks, dirt, and of the oceans. The fact that uranium is so spread out is a problem because mining uranium is only economically feasible where there is a large concentration. This represents a higher level of assured resources than is normal for most minerals. On the basis of analogies with other metallic minerals, a doubling of price from present levels could be expected to create about a tenfold increase in measured resources, over time. However, the cost of nuclear power lies for the most part in the construction of the power station. Therefore the fuel's contribution to the overall cost of the electricity produced is relatively small, so even a large fuel price escalation will have relatively little effect on final price. For instance, typically a doubling of the uranium market price would increase the fuel cost for a light water reactor by 26% and the electricity cost about 7%, whereas doubling the price of natural gas would typically add 70% to the price of electricity from that source. At high enough prices, eventually extraction from sources such as granite and seawater become economically feasible. Current light water reactors make relatively inefficient use of nuclear fuel, fissioning only the very rare uranium-235 isotope. Nuclear reprocessing can make this waste reusable and more efficient reactor designs allow better use of the available resources.
Breeding
As opposed to current light water reactors which use uranium-235 (0.7% of all natural uranium), fast breeder reactors use uranium-238 (99.3% of all natural uranium). It has been estimated that there is up to five billion years’ worth of uranium-238 for use in these power plantsBreeder technology has been used in several reactors, but the high cost of reprocessing fuel safely requires uranium prices of more than 200 USD/kg before becoming justified economically. This would extend the total practical fissionable resource base by 450% Unlike the breeding of U-238 into plutonium, fast breeder reactors are not necessary — it can be performed satisfactorily in more conventional plants.

Fusion
Fusion power advocates commonly propose the use of deuterium, or tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen, as fuel and in many current designs also lithium and boron. Assuming a fusion energy output equal to the current global output and that this does not increase in the future, then the known current lithium reserves would last 3000 years, lithium from sea water would last 60 million years, and a more complicated fusion process using only deuterium from sea water would have fuel for 150 billion years.

Water
Like all forms of power generation using steam turbines, Nuclear power plants use large amounts of water for cooling. As with most power plants, two-thirds of the energy produced by a nuclear power plant goes into waste heat, and that heat is carried away from the plant in the water (which remains uncontaminated by radioactivity). The emitted water either is sent into cooling towers where it goes up and is emitted as water droplets (literally a cloud) or is discharged into large bodies of water — cooling ponds, lakes, rivers, or oceansLike conventional power plants, nuclear power plants generate large quantities of waste heat which is expelled in the condenser, following the turbine. Colocation of plants that can take advantage of this thermal energy for added energy efficiency. One example would be to use the power plant steam to produce hydrogen from water. (Separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen can use less energy if the water begins at a high temperature.)
Solid waste
The safe storage and disposal of nuclear waste is a significant challenge and yet unresolved problem. The most important waste stream from nuclear power plants is spent fuel. A large nuclear reactor produces 3 cubic metres (25–30 tonnes) of spent fuel each year. It is primarily composed of unconverted uranium as well as significant quantities of transuranic actinides (plutonium and curium, mostly). In addition, about 3% of it is made of fission products. The actinides (uranium, plutonium, and curium) are responsible for the bulk of the long term radioactivity, whereas the fission products are responsible for the bulk of the short term radioactivity.

Mobile Phones

2009-06-11T01:36:00.000-07:00

Mobile

Today is the world of information where people of different world are connected to each other by the means networking. Different part of people communicated with each other by the use of cell phones.

Mobiles has become the neccessary for all kind of people though he/she may be child,youth or old.Without it life now seems to be troublesome. One can perform different things by the help of mobiles sets. But nowadays it has become the accessories. It has occupied the immportant part of our life,withoutwhich life seems to be incomplete.
A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal. Each rod hangs from only one string, which gives it freedom to rotate about the string.
The sculptor Alexander Calder is well known for his mobiles. Calder invented the mobile in 1931. Marcel Duchamp suggested the name "mobile".Mobiles are also popular in the nursery, where they hang over cribs to give infants something to entertain them and give them external visual stimulation.
Mobiles have inspired many composers, including Morton Feldman and Earle Brown who were inspired by Calder to create mobile-like indeterminate pieces. Frank Zappa also claimed that his compositions were modelled on Calder mobiles.

Mobile by Stephen H Kawai
The meaning of the term “mobile” as applied to sculpture has evolved since it was first suggested by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe the early, mechanized creations of Alexander Calder. At this point, “mobile” was synonymous with the term “kinetic art”, describing sculptural works in which motion is a defining property. While motor or crank-driven moving sculptures may have initially prompted it, the word “mobile” later came to refer more specifically to Calder’s free-moving creations. Influenced by the abstract work of Piet Mondrian, Joan Miró and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Calder in many respects invented an art form where objects (typically brightly coloured, abstract shapes fashioned from sheet metal) are connected by wire much like a balance scale. By the sequential attachment of additional objects, the final creation consists of many balanced parts joined by lengths of wire whose individual elements are capable of moving independently or as a whole when prompted by air movement or direct contact. Thus, “mobile” has become a more well-defined term referring to the many such hanging constructs Calder produced in a prolific manner between the 1930s and his death in 1976. A succinct definition of the term “mobile” in a visual art sense could be a type of kinetic sculpture in which an ensemble of balanced parts capable of motion are hung freely in space.

Now mobiles has become a compusion, wherever u go u need a mobile phone which make u connected to the people u wished for. Life has become completly luxurious due to its use. Different companies have produce a brand new mobiles in the market, with a complete new facilities and technology.

2009-03-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

World Widelink in Hospitality

The hospitality industry is a $61 billion dollar industry that is fueled by an ongoing need for nourishment. It consisits of multiple groups including management, housekeepers, kitchen workers and servers. Each play a very important role in the operation of a food-service/hospitality establishment. The hospitality industry consists budget, limited service, full-service and luxury resort properties throughout the world. This industry strives on achieving the highest Average Daily Rate and Occupancy to maximize revenue and reduce operating costs to improve net income.

WHL started in 2002 as a project of the Mekong Private Sector Development Facility (MPDF)^[1] which is the technical advisory services arm of the International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group) in the region covering Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Given the skills gaps, language difficulties and Internet access problems facing travel service providers in destinations in the developing world, a new online accommodation booking model was needed which bridged the last mile and allowed locally owned travel product to be connected and sold to the global market.The approach adopted by the WHL project team was to separate all those things that needed to be done locally (i.e. identifying and negotiating contracts with the local travel service providers or processing the booking) from those best done centrally and which the WHL team managed. Local partners, called e-marketplace operators (MPOs), became responsible for collecting and loading local digital content onto the web and keeping it up to date, as well as acting as the interface between travellers and accommodation providers when questions were asked, bookings made etc. The WHL team focused on the technology platform for content management and booking management, as well as global Internet marketing, provision of payment gateways, and management and technical support.

The first pilot site was established in 2002 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, site of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex. The pilot was done with the cooperation of the Siem Reap Angkor Hotel & Guesthouse Association^[2] and early success in Siem Reap led to requests for replication from hotel associations, first in Phnom Penh and then in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Sites were also established in Vietnam and, in 2005, WHL started adding destinations outside the Mekong, in Vanuatu, Samoa and Fiji to test the model in other environments. After successful pilots in these countries it was decided to spin the project off from the IFC to allow the model to be moved to the global market. On March 31st, 2006, Worldhotel-link.com Limited was officially made a private company.The interesting point of departure for WHL from more traditional online tourism bookings businesses is the unique online/offline franchise business model that has been developed out of necessity in order to service the business. The MPO not only owns and operates that actual online booking business in their country, but also has the opportunity to network with other like-minded tourism professionals in other destinations around the world. This local connection network creates a space where an interesting confluence of social networking and business development come together to share best business practices with previously disparate colleagues.

Current Status

After spinning off from the IFC, WHL added tour bookings to the accommodation booking functionality, as well as instant bookings (booking from allotment), last-minute bookings and packaged accommodations and tours. At the end of 2008 WHL had 150 destination sites live in 60 countries. Projections are that by end March 2009 there will be 200 destinations live in 83 countries^[3]. WHL continues to work closely with development agencies such as the IFC, World Bank, IADB and USAID in launching destinations sites in many poor and conflict-affected countries/regions around the world.To undertake consulting and training work associated with tourism development in developing countries WHL launched a consulting business, WHL Consulting, in July 2008 in a joint venture with Geosavvy Development LLC in the USA. WHL has also developed a program called Caring for the Destination as a means to encourage the adoption of sustainable tourism by accommodation and tour providers.

hotel

2009-03-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

HOTEL
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or climate control. Additional common features found in hotel rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television, and Internet connectivity; snack foods and drinks may be supplied in a mini-bar, and facilities for making hot drinks. Larger hotels may provide a number of additional guest facilities such as a restaurant, a swimming pool or childcare, and have conference and social function services
Some hotels have gained their renown through tradition, by hosting significant events or persons, such as Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany, which derives its fame from the Potsdam Conference of the World War II allies Winston Churchill, Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin in 1945. The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai is one of India's most famous and historic hotels because of its association with the Indian independence movement. Some establishments have given name to a particular meal or beverage, as is the case with the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, United States where the Waldorf Salad was first created or the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Austria, home of the Sachertorte. Others have achieved fame by association with dishes or cocktails created on their premises, such as the Hotel de Paris where the crêpe Suzette was invented or the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, where the Singapore Sling cocktail was devised.

Hôtel Ritz in Paris

A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, such as the Ritz Hotel in London, UK, through its association with Irving Berlin's song, 'Puttin' on the Ritz'. The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is famed as the meeting place of the literary group, the Algonquin Round Table, and Hotel Chelsea, also in New York City, has been the subject of a number of songs and the scene of the stabbing of Nancy Spungen (allegedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious). The luxurious Grand Hotel Europe in Saint Petersburg, Russia achieved fame with its inclusion in the James Bond film GoldenEye.

Treehouse hotels

Some hotels are built with living trees as structural elements, for example the Costa Rica Tree House in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica; the Treetops Hotel in Aberdare National Park, Kenya; the Ariau Towers near Manaus, Brazil, on the Rio Negro in the Amazon; and Bayram's Tree Houses in Olympos, Turkey.

Cave hotels

Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy, South Australia and the Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón (named after the author) in Guadix, Spain, as well as several hotels in Cappadocia, Turkey, are notable for being built into natural cave formations, some with rooms underground.

Capsule hotels

Capsule hotels are a type of economical hotel that are found in Japan.

Ice and snow hotels

The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, and the Hotel de Glace in Duschenay, Canada, melt every spring and are rebuilt each winter; the Mammut Snow Hotel in Finland is located within the walls of the Kemi snow castle; and the Lainio Snow Hotel is part of a snow village near Ylläs, Finland.Garden hotels

Garden hotels, famous for their gardens before they became hotels, include Gravetye Manor, the home of garden designer William Robinson, and Cliveden, designed by Charles Barry with a rose garden by Geoffrey Jellicoe.

Underwater hotels

Some hotels have accommodation underwater, such as Utter Inn in Lake Mälaren, Sweden. Hydropolis, under construction in Dubai, will have suites on the bottom of the Persian Gulf, and Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida requires scuba diving to access its rooms.

Other unusual hotels

The Library Hotel in New York City is unique in that each of its ten floors are assigned one category from the Dewey Decimal System.
The Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, built on an artificial island, is structured in the shape of a boat's sail.
The former ocean liner RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California uses its first-class staterooms as a hotel.
The Jailhotel Löwengraben in Lucerne, Switzerland is a converted prison now used as a hotel.
The Luxor, a hotel and casino on The Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States due to its pyramidal structure.
The Liberty Hotel in Boston used to be the Charles Street Jail.

A motel (motor-ist's hotel) is a hotel which is for a short stay, usually for a night, whilst you are on a long journey. Has direct access from your room to your vehicle so you can go on.

E-goverment

2009-03-30T02:44:00.000-07:00

E-goverment

Nepal the Himalayan kingdom lies between India and China. It has covered 147.181 sq. km. Land of the world. The country is divided administratively into 5 development regions and 75 districts. 3915 Village Development Committees (VDCs) and 58 Municipalities are the lowest administrative local level units. Ecologically it is divided into three ecological regions called Mountains, Hills and Tarai. Total population of the country is 22,736,934. Those of them 1,585,092 lies in Himalayan region, 9,996,975 lies in Hill region and 11,154,867 lies in Tarai region. Only 65.2% are educated in country (CBS, 2001). Those of them very few are aware with benefit of the Information Technology.
His Majesties Government, in 1971, introduced Information Technology to process the National population census data. National Computer Center was established in 1974 with the objective of providing IT training within Nepal. NCC, developed software for various government agencies, processed examination results for SLC Board and Tribhuvan University. It also conducted regular training courses on Computer Literacy and software applications. NCC was dissolved in 1998 and currently there is an absence of a computer-training institution in the government sector.
Private sector began its activity in early eighties after the introduction of Personal computers. In 1992 Mercantile Communication Pvt. Ltd. (MCPL) started commercial E-mail through Internet and in 1995 it was formally registered with HMG/N as first Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since 1999 Government has liberalized its policy to use own VSAT. Since then the number of ISPs are increased and so the price of Internet service is decreasing in country. Now here are more then 15 ISPs and around 115,000 Internet users (NPC, 2002).
There are about forty software development companies, two hundred plus companies are involved in IT trading and more than five hundred training institutes are taking part in operation training at different levels. Government and public sector has recently started academic IT courses in their respective Institutions. There are few computers in different government Institutions and most of them are used for word-processing purposes. Computerization and IT applications implementation in the government is very low. In 2000 HMG/N has declared Information Technology Policy, B.S. 2057 (2000) with Key strength of HRDa. Recently Started to produce manpower therefore could incorporate changes in the system to produce manpower as per the requirements of the market. b. Policy makers are aware of importance of IT application for the Development of the nation. c. New Institutions are emerging to fulfill the IT human resources. d. In IT Policy 2000 Government has declared A long-term program with a slogan "Computer education to all by 2010 A.D." Institutional and legal framework of IT in GovernmentAlready, Ministry of Science and Technology has established the concept of IT park is developed and going ahead. Cyber laws formulation is in progress. Some sectors in government are using IT applications, generally speaking not enough Utilization of IT in the government. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has recently installed a VSAT to give Internet connections and develop government network between the government Ministries and Departments. With minor upgrading it will be able to provide access to rural areas up to Village development committee level. Mainly there are two high-level legal government committees, The National Information Technology Development Council (NITDC) and National Information Technology Co-ordination Committee (NITCC) are responsible for making IT plan and strategy in Nepal.
International and National projects activities

Specially, Financial Management Project (FMP), and Rural-Urban Partnership Program (RUPP) are dedicated to bring the concept of implementing E-Governance in Nepal. FMP is a joint venture project of DFID and HMG/N. It works for financial management sector since 9 years. The project is one of the highly successful project in the ranking of DFID and has provided major impact on enhanced cash flows, improved transparency and disbursement rates, reduced time in budget formulation, authorization and release, immediate financial management information for HMG/N and Donor, improved macro and micro economic management.
Bharatpur Municipality, being the first municipality to launch E-Governance in Nepal with support from RUPP/UNDP. After realizing the successful implementation of E-Governance in Bharatpur, RUPP is supporting remaining partner municipalities to replicate the model of E-Governance of Bharatpur. Municipalities where ISPs are available at the present situation have shown their keen interest in implementing E-Governance and have vigorously started the awareness on E-Governance in respective municipalities through the community mobilization process of RUPP. Most of these municipalities have completed the development of E-Governance portal as well. RUPP has supported all 12-partner municipalities to establish an Urban Information Center with well-trained staff permanently deputed to the Center. The staff was trained in line with the Municipality?s commitment to e-governance. Staffs have been deputed to operationalize the E-Governance unit of the municipality. Similarly, RUPP has also established a well-set Human Resource Development Center (HRDC), which, presently, has been strengthening to cater training and orientation regarding good governance and poverty alleviation.

Private sector activities

More than 500 Private training Institutes exist in operation but the quality and standard varies drastically. There are more than fifty private firms involved in the development of software for domestic market as well as foreign market for the last few years. Recently a number of foreign firms have started outsourcing their work into Nepal.
AssociationComputer Association of Nepal (CAN) was established in December 1992. The association has been formed as an autonomous, non-political, non-profit making service oriented organization with the involvement of professionals, specialists, vendors, software developers, manufacturers and information technology experts within the country. Telephone and Internet Infrastructure

Without telephone or Internet no one can imagine E-governance mechanism. Telephone service is available to all the headquarters of the 75 districts. More then 15 ISPs are operating in main cities of the country. Average internet connection speed available to consumer are 33.6 kbps to 56kbps. The current international bandwidth (b/w) of Nepal for Internet is 12 Mbps downlink and 5Mbps uplink. Nepal Telephone Corporation is providing 9.6Kbps to 2048Kbps of leased line connectivity. ISPs of Nepal are providing e-mail, web designing, domain registration, web Hosting, Fax to Fax, GIS, e-commerce etc

Banking Industry

2009-03-30T02:30:00.000-07:00

The Banking Industry
If there is one industry that has the stigma of being old and boring, it would have to be banking; however, a global trend of deregulation has opened up many new businesses to the banks. Coupling that with technological developments like internet banking and ATMs, the banking industry is obviously trying its hardest to shed its lackluster image.
There is no question that bank stocks are among the hardest to analyze. Many banks hold billions of dollars in assets and have several subsidiaries in different industries. A perfect example of what makes analyzing a bank stock so difficult is the length of their financials - they are typically well over 100 pages. While it would take an entire textbook to explain all the ins and outs of the banking industry, here we'll shed some light on the more important areas to look at when analyzing a bank as an investment. (For background reading, see Analyzing A Bank's Financial Statements.)There are two major types of banks in North America:
Regional (and Thrift) Banks - These are the smaller financial institutions, which primarily focus on one geographical area within a country. In the U.S., there are six regions: Southeast, Northeast, Central, etc. Providing depository and lending services is the primary line of business for regional banks.
Major (Mega) Banks - While these banks might maintain local branches, their main scope is in financial centers like New York, where they get involved with international transactions and underwriting. Could you imagine a world without banks? At first, this might sound like a great thought! But banks (and financial institutions) have become cornerstones of our economy for several reasons. They transfer risk, provide liquidity, facilitate both major and minor transactions and provide financial information for both individuals and businesses. Running a bank is just as difficult as analyzing it for investment purposes. A bank's management must look at the following criteria before it decides how many loans to extend, to whom the loans can be given, what rates to set, and so on:
Capital Adequacy and the Role of Capital
Asset and Liability Management - There is a happy medium between banks overextending themselves (lending too much) and lending enough to make a profit.
Interest Rate Risk - This indicates how changes in interest rates affect profitability.
Liquidity - This is formulated as the proportion of outstanding loans to total assets. If more than 60-70% of total assets are loaned out, the bank is considered to be highly illiquid.
Asset Quality - What is the likelihood of default?
Profitability - This is earnings and revenue growth.

Threat of New Entrants

The average person can't come along and start up a bank, but there are services, such as internet bill payment, on which entrepreneurs can capitalize. Banks are fearful of being squeezed out of the payments business, because it is a good source of fee-based revenue. Another trend that poses a threat is companies offering other financial services. What would it take for an insurance company to start offering mortgage and loan services? Not much. Also, when analyzing a regional bank, remember that the possibility of a mega bank entering into the market poses a real threat.
Power of Suppliers.

The suppliers of capital might not pose a big threat, but the threat of suppliers luring away human capital does. If a talented individual is working in a smaller regional bank, there is the chance that person will be enticed away by bigger banks, investment firms, etc.
Power of Buyers.

The individual doesn't pose much of a threat to the banking industry, but one major factor affecting the power of buyers is relatively high switching costs. If a person has a mortgage, car loan, credit card, checking account and mutual funds with one particular bank, it can be extremely tough for that person to switch to another bank. In an attempt to lure in customers, banks try to lower the price of switching, but many people would still rather stick with their current bank. On the other hand, large corporate clients have banks wrapped around their little fingers. Financial institutions - by offering better exchange rates, more services, and exposure to foreign capital markets - work extremely hard to get high-margin corporate clients.
Availability of Substitutes.

As you can probably imagine, there are plenty of substitutes in the banking industry. Banks offer a suite of services over and above taking deposits and lending money, but whether it is insurance, mutual funds or fixed income securities, chances are there is a non-banking financial services company that can offer similar services. On the lending side of the business, banks are seeing competition rise from unconventional companies. Sony (NYSE: SNE), General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) all offer preferred financing to customers who buy big ticket items. If car companies are offering 0% financing, why would anyone want to get a car loan from the bank and pay 5-10% interest?

The Airline Industry

2009-03-30T02:17:00.000-07:00

The Airline Industry
Few inventions have changed how people live and experience the world as much as the invention of the airplane. During both World Wars, government subsidies and demands for new airplanes vastly improved techniques for their design and construction. Following the World War II, the first commercial airplane routes were set up in Europe. Over time, air travel has become so commonplace that it would be hard to imagine life without it. The airline industry, therefore, certainly has progressed. It has also altered the way in which people live and conduct business by shortening travel time and altering our concept of distance, making it possible for us to visit and conduct business in places once considered remote.
The airline industry exists in an intensely competitive market. In recent years, there has been an industry-wide shakedown, which will have far-reaching effects on the industry's trend towards expanding domestic and international services. In the past, the airline industry was at least partly government owned. This is still true in many countries, but in the U.S. all major airlines have come to be privately held. The airline industry can be separated into four categories by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT):
International - 130+ seat planes that have the ability to take passengers just about anywhere in the world. Companies in this category typically have annual revenue of $1 billion or more.
National - Usually these airlines seat 100-150 people and have revenues between $100 million and $1 billion.
Regional - Companies with revenues less than $100 million that focus on short-haul flights.
Cargo - These are airlines generally transport goods. Airport capacity, route structures, technology and costs to lease or buy the physical aircraft are significant in the airline industry. Other large issues are:
Weather - Weather is variable and unpredictable. Extreme heat, cold, fog and snow can shut down airports and cancel flights, which costs an airline money.
Fuel Cost - According to the Air Transportation Association (ATA), fuel is an airline's second largest expense. Fuel makes up a significant portion of an airline's total costs, although efficiency among different carriers can vary widely. Short haul airlines typically get lower fuel efficiency because take-offs and landings consume high amounts of jet fuel.
Labor - According to the ATA, labor is the an airline's No.1 cost; airlines must pay pilots, flight attendants, baggage handlers, dispatchers, customer service and others.

Air Traffic Liability (ATL):

An estimate of the amount of money already received for passenger ticket sales and cargo transportation that is yet to be provided. It is important to find out this figure so you can remove it from quoted revenue figures (unless they specifically state that ATL was excluded). Load Factor: This indicator, compiled monthly by the Air Transport Association (ATA), measures the percentage of available seating capacity that is filled with passengers. Analysts state that once the airline load factor exceeds its break-even point, then more and more revenue will trickle down to the bottom line. Keep in mind that during holidays and summer vacations load factor can be significantly higher, therefore, it is important to compare the figures against the same period from the previous year. Analyst Insight Airlines also earn revenue from transporting cargo, selling frequent flier miles to other companies and up-selling in flight services. But the largest proportion of revenue is derived from regular and business passengers. For this reason, it is important that you take consumer and business confidence into account on top of the regular factors that one should consider like earnings growth and debt load. Business travelers are important to airlines because they are more likely to travel several times throughout the year and they tend to purchase the upgraded services that have higher margins for the airline. On the other hand, leisure travelers are less likely to purchase these premium services and are typically very price sensitive. In times of economic uncertainty or sharp decline in consumer confidence, you can expect the number of leisure travelers to decline. It is also important to look at the geographic areas that an airline targets. Obviously, more market share is better for a particular market, but it is also important to stay diversified. Try to find out the destination to which the majority of an airline's flights are traveling. For example, an airline that sends a high number of flights to the Caribbean might see a dramatic drop in profits if the outlook for leisure travelers looks poor. A final key area to keep a close eye on is costs. The airline industry is extremely sensitive to costs such as fuel, labor and borrowing costs. If you notice a trend of rising fuel costs, you should factor that into your analysis of a company. Fuel prices tend to fluctuate on a monthly basis, so paying close attention to these costs is crucial.

Having home,auto,health insurance

2009-03-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

Insurance

Everyone knows that insurance premiums can be affected by your credit history or perhaps a spotty driving record in the case of auto insurance. But few people realize that an insurance company's loss experience is one of the biggest factors for determining how much they will pay for coverage. How so? Well, say for example an insurance company paid out a large amount of homeowner insurance claims due to a particularly catastrophic year of floods and fire damage. The same insurance company may also provide auto insurance coverage. To compensate for the losses experienced under their home owner insurance division, they may raise premiums for their car insurance customers even if they had no accidents or tickets. Or, they could simply increase the insurance prices for house insurance policyholders in another state.
Insurance is a business, and like any other business it needs to generate profit. Monetary losses from an excessive amount of insurance claims are usually shifted to the consumer in the package of higher insurance premiums. If the insurance company had an extremely profitable year, they may lower rates to attract more customers and increase the number of policyholders they have. For this reason, insurance rates vary greatly from one company to another.
Health and life insurance rates are very low right now in this competitive insurance industry. However, some health and life insurance companies offer low initial rates to gain insurance customers and then gradually increase these teaser insurance rates over time. The best way to ensure you are getting the best price for your insurance needs is to review your policy rates regularly and compare them against what other competing insurance companies are offering. You can do this by requesting insurance quotes from multiple insurance companies.
Use Technology to Find an Affordable Coverage
In the past, obtaining insurance quotes was a time consuming affair that involved hours on the phone or lengthy meetings with individual insurance agents. With the technology advancements of today, you can request insurance quotes quickly and efficiently. It only takes about two minutes to fill out the online insurance questionnaire provided on 2insure4less.com. Our cutting edge technology allows you to instantly compare insurance coverage and premium quotes from multiple competing companies. The best part is you only have to enter your information once instead of traveling from website to website. We are not an insurance company, but we offer tips on how to determine the amount of insurance coverage you need.
So, whether you are looking for a cheaper auto insurance rate for an expiring car insurance policy, or you simply want to make sure you are getting the best deal on house, renters, disability, long term care, cancer, burial (final expense), life insurance, and annuity, 2insure4less is here to help both men and women find affordable insurance coverage. Why not see if you can save a little extra money on your health insurance premiums? You have the option of comparing cheap insurance coverage quotes online or speaking with a qualified insurance agent licensed in your state.
Learn How to Get a Discount from Insurance Companies
Our learning center is dedicated to helping insurance consumers become educated on their insurance needs. Our library of educational material, insurance guides and coverage calculating tools will help you in a variety of insurance situations. The next time you have an accident or need to file an insurance claim you can be prepared. We'll also tell you about what to do when a claim is denied and your rights as a policyholder. You'll also learn how to understand your insurance policy and of course, there are many tips on how to save money on insurance.
Don't pay more for insurance than you have to. Take time to compare your current insurance rates with comparable coverage from other insurance competitors. It only takes a few minutes to select the type of coverage you are interested in, and you'll be on your way to comparing insurance quotes and saving money!