Like all new cellular products initially their price was rather high but now many cellular companies are actually giving them away for free when you sign up for their cellular phone service. The ease of use has also sparked an interest among users of the camera phone. In many cases a simple point and click is all that’s needed to be able to send a picture of a family member or event to someone else. This ability to capture the moment has helped sales soar on camera cellular phones but will that novelty wear out anytime soon?

Unfortunately there are still a few drawbacks to having a camera phone. The pictures aren’t near the quality of what a regular camera can take. There is also the problem of storage space. Until the photo is downloaded into a computer it eats up the cellular phone’s memory. There is also the cost factor some carriers, such as Verizon and T-Mobile, charge 25 cents per photo sent or received. Although as in many previous technological advances the few minor problems should clear up and the cost should go down as the technology improves.

There are several camera cellular phones on the market. The Sony Ericsson T6106, the LG VX6000, the Sanyo VM 4500 represent some choices. Additional features can be found on the Motorola V300 and the Nokia 3650.

Whichever camera phone you choose there is no doubt that the technology is here to stay and judging from the current consumer demand and the commitment of the cellular phone providers to supply that demand camera cellular phones will soon be as common place as the current regular cell phone.

The most standard form of digital film processing is digital photos of 4×5 film processing. By using this size, you can make sure to get the very best in cost and quality, as many digital cameras are designed to function their very best at that level. Moreover, if cost is your primary concern, then you’ll enjoy the advantage that comes with bulk digital photo developing for all of your parties and other important occasions where many people will be wanting copies.

Just like a standard camera with film, digital cameras use a lens and a shutter, except instead recording your image on film, it is captured electronically by way of a sensor, which converts it into a digital file. This file is saved on a memory device, which is frequently removable. This way, you can choose where you’d like to keep your pictures, and specifically what sort of digital film processing is best for you.

For example, some of your digital photos may be fine if they’re kept in digital form on your computer, but others, such as wedding photos, may require better quality digital film processing. This allows you to print your digital pictures on regular paper, photo quality paper, use a home digital film processing printer, or even take it for the professionals to manage, as you would regular film.

When it is your regular digital photography that you’ll be digital film processing, however, you’ll love the great benefits of having your digital photo quickly, easily, and accurately.

God made the earth one world. But man turned it many worlds. What is the key to one world? Alliances, mergers, and acquisitions, common markets and currencies.

It is already happening. The EU is here. Twenty five European countries have merged into a common market served by a single currency, the Euro. By 2030, the USA and Canada will completely fuse into a single market ruled by a new Dollar. Asia will evolve into a continental whole. The Asian Economic Tigers will evolve into a super Tiger. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

At the other end of the globe, Latin American countries will fuse into a continental market. Soccer will facilitate it. Great news is coming from Africa. Ravaged by poverty, military rule, AIDS, malaria, and battered economies, their continental body, the Organization of African Unity has transformed into the African Union (AU). The aim is to fuse markets and economies. Before 2030, Africa will have a common currency, The Mandela. Remember the great African statesman, Nelson Mandela who moved from Prison to Presidency after 27 years in jail to emancipate his people in South Africa.

That is not all. The economies of Oceania and Australia will fuse into a common market. These market dynamics will herald the forming of One World in 2050. E-Business and globalization will be the drivers of change. Governments will not necessarily merge by year 2030. They will remain, but markets and currencies will merge completely. Then we shall have One World of diversity. Markets represent the anatomy on One World. And a common currency is the economic blood that will lubricate trade and promote free exchange of goods and services.

Before 2030, more than 100 currencies of countries will fuse into five continental currencies. One: The Dollar will rule North America. Two: The Euro is already in charge of Europe. Three: The Mandela will hold sway in Africa. Four: Latin America will throw up The Columbus, to immortalize the man who discovered the continent. Five: The Oceania will adopt Oceanics as their currency. Australia will be too proud to adopt it and will try to muzzle its own currency through to cover that region. As national currencies fuse, so will the orientation of their nationals.

But there will still be trouble spots. The Middle East will still be in turmoil. The Arabs and Israelis will never end their hostilities. The region will refuse to fuse with any of the emerging continental markets and currencies. And they will use oil as a global weapon. Same way, for Asia. They will agree in principle for a single currency, but the rivalry between Japan, Korea, and China will delay implementation.

In 2030, the five continental currencies, barring all odds and delays, will fuse into one global currency- The Globo that will rule the world from thence. This global currency will feature the picture of a revolving globe serving a truly one-world market. It will be an electronic currency, accessed by information technology. That is when the world will completely be ruled by e-business. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

Dear professionals. You think a global currency is not feasible? It is already being discussed. See what The Economist of London wrote about One World, One Money: The magazine says, “In difficult times, people are encouraged to think the unthinkable. A global currency is not a new idea, but it may soon get a new lease of life.

Mark the two words on thinking, they are products of Imagination.

That lease of life can only come from professionals who use their Imagination to think the unthinkable. If this comes from The Economist, you better listen because the magazine commands global attention. It is factual and authoritative. That is the mission of this message. Not only to picture the world of business in 2030, but for you to acquire wisdom from leading authorities on your way to 2030.That will be when The Globo will usher in the era of total free trade across nations and markets where most trade barriers will be dismantled. It will be One World, One Currency.

By 2030, it will no longer be who are you or where are you from? That will not be necessary. What matters will be, what is your vision is? Where are you going? What can you do? How global are you? How much value can you add to humanity because the world then will be completely value-driven? Take the Economist magazine for instance. It churns out more than 124 pages of information and analysis on global business, finance, politics, and economics every week. Yet you do not see the bylines (names) of the editors and writers. It is a pointer of things to come in 2030. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

In 2030, the World Bank will become a global bank that oversees one truly global market. Central Banks of nations will give way for Continental Banks. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will change to the International Monetary Force. Still IMF, but with a new focus. A global currency, The Globo, needs a global bank, and a global monetary force to sustain it.

Globalization and one currency will throw up global opportunities in 2030. You need a global mindset to tap these opportunities, and it takes Imagination to do that. Use me dear professionals, I will put the world in your pocket.

Have you observed this? Every event that brings the world together commands global attention and promotes peace, joy and harmony. Check out the soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games. Nations are clamoring to host them. In 2030, there will be no single host. Events and matches will hold in different parts of the world simultaneously. Technology will make that possible and people will watch events on palm top electronic devices. Technology will compress the world into your hands.

FIFA, the world’s governing football body is already moving in this direction with the dual hosting of Japan-Korea 2002 World Cup. In 2030, the World Cup will be played in a world of many nations, no longer in a nation of many cities. The Olympic Games will also transform. No longer Moscow 80, Barcelona 92, Atlanta 96 or Sydney 2000. It will be Global 2030. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

Look at it this way, assuming a retirement age of 65 and an annual compounded rate of return of 10%.

* Bob is 40 years old and invests $20,000 a year for retirement.

* Jenny is 21 years old and invests $5,000 a year for retirement.

By the time they retire, Bob will have invested $400,000 and Jenny $220,000 respectively. But because of the power of compound interest, Bob will retire with half as much money as Jenny, despite investing twice as much!

* Bob would retire with $1.97 million

* Jenny would with $3.26 million

So, what’s the moral of the story?

Stop robbing your future retirement income to pay for luxuries today.

Maximize your annual contribution to your IRA

When it comes to your IRA contribution limits, Uncle Sam’s motto seems to be “use it or lose it”. Workers that don’t make the maximum allowable contribution to their Traditional or Roth IRA by the cut-off date, are plain out of luck unless they are in their mid-fifties and qualify for catch-up contributions.

Take advantage of your employer matching funds

Many companies will match up to fifty-percent of the contributions employees make to their 401k and other retirement accounts. If your boss will match your contributions, take full advantage of it, as it is money for nothing… literally free money!

Don’t take your retirement cash out when you change jobs

The average American worker will change jobs several times in their career. When this occurs, the most foolish thing you could possibly do is to cash out of your retirement plan. What you should do is roll over the proceeds into an IRA or your new employer’s 401k plan. Besides avoiding significant tax penalties, you will be able to keep your money working for you tax-free.

Avoid IRA withdrawal fees

There are numerous ways to withdraw money from your retirement account in the event of an emergency. However, before you even think about doing so, make absolutely certain that you have done everything required to qualify, otherwise, you will get a quite a shock when you are hit with what could be thousands of dollars in fees and penalties.

Expand the Pie

Don’t just cut expenses – find a way to make more money! Get part-time work, or turn your hobby into a business enterprise. You should create additional streams of income to help fund your retirement.

Often this is an excellent alternative to cutting costs and scrimping, because it allows you to maintain your current standard of living, while providing for your future retirement.

Give kids an allowance – If you give your child an allowance, try tying their allowance to responsibilities like feeding pets, taking out trash or cleaning their rooms. Of course, the level of responsibility and the amount of the allowance should be tied to the children’s ages and abilities, and your own financial means.

Help kids build up their personal economy by establishing savings goals – Work with your kids to create a list of why they should save and things they want to save for – big and small – then help them prioritize it. Ask them to put three stars next to the things they want most, two stars next to the things they would like and one star next to those that are least important. Have them categorize the items as most expensive to least expensive. You can help them use these ratings to choose what they want to save for by focusing on the three-star items they want most and determining how much they think they can save.

Help kids find a place to keep their savings – It’s a good idea to keep savings and spending money separate — perhaps in labeled containers. By attaching a picture of that “something special” to their savings container, kids can keep their goal visible. They could use different colored wallets for savings and for spending money or ask if they would like to open a savings account at your bank while keeping spending money at home.

Help kids track their progress. Let’s face it, kids find saving boring (honestly, so do a lot of adults). You can help build and maintain the excitement of reaching a personal economic goal by making a savings thermometer and coloring in the sections as money is saved. Post your child’s progress charts in visible places and celebrate their progress. It’s important to make saving money fun and rewarding with many celebrations along the way.

Encourage kids to avoid spur-of-the-moment spending. While most kids have good intentions for their savings goals, their plans are often derailed by impulse purchases — like that hot new toy. Here is some advice you can give your kids to keep them from getting off-course:

• Leave money behind – Bring only a small amount of money on shopping trips to help avoid impulse purchases.
• Don’t forget about your savings goal – Carry a picture of what you are saving for and compare it to anything you are tempted to buy.
• Be a bargain hunter – Wait for the item you want to go on sale and watch for coupons.
• Don’t rush into purchases – Avoid buying anything you see for at least two weeks. Add it to your “wants” list and then prioritize it against the other things you want.
• Ask for help in securing money – Parents can help keep your savings in a safe place if you think you will be tempted to spend it.

Once your kids establish a saving pattern you’ll find they take great pride in striving for and reaching their financial goals. You might even consider matching their savings after they prove they are serious about putting away an agreed upon amount. As with anything else in life, your children will find determination and patience are rewarded, and the payoff for reaching their personal economic goals is worth the challenge of getting there.

The Administration part of the small business may seem simple but unless one gets down to doing it and doing it right, nothing else will get done.

Time management is key to an optimal administration process of your small business. Regardless of how swamped we are with work and how lacking in sleep we are, if we want our small business to make money, we have to sit down and block time off to handle the administration work. Although you should make allowance for life’s unexpectant changes, if we really get down to it and manage out time better, life won’t be so topsy turvy at all – in fact, we migght even enjoy doing the administration work for our small business.

And here are some helpful tups to help you manage your time better and perhaps may even make earning money from your small business more enjoyable.

Administration tip 1: OUTSOURCE projects to others because you want to handle more important things for your small business.

Many small business owners would rather do everything themselves, because either they don’t trust anyone else to do the job right or there isn’t a budget to outsource to others. But here’s the thing, you SHOLD learn how to outsource things you are not capable of handling, because of time or experience factor, because it is simply more effective that way!

Outsourcing will help clear some of your time for important things you are capable of doing and if you don’t have a budget to get someone else to do it, markup the fee to include the outsourcing fee. This way, you’re not really paying for the outsourcing fee.

Administration tip 2: Start with the thing you hate most and end it with the things you like most.

Sounds weird when you put it that way but it works wonders. Wake up early and do everything you hate first. You won’t be looking forward to a wonderful morning but hey, at least, you get to end your day on a good note. You’ll also find it such a joy to tick off everything you hate on that list first and then by the afternoon, you’ll have everything you LOVE to do on the list.

Administration tip 3: To ensure your small business runs smoothly, make it a habit to run through the administration process at the end of every day.

What we mean by administration process is to look through everything, do your filing, check your to-do list and update it, look through your email box, open your letters and plan for tomorrow, and perhaps, you may want to make a phone call or two before you call it a day.

Administration tip 4: Get physical when you’re feeling bogged down, stressed up and tied up in knots!

Yes, we mean it, get physical, as in exercising, it doesn’t take a long time. Some exercises require 10 – 15 minuts of your time and if you intend to take a longer time to clear your mind, go do it. You’ll come back more refreshed.

HOW AFFILIATE PROGRAMS WORK

Affiliate programs provide you with a text or graphic LINK that you place on your website, leading back to the original company’s site. You are given a unique URL — one that has some code in it identifying the link as belonging to your website. When a customer clicks through that link and is taken to the other company’s website, their system keeps track of where that customer came from. And if that person buys something from the other website, it rewards you with a COMMISSION — either a flat fee or a percentage of the sale.

WHY SEND TRAFFIC TO ANOTHER SITE

It might seem at first that affiliate links are antithetical to running a website — that you are sending your traffic somewhere else. But what you are really doing is providing an additional RESOURCE for your clients — a reason for them to come back again and again. The goal behind a website – even one that is designed to promote your company — is to give your visitors VALUE. So by directing them toward the products or services they might need — that you don’t provide yourself – you are building credibility and customer loyalty. And, you are making a bit of profit along the way.

E-COMMERCE ON THE CHEAP

Setting up an e-commerce website can be very EXPENSIVE — between the shopping cart program, the secure certificate for accepting credit cards, the merchant account fees, and site maintenance, you can go broke in a hurry if your site doesn’t grow quickly. However, affiliate programs make e-commerce easy and affordable. You can offer your customers the opportunity to purchase the products that they need on the internet, without having to set the system up yourself. They get the ease of shopping online with a credit card — and the VALUE of not having to search on the web for the products they desire (because you’ve been kind enough to point them in the right direction!) — and you get a satisfied customer base and a nice check from the businesses you support.

Best of all, the other company takes care of all of the sales-related RESPONSIBILITIES of running an e-commerce site — processing orders, customer service, after sales support, etc. You don’t have to stock inventory, deal with sales tax, handle complaints, or manage the bookkeeping. All you do is put up the link. It’s as close to a WIN-WIN situation as you will find in business today.

OFFERING A QUALITY LINK

However, joining affiliate programs is just like being involved in any other marketing or business opportunities — you need to be DISCRIMINATING. You don’t want to link to a website that has questionable business practices, sells a shoddy product, or does not represent your company well. You put your REPUTATION on the line when you link to a site — just as you would if you gave your customer a referral to another local business — and you want to make sure that you are doing your customers a real service with every link you provide. Only link to those companies you believe in and would shop from yourself.

HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD AFFILIATE PROGRAM

Start off by selecting an affiliate program that provides content that COMPLEMENTS your website. If you provide interior decorating services, appropriate web links might include home décor, professional organizing, Feng Shui, or even housecleaning. However, you probably wouldn’t want to link to a pizza joint’s website, as this really has nothing to do with your services.

Also look for a website that provides QUALITY services, products, and information. Your visitors will appreciate being sent to a site that provides both valuable content and useful products, rather than one that tries to hard-sell them from the very start. And the key to being a successful affiliate is VARIETY — try to offer a lot of different options for visitors, either by linking to a comprehensive site that provides many different features, or by linking to several “niche” sites.

THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN AFFILIATE

Affiliate programs really are the AFFORDABLE way to build your business. When you think about it, launching a new line of products or services the traditional way requires a lot of time, energy, and money. But with an affiliate program, it simply involves cutting and pasting a link onto your site — no capital outlay and no real RISK. If it doesn’t end up generating the income you thought it would, you haven’t lost anything.

Another nice aspect of being an affiliate is the time frame within which you can start earning commissions. With most business expansion efforts, there will often be a substantial “wait” period between launch and that first check. But with affiliate programs, you can begin earning money the very first day you put the link up.

HOW TO SUCCEED AT AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

Most affiliate programs will provide you with graphics and text to include on your site — but that is only the first step to really marketing your affiliate links. The first rule to remember is that the MORE links you have to a company, the more potential sales and affiliate commissions you will generate. And don’t just put a link on some arbitrary page with no explanation of why it is there. Try to WEAVE it into a part of your site that makes some sense — and describe to your visitor why the link is valuable to them.

For example, one affiliate of or website includes little blurbs in her content and articles describing related companies and how they can be of benefit to her visitors. She has included our link in over 50 different places on her site — always with a bit of text talking about a specific product or service we offer that is relevant to the topic at hand — and she gets a tremendous number of sales as a result.

Also try to create PRODUCT-SPECIFIC or EVENT-RELATED links. At our site, we send out monthly notifications of sales, special events, organizing holidays, etc. And our most successful affiliates are the ones who include a new link each month describing the offers and activities going on at our site — giving people a real reason to visit. We also have seen affiliates create entire product pages on their sites that essentially look like their own shopping carts. They include pictures and descriptions of products we offer, and set up the link to take the customer directly to the page on our site where they can buy the recommended item. With the right web design, this kind of link can really enhance your site — making it appear as though your have a wide variety of products to offer yourself.

As you can see, joining affiliate programs can be a terrific way to create an entirely new income stream for your company — with very little investment or effort on your part.

A few days before, we’d had our fill of running the girls to swimming lessons and fighting with them to do their homework. We could not endure the sight of one more PTA notice requesting money for this fundraiser or attendance at that meeting. We broke. We called a sitter and reserved a table at the most elegant restaurant in town.

And what a night it was. The sitter was late, of course, and the wind snapped off tree branches and hurled them at our car, but we made it. The food, the wine, and the service were fine. We put the children firmly out of our minds. By the time the salad came, we were sufficiently unwound.

We started having fun. We were laughing. The subjects of the weird charge on our cell phone bill or our dire need for a new refrigerator never entered the discussion. We were transformed into the couple we used to be before children, two cars, and a mortgage. We were footloose, fancy free, and out for a good time.

The happiness of that evening stayed with us for many days. We were attentive to one another. We remembered why we’d gotten married and were glad for it, proving my mother’s advice that happy couples continue to date each other forever.

“It’s important,” she’d say.

But, in the early years of our marriage, I’d make excuses. Diaper and formula bills left little money for nights out on the town. It was impossible to find a good babysitter. It was selfish of us to take time away from the children.

“Make it a priority,” my mother would respond. “Children are the result of the marriage, not the reason for it.”

Like a lot of couples, my husband and I had forgotten that. We’d completely wrapped ourselves up in our children and their needs. We started losing sight of each other, but we knew that if we didn’t make time for our relationship, our children would grow up and we’d be left behind, looking at each other and wondering, “Who the heck is this person?”

So we decided to make it a goal to go out on a date once a month (once a week is better, according to my mother), and I heartily recommend you do the same. If you’re a woman and your husband is reluctant, don’t guilt trip him into “taking” you out. You’re not luggage. Instead, remind him that you love him, and tell him that you miss having him to yourself. That should convince him.

I’m not going to pretend it’s ever easy to squeeze a date onto a calendar of never-ending responsibilities. It isn’t. My husband and I had dinner plans tonight, but we had to cancel due to an event at our daughters’ school. It’s disappointing, but it won’t deter us. We’ll just reschedule our night out for next week.

We’ve made it a priority because, as my mother counseled, our happy marriage depends on it.