Volunteering Abroad in Philippines: The culture of the Philippines is a combination of Asian and Spanish influence. The people are an ethnic mix of Malay, Chinese, Spanish, American, and Indian. Since the Spaniards dominated the Philippines for over 300 years, many of their traditions, and holidays originate from the Spaniards. Over 90% of the country is Christian and 80% of these are Catholics. Local feasts for patron saints are some of the popular catholic celebrations. Religion plays an important role in the lives of the Filipinos.

Filipino, also known as Tagalog, is the official national language in the Philippines with English considered as the country's unofficial one. Both English and Tagalog are taught in school starting in grade one. In addition, there are over 111 dialects spoken throughout the different regions of the country.

Hospitality is one of the Filipino characters that truly distinguish them from other Southeast Asian people. A visitor is treated as the most important person they have ever met and will be introduced to the best the family can offer - the best food, the best place in the table, the best things, and, if they have to stay overnight, the best room and beddings!

The Philippines primarily has a tropical rainforest climate. Heavy rains are common from June to October because of the Southwest Monsoon. Monsoons are rare from December through June so there is little rainfall during these months. Strong typhoons are a concern from June through November.

Our projects are located in the Visayans, on the Leyte Island, supporting the education of orphan and rural children from the surrounding areas. The poverty experienced in this area is not just a lack of money but also the inability to access basic needs, such as health care and health facilities, as well as basic quality education for all of its children.

Our programs allow you to take part in meaningful community service work, while discovering the people, sights, smells and tastes of the Philippines.

Volunteering while traveling n the Philippines is a way to totally immerse you in Filipino culture.

This is a great opportunity to make life-long friends, learn a new culture from the inside out and discover that one person really can make a difference.

Volunteer overseas with us and see A Broader View of the World.

Locations pages:

• Tacloban
• Tanauan
• Olango Island

1001 Dell Lane Suite B, Wyncote, PA 19095, USA Volunteer Abroad Project

Tel: 1-215-780-1845 / Toll Free: 1-866-423-3258 / Fax: 1-215-887-0915

volunteers@abroaderview.org - www.abroaderview.org - info@abroaderview.org

Newest website by one of Best Portuguese Digital Agency, VIEW.

Have fun!! ;)

Aleida Rhode won first place in the Flickr Hair Fair contest and also in the Quintessence contest at Koinup.com with this lovely photo above. Note the little detail: this pose means "love" in sign language. Simply beautiful Aleida!

The owner of Angel Dessous, Nando Korobase, picked Tiffany Dragonash to be the Angel of September (picture above) at the forementioned store. But it doesn't stop there. Tiffany is now officially a Miss SL Universe finalist. Congratulations and the best of luck from us all!

JCNY’s August MODEL’FEST contest was won by none other than our very own Ella Quinsette. You can see a picture of Ella in the awards ceremony above. Major congrats and many successes like this one in the future!

Venezuela plans Russia navy visit

The exercises will be the first of their in the region

Venezuela says it plans to hold joint naval exercises in its territorial waters with Russian forces in November.

A senior Venezuelan naval officer said four Russian ships would take part in the exercises, which would also involve Venezuelan aircraft and submarines.

Correspondents say the move is likely to raise concern in the US, whose relations with Russia have been soured by Moscow's recent conflict in Georgia.

Washington already has rocky relations with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.

In July, he called for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect Venezuela from the US.

Caracas and Moscow agreed to extend bilateral co-operation on energy, with three Russian energy companies to be allowed to operate in Venezuela.

Regional first

On Saturday, Venezuela's Rear Admiral Salbatore Cammarata Bastidas said four Russian ships and 1,000 Russian troops would take part in exercises in Venezuelan territorial waters from 10 to 14 November.

"This is of great importance because it is the first time it is being done (in the Americas)," he said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency and local media.

President Chavez supported Russia's intervention in Georgia last month and has accused Washington of being scared of Moscow's "new world potential".

Earlier, US Vice-President Dick Cheney launched a furious attack on Russia over the recent conflict in the Caucasus.

Mr Cheney described Moscow's actions against Georgia as an affront to civilized standards and said it was reverting back to old Soviet tactics of intimidation and the use of brute force.

He added that Russia was also seeking to use its energy resources as a weapon.

1. Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Li and Bernoff
2. Here Comes Everybody:The Power of Organizing Without Orgnizations by Clay Shirky
3. Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds

So if you head to the beach one last time this summer, make sure to pack one of these fascinating books along with your towel and sunscreen.

..........Whitney Wilkinson

BHUBANESWAR, September 5 (Compass Direct News) – Asserting that most area Hindus are tolerant and peaceable, victims of ongoing anti-Christian violence in the eastern state of Orissa blamed the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP) and other extremist groups for the terror of the past two weeks.

“The mobs that attacked our parishes and institutions were largely composed of extremists from the VHP and its youth wing, Bajrang Dal,” said Bishop Sarat Chandra Nayak of the Behrampore Catholic diocese.

At least four parishes, a presbytery and a youth hostel were destroyed in Munniguda town in Rayagada district under the Behrampore diocese in the spate of violence that began following the killing of a VHP leader, Laxmanananda Saraswati, and four of his associates in Kandhamal district on August 23. Christian leaders say more than 100 lives have been lost and thousands of houses, churches and institutions damaged or destroyed in the violence.

The state government attributed the assassination of the VHP leader and his associates to Maoists who have since claimed responsibility for the murders, but the Hindu extremist groups continue to blame Christians.

Asked if he condemned the violence on Christians, VHP Orissa State President Gauri Prasad Rath told Compass that he categorically did not.

“You should ask me to condemn the killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and his associates with AK-47s by Christians,” he said.

While the Global Council of Indian Christians says more than 100 people have been killed in the violence, the Kandhamal District Collector’s Office told Compass that the death toll is only 14 people. The office reports 22,685 people are in relief camps in Kandhamal. The same office has also reported that 2,400 buildings have been destroyed in the mayhem, though Christian leaders believe the total is much higher.

Hindus Protected Christians

Father Mathew Puthyadam, a Catholic priest in Phulbani town in Kandhamal district, told Compass that local Hindu families gave him shelter.

As mob of around 4,000 people was carrying the body of Saraswati in a procession outside his church on the night of August 24, he said, he first sought shelter with Christians.

“When the mob was destroying my parish [Christ the King Church], I went to the house of parish workers nearby and hid in a broken bathroom,” Fr. Puthyadam said. “The mob somehow came to know that the house belonged to Christians, and they launched an attack on it. They beat up the two boys who live there, but they managed to escape. Thankfully, they did not come to the bathroom.”

About an hour after the mob left, Fr. Puthyadam came out to the street to see if it was safe for him to leave.

“A Hindu lady told me some extremists were still roaming around,” he said. “She asked me to hide in her kitchen and gave me food to eat.”

Later, Fr. Puthyadam fled to a forest, and finally came to the Archbishop’s House in the state capital, Bhubaneswar.

“Many among the mob were goons and thieves who were seemingly led by extremist groups,” he recalled, saying he felt he had gotten a “second life” as he could have been killed.

Another priest who managed to reach Bhubaneswar after a seven-day journey from Onjamundi village in Kandhamal district praised local Hindu families for protecting him.

“On the evening of August 25, a mob of 300 people who were armed with pistols, chisels and sticks, started burning houses and churches,” said Father Laxmikant Pradhan, a Catholic priest. “We could see thick smoke rising from all around. But Hindu families in the village asked Fr. Prabodha Kumar, my associate, and I to hide in their homes.”

Ravindranath Pradhan, a 45-year-old former soldier of the Indian Army, told Compass that VHP supporters attacked Christian houses in his village of Gadragaon in the Rupagaon area of Kandhamal.

“We know the attackers – they are from the VHP,” he said. “We have named them in our police complaint.”

Pradhan and 113 others reached Bhubaneswar on August 28 after walking for four days from Gadragaon. The homeless Christians were given shelter in a YMCA center in the capital city.

Creating a Rift

Some Orissa locals believe the extremists meant to create a rift between Christian missionaries and lower-caste tribal peoples known as “Other Backward Classes” (OBCs).

Prabhu Kalyan Mahapatra, a local Hindu and freelance journalist, told Compass that he did not think the violence was the result of what media are portraying as a Hindu-Christian “clash.”

In Kandhamal, there are OBCs who are lower castes but not “outcasts,” Mahapatra said, noting that the OBCs were mainly traders, while Dalits and tribal peoples were laborers and the poorest of the poor. He said the OBCs exploited Dalit and tribal people.

“However, Christian missionaries provided education to Dalits and tribals, which was not liked by the OBCs for obvious reasons,” he said, pointing out that several people from Dalit and tribal backgrounds had risen to become bureaucrats and members of parliament because of education provided by Christian institutions. “And the VHP took advantage of the situation and created a rift between OBCs and Christian missionaries.”

Mahapatra said that locals’ tolerance for Christian converts made Hindu-Christian conflict an unlikely reason for the violence. A Christian convert, Madhusudan Das, was recognized by the people of all local communities as the “father of modern Orissa,” he said.

Das, a lawyer, social reformer and patriot, worked for the political, social and economical uplift of people of eastern India, especially Orissa, and contributed numerous articles and poems both in Oriya and English.

“If the people of these communities respect a convert [Das], how can you say the Hindus of Orissa are not tolerant?” he asked.

Mahapatra explained how the VHP extended Saraswati’s funeral procession to incite violence.

“The funeral was taken from Saraswati’s ashram [religious center] in Jalespeta to his other ashram in Chakapada in Kandhamal, covering around 134 kilometers, when the distance between the two ashrams is merely 70 kilometers,” he said.

The attacks on Christians began during the funeral procession, he added.

New Tensions Feared

The Orissa government yesterday put a ban on rally planned by the VHP to take the ashes of Saraswati in another public procession throughout Orissa villages beginning on Sunday (September 7), according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

The ban was announced by the state government in hearing of a petition filed by Archbishop Raphael Cheenath from Orissa in the Supreme Court of India. The state government, however, fears fresh trouble on Sunday, as it is believed that the VHP may still go ahead with the processions.

“The state government has decided to rush additional force to the riot-affected areas in view of VHP’s proposed ‘kalas puja’ [worship of the remains of a deceased] of slain Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati,” reported The Indian Express newspaper today.

According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, mobs led by extremist groups are “roaming in Kandhamal and threatening the Christians to ‘reconvert’ or face death.”

Christians from various denominations will fast and pray for the Christians in Orissa on Sunday.

The VHP and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, a partner of the ruling government led by the Biju Janata Dal party, continue to blame Christians for the killing of Saraswati and four others in spite of the Maoist claim of responsibility for the assassination.

Saraswati allegedly incited the attacks on Christians and their property in Kandhamal during last Christmas season. The violence lasted for more than a week beginning December 24, and killed at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches.

The 2007 attacks were allegedly carried out mainly by VHP extremists under the pretext of avenging an alleged attack on Saraswati by local Christians. Hundreds of Christians were displaced by the violence in Kandhamal, and many are still in various relief camps set up by the state government.

Christians make up 2.4 percent of Orissa’s population, or 897,861 of the total 3.7 million people.

Report from Compass Direct News

BHUBANESWAR, India, September 4 (Compass Direct News) – Christian victims of Hindu extremist violence who have fled to the capital of the eastern state of Orissa said state police have been mere spectators as mayhem continued a 12th consecutive day.

Attacks on Christians and their property and institutions began in Orissa’s Kandhamal district following the killing of a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP) leader, Laxmanananda Saraswati, and four of his disciples on August 23. Maoists claimed responsibility for the murders on Monday (Sept. 1), though the statement did nothing to slow Hindu extremist violence that Christian leaders say has claimed more than 100 lives.

Among those who have fled to Bhubaneswar was Father Prabodha Kumar, a Catholic priest who reached the Catholic Archbishop’s House in the capital after a seven-day journey from Onjamundi village in Kandhamal. He was among other fearful sojourners at the house whose mobile phones constantly rang with news of more attacks from their relatives, friends and church members in interior villages of Kandhamal.

Fr. Kumar looked deeply troubled after one such phone call yesterday.

“My brother has been forced to ‘reconvert’ to Hinduism, as he was told that if he did not do so, his house would be destroyed,” he said.

Asked why he did not report the abuse to the police, the priest told Compass that if police officers could “witness Christians being brutally attacked,” why would they do anything to save his brother?

A few minutes later, Fr. Kumar’s phone rang once again. This time, it was about Christians in Kanpada village in Balliguda Block (Kandhamal district) being told to “reconvert” if they did not want their houses to be burned.

Shortly thereafter, another victim at the Archbishop’s House received a phone call reporting that at least 19 houses and churches were burned down that morning in Lujurmunda village, under Tikabali police station jurisdiction in Kandhamal.

State Inaction

That police did nothing to protect Christians is the assertion of most of the victims of Orissa violence.

Ravindranath Pradhan, a 45-year-old former soldier for the Indian Army, told Compass that two policemen came to him in his village, Gadragaon – also under the jurisdiction of Tikabali police station in Kandhamal – on August 24 and asked if he had heard the news about Saraswati’s killing. The officers told him to be “cautious,” but when he said police should protect him and his family, they said they didn’t have enough force to do so and left the village.

A little while later, he said, a mob of around 50 Hindu extremists stormed into the village and burned 31 houses belonging to Christians. The mob burned and killed his brother, Rasanand Pradhan, who suffers from paralysis, as he lay on his bed in a room that was set on fire.

“There is a police post in Pasora village, around five kilometers [three miles] from Gadragaon, but there was not even a single policeman in the village at the time of the attack,” the former soldier told Compass.

Ravindranath Pradhan, along with more than 100 Christians – including women, children and babies from his village, walked to reach Bhubaneswar, covering more than 300 kilometers (186 miles). He walked and used various means of transport, halting in numerous forests, before he was able to reach the state capital on Tuesday (Sept. 2).

“It took us four long days to reach Bhubaneswar,” Pradhan said. “We did not eat anything. We survived on water from rivers along the route. We also encountered wild animals in some forests.”

Pradhan had severe swelling of his left foot. One of his brothers was recovering in a hospital.

Many Christians from Gadragaon village reached Bhubaneswar on August 28. They were taken by local Christians to a YMCA center, where several other victims also are temporarily residing.

Christian leaders estimate at least 40,000 people have taken refuge in forests, and some 20,000 persons have fled to 10 government relief camps.

Police Afraid of VHP

Father Mathew Puthyadam of Christ the King Catholic Church in Phulbani town in Kandhamal also blames police for inaction.

At around 8:30 p.m. on August 24, he heard a mob shouting anti-Christian slogans, he said.

“I knew the church was going to be attacked,” Fr. Puthyadam said, his voice still trembling with fear. “I escaped to a nearby house when I saw a crowd of around 4,000 people carrying the body of Saraswati coming towards the church. The district collector [administrative head], the Deputy Inspector General [DIG] of Police, and several police personnel were also there.”

The Saraswati funeral procession stopped outside the church building, with the Hindu extremists carrying the body of Saraswati before its gate. The mob then broke the boundary wall and damaged statues and a cross.

“The collector, the DIG and other policemen witnessed it without doing anything,” Puthyadam recalled. “The DIG merely told the crowd, ‘Enough, enough, now move on.’ It is only when the crowd pelted stones on the police, and some of them got hurt, that the DIG asked his force to use batons to disperse the crowd.”

A federal security force also blamed Orissa state police for failing to prevent attacks on Christians.

On Friday (Aug. 29), the commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Darshan Lal Gola, told The Indian Express newspaper that there was “complete breakdown of the state’s law and order machinery.” He pointed out that the CRPF rounded up 75 rioters in Deegei village under the Raikia police station, but local police refused to put them behind the bars.

A local human rights activist, Dhirendra Panda, said the state administration and police were afraid of VHP extremists.

“The state government did not conduct an autopsy on Saraswati’s body,” Panda said. “The body was not even taken to a hospital. Why didn’t the government follow the required procedure of law?”

Panda also pointed out that while the Orissa government put a restriction on all political party members and rights activists to visit Kandhamal, it gave police protection to VHP General Secretary Praveen Togadia to visit Saraswati’s Ashram (religious center) on August 25.

“Togadia was escorted by the police,” he said.

India’s Supreme Court reacted angrily to the Orissa administration’s denials yesterday of ongoing attacks, as justices ordered a commitment under oath for Orissa to provide protection to its people and their property.

Acting on Christian leaders’ charges that police were colluding with perpetrators and that the state government was a mute spectator, the court asked the Orissa chief secretary to file an affidavit today stating that the administration “will take all steps to protect life and property.”

Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal had been enraged by a denial from state counsel Jana Ranjan Das that “allegations about continuing communal violence are false.”

Thus the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Orissa state to report on steps taken to stop the wave of anti-Christian violence. The court order came after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ordered the state to punish those responsible for murder and arson.

In calling for the resignation of the entire state government of Orissa, on Monday (Sept. 1), Dr. Sajan K. George, national president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, said that the death toll from the violence had reached 100 “and more butchered bodies and burnt corpses are being found.”

“In Bakingia, two families of seven Christians – Daniel Naik and Michael Naik and their families – were tortured and killed,” George said. “Their bodies were found with their heads pulped and smashed, they were recognized by their clothes. Bakingia is about eight kilometers [five miles] from Raikia police station.”

Another Inflammatory Procession

The Orissa government today put a ban on another rally planned by the VHP to take the ashes of Saraswati in public procession from one village to another in Orissa beginning on Sunday (September 7), reported the Press Trust of India news agency.

The ban was announced by the state government in hearing of a petition filed by Archbishop Raphael Cheenath from Orissa in the Supreme Court of India.

The VHP and the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a partner of the ruling government led by the Biju Janata Dal party, continue to blame Christians for the killing of Saraswati and four others in spite of the Maoist claim of responsibility for the assassination.

When Compass spoke to VHP Orissa State President Gauri Prasad Rath, he said the state government was wrongly linking Saraswati’s killing to Maoists.

“We know and believe that Christians killed him,” he said.

When Compass asked how he could say Christians killed him, he replied, “Christians attacked him on December 24, 2007.”

Saraswati allegedly incited the attacks on Christians and their property in Kandhamal during last Christmas season. The violence lasted for more than a week beginning December 24, and killed at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches.

The 2007 attacks were allegedly carried out mainly by VHP extremists under the pretext of avenging an alleged attack on Saraswati by local Christians. Hundreds of Christians were displaced by the violence in Kandhamal, and many are still in various relief camps set up by the state government.

Christians make up 2.4 percent of Orissa’s population, or 897,861 of the total 3.7 million people.  

Report from Compass Direct News

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy, and service. With more than two million volunteers nationwide, the American Cancer Society is one of the oldest and largest voluntary health agencies in the United States.

Organization

The American Cancer Society, Inc. consists of a National Home Office with 13 chartered Divisions throughout the United States and a presence in most communities.

Khayal : Stressed out

Originally uploaded by KhayaL

Buying a home should be fun

As you look for your dream home, keep in mind these tips for making the process as peaceful as possible.

1. Find a real estate agent who you connect with. Home buying is not only a big financial commitment, but also an emotional one. It’s critical that agent you chose is both highly skilled and a good fit with your personality.

2. If you find a home now, don’t try to second-guess interest rates or the housing market by waiting longer . The housing market usually doesn’t change fast enough to make that much difference in price, and a good home won’t stay on the market long.

3. Don’t ask for too many opinions. It’s natural to want reassurance for such a big decision, but too many ideas from too many people will make it much harder to make a decision. Focus on the wants and needs of your immediate family — the people who will be living in the home.

4. Accept that no house is ever perfect. If it’s in the right location, the yard may be a bit smaller than you had hoped. The kitchen may be perfect, but the roof needs repair. Make a list of your top priorities and focus in on things that are most important to you. Let the minor ones go.

5. Don’t try to be a killer negotiator. Negotiation is definitely a part of the real estate process, but trying to “win” by getting an extra-low price or by refusing to budge on your offer may cost you the home you love. Negotiation is give and take. Play hard-ball if you're willing to lose the house. A few experiences with that will tell you that it's not pretty.

6. Remember your home doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Don’t get so caught up in the physical aspects of the house itself — room size, kitchen, etc. — that you forget about important issues as noise level, location to amenities, and other aspects that also have a big impact on your quality of life.

7. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until you’ve found a home and made an offer to get approved for a mortgage, investigate home insurance, and consider a schedule for moving. Presenting an offer contingent on a lot of unresolved issues will make your bid much less attractive to sellers.

8. Factor in maintenance and repair costs in your post-home buying budget. Even if you buy a new home, there will be costs. Don’t leave yourself short and let your home deteriorate.

9. Accept that a little buyer’s remorse is inevitable and will probably pass. Buying a home, especially for the first time, is a big financial commitment. But it also yields big benefits. Don’t lose sight of why you wanted to buy a home and what made you fall in love with the property you purchased.

10. Choose a home first; then think about appreciation. While U.S. homes have appreciated an average of 5.4 percent annually over from 1998 to 2002, a home’s most important role is to serve as a comfortable, safe place to live.

The Art of Autumn Fashion Show
Sunday, September 7, 1pm SLT
OnRez Island Runway
http://slurl.com/secondlife/OnRez/213/31/22

PR Contact: Calamity Hathaway

Produced by CH Enterprises:
Fashion Event Director:  Calamity Hathaway
Runway Show Organizer:  Vivienne Darcy
Modeling Agency: Calamity's Haute Models

                    ****•.¸('***•.¸ ♥ ¸.•***´)¸.•****
                   
Calamity Hathaway Presents the “The Art of Autumn”

There’s a chill in the air, the colors are changing, and it’s time to mark your calendars for CH Enterprises’ annual Fall runway show Sunday, September 7, 1pm SLT at the OnRez runway.

You won’t want to miss a second of  “The Art of Autumn” as fashion event director Calamity Hathaway presents the colorful art of Thera Taurog of Lady Thera designs and Fuscia Jewell of Petal Meg jewelry designs.

"I chose to showcase designers Thera Taurog and Fuscia Jewell in my annual Fall runway show because their designs are so perfectly suited for Autumn colors and themes. Lady Thera designs are literally wearable art. Thera has brought the works of the greatest artists' of all time into SL and worked them into fabulous dress designs. Her designs are elegant but fun and excellently executed, easily one of the best and most daring designers in SL. I have wanted to showcase her designs in one of my runway productions since the first time I saw her work. So, this show is very exciting for me," said Calamity Hathaway, runway show director of CH Enterprises. 

"Petal Meg jewelry is perfect all year round, but especially for Fall. Her lovely flower creations imported from RL to SL are unlike no others, Fuscia's designs are unique. I have featured her jewelry in other runway shows, and I’m very happy to showcase her designs in the Art of Autumn fashion show," she said.

The show will feature the fabulous models of Calamity’s Haute Models Agency.         
http://calamityshautemodels.blogspot.com/

See you at the runway!

Through promotions, brands are able to negotiate better shelf space in big-box retailers and set their product apart from the competition.  Promotions help them drive brand awareness and capture customer information for ongoing CRM.  The bottom line: promotions help brands drive sales.

Untapped Potential
But while brand sponsors have long recognized the power of promotions, many of the benefits that can be derived from the promotions industry have gone largely untapped.

What most product suppliers fail to realize is that the promotional medium can serve as a catalyst to quickly educate consumers about a new product, vastly increasing the product’s chances of succeeding in the retail market.  They don’t consider that promotions can serve as a powerful customer acquisition tool and are more effective and inexpensive than virtually any other solution around.  Perhaps worst of all, they don’t make the connection between their product and the enormous revenue stream they could generate by marketing their products to the promotional industry.

Educating Consumers
Whenever a new type of product is introduced into the marketplace, there is a significant lag time before consumer awareness catches up. For the product to succeed, consumers need to change their behavior.  But first they have to understand what the product is, how to use it, and how it benefits them.  This is where promotions come into play.

The promotional medium gives product suppliers the opportunity to get their new product into the hands of millions of consumers, enabling them to sample the product and become familiar and comfortable with it.  Once this is accomplished, retail sales follow.

For an example of this, we need only to look at the evolution of prepaid phone cards.  When prepaid long distance cards were first introduced into the marketplace in the early 1990s, telecom providers couldn’t give them away.  Retailers wouldn’t buy them, so providers were forced to put them into stores on consignment, only to return two weeks later and discover that not a single product had sold.  The problem was lack of broad-based consumer education and awareness.  Consumers couldn’t understand how a plastic card featuring a PIN code equated to $10 worth of long distance phone time.  It wasn’t until prepaid phone cards started turning up as giveaways in millions of packages – everything from Gillette razors to cereal boxes – that consumers caught on.   As soon as they did, retail sales flourished and in a few years time, prepaid phone cards were a $4 billion industry. The pattern repeated itself recently with digital music, and savvy marketers are now tapping the promotional industry to introduce emerging mobile content technologies that will further change the way consumers interact with their mobile phones.

Drive Customer Acquisition
When it comes to acquiring customers for subscription-based products and services, few – if any – programs can match the cost effectiveness and power of promotions.  Magazine publishers have long realized the benefit of using promotions as a customer acquisition vehicle and rely on free-trial magazine promotions as a lure to attract hundreds of thousands of new subscribers each year.  Digital music, phone time, and mobile content are just a sampling of the subscription-based products in the market that are ideal for promotion-based acquisition programs.  Through free-trial promotions, companies are able to simultaneously introduce their product to millions of consumers for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising efforts and then integrate further discount offers or incentives to entice them to sign on as an ongoing customer.

Generate New Revenue
Companies are constantly developing products for the retail market.  But few product providers consider the enormous revenue stream that can be generated by selling their products promotionally.  Digital media, in particular, makes an ideal promotional product because of its universal appeal and low cost of delivery.  By selling a product promotionally, companies can often drive greater per-product margins than they can from a retail product because there are fewer sales layers involved in the process.  What’s more, selling products promotionally offers companies instant entry into a promotion sponsor’s long established distribution channel and enables companies to sell products in mass quantities that would be unimaginable on the retail side.

Imagine your product  or ten million pieces or your product  in hundreds or even thousands of big-box retailers across the country.   That’s the power of promotions.

The Promotional Edge
Whether it’s a brand sponsor looking to capture the mindshare of potential customers or a product supplier interested in fully leveraging its revenue opportunities, promotions hold the key.  Promotions serve as a direct link between the product provider and its consumers and can be reshaped and reconfigured as needed to achieve the desired results.  In today’s fiercely competitive marketplace, quickly educating consumers, building market share and driving profitable revenue are critical to success.  And savvy product providers and marketers who understand and take advantage of the promotional medium can get the competitive edge they need to succeed and thrive.

Visit Promotional Currency for more information on digital entertainment promotions, promotional ringtone cards, mobile content promotions
and so much more.

But that before the enormous surge in the number of Latinos going online, before the boom in rich media content such as streaming music, video and digital music downloads, and before the full realization that Latino youth are quickly becoming the dominant force in the U.S. marketplace.

It boils down to a numbers game and Latino youth win hands down. Of the 45 million (and growing) Latinos living in the United States, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that over half are under the age of 27 and one-third are under the age of 18. And this is just the beginning of the story. From July 2000 to July 2006, Latinos were by far the fastest growing minority segment in the United States, representing half the nation’s entire population growth. And the population surge shows no signs of slowing down.

It only takes looking at trends such as the skyrocketing popularity of the Reggaeton music genre to recognize the power Latino youth wield. Suddenly, being Latino is "in", and everything Latino is "hot"  from music, to dress, to attitude. With the latest statistics showing that 18 million Latinos are now online, that they spend 9.2 hours online per week, and that they are more likely than their non-Latino counterparts to download music and mobile content, listen to streaming music and watch streaming video, the message to marketers is clear: Latinos are a force to be reckoned with. If your company wants to get a share of the $900 billion pot of cash that represents the annual disposal income for this market sector, you better think music, think technology, think Internet. What's more, you better think fast  before someone else beats you to the punch.

Why are Hispanics Going Online?

Over the past five years, the number of Hispanics with Internet access has skyrocketed, sending companies such as AOL on a quest to find out what's behind the sudden increase. The Internet access provider discovered that while lower prices and more widespread broadband access play an important role in the surge, "empowerment" is the overriding factor.

More so then their general population counterparts, AOL found that Hispanics view the Internet as the equalizer to achieving the American Dream. As a result, Hispanics have embraced the technology and tools offered by the Internet-using it as a research vehicle to do comparison shopping on everything from automobiles to travel, as a communication tool that enables them to keep in touch with loved ones, and as an entertainment portal that gives them never-ending access to streaming music, online radio stations, music downloads and games.

"There's a heavy focus right away on rich media," Peter E. Blacker, who served as VP, International and US Hispanic Marketing for AOL, noted at a conference on Latino marketing. "Hispanics are very techie and immediately zoom in on entertainment such as music downloads and watching music videos. Gaming is also very popular."

Marketing Online

When marketing to Latinos online, industry experts say that best practice advertising rules such as researching your target audience, selecting the right portals, and delivering targeted, compelling messages apply.

But they say it's also crucial that marketers focus on content that resonates culturally with Hispanics - and this doesn't just mean providing a bilingual site. In fact, studies have shown that many Hispanic youth actually prefer English over Spanish, but that they often look for bilingual sites as clues that the marketer is speaking to them. To address this, "Spanglish", the mixing of English and Spanish words on the same site, is starting to grow in popularity.

Because music and entertainment play such a central role among Hispanic youth, savvy marketers are turning to digital entertainment such as music downloads, ringtones and games as incentive tools. They are also paying close attention to the subtleties of specific regions in the country and tailoring their marketing to reflect the population base there  such as recognizing that an ad should have a different feel when targeting Los Angeles, which is heavily populated with Mexicans, versus Miami, which has a high Cuban population.

Taking Action

With the Latino population in the U.S. now comprising nearly 15% of the entire population and a growth rate that is far outpacing every other population segment, industry experts say marketers can no longer afford to discount the Latino sector-a reality being played out at Fortune 500 companies, where the move is on to replace complacent marketing mangers with those who understand the power this minority segment wields.

The good news is that the opportunity is staggering, and the target marketwhile insistent on being communicated to in a way that's meaningful and personal to them-is very willing, even eager, to let their money do the talking.

Latinos: At A Glance

As a percentage base, Latinos still lag behind African Americans and whites in terms of their Internet use. A March 2007 study by Pew Hispanic Center reported that 67% of Latinos, compared to 77% of African Americans, and 86% of whites age 18-29 use the Internet. For the 30-41 age group, the percentages came in at 61%, 77%, and 85% respectively. But when you consider that there are twice as many Latinos under the age of 40 as whites, the numbers quickly skew in their favor.

· 18 million Latinos online
· Latinos stay online longer (9.2 hours per week vs. 8 per week general population)
· Online Latinos are younger than general population (56% are 18-35 vs 34% of general population)
· 55% of online Latinos listen to music online vs. 41% general population
· 37% of online Latinos download music vs. 25% general population

Latino Demographics

Below are statistics regarding the U.S. Latino population provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
· Largest minority population in U.S. (44.3 million as of July 1, 2006)
· $1 trillion estimated annual spending power by 2010
· Largest % of young people: 34% under age of 18, more than one-half under age 27
· Fastest growing minority segment in U.S. (From 2000 – 2006, Latinos represented one-half of entire U.S. population growth)

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According to consulting firm Pricewaterhouse, the size of the U.S. gaming market is set to exceed the music market this year; and the global gaming market is on track to be worth $48.9 billion by the year 2011. With statistics like this, along with a 2007 report by MSN Money stating that half of all Americans between the age of 12 and 55 now play video games, the opportunities to leverage gaming content through promotions are immense. Yet few video game companies have implemented a promotions strategy that enables them to fully leverage either their game content or their fan base.

Digital media is a natural extension to the gaming industry and gives gaming companies a powerful way to both expand their product offerings and become major players in the promotions market. By turning licensed game content into music downloads and mobile content and making it available for promotional campaigns, gaming companies have a powerful way to drive game sales, secure free mass advertising and generate significant incremental revenue. On the flip side, licensed game content serves as a valuable marketing tool for brands and retailers interested in connecting with key demographics by tapping into the gaming craze.

Promotional Opportunities for Gaming Companies
When it comes to a healthy bottom line, having a retail strategy is only half the equation for savvy game companies. In order to fully capitalize on the financial opportunities available, adopting a comprehensive promotional strategy is a must. By leveraging their licensed game content for promotional purposes, gaming companies can significantly boost retail sales and, at the same time, open the door to a lucrative new revenue stream.

There are three key ways gaming companies can leverage their content through promotions:

Drive Game Sales through Self Promos. While the concept is still new, some video game companies have already discovered the power of using digital incentives to motivate consumers to act. To help drive pre-launch sales of video games, both Capcom and Eidos have launched music download promotions in which consumers who pre-purchased a game were rewarded with a branded music card good for free music downloads featuring music from the game. Recently, Eidos carried this concept to an exclusive in-pack promotion at Wal-Mart in which Wal-Mart consumers who purchased the much anticipated Kane and Lynch: Dead Men action game were rewarded with a promo code good for $10 worth of exclusive ringtones or wallpaper from the game. In all cases, the promotions were a huge success.
Secure Free Mass Advertising through Brand Promotions. Because of the enormous market penetration video games enjoy, licensed game content from popular video game series can serve as a powerful marketing tool for the right brand or retailer. This, in turn, can result in free mass advertising that helps promote an upcoming game release. The key is finding the right brand or business to partner with. Brands have already discovered the power of using digital music from top artists in their promotional campaigns. A recent example of this is the Beyonce/L'Oreal ringtone campaign launched last December at Wal-Mart to promote L’Oreal’s new Infallible lipstick. With the U.S. video game market now surpassing music sales in the U.S. and touting a devoted fan base that spans from tweens to baby boomers, licensed game content is a natural fit for brands and retailers wanting to tap into the video game craze.
Generate Significant Incremental Revenue through Sale of Promotional Licensed Content. For the same reasons outlined above, exclusive digital game content can serve as a valuable promotional currency for brands and businesses wanting to connect with the broad video game demographic. By understanding the economics of the promotional sector, gaming companies can drive a significant new revenue stream from selling digital game content for promotional purposes.

Key to Success in Promotions Industry

To be sure, a successful promotional strategy requires a lot of moving parts. Because digital content should be at the heart of any promotional plan for the gaming industry, teaming up with the right digital mobile and music portals is a critical first step.

Gaming companies need to identify which licensed game content makes sense for the promotional market, and then work with providers that can turn that content into digital entertainment, ingest it into their online portals, and facilitate the delivery to consumers nationwide. If the promotional plan calls for third-party brand involvement, it requires understanding the economics of promotions and the constraints of promotional budgets, and then designing a promotional pricing model that represents a win/win for both the video game company and the brand. It also requires understanding the lead time requirements for promotional campaigns, and knowing how to time campaigns so that they give both the brand sponsor and the video game company the biggest bang possible.

Next are the administration and logistic components of a promotion that are inherent whether it is a self promo or a brand partnership. There are numerous elements to consider – such as whether the digital content will be delivered via a branded card or printed in-pack, and whether a custom landing page needs to be developed for the online digital portal. There are also code security issues to contend with to safeguard against fraud.

Because of everything that is involved in incorporating a successful promotional strategy, it is essential to work with someone who has the proper expertise. But whether partnering with a company such as Promotional Currency to facilitate the promotional solution, or finding someone internally who can take on the role – the message remains the same. Thanks to the soaring popularity of video games and the natural tie in with digital media, video game companies are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the multi-billion promotional industry. Incorporating a comprehensive promotional strategy ensures that video game companies are taking their business game to the next level. Those that don’t will get left behind.

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and so much more.

At Promotional Currency, we specialize in developing turnkey promotions that meet the unique needs and budgets of the clients we serve. Just tell us what you want to deliver and what you wish to accomplish and we will do the rest– from code generation, to customized landing pages, printing, program administration, and fulfillment. We will also underwrite the promotional risk, ensuring that your promotion never exceeds your budget.

Some of Our Brand Partners:
Exxon Mobile, Coors, Pioneer, Carl Budding, The Gillette Company, Ford, Kellogg's, Jeep, Levi's, Sears, Oasics USA, The Coca Cola Company, Sega, Citigroup, Bank of America, Chrysler, Johnson & Johnson and much more.

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and so much more.

At Promotional Currency, we specialize in developing turnkey promotions that meet the unique needs and budgets of the clients we serve. Just tell us what you want to deliver and what you wish to accomplish and we will do the rest– from code generation, to customized landing pages, printing, program administration, and fulfillment. We will also underwrite the promotional risk, ensuring that your promotion never exceeds your budget.

If you are looking to add sparkle to your next promotion or customer acquisition program, our mobile marketing company has got the million-dollar answer you need. We offer a variety of big dollar sweepstakes and lottery programs, each tailored to meet your promotional needs while fitting within your budget.

It Makes Perfect Cents
Whether it's a $10,000 sweepstakes or $10 million jackpot you want to entice customers with, we can design a promotion that works within your budget. By assigning specific odds and utilizing our risk-underwriting program, we can add a powerful "chance to win" sweepstakes to your next promotion for a fraction of the total price amount. And should your customer strike it lucky, we assume all financial responsibility.

A Million Reasons
More sales, more customers, more revenue. Need we say more? By adding a lottery or sweepstakes to your promotional giveaway, you give your promotion the sparkle it needs to outshine your competition.

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Our ringtone promotions and mobile game promotions can be custom-tailored around a specific theme or idea, giving you a fun, innovative way to connect with consumers and motivate them to act.

Whether delivering hundreds of school fight songs and logos with a back-to-school promotion, offering ringtones, games and images that ensure plenty of summer fun, or sending holiday cheer with seasonal music tones and images, we’ve got the solution you need. For ideas on how you can deliver unique, theme-based ringtone and mobile game promotions, visit Promotional Currency.

From Newsday (August 29th):

A day after promising that the Yankees will be busy in the offseason addressing their needs, Hank Steinbrenner yesterday named two pitchers in whom the Yankees have interest.

"Everybody's looking at [CC] Sabathia and [A.J.] Burnett, not just us," Steinbrenner said during yesterday's game against the Red Sox. "We'll see. The main concern is, are their arms going to be OK after this season?"

Once again, Steinbrenner predicted a flurry of offseason activity to make improvements to a Yankees team that could miss the postseason for the first time in other than strike years since 1993.

"It's very frustrating. We haven't given up on this year, but we're definitely going to be better next year," Steinbrenner said. "That I can promise."

Typical Hank, but what he has done here isn't exactly helpful--at least, not from the Blue Jay's perspective. As Jon Heyman notes, Hank is blatantly tampering through this statement. Everyone knows CC Sabathia will get his payday after this season, but AJ Burnett is sort of a different story. Burnett control his own destiny, as he has a players' option and could choose to stay with the Jays or he could choose to part with the team and pursue a new deal elsewhere. The thing is, Burnett hasn't made that decision yet, because, you know, the season isn't actually over. However, in light of Hank's comments, why wouldn't he exercise his opt-out and head for free agency (A-Rod style)? Clearly, as Hank said, teams ("not just us") are interested in his services, so it seems very likely that Burnett will pursue a new paycheck. With tampering, Heyman also notes that it's basically impossible to enforce, therefore there's no real "disciplinary" issue for Hank, but that doesn't mean his statement won't effect the Yankees.

Hank has become accustomed to blurting out whatever it is that he thinks in regards to other players (that aren't on his team) and by confirming not only that you have an interest in a player but that OTHER teams also have a genuine interest in that player, you are effectively sabotaging any form of leverage that you may have had. You're basically saying, "hey, I want you but other teams also want you, let's start a bidding war." Hank is hurting his own wallet with these statements (and those pesky Blue Jays, but who cares about them). I'm sure this sort of thing bothers not only GM Brian Cashman, but also Hank's reserved brother, Hal, who is the financial brain behind this operation. I guess, the good thing about Hanks's statement is that it'll further convince AJ Burnett to head towards free agency, which would then help the Yankees since he could possibly end up in the National League (thanks Hank!).

UPDATE -- The Red Sox are also said to be interested in Burnett (which would be terrible for the Yankees), however Larry Luchino has failed to make a public statement...... (Props to RAB & MLBTR who channeled Ken Rosenthal).

[2] Being too creative ( to the point the user only remembers the humor and the creative part.. but forgets the reason why she should swipe her credit card)

[3] Mis-directed actions; such as :

(a) Wrong positioning ( trying to sell a fridge to a guy in Igloo)

(b) Wrong Timing ( try selling an *invasion* in 2008)

(c) UN clear message -> leading to clutter & me-too

(d) Over- selling ( examples: Home shopping Network)

Cheers
Olga

Links:

• http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
• http://olgalednichenko.wordpress.com/

What do you think?

Cheers

Olga Lednichenko

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/975800/ugly_talent_and_modeling_agency.html?cat=31

This post may seem a little basic, but I believe that there are two terms that, if understood properly, may greatly help us understand how the doctrines of the Restoration may compare with the philosophies of the world. The two terms I would like to discuss today are necessary and sufficient.

Necessary: Required, needed, or essential

Sufficient: Enough, adequate

Here is an example of how these two terms may be used: A biological materialist might believe that biochemical processes in the human brain are sufficient to explain or account for all of human behavior. Latter-day Saints would unanimously believe that biochemical processes are necessary to account for human behavior, but far from sufficient. This is because we believe that agency plays a crucial role in human affairs. That is, we need brains to speak, but the processes of the brain are not enough to account for human language and activity. There is something that precedes our biology that is an important element in human activity.

I hope that an understanding of this difference will help us distinguish how the philosophies of the world may differ from the revealed truths of the Gospel. The doctrines of the Restoration, such as the reality of human agency, cause us to question some of the materialist assumptions of modern science, such as the belief that inert matter interacting according to scientific law is sufficient to account for all events in the world.