The LuxMob Info Tags

Us bodybuilders live a crazy lifestyle. Some call us crazy, narcistic, and even hermits, but I call it dedication. We even do things that we don`t realize we`re doing but when someone mentions it, we get a little humor out of it. I dedicate this article to the bodybuilding.com forum members for making a thread that gave me a little extra comic relief.

When thinking of food, we think of it in terms of functionality, practicality, and finally taste, not the other way around. We have to leave a party or social even because we have to go eat meal #7. Hell, most of us don`t even remember the fizz of soda, let alone what McDonald`s food tastes like. I`m even starting to appreciate the taste of water, no wonder my parents don`t understand why I won`t sit down and have a family dinner instead of making my own food. When looking at foods, we look at the protein content before anything else. We even know the difference between oatmeal, rolled oats, and steel oats.

Your family is at the gym and you know everyone by name. When you hear the word cutting, you think of cardio, not scissors. Do we miss a workout? Yeah right! We`ll skip that important business meeting or hot date so that we can go and train legs. Then there are the guys at the gym who train biceps and chest everyday and then you about kill them after they tell you that creatine is a sterioid. We don`t workout with friends because chances are good that we trained that muscle group the day before. Whenever we see two parallel tables, we start doing dips, just for the fun of it. Pain is our best friend, every morning we wake up hoping to be sore and if not, then we know that we need to train that muscle group harder next week.

In school, people give us strange looks because we get up three different times to take a leak. Sorry Mr. Biology Teacher, I`ve learned more about the human body from lifting than anything you`ve ever taught me. We have a whole cabinet or shelf just to hold our supplements because we take more pills than our grandma who has arthritis and high blood pressure. Our pecks are bigger than most of the freshman girls` and when we travel, we have to buy two plane tickets just to be able to fit into the seats.

This article may sound funny to some of you but it is what us bodybuilders face on a daily basis. Bodybuilding is a rough lifestyle and is not something everyone can do. My fellow bodybuilders understand where I`m speaking from. We are a breed apart from the rest of the bunch and live in our own little sub-culture where the outsiders can`t hurt us. We will rise!

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=
281000&highlight=you+know+you%60re+a+bodybuilder

My site: http://www.geocities.com/bashore69/bodybuildingarticles.html

The Nokia company is a universal communications corporation, concentrated on the vital booming areas of wireless and wired telecommunications. Nokia is, at present, the planet’s largest constructor of mobile telephones, with a universal hand set market share of approximately 38%. Nokia provides cellular telephones for each big market piece and protocol. The company moreover provides telecommunications network gadgets for applications, for instance, mobile and fixedline voice telephony, ISDN, broadband access, VO IP and wireless LAN.

Finnish people have ranked Nokia, a number of times, numero uno Finnish brand and employer. Nokia is the 5 th most valuable brand in the world in BusinessWeek’s Best Global Brands compilation of the twenty favourite firms world wide in Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies.

Nokia’s Mobile Phones sector equips folk with mobile voice and data products across a big selection of mobile devices. The sector attempts to target principally large volume type sales of phones and devices, with the general public being the most essential customer segment.

Nokia reckons that brand, design, ease of use and price are main-stream mobile telephones’ most decisive considerations for customers. Nokia’s product catalog includes mobile phones, camera telephones with special features, e.g., megapixel cameras and MP3 players which engage the mass market.

During the first quarter of ‘07 it sold more than 15000000 MP3 capable mobile phones, which means it is not only the world’s sizable manufacturer of mobiles and digi cameras (as the lion’s share of Nokia’s mobile phones feature digital cameras, it is also believed that it has lately overtaken Kodak in camera assemblage, making it the biggest in the world), it is nowadays also the sizable manufacturer of digital audio. It aims to sell eighty million music enabled phones by the end of 2007, overtaking sales of things such as the iPod from Apple.

Having twins and strolling around the park or shopping in the
mall is not a problem at all with the Tike Tech Double Trouble
Stroller. Both of your little ones will be comfortable while
they ride in style. The 5 point harness system is great for
keeping your children safe but also comfortable. It is designed
so they can sit up and look out and explore with normal movement
without feeling squeezed. When they are ready for a nap each
seat reclines independently so one baby can nap while the other
is sitting up alert.

The sun canopy of the Tike Tech Double Trouble Stroller is
really awesome. It is removable, has many different positions to
ensure that the sun does not glare on your babies and a
transparent window. The canopy also protects your infants during
all types of weather, cold, or rain. The very light weight
aluminum frame is great for all terrains and the road series
tires when give both of your babies a smooth ride even on
cobblestone walkways or uneven sidewalks. The large moon canopy
is also wonderful for allowing your children to view the sky and
for you to take a peek while they are napping.

The bike style hand brake of the Tike Tech Double Trouble
Stroller is a great feature for more added stopping power in a
hurry and the rear parking brakes gives you a chance for your
own break. You can lock the back brakes and sit down on the park
bench and enjoy the quiet while your little ones are enjoying
their naps.

The Tike Tech Double Trouble Stroller has quick release front
wheel are designed to be removed with ease which allows for easy
storage of stroller. The push button quick release rear wheel
are designed to be removed with just as much ease and also helps
with the easy storage of stroller. It is very easy to fold for
storage or travel.

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS

Social Security members who were born before the year 1938 are qualified to full social security retirement benefits which will be given when they reach the age of 65. However, for those who just applied for their Social Security in the year 2003, the required age for full retirement benefits will increase to 67. The increase to be implemented is gradual just take for example those members born in 1940 they may be able to get their full retirement benefits when they attained the age of 65 and 6 months. For those members born in 1950 they can get their full retirement benefits at the age of 66 and for those born in 1960 onwards, their full retirement benefits will be given to them at the age of 67.

Social Security also offers early retirement benefits however at a reduced retirement amount. The early retirement is available at age 62 of members. The disadvantage of taking an early retirement benefit is that the monthly benefit is permanently reduced. On the contrary, members who take the early retirement option will be able to receive their benefits for a much longer period of time.

For those who tend to work beyond the full retirement option, the extra income they earn during those extra working years will increase their average income and will likewise increase their monthly retirement benefits. And another advantage for not applying for early retirement is that there are no earning limit for people ages 65 or older.

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS

In order to qualify for social security benefits, members applying must be suffering from a physical or mental impairment that is keeping him or her from doing any important work for at least a year. Another consideration is that the disability condition is anticipated to result in the death of the disabled member.

Disabled members are expected to file their disability claim the soonest time possible since disability claims really takes a long time to process. In most cases the monthly disability benefit if approved begins on the sixth month of the disability.

The Social Security Disability Benefits is reduced when members have other government disability benefits. The standard rule for the amount of disability payments that a member or his/her family is supposed to receive must not exceed 80% of the averaged earning before a member becomes disabled.

The Social Security Benefits is given until the member’s condition improves and returns to work. However, if ever the member didn’t recover from his or her disability the disability benefit continues as well as the Medicare benefit.

For suggestions and comments kindly visit
Los Angeles Social Security Disability Attorney

About the Author

Jinky C. Mesias is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Business Administration Major in Business Management. She is at present an Associate Manager of a Life Insurance Corporation and a freelance writer.

Copyright 2006 Timothy Rohrer

By now you may or may not have heard of the e-currency exchange
program that is run by Dxinone. Dxinone has been around for the
past 4 years and is still going strong making many people
wealthy who take advantage of their e-currency exchange program.

The e-currency exchange program is an elaborate system that
enables users to act as a Dxgold merchant who is able to process
transactions for other users who wish to move money from one
online currency to another. Where is the catch in this elaborate
currency exchange system? There is none, due to the fact that
thousands of people worldwide need to move money from one
e-currency to another on a daily basis. In the e-currency
exchange program, the user acts as a merchant temporarily making
their funds available for literally 15 seconds so that funds can
be exchanged. In return the merchant gets their principle back,
plus a 6% fee of the amount he or she was able to process.

Most people like to think of e-currency trading as both a
trading platform and an investment. The investment side is where
most people start while building their portfolio within the
system. Portfolios receive an average gain of anywhere from .3%
to .5% daily. On a $1,000 investment, this easily turns into
$1150 just after one short month.

Aside from the portfolio building, users can participate in the
actual transactions of funds through what is known as a console.
The console side of Dxinone is where the user can actually
process outxchanges for other users and collect a nice fee in
return. Dxinone recently made it so that a users minimum
portfolio value must be USD $5,000 in order to run a console.
The reason for this was that it gave more time for new investors
to learn how to use this system so that when they actually
received a console they knew how to process outxchanges.

There are many courses online that will show you how to trade
effectively in the e-currency exchange program. You will find
these courses ranging anywhere from $300 on up to $700. I have
personally tried reading forums and sitting in chat rooms, but I
became frustrated and tired of the delayed responses. Each
program has its benefits, but I personally learned from a
program that offered video tutorials, phone support and a
step-by-step set-up system.

This will no doubt be a happy new year for some mobile phone companies, a sad year for some, and a very sad year for others.

The beginning of the New Year is the time for resolutions and predictions. Let me make some predictions on who will be the winners and losers in the prepaid cellular and MVNO arena for 2006.

I will start with the small prepaid MVNOs. Bad press is better than no press; that is at least what I heard. This will probably be my only mention of this list of companies.

Accell, Airvoice Wireless, Beyond Wireless, Extreme Mobile, EZ Link, iwireless, Graffiti Prepaid, PagePlus Prepaid, Omni Prepaid, O Mobile, MobilePCS, M3 Wireless, all either have weaknesses, obstacles, or just no reason for someone to buy their product. Some are in the process of changing from TDMA to GSM technology, others are under funded, others have high costs and others have poor marketing. I wish them well, but my prediction is you have not heard of most of the companies listed above and probably never will.

I have heard some good things about Callwave, Oxygen Mobile, and Liberty Wireless, but they are no longer competitive with the new rush of major players.

Bravo Cellular is small player that has an above average program that is very similar to the larger player, STi Mobile. Bravo and STI both use Sprint and offer competitive direct dial international rates. However, STI beats the Bravo rates, phones, and distribution by a good margin. Sorry Bravo Cellular, you are not good enough, but at least I gave you a paragraph.

I will jump from small to large MVNOs and prepaid programs.

STi mobile is a division of STi. STi is a major player in the prepaid calling card market with over $200 million annually in sales. STi mobile offers nice new LG Flip phones, aggressive rates, and extremely aggressive direct dial international rates. I would have considered them a medium MVNO program, but they stepped up to large with distribution agreements with Staples, CompUSA, and other chains. I predict success for STi.

Boost Mobile offers push to talk, excellent marketing, is owned by Sprint/Nextel and seems to want to be competitive with rates. I have heard they are not always in tune with their distribution and have some technical issues. However, they have 1.9 million subscribers so I predict continued success.

Tracfone and Net10 are the same company. They were the first successful MVNO with a distribution in the Wal-Mart chain. They have a large base of profitable customers and are aggressive marketers. However, they have always been boring to me. They made a major push with the Net10 brand, but it seems to me someone could have thought of a better 2nd brand. They even advertised on American Idol. They lack any hype or great offerings. This will be a good test to see if big distribution, a current profitable base, and aggressive marketing (even though off base) are enough. I predict success this year, but that is about it.

Virgin Mobile is the largest MVNO with over 3 million subscribers. While you can get a better deal and product from other carriers, they are already successful so I predict continued success.

The Cingular Prepaid Go Phone program offers really cheap phones, pretty good service, slightly high rates and invests a ton of money in marketing. I predict success because they can buy success.

The T-Mobile prepaid program offers decent phones, aggressive advertising, competitive rates, and has the backing of T-Mobile. They also have some loyal and satisfied customers. I predict continued success.

Up and Coming Prepaid Companies

ESPN Mobile and Disney Mobile are coming, but I have no information on their programs, so I decline to comment. However, I don’t understand why someone would buy a phone from them. I could see them providing content for other providers, but not function as stand alone MVNOs. They do have plenty of money to throw at this, so see what I know.

Ampd Mobile has a lot of money with $67 million or more in private funding and a $50 million investment from MTV. They were founded by Peter Adderton (I mention his name because he seems to like his name mentioned), also the founder of Boost Mobile. They claim they will offer revolutionary functions, service, and media from their phones, geared toward the youth market. I don’t have the guts to give them a thumbs down prediction, but they utilize Verizon, who has not been a great provider of service for MVNOs. Verizon also publicly has said they can develop their own youth-oriented marketing plans. It seems Ampd has it all, but if they do not have Verizon’s support and best deal, nothing else matters. I think they are exciting and entertaining so I wish them the best.

An interesting company is IDT. They are developing prepaid wifi cellular. IDT is a major international long distance carrier. Their plans in the future are to offer low international rates through cheap wifi mobile handsets. They also currently have a standard MNVO prepaid program called TuYo mobile. IDT has not revealed which wireless carrier’s network it is using to deliver the MNVO services, but has said its partnership is with a “major GSM wireless carrier,” which narrows the field to either Cingular Wireless or T-Mobile USA. Their TuYo mobile program is very similar to STI mobile in regards to service and international rates. It is only offered in four markets and they have started cautiously. I predict IDT will have success in a few years, but looks to be playing it safe this year.

For some reason, I am excited about Helio. It may be the $450 million in funding. It may be the technology of SK Telecom. It may be the CEO who also founded Earthlink.net and Boingo Wifi. I am most excited about what SK Telecom can bring to the table. They are the leading provider in Korea and are cutting edge with high end media offerings through great phones. They also seem to know marketing and pricing. It’s almost a perfect concept, except that I think Helio will be using Verizon as their back-bone provider. As I said with Ampd, it will be interesting to see if Verizon has changed and is now willing to give competitive support and rates to an MVNO. It is not whether they can do it….. it is whether they will do it.

I am a small business owner so I hate to predict the big guys beating the small guys, but it looks to me that enough big players in the prepaid MVNO market have their act together to make it tough for the small guys. However, small business owners should not be discouraged, because it is amazing how often major companies in any industry get tangled up in their own red tape, lose their focus and understanding of their customers and market, and let the small companies clean their clocks.

Josiah William works in marketing for cheapphonecards.com and dealking.com.

Competition is heating up among the satellite television service
providers and the cable companies, with Dish Network exceeding
12 million subscribers and growing. This is exciting news as
digital satellite programming holds the advantage with 100
percent digitalized high definition signals that provide
crystal-clear pictures and superior CD quality sound. The
delivery of the programming is only exceeded by the expanded
diversity in programming selections, and Dish Network gives the
subscriber ultimate control over what is viewed and heard in the
privacy of the home. When you utter the words ‘there’s nothing
on TV’ or ‘just watching the tube’, it is time to make the
switch from cable to satellite. Once you experience the
difference, you will never regret your decision to change to
Dish Network digital high definition satellite television
services - it is change for the better. Cable television’s
bandwidth is limited so the qualities of pictures will not as
good of quality as satellite. Cable wire transmits signals from
a transmission system located near the home. The signal is
passed from the hub system and is split among the homes
receiving cable service. Each time it is split, the signal is a
bit more degraded (lessened in quality). Cable is also radio
frequency based and is changed from audio/video signals to radio
frequency signals and then must be changed again back to
audio/video before finally reaching the television. As this
process is being done, additional broadcasting signals, also
known as interference and static, may be picked up and appear as
noise on the television screen. Digital high definition
satellite signals provided by Dish Network eliminate this
problem entirely. Dish Network’s fleet of 9 satellites transmit
signals that remain digital until intercepted by your receiver.
This assures the best in imaging and audio clarity and increases
the resolution of the picture and quality of the sound. The
sound is true stereo, CD quality, and often it is Dolby Digital
surround sound. The availability of programming is expansive,
including 256 channels of programming plus 50 channels of Sirius
digital music. Dish Network provides 100 percent digital high
definition programming in all selections whereas cable
selections are few and limited. It should be noted, too, that
Dish Network also provides national digital satellite services
to many digital providers. Although Dish Network provides
digital signaling only, the receiver for standard viewing
transfers it from digital to analog. Interlaced and progressive
signals influence the appearance of imaging on the television
screen. Interlaced signals are associated with the scanning
format of imaging and often results in black horizontal lines
across the screen or sometimes even in half the image appearing.
This interference creates stress and eyestrain on the viewer and
a poor television-viewing environment. Digital high definition
satellite signals produced on high definition televisions,
however, scan all lines progressively with the screen being
refreshed on a continual basis with no obstruction and/or
interference in television entertainment. Dish Network’s offer
of 100 percent digital high definition satellite services is
certainly a step forward in improving the quality and selection
of your home entertainment system.

Most great generals know how to design winning battle plans. They also know how to use their resources to gain advantages over the enemy. For these military leaders, getting enough tanks, aircraft, ships and armaments into the hands of the right personnel can spell military victory or defeat.

In the business arena, gaining access to certain resources and getting them into able hands can also determine success. Many successful business leaders have discovered that equipment leasing can make a significant difference when competing in the marketplace. In fact, equipment leasing has become a competitive weapon for business managers who understand how and when to use this helpful financing tool.

Here are some ways savvy business owners and managers use equipment leasing to gain advantage over their competitors:

Developing a Financing War Chest

Equipment leasing allows companies to finance more activities to compete effectively. It supplements other forms of financing, such as equity capital, bank debt, trade credit and mortgage financing. Astute business managers understand that access to a variety of useful financing affords them certain options and gives them an advantage over competitors with limited financing.

Maintaining State-of-the-Art Technology

Being able to acquire and use state-of-the-art equipment and software can give many companies a noticeable competitive advantage. This advantage can be particularly significant in research, product development, marketing and operations. By using equipment leasing, companies are able to better manage technology turnover. Many managers use operating leases to acquire state-of-the-art equipment for fixed time periods. At lease end, they are then able to rid themselves of obsolete equipment by returning the equipment to the lessors.

Stretching Equity Capital

Equity capital is often the most flexible form of business funding. It allows companies to undertake high-impact growth activities like adding key personnel, conducting research and development, and expanding marketing programs. Equipment leasing is dedicated financing. It permits companies to add equipment efficiently. In this context, equipment leasing helps to leverage and stretch a company’s equity capital by freeing it up for other uses. When used properly, the overall impact of equipment leasing is to leverage equity returns. High equity returns attract investors and permit companies to source more equity capital in the future.

Equipping Talented People to Engage In Battle

Using leasing to get the best software and hardware into the hands of talented personnel is a competitive advantage. Companies that quickly get equipment into the hands of talented workers at every level usually compete more effectively in the marketplace.

Accelerating Company Growth

Equipment leasing facilitates faster company growth. It allows companies to add infrastructure faster by bringing in equipment earlier and paying over time. In this regard, leasing affords a competitive advantage over companies that wait to purchase equipment outright.

Defending Working Capital

Astute business managers have discovered how to keep pressure off of their companies’ working capital. Compared to outright purchase, equipment leasing has a low impact on working capital. Leasing allows companies to avoid large upfront outlays while spreading equipment acquisition costs over an extended period. Using equipment leasing to manage working capital permits companies to pay bills on time and to operate smoothly. They are then able to gain a competitive advantage over companies that have not mastered this technique.

Maximizing Tax Benefits

Sophisticated companies are able to maximize tax benefits by carefully using equipment lease structures. By entering into operating leases and being able to fully deduct lease payments, companies that can’t otherwise use depreciation write-offs can still realize tax benefits. Capital leases allow companies that can use depreciation write-offs to take advantage of this feature. Tax benefits further reduce the cost of acquiring equipment. These benefits can often make equipment leasing a more efficient means of acquiring equipment compared to other methods.

Turbo-Charging Equipment Sales

For companies selling equipment, offering equipment leasing to customers at the point of sale can help establish a significant competitive advantage. Convenient equipment financing at the point of sale can eliminate a major selling challenge— the customer’s lack of financing for the purchase. Equipment sellers offering leasing give their customers a means of acquiring the equipment and realizing the full benefits of equipment leasing. This sales-financing strategy represents a clear advantage over sellers who let customers fend for themselves.

Savvy business owners and managers understand the benefits of equipment leasing. They also understand how to exploit leasing for competitive advantage. The challenge for them is to optimize leasing to realize the biggest gains and to compete more effectively. It is no wonder that equipment leasing in the U.S. has grown to over $ 240 billion annually and accounts for more than 30% of equipment acquisitions. Consider equipment leasing when designing your battle plans. Don’t allow your competitors to use leasing against you to win the battle in your market.

George Parker is a Director and Executive Vice President of Leasing Technologies International, Inc. (“LTI”). He is responsible for overseeing the company’s marketing and financing efforts. One of the co-founders of LTI, Mr. Parker has been involved in secured lending and equipment financing for over twenty years. Mr. Parker is an industry leader, frequent panelist and author of several articles pertaining to equipment financing.

Headquartered in Wilton, CT, LTI is a leasing firm specializing nationally in direct equipment financing and vendor leasing programs for emerging growth and later-stage, venture capital backed companies. More information about LTI is available at http://www.ltileasing.com.