blackstoneharness.com

Submitted by: Sean Wheller

In light of the impending electricity tariff increase from 14% to 20% and more (depending on regions in South Africa), property owners are rapidly adopting privately owned, secondary, prepaid electricity metering solutions to help curb utility revenue collection risks on rentals.

Both commercial and residential tenants that have to pay higher electricity prices are also looking for solutions to monitor their electricity usage and try and save on usage as electricity bills are starting to increase and will probably continue year after year.

In addition to collection of rent, landlords also have to collect revenues from tenants for utilities consumed. Unlike rental, which is due on a given date, utility collection is problematic in that utility bills are only available to landlords in the month following that in which the utilities were consumed by the tenant.

For the tenants a completely different problem arises; they have no idea how much they are using until the electricity bill arrives, as no monitoring system is in place.

This means landlords must collect money for electricity and water in arrears, and tenants have to pay after the fact, which exposes the landlord to the risk of having to collect required amounts before the bill is due to be paid to the municipality. While tenants, are left without the ability to cut down on usage. In practice, this situation presents a risk to the landlord and uncomfortable bills for tenants. This is where the tenants dispute their billed amounts with the landlord, and the landlord collects electricity bills late.

Both for landlords and for tenants, this situation has never been the best, but since the electricity prices have been somewhat acceptable and not so high, both sides lived with the situation. Now with increases in electricity, bills are getting higher and cash flow tighter. Utilities revenue collection is becoming more of a problem than anyone wants to deal with. This situation can be easily avoided. Tenants can monitor their own usage while landlords can get their electricity bills paid in time all of the time. Making life easier all around.

To solve this problem for landlords and tenants, many residential and commercial landlords have turned to privately owned, secondary, prepaid electricity metering solutions to help that help reduce risk and improve cashflow on both sides.

These meters do not replace the existing municipal meter on a property and are installed inside the dwelling alongside the main distribution board. They serve to implement a system whereby tenants pre-pay the landlord in advance for electricity and so the tenants can monitor their usage and never again receive a surprise bill. With the landlord prepaid the risk of non-payment for electricity by the tenant is eliminated.

Electricity bills can be substantial but are traditionally higher during the winter months when people start using electrical heaters in an effort to stave off the cold. Geysers also start drawing more electricity as they cool down more frequently.

Non-payment by a tenant in these times can mean a substantial loss to landlords, who often rely on rentals for extra income or to cover mortgage payments. Tenants usually get a massive shock in winter when all of the sudden the bills are doubled. This situation creates a cash flow problem for them as well.

The risk associated with late payment or non-payment for electricity is dramatically increased as prices of electricity escalate. This also causes a bigger cash flow problem for tenants. Aware of this, an increasing number of Landlords are opting for the prepaid solution to avoid the associated financial risk of not doing so, and many tenants both residential and commercial are asking landlords to install prepaid meters to monitor their own usage.

While primary prepaid metering solutions are available from municipalities, obtaining a municipal solution is often a long and inefficient process. In majority of cases the municipal route can also be more costly than the price of buying and installing a secondary prepaid meter.

Municipalities are also willing to install only one prepaid meter per ERF, which is a problem for landlords with multiple tenant dwelling units or granny flats and commercial properties. A similar type of problem is also found in sectional title schemes where the building or complex is fitted with a single bulk meter, and resident billing is calculated based on a participation quota.

When compared with the municipal, primary meter option, from the perspective of a landlord, the privately owned, secondary, prepaid solution has a number of advantages. In addition to being easily purchased and installed at a lesser cost, the privately owned nature of the secondary prepaid meter means that the landlord not only remains in control of the utility management on the property, but experiences an improvement in cash flow and elimination of the risk of loss associated with non-payment of electricity.

For the tenants, cash flow improves when they can actually monitor their usage of electricity and never again get surprise electricity bills that eat into budget for other things, or end up in disputes for landlords.

Many tenants have been able to reduce their usage by having a meter in their own premises that shows them, on daily-basis, how much electricity they have remaining.

As electricity prices and other costs increase, the trend towards prepaid solutions seems to be gaining momentum as landlords strive for better management of the traditional risks associated with rentals.

About the Author: Sean Wheller is the founder of

PrePaid Metering

, a

PrePaid Electricity Meters

provider in South Africa, dedicated to create efficiency in metering water and electricity for the benefit of both tenants and landlords.

Source:

isnare.com

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Pharma Social Media: The many hidden problems that pharmaceutical companies face from pharma social media.

by

Kevin Waddel

As patients get prescribed more and more drugs, they spend more and more money and must then do an equal amount of research to make sure they are getting the right medications and not being ripped off. These prescriptions are becoming more and more common also because lobbyists for pharmaceutical companies have often incentivized healthcare practitioners to do everything they can to prescribe more of their medications. These doctors and nurses haven\’t necessarily better informed individuals about the changes to their medications and treatment plans. Without help from their doctors, the population itself has had to educate themselves using the internet and pharma social media. Pharma social media has many ups and downs. There is greater access to information, but for pharmaceutical companies it has become of great importance to become aware of the content created by users. Since patients weren\’t satisfied with the information they received from their doctors, they had to take to the internet and create information themselves. Without any oversight, there\’s a lot of information, but also a lot of errors and mistakes. Keeping track of those has become extremely difficult due to the total amount of misinformation that exists and continues to be in play for the average user.

People that are worried about their health are constantly looking for information on new medications that they see advertised, discussed throughout pharma social media, and hear about from their physicians. Attempts at understanding these new prescription drugs and other pharmaceutical treatments are quite common undertakings across social media and the results range from highly accurate to complete myths that are propagated based on assumptions and rumors at best. Many times these rumors spin out of control and the companies can find it hard to deflect bad publicity once it goes viral. Those using social media for information regarding pharmaceuticals tend to be similar demographically, so information can often spread quicker than it would traditionally across a more heterogeneous population.

Television, print and radio still play a large part in terms of reaching out to customers. Spending on television and radio is still significant. In fact it is far greater than spending on internet outlets for most pharmaceutical companies. While true, it\’s also likely to change. For now, companies know at least they can control the message being presented over the air and in the paper. Those methods may not reach the most desirable age groups, but at least their message will not be twisted by the effects of social media. Still, the power of the internet is undeniable. Pharmaceutical companies know they have to deal with social media presently and throughout the future. This will especially remain true if physicians don\’t continue to paint an accurate picture of medications and all possible treatment plans.

Pharma Social Media

is a good stop gap that allows individuals the chance to reach out to other people in a similar situation, who are going through similar treatments, and can offer relevant advice. The problem is that pharma social media can spin away from the very companies that should be able to benefit from them.

Kevin Waddel is a free lance writer. To get more information about Public relations, Public Relations New York,

Pharma Social Media

and Health Public Relations visit

makovsky.com

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Submitted by: Ricardo Silva

Thailand is called the land of smiles and for a good reason. Like all medical care, cosmetic surgery in Thailand is inexpensive and of a high quality.

Cosmetic surgery can be an expensive and time consuming experience. When choosing to have a cosmetic procedure, you need to weigh all of your options carefully before committing to having the procedure done. While many people will save their money for years in order to get their cosmetic surgery done by the most trendy doctors in places like New York City and Los Angeles, other patients have found a way around this long wait and expense. More and more, people are taking vacation trips to other countries and combining these trips with cosmetic surgery procedures.

When it comes to taking trips for cosmetic surgery Thailand has been at the forefront of this trend. Since the early 1990’s, tourists have been flocking to Thailand for the care of their cosmetic surgeons, clinics, and posh recovery sites. The favorable exchange rate with Thailand combined with less expenses incurred by the surgeons means that patients who choose to have their procedures done here will pay far less than what they would in the United States. Phuket, an island resort in Thailand, has been offering their special brand of cosmetic surgery and vacation atmosphere to patients for years.

When choosing cosmetic surgery, Thailand offers a lot more than just a cheaper place to have your procedure done. Surgeons at the Phuket Cosmetic Surgery Clinic are also world-renowned for a special type of cosmetic surgery sex reassignment, or sex change, surgery. They are one of the few clinics in the world that offer this type of surgery, but they are certain not to take such a change in their patients’ appearance lightly. Anyone who wants sex reassignment surgery performed here must pass rigorous psychological studies and medical testing before the surgeons will consent to the procedure. Of course, the doctors of Phuket and other cities in Thailand perform many other types of cosmetic surgery, and the country also offers some of the best spa retreats in the world where you can relax and recover from your surgery in style.

You can also entertain yourself with the many cultural activities that Thailand has to offer, but you must remember some items before planning your trip. There is always some risk to cosmetic surgery, whether you choose to have it performed in the US or Thailand, so be careful to research your doctor and clinics thoroughly before leaving for your trip. Another issue may arise in the language barrier be sure that you will have a translator available to help you communicate with medical staff, or that they speak English. Almost all of them speak great English, but we are talking about surgery here. If you keep in mind these few precautions, you can be sure your trip will be a successful one.

Truth be told, I have never had cosmetic surgery in Thailand. When I go every few years, however, I do have a checkup, get my teeth cleaned and so on. The medical care is excellent and inexpensive. Oh, the beaches aren t to bad either!

About the Author: Ricardo de Silva is with

plasticsurgeonpractices.com

– a directory of plastic surgeons.

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Morris Brown College

by

Sherron Kines-Hodge

Morris Brown College is a private liberal arts college located in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Morris Brown is one of the citys oldest historically Black colleges. Morris Brown is a coeducational institution that stresses public service as well as academic excellence.

The college seeks to prepare its students for success in todays rapidly changing and culturally diverse world. A high emphasis is placed on management, leadership, technology, and entrepreneurship. Morris Brown College strives to enable academically talented students to achieve their potential and underachieving students to overcome their deficiencies and earn a college degree. Over the last century many Morris Brown alumni have gone on to excel in the fields of business, medicine, education, government, the arts, and public service. Morris Brown College awards Bachelor of Science degrees in two areas: Business Administration and Organizational Management and Leadership. Several majors are available under each area. Business Administration offerings include Business Law, Hospitality Management, Music Industry Administration, and Sports Management. Students seeking a degree in Organizational Management and Leadership may pursue a major such as Executive Leadership, Childcare Management, or Religious Administration. The Organizational Management and Leadership degree may be earned entirely online. It is structured as an accelerated program that can be completed in 18 to 24 months. The small student body and low faculty to student ratio ensures that students at Morris Brown College will have personal interaction with all their professors. The college encourages its students to live on campus and be part of the campus community. A number of campus organizations and clubs are available for student participation. Some of these include student government, business organizations, sports, and musical groups. The Morris Brown College Band has performed at many prestigious events over the years including the Rose Bowl Parade and the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as sporting events. In 2003 Morris Brown College lost its accreditation and federal funding due to financial mismanagement problems. Since then the college has worked diligently to rebuild its programs and its reputation. Morris Brown College recently settled its debt with the U.S. Department of Education and is ready to move ahead to the next chapter in its turnaround plan and to continue its legacy. Morris Brown College is located at 643 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, just south of downtown Atlanta. The campus is just steps away from Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University, Atlantas other historically Black colleges. Tours of the Morris Brown campus are available Monday through Thursday from 10am to 3pm.

Sherron Kines-Hodge is the Director of Sales at the Hampton Inn and Suites

Atlanta Airport Hotel

. The Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel is just north of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and just southwest of downtown Atlanta. The hotel is two and a half miles from the Georgia International Convention Center, four miles from Atlanta Expo Center, and 15 miles from Six Flags Over Georgia. This Atlanta Airport hotel also offers a broad range of services and amenities to make its guests stay exceptional.

For more information visit: http://www.AIRPORTHAMPTONINN.COM

Article Source:

Morris Brown College

By Ed Opperman

As a private investigator you may be asked to perform an asset search or an asset locate. This is when one person or business entity needs to determine the assets of another person. This would include bank accounts,real estate, businesses and much more.

There are many reasons why the client needs the asset search. It could be a divorce where one spouse suspects the other is hiding wealth or community property. It could be a business partner or investor. It could be a creditor that is ready to file a lawsuit and wants to know if it’s worth the effort.

If the debtor has nothing no sense in proceeding with the suit. Can’t get blood from a stone as they say.

How to perform an asset search?

Begin your search by delving into these records sources:

Court Records – Bankruptcy, Liens and Judgments – County Court House

Business Licensing – County Court House Power Of attorney Divorce proceedings records – State Vital Statistics UCC filings – Secretary of State’s Office Corporation Records – Secretary of State’s Office Motor vehicle information – State DMV Trusts Probate records – State Probate Records Real Property Records – Assessors Office – County Court House

Be cautious when performing an asset search. In 1999 new laws were passed that made pretexting financial institutions a crime. You can no longer call a financial institutions and pretend to be the account holder to obtain the account holders information.

Wikipedia describes pretexting as :

Pretexting (sometimes referred to as “social engineering”) occurs when someone tries to gain access to personal nonpublic information without proper authority to do so. This may entail requesting private information while impersonating the account holder, by phone, by mail, by email, or even by “phishing” (i.e., using a “phony” website or email to collect data). The GLBA encourages the organizations covered by the GLBA to implement safeguards against pretexting. For example, a well-written plan designed to meet GLBA’s Safeguards Rule (“develop, monitor, and test a program to secure the information”) ought[citation needed] to include a section on training employees to recognize and deflect inquiries made under pretext. In fact, the evaluation of the effectiveness of such employee training probably should include a follow-up program of random spot-checks, “outside the classroom”, after completion of the [initial] employee training, in order to check on the resistance of a given (randomly chosen) student to various types of “social engineering” — perhaps even designed to focus attention on any new wrinkle that might have arisen after the [initial] effort to “develop” the curriculum for such employee training. Under United States law, pretexting by individuals is punishable as a common law crime of False Pretenses.

However there are many perfectly legal methods to obtain this information. You are still able to use the normal investigative techniques routinely used uin any investigation. Interviews,surveillance,dumpster diving, database searches and sources (tipsters and informants).

Many times an investigator you’ll be working on a complex case and in the course of your investigation you mat need an asset search. In many cases it may be wise to outsource the asset search part of the investigation to another investigator that routinely performs these type of investigation.

About the Author: Ed Opperman is President of Opperman Investigations. If you need assistance with an asset search please visit his web site emailrevealer.com/. He offers asset searches as well and background reports and current employment locates.

Source: isnare.com

Permanent Link: isnare.com/?aid=307921&ca=Advice

Submitted by: Jacob Coroner

Forex trading has been in existence since the 1870’s when the first gold standard monetary system was set up. This was basically a system devised when each country placed a value on a portion of their currency against an ounce of gold. It is one of the more lucrative forms of trading as the possibilities are high for making an excellent profit.

However, this won’t happen if you just jump into Forex trading blind. Look on the internet and you will find many people willing to sell you Forex trading secrets to ensure a highly profitable way of life. Unfortunately, there are no real secrets to this type of trading. If there were, nobody would be selling them, just using them to make themselves even richer.

The only secrets to Forex trading are best practice tips, common sense tips that should be studied and followed to ensure you at least stand a chance of making a profit, instead of throwing your money down the drain. Any type of trading comes with risks attached and Forex trading is no different.

The first secret is to know your market. Study the currency markets, watch their trends and make it your business to know everything you possibly can about the trade. Doing this will give you some idea of how the markets work and what sort of situations cause up and down turns in the market. Once you know this you can start to work out how to trade successfully.

Emotional control is another secret in Forex trading. You must have it, because without it you will make the wrong decisions and will end bankrupting your Forex trading account very quickly. There are 2 emotions that play a big part; fear and greed.

Fear is a common emotion for new traders. Fear of losing money can make you make the wrong decision. Fear can make you pull out of a trade early in case it suddenly turns, when in actual fact, if you have done your homework you will know if this is what is going to happen. Fear can also make you hold onto a trade that is poor in the hope that it will turn around. Instead of eliminating any loss you end up increasing it.

Greed is the opposite. It makes you continue to trade on a currency pair that is strong and ignore the indicators that tell you when the market is about to turn around. This can lead to a massive loss of profit, depending on how badly the market turns and the currency pair is affected.

One of the biggest secrets to Forex trading is to start small and make sure you trade with the market trend and not against it. Banks, governments and financial institutions are largely responsible for the movement in a currency market and trading against a trend will lose you money without a doubt. Never guess the way a market is going to go, you don’t need to with Forex trading. Homework and study will teach you the best way to follow a trend and trade with it, ensuring profit instead of loss.

About the Author: Are you looking for more information regarding

Forex Trading Secrets

? Visit

theforextradesecrets.com

today!

Source:

isnare.com

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By Dave Lavoie

There are innumerable products which can be prepared by the aluminum extrusion method. One of the most common products of aluminum extrusion is the aluminum tubing. Aluminum tubing is made in different sizes and shapes. Aluminum tubing can be created with different selection of alloys according to required specification of the products. There are many companies who have pioneered in the techniques of aluminum tubing. Aluminum tubing is very cost effective in terms of manufacturing prices.

Aluminum tubing is available normally in 2 types. It is straight or elongated tubes or coiled tubing. The extruded straight length tubing is called as the pipes. Drawn tubes have got complex shapes and are controlled for both external and internal finishing during the manufacturing process. The Aluminum tubing has the flexibility to bend. Aluminum tubing has hollow structure with accurate and uniform cross section or radius all through the tube. The cross sections of aluminum tubing have different type of shapes. They can be round, rectangular, octagonal or maybe even complex shapes. It depends on the die used during the aluminum extrusion process.

The 2 types of aluminum tubing are namely extruded tubes and the drawn tubes. The pipes are elongated extrusion tubes and they are mostly available in the standard sizes. The outside diameters and the thickness of the wall are normally of standard sizes. Drawn tubes can be made into various shapes using the die and the finishing are much superior with these tubes. Drawn tubes are given various dimensions by using the dies and the finishing of drawn tubes is better than the extruded tubes. It is also far superior in strength when compared to the extrusion tubes even when the same alloys are used for the processes. Oval tubes can be easily controlled with the drawing process than with the extrusion procedure.

There are many products made with the aluminum tubing or by the drawn pipes. Just to name a few, they are refrigerator parts, Automobile products, Lines to transfer fluids and gas, Furniture, Partitions and panel frames and lots more. Due to the flexibility to produce various shapes with the aluminum extrusions and draw tubes, the scope is very wide for the manufacturing of various products. There are even custom shapes which can be manufactured and you will not have to stick to the standard designs just for the purpose of compatibility. The possibilities of the products are simply unimaginable.

Aluminum is one of the lightest and the most abundantly available natural resource in the works. It has more strength when compared with weight and strength ratio with other metals. It is corrosion resistant and can also be used with alloys to produce different products. Therefore, the use and manufacture of the aluminum extrusion products has rapidly increased all over the world. It is quite evident by the fact that you get to see so many manufacturing and marketing companies of aluminum tubing on the internet. The market is very hot due to possibilities of new dimension with the shapes and strengths of the aluminum tubing.

About the Author:

alfiniti.com

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By Chris E Chamberlain

Stocks with higher dividends, for years, were considered safer investments. Similar to a company that pays higher salaries and gives higher raises over time. A shift occurred in the 1990s, though, as companies with extremely high growth prospects (but little, or no, earnings) came to dominate the landscape. Thats not to say these companies were completely without meritthe internet (and technology, in general) ushered in a new paradigm of truly transformational companies with spectacular growth prospects.

But making a bet on a companys future growth is exactly thata bet on future growth. While, dividends reflect the health of a companys growth right now.

Things are beginning to change. The wild capital appreciation in the 90s allowed investors to bet on tiny internet companies that were little more than ideasand make millions from huge run-ups in the stock when things hit big. Since 2000, however, the story has changed. Capital appreciation is no longer considered an entitlement by participants in the equity market and dividends have now become an increasing source of reliable returns. As John D. Rockefeller once said, Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure? Its to see my dividends coming in.

Another important characteristic of dividend returns is their stable nature. A stocks dividend is the less volatile component of its total return and is much more predictable than price appreciation which is a function of a wide array of factors like speculation, market sentiment, macro-economic factors, etc.

From 1989 to 2008, the volatility of the S&P BMI index was 13.96%, while the annual volatility of dividends was only 0.27%!

Of the stocks included in the S&P 500 Index, 256 began or increased their dividends in 2010, compared to only five that stopped or decreased their dividend, according to Standard and Poors. And 42 of those stocks had increased their dividends each year for the past 10 years.

In The Future for Investors, Jeremy Siegel advocates a long term dividend-reinvestment strategy based on research showing that dividend-paying stocks have outperformed non-dividend payers over time. The same can be said of todays dividend payers. The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats have outperformed the S&P 500 Index over the one-, three-, five-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year periods ended Dec. 31, 2010.

Now that weve established that dividend paying stocks are an integral part of building sustained wealth over time, the next step is to narrow our focus on which dividend paying stocks to invest in. Especially if were deciding to invest for the long-haul, its important to remind yourself that youre not just buying a stockyoure actually buying a fractional ownership in a company. And in return for this ownership interest you will be entitled to any cash earnings that management decides to pay out in the form of dividends. Remember, however, that not all dividends are created equal and several factors must be considered before committing your hard-earned cash. Approach this problem as if you were buying the entire companynot just making a few mouse clicks on Etrade.

So, what should you consider when choosing a dividend paying stock?

1. Initial yield what does the stock yield today? This is, after-all, the point of investing in dividend-paying stocksto get the dividend, so it should compare favorably to other dividend-paying instruments, namely bonds & bank CDs. The current environment happens to be extremely favorable for dividend investing but over the years this hasnt necessarily always been the case.

2. The reliability of the dividend this is an important point. Many people get seduced by a super-high dividend only to see the company cut it in order to save cash. A lot of companies did this in 2008 and in many cases, it was actually a prudent deployment of capital.

After all, if a company is facing bankruptcy or cutting its dividend in order to build up its balance sheet, the dividend should gobut thats little consolation if you were an investor counting on that dividend.

About the Author: http://www.DividendInvesting101.com is dedicated to finding the best investment opportunities among

high dividend paying stocks

. Systematically investing in the best dividend paying stocks is absolutely one of the best ways to build real wealth – as well as a powerful passive income stream.

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