According to a recent report at Yahoo Finance, the stock market’s rally in recent months is a bit of a mixed blessing. The hope that the economy is on the rebound “has lifted the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, a benchmark for many investments like mutual funds, an enormous 39 percent from a 12-year low on March 9. Those kinds of gains might normally take four years to materialize.”

Both being too quick to call it a recovery and not cautious enough in investing could cause this budding economic upturn to wither on the vine. The numbers remain mixed, with the number of job losses in the month of May are down, but unemployment is up. While the government’s report of 345,000 jobs lost is the lowest since September, the actual unemployment rate is 9.4 percent. This indicates that although less people are being laid off, it is still very tough to find a job out there. In fact, the overall number of job seekers rose as college graduates flood the job markets.

Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has said, even once the economy begins to recover, jobs will be the last sector to rebound. But there are still other troubling signs out there. Recent Commerce Department data shows that May retail sales were mixed, but in general analysts were surprised that more shoppers hadn’t returned to stores. Wall Street may be throwing caution to wind, but Main Street seems to be holding onto their cash, with the savings rate up again last month.

One of the biggest downfalls of overzealous investing is that investors are helping push interest rates higher. According to Yahoo, investors have been selling off Treasury bills because they feel they are no longer in need of the safety of government debt. This causes mortgage rates and other kinds of loans for consumers to rise. Interest rates are still historically low, but they have been creeping up in the last few weeks. As the interest rates goes up, borrowing is falling off. The Federal Reserve reported last week that consumer borrowing in April fell by twice as much as analysts had been expecting.

The latest results of the AP’s Economic Stress Index, which tracks the economic strains in 3100 counties across the country, show that many areas of the country are struggling more than they were a year ago. “The AP calculates a score from 1 to 100 based on each county’s rate of unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy, with lower numbers indicating less economic pain. The average Stress score dipped to 9.7 in April, from 10.3 in March. In April 2008, the national average was 5.9.”

So while most indications show improvement in the economy in the first part of 2009, a slow, steady recovery is more likely to help this nation that has been stressed in so many ways over the last year and a half. After all, exuberant investing is what got us into thismess in the first place.

About the Author

Ki lives and works in Austin and has worked in the Austin real estate market for 10 years. He maintains a search of Austin MLS on his website. It also has general information on Austin real estate and current mortgage rates

Post from: AmacamA

Not So Fast: Is the American Economy Really On Its Way to A Recovery?

Many people, I would say 90% of people, don’t ever look further that what’s in front of them. Now with that said, read the rest of my article. Did you know that 75 of the wealthiest people ever born going back to Cleopatra, 14 men out of that same group, (20%) were born within 10 years of each other in the US? The first and second on the list were Rockefeller & Carnegie. So what did this group of 14 men have in common?

Between the years of 1860 and 1870, the US went through one of the greatest transformations in history. This is when the rail roads where build, and when wall street was build and the economies of the time where tarring down. They were being rebuilt from the ground up. So everything that people knew, from pilgrims to farmers was being shifted into what became the new wealth of the world. The problem is, it’s hard to see something like this emerging when we don’t know what will change the current us economy.

Think about what happening for a second. Number one, the current economy has monetary policies, and special interest projects that are making the rich richer and everyone else poorer. In turn, because of the damaging fiscal policies of our government, the value of the dollar is dropping, and the future of our country seems to have a different theme. The world will change. Number 2, the exact same breakdown in history as I talked about before is happening right now with the internet and the information age. It’s hard to grasp this concept if you have the wrong impression, so look at the elements of change in society rather. How much different are things now, then they were a mere 40 years ago? The world will change very quickly this time.

About the Author

My name is Michael Fritz, I am the Creator of www.MichaelFritz.Net I come from a simple background, just like you. I have a clear focus on the future and I know exactly where I am headed, do you? My Facebook Profile

Post from: AmacamA

The Current Us Economy & The Changing World

All of these factors and more add to the many challenges immigrants face when applying for citizenship in the United States. In the past, the only source most people had for finding the necessary information was going to an attorney specializing in US immigration law.

A number of different law firms offer US immigration help and services for a fee. The fees and the services vary greatly, and it is often difficult to find such assistance that is affordable and tailored to the individual immigrant’s needs. Because of this, many people have turned to the Internet for seeking out the help they need in order to complete the naturalization application and obtain citizenship.

As more information has become available to the public online, it is only natural that the Internet has become a viable marketplace for obtaining the details needed to ensure success in obtaining and submitting the US citizenship application correctly and as prescribed by law.

While many immigration guides exist today, finding one that puts everything you need into one easy-to-follow format is perhaps the single-most important aspect of making sure your US citizenship application is a success, so that you may achieve your goal of becoming a US citizen.

For your application to be a success, you need access to information that adheres as closely as possible to U.S. law and contains all the details you need to make your task less uncertain. Consider what is needed:

· Information that is obtained directly from the federal immigration laws that govern US citizenship

· Information that is up-to-date and timely

· Information about the correct forms to fill out and where to submit them

· Information about the application itself; the citizenship interview; the pros and cons of citizenship; the concerns associated with dual citizenship; and dealing with the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS)

· Preparation study materials for the exam

· What to do if your case is delayed or denied

Once you have a good understanding of the details, everything should fall into place provided you do the work necessary to accomplish this challenging task. For example, you will need to fill out the forms correctly, study and prepare for the English and civics exams, and have a successful interview.

Keep in mind that in order to obtain citizenship, you will need to strictly comply with every requirement. USCIS is very strict when it comes to granting citizenship. In other words, you will need to fulfill every requirement with exactness. So it is important for you to have access to accurate, precise information so that you will know exactly what is required of you.

It is important to realize that many hundreds of thousands of people apply for citizenship in the United States each year. This means bureaucratic hassles and all the expected confusing misinformation, along with long delays, great expense and bewildering paperwork.

But applying for your citizenship in the United States need not be costly, nerve-wracking, full of uncertainty or otherwise particularly onerous or burdensome. With the right information in hand, and a bit of determination, you can set out on this challenge and achieve success.

For more information on obtaining your US citizenship, see http://www.thecenterforimmigrationlaw.com.

About the Author

The Center for Immigration Law, LLC was started for the purpose of providing accurate, up-to-date legal information to permanent residents seeking U.S. citizenship. For more information on US citizenship application visit http://www.thecenterforimmigrationlaw.com.

Post from: AmacamA

Apply For US Naturalization

The real estate industry helped pull the plug on the economy by giving us toxic loans, Wall street is enriching execs with bailout money, banks are buying businesses and enriching execs with bailout money, so what’s really going on? Well, the truth is that it is our money, taxpayer money being thrown around like confetti and it’s being thrown to everyone but us. That’s because the politicians either believe or think that we believe the money will pass responsibly through benevolent hands until all of our lives and finances are repaired. NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! How about this; the tossed money is intended to hold billion dollar businesses over until we resume borrowing our way to the American dream which is of course; a few pretty things and a lot of debt. “But the repairing of our deteriorated roads and bridges will create millions of jobs!!!!” For construction workers and highway engineers, what about the rest of us? Is the fog lifting yet?

Now let’s flip the coin; let’s imagine for a moment that our money is handed to us. I know it’s crazy but just for a moment from somewhere deep in bizarro world, lets just imagine that the taxpayers; we whose money they hold, money deducted from our checks, was actually handed to us in the form of economic stimulus checks in amounts that matter, say somewhere between ohhhh twelve and fifty thousand dollars each. On the day the checks were distributed, what would happen? Well, spending in the country would resume, savings would resume, home buying would resume, the businesses we frequent would again prosper, demand for goods would return and all would be well, right? Well not for everyone. Now that we’ve learn frugality, some businesses would either have to make changes or be left out but that’s the way the cookie crumbles right?

Looking at both sides of the economic recovery issue, which strategy will directly impact the American people and start the economy rolling again, not in three years or two years or one year but immediately? The answer is so simple; it’s our money, stop throwing it at the crooks that landed us in this pickle in the first place. They’ll only scam more as they’re proving on a daily basis. It was never the mission of industry to benefit us. The goal has always been to profit right? To create products that we choose to trade our money for; pretty things that make us smile, pretty things that we’re willing to go into debt for.

It comes down to the old chicken or the egg thing; does strong industry prop up the people and thereby the economy or when the people prosper, do they prop up industry by demanding products and services? That is where the entire existing bail out paradigm is falling flat on its economic face. There is an attempt to go any direction other than to give our money to us, anything but bail out the American people. Send the money around the people and after a few tougher years than those we’ve already experienced, the crumbs will trickle into the hands of the people in the form of debt. That’s the pill being shoved down your throat. It’s truly amazing that we the people have been abused for so long that now everyone including most of us, agree that it’s the norm.

We as Americans, protest over everything from unfair jury decisions to laws we don’t agree with, people we want thrown out of office, you name it, we yell. So why aren’t you yelling. Isn’t now the time to put our voices together and say, “Stop handing our money to every crook in town, if you want to give it away, give it to us.”

He whose name we do not speak gave us $1200 each, something small and forgotten but in truth it was something enormous and historically significant. The government actually handed us some of our money so that we would spend it. Well that works! Now let’s try it again only this time with more than a crumb. Let’s do it with gusto. We’ll go spend it, pay off debt, put money down on houses, start businesses and jump start the economy from day one, we promise! We’ll even spend so much in our new found confidence that we’ll go back into debt and help the banks get back on track; some of us in just a few months and some of us immediately but the economic damage that took eight years to perfect will be repaired in one week. The country will be in celebration and we will all be able to sleep just as soundly as the bank execs that bought businesses and gave each other billions of bonuses with our money so far. Are your eyes open yet? If so, get together and scream about it. Let’s shift this paradigm, it’s what we do.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_E_Henry

Post from: AmacamA

The Great Economic Recovery Deception

It can be estimated that millions of people around the world share music over a file-sharing network. For this article, I am addressing the issue in America mainly because I am not aware of the laws in other countries. Do you think it is illegal to download music from file-sharing networks? What about music you already own? An important recent court decision will answer these questions directly and you might be surprised.

Recently the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard a case against a Chicago woman, Cecilia Gonzalez. Many plaintiffs including BMG, Sony and others brought the case against her. Gonzalez allegedly had downloaded over 1,000 songs through KaZaA—although she admitted to only 30. Keep that number in mind, 30. Many, if not just about all, people who download files over a file-sharing network don’t stop at one file. Thirty files can be reached in minutes to an hour without thought. In fact, it was alleged that Gonzalez downloaded 1,370 songs in just a few weeks, which is an average of 65 songs per day.

If you where caught downloading thirty songs over a file-sharing network, what would your defense be? Let’s look at two specific common defenses and see how a court might react. I have selected two defenses that I feel are most common, because they not only appear in the court case I have referenced, but many others I have surveyed would try to use them as their defense as well.

First Defense: I was simply trying out the songs to see if I liked them and then I planned to buy the ones I liked and erase the ones I don’t. (Simplified: try-before-you-buy)

Judge Eastbrook, one of the judges hearing the Gonzalez case, pointed out that this defense is not valid because one had many avenues to hear music before purchasing. Eastbrook names iTunes, radio, internet radio, Yahoo! Music and others as ways to legally try before buying. If this was going to be your defense, you will lose.

Second Defense: I am only downloading music that I already own.

This seems like a great defense, at first. You already own the music and the law allows you to create a backup copy. Ah, but here is where it goes south. Downloading music you already own is not considered fair use under the U.S. Copyright Law and your action is therefore copyright infringement. See UMG Recordings Inc. v. MP3.com, Inc., 92 F. Supp. 2d 349.

Furthermore, the try-before-you-buy scenario is really blown away by the fact that you no longer need to buy CD’s in whole. iTunes really helped change the legal arena in this respect because a user can both sample songs at their leisure and purchase single songs. The ability to purchase single songs is the big one.

In the end, Gonzalez lost her case. The thirty songs, that would have cost $29.70 at iTunes, will end up costing her $22,500 in damages—imagine what it would be if the plaintiffs had pushed for a decision on all 1,370 songs. She was given the opportunity to settle for $3,500 before going to court, which she declined—another bad decision. If you download music over file-sharing networks and are caught, what will be your legal defense?
Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet – http://www.certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREE Content online.

Jason A. Martin is a Journalism Major (Political Science minor) and future law school student. His blog deals with Politics, Media and the Law. You can view it at http://www.JasonAMartin.com
To keep up to date with Mr. Martin’s articles, visit http://www.jasonamartin.com/subscribe.php

Post from: AmacamA

Do You Download Music Over A File-Sharing Network?

Aside from the men and women who find themselves in harm’s way, another group of people is registering high on the depression and anxiety scale: military families. On the homefront, another battle is taking place. The pain and suffering of the families of those killed or wounded in Iraq is equally tragic. The stress and anxiety experienced by military families, for the most part, cannot be quantified or measured in the same way as it is done for body counts and daily expenditures for military operations. Each tearful farewell during the send-off of troops headed to Iraq or the grief of seeing the casket of a loved one who died in battle are now almost everyday scenes in different parts of America. It is also important to note that while many military families support the troops, they do not necessarily support the war.

In a recent Army report, it was revealed that there have been at least 1,000 cases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) suffered by U.S. servicemen and women who returned from Iraq. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder experienced by individuals who have undergone a very traumatic incident. However, it should not be confused with the usual grief felt by most people after the death of a loved one. The symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares, anger or rage, emotional detachment, memory loss, hyper-vigilance, and depression.

While caring for servicemen and women diagnosed with PTSD had been a major priority for the U.S. Department of Defense, stress management programs for military families is not exactly on top of the list in terms of funding. Many organizations formed by spouses and family members of military personnel have had to raise funds for therapy sessions for their support groups. The challenges faced by military families is also daunting and demands a lot of commitment. Aside from the stress and anxiety brought about by long periods of separation from their loved ones deployed in conflict areas, they also have to adjust living under a single parent home, or learn how to care for a returning family member that was diagnosed with PTSD after serving in Iraq and other places where U.S. troops are sent.

In many cases, military doctors and psychiatrists have had to prescribe anti-depressant prescriptions for use by returning military personnel and those with PTSD. It is also not uncommon for some military spouses and children to request for psychiatric help and drugs to alleviate their depression, especially if they have lost a loved one from the military.

Both the U.S. Department of Defense and the military family associations have made headway in bringing the issue of combat-related stress to the fore. Government funds have been alloted to run therapy programs such as the Army Combat Stress Control and the Operational Stress Control and Readiness in the Navy and the Marines.

More than just the actual outcome of the war, the impact of combat operations should be closely monitored to help many military personnel and their families to regain a sense of normalcy in their lives, and in the process, get treatment for emotional and psychological disorders. Indeed, aside from securing victory in Iraq, efforts should also be made to help many American military personnel and their loved ones to win the war within.

The articles is about the stress and anxiety experienced by military servicemen and women in combat, and the emotional distress of their families at the homefront. The article also details the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a condition that afflicts thousands of US military personnel who have been exposed to combat. Information is provided about the programs and medications given to those who were suffering from PTSD.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Post from: AmacamA

Impact Of Stress And Anxiety on Soldiers and their Families

Your upcoming book focuses heavily on photographs of people, from peasants to punk rockers, ethnic groups to entrepreneurs. As a lone foreigner in a faraway country, how did you approach so many strangers, let alone become intimate enough with them to take their portraits?

Tom Carter: Most of my photos came about as a natural result of my curiosity and interaction with Chinese people during my travels. It wasn’t until the end of my trip that I thought about compiling them into a book. This is a tribute to all the people I met along the way.
For the portraits, it just takes a sincere interest in your subjects to get that close. I don’t believe in hiding behind a zoom lens; I was actually as near to all those people as you see in the pictures, sometimes just inches away. The candid life shots, which comprise a good third of the book, were actually more of a challenge. As a foreigner walking down the street in China, all activity stops the moment you are seen, so it’s tricky to photograph life before life stops to stare at you.
I don’t believe any book can capture the true spirit of a country with only pictures of places. Sure, a photo of a sunset over the Great Wall is nice, but what do you really learn from it? I wanted to show the people, and dispel the stereotype of the Chinese as a homogeneous single nationality.

You must speak the language pretty well.

Tom Carter: That’s the very first question I always get from other expats I meet in China! It humbles me to admit that my Putonghua borders on offensively poor. I taught English when I first arrived in China, which left me no time to formally study Mandarin. I picked up my entire vocabulary while travelling. I call it Survival Chinese. I can communicate, but I’m usually left out of the gossiping granny circles. A friendly smile works well when all else fails. I might add, though, that Chinese dialects vary widely by province, so even most nationals have trouble understanding other Chinese outside their own hometowns.

You say you came to China as an English teacher, but four years later you’re a published photojournalist and author. Did you plan this career move?

Tom Carter: Never, but that’s China for you, a real land of opportunity. Teaching was just a means to an end, which was travelling. Out of that first long year on the road sprung my collection of photos, which resulted in a book contract and travel assignments from various periodicals, which brought me full circle back to my second spin around China. I believe I stand apart from my contemporaries in that I’m not sitting around a cushy foreign correspondents’ club “networking” [makes mock quotes with his fingers] and waiting for my next assignment; I’m out on the road finding my own. But maybe that’s why Reuters still hasn’t called me.

You’ve had a few run-ins with Chinese censorship of your images and articles. Care to share?

Tom Carter: The concept of Freedom of the Press, something the west takes for granted, is still entirely alien in Communist China. The media is state-run and every single word and image that comes in and out of the country needs to be approved by the Ministry of Information. Crazy, huh? But since I’m an independent freelancer without the backing of any news agency, I lack official journalist credentials. Most of my images I’ve had to get the hard way, which has often resulted in confrontations with local authorities who view foreign correspondents as a threat.
For example, for the three single frames of coal miners with soot-covered faces that appear in this book, I and my Chinese travelling companion had to spend several days in the mountains of South Shanxi before we were able to sneak into a coal mine, grab a few shots then get the hell out before being caught. Mining is one of the most dangerous and controversial occupations in China, and is entirely off limits to journalists. Some of my best photos are hit-and-run like that.

There’s one incident in particular I want to hear about: a peasant riot that you photographed and which almost got you arrested. Tell us about that.

Tom Carter: To be caught up in a proletarian uprising – something both foreign and Chinese reporters in China rarely even hear about, due to rapid suppression of information, let alone eye-witness – was extremely frightening but probably one of the book’s most powerful images. I was subsequently “implored” by the local police to hand over all my photos, under penalty of incarceration, but a couple have managed to slip into the book [winks mischievously]. I’m still in China and would like to be able to leave without a trip to the clink, so it’s not something I can talk about in further detail, nor can we make the photo public until the book is on the shelves.

Guerilla-style documentary photography is something you are obviously proud of. Someone said you have “turned mundane daily life in China into a work of art” but one reviewer wrote that your photographs are “an assault on ordinary people who should be left alone.” What’s your take on such extreme responses?

Tom Carter: Which one was the criticism? [Laughs] Actually, I prefer the term ‘street photography’, because that’s exactly what I do. I’m out pounding the pavement from 6am to 6pm every day, learning about the culture through observation and interaction. Many photojournalists cover their assignments as quickly as possible so they can remove themselves from the elements, but I revel in the elements. I don’t have any technical or artistic preconceptions to my photos. The whole idea of spending an hour setting up a shot and then photoshopping it to death afterwards is not what I’m about. I just capture life as it is, then move on. If the picture turns out crooked, so what! Life is crooked!
I have no desire to make something palatable, even if it means not getting on Getty. On the other hand, any of my photos that are considered beautiful I credit entirely to my subjects. They are the ones who deserve the compliments.

China really is a vast country to explore, and you have been to every corner of it – 33 provinces and over 200 cities and villages. Travelling for a living sounds like a life of leisure, but what’s the reality?

Tom Carter: You know, forall the tourism I’ve promoted for China with my photos and travel articles, you’d think the CNTA [China National Tourism Administration] could at least have comped my hotels. But the truth is I’ve never received a cent in financial backing. During the two years I spent travelling across China, I slept in 15 RMB [2 USD] flophouses with particleboard walls – which are illegal for foreigners to stay in – with the occasional youth hostel or night on a bus station floor. I taught English for two straight years beforehand so I could save up to travel, and I really had to pinch my pennies to make it last. The upside is that my insolvency resulted in experiences that staying at the Sheraton could never produce.

All travellers are running away from something. What’s your excuse?

Tom Carter: I come from a long line of nomads – my mother a Danish immigrant of good Viking stock and my father a hybrid Panamanian-Cuban-Italian – so drifting is in my blood. It’s my dream to travel the world, take pictures and write about it. I have no intention of succumbing to that thirtysomething syndrome of settling down. The world is my home.

So what day-to-day difficulties did you encounter during your marathon journey across China?

Tom Carter: You mean hour-to-hour difficulties. My photos might excite a lot of potential tourists, but I’m not going to sugar-coat the reality of actually travelling in China. The consensus among backpackers is that China is probably the single most challenging country in the world to navigate. Aside from the obvious language barriers, you have 5,000-year old customs and extreme cultural differences that can be quite vexing for the typical westerner. Most of these nuances are not something that you can catch on film; travellers have to discover them for themselves, and that’s part of the fun.

What keeps you going?

Tom Carter: I delight in the challenges that a country like China poses to westerners. Sure, I occasionally catch myself pounding the wall in frustration, but the thing about the PRC is that every turn is a new adventure. For me there’s nothing worse than being bored, and boredom is just not possible in China. See these lines on my face? They weren’t there before.

How did you plan your routes?

Tom Carter: I haven’t planned a single route since I arrived in China four years ago. I just point myself in a direction, then let life carry me on its current. Not only does every Chinese person you ask where to go have an excitedly different opinion – even about which way is north – but there are so many undiscovered villages that are off the charts. Not to mention that the time it takes to get to these places is often days longer than how it appears on a map, making an itinerary kind of pointless.

Tell us more about surprises along the way, and any dangerous situations you’ve been in.

Tom Carter: Surprises are the rule, not the exception. In addition to clashes with the authorities over my pictures, I’ve had everything from a near-lethal bout of encephalitis during my first year in China, to getting shanghaied by crooked English schools, which I wrote about for the Wall Street Journal. One of my favourites is the time I found myself at the business end of a North Korean machine gun when I accidentally crossed into the DPRK at Changbaishan. These are all stories I can laugh about now, though my mother doesn’t think so.

It’s said that China is now undergoing the most prolonged period of sustained change in history. How has it changed since you have lived there, and how will it change in the near future?

Tom Carter: I think China’s most dramatic changes have been brought on by itself and that the now-clichéd term “New China” was something methodically planned out in their boardrooms. The Chinese government is addicted to what I call hyper-urbanization. You’ve got historic cities like Beijing, where they are bulldozing these ancient hutongs by the hour so they can build office towers, or the 2,000-year-old village of Gongtan in Chongqing that is going to be levelled this summer for a new power plant. I wrote an article about Gongtan for a local magazine but it was quickly quashed because the censorship bureau said “We don’t want to bring any attention to that place.” These contrasts in architecture appear in my book because I feel it is imperative to capture this last glimpse of China’s old slate rooftops before the skyline becomes pure steel and glass. CHINA: Portrait of a People will probably become a history book, something Chinese people will look at twenty years from now and say “Ah yes, I remember.”

It seems like everyone wants to know more about China these days. Do you see more people planning on visiting the country?

Tom Carter: China will become the world’s largest tourism destination of the next decade, no doubt about it. The 2008 Beijing Olympics and Shanghai’s World Expo in 2010 are expected to attract between 50 to 100 million tourists annually. China’s doors were closed for so long that it’s only natural the world is curious about what’s behind them. What the pictures in Portrait of a People are doing is fuelling this curiosity by offering an intimate glimpse of humanity in China, and scenes of daily life that even publications like National Geographic overlook.

You’re something of an authority now on Chinese travel. Can you offer any tips for travellers?

Tom Carter: Well, what China wants tourists to see is often at variance with what is actually marvellous about the country. You’ve got these highly-sheltered tour group packages that cover the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Terracotta Warriors in Shaanxi, a boat ride on the Yangtze and shopping in Shanghai [makes yawning noise]. Or you can remove yourself from the souvenir shops and luxury hotels, get a local street map and travel on word-of-mouth. Lonely Planet would go bankrupt if people actually took my travel advice, but you definitely see more of the real China my way.

Finally, what’s next for someone who’s been everywhere in China?

Tom Carter: My publisher and I have been talking about taking the “Portrait of a People” concept to other countries in the region. I would jump at the chance. So I have no idea where I’ll be this time next year.

CHINA: Portrait of a People author and photographer Tom Carter expounds on Chinese censorship, peasant riots and how insolvency helped inspire his new book in this first exclusive interview.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

Tom Carter’s travel articles and pictures have appeared in every major English-language periodical in China. He is available for interview by phone or email. Sample photos from CHINA: Portrait of a People can be viewed at TOM CARTER (Flash plugin required). High-resolution images for media use are available for immediate download at BLACKSMITH BOOKS

Post from: AmacamA

A conversation with Tom Carter, author of CHINA: Portrait of a People.

The fact is, if you’re an avid reader, audiobooks are format you should consider. Despite the fact that fans of physical books often are hard-pressed to switch to the audio format, there are plenty of good reasons to do so. In this article, we’ll look at some reasons you should at least start to download audio books and listen to them occasionally instead of just sticking with old fashioned paperbacks and hardcovers.

To start with, audio book downloads are a heck of lot more convenient than traditional book formats. For example, while a Steven King fan who enjoys keeping his horror collection close by would find it very difficult to travel with even a few novels in traditional format, the audio versions can all fit on a device as small as an ipod or other MP3 player. Steven King can go with this fan anywhere.

This is not the only point of convenience. Think of the time saved by downloading audio books. For traditional formats you either have to order online and then wait for the books to arrive by mail, or you have to take a trip to your nearest library or bookstore, walk around and bug the staff until you find the book, stand in line to pay for it, and then bring it all the way back home before you can crack it open and start reading.

With audiobooks on the other hand, you just click on your favorite online audio bookstore, type in the name of the book you want and complete the purchase. Moments later you downlod the digital file to your your ipod or other audio device and start listening right away.

The fact that you get to listen to your books with your just your ears, instead of reading them – which requires the attention of both your eyes and your hands – is another good reason to go with audio books. By freeing up your eyes and hands, you can still enjoy all the benefits of reading, but be able to preform other tasks at the same time. While someone who sticks with traditional book formats has to focus his full attention on the reading process, savvy folks who download and listen to audio books can also drive, bike, cook, play sports and take out the garbage at the same time.

One point that traditional book readers bring up is that the selection of traditional books is massive, while the selection of audiobooks is relatively small. That said though, if you search online you’ll soon discover that the amount of information and entertainment now available in audiobook format is much larger than any one person would ever have time to consume. There are download sites providing audio books on almost every topic available. From fiction titles including classics to the latest releases to up-to-date non-fiction titles for students and professionals in almost any imaginable field, there are countless audiobook titles to choose from.

Granted, there are some who will never give up the look, feel and experience of reading a traditional hardcover or paperback. But for those whose time is precious, deciding to download audio books to listen to allows them to multi-task, learn and get things done at the same time.

Author Resource:-> If you enjoy listening to your books, you can also browse a huge collection of instantly downloadable ipod audio books at http://www.CrownAudioBooks.com right now.

Article From Article Search Engine Directory , Submit Articles , Search Find Free Content , Author Submission

Post from: AmacamA

Why Download Audio Books Instead Of Reading?

Yes, even radio shows come in audio books. The demand for audio books have increased so that not only non-fiction books, poetry and romance books are transported to audio, but radio shows are also jumping into the bandwagon.

Treat a radio show audio book as you would a radio show program. There are so many topics tackled in this auditory form.

For example, parents can purchase a radio show audio book dealing with childhood matters. It will allow them to increase their knowledge when it comes to parenthood and caring for their children.

Then there are radio shows that come in audio books. Here are some examples:

- The Joan Kenley Show

You can enjoy style, substance and humor to the next level. Questions in this program can wake you up and ignite your imagination.

- Prairie Home Companion

This is a collection of skits, songs and monologues from the radio show A Prairie Home Companion for over 30 years. Humor and wackiness serve as both excellent introduction for new listeners and will teleport old fans back in time. This is a collection that is worth listening to over and over again.

- The David Shayler Radio Show

This radio show not only comes in CDs and cassettes, it can also be downloaded in MP3 and WAV format.

- The Tufnell Tapes

This is about the misadventures of a bankrupt British businessman in Southern California.

This year alone, consumers have experienced the benefits of modern technology when it comes to audio books. Pushing the envelope further, audio books are made available to Podcasts!

In fact, XM Satellite Radios music stations and Audible Inc. have an exclusive partnership which would bring together XMs 150 music and talk-radio channels and Audibles 70,000 hours of audio content altogether and in the form of audio books that will be broadcasted on Podcasts.

Because XM is recognized for having the best technology and best content when it comes to satellite radio, the collaboration with Audible can result to good content distribution of radio show audio books.

Not only that, these radio show audo books can also be downloaded from the Internet and then uploaded onto devices like iPods and podcasts. The Audible site offers certain XM radio talk shows. Examples are The Opie & Anthony Show and The Bob Edwards Show.

There are also radio show audio books targeted to children. Here are some examples:

- 39 Steps by John Buchan

The Butler enters a room in Mr. Richard Hannays apartment. A secret agent lies dying. A dagger is the agents back and his last words are, Tell Mr. Hannay, the 39 steps, high tide. Mr. Hannay sets out on a journey to resolve the murder mystery that brings him in an adventure involving assassination, impostors and secret plans.

-Adventures of Captain Hudson by Tim Knofler and Ron Grigsby

In the pilot episode, the reluctant hero Captain Jim Hudson and his crew embark on an unexpected journey that takes them into the desert regions of the Southwestern US.

-Adventures of Red Ryder and Little Beaver by Radio Spirits

From the West comes Americas famous fighting pair Red Ryder and Little Beaver with their horse thunder. They are famous for tracking down outlaws. Its a wild west tale that will surely entertain the young and the old.

-Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Ebenezer Scrooge is as cold as winter and he puts money above everything else. But one Christmas Eve, he is visited by four ghosts and he soon realizes that the best riches are not found in banks. A Christmas Carol is one of the worlds best loved Christmas stories.

- Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

This amazing audio drama series based on the best-selling The Chronicles of Narnia books by CS Lewis, it stars David Suchet as Aslan the Great Lion and Paul Scofield as the Storyteller. Be transported to that magical world which will inspire your imagination. The audio set includes all seven books: The Magicians Nephew,The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treade, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle.

- Escape by Radio Spirits

Escape from ordinary life with six stories of high adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Author Resource:-> Do you miss reading? 1000′s of

downloadable audio books are available for immediate download and gratification. Burn to CD, put them on your MP3 or iPod and off you go. Join our newsletter today , The Audio Downloader, for an extra special discount. Visit now:
http://www.TheAudioDownloadStore.com

Article From Article Search Engine Directory , Submit Articles , Search Find Free Content , Author Submission

Post from: AmacamA

Audio Books From Radio Shows, Old And New

An antique book is more than a collection of pages by your favorite author. It is a piece of history, a glimpse into the past. One in which the binding was done by hand the paper often likewise and if far back enough in time, the pen was a quill.

There are many factors which influence the value of an antique book, as in all antiques. First there is the condition of the book. The binding, the pages, whether dog-eared or torn, or God forbid, missing. The pages may have notes written on them. (Which can often be valuable in themselves if penned by a famous person or under unusual circumstances) or they may be damaged or stained or any number of factors which will affect their desirability. In the same way if a book is signed by it’s author this usually increases it’s price, although in the modern world not necessarily as “book signings” are all too common as a marketing tool and have helped to downplay the importance of a signed edition. All of these factors contribute to the overall value of your antique book.

The overall availability is a factor in price but is not necessarily the main factor as a book may be hard to find but not desirable. In other words it may be rare but nobody wants it! Confusing? Yes it can be. It is prudent to consult a dealer to appraise your antique book whether for insurance purposes or because you are attempting to sell it. In the final analysis, antiques are always only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it.

Appraisals Dealers usually need to see the book itself in order to identify and appraise it. You may submit photographs if you cannot see the dealer in person due to distance or time. They will require usually a photograph of the title page, the back side of the title page (also called the copyright page), the first and last pages of text, and the outer covers and spine in order to evaluate an individual copy. It is best to have very close up, quality photographs if you must go this route. If you are not proficient with a digital camera, ask one of your friends to do it for you. The popularity of digital cameras today makes quality photos easy to accomplish. Do not try and photocopy the book! This produces very poor results and may in fact damage the book due to the pressure exerted upon the spine in this process.

You often hear the phrase “first edition” in reference to books and this can influence the price of the book if there were, in fact more than one edition! Many times there were not. Be careful when someone touts the first edition status of an antique book and attempt to determine for yourself if there were indeed subsequent editions. Again remember to use all of the resources online and elsewhere to obtain valuable and often free information on your antique book. There are several national societies of book dealers, “antiquarians” and of course appraisers that you may take advantage of in the search for information. There are also book collecting societies that you may investigate. Take your time and learn all you can before you buy or sell your antique book.

Author Resource:-> Antiques
href=”http://www.revelationimports.com”> RugsEnjoy

the mystery of the past. http://www.RevelationImports.com

Article From Article Search Engine Directory , Submit Articles , Search Find Free Content , Author Submission

Post from: AmacamA

Antique Books. Worth the Reading