Everyone is getting on the bandwagon. Large corporations successfully use eBay auctions to offload distressed stock, the Postal Service rids itself of unclaimed merchandise, police departments sell confiscated goods. Thousands of nonprofits are doing business with eBay.

Are eBay auctions the fundraiser’s cash machine or are the dangling cash-carrots never quite attainable?

There you have both ends of the online auction spectrum. Likely, your organisation’s ability to generate donations in this fashion lies somewhere in between, hopefully toward the high end. Merely registering an account with eBay doesn’t guarantee that sellers will be prompted to donate part of an item’s selling price to your group. Or that buyers will gobble up your items. Philanthropically minded people are only beginning to see online auctions as a serious avenue of charitable giving.

Successfully trading on eBay is far more than a mechanical process. You’ll need staff and/or volunteer commitment, and sales and marketing know-how. It takes little skill to get on the bandwagon; it takes a lot not to fall off.

There are several main reasons to use eBay as part of your overall fundraising plan. Not because its the cool thing to do. Not because it takes the place of person-to-person campaigning.
But because:
* EBay enables your group to reach a huge, new market of non-constituents, uncultivated strangers who will immediately participate in funding your projects by buying your items.

*You can fit a few hundred people in an in-house auction room, but you can reach millions online.

*You’ll capture new prospects. A percentage of buyers will turn out to be donors to future campaigns if your follow-through is sound. Otherwise, why not simply run an online membership auction from your organisation’s web site?

* It’s cost effective. No space to rent, tickets to sell, caterers to hire, and so on.

* Its novelty will captivate volunteers who are used to performing the same campaign tasks year after year.

How you can capture a profitable share of this new market depends on the sales direction you take, the items you offer, how they’re presented, and your game plan.

Direct and Community Selling
You’ll obviously receive the most income and acquire the most new prospects if your group uses donated items to auction. For nonprofits, eBay terms this “Direct Selling.” It’s the same technique used by organisations that produce in-house, live auctions by soliciting in-kind gifts.

“Community Selling” is a term eBay uses to describe the process whereby sellers designate all or part of the selling price to an organisation. This offers your present donors new opportunities to support your drive.

For example, the Johnson’s annual gift is $200. Your latest newsletter describes and promotes the benefits to the campaign from members selling unwanted items on eBay. The Browns’ decide that two 17″ hand painted platters are items they haven’t used for years. They list them on eBay at $19.95 each and designate your group to receive 80% of the selling price.

The remaining 20%, they figure, will take care of shipping. The platters each sell for $25. You have an additional donation from the Browns of $40. If 99 other present donors did the same you’d have an additional $4,000 on top of their cash gifts. And what about the members who couldn’t afford to give you cash donations? Surely, many of them would find an item or two to sell on eBay on your behalf. So, you see, the potential for raising funds through eBay is real, but eBay is only the vehicle, not the driving force. Selling the concept is the organisation’s job.

What Items to Offer?
While it’s been shown that many non-constituent eBay buyers react favorably to knowing that proceeds of a sale are helping fund a nonprofit organisation, their interest is driven by an item’s appeal, not necessarily an organisation’s mission.

People will buy anything, especially when they think they’re getting a deal. Last time I looked, a set of 10 real shark teeth was about to be auctioned for $7.99. But since you’re in the serious business of raising money, not running online garage sales, offering genuine collectable teeth will do little to help fund your annual budget. Stay away from trinkets when soliciting direct selling items if possible. However, memorabilia is a natural for online auctions.

The more your items play to a universal audience the more they’ll be seen, and the higher the selling price. For example, a vintage Cowboy type belt buckle from a city in Arizona could sell to a local organisation member or be even more valuable to an Australian outback buyer.

Most everything sells on eBay, but collectibles have always been big sellers, also electronics in all categories, music, books and games. Everyone has a few old books and CDs lying around that you can convert to cash by selling them on ebay. And certainly one-time, high profile items with special appeal, like seats in a corporate box at a big game. Or a trip to the Barrier Reef.

If your group, school or club is looking for school fundraising ideas and easy fundraiser ideas, have a look at Goldstar Gifts and Stationary’s easy to manage ideas for fundraising.

Vegetables are essential to our diet. The latest recommendation from dieticians is a minimum of five portions of vegetables per day. The truth is we can get the majority of our daily vitamin requirements from vegetables.

We need to make sure that how we cook them does not drain vitamin contents and benefits of consumption.

Cooking vegetables can be a bit tricky. Over cooking can make vegetables tasteless and mushy. My belief is that vegetables should not be boiled. Boling not only robs us of vitamin content, it is the main culprit in turning vegetables to a lifeless, tasteless form.

If we cannot boil, what are the options?

Steaming vegetables is always a good choice. This will leave vegetables full of colour. They will be crisp and colorful. It will also not deplete the vegetables of their vitamin content.

It is a fast way of cooking also. By rule of thumb, vegetables will only need a few minutes in the steam. In some cases you may be able to steam your vegetables on the table and immediately serve them up.

For those who do not have purpose made vegetable steamers, an easy steamer can be fashioned out a of pot, a metal colander, and a pot lid.

Place a small amount of water in the bottom of a given pot. Place the metal colander into the pot. Start to boil the water. You will begin the see the steam rise. Place your vegetables into the metal colander and place the pot lid over the metal colander and pot. This collection of kitchen items will allow you to steam vegetables as good as any fancy store bought steamer.

Another good option is to cook your vegetables in a wok. The secret to the wok is that it cooks quickly at a very high temperature. Vegetables retain their flavors, textures, and colors with small amount of vitamin loss.

My favorite wok recipe for vegetables is to cook broccoli, carrots, bok choy, and snow peas in a very light garlic sauce. The vegetables remain crisp and the herb adds just the right amount of flavoring. This combination can be served with any cut of meat including chicken, beef, pork, lamb or fish.

I hope you will see that secret to cooking vegetables is not to over cook. Vegetables need to remain crisp and full of color. As you learn different tricks to bringing your vegetables to life, these will become the most requested dishes on your dinner table.

Looking for a food safety supervisor course? A food safety course is available through Southbank Institute of Technology. Search for food safety online on the SBIT web site.

Electrified candle brackets with wrought iron or aluminium holders and brass or timber candelabra with small individual fabric shades in imitation American colonial or mission style were common in Australia during the 1920s and 1930s. They were hung in Spanish mission or neo-colonial styled homes and also in Californian homes.

It was quite often the case that different styles of light fittings were mixed in one home. The entrance hall and internal passages could have wrought iron lantern fittings either circular or rectangular in shape. The dining room might have one or more American colonial style wrought iron candelabra; the lounge, French revival chandeliers; the master bedroom, a floral ceramic rococo light fitting. All these rooms might have wall sconces matching the central light. The children’s rooms usually had English styled Arts and Crafts fittings; the bathroom a modern fitting — similarly the servants quarters — and the kitchen, fluorescent strip lighting.

By the 1950s the standard or table lamp had become a major centre piece in a room with the new television and blinds. Sometimes a metal standard lamp came incorporated in a side table or large ash tray. The background lighting was very faint. Except for the table lamps little attention was drawn to the light fixtures.

Mass production churned out inexpensive plastic, plaster, metal and buckram lamp bases and shades. The traditional colonial designs had been replaced by a plethora of folksy designs and do-it yourself instructions on how to make ballerina lamp-shades or African and Fijian raffia shades. The style was kitsch: a multitude of designs for table lamps was-available, from Russian ballerinas, Spanish matadors, Chinamen, happy Mexicans with cacti, Arabian snake trainers, African dancing girls, happy couples and leopard or tiger skins. The colours were gaudy and bright. For football player agents and sales training options, visit digitalbrands.com.au.

You have found a business for sale, you have bought it, so what now? With all the pieces of your new business just about in place, there is a crucial Issue to discuss, You. The most important ingredient in small business is the owner, and the most important ingredient in the owner is their attitude to both the business, and their customers.

Your attitude will to a great degree govern your success in business. Some people when they leave their jobs to start up their own business, unravel and get lazy. This is probably due to the fact they are no longer intimidated by the boss into doing the right thing. Self discipline can be a real problem with some people, they just can’t motivate themselves without some degree of external pressure. This, I believe is the biggest problem you will face.

You should watch for the warning signs, opening late, closing early, having long lunches, never getting jobs finished on time or at all, not returning calls, letting accounting paperwork lag behind, taking days off because you couldn’t be bothered working and so on. It is so easy to slip into bad habits, so be aware.

Try and remain accustomed to at least working the same hours as you were in your employed job and set yourself targets. Targets and goals will impose pressure on you to perform.

The next attitude problem comes from lack of determination.

Some small business owners fall to pieces every time there is problem or a crisis. This style of attitude will also assist you to go out of business very quickly.

You must never give up, for your own sake you must push on because you will strike plenty of problems and go through several serious crisis’s before things settle down, this is common to all new businesses.

The best thing to do is work through the problem in a calm and systematic way. Whilst you may feel at the time “this is the end” and “I’ve had enough”, this is a normal reaction that will pass. It often helps to join business groups and talk to other business owners about common problems.

You then must solve the problem and keep going. I’m sure attitude and determination has a lot to do with the 90% of businesses that fail. It’s ridiculous to think that a business goes down the drain because the owner had a poor attitude or “had a wobbly”, but it does happen. Make sure you’re not one of them.

The last issue to discuss is your attitude to customers. Keep this in mind, regardless of whether you like the particular person, all customers contribute to your profitability and success so treat them with respect and courtesy. It’s amazing how quickly customers will desert you if they feel you are rude to them. No customers - no money — no business! Always remain courteous, helpful and above all friendly, never allow personal or business problems to raise their heads in front of customers.The future of your business is in your hands.

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Over 20 million Koreans live in and around Seoul, yet it is one of few a cities that has successfully preserved its buildings from the past and integrated them into the skyline of a growing global city.

Seoul is loud and bustling, as befits one of the most densely populated metropolises on Earth. Lines of cars and throngs of people press their way through the cavernous streets. Oversized illuminated advertising marks the way, selling products in a foreign script. The subway system is Seoul’s new and perfectly organized underworld. In the midst of all this chaos, visitors may suddenly come upon an oasis of stillness in one of the country’s numerous temples, parks and pavilions.

City on the river
Seoul was founded in 1394, following the demise of the Koryo Kingdom (1392). Its progress was long associated with the rise and success of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910). After searching for a suitable location for his city, King Taejo, better known as Yi Seonggye, decided on the north bank of the Han River. A small village named Hanyang was the only settlement in the area at that time. The name of the renowned Hanyang University, one of over 300 institutions of higher learning in Seoul, recalls that small village.

A modern sports city.
Contemporary Seoul came into existence during the first half of the twentieth century, and largely through the influence of the Japanese. The old city wall gave way to modern buildings, with only the ancient city gates preserved. After the catastrophic Korean War (1950-1953), nearly all of Seoul had to be rebuilt.

From that point onward, Seoul grew at a very rapid pace. The city underwent massive changes, at times with little planning and consideration of their long-term impact. Trams ran until 1968, only to disappear almost overnight. They were quickly replaced by an underground subway system. The economic upswing of 1988 that followed in the wake of the Seoul Summer Olympic Games was a boon to the cultural, financial and sporting life of the city, and the sports world again turned its eyes to Seoul in 2002, when the FIFA World Cup football championship was held here.

Kings’ palaces with curious names.
But Seoul is much more than a showcase for sporting events. it is the cultural heart of South Korea, where universities, theatres, museums and more abound.

When Seoul was founded in 1394, the Gyeongbokgung (Palace of Shining Happiness) was the first royal residence built. Happiness did not, unfortunately, shine on the palace and its inhabitants forever.

Serfs burned the palace to the ground in 1592, and the death of Queen Min in 1895 led to the relocation of the royal family to Deoksugung (Palace of Virtuous Longevity). In 1997, the Changdeokgung (Palace of Prospering Virtue) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

It was built as an addition to Gyeongbokgung, and was the only structure destroyed in the 1592 uprising that was immediately rebuilt. Until 1872 and again from 1907 to 1910, it served as the seat of government of the Korean kings. The Secret Garden of Biwon is also especially worth seeing. The impressive burial cairns of King Sejo and his wife Yun Chon-hi are located there, just 30 km north of the city.

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The use of tax havens in day to day corporate life has grown to be almost mainstream these days. To the small businessman and the private investor, the use of tax havens still probably seems a little shady.

This shouldn’t be the case any more as the use of tax havens to reduce tax or just defer it for a while is now accepted practice all over the world with many of the largest Australian accounting and audit firms having departments advising major corporations how to structure their operations offshore.

Tax havens have a strong appeal for many multi-national companies established in foreign countries because of the advantages they offer for the legitimate reduction or deferment of taxation on certain profits earned offshore. Profits harboured in a tax haven enable working capital to be used in the cheapest way possible.

Traditionally, the tax haven has been used as a central point for handling paperwork and preparing and processing international trade documents. Many companies utilise tax havens for the passage of title of goods, so these transfers can proceed without the need for mountains of regulations and fees.

Tax havens are also popular as places to administer patent, trademark and royalty agreements. Because of the intangible nature of patents, trademarks and royalty agreements, they are easily moved from one jurisdiction to the other and the cost of doing this is very low in tax haven jurisdictions.

For instance, if a company with branches and subsidiaries overseas is a resident of a country with strict foreign exchange regulations, it may not want to repatriate the profits simply because if it did, it may have problems being able to transfer the funds back out if it wanted to reinvest them offshore. To solve this problem, it establishes a foreign intermediate holding company in a tax haven, not for tax reasons, but to avoid the foreign exchange control problems that its own country has imposed.

By simply interposing a tax haven company in a corporate structure does not result in the reduction of onshore taxes in most cases, but it may allow tax deferral. Eventually, the parent company will receive the income and when it does it will be taxable and possibly without the benefit of foreign tax credits that may have been available had the profits been repatriated from a tax treaty country. Most tax havens don’t have tax treaties with major countries such as Australia, which prevents the favourable use of lower withholding taxes that would have been available had the country been a signatory to a tax treaty.

Offshore Licencing and Patent Holding Companies

Royalties or licence fees can be, in certain circumstances, can be feed of tax obligations by using an offshore licensing company. For instance, the owner of a patent can incorporate an offshore licensing company and assign the rights to that offshore company. In turn the offshore company then has the right to licence the patent to a foreign subsidiary. By having the royalties paid to the licensing company in a tax haven, profits are effectively shifted from the foreign subsidiary to the offshore patent owning company, which pays little or no tax on the royalties that it receives.

Income from other intangible rights, such as trade marks, copyrights, know how and franchising rights, can be earned without incurring withholding or income tax if a tax haven company is established to sublicence other companies in various countries. Tax savings can be made also on patent royalties by combining tax havens.

Australia only deducts 10% withholding tax on Dutch companies. Therefore, if a tax haven company was established in the Netherlands Antilles with a Dutch subsidiary, and licences its Dutch patents to the Dutch company, the Dutch company, in turn, can licence to the Australian manufacturer.

The Australian company can then pay the Dutch subsidiary patent royalties incurring only 10% tax. The Dutch company can then pay the royalty to the tax haven company (which is the patent owner), thereby avoiding Dutch withholding taxes on dividends. The Dutch company is not taxed in the Netherlands, and the tax haven company avoids any further taxation. Total tax is 10%.

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Social bookmarking is all the range in 2009. It’s a proven method of drawing traffic to your web site and for gaining those valuable links that we all covet. Basically all you do is share your favourite web site links with others then other people vote your links up or down depending on how interesting or useful they are.

Most of the sites below use the very popular Scuttle or Scuttle Plus software. If you have any to add, please leave a comment.

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If New York is the city that never sleeps then Bangkok, Thailand’s colorful center city, comes a very close back place. The city was founded in 1782 by the first monarch of the portray Chakri period. today it’s the country’s spiritual, commercial and educational hub, home to approximately ten million people or more than 10% of the Thai population.

Bangkok (or Krung Thep in Thai which means “city of angels”) is an exciting, high diverge melting pot of east meets west. It is a dynamic city that has embraced technology and current living with its active expressways, bold skyscrapers and designer name packed shopping centres. Yet underneath it all, it remains a traditional asylum of mores, chronicle and time-honored customs, where elders are respected and family always comes first.

As you journey from the airport you’ll see quite of examples of current architecture dotting the cityscape and between them all, fixed proud, are glittering Buddhist temples such as Wat Phra Kaew and The respected Palace. windy through the real jungle, you’ll spy leftovers of the “old Bangkok” below you - outdated canals and waterways that are well worth exploring on a vessel fall.

Every Thai household and structure, even the most advanced, has a traditional soul house built farther for good riches and to revere the mood of the land. Each day, small offerings of fruit and water are laid out, often with arrangements of plants. If you’re an early riser, keen to make the most of your rest time in Bangkok, don’t be amazed when you see Buddhist monks in saffron robes making their morning “alms” rounds accepting food and donations from community people, immature and old.

Thailand has a sultry climate with an yearly typical temperature of around 75 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, so bundle light clothing for your visit. natural fibers like line and linen are regularly more comfortable when you’re walking and touring in hot harden. Practically everywhere you go in Bangkok you’ll find you some relief from the roast, with blasts of icy cold air conditioning in retail outlets and hotels.

From demo to May it’s the hottest time, with the maximum temperatures and moisture. From June to October is monsoon spell, so reminisce to take an umbrella. November to February is cooler and minus moist. consider that the downpour term varies throughout the country and can imitate the toughen you experience.

You’ll find all types of accommodation in Bangkok - from abundant 5 star international names to slighter backpacker hostels, favored by brood tourists. Book online and see what unusual charge you can find to become your mood and that all-important plan. You’ll find everything from peaceful luxury escapes with spas to exciting hotels right in the mind of the action.

One of the first words you’ll learn in Bangkok is “Rot tip” or “rot tit” which factually means “cars that stick”, in other language travel jam. But the everyday snarls and backup have been greatly superior by Bangkok’s cosmopolitan ship logic.

You can now outing the subway, the Hua Lamphong - Bang Sue line has 18 stations along the 12 mile send. It’s stable, hush and advanced.

Jump on a BTS Sky sequence. BTS sky trains ply along Sukhumvit, Silom and Phahonyothin roads. The routes join Bangkok’s foremost hotels and chief shopping areas such as Siam clear, Silom, Ratchaprasong and Chatuchak Weekend promote.

Of course, you can’t go to Bangkok without a jaunt in a tuk-tuk. These fast three-wheeled open-air powered taxis are admired for brisk journeys. Fares must be bargained in develop, it’s part of the fun.

The revered Palace: the number one attraction. Every visitor to Bangkok should see the magnificent buildings inside the respected Palace compound to get a feeling of this grand architectural elegance. since the founding of Bangkok as the Nations center by queen Rama I, The respected Palace has been the chief architectural emblem of The Thai stately Family. The royal Family actually resides at Chitralada Palace while The fine Palace is worn for ceremonial purposes.

Wat Pho: perhaps the most interesting temple in Thailand. It combines history, health knowledge and is a crux for meditation and traditional kneading teaching. Have a massage while you’re here, at a very circus charge.

Chatuchak Weekend Market: with over 9,000 shops and stalls you’ll be tempted over and over. Close to everything that is for sale in Bangkok is here, plus antiques, Buddha amulets, handicrafts, clothes, flora and furniture. (You’ll detect that some maps mean it “Jatuchak”. Many English terms have multiple spellings, so if you’re in query, ask the lodge concierge to write it in Thai for the taxi driver.)

Vimanmek house Museum: the world’s largest blond teak shop located in the compound of the Dusit Palace on Ratchawithi boulevard. The three-storey royal hall has 81 rooms, halls and ante-chambers containing single memorabilia.

Jim Thompson’s House: this lovely Thai house and buildings rest as a museum to the man who revived the Thai silk diligence after the instant World War. The party he founded, Jim Thompson Thai Silk, is recognized worldwide for its brilliant fabrics, home accessories and fashion stuff. The gardens are regularly impressive with a verdant tropical jungle imitating nature’s irregular beauty right in the center of the city.

Shopping in Bangkok is not limited to one or two streets. You’ll find dozens of malls, markets and luxury retail outlets throughout the city. The most trendy are located around the Ploenchit-Ratchaprasong question, Sukhumvit Rd and Silom-Surawong-Patpong, including the fantastic Patpong night promote where you can pick up your souvenirs, vogue and Thai handicrafts. Don’t be shy to bargain in the market (nicely) as your dough can go a long way.

Bangkok’s focal stream, the Chao Phraya is the place to be. envisage a stately fleet stretching as far as your eyes can see. A fleet of superbly fixed noble barges gradually sail into consider, manned by the noble Thai navy dressed in early ceremonial uniforms. Each sailor rowing in seamless unanimity, perfected through months of intense apply.

Thailand has a well deserved reputation as the “The Land of Smiles”. You’ll collect a warm hail and feel the real friendliness of the locals. One thing’s for steady, the memories of a escape here will visit with you for a time.
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1.) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to do what you’re doing before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in “fine”.

4.) Go ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It! The best way to defuse this situtation is to say: “On second thought’s you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

5.) Loud sigh: This is actually a word, but it is often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of “nothing”.)

6.) That’s Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say “you’re welcome”.

8.) Whatever: Is a women’s way of saying “you’re dead”.

9.) Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking `What’s wrong?’ For the women’s response refer to #3.

My wife makes an average of 60 calls per month to Sydney from Brisbane at an average costs of $2.70 each. That’s $162 per month. She also has clients overseas in places like PNG and the middle east.

I’ve been thinking about signing up for one of those voice over the Internet services for years and finally last week I signed up with Engin. The signup process was easy and within 3 days I had my Engin voice box and a nifty little wireless phone. The plan I’ve signed up to is $10 per month and the phone cost $30 if I committed to 12 months.

So far I have been very impressed with the quality of service. We have Optus Cable Internet and a small wireless LAN at home. All I had to do to get it working was plug in the Engin box to the router, activate the service by e-mail and then power up the telephone.

The voice quality is very acceptable, about 90% as good as standard PSTN. The other impressive features are incoming call control, call blocking, time of day diversion and so on. A 4 hour call to Sydney costs us 10 cents. Overseas calls are about 3.5 cents per minute.

I have no idea how much bandwidth a call consumes, which can be important if you have a cap on your downloads and uploads. I suspect bandwidth consumption is around about 20 kilobits per second which equates to 150k per minute or 9 Mb per hour. It could be a lot less than that because I assume the gaps between words consume very little bandwidth.

I was a bit worried about what happens to the voice quality when shaping from the ISP kicks in. Once I hit my download limit on the cable Internet, Optus throttles me back to about 56Kbps. I noticed no change in the voice quality once my connection was throttled back to 56Kbps.

UPDATE - PROBLEMS WITH DROP OUTS