Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Fall 7K

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The figure of Americans applying for unemployment benefits surprisingly cut down last week, signifying an upturn in the labor market. This could be very fastidious news. If the economy will continue to rise, possible revival will soon be realized. At some point recovery seems implausible but turn of events is favoring us and results are even enthralling.

Early reports from the Labor Department said on Thursday, state unemployment benefits fell 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, waning for a second straight week. The preceding week’s claims number was altered to demonstrate 3,000 more applications received than earlier reports. According to Reuters’ poll, economists had expected first-time applications to mount to 355,000.

The four-week inconsistent average for new claims, an improved measure of labor market trends, also fell 7,000 to 348,750 pointing to some firming in underlying labor market conditions. Since March 2008, this has been the lowest number. No states had been estimated and there were no special factors influencing the report, says a Labor Department analyst. According to a Reuters’ survey of economists, employers probably added 160,000 jobs to their payrolls last month, a small pick-up up from January’s 157,000 count. That would just be enough to hold the jobless rate steady at 7.9%. The figures due on Friday have no bearing on February’s employment report as it falls outside the survey period. Economists claim job increases of about 250,000 per month over a constant period are needed to significantly change the ranks of the unemployed. Job escalation averaged 200,000 in the last three months. Companies have no plans hiring domestic demand remains lackluster even though layoffs decreased. Claims stay pushed in the low end of a 330,000 to 375,000 range for this year. Federal Reserve last year to launch an open-ended bond buying program because high unemployment provoked them. The U.S. central bank said it would keep up the program until there was a substantial improvement in the outlook for the labor market. In testimony to Congress last week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled the central bank would press forward with plans to buy $85 billion in bonds per month. The amount of populace still getting benefits under regular state programs after the first week of aid rose 3,000 to 3.1 million in the week ended Feb. 23. It was the lowest since July 2008 the four-week moving average of so-called continuing claims.

Europe’s hottest destinations for 2013

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Looking forward to another great year this 2013? Are you already planning where to go and visit next?

Travel can be fascinating. In fact, backpacking captures the essence of youth- freedom, independence, responsibility, adventure, and understanding. As the mind begins to contemplate the world we live in from the perspective of a wide-eyed young adult, travel pierces the heart and mind to awaken what is inside, challenge, and teach us.

Europe… – An evocative name, but also the name of a continent that many people don´t know very well. We offer you the chance to discover Europe for yourself. Whether you are looking for a place to party or just a visit to a historically rich culture those suites your needs and all at your own pace then put Europe on top of your to-visit list.

Here are some places you can choose from or you can visit them all.

Liverpool, England
Liverpool is already famous for its football club because of the two premiership teams, Liverpool and Everton. Their stadiums are situated at either end of Stanley Park. But there is more too this place and if you do not know this you might be missing out fun.

You might want to visit this August, more especially if you are a Beatle’s fan. The Fab Four was formed in 1960 and they just celebrated their 50th anniversary but the fan doesn’t end there because Liverpudlians are looking forward to another installment of International Beatle Week in August in honor of their music and lives as one of the most influential pop groups of all time.

The number of galleries and museums than any other city outside of London can be found here in Liverpool with the best bit with which the entry to most of them is FREE!

Liverpool has more galleries and museums than any other city outside of London and with exhibitions changing all of the time; no two visits are likely to be the same. Rain or shine, young or old, it is definitely worth visiting one of Liverpool’s museums.

The festivities will carry on at the freshly minted Museum of Liverpool, where a new theater that will open early this early will host music and drama events next to insightful exhibitions and film screenings. And the best part of this is many of them free.

Boasts acres of beautiful parkland and some of the best are within close proximity of the holiday house.
If you enjoy swimming, then a visit to the Liverpool Aquatics Centre is a must. This £17 million state of the art swimming complex opened in 2008 and consists of a 20m and a 50m pool. The 50m pool is two pools in one; at certain times of the day it is sectioned into lanes for the more serious swimmers, then at other times it is split into two 25m pools, one of which has a movable floor where the depth can be varied depending upon the activity taking place.

Following on from the success of the big wheel at Liverpool One’s Chavasse Park in 2009, a 60-metre high wheel is located outside the Echo Arena in the Kings Dock. The 42 capsules provide amazing views of the city of Liverpool, its historic waterfront and the Welsh Hills beyond.

At the top end of Liverpool city center, the fascinating Williamson tunnel with its enthralling maze and passageways built here beneath Edge Hill. Tunnels have excavated a section of the maze and this is open to the public to tour. Tours take place from the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre, The Old Stableyard, Smithdown Lane, Liverpool, L7 3EE.

Located on Crosby beach to the north of Liverpool city center, is Antony Gormley’s modern sculpture Another Place. It consists of 100 cast iron models of the artist’s own body, spread across almost 2 miles of beach between Waterloo and Blundellsands.

Depending upon the height of the tide, the figures become submerged in the water providing a spectacular if not somewhat eerie view. There is also marina with a cafe and children’s play area.

Home Business Accounting & Finance: How Not To Fail

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How to Get Your Books in Ord

Accounting and finance, the two most unpopular topics anyone is not interested for sure. Finances is very crucial to any Business if mismanage it could kill your business. 70% of the reason why businesses fail is because of improperly managing finances or poor accounting decisions.

It is important to understand basic accounting so you could avoid failing. It is also advisable to set-up administrative practices to track all your finances. Implement a solid accounting plan for your business, here’s how.

Get Accounting & Finance Software. We all know how important it is to keep records and you wouldn’t want to record it on your memory alone it is like recording on water or air. It is also okay to record it on traditional spreadsheets but everything would be manual and it will be requiring a lot of your time. And your best option is and probably the best thing you can do for your business is simply implementing simple accounting software. But always remember to get a legitimate software and research on it first, we all know how phishing works, we cannot just compromise our business.

Get Educated. Accounting/finance isn’t as easy as reading the word itself, it’s going to be more than that. You don’t have to become a master but you need to pay some time to learn the 101 session. But if planning to master the numbers you also have to master the lingo, such as:

• Balance Sheet
• Break Even Analysis
• Break Even Point
• Cash Flow Statement
• Income Statement
• Return on Investment (ROI)
• Cash vs. Accrual Accounting

But accounting /finance is not that hard as well, you can actually self –study and you will be able to learn it in no time. Or maybe you can enroll in continuing education courses. Go to your local library or a bookstore, spend some time reading, there are sections of simple guides for small business accounting and finance. Or you can just simply go to an accountant and ask for some advice or practice recommendations. But remember, you know your business more than they do so weigh the information they offer against your own thoughts before deciding on important manners.

Get Help. You can always get help if you cannot do the job yourself, if your business can afford one. You can hire a bookkeeper or an accountant.

The difference between the two is a bookkeeper manages the day-to-day stuff, while an accountant makes strategic decisions on how to get you from point A to step a little by little notch until you reach point B to C and so on in your business.

Sooty air pollution increases chances of low birth-weight babies

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It is a fact that fossil fuels from diesel cars and coal-powered fire stations cause dangerous tiny particulate pollution. Sooty air pollution in towns and cities increases the chances of women giving birth to small babies, new research has shown.

A study involving millions of births around the world found that higher pollution levels raised the risk of low birth-weight. Although small, the effect is said to be statistically significant. At national population scales it could have an important impact on child health, said the researchers. Babies are underweight at birth if they tip the scales at less than 2.5kgs, or 5lbs 8oz. They face an increased risk of dying in infancy, as well as chronic poor health and impaired mental development.

The new study, the largest of its kind ever conducted, focused on tiny sooty carbon particles called PM10s and even smaller PM2.5s which are known to be linked to heart and lung problems and early death. They originate from a number of sources, including diesel exhausts and the chimneys of coal-fired power stations and factories.

Professor Tanja Pless-Mulloli, who led the UK arm of the study at the Newcastle University, said: "As air pollution increases we can see that more babies are smaller at birth, which in turn puts them at risk of poor health later in life.

"These microscopic particles, five times smaller than the width of a human hair, are part of the air we breathe every day. What we have shown definitively is that these levels are already having an effect on pregnant mothers."

The research, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, examined the impact of a 10 microgram per cubic meter increase in average exposure to pollution particles over the course of a pregnancy. Furthermore, a continual trend of elevated low birth-weight risk with higher levels of air pollution also showed.

For PM10s, this raised the chances of having a low birth-weight baby by 0.03%, which was said to be statistically significant. In the case of PM2.5s, a much larger 10% risk increase was seen.

Pless-Mulloli added: "The particles which are affecting pregnant mothers mainly come from the burning of fossil fuels. In the past the culprit may have been coal fires, now it is primarily vehicle fumes.

"Currently in some parts of London we see around 40 units of particulate air pollution and in Newcastle it is around 20 units but going back to the 1960s we saw around 700 units of air pollution. While much has been done to improve air quality, this study shows we can't be complacent as we've shown that clean air is really important for the health of our newborns."

The scientists collected data on more than 3m births at 14 locations in the UK, north and South America, Asia and Australia.

They concluded: "The estimated combined associations, although relatively small, could be of major public health importance considering the ubiquitous nature of particulate air pollution exposure, and therefore the potential for considerable population attributable risk, particularly given evidence of perinatal (around the time of birth) and life-long effects of LBW (low birth weight) on health."

"The study is of excellent quality and the conclusions are clear: while the average effect on each baby is small and so should not alarm individual prospective parents, for the whole population these small risks add up across millions of people. “

How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

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Be passionate

You must be passionate in everything that you are trying to achieve. This means putting up a large effort so you could realize your dreams, you are willing to sacrifice a large part of your waking hours to the idea you’ve come up with. Start with yourself and let everyone else be affected with your passion. In no less time passion will ignite the same intensity in others who will join you to build a team to help you succeed. And with passion it is more likely that you will make your customers believe in what you are trying to do.

Others see nothing but great entrepreneurs focus intensely on opportunity

Stay focus on the mission; do not put in mouth more than you can chew. Rather stay focus on something that doing very well and eliminate wasted effort and distractions.

Success comes only from hard work.

It may seem that today is everything’s instant but success. There is no such thing as overnight success; you need years of hard work and sweat. Successful entrepreneurs always give 100% of their efforts to everything they do, give your best efforts and everything will pay off.

The road to success is going to be long, so remember to enjoy the journey.Focus on your goals they say, true enough but you may be forgetting to seize the journey and celebrate the milestones along the way. Not saying you may end up failing, but no matter what happened in the end, you did enjoy the way and next time you will know exactly what to do because you have no bitter feelings and it was all worth it.

Trust your gut instinct more than any spreadsheet.

Spreadsheets do not know everything, and more than anyone else you know your business and at most times your heart will be your best guide. There are times that a faint voice based on instinct resonates far more strongly than overpowering logic.

Be flexible but persistent–every entrepreneur has to be agile to perform.

Be open to new possibilities, learn and adapt besides in life you should have to continuously learn. But at the same time stick to your goals and remain persistent to the cause and mission of your enterprise. Sometimes success is waiting right across from the transitional bump that’s disguised as failure.

Rely on your team. It’s a simple fact: No individual can be good at everything.

No man is an island, this is still true no matter how successful you are and no matter you may think that you can do everything, you still may find yourself in need of help. Find people who can complement on your strengths but also find people who are exactly your opposite but good in what they do.

Execution, honesty and integrity…

Simple general rules that applies to all and any kind of business and even in life. Do exactly as the words means and everything else will follow. And do not ever forget to give back and share your blessings.

Original Programming codes the web

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LOCATION.  This is what the real estate power all about.  An online-video and DVD rental firm- Netflix shares that perspective to Hendren Global Group: Top Facts. “House of Cards”, an adaptation of a BBC mini-series, has big –name actors and a big budget (the first 26 episodes are thought to have cost more than $100m). But when the show premieres on February 1st, it will do so exclusively on Netflix, not cable or broadcast television.

Creating original, high-end television shows for subscribers is a new tack for a firm, the main business of which is renting out and streaming other companies’ content online. Others are following suit. Amazon, an online shopping mall that also offers a video-streaming service, has commissioned six television pilots, and has plans to develop films. Hulu, an online-video site, is also making original programs, such as “Battleground”. YouTube, Google’s online-video site, which is better known for amateur videos of babies and blunders, has launched “channels” that are run by media companies and celebrities. They offer more professional content, although they have had mixed success so far.

Tune in to the early stages of television’s “third wave”. Online video used to be amateur and short-form. But it is starting to follow the path of broadcast television, and then cable, by offering high-quality content. People are watching more video online, and will be consuming even more of it as quality improves. During the third quarter of last year on the number of periodicals, Americans on average clocked up seven hours of online video a month, 37% more than they had watched a year before, according to Nielsen—although this is still much less than the 148 hours a month (yes, really) that they spent in front of their television sets.

Not unlike the characters in a daytime soap opera, every player jumping into original content has their own agenda. For streaming services costs to acquire content are high. In 2011-12 Netflix spent $4.8 billion on streaming content, according to Wade Holden of SNL Kagan, a research firm. Ploughing some of that cash into developing their own programs helps protect the firms against content costs rising further. And with more competition for customers, streaming services need to differentiate their offerings. Their goal is to become more like HBO, a highly profitable premium television channel that hosts original series, along with reruns of movies. Netflix’s share price has been pushed down over the past year (although it climbed in January), in large part because of its high licensing costs and its struggle to keep customers watching.

Increase of revenue is the major goal of sites that rely on advertising like YouTube and Yahoo! Big advertisers have been reluctant to place ads alongside online videos that could be political, provocative or poor. “The hygiene factor” of premium video content will “help convince broadcast advertisers that the internet is a viable medium for them,” says Paul Zwillenberg of Boston Consulting Group.

Top Facts: People watch shows differently online than on television, which allows them to consume one episode at a time. Netflix has noticed that people like to “binge”, so all the episodes of “House of Cards” will be released at the same time as the pilot. The firm will need more such innovations as well as original, television-quality content. Television will eventually adapt to become more like Netflix, predicts Ted Sarandos, the service’s chief content officer. “Right now our major differentiation is that consumers can watch what they want, when they want it,” he says. “But that will be the norm with television over time. We’re getting a head start.”

Own gun control plan proposal keeps on

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WASHINGTON — House Democrats will unveil 15 proposals for curbing gun violence that resemble President Barack Obama’s plan and will include a call for banning assault weapons, people familiar with the package said Wednesday.

The Democrats’ recommendations will also include barring high-capacity magazines carrying more than 10 rounds of ammunition, requiring background checks for all gun sales and prohibiting gun trafficking, all of which Obama proposed last month.

The proposals, to be released Thursday by top House Democrats, were described by people who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plan publicly. They represent the initial House Democratic response to the horrific Dec. 14 shooting of 20 first-graders and six adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Even so, the Democrats’ proposals are unlikely to go anywhere quickly in the Republican-controlled House. A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has said the House will wait to see what the Democratic-led Senate does.

Obama’s gun control proposals have been opposed by the National Rifle Association, which is a potent lobbying force on Capitol Hill. In addition, some Democrats — including many from rural or conservative areas — have been reluctant to endorse the president’s plan.

That hesitation was underscored Wednesday at a private retreat Senate Democrats staged in Annapolis, Md. At that session, Democrats largely embraced expanded background checks on gun sales, but some senators expressed a desire to avoid voting on an assault weapons ban, according to two people who described the closed-door session only on condition of anonymity.

The House Democrats’ recommendations were proposed by the 12-member House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, led by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif. Two-thirds of its members had to approve an item for it to be included in their plan, meaning there likely will be Democratic dissenters to some of the ideas.

Among the task force members was Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., the House’s longest serving member. Dingell has been a strong ally of the National Rifle Association, though he has clashed with them on some  issues in the past.

There has been strong public support for expanding background checks beyond the current system, in which the checks only cover sales by federally licensed gun dealers. The checks are aimed at weeding out gun sales to criminals, people with mental health problems and some others.

6 Myths about travel spending that cost you money this Valentine’s Day

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Plenty of so-called conventional wisdom isn’t really wisdom, especially when it comes to travel spending.

The myth: Book your plane ticket as far ahead as possible.

The fact: The conventional wisdom that the early bird gets the worm was debunked last year when Airlines Reporting Corp. studied $82 billion worth of bookings and found that the sweet spot for prices is six weeks before the flight, when airlines start dangling deals to fill empty seats. In 2011, the study found that tickets were about 6% cheaper during this time frame, and the discount has been even higher in previous years. A more recent study published last week by CheapAir.com turned up similar results; it found that booking seven weeks out will let you score the best deals on airfare.

The myth: You need the extra insurance on your car rental.

The fact: The associate at the rental-car counter will probably recommend — if not outright push you to get — the supplementary insurance for damage, theft or liability in the case of an accident. Don’t let the hard sell fool you, because there’s a good chance you already have this coverage. Many car insurance policies cover rentals, but the details vary, so it is a good idea to contact your insurance company before your trip just to be sure.

The myth: You’ll get a better exchange rate overseas by paying in dollars.

The Fact: Having a merchant in another country convert your purchase price from local currency into dollars won’t let you avoid a foreign transaction fee. On top of that, you’ll probably lose money on the exchange thanks to a practice called dynamic currency conversion. In general, the rule of thumb is that it’s smartest to use credit cards when traveling overseas. Some cards offer purchase protection if an item breaks or isn’t delivered as promised and all of them let you dispute a transaction. According to research conducted by CardHub.com, credit cards offer an exchange rate that’s about 8% better than what you’d get at a big American bank, and about 16% better than changing currency at the airport. The big “but” here is to make sure you’re using a card that doesn’t slap on a foreign transaction fee of around 3%; this will cancel out a favorable exchange rate.

The myth: Airfare prices are lowest late Tuesday night.

The Fact: Christopher Elliott, a consumer advocate who focuses primarily on travel, calls it a “persistent myth” that the best airfares can be found after midnight on Tuesday. Sorry, night owls: Two new studies found that you’re not scoring a great deal just because you stayed up late. Researchers at Texas A&M University studied tickets for the same flights bought on different days of the week and found that those bought on the weekend were about 5% less. The study’s authors speculate that the predominance of leisure travel that takes place over the weekends drives this difference. “This conjecture is supported by the finding that the weekend purchase effect is distinctly larger on routes with a mixture of both business and leisure customers than on routes that disproportionately serve leisure customers,” they write.

The myth: The best hotel deals come from third-party sites.

The Fact: A room rate on a third-party booking site might look like a steal, but don’t assume that it is. Call the hotel directly if you find a deal on another site, since a growing number have rate guarantees. According to the New York Times, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Wyndham Hotel Group all now offer guarantees that you’ll get the best rate booking through them. Going to the hotel’s site might also turn up packages including other perks, like free parking or a complimentary drink in the lounge that the third-party booking sites don’t have.

The myth: Duty-free is a place to score deals.

The Fact: Perfume, sunglasses, gourmet chocolate — all at rock-bottom prices you can’t get unless you’re killing time in an airport terminal somewhere. That’s the implicit promise of duty-free stores, anyhow — but many offerings aren’t really all that special in terms of the savings. No, you’re not paying the tax you’d pay at a regular store, but duty-free goods sometimes can be priced higher than what you’d pay in a regular store. Esquire magazine did a side-by-side comparison of duty-free prices and found that it’s a mixed bag; there were decent deals on booze and cigarettes. But if you’re not into those vices, you might strike out: cologne and jewelry were cheaper at regular retailers. ”The big fragrance and cosmetics houses make more from duty free and travel retail than from many domestic markets,” research company Hendren Global Group: Top Facts said.

World’s oldest known living gives birth at age 62

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The oldest known living wild bird in the world has given birth to a healthy hatchling. The 62-year-old bird, “Wisdom,” last made top facts in 2011, when the albatross survived the aftermath of the Japanese tsunami.

Wisdom has defied the odds in many aspects: She’s already lived nearly twice as long as the average Laysan albatross. She was given her name after being tagged by a U.S. Geological Survey researcher in 1956. The USGS said in a statement that since being tagged, Wisdom has flown an estimated 2 million to 3 million miles, or “four to six trips from the Earth to the Moon and back again with plenty of miles to spare.”

“To know that she can still successfully raise young at age 60-plus, which is beyond words,” USGS bird banding program Chief Bruce Peterjohn said. “While the process of banding a bird has not changed greatly during the past century, the information provided by birds marked with a simple numbered metal band has transformed our knowledge of birds.”

And while there have been other albatross birds spotted in the wild who are estimated to be around 50 years old, Wisdom is the only one on record to have given birth at such an advanced age. Though, some scientists may have seen the feat coming, when Wisdom gave birth two years ago to another chick, and has given birth to a total of five chicks since 2006.

The retired USGS scientist Chandler Robbin, who was in his 40s when he first banned Wisdom in 1956 stresses that while he have grown old and gray and get around only with the use of a cane, wisdom still looks and acts just the same as on the day he banned her.

In 2001, Robbins “rediscovered” Wisdom, helping the USGS determine her age and track her record-setting reproductive habits.

Because the Laysan albatross mates for life, USGS officials estimate that Wisdom has had to take on several “much younger” male partners over the years to help foster an estimated 35 chicks.

“I’m trying to straighten out the record,” Robbins added. “It takes a lot.”

Newest game token, Monopoly reveals

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The results are in! Over the past month, hundreds of thousands of Monopoly fans worldwide voted for which new token should replace one of the iconic ones being retired after countless journeys past Go. After a hard-fought campaign, representatives revealed the top facts game piece Wednesday morning on TODAY.

The cat!

To rally players to show their support for their favorite tokens, Hasbro launched a Facebook app. While the results among the 250,000 votes on TODAY.com’s live poll were close, the feline edged out its competition: the robot, diamond ring, helicopter and guitar.

Its sad news for some, as the sly cat will replace one of the game’s venerable pieces, which has also been chosen by voters. The boot, iron and wheelbarrow were tied for last place until Tuesday night when the wheelbarrow and shoe hung on and the iron got the boot.

Hendren Global Group: Top Facts reviewed, cat is better than the robot (symbolizing humanity's end at their hands), the helicopter (symbolizing government conspiracies), or the ring (symbolizing nothing).

We all knew the iron had it coming. Who was going to vote out the Scottie dog, or the sweet race car, or the thing that always thought was some kind of chariot but was in fact a wheelbarrow? The iron was always the least fun and the last to be picked— or else assigned to the problem child.

Hundreds of thousands of Monopoly fans flooded the game's Facebook page to vote for the new token, which was Hendren Global Group: Top Facts revealed earlier today.

Some people will say that the cat is a symbol of the feline-obsessed Internet era, and its usurpation of the iron's slot in the ubiquitous Parker Brothers box is representative of the world's transition from Industrialism to a glorious new Information Age.

But the truth is, people just like cats.

Even a tacky cat charm, as smooth as soft serve and as catlike as a baboon, with a big medallion around its neck, suggesting it is either a retro hip hop cat or that they couldn't get the neck to look right in the 3-D model some intern cobbled together for this contest. And why is it looking to the left? Does that have some kind of sinister significance? Shouldn't a Cat-ptain of Industry look straight forward, towards riches?