Note that every insurance company is different — not all of these ideas work everywhere. The first thing you can do to save money on auto insurance is to self-insure as much as you can afford. Do this in the following ways:

* High deductibles. Everyone preaches this, yes, but it’s usually the easiest way to cut costs. Usually. (If your car is over ten years old, the savings may be minimal.)
* Remove towing. Good maintenance and planning can save you money. Don’t run out of gas. Don’t lock your keys in your car. Make sure you have a spare and know how to change it. Sometimes your car will break down, but if your car is well-maintained, it won’t happen often. You pay $10 - $30 a year over the life of your policy and one tow costs $100. Note that in the event of an accident, towing is almost always covered under collision.
* Remove car rental. Small economy cars cost about $20 - $25 per day to rent. Car rental is $20 - $40 per year. Play the odds. If you rent a car on vacation, your insurance will cover you while driving that car. Don’t pay for the extra coverage. The only things it offers are:
1. Zero deductibles. You go all year long with your deductibles, why change now? Also, if you pay for the car with a credit card, they may pay for any out of pocket in the even of an accident.
2. Downtime coverage. Downtime means that while the rental car you wrecked is in the shop being repaired, it can’t be rented out to other customers and they can ding you for the daily fee. This may be an issue if they can show that all other cars were rented out and they lost money because of you — Hawaii is notorious for charging this. But, again, it’s a risk you might decide to self insure rather than pay $21 a day for the insurance.

Aside from self-insuring, there are other steps you can take to save on car insurance.

* Shop ahead. Before you buy your next car, check on insurance. Many people assume that SUVs are expensive and Neons are cheap. This is not necessarily true. Some companies will increase your liability based on the cost of damages your type of vehicle may inflict — big trucks cause big damage. However, they also rate the autos based on how likely they are to be damaged in an accident, how often they are stolen, and how badly driver/passengers are injured. That Neon (or Jetta or Honda) is going to be a lot more expensive than you think. Many companies will have websites that will give you lists of safe and lower priced cars. (Saturn is a low insurance car because it has dent-resistant doors.)
* Think twice about after-market gizmos. If your vehicle is totaled or stolen, the insurance company will determine a fair market or actual cash value. They will look at your vehicle as a “whole package.” Even if you paid for $3,000 in after market items (wheels, spoilers, stereos, exhaust, etc.) they may only add $1,000 in value to your vehicle. It’s not dollar for dollar.
* Have all of your insurance in one place. Often, the more types of policies you have, the more you save in discounts.
* Find out if your insurance company offers any low-mileage breaks that you qualify for.
* Can you take a safety-driving course? Some companies offer a discount for this.
* Do NOT pay monthly. Your carrier will charge anywhere from $3 to $5 per month for this type of billing. Pay every six months if possible. If you must pay monthly, do an auto pay — the charges are less because they only send a bill if the amount changes.
* This might not be a money saving tip, but insurance companies are state regulated. They must file their rates with the state and be able to justify any increases these are public record as are any types of complaints or fines. For example, if you’re in Oregon, you can check out your company and/or agent at http://insurance.oregon.gov/.
* Most companies now use aspects of your credit to determine your rate. It is illegal for them to do this mid-term — as long as your policy is continuous without any lapses, they can’t use external info to change your rate. They can only use claim and ticket info. However, all newly added vehicles can be affected by credit. If you have good credit, this may be to your advantage. You are allowed to request that they re-check your score once per year. However, whatever the score is, you’re stuck with it. If it comes back bad and it raises your rate: too bad. But, if you have a policy that was written when your credit wasn’t so great, request that they check it again after things look better.

Put from GetRichSlowly

Most people complain about the cost of their auto insurance--hardly surprising, given that a typical policy costs at least several hundred dollars a year. Depending on your age, driving record, and other factors, your annual premium can be significantly more than that. So how can you lower your premium and save yourself money?

If you own a car and drive it, going without insurance is generally not an option. In most states, you are required by law to purchase a minimum amount of liability coverage. And you should probably have more than just the bare minimum if you want to provide yourself with adequate protection. There are steps you can take, however, to reduce your auto insurance costs without having to cancel your policy. Some or all of these steps may be appropriate for you, depending on your circumstances.

Specific ways to save money on auto insurance:

1. Shop around.
One of your first steps should be to shop around. A particularly good time to investigate your alternatives is when your current policy is about to be up for renewal, especially if you find that your premium has gone up. You may be surprised to learn that auto insurance premiums for the exact same coverage on the same car can vary widely (by hundreds of dollars) between different insurers, even in states that regulate auto insurance rates.

2. Increase your deductible.
For many people, raising the deductible on their auto insurance is a good way to cut the cost of the policy. Sometimes you can reduce your annual premium by 10 percent or more if you increase your deductible from, say, $250 to $500. If you do this, however, make sure you have the financial resources to handle the larger deductible when the time comes.

3. Keep an eye on your credit report.
Your credit history is an important factor for most auto insurance companies. Many studies have shown a correlation between your credit history and the risk to an insurance company. Paying your bills on time and maintaining a good credit history will allow you to enjoy lower auto insurance rates.

4. Drive less.
If you drive less than a certain number of miles in a year (e.g., 7,500), you may qualify for a low-mileage discount. If your insurer offers this discount, try to limit your driving as much as possible. If you commute to work, use public transportation instead of driving. When you go away on vacation, fly or take the train.

5. Don't use your car for business purposes.
Since work-related driving generally subjects you to higher premiums than pleasure driving, it may be in your best interest to stop using your car for business purposes.

6. Drive more safely.
You may be eligible for a price break on your policy if you maintain a clean driving record for a specified period (usually three years). A clean driving record generally means no accidents, moving violations, drunk driving convictions, etc., during that period. The best way to qualify for the applicable discount is to drive carefully and defensively at all times.

7. Buy a low-profile car.
Cars are rated on a risk scale for auto insurance purposes. In general, sports cars and other high-performance, flashy vehicles are classified as higher risks because they are common targets for thieves and vandals, and because statistically, the people who own them tend to drive more recklessly. If you own such a vehicle, you will likely pay a higher premium than if you owned a station wagon, sedan, or other low-risk vehicle.

8. Move.
If you live in a rural community with little crime and traffic congestion, your premium will generally be lower than if you live in an urban area where your car is more likely to be stolen, vandalized, or involved in an accident. Granted, you shouldn't move just to cut your auto insurance costs. However, this may be one of many factors in your decision if you're thinking about relocating from the country to the city.

9. Keep your car in a garage.
Cars parked in garages are less likely to be stolen, vandalized, or struck by other vehicles. Using a garage to store your car may entitle you to a slight premium reduction.

10. Have safety/anti-theft devices installed.
You may receive discounts on your insurance if your car is equipped with one or more of the following options: anti-lock brakes, automatic seat belts, and airbags. Similarly, anti-theft devices such as car alarms and tracking systems (e.g., Lojack) may also get you a discount because they reduce the chances of your car being stolen or vandalized.

11. Inquire about multifamily/multipolicy discounts.
You may receive a discount from your insurance company if you buy more than one type of insurance through that same company (e.g., auto and homeowner's). A discount may also apply to your auto insurance if you insure multiple cars under the same policy or with the same company.

12. Other discounts
Other discounts may be available if you meet certain criteria. Examples may include discounts for taking a defensive driving course, being a AAA member or staying with the same auto insurance company for a number of years. These discounts vary by company.

1MPLEMENTATING ERP

When it first became economic to use computers for business, companies began searching for appropriate applications. While repetitive calculations, like the ones used for payroll, were no problem to the computer, when attempting to calculate the amount of materials a company would have to buy, problems arose.

Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems, as they were known before ERP systems, had two main faults. Firstly, nobody could work out how to keep the planning systems stable, with every MRP run producing widely different results, due to the fluctuations in demand and supply. Additionally, the MRP systems were driving inventory up, rather than reducing it, due to every fluctuation upwards increasing supply orders which could not be easily reduced.

ERP was sold as the solution to these problems. Essentially, ERP systems are the same as MRP systems but with some extra features, which vary from system to system. Typically, human resource management and salaries and document control will be included.

The mechanics for implementing a successful ERP are not difficult yet many businesses stumble during the set up of such systems due to not establishing a common agenda throughout the business and ensuring everyone involved has their own needs and objectives met. Once this is established the tools and techniques needed to accomplish this is relatively easy.

Key to the successful implementation of the system is a sales and operations plan. This is the process by which financial business plans are converted into operational plans for running the business. If the sales and operations plan is to be a common plan, it must have a common language. The common language is nearly always the things a company produces and the customer buys. After all, having a sales department talking about the value of orders received is useless when the factory want to know what to produce and when. The sales and operations plan is the starting point for master production scheduling, a way to get everyone working in synchronisation before improving control of the business using ERP as the tool.

Once set up, the main role of the Master Production Schedule is demand management. This is a commercial process and so must be taught to commercial people. Demand management utilised properly gives a higher level of customer service and more stable manufacturing with lower inventory, meeting everyone's business objectives.

An enterprise resource planning system is the only tool you need to achieve a change in business performance but it is not a solution in its own right. Factors such as sales and marketing departments providing a regularly updated forecast of the product they need to meet the market needs and when they need it and when Operations recognise it's in everyone's best interests to follow the plan are key to the success of your business and ERP system.

Enterprise Resource Plannin9

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is an enterprise-wide information system designed to coordinate all the resources, information, and activities needed to complete business processes.

An ERP system supports most of the business system that maintains in a single database the data needed for a variety of business functions such as Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Financials, Projects, Human Resources and Customer Relationship Management.

An ERP system is based on a common database and a modular software design. The common database can allow every department of a business to store and retrieve information in real-time. The information should be reliable, accessible, and easily shared. The modular software design should mean a business can select the modules they need, mix and match modules from different vendors, and add new modules of their own to improve business performance.

Ideally, the data for the various business functions are integrated. In practice the ERP system may comprise a set of discrete applications, each maintaining a discrete data store within one physical database.

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a term applied to processes implemented by a company to handle its contact with its customers. CRM software is used to support these processes, storing information on current and prospective customers. Information in the system can be accessed and entered by employees in different departments, such as sales, marketing, customer service, training, professional development, performance management, human resource development, and compensation. Details on any customer contacts can also be stored in the system. The rationale behind this approach is to improve services provided directly to customers and to use the information in the system for targeted marketing and sales purposes.

While the term is generally used to refer to a software-based approach to handling customer relationships, most CRM software vendors stress that a successful CRM strategy requires a holistic approach. CRM initiatives often fail because implementation was limited to software installation without providing the appropriate motivations for employees to learn, provide input, and take full advantage of the information systems.

Yajuj wa Majuj by Imam Ibn Kathir - from Stories From Quran

Gog and Magog

by Imam Ibn Kathir - from Stories From Quran

http://abdurrahman.org/finaljourney/gogmagog.html


Allah the Almighty says:

{They said: "0 Dhul-Qarnain! Verily Ya'juj and Ma 'juj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?" He said: "That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. "Give me pieces (blocks) of iron;" then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: "Blow;" then when he had made them (red as) fire, he said: "Bring me molten copper to pour over them." So they (Ya 'juj and Ma 'juj (Gog and Magog)] could not scale it or dig through it. (Dhul-Qarnain) said: "This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true"}. (Al-Kahf, 94-98)

And, {Until, when Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) are let loose (from their barrier), and they swoop downfrom every mound}. (Al-Anbiya', 96)

No doubt; "Gog and Magog are from among the children of Adam (Peace be upon him). In proof of this, comes the Hadith that is transmitted in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim) from Al-A'mash, after Abu Salih, after Abu Sa' id Al-Khudri who narrated the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to have said: "Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection), 'O Adam!' Adam will reply, 'Labbaik wa Sa'daik, and all the good is in Your Hand.' Allah will say: 'Bring out the people of the fire.' Adam will say: 'O Allah! How many are the people of the Fire?' Allah will reply: 'From every one thousand, take out nine-hundredÂand ninety-nine.' At that time children will become hoary headed, every pregnant female will have a miscarriage, and one will see mankind as drunken, yet they will not be drunken, but dreadful will be the Wrath of Allah." The Companions of the Prophet

(Peace be upon him) asked, "O Allah's Messenger! Who is that (excepted) one?" He said, "Rejoice with glad tidings; one person will be from you and one thousand will be from Gog and Magog." The Prophet (Peace be upon him) further said, "By Him in Whose Hands my life is, hope that you will be one-fourth of the people of Paradise." We shouted,

"Allahu Akbar!" He added, "I hope that you will be one-third of the people of Paradise.We shouted, "Allahu Akbar!" He said, "I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise." We shouted, "Allahu Akbar!" He further said, "You (Muslims) (compared with non Muslims) are like a black hair in the skin of a white ox or like a white hair in the skin of a black ox (i.e. your number is very small as compared with theirs)." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

This Hadith denotes the numerousness of their numbers and that they are a hundred-fold the number of all mankind. Moreover, they are from among the offspring of Nuh (Noah (Peace be upon him)) in particular for Allah the Almighty informs us in His Glorious Qur'an that Nuh (Peace be upon him) invoked Him against the people of the earth saying: {And Nuh (Noah) said: "My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers on the earth!} (Nuh, 26) And, Allah the Almighty Himself says: {Then We saved him and those with him in the ship}. (Al-'Ankabut, 15) And, {And, his progeny, them We made the survivors}. (As-Saffat, 77) This is in addition to the Hadith transmitted in Imam Ahmed's Musnad and the Sunan of Abu Dawud that mentioned: that there were three sons born to Nuh (Peace be upon him): Shell, Ham and Japheth. Shem was the father of the Arabs; Ham was the father of the Sudan; and Japheth was the father of the Turk.[1] Moreover, Gog and Magog are just a part of the Turk from among the Mangols who were stronger and spread mischief in the land. Some people claimed that Gog and Magog were created out of the semen of Adam (Peace be upon him) that mixed with the earth and thus they were not from Eve. But, this claim -which was held by Sheik Abu Zakariya An-Nawawi in his explanation of Sahih Muslim and by other scholars who declared it to be weak and strange -is too weak. As, there is not any proof on this and moreover, it contradicts the obvious text of the Glorious Qur'an -mentioned earlier -that all mankind of today are from the offspring of Nuh (Peace be upon him). In addition, some people claimed that they (Gog and Magog) are of different shapes and figures: some are as tall as palm-trees, some are too short, and some take one of their ears as a bed and the other as a cover or blanket. However, all these claims are groundless and cannot stand the slightest refutation. But, the correct view is that: they are from among the children of Adam (Peace be upon him) and that they bear the same qualities and shapes. Allah's Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall. When He created him, He said to him, "Go and greet that group of angels, and listen to their reply, for it will be your greeting (salutation) and the greeting (salutations of your offspring. " So, Adam said (to the angels), As-Salamu 'Alaikum (i.e. Peace be upon you). The angels said, "As-Salamu' Alaika wa Rahmatu-l-lahi" (i. e. Peace and Allah's Mercy be upon you). Thus the angels added to Adam's salutation the expression, 'Wa Rahmatu-l-lah.' Any person who will enter Paradise will resemble Adam (in appearance and figure). People have been decreasing in stature since Adam's creation." This Hadith blocks the way before those who falsely claim things that are groundless.



A Very Important Question:

If it is said: How does the previously-mentioned Hadith -that was agreed upon -denote that they will be treated as ransom for the Believers on the Day of Resurrection and that they will enter HellÂfire, while no Messengers were sent to them and Allah the Almighty says: {And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)} (Al-Isra', 15)?

The answer is that: They will never be punished until they are given warning. Thereupon, if they were existing before the time of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and Messengers were sent to them, thus, they were given warning. And, if no Messengers were sent to them, they would be treated as "People of the Fitrah" and those to whom the Message of Islam did not reach or be conveyed. However, it is indicated by the Hadith transmitted by some of the Companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) that he said: "Those and the like will be tested on the pathways of the Resurrection: and whoever responds to the caller, he will enter Paradise. And, whoever refuses, he will enter the Fire." However, testing them neither necessitates their salvation, nor contradicts with the saying that they will enter Hell-fire. For Allah the Almighty reveals to His Prophet (Peace be upon him) what He wills of the Unseen, and hence, He informed him that they will be from among the people of Hell and that their nature denies the truth and submission thereto, as they do not respond to the caller till the Day of Judgment. This indicates that, they would be more stubborn in rejecting the truth if they were to come to know it in this present life. In the pathways of Resurrection, some of those who used to belie the truth in the present life will submit themselves to the truth. Almighty Allah says: {And if you only could see when the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners) shall hang their heads before their Lord (saying): "Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world), that we will do     righteous good deeds. Verily! We now believe with certainty "}. (As-Sajdah, 12) However, the Prophetic Hadith indicating that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) invited them on the Night Journey to embrace Islam and they refused, this Hadith is an invented and fabricated one. The one who fabricated it was the liar, `Amr Ibn As-Subh.

The (Dam) Barrier:

It was mentioned earlier that Dhul-Qarnain has built it out of iron and copper and elevated it to a very high point that is equal to the very lofty mountains. However, there is no on earth an equal building in terms of loftiness or benefiting to mankind. Imam Al-Bukhari transmitted in his Sahih the following Hadith saying: ((A man told the Prophet (Peace be upon him) that he had seen the dam (of Gog and Magog). The Prophet (Peace be upon him) asked: (How did you find it?' the man said: (I found it like Al-Burd Al-Muhabbar (stripped garments).' The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: (You have seen it like that. '" In Ibn Jarir's exegesis of the Qur'an, a slight different narration was reported by Qatadah who said: ('I was told that a man said: (0 Allah's Messenger! I have seen the dam of Gog and Magog. 'The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: (describe it to me. The man said: 'It looked like stripped garments, with red and black stripes.' The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: 'You have seen it. '"

It was mentioned that the Caliph, Al-Wathiq sent some messengers with messages to different kings to allow them travelling from one country to another till they reach the dam and stand on its reality. When they came back to the Caliph, they described it to him saying that it has a huge door with many locks. It is a very high and tight building and that the remnants of its building materials and tools are kept there in a tower. Also, there are still guards keeping an eye on it. They added that its location is on the northern-east side of the earth. It was also said that their land is very spacious and that they live on farming and hunting and that their numbers are countless.

How can we compromise between the Qur'anic Verse that reads: {So they (Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog)) could not scale it or dig through it}. (Al-Kahf, 97) and the Prophetic Hadith that is transmitted by Imam Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim on the authority of Mother of the Believers, Zainab Bint Jahsh (May Allah be pleased with her) as saying: That the Prophet (Peace be upon him) once came to her in a state of fear and said: ('None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. Woe unto the Arabs from a danger that has come near. An opening has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this," making a circle with his thumb and index finger. Zainab Bint lahsh said: ('0 Allah's Messenger! Shall we be destroyed even though there are pious persons among us?" He said: "Yes, when the evil persons will increase." And in another narration: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Allah has made an opening in the wall of the Gog and Magog (people) like this, and he made with his hand (with the help of his fingers)." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)



The answer is that: this means one of two things: the first is that this is an indication of the opening of gates of evil and turmoil and hence, this is a mere example set for us. The second view considers this as narrating a concrete matter for His Statement, {So they (Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog)] could not scale it or dig through it}, i.e. at their time for the sentence is in the past tense, the matter which does not contradict the possibility of its taking place in the future with the Permission of Allah the Almighty. But, as for the other Hadith that is narrated by Imam Ahmed in his Musnad that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Verily, Gog and Magog dig through the dam every day, till they could see the sun rays (through it), their leader would say: 'Go back and you will finish it tomorrow. ' On the next day, they find it as strong as before. Till when their appointed term comes and Allah desires to send them against mankind, they dig it till they could see the sun rays (through it) and their leader says: 'Go back and you will finish it tomorrow, if Allah wills!' On the next day, they find it as they had left the day before and they dig through it and come against mankind. They will drink (every drop of water they pass by). The people will resort to strongholds. And, Gog and Magog will throw their arrows towards the sky. When they come back to them stained with what looks like blood, they will say: 'we have defeated the people on earth and those in the heaven as well.’ Then, Allah the Almighty sends against them worms in their necks that kill them all. Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: 'By Whom in Whose Hand Muhammed's soul rests! Living creatures of the earth would go fat and be thankful due to eating their flesh and (drinking their) blood. ", Imam Ahmed transmitted it also on the authority of Hasan Ibn Musa after Sufyan after Qatadah. At-Tirmidhi transmitted the same Hadith on the authority of Abu, Awanah after Qatadah, then he said: it is a Strange Hadith that reached us from none but this Chain of Transmission.


[1] The ‘Turk’ here does not mean those of Turkey. (Translator)

What is Dzikr and its benefits

Dhikr

The word Dhikr means to remember something through constant verbal repetition of it.

So if a person were to constantly repeat the Names of Allah for example he would be remembering Allah; and due to the great need of man for remembrance of Allah, He has encouraged us to do it, in His Words: "He said: 'O my Lord! Make a sign for me.' (Allah) said: 'Your sign is that you shall not speak to mankind for three days except with signals. And remember your Lord much (by praising Him again and again), and glorify (Him) in the afternoon and in the morning."

And He says: "O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance." In remembrance of Allah there is great virtue, including:
Reminding Others to Remember Allah:

Allah, the Most Glorified, the Most High says: "Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying). I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favors on you) and never be ungrateful to Me. "

And He inspired the Prophet (S) to say: "Shall I not inform you about the best of your deeds with Allah and the purest of them with your King and the highest of them in status for you, which are better for you than spending gold and silver in charity and better than meeting your enemy and cutting off their heads, while they also cut off yours?" They said "Certainly, oh, Messenger of Allah!" He said: "It is remembrance of Allah, the All-Mighty, the All Powerful."

And the Prophet (S) also said: "The likeness of one who remembers Allah and one who does not remember Allah is as the likeness of the living and the dead."

1 It repels Satan and pleases the Most Gracious, according to the Words of the Prophet (S): "Whenever a people sit in a meeting-place and remember Allah, they are surrounded by angels and enveloped in mercy, and tranquility descends upon them as they remember Allah; and Allah makes mention of them to those with Him."

2 It removes Anxiety and Sadness and enlightens the Heart and brings Peace and Tranquility to it, according to the Words of Allah, the Most High: "Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest."

3 It strengthens the Heart and the Body, according to the Words of the Prophet (S) to His Daughter, Fatimah and 'Ali (R). He told them to glorify Allah (i.e., say Subhan Allah) thirty-three times, to praise and thank Allah (i.e., to say Al-Hamdu Lilldh) thirty-three times and to extol Allah (i.e., to say Allahu Akbar) thirty-four times. This was when she (i.e., Fatimah ) asked him for a servant which would help her in her work.

4 Remembrance of Allah also attracts Sustenance, according to the Words of Allah, the Most High: "Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, and give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers. "

5 Through remembrance of Allah, the hearts live, according to the Saying of Ibn Taimiyyah: Remembrance of Allah for the heart is like water to the fish; and what would the situation of the fish be if it left the water?

6 Remembrance of Allah causes the One Who remembers Him to be with Him, according to the Hadith Qudsi: "I am with My slave whenever he remembers me and moves his lips to pronounce My Names."

7 And he spoke the truth who said: "The heart becomes diseased due to two things: negligence and sin; and it becomes clear due to two things: seeking forgiveness from Allah and remembrance of Allah."

8 By Remembrance of Allah, the Slave earns Allah's Love, according to the Words of Ibn 'Abbas (R): "When Moses t went to Mount Sinai, he said: 'Oh, my Lord! Which of Your slaves is most beloved to You?' He said: "The one who remembers me and does not forget me."

9 Remembrance of Allah also opens up the door to knowledge for the slave and protects the tongue from backbiting and tale-bearing.

10 It has also been said that it causes the slave to be conscious of Allah's Observation of him, which admits him to the door of Ihsan, so that he worships Allah as if he could see Him. It also gives rise to Inabah, which is to return to Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Powerful. So when a person returns frequently to Allah by remembrance of Him, it will cause him to return to Allah in all circumstances.

Remembrance of Allah is the Easiest Act of Worship: It is easy for a person in every place, in every situation and at all times to remember Allah and in spite of this, it is one of the best acts of worship for the movement of the tongue is lighter and easier than the movement of any other part of the body. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Muslim to take care to accustom his tongue to remembrance of Allah and keep it moist thereby and he should do so in all circumstances, according to the Hadith of 'Aishah : "The Messenger of Allah (S), used to remember Allah, the Most High in all circumstances."

So, we must observe his Sunnah, for there is a supplication and a remembrance of Allah (Dhikr) legislated for every time and every action.
In the Shade of this Miracle

It might appear that the weeping of an inanimate object is something strange, but it was a subjugation from Allah in order that the tree trunk should deliver a Message not only for the Companions (R) rather, it was for all mankind, in every time and place.

It was a message delivered by the tree trunk through Allah's Ability to do all things and it announced it in a resounding manner, which echoed: "La ilaha illallah (none is worthy of worship except Allah)."

The tree trunk addressed mankind, with a message of complete faith, in that language which purifies the hearts and washes the senses and when humanity understands it, its soul which is wandering in the wilderness will return to it.

Its message will remain to soften hard hearts, to remind forgetful hearts and to awaken sleeping feelings and to give life to sensations which have died and it will remain to shout out to mankind: The dry, lifeless object cried out for the intimacy and delight which it lost, when the Prophet (S) passed by it in favor of the new pulpit.

The dry, lifeless object was distressed at being far from the Prophet (S) and alarmed at being parted from him and wished that it should continue. It was as if this dry, lifeless object was declaring to us that we should seek that delight which comes from following the guidance of Al-Mustafa e; and adhering to his Sunnah. And (that it was declaring also) that we should feel distress at being far from it, that we beware of transgress in it, that we should hold fast to it and cling to it by our molar teeth, in order that we might attain closeness to the Prophet and companionship with him, and that the Miracle should remove from us all traces of doubt which might remain present in the hearts of some, regarding the Messenger (S)

MEMORY FACETS

Memory is far and away the most remarkable of all your mental functions. Were your mind unable to store up an enormous part of all the information fed it by your senses, each new moment of existence would bring with it the necessity of "starting from scratch" in everything you think and do. You'd have to wear a little tag with your name on it, on the chance you might meet someone to whom you'd like to introduce yourself; every time you picked up a book you'd have to examine it to see how the pages turned and you wouldn't be able to read it anyway, because the letters and words would be meaningless to you!

Everything you do is made easier for you by your memory ... each activity is simpler because in the past you've had experiences which told your mind and body what to expect and how to act in certain situations. Your life is a continuous lesson, because the countless things you do prepare you for doing them again ... because experience eliminates travel on the trial-and-error route by teaching you the right or wrong way.

Even if you were to leave your memory completely alone, without ever giving a thought to using it more efficiently, it would continue to serve
you loyally and well ... but, why settle for a meager pension when, by
investing just a bit of consideration, you can reap a vast fortune? While attending a lecture you're sure to pick up a few tidbits of information, just in hearing the words.

But if you could know how to prepare all those facts for more efficient remembering, if you were able to multiply your chances of remembering tile information, think of how much more knowledge
you'd be able to absorb!

The first step toward strengthening your memory is to find out exactly what it is. There's much more to it than a bunch of assorted facts and ideas swimming around in the gray matter of your brain ...as you'll discover when you read tire next few pages.

the core Characteristics

Courage / Persuasion
Beliefs / Ethics
Commitment
Work Orientation / Stamina
Interpersonal Skills / Charm
Discipline
Competitiveness
Focus
Big Picture Thinking

Additionally, they will be examining your critical thinking skills, willingness to learn, willingness to travel, willingness to sacrifice, selfconfidence, teamwork habits, professionalism, energy, decisiveness, sensitivity, tenacity, work standards, risk-taking orientation, and more.

Don't let this worry you. All you have to do is prepare!!
Yes, it can be difficult to prepare for Behavioral Interview questions because of the huge range of possible situational questions you might be asked. The best way to prepare is to arm your self with an arsenal of example stories that can be adapted to many Behavioral Questions. This brings us back to S.T.A.R. Statements.

Again, if you learn any one single thing from this guide, it should be that you need to write out and develop at least six to eight Personal S.T.A.R. statements, and know them backwards and forwards, in great detail.

Use examples from several different jobs. Also consider using examples from community service, hobbies, church group, or other areas that you think will be relevant to the job at hand. Also use examples of any special accomplishments, or awards you might have received, and try to QUANTIFY your results. Be specific about
numbers, dates, and durations!

Keep in mind that many Behavioral Interview questions are related to stressful or negative situations – you'll need to be ready with examples of negative, difficult experiences, but try to choose negative experiences that had positive outcomes.

Here's how to prepare:
1) Write down six to eight example situations from your past experience where you demonstrated desirable behaviors and skills that employers look for. What was the Situation? What Action did you take? What was the Result? Add as much detail as
possible. Edit and rewrite your examples. This is your Arsenal! Take the time to make it strong. You want to get hired, don't you?

2) Don't be bashful – think of examples that highlight your strongest skills.

3) Half of your accomplishment statements should be totally positive, such as large achievements or accomplishments. The other half should be situations that started out negatively but ended positively.

4) Have some variation in your examples. Don't take them all from just one job. Don't make them all relevant to just one theme.

5) Use fairly recent examples, if you can.

6) In the interview, listen carefully to each question. Pause, and then choose an example story. If you practice, you can learn to tailor a relatively small set of 6 to 8 examples to respond to almost any type of question. This way you successfully "package & spin" your work experience for almost any type of question!

When you give examples, use the S.T.A.R.
Statement format

IF YOU TAKE ANY ONE SINGLE ACTION AFTER READING THIS
GUIDE, IT SHOULD BE TO IDENTIFY AND WRITE OUT AT LEAST
SIX to EIGHT DETAILED PERSONAL S.T.A.R. STATEMENTS.

Situation / Task
Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to
accomplish. Be very specific and give details, but keep it short and
concise. Throughout your interview you'll want to make many S.T.A.R.
Statements when using "FOR EXAMPLE."

Action
Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you.
Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what YOU
did – not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you MIGHT do, or
WOULD do – tell what you DID do. Incorporate Behavioral Competency
keywords into the description of your action. (Reread the Behavioral
Competency section above to make sure you include some of those
terms in your S.T.A.R. Statements).

Results
Describe what you achieved. What happened? How did the event end?
What did you accomplish? What did you learn? How did it make people
feel? How did you feel? How did your boss feel? How much time and
money did you save? Would you say that you solved the problem? Did
other people recognize you or commend you for your efforts? Name
them specifically.

Your result: How did it GET? GET RID OF? RELIEVE? AVOID?
PRESERVE? PROTECT? ENHANCE? IMPROVE? INCREASE? – Use some
of these "outcome keywords" when describing your results.

Take the time to develop and practice your S.T.A.R. Statements! You'll
want to have AT LEAST 6 to 8 S.T.A.R. Statements at the tip of your
tongue when you go into an interview. Create S.T.A.R. Statements
from the jobs on your resume that you want to bring attention to. As
you use the Statements and Stories as examples, your interviewer will
become familiar with the various positions you have held, and will get
a good idea of your track record of success in those various positions.

Improving Your Memory

Can you remember a dozen instances in which you forgot some thing during the past week? The answer to that question makes little difference, because you have been forgetting things--little things and big--and if your lapses have been forgotten, so much the worse. But, since you're reading this page right now, it's probable that your forgetfulness has been plaguing you more and more frequently. And you don't know what to do about it.

And you're asking me.

And I’m asking you: Have you tried to figure out why you've been forgetting? Have you noticed when you've failed to remember? Have you noticed what things you've forgotten? Of course you have got a memory, and unless I'm wrong, it's a pretty
good one. If you wanted to take the time, you could sit down and rattle off literally thousands upon thousands of facts ...the "seventimes" table, who's president of the United States, your middle name, if you have one, or, if not, that you haven't got a middle name, the formula for baby's breakfast, what causes hiccoughs, how to spell "hiccoughs," how to cure a rasher of bacon or a rash, how to obtain a writ of mandamus, how long it takes to boil an egg or get to Pittsburgh
when traffic's with you ... you've got enough facts in your mind to fill a
hundred jumbo filing cabinets!

But for all that you still forgot to bring the car in to have the oil changed last week, your telephone bill sat in a drawer and went three weeks overdue, your secretary had to remind you that it was your wife's birthday, you put your report card down somewhere and then completely forgot where it was ... and you're getting pretty discouraged over this whole memory situation.

Remember this: Unless you learn something--really get it into your mind in tile first place--you're not ever going to remember it! Unless you understand something the first time, the odds are that the next time will be just another first time.

Trace the thought back a step further, and consider this: Unless you pay attention, you probably will not learn. And another step--unless you're interested for one reason or another, you won't be paying attention.

So you're not going to remember anything in which you don't take an interest upon first encounter.

Of course it's obvious that you must often rely upon your memory to bring you information about things which don't interest you. If you've been asked by the lady next door to pick up a quart of milk on your way home, maybe you don't care whether she drinks her coffee black or not; suppose you don't like your job, or school, or cleaning the house ... these are responsibilities which you've got to meet. Even if
you're not genuinely interested in some things, you've got an interest in them, right?

So: since the best way to remember things is to take an interest in them, and since you've sometimes got to remember things about things in which you're not ordinarily very interested ... what's the answer? Create an interest in them!

-- Ah, come on, how do you expect me to get interested in addressing two hundred envelopes, or putting out the garbage, or algebra?

Simpler than you think! Get interested in exercising your memory muscles! Make your memory your hobby, watch it work, teach it new tricks, carry it around with you and show it off, and pretty soon it'll be taking fine care of itself!

In the following chapters I'm going to suggest a few of the tricks that you can play with your memory, in order that many of the things you've been forgetting will become more fun to remember. At the same time, you'll begin to realize that some things aren't worth the time and effort it would take to commit them to memory, if they can be taken care of in some easier way; part of this book will be devoted
to a number of memory-minimizers--suggestions for avoiding memory tasks which might cost a bit too much of your time.

It won't be a system, or a course, or just a book of puzzles to test your rote powers ...but a discourse on the practical application of memory principles. And as you learn more about your own memory, you'll take a greater interest in it, and use it to better advantage. The results of all this will be evident almost immediately--in your daily life.

After a very short while, you'll start to get the hang of it yourself. And as you become more familiar with your memory you'll derive pleasure and satisfaction from the game of finding new ways to strengthen--and reinforce your memory.

Interviewing: The Basics

Employers look for employees because they have a NEED. Don't mistake that the interview is about you – it is really about their NEED.

You need to sell yourself as the right person to satisfy that need. Sure, you may have great experience, but WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM? Managers hire people in order to make their own job easier. How are you going to make the Hiring Manager's job easier? How are you going to make the Hiring Manager look good in THEIR boss's eyes? You need
to make your skills, experience, and education relevant to THEM and their needs, goals, and situation. After every statement you make to the Hiring Manager, you need to at least mentally add " … and this will make your job easier because …" or " … and this will make you look
good because …" Imagine the Hiring Manager asking "… so how would that benefit me and my needs?" Make your answers and examples relevant to THEIR needs and communicate how hiring you will benefit THEM as well as
the company.

If Managers hire based on their needs, then you are going to have to uncover and reveal their needs in order to come up with answers that will get your hired. Remember that every time a hiring manager asks you a question, YOU HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO ASK A QUESTION OF YOUR OWN. Questions are a great follow-up to a winning answer.
Early on in the interview you should use your own questions to uncover the hidden needs of the Hiring Manager so that you can tailor your answers and attitude to show that you understand their needs and that YOU are exactly the perfect person to solve those needs.
Please see the section in this Guide on "Questions to Use to Uncover the Interviewer's Hidden Needs."

act in terms of what is right. Demonstrate that you follow through and actually do what you say you will do.

Commitment: This is your capacity for becoming dedicated to your work. You should demonstrate a strong belief in what you do.

Demonstrate that you are willing to make a sacrifice for people when appropriate because you are a COMMITTED person. Show a strong responsibility and commitment to not only the Hiring Manager and the
company, but even more importantly, to customers and clients.

Work Orientation / Stamina: This is your capacity to handle mental intensity and hard work. Indicate the high tempo and speed at which you work, and your capacity for endurance. Show that you invest the
TIME and ENERGY necessary to get the job done right the first time consistently.

Interpersonal Skills / Charm: This is your capacity to know how and when to get things done with people. Show that you are outgoing and charming, and that you are especially effective in this regard when
you have an objective in mind, or need someone to do something. Demonstrate that you have an intrinsic need to win the approval of others, fit in, and get along. Show that you have the ability to build quick relationships with people.

Discipline: Demonstrate that you have inner standards that make you both predictable and productive. Show that you enjoy the responsibility of planning and carrying out your own schedule. Indicate
that you can motivate yourself to work on a task until completion.

Competitiveness: This is your drive to be better than others. Show that you like to compete and have the desire to win, and show the maturity of knowing how this benefits everyone.

Focus: This is your ability to determine what is important, set priorities for tasks, and maintain direction. Show that you understand how to set short and long-term objectives, and how to intelligently
schedule these objectives so that you hit your goals and complete tasks on time.

Big Picture Thinking: This is your ability to see the big picture, and not get bogged down in the minutia of small tasks. Demonstrate a tendency toward project closure. Show your ability to see "the real
goal" and what it takes to get there.

How to use this Guide

The layout of this Guide is designed to allow you to easily flip to the
appropriate page when preparing for an interview. We suggest when
you first start working with this Guide that you read the answers out
loud and listen to your voice as you read them. This is important! Read
the answers out loud and get comfortable with the shrewd and
intelligent language.

The next step would be to stage several "practice interviews" where
you have a friend ask you the questions – and again simply read your
answers from the Guide. This way you can choose the answers that
best fit your personal communication style and job history and
experience. Finally, stage a practice interview that is as close to the
real thing as possible. Grade yourself, and continue practice
interviewing with your friend until you are confident that are you are
prepared to strategically deliver a performance that will get you hired.
These Winning Answers will be right at the tip of your tongue when
"judgment day" comes!

Do yourself a favor and print out this Guide right away. You'll be
flipping through the pages over and over again as you prepare for your
interviews. You'll even want to keep this Guide and study it even after
you get the job. Every time you meet a person in a professional
setting you will be prepared to intelligently sell yourself and answer
any question that could possibly come your way.

Spend some time with this Guide and give it your best. You will have a
serious arsenal for when you go in to conquer an interview and get the
job. Nothing will be able to trip you up!

to get the articles (13 pages PDF Format): Ultimate Guide to Job Interview

Everybody gets nervous. A certain level of nervousness is natural and acceptable, and it may even help you perform a bit better. It's true, at a Job Interview you have a lot on the line. There are very good reasons for you to want to perform at your best -- ust don't let !performance an"iety# get in the way of you communicating naturally and putting your best foot forward.

Sweating. Butterflies. Sha&iness. Tight throat. Fast pulse.

These are uncomfortable symptoms that impact your confidence level at a time when confidence is crucial. (ontrolling these symptoms begins with an understanding of the reasons why you get nervous before a Job Interview.

The reasons why people get nervous

• 1) A lake of understanding of the connection between mind and body.
  
  It's the thoughts in your mind that ma&e your body sweat or shake when you get nervous. Control your thoughts and you can stop uncomfortable feelings in your body. Love your body in certain ways, and you can stop the negative thoughts in your mind. See the 9-step Exercise " in part-two of this free report.



• 2) Negative thinking.
  
  Sorry does not accomplish anything. People never worry about positive things -- they only worry about negative things. You can then let go of worry if you replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Try this. Before you go into your Job Interview made a short list of positive things. Positive things about yourself, about your skills / abilities, about your personality. Things that will make you feel better and more confident. Perhaps some happy moments from your past. Write these things down, and consider taping to the piece of paper a picture of your family, your grandmother, your children, your favorite relaxing vacation spot, or the new car you'll be able to afford when you get the ob. 0eep this in your poc&et or in your purse when you go in to the Interview. Whatever you do, catch yourself whenever you start engaging in "negative thinking," and purposefully replace those poison thoughts with positive, confident thoughts.



• 3) Poor self-image, low self-esteem.
  
  Nobody is a "super person" who has no faults. Don't beat yourself up!
  The company has a need, and you can fill that need -- warts and all.
  The company is showing confidence in you already, otherwise you
  would not have been invited to the Interview. Just the fact alone that
  you got the Interview should boost your self-image and self-esteem.
  Think positively about yourself!



• 4) Improper valuation of your own abilities.
  
  You are probably better and worth more than you thin&. From time to time you may have heard other people belittle themselves by saying "I'm no good at this" when it is clear to you that they are plenty good, or very close to being good. Give yourself and your abilities more credit.



• 5) Insufficient skills required For the Job you are interviewing For.
  
  Maybe you really don't have the level of skills required for the job. If this is the case, think positively. Do you think everyone starts their first day on the job as a total expert? No. Most people improve their skills after they get hired. +erhaps the company e"pects you to !learn on the ob# to some degree. Remember, your whole goal for the Interview is to get the offer. You can improve your skills AFTER you get the job. Don't worry about it beforehand. Just go for it.
  
  
• 6) Lack Knowledge about the company, industry or job responsibilities.
  
  Of course this would make you nervous. This is a simple one to solve. Do your homewor&3 $pend the time to research the company, products, competitors, etc. Make sure you completely understand the job description and responsibilities before you go in for your Interview -- AND come prepared with thoughtful 5uestions.



• 7) Not enough practice at interviewing.
  
  Practice makes perfect. As is suggested in "The Ultimate Guide to Job Interview Answers," you should stage multiple practice interviews where you have a friend ask you the toughest questions so that you can practice your winning answers. You might also consider interviewing for a couple jobs that you really don't care about, and
  would turn down if you got the offer -- ust to practice and get your game sharp.



• 8) Mental hang-ups.
  
  Maybe your parents always told you that you were not good enough, or maybe you have an idea about other people and their intentions that is just plain wrong. As hard as it may be, try to keep an open mind and see the future as bright and wide open. This will go a long way in helping you control your nerves.



• 9) Being a perfectionist.
  
  It is good to strive for greatness, but everything you do does not have to be 100% perfect. If something is not right (for instance, if you spill a bit of coffee on yourself before your interview) then ust accept it. Don't dwell on it. Ta&ing something 80% of the way there is often good enough. Don't worry if everything is not EXACTLY how it should be. Just continue to visualiBe a positive outcome despite any imperfections you notice in yourself, the situation, or other people.



• 10) Bad health.
  
  You can't perform at your best if you are hung-over, sick, or over-tired. When your body is run down, your nerves will get the best of you. Try to exercise several days in a row before critical interviews, and ma&e sure to eat the right meal at the right time and get plenty of rest. You want to get hired, don't you? Take these simple steps to ensure your health is in decent shape.



• 11) Worry about money, or anything other problems that occupy your mind.
  
  Stay focused. Stay on message. You are trying to sell yourself. The interview is not about you, or your problems. The interview about THE COMPANY NEEDS -- and how you will save the company time and money, or how you will ma&e your future boss loo& good while making his or her ob easier. Remember that you are trying to solve the needs of the company, and the work-related needs of the person that you will be reporting to. Put your own personal worries out of your mind during the interview and FOCUS on the company's needs, and the needs of the OTHER PEOPLE who you will be working with. Remember that the interview is really not about you, it's about them.



• 12) Excessive self-awareness.
  
  Don't "listen to yourself talk." Don't "watch yourself from the outside." Don't over-analyze yourself and your performance. Don't obsess on your appearance, your body language, or be overly concerned with how you might be "coming off." Try to be yourself and communicate as naturally as possible. Imagine that you are having a conversation with a specific close friend of yours. Someone who you are totally
  comfortable with. Be truly concerned about the OTHER PERSON, not yourself.



• 13) Unfamiliar surroundings and circumstances.
  
  Maybe you have never worked in a big office before. Or maybe you have never worked in a small office. Or maybe you are are interviewing in an environment that is totally new and unfamiliar to you. Don't let your surroundings distract you! Once again, stay focused, and stay on message. Even if you are freaked out (or intrigued) by what you see, just relax, look alive, and act like you know.

continued : A Quick And Simple 9-Step Excercise

How To Prepare An Effective Resume


1. Resume Essential

Before you write, take tima to do a self-assessment on paper. Outline your skills and abilities as well as your work experience and extracurricullar activities. This wiil make it easier to prepare a thorough resume.

2. The Content of Your Resume

All your contact information should go at the top of your resume, including Name, address, telephone, e-mail address, web site address.

☻ Avoid nicknames.
☻ Use a permanent address. Use your parents' address, a friend address, or the address you plan to use after graduation.
☻ Use a permanent telephone number include the area code. If you have as answering machine, record a neutral greeting.
☻ Add your e-mail address. Many employers wiwll find it useful. (Note : Choose an e-mail address that sounds professional.)
☻ Include your web site address only if the web page reflects your professional ambitions.

Objective of Summary

An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do.

☻ Be specific about the job you want. For example : To obtain an entry-level position within a financial institution requiring strong analytical and organizational skills.
☻ Tailor your objective to each employer you target/everyjob you seek education.

New graduates without a lot of work experience should list their educational information first. Alumni can list is after the work experience section.

☻ Your most recent educational information is listed fisrt.
☻ Include your degree (A.S., B.S., B.A., etc.), major, institutional attended, minor/concentration.
☻ Add your grade point average (GPA) if it is higher than 3.0.
☻ Mention academic honors.

Work Experience

Brifly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills. Use action workds to describe ypur job duties. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order -- that is, put your last job first and work backward to your fisrt, relevant job. Include :

☻ Title of position,
☻ Name of organization
☻ Location of work (town, state)
☻ Dates of employement
☻ Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements.

Other information

A staff member at your career services office can advise you on other information to add to your resume. You may want to add :

☻ Key or special skills or competencies.
☻ Leadership experience in voluntee organizations.
☻ Participation in sports.

References

Ask peaple if they are willing to serve as reference before you give their names to a potential employer.

Do not include your reference informations on your resume. You may not at the bottom of your resume : "Reference furnished on request."


3. Resume Checkup

You've written your resume. It's tima to have it reviewed and critiqued by a career counselor. You can also take the following steps t ensure quality :

Content :

☻ Run a spell check on your computer before anyone sees your resume.
☻ Get a friend (an English major would do nicely) to do a grammar review.
☻ Ask another friend to proofread. the more people who see your resume, the more likely that misspelled words and awkward phrases will be seen (and corrected).

Disign :

These tips will make your resume easier to read and/or scan into an employer's data base.

☻ Use white or off-white paper.
☻ Use 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper.
☻ Print on one side of the paper.
☻ Use a font size of 10 to 14 points.
☻ Use nondecorative typefaces.
☻ Choose one typefaces and stick to it.
☻ Avoid italics, script and underlined words.
☻ Do not use horizontal or vertical lines, graphics or shading.
☻ Do not fold or staple your resume.
☻ If you must mail your resume, put it in a large evelope.

What Employers Want

employers say they are implressed by job candidates who have excellent communication skills, good grooming habits and relevant work experience. Employers say they want trustworthy new hires who can move right in, get along with their co-workers and get the job done without having to be babied at each step.

What is VoIP? Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the ability to transmit voice over the Internet to either a receiving computer, telephone or even a mobile phone. VoIP phone is becoming the popular worldwide telephone service for both consumer and the business communities. VoIP works by using a network technology known as Packet Switching Network whereas landline telephones use the Circuit Switching Network. This is referred to as the Public Switched Telephone Network.

What's the difference between VoIP normal phones?

The main difference between Packet Switching and Circuit Switching, is that Packet Switching uses (data) or Packets and sends them over the Internet while Circuit Switching is accomplished by using electrical circuits to make a telephone connection. Circuit Switching is like the old switchboard operators, frantically trying to connect the right caller with the receiver. Packet Switching is used to transfer data all across the Internet including E-mail. Packet Switching converts audio formats into data packets and transmits them over the Internet, then reassembles them on the other person’s phone or computer in real time. By using a Broadband Internet Connection, microphone and speakers a conversation can take place similar to traditional telephone.

VoIP phones have been round for sometime, but increases in technology it is becoming increasingly popular. Several years ago many applications were available offering some form of free VoIP phone service. Majority of these have gone or now charge a fee for the use of their service as VoIP phone provider. Moreover, VoIP is developing higher standards of quality every day, and it has proved that it is a viable force for telecommunication for the future.

Who is providing VoIP phone service?

Telephone and Internet service provider companies are expanding to allow for monthly VoIP phone services. Companies such as AOL, Verizon and Sprint have VoIP phone offerings. Recently eBay has joined the ranks of VoIP phone service providers by purchasing skype VoIP software, with its vast membership base the VoIP message will soon reach the man on the street.

What's special about VoIP?

Instant messaging programs such as MSN massager have been using VoIP technology for years. Now, most of these messaging programs come with voice enabled features which allow you to call a member of your buddy list. By using a microphone and speakers, you will be able to converse anywhere in the world, by VoIP and your Instant Messaging program.

With instant messaging VoIP incorporates different areas into one program. With your voice enabled programs, you can hook up a digital camera,web cam and use video, while you are speaking on your microphone and listening to on your speakers, and you can type back and forth with your chat program. You could even write an email at the same time. The potential for VoIP phones use is nearly limitless.

VoIP has this unique ability to integrate many forms of telecommunication applications into one package can handle data, audio, video, E-Mail, and web based applications simultaneously. This makes VoIP an incredible boost to business world and provides a cost effective choice of telephone service.

VoIP phone service providers are increasing in popularity with many people discovering all of the benefits available to them by switching from using their land line telephones to VoIP service. First, VoIP phone services costs significantly less than standard phone service, and this is a great attraction for bringing in new customers. Many VoIP phone plans will let you make unlimited long distance calls or provide you with a plan for very inexpensive rates. Many of the features that are often included for a fee with traditional phone service are often included for free with VoIP services. Features such as Call Waiting, Call Block, Call Forwarding, Conference Calling, Voice Mail are usually charged as extras by the traditional phone companies but these are usually free with the VoIP phone packages.Another benefit to VoIP services is that you can usually keep your existing phone number, or allow you to select a new area code. The means if you select an area where most of your friends and family live, a call to you will be treated as local call. For a remote business VoIP service can give the perception of having multiple office locations.

What's the future for VoIP

Make no mistake about it VoIP phone services is a the emerging contender in the telecommunication world.It is a proven technology, can seamlessly integrate into many existing applications, does not require special equipment anyone with a PC with a microphone and speakers can use the service and it is very cost effective. Talk will be cheap!

by: James Rogers

The prospect of a visit from an auditor can send shivers down a stiff spine. But a willingness to listen can smooth the process. Mary Ann Maxwell explains how to achieve compliance calm.

Never in the history of fire enterprise and commercial activity has there been such a premium on compliance. But just what is compliance? It is the process of adherence to policies and decisions. Policies can be derived from internal directives, procedures and requirements, or external laws, regulations, standards, and agreements. In simpler terms, compliance consists of the following:
 Know What To Do: interpret regulation, standards, and contracts, for your environments.
 Know What You Do: document your policies, processes and controls.
 Do What You Say: monitor for compliance and changes over time.
 Say What You Know: report as required.
The role of IT in compliance will continue to attract attention from auditors, regulators and oversight officials. Therefore, CIOs need to add auditor collaboration on their repertoire of skills. Managed audit relationships improve IT-based trust, respect, communications and value.
For world-class firms that lead in risk management, an IT audit is a shared finance/operations/IT function staffed by well-trained personal who report directly to the audit committee of the board of directors. Such visibility ensures a disciplined way to enhance risk management and control processes.
Because auditors are trained to challenge assumptions and force accountability, auditing partnerships can enable practitioners to quickly build breadth and depth of communications and negotiations expertise.
Auditors look at their clientele as being more concerned with execution than proper documentation. However, post-Sarbanes Oxley, evidentiary rules have changed from being corroborative (if three parties say it happened, it happened) to primarily documentary (only documented evidence counts).
Said differently, if it is not documented, it did not happen. Thus the role of auditors is verifying documentation exclusively is growing. Documented evidence is also one of the best ways of further raising IT credibility. Artifacts such as project plans, risk models, and business impact assessments demonstrate the IT organization’s capability to properly document their work. Incorporation of the control objectives for information and related technology (COBIT) model can accelerate a stronger relationship between IT and the finance organization. Likewise, business continuity planning and audit can advance partnerships between IT and line operations.
How do auditors think? Because audit by definition is an independent objective assurance to add value and improve operations, knowledgeable CIOs anticipate an auditor’s focus specifically on the following:
 Audit Criteria: the metrics through which an evaluation is made, including any applicable policies, their rationales, and implications.
 Condition: factual evidence found by the auditor and resulting quantifiable impact.
 Cause: an explanation of the evidence, its probability of recurring and any appropriate trending.
 Mitigation: recommended action.
 Action: activity taken to accept, transfer, mitigate, or minimize the identified issue.
Auditors typically focus on reducing risk through acceptable controls. However, good auditors also look for artifacts, such as records, data, manuals and models, that focus on the alignment between confirmed management specifications of stated acceptable risks versus documented controls.
Although auditors should be more active in helping management define policy with greater sensitivity, co-operative identification, less interrogation and mutual respect, this is not always the case. CIOs should avoid defiance, debate, defensiveness and ignorance. Leading CIOs strive from mutual respect. A “trust but verify” environment requires sensitivity by all.

Taken from MIS Asia.

3 Simple Tips For Making Money Online

Have an idea about making money online but don’t know where to start?

There are several ways to make money on the Internet – even if you don’t have a product to sell. Keep in mind that running an online business takes time and effort, just like running any business. However, you can get started without any products, which is one less roadblock for most people wanting to start a business.

You don’t need to be a computer expert to run an online business, but you do need to either be able to set up a website, or have the resources to pay someone else to do it for you.

Here are 3 simple ways to make money online even if you don’t have your own product:

Affiliate programs
Being an affiliate means you are selling other people’s products, and you get a percentage of the sale, or you make a small fee for each person who requests more information. Most major retailers offer affiliate programs, along with many smaller retailers (with lots of good products and services). It’s not a good idea to try to compete with an established retailer like Wal-Mart, Target, or Circuit City. A better way to make money is to find a “niche” that serves a smaller group of people, that you can easily reach.

For example, rather than selling sporting goods to everyone, you might start a fishing site that sells canoes and fishing products to people who like fresh water fishing. You can also find smaller retailers who may offer more specialized products to those who know a lot about fishing, while selling the basics from Wal-Mart to beginners.

A good place to start is Commission Junction (http://www.CJ.com), and you’ll get an idea of the products you can offer. Be creative in finding your niche, start with something you know a little about, or enjoy doing, and before long you can be making money online!

Adsense from Google
Adsense is an advertising program from search engine Google.com (there are other advertising programs you can offer, but for now Google’s is the biggest and most popular). By placing ads on your site, you earn money for each person who clicks on the ad. Google will automatically determine which ads are best for your site, based on the topic of each web page. All you have to do is place the code on your web page, and Google does the rest.

You can also sell individual ads, and determine your own terms and price. But using a program like Google is simple, and if your set gets a lot of visitors, you can make good money. Again, the best way to succeed is to find a niche, create a website around that topic, and Google will be able to determine the best ads for your visitors.

Write a “How-To” booklet
If you don’t want to sell other people’s products, but don’t have a lot of money to create your own, a simple way to get started is to write your own “how-to” booklet. Pick a topic you know enough to write about, and start writing. Information products are always good sellers – the key is to solve a particular problem. “How to catch fresh water fish” or “How to plan a fishing vacation on a tight budget” are possibilities for the fishing niche mentioned above.

To learn more, do a search for “creating information products” or “writing e-books”, and you will find lots of resources. Once you create your product, Clickbank.com offers a simple service to help you sell your information product, and there are others to help you get started.

Again, be creative, there are lots of problems out there that people need help with. And offering a good solution can make you lots of money!

Making money online takes more than just building a website. You need to pick the right products or services. Then you need to find the right audience to sell those products and services. Then you need to promote your website to enough people so you can make money. For now, you should have enough ideas to get you started – even if you don’t have a product to sell yet!

by: Jim Edwards
© Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com

After all the debate over website design, shopping carts
and credit card processors, every website owner eventually
comes to the startling realization that they need one more
thing to survive - website traffic!

Without website traffic it's the same as building an
expensive billboard and, instead of placing it alongside a
busy highway, hiding it in your *basement* where nobody can
see it.

Upon realizing they need traffic, most website owners run
out and start blowing chunks of money and time trying to
get "hits," but they fail to grasp that there are really
only three (3) reliable ways to get traffic to any website.

Method #1 - Buy Traffic
Currently, the fastest way to get traffic to any website
involves using the little classified ads on the right side
of search giant Google's results pages.

Called Google AdWords, the system allows any advertiser to
open an account with a $5 activation fee and start seeing
their ads appear on Google within about 15 minutes.

Advertisers only pay when visitors actually click through
from their ad on Google to their website or affiliate link.

Overture.com also sells traffic by the click, but they make
you wait three to five days to go through their editorial
review process before allowing ads to appear on their
network.

You can also buy advertising on dozens of other pay-per-
click search engines.

They all follow the same basic model of only charging
advertisers for targeted visitors who read an ad based on a
keyword search and decide to click through for more
information.

Log on to www.payperclicksearchengines.com for a list of
over 600 choices ranked by market penetration.

A word to the wise on pay-per-click advertising: Watch your
costs and track and measure everything. Even though you can
get traffic for as little as a penny, you should track your
results by search engine and by individual keyword if you
want maximum success.

Many a company has lost its entire advertising budget
paying only a nickel or a dime per click, but not watching
their conversion rates and pouring money into keywords that
don't convert... while neglecting the keywords that do
bring sales (mainly because they don't know which is
which!).

Method #2 - Borrow Traffic
If you need traffic to a website, then borrow it from
people who already have it... especially people with lists
of loyal subscribers or traffic from search engines,
affiliates, or other steady sources.

"Endorsed Mailings" and "Reciprocal Linking" by other
people represent the two fastest ways to borrow someone
else's traffic.

If they maintain a list of subscribers, convince them to
send an email out to their people telling them why they
should check out your site.

Also, negotiate a prominent link on their web pages to
siphon off targeted visitors who find their website.

Often the best way to persuade someone to do this involves
paying them a commission, agreeing to do a similar mailing,
or providing a link to them on your site (or a combination
of all three).

Imagine how much traffic you could get if someone with a
list of 10,000 loyal subscribers told their people to go
look at your website!

Method #3 Recycle Traffic
The most economical way to get traffic involves turning
one-time visitors into regular, repeat visitors that you
direct to multiple sites over time.

You do this by pulling website visitors into your sphere of
influence by enticing them to sign up for your newsletter,
autoresponder sequence, or "mini-course."

Then you keep in contact with regular articles, special
reports, and recommendations enticing them to visit your
own and other people's websites.

Ultimately, every website owner should orient all of their
marketing efforts towards this end of developing a stream
of recycled traffic, because it costs the least and creates
the best return on time and money invested.

It doesn't matter if you promote your own product, promote
only as an affiliate, or some combination of the two... if
you don't recycle traffic and get more than one hit out of
each visitor, you're making one of the biggest mistakes
anyone can make online.

tag : Interview Myths - Part 1

Also unlike many exams, there are often no right or wrong answers in interviews. We’re all different and come to interviews from different backgrounds and business sitations. What is important at an interview is to justify your actions and talk about your achievements in a confident manner.

Myth no. 3: Interviewers know what they’re doing

Some interviewers are very good at what they do, especially fulltime professionals (provided they’re not suffering from interview fatigue). However, many managers and owners of small businesses often flounder because interviewing is not something they do on a regular basis. Some sure signs of a bad interviewer are:

• They do most of the talking.
• They sound as though they’ve made up their mind about you in the first five minutes.
• They seem to pluck their questions randomly out of the ether.
• Their phone keeps ringing and they answer it.
• They sound like very sharp and less-than-honest salespeople when it comes to selling the job.

Some sure signs of a good interviewer are:

• They have their questions carefully prepared in advance.
• They want to know what you’ve done and how you’ve done it, including specific examples.
• They let you do most of the talking.
• They may want to interview you more than once.
• They will try to make you feel at ease.
• They are genuinely interested in your accomplishments, skills and the type of person you are.

In experienced interviewers generally don’t ask the right questions and can easily be swayed by factors that have little to do with your ability to perform in the job. So if you are being interviewed by an inexperienced interviewer, don’t wait to be asked a good question one that will allow you to talk about all your wonderful skills and qualities. Rather, take the initiative in as unobtrusive a way as possible and talk about the things you feel the interviewer might really want to know. Unfortunately, this may not always be possible especially if you’re being interviewed by a forceful personality who loves the sound of their own voice. If ever you find yourself in such a situation, don’t panic. Remind yourself that interviews are just as much about rapport-building as they are about answering questions. So nod your head, smile and make all the right noises—talk active interviewers love people who agree with them.

Myth no. 4: Never say ‘I don’t know’

Interviews are about making a positive impression by answering questions intelligently and building rapport with the interviewer. To this end, many interviewees feel that they have to provide the perfect answer to every question put to them, irrespective of whether or not they actually know the answer. Clearly, a great interview is one in which you can answer all the questions (and you should be able to do so if you take the time to prepare correctly); however, if you don’t know the answer to something, it is better to admit to it rather than pretend to know and start waffling. Most interviewers
can pick waffling a mile away and they don’t like it for a couple of very important reasons: first, it is likely to make you sound dishonest; and second, it will make you sound considerably less than intelligent. You may as well not attend the interview if you give the impression that you’re neither honest nor bright.
Trying to answer a question that you have little idea about could undermine an otherwise great interview. This does not mean that you cannot attempt answers that you are unsure of. There’s nothing wrong with having a go, as long as you make your uncertainty clear to the interviewer at the outset. Here’s what an answer may sound like:

I have to be honest and say that this is not an area I’m familiar with, though I am very interested in it. If you like, I’m happy to have a go at trying to address the issue, as long as you’re not expecting the perfect answer.

Or:

I’d love to answer that question, but I need to be honest upfront and say that this is not an area that I’m overly familiar with, though I’m very interested in increasing my knowledge about it.


continued to Part 3

Admin

One important reason people fail at interviews is because of several

misconceptions, or myths, about what really happens during the course of an interview. ll of us know that the purpose of interviews is for an interviewer to hire someone who will perform well in a particular job, but beyond that few people fully grasp how interviews really work and what makes one candidate stand out more than another. This lack of understanding represents a major obstacle to maximising performance when sitting efore an interviewer and trying to give your best answers. Interviews are no different to other endeavors in life: the better you understand how they work (or don’t work), the higher the probability of tackling them successfully. An understanding of the underlying dynamics inherent in most interviews is an important start to improving your interview performance.

Myth no. 1: The best person for the job gets it

Sometimes this is true—especially in a situation where everyone knows everyone else, such as when a company is recruiting internally. However, this is often not the case. In order for the best person for the job to win it, a number of very important things need to be in place (and even then, there’s no guarantee). These include:

• The interviewer knows what questions to ask and how to search for the truthfulness in answers. These two things may sound simple enough, but I can assure you that a large proportion of people conducting interviews have received no training, lack interview experience and often do not even go to the trouble of preparing for the interview.
• The interviewer is not taken in by the charm, good looks, great humour or any other aspect of the interviewee. This can be a difficult obstacle, even for experienced interviewers.
• The interviewee has learned how to clearly articulate their skills, key achievements and how they can add value to the organisation.
• There is no personality clash between interviewer and interviewee.
• Neither party is having a bad day.

Some employers—usually the ones who have been badly burnt by hiring the wrong people in the past—go to great lengths to set up professional hiring procedures designed to minimise hiring mistakes. Whilst some of these procedures are effective in improving candidate selection, they do not guarantee that the best person for the job will actually win it. In the final analysis, choosing someone for a job involves at least one human being making a decision about another, and no matter what we do to eliminate subjectivity, as human beings it is impossible to put aside our predispositions, predilections and personal preferences—no matter how much we may try to.

continued to Part 2

Configure, Secure, and Troubleshooting

Part 1 - Getting Started with Video Calls


Types of Videoconferencing

Before we help you understand what you need to make video calls,let’s discuss the various flavors of videoconferencing and outline the topics we focus on in this book so that you have a clear understanding of the differences among the various videoconferencing solutions. We divide these videoconferencing types into three categories:

• Personal videoconferencing
  
• Business videoconferencing
  
• Web videoconferencing
  

These solutions can be software that you use with your computer,stand-alone hardware, or combined software and hardware solutions.They all have one thing in common:
they allow you to make a video call of some sort using various features.

Personal Videoconferencing

This book focuses primarily on personal videoconferencing solutions,or what we call video calls.
We use the term personal because these calls are usually between only two people you and the person you are communicating with. A video call, at minimum, is simply the communication between two or more people who have both audio and a moving video image using a computer, dedicated video telephone, or both. It may also include additional features such as instant messaging (IM) and file transfers (FT), commonly found in many IM tools such as Skype, iChat AV, MSN Messenger (MSN), Yahoo Instant Messenger (YIM), and AOL Instant Messenger (AIM). Though we will discuss business videoconferencing and Web videoconferencing so that you can understand the basic differences among them, we focus on personal videoconferencing solutions, from here on referred to simply as video calls. This will help simplify what we are addressing in this book: the ability of making video calls between two people to better communicate and enhance the communication experience.

Business Videoconferencing
Business videoconferencing can involve the same solutions as personal videoconferencing but
with the addition of several features:

• The capability to include multiple people on the video call
  
• Collaboration features
  
• Document-sharing capabilities
  
• Enhanced presentation capabilities
  
• Whiteboard capabilities
  
• Additional bandwidth requirements
  
• Additional costs

Business videoconferencing is specifically designed to meet the needs of business meetings and group collaboration, not our personal needs to communicate with family and friends. Business videoconferencing solutions are more expensive and as a general rule need more equipment at the office location as well as more network and/or Internet bandwidth than we have available to us at home. Business videoconferencing solutions do have single-user solutions for mobile users or telecommuters, such as solutions from PolyCom, Sony, and others. These solutions are designed to communicate with higher-end and more expensive solutions that you would see in your business conference room at work. We will discuss these solutions in more detail in Chapter 8.

Web Videoconferencing
Web videoconferencing is specifically designed to transmit a video call inside a Web page or classroom-type environment. You might have seen Web videoconferencing employed in a Web training seminar, or Webinar as they are called, where you saw the presenter’s video image streamed to your Web browser. You might have been sending your video image as well,but most likely not, because Webinars tend to comprise one-way video to you. Solutions such as WebEx and Microsoft Live Communication Server are two Web conferencing solutions. These solutions are also designed to record a session and post it to a Web site for on-demand viewing any time via a video stream to your browser. We will discuss these solutions in more detail in Chapter 8.

What Is a Video Call?

This book provides the information you need to understand what a video call is, the solutions that are available, the hardware and software required, and what high-speed Internet connection will work best for you so that you can set up a videoconferencing system easily and quickly and start using it with your children, family, and friends. Video call technology can have many names: video calls, personal videoconferencing, videoconferencing, video messaging, instant messaging, video phone, video telephone,and video chat. The name any one technology goes by might be due to a vendor’s product and its marketing, but it should be understood that all the technologies are basically the same and essentially interchangeable;only the features vary. A video call is the total experience.

Post by Admin