How to Warm Your Pool with a Solar Cover

The cheapest and most effective solar-heating system for your swimming pool is a solar cover. You can get one for around $0.30 a square foot, so covering an average size pool costs about $130. Using a plastic cover alone can extend your swim season a couple of months on each end of the summer. In the Midwest, for example, if you use a cover, you can swim from mid-April until mid-October. And the water will be more comfortable over the entire season, which means you'll use the pool a lot more.

Despite the fact that the surface area of most swimming pools is large, very little of the sunlight that strikes the pool gets stored as heat. Pool water is transparent (hopefully), so it simply passes sunlight right through.

A cover absorbs the sunlight and then transfers that heat to the water. Some covers are black for this very reason, but the most widely used are made of inexpensive clear plastic that looks like the bubble wrap used for packing. These covers are made of a special material designed to store the sunlight as heat, and air bubbles work as insulation so that the heat becomes trapped in the pool water.

Covers can do the following:

• Prevent heat from escaping your pool: Retaining heat is especially important at night, when the air is cooler than the swimming pool.

  
  



• Directly convert solar radiation into usable heat: In an in-ground pool, a cover can increase the water temperature by 5 degrees F for each 12 hours of coverage.

  
  



• Limit evaporation: Each gallon of evaporated 80 degree F water removes about 8,000 BTUs from the pool.

  
  



• Reduce chemical depletion: This advantage reduces cost, and you can consider it a form of energy conservation.

  
  

You do have to place covers onto the water and then remove them, which can be a hassle. You may decide to increase the surface area of your solar collectors just so you don't have to deal with a cover. But just about everybody who's ever used a cover can tell you it works. And all kinds of systems are available for removing and replacing the cover — some manual, some automatic. In fact, you don't need to install any retraction system at all; you can just fold them and unfold them as needed.

• Manual systems cost around $300. These roll up the cover, much like a window blind. But you still have to pull it back out over the pool, which may mean you have to get into the water first. In either case, cranking the handle isn't easy; people who don't have much upper body strength may have a hard time.

  
  



• Automatic systems can cost more than $1,000, and the installation is a bear. But all you have to do is flip a switch and voila!

  
  

Don't store a cover in the sunlight when it's not on the pool. They get really hot and the plastic material degrades.

What's great is that you don't need to cover your entire pool to reap the benefits. Many pools are kidney shaped, but you can float a rectangular cover over only a portion of the pool, and it'll still help considerably.

Covers can be dangerous! If a person (particularly a child) falls onto a cover on a pool, he or she can get wrapped in the cover, which can be very difficult to get out of. Or if somebody swims under a cover and tries to surface for air, the swimmer won't find any. Be careful, and provide appropriate supervision.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-warm-your-pool-with-a-solar-cover.html

Getting to Your Destination Wedding: Items to Carry with You

While you travel to your wedding destination, never put certain personal items in your checked luggage — in fact, don't let the items in the following list out of your sight! Plan to carry the following items with you until you reach your destination:

Passports	Contact info and emergency numbers (including guests)
Marriage license (if obtained at home)	Updated planning file and copies of contracts
Birth certificates	Eyeglasses and medications
Plane tickets	iPod (to watch videos, store photos, and transport wedding music)
Cash, travelers checks, credit cards	Digital camera
Bride and groom's wedding wear (including shoes)	Wedding rings and other jewelry
No-Jet-Lag (it won't do you any good in your suitcase)

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/getting-to-your-destination-wedding-items-to-carry.html

Islam's Five Pillars of Faith

In Islam, the Five Pillars of Faith (not to be confused with the Five Pillars of Worship) provide a brief and convenient summary of basic Muslim beliefs:

• Belief in God (Allah) as the only god.

  
  



• Belief in the angels of God, such as Gabriel.

  
  



• Belief in the book of God and in the messengers and prophets who revealed this book. (These are sometimes listed as two separate Pillars, creating Six Pillars of Faith.) The book is an eternal heavenly book that was partly revealed in the Jewish and Christian Bibles and is fully revealed in the Qur’an. God sent his prophets and messengers to reveal his word and to warn people what would happen if they didn’t return to the path of God. Muhammad is the final prophet in a series that began with Adam and includes Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jesus, among others.

  
  



• Belief in the Day of Judgment and Resurrection at the end of time, when all will be raised from the dead, judged according to their faith and deeds, and sent to the gardens of paradise or to the fires of hell.

  
  



• Belief that God is responsible for everything that happens, both good and evil, because everything happens according to the will of God. The individual, however, is still responsible for his or her own moral and immoral actions.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/islams-five-pillars-of-faith.html

Photoshop CS6 Layer-Merging Tricks

Here are some tricks for working with layers in Photoshop CS6 if the Layers palette gets too crowded and you want to: apply the same filter to multiple layers; streamline your Layers palette; or work with multiple layers as a single entity:

To:	Do:
Merge the active layer into the layer below	Command+E/Ctrl+E
Merge all visible layers into the active layer	Command+Shift+E/Ctrl+Shift+E
Merge a copy of all visible layers into a new layer	Command+Shift+Option+E/Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/photoshop-cs6-layermerging-tricks.html

Ten Life Coaching Beliefs for Personal Development

This list gives you ten truths about yourself that you can use to replace any old, unhelpful beliefs such as ‘I’m lazy’ or ‘I never succeed at anything’. At first you may find it hard to hold these new beliefs about yourself, but persevere to make them come true for you:

• You Are Unique. ‘What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen.’ (Henry David Thoreau)

  
  



• Your Whole Life Is the Canvas for Coaching. ‘I’ve learned that you can’t have everything and do everything all at the same time.’ (Oprah Winfrey)

  
  



• You Hold Your Own Agenda. ‘You will recognise your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need.’ (Jenny Gillies)

  
  



• You Are Resourceful. ‘Don’t be timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

  
  



• You Are Capable of Great Results. ‘Change your thoughts and you change your world.’ (Norman Vincent Peale)

  
  



• You Can Generate the Right Solutions for Yourself. ‘All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.’ (Galileo Galilei)

  
  



• You Are Free From Being Judged. ‘Some people find fault like there is a reward for it.’ (Zig Ziglar)

  
  



• You Can Make Powerful Choices. ‘If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want and all that is left is a compromise.’ (Robert Fritz)

  
  



• You Take Responsibility for Your Results. ‘It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible but also for what we do not do.’ (Jean-Baptiste Moliere)

  
  



• You Trust Your Senses. ‘As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.’ (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ten-life-coaching-beliefs-for-personal-development.html

Items for Your Greyhound’s First-Aid Kit

To be prepared for an emergency or injury to your retired racing greyhound, make sure you have the following items in a first aid kit. Store the first aid items in a travel kit so you can easily take it with you when you and your greyhound venture out.

Dressings and bandaging materials in several sizes.	Overnight sanitary napkins, to use in case of serious bleeding.
Blunt-nose scissors.	Hydrogen peroxide, 3 percent.
An antibiotic, non-oil-based eye ointment.	A soft muzzle.
Compressed activated charcoal.	Sterile saline solution for cleaning wounds or washing eyes.
Cotton balls.	A small hemostat or tweezers.
Splinting materials.	KY Jelly.
A digital thermometer.	A small, powerful flashlight.
A cheap pocket watch with a sweeping second hand.	A notepad and pen to record vital signs.
Vetrap for protection during runs and for stabilizing injuries.	A supply of smelling salts to ward off aggressive dogs.
A Quick Muzzle to protect yourself if necessary.	Extra cotton leashes to restrain the injured dog and other dogs who may try to interfere or to secure the dog for transport.
A supply of water and a fold-up, collapsible bowl.	A fold-up, collapsible blanket to use as a stretcher.
Several emergency space blankets.	A small jar of beef baby food, in case you need to get a pill into a stressed dog.
A syringe or turkey baster to administer peroxide to cause vomiting in case of poisoning, or to administer liquid medications.	Benadryl, Imodium AD, Enteric-coated aspirin, Tagamet, and Dramamine.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/items-for-your-greyhounds-firstaid-kit.html

How to Get Ready to Start a Web Store

Before starting your own Web store, make sure you have a plan, financing, and dedication to your project. Building a Web store requires preparation and commitment. Consider this list of first steps and ideas before you undertake your online endeavor:

• Business paperwork: If you're planning to open a new Web store, you should consider getting a Reseller's Permit from your state government, a Business License from your city hall, and perhaps a Fictitious Business Statement (also known as a d/b/a) from your county government.

  
  



• Business bank account: Unless you want the money from your Web store to be mixed in with all your other revenue and expenses, you should probably set up a new bank account for your Web store. This will allow you to accept checks made out to your Web store name, and you can use this account to order a debit card, which you can use to buy items for your Web store that require a credit card.

  
  



• An idea of what you want to sell: If you want to open a store, hopefully you have your initial product line in mind. Understand, however, that you don't necessarily have to sell tangible, "stuff-in-a-box" products. You can open a store that sells other people's products by joining their affiliate programs and reselling their products. You could sell information in the form of e-books, audio, or video files. You could put a lot of information on your Web site and sell the advertising space on your site.

  
  



• Time: It's the one commodity we never seem to have enough of, but if you bought this book, that means you should have the time to construct your Web store, polish it up, launch it, and maintain it as you receive orders. Don't forget to budget some time once you launch your store, as you will need to update your store regularly.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-get-ready-to-start-a-web-store.html

How Your Brain Controls Your Attention

Some people believe that great leaders must have impressive higher thinking skills. In reality, if you want to be a leader — the sort of manager that people admire — you need to use your entire brain. Believe it or not, even the basest survival-oriented section of your brain can make you into a better manager.

The reticular activating system (RAS) is the portal through which nearly all information enters the brain. (Smells are the exception; they go directly into your brain’s emotional area.) The RAS filters the incoming information and affects what you pay attention to, how aroused you are, and what is not going to get access to all three pounds of your brain.

For survival’s sake, your RAS responds to your name, anything that threatens your survival, and information that you need immediately. For instance, if you’re looking for a computer file that you’re sure you placed on your desk, your RAS alerts your brain to search for the name of the file — Andrews vs. State of Illinois, say — or focus on one word in the filename to help you find it.

The RAS also responds to novelty. You notice anything new and different. For leadership purposes, this includes anything out of the ordinary in day-to-day activities within your organization, attending to changes in your employees relative to production, mood, and interactions with others.

Your RAS is a great leadership tool. It is your radar detector. As long as you don’t bog it down with your own personal issues, it will work for you. Program your thoughts each morning by doing the following:

• Take care of your personal issues. If you’re concerned about your child’s behavior, for example, devise a plan to deal with it. Make sure your plan includes an appropriate time that you can put your plan into action. And then put the issue on the back burner until you can act on it.

  
  



• Read over your long-term goals. Make sure they’re still pertinent to your vision. Change, delete, or add goals as necessary.

  
  



• Read or create your short-term goals. Determine the timeline for each. Change them according to current needs, trends, and modifications in your mission or vision.

  
  

Make sure that the last list you look at is your list of short-term goals; your RAS helps you keep them in mind. Even when you don’t realize you’re thinking about these goals, your brain knows that they’re important and makes note of anything that might relate to them.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-your-brain-controls-your-attention.navId-400164.html

Converge Text, QR Codes, Small URLs with 44Doors

44Doors has taken a unique blend of technologies resulting in a creative twist on location-based engagement that integrates short URLs, QR codes (a QR code is a type of bar code that smartphone apps can read), mobile landing pages, and analytics. As the first enterprise-level short URL service, 44Doors was early to recognize the needs of the enterprise for social media measurement.

A short URL service converts a normal, long URL (link to a web page) to a smaller URL that redirects to the original. This technology makes it easier to put long URLs with a lot of embedded variables and content into a post or printed marketing materials. For example, a short URL service called bitly converts this:

http://www.schneidermike.com/technology/ditto-could-unleash-the-power-of-semantic/1449/

into this:

http://bit.ly/dittofood

When QR codes came into the mainstream, 44Doors integrated its short URL service, allowing QR codes to be easily redirected to mobile-optimized experiences once they appear in print or online. Because the QR codes are encoded with short URLs, they render faster and are easier for scanners to read.

44Doors extended the solution further to include landing-page technology optimized for smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Instead of the typical QR code pointing to a nonoptimized website, Capture provides device-friendly landing pages that are easily updated to provide real-time, location-aware content. Capture includes GPS-based location information, allowing insight into zip code–level conversion analysis.

44Doors leverages SMS and short URLs in addition to QR codes to interact with the landing pages. Their focus on varying technologies as “doors” to their location-aware platform reveals a future path of expanding technologies that will likely grow to include new methods of interaction and location-savvy control of content.

It will be interesting to see how companies begin to customize campaigns based on metadata such as time of day, network, device, and location. Companies like 44Doors that are investing in the intersection of time, network, device, and location and including analysis engines to determine faster paths to conversion will give marketers a true edge in location-based campaigns.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/converge-text-qr-codes-small-urls-with-44doors.html

A Form Letter to Welcome New Online Community Members

As online community manager, you will find that form letters are a convenient way to send messages to community members because you don’t have to take the time to write a personal e-mail for each person. That convenience is also a problem. Everyone likes to feel special, and there’s nothing personal about a form letter. Many people see form letters in the inbox and automatically delete them.

Still, if your community has a lot of members, you can’t avoid using form letters. You probably don’t have enough time to write a personal letter to everyone who joins the community, and you can’t possibly know enough about every person to write a personal letter for each one.

The trick is to create a form letter that looks and feels personal but is still a prewritten note sent to everyone who joins. Here are a few form letter best practices:

• Use first names. Avoid using first and last names together or no name at all. The salutation “Dear New Member” or “Dear John Smith” is a sure sign that a member is getting an impersonal form letter. Though your members aren’t dumb, and they know that they’re going to be receiving form letters, the trick is to make it look like you wrote each letter just for them.

  
  

  Use an e-mail program, such as Aweber or Constant Contact, that pulls the first name from each signup page so that the salutation of a new-member e-mail reads “Dear John” instead.

  
  



• Avoid using jargon. Nothing turns people off more than smarmy sales jargon. It’s unattractive for a couple of reasons: People may not understand all the terms, and it’s apparent that you’d much rather sell than converse. Jargon is impersonal.

  
  



• Provide directions. Your welcome e-mail should also give direction to new members. The e-mail tells them what to expect and where to find all items of interest. If handled properly, the welcome e-mail directs new members everywhere you want them to go:

  
  
  
  

  • Community discussion topics

    
    
  
  

  • Promotional pages

    
    
  
  

  • FAQs

    
    
  
  

  • Comment policy and guidelines

    
    
  
  

  • Brand policies

    
    
  
  

  • Contact information

    
    
  
  

  • Your About page

    
    
  
  

  • Sales and discounts

    
    
  
  
  
  



• Include contact details. Your new community members appreciate knowing that you’re an accessible manager. Make sure that you include a way to get in touch so that new members can reach out with questions and concerns.

  
  



• Use a signature. Sign your e-mails, even if you’re only going to scan your signature or use a script font. Your members know that you can’t sign an e-mail with a pen, but you can sign it with a flourish and make it seem more personal.

  
  

Remember that you’re not spamming if you have permission to send the e-mail. New members must have agreed to receive this e-mail when they registered to be part of the community, so don’t worry too much about being spammy, but do try to make your welcome e-mail more than just a bunch of links.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/a-form-letter-to-welcome-new-online-community-memb.html

Grip Equipment for Macro and Close-Up Photography

The equipment used to hold lights, support subjects, and to clamp props is referred to as grip. Grip goes hand in hand with your lighting equipment to provide ideal shooting conditions, and in macro and close-up photography this equipment can make your life easier and your photos amazing.

Here is a list of grip equipment that is extremely useful:

• Light stands and C-stands hold strobes or mono-lights in place in the studio.

  
  



• Accessory stands (smaller versions of light stands) combined with a hot shoe can hold an off-camera flash. The stand holds the flash in place and the hot shoe receives the signal (either through a wire or a transmitter) from the camera telling the flash when to fire.

  
  



• Clamps hold anything in place or out of the way. A clamp combined with a tripod socket can hold a flash, enabling you to position the flash anywhere that you can attach the clamp.

  
  



• Clothespins are similar to clamps but work better for smaller, more fragile objects.

  
  



• A ground spike is a metal pin with a tripod socket attached to the top. You can stick it into the ground to hold extra flashes in place.

  
  



• Clay or putty is great for propping up your subject or holding it in place. Its sticky surface provides a good grip, and you can shape it to work with your specific subject.

  
  



• Hot glue guns fix things in place without fuss because the glue dries quickly and is easy to remove from hard surfaces.

  
  



• Double-sided tape doesn’t show up in your shot.

  
  



• Gaffers tape holds things together or in place without leaving behind a sticky residue.

  
  



• Bendable wire positions small diffusers, scrims, and black flags in tight areas.

  
  



• Tweezers enable you to make precise movements with fine objects.

  
  



• A small paintbrush is great for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and for dusting surfaces without disturbing your subject or other elements in the scene.

  
  



• A viewfinder loupe magnifies the image in your camera’s viewfinder, making it easier to see where your point of focus is located.

  
  



• A right-angle viewfinder enables you to see what your camera sees without having to press your eye right up against it. This is ideal for when your camera is very low to the ground.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/grip-equipment-for-macro-and-closeup-photography.html

Mac OS X Lion Server Keyboard Tips for Windows Users

You frequently use several keyboard and mouse actions in Mac OS X Lion Server's administration tools. Mac users will be familiar with these techniques, but they may be new to Windows users:

• Make multiple selections in a list:

  
  
  
  

  • Shift-click lets you select a range of items at once. Click an item to select it and shift-click another item; all the items in between will be selected.

    
    
  
  

  • Command-click lets you add items to those you selected, in any order.

    
    
  
  
  
  



• To right-click, hold down Control while clicking. Or, use a mouse with two or more buttons. On a Mac notebook or Apple Magic Trackpad, click the trackpad with two fingers to right click.

  
  



• The Mac Option key is also labeled Alt, but isn't always equivalent to the PC Alt. And, the Mac Control key isn't always the same as the Windows Ctrl key. For example, to copy a file, hold the Option key when you drag and drop the file. (In Windows, it's Ctrl-drag).

  
  



• System Preferences is the rough equivalent of the Windows Control Panel. It holds settings (such as IP addresses) for the individual machine hosting the server.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/mac-os-x-lion-server-keyboard-tips-for-windows-use.html

Buy Computer Parts via Mail Order to Save Money

After you’ve researched what computer part you want to buy from the Internet, head to Amazon.com or NewEgg.com to buy it. The part will cost less than it does at your local computer store; plus, they’ll have it in stock, unlike the gaping holes on the shelves of many computer stores.

While you’re online shopping for computer parts, spend plenty of time reading the user reviews. They’ll often alert you to inconsistencies between the advertised part and what arrives in the box, so you’ll be prepared.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/buy-computer-parts-via-mail-order-to-save-money.html

Questions to Ask a Bulldog Breeder

When looking for a Bulldog puppy, find a reputable breeder. You want a breeder with experience in breeding Bulldogs in particular, and someone who is giving pups a good start so they are healthy, well-bred, and well-adjusted. Ask the breeder the following questions before deciding on your Bulldog puppy:

• How long have you been breeding? Is breeding a business or a hobby for you? How often do your dogs produce a litter? Done right, no breeder is going to be able to make a living breeding Bulldogs. If she says that breeding is a business, look for another breeder.

  
  



• Is this breed right for me? A good breeder wants all her puppies to go to permanent homes. Asking this question gives her a chance to ask a few of her own and to talk about the negative aspects of owning a Bulldog.

  
  



• May I meet the parents or at least the mother of the puppies? Any adult dog you meet should be friendly, not shy or fearful. Most breeders should be willing to grant your request.

  
  



• Where do you raise the puppies? Have the breeder show you the kennel area when she shows you the puppies. If the breeder brings out individual puppies and won’t show you where they live, find another breeder.

  
  



• May I see the pedigree and registration form? If you’re thinking of showing your Bully, a pedigree ensures that you are getting a purebred Bulldog.

  
  



• Will I receive a health record? Your breeder provides a health record with each puppy, showing what vaccinations have been given, and the dates the puppies were wormed.

  
  



• How old are the puppies? A puppy needs to stay with his mother and siblings until he is at least seven weeks old. If the breeder is selling younger puppies, find another breeder.

  
  



• What happens if I can’t keep the dog? Most reputable breeders will take back any dog of their breeding at any time.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/questions-to-ask-a-bulldog-breeder.html

Key Securities and Exchange Commission Reports

If you read financial reports on a regular basis, you know that the reports an organization files with the government are more extensive than the glossy reports it sends to shareholders. Although many different types of forms must be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), you can get most of the juicy information from just a few:

• 10-K: Annual report that provides a comprehensive overview of the corporation’s business

  
  



• 10-Q: Quarterly report that describes key financial information about the prior three months

  
  



• 8-K: Shows any major events that could impact the financial position of the company

  
  



• Forms 3 to 5: Reflect changes in ownership of stock by directors, officers, and major stockholders, giving you an idea of the view from the inside

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/key-securities-and-exchange-commission-reports.html

How to Choose an Interior Paint Finish

2 of 12 in Series:
The Essentials of Painting a Room

Choosing a paint finish for interior walls depends on the desired amount of shine and durability. The most common interior paint finishes (paint sheen) are flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss. Choosing the right paint finish for your interior project depends on the look, durability, and ambiance you want.

• Flat finish: Available only in latex paint, a flat finish is opaque and sophisticated. It works great on interior walls and ceilings. As the least shiny finish available, it doesn't clean well and isn’t suited for kitchens, baths, or children’s bedrooms.

  
  

  If you have kids, choose carefully. The only way to get rid of fingerprints and scribbles on a flat-finish wall is to paint over them.

  
  



• Eggshell finish: An eggshell finish is often used for decorative finishes because it provides a low luster. It cleans up better than a flat finish, but probably not as well as you would want in a kitchen or bathroom.

  
  



• Satin finish: The most popular paint sheen is a satin finish. It has more sheen than eggshell or satin and cleans better too. This finish is a good choice for woodwork, walls, doors, and hallways. It's also great for bedrooms and dining rooms.Satin is washable but it isn’t scrubbable, so you probably don't want to use it around your toddler's craft table.

  
  



• Semi-gloss finish: A semi-gloss paint will give your room a subtle shine. It’s scrubbable and good for moldings, doors, windows, kitchens, and baths.

  
  



• High-gloss finish: A high-gloss finish has a shiny, polished look. It’s also stain resistant and very scrubbable, which makes it a good choice for the areas of a home that get the most wear and tear, such as kitchens and baths. Food splatter or even crayon marks will clean up easily on a high-gloss finish.

  
  

When you’re deciding on which sheen you want to use, remember the higher the sheen, the darker and more intense the color will be. Also, high-gloss paint reflects light — and makes imperfections in your walls more noticeable. So before you apply this paint finish, take the time to prep your walls and make them extra smooth.

Although most paint finishes are available in either latex- or oil-based paints, you'll want to evaluate the pros and cons of latex- and oil-based paints to determine which is right for you.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-choose-an-interior-paint-finish.html

Excel 2010 Workbook For Dummies

As an integral part of the Ribbon interface used by all the major apps in Microsoft Office 2010, Excel gives you access to hot key sequences that, for all of you keyboard enthusiasts, can greatly speed up the process of selecting program commands. To save time when accessing commands, look up its hot key sequence in these Cheat Sheet table and then type the entire sequence out while you depress the Alt key.

>

>

Perform Excel 2010 File Menu Commands with Handy Hot Keys

You activate all of the Excel 2010 hot keys by pressing down the Alt key before you type the various sequences of mnemonic letters. The mnemonic letter for all of the commands on the Excel 2010 File menu in the new Backstage View is F (for File). Therefore, all you have to concentrate on learning in the following table is the second letter in the File menu hot key sequence.

Unfortunately, not all of these second letters are as easy to associate and remember as Alt+F. For example, check out the Info option hot key sequence, Alt+FE, where the second mnemonic letter doesn’t occur anywhere in the option name (either in the word Info or even Information)!

Hot Keys	Excel Ribbon Command	Function
Alt+FS	File MenuSave	Saves changes to a workbook. When you first select this command for a new workbook, Excel displays the Save As dialog box
Alt+FA	File MenuSave As	Displays the Save As dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can modify the filename, location where the file is saved, and format that the file is saved in
Alt+FO	File MenuOpen	Displays the Open dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can select a new Excel workbook to open for editing or printing
Alt+FC	File MenuClose	Closes the current workbook without exiting Excel
Alt+FE	File MenuInfo	Displays the Information panel in the Backstage View where you can see a preview of the current worksheet along with statistics about the workbook as well as protect the workbook, check the file for compatibility issues, and manage different versions created by the AutoRecover feature
Alt+FR	File MenuRecent	Displays a list of the last 20 workbook files most recently opened for editing in Excel
Alt+FN	File MenuNew	Displays the Available Templates panel in the Backstage View box where you can open a blank workbook or one from a template
Alt+FP	File MenuPrint	Displays the Print panel in the Backstage View where you can change the print settings before sending the current worksheet, workbook, or cell selection to the printer
Alt+FH	File MenuShare	Displays the Share panel in the Backstage View where you can send the current workbook as an e-mail attachment or fax it using Internet Fax, attach it to an e-mail as a PDF file, save it in a new file format, or save it online to your company’s SharePoint site or your own Windows Live SkyDrive
Alt+FL	File MenuHelp	Displays the Support panel in the Backstage View where you get help using Excel, check for updates to the program, and get statistics about the version of Excel 2010 you’re running
Alt+FZ	File MenuAdd Ins	Displays a pop-up menu in the Backstage View with menus for common commands for automatically installed add-in programs such as the Acrobat PDF Maker add-in (on the Save As and Send Add-Ins submenus) and the Microsoft ShareView add-in (on the Share submenu)
Alt+FI	File MenuOptions	Displays the Excel Options dialog box in the regular worksheet view where you can change default program settings, modify the buttons on the Quick Access toolbar, and customize the Excel Ribbon
Alt+FX	File MenuExit Excel	Quits the Excel program and closes all open workbooks after prompting you to save them

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Common Excel 2010 Hot Keys to Perform Formula Commands

You activate all of the Excel 2010 hot keys by pressing down the Alt key before you type the various sequences of mnemonic letters. All the hot key sequences for selecting the most common formula-related commands in Excel 2010 begin with the sequence Alt+M because the M in forMulas was the only mnemonic key still available (F was already assigned to the File menu commands).

After you know to press Alt+M to access one of the commands on the Formula tab of the Ribbon, it’s pretty easy sailing, if for no other reason than the commands on the Formula tab are pretty evenly and logically laid out.

Hot Keys	Excel Ribbon Command	Function
Alt+MF	Formulas→Insert Function	Opens the Insert Function dialog box (same as clicking the Insert Function button on the Formula bar
Alt+MUS	Formulas→AutoSum→Sum	Selects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts SUM formula to total the range
Alt+MUA	Formulas→AutoSum→Average	Selects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts AVERAGE formula to calculate the average of total in the range
Alt+MUC	Formulas→AutoSum→Count Numbers	Selects the occupied range above the cell cursor and inserts COUNT formula to count the number of values in the range
Alt+MI	Formulas→Financial	Opens a drop-down menu listing all Financial functions — click name to insert function into current cell
Alt+ME	Formulas→Date & Time	Opens a drop-down menu listing all Date and Time functions — click name to insert function into current cell
Alt+MN	Formulas→Name Manager	Opens Name Manager dialog box showing all range names in workbook where you can add, edit, and delete names
Alt+MMD	Formulas→Define Name	Opens New Name dialog box where you can assign a name to the cell selection or define a new constant
Alt+MS	Formulas→Use in Formula	Displays drop-down menu with range names in workbook that you can insert into current formula by clicking
Alt+MC	Formulas→Create from Selection	Opens Create Names from Selection dialog box where you indicate which rows and columns to use in naming cell selection
Alt+MH	Formulas→Show Formulas (Ctrl+`)	Displays and then hides all formulas in cells of the worksheet
Alt+MXA	Formulas→Options→Automatic	Turns automatic recalculation back on
Alt+MXE	Formulas→Options→Automatic Except for Data Tables	Turns automatic recalculation back on for all parts of the worksheet except for ranges with Data Tables
Alt+MXM	Formulas→Options→Manual	Turns on manual recalculation
Alt+MB	Formulas→Calculate Now (F9)	Recalculates formulas throughout the entire workbook when manual recalculation is turned on
Alt+MJ	Formulas→Calculate Sheet (Shift+F9)	Recalculates formulas in the current worksheet when manual recalculation is turned on

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Excel 2010 View Commands via Hot Keys

You activate all of the Excel 2010 hot keys by pressing down the Alt key before you type the various sequences of mnemonic letters. The mnemonic letter for all of the view-related commands in Excel 2010 is W (the last letter you see in vieW).

Therefore, all the hot keys for switching the Excel worksheet into a new view begin with Alt+W. After you know that, you’ll find most of the remaining fairly easy to deal with.

Hot Keys	Excel Ribbon Command	Function
Alt+WL	View→Normal View	Returns the worksheet to normal view from Page Layout or Page Break Preview
Alt+WP	View→Page Layout View	Puts the worksheet into Page Layout View showing the page breaks, margins, and rulers
Alt+WI	View→Page Break Preview	Puts the worksheet into Page Break Preview showing page breaks that you can adjust
Alt+WE	View→Full Screen	Puts the worksheet in full-screen mode which hides the File Menu, Quick Access toolbar, and Ribbon — press the Esc key to restore previous viewing mode
Alt+WVG	View→Gridlines	Hides and redisplays the row and column gridlines that form the cells in the Worksheet area
Alt+WG	View→Zoom to Selection	Zooms the Worksheet area in or out to the magnification percentage needed to display just the cell selection
Alt+WJ	View→100%	Returns the Worksheet area to the default 100% magnification percentage
Alt+WN	View→New Window	Inserts a new window in the current workbook
Alt+WA	View→Arrange All	Opens the Arrange dialog box where you can select how workbook windows are displayed on the screen
Alt+WF	View→Freeze Panes	Opens the Freeze Panes drop-down menu where you select how to freeze rows and columns in the Worksheet area: Freeze Panes (to freeze all the rows above and columns to the left of the cell cursor); Freeze Top Row; or Freeze First Column
Alt+WS	View→Split	Splits the worksheet into four panes using the top and left edge of the cell cursor as the vertical and horizontal dividing lines — press hot keys again to remove all panes
Alt+WH	View→Hide	Hides the current worksheet window or workbook
Alt+WU	View→Unhide	Opens the Unhide dialog box where you can select the window or workbook to redisplay
Alt+WB	View→View Side by Side	Tiles two open windows or workbooks one above the other for comparison — press hot keys again to restore the original full windows
Alt+WW	View→Switch Windows	Opens the Switch Windows drop-down menu where you can select the open window or workbook to make active

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Excel 2010 Hot Keys for Editing Commands

You activate all of the Excel 2010 hot keys by pressing down the Alt key before you type the various sequences of mnemonic letters. The mnemonic letter for all of the editing commands is H (for Home) because all of these commands are conveniently located on the Home tab of the Ribbon.

However, even if you can remember to associate editing with the Home tab and keep in mind that Alt+H is always the starting point, you’re still not home free because the remaining letters in the hot key sequences are not as easy to remember as you might like.

Fortunately, the most common editing commands (Cut, Copy, and Paste) still respond to the old Ctrl+key sequences (Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, and Ctrl+V, respectively), which are a lot quicker than their Alt+H equivalents, provided that you already know and regularly use them.

Hot Keys	Excel Ribbon Command	Function
Alt+HVP	Home→Paste→Paste	Pastes the currently cut or copied cell selection or graphic objects in the worksheet
Alt+HX	Home→Cut	Cuts the cell selection or selected graphic objects out of the workbook and places them on the Windows Clipboard
Alt+HC	Home→Copy	Copies the cell selection or selected graphic objects to the Windows Clipboard
Alt+HFP	Home→Format Painter	Activates the Format Painter
Alt+HFO	Home→Clipboard Dialog Box Launcher	Displays and hides the Clipboard task pane
Alt+HII	Home→Insert→Insert Cells	Opens Insert dialog box so you can indicate the direction in which to shift existing cells to make room for the ones being inserted
Alt+HIR	Home→Insert→Insert Sheet Rows	Inserts blank rows equal to the number of rows in the cell selection
Alt+HIC	Home→Insert→Insert Sheet Columns	Inserts blank columns equal to the number of columns in the cell selection
Alt+HIS	Home→Insert→Insert Sheet	Inserts a new worksheet in the workbook
Alt+HDD	Home→Delete→Delete Cells	Opens Delete dialog box so you can indicate the direction in which to shift existing cells to replace the ones being deleted
Alt+HDR	Home→Delete→Sheet Rows	Deletes rows equal to the number of rows in the cell selection
Alt+HDC	Home→Delete→Sheet Columns	Deletes columns equal to the number of columns in the cell selection
Alt+HDS	Home→Delete→Sheet	Deletes the current worksheet after warning you of data loss if the sheet contains cell entries
Alt+HEA	Home→Clear→Clear All	Clears the contents, formatting, and comments from the cell selection
Alt+HEF	Home→Clear→Clear Formats	Clears the formatting of the cell selection without removing the contents and comments
Alt+HEC	Home→Clear→Clear Contents	Clears the contents of the cell selection without removing the formatting and comments
Alt+HEM	Home→Clear→Clear Comments	Clears all comments in the cell selection without removing the formatting and contents

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dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/excel-2010-workbook-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

Helpful Jewish Words and Phrases

Learning and using these common Jewish words and phrases will help you through situations like meals and toast, wishing people well, greetings, and casual conversation:

• Chutzpah. Brazen arrogance, guts, presumption, or gall. Usually a positive trait.

  
  



• Kippah. That little hat that Jewish men (and sometimes women) wear on their heads. Also called a yarmulke.

  
  



• Kosher. Correct, proper, or okay. Usually refers to food that conforms to the kashrut laws. Opposite is trayf.

  
  



• L’chayim. Literally “To life!” Said like “Cheers!” when toasting drinks.

  
  



• Mazel Tov. Good luck! Usually said at the end of a wedding or when responding to good news.

  
  



• Shalom. Hello, goodbye, or peace.

  
  



• Tikkun olam. The healing of the world; a central theme in Jewish teachings. Can refer to world peace, social justice, or the mystical repair of the universe.

  
  



• Torah. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, hand-written on a scroll of parchment. Also refers to the Jewish Way, including laws and customs from written and oral law.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/helpful-jewish-words-and-phrases.navId-403562.html

Using Social Media to Promote Your Business

Social media is an inexpensive way to promote your website and to keep new and existing customers chatting about your business. Here are some quick and easy tips for using some of the most popular social networking sites — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn — to help drive interest and customers to your business.

Facebook

• Set up a business page on Facebook and post special offers (at least once a month) to all those who Like your page.

  
  



• Post polls (called Questions) on your Facebook page that ask customers fun or quirky questions related to your products or services. For example, if your site sells clothing, start a poll that asks customers to choose their favorite color shirt to wear on the first day of spring.

  
  



• Ask customers to share pictures on your Facebook page that shows them using their favorite product they bought from your website.

  
  



• Reduce your workload while expanding your marketing efforts on Facebook: Instead of managing both a business page and a personal page, simply allow subscribers on your personal Facebook page. Subscriptions allow you to send public updates that your subscribers can view. Subscribers can be customers, vendors, and anyone else who is interested in seeing your public posts — just as they would on a business page.

  
  

Twitter

• Use Twitter to tweet interesting or unusual facts about your business or products and provide a link to that product page on your site.

  
  



• Send out short tips via Twitter on how to use your services or products.

  
  



• Tweet pictures related to you or your business to your Twitter followers.

  
  

YouTube

• Create a YouTube channel for your online business and regularly add fun and useful videos and then encourage customers to view and share your videos with others.

  
  



• Launch a video contest: Ask customers to create short videos of how they use your product or service and post to YouTube, then let other customers vote on their favorites.

  
  



• Every week, post a short (two minutes or less) video of yourself offering tips for your customers, such as demonstrating how to use a product that you sell.

  
  



• Ask customers to submit video testimonials and post them on your YouTube channel.

  
  

LinkedIn

• Create a LinkedIn profile and add links to your website; update your profile with new links, product reviews, books, or articles that you're reading, or other information so that this information appears to all the people in your network.

  
  



• Join LinkedIn groups that may be popular with many of your customers and frequently post questions or comments related to the products or services you offer.

  
  



• Ask your customers, vendors, or other business associates in your network to provide a recommendation for you or your business in LinkedIn.

  
  



• Regularly search the Answers section of LinkedIn and look for questions that you can answer related to your online business (if you frequently answer questions that are rated highly by other LinkedIn users, you could earn the title of Expert for that particular topic).

  
  

Google+

• Create circles in your personal Google+ profile that are set up specifically for your customers, your vendors, and others interested in your brand.

  
  



• Post interesting content to your customers and other business-related circles and encourage feedback or comments on the content. That content might include your blog posts, interesting articles, product reviews, announcements about special promotions, and other exclusive offers or news.

  
  



• Start a Hangout, the multiuser chat tool in Google+, to solicit feedback from customers. You might, for example, discuss a new product or service or ask for input on issues such as customer service.

  
  



• Launch a Google+ profile (as soon as Google opens this feature to all businesses) to make it easy for your customers to find and follow your business.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-social-media-to-promote-your-business.html

How to Reduce Energy Use at Work

Part of making your workplace more environmentally conscious and friendly lies in the building itself. You can make suggestions about how to improve electricity conservation, water usage, and even furniture sources. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program can provide information about environmentally friendly buildings.

You can find information about your building from the maintenance or operations department or from the person responsible for those issues in your company. Make clear that you’re doing research and don’t imply any criticism — these are the folks who will implement (or subvert) any green practices the building management adopts.

Actions to consider suggesting include the following:

• Switch to highly rated energy-efficient appliances. The federal government’s Energy Star program rates appliances.

  
  



• Schedule regular service for heating and air conditioning systems, and fit them with timers so that they’re in use only when people are in the office.

  
  



• Change electricity suppliers to those sourcing power from green initiatives.

  
  



• Install water-saving taps, showerheads, and low-flush or dual-flush toilets.

  
  



• Take advantage of natural lighting, and install task lighting and high-efficiency compact fluorescent lighting.

  
  



• Install blinds and shutters on windows to block out direct sun and reduce the need for air conditioning in the summer and to let sun and light in during winter. Blinds and shutters can reduce energy costs because less electricity or other fuels are used to cool the premises in summer and to heat the premises in winter.

  
  



• Make sure that all equipment is turned off at the end of the day rather than left on standby.

  
  



• Arrange for the last person out of the office each day to turn out the lights, or have an electrician put the lights on a motion-sensor timer that switches them off when there has been no movement in a room for a certain amount of time.

  
  



• Equip the office kitchen with a fridge, a kettle, and perhaps a toaster oven or microwave so that people can easily reheat food that they bring from home. The availability of these appliances reduces the need to drive somewhere off-site for meals and helps employees maintain a healthy diet if workplaces aren’t close to restaurants that offer healthy alternatives.

  
  



• Give everyone their own mug (or ask them to bring in their own), and remind them to save electricity by not boiling more water in the kettle than they need each time for hot beverages.

  
  



• In the winter, turn the thermostat down slightly, and ask people to wear sweaters or jackets. In the summer, set the air conditioning temperature slightly higher, use fans, and ask people to dress accordingly.

  
  



• Use the recycling facilities available, including the usual glass, newspaper, cardboard, plastic, and paper options, plus any others, and ask if grants or other incentives are available for taking energy efficiency measures.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-reduce-energy-use-at-work.html

Tax Forms and Deadlines for the Day Trader

Knowing what constitutes day trading income, what expenses you can deduct, and what special rules apply if the IRS considers you a qualified day trader is all well and good, but when it comes right down to it, you still need to know the more mundane things like what tax forms to fill out and when they’re due.

Use the right tax forms

Here are the highlights of some of the most exciting forms for the modern day trader. Note that they are different for those who qualify as traders by IRS standards than for everyone else who day trades.

• Forms for qualified traders: If you make the mark-to-market election on Form 3115, you’re considered to be in the business of trading. Business expenses for individual tax filers are put on Schedule C of Form 1040, Profit or Loss from Business. Then your trading gains and losses are recorded on Part II of Form 4797.

  
  

  If you have any securities at the end of the year in your trading account, pretend that they were sold on the last business day of the year at current fair market value and then immediately reacquired.

  
  



• Forms for everyone else: Day traders who are not considered traders by the IRS should itemize business deductions and investment interest expenses on Schedule A of Form 1040. You should attach Form 4952 if you used that to figure your investment interest expense. You report capital gains and losses from your trading on Schedule D of Form 1040, subject to all the limits on losses.

  
  

Pay estimated taxes quarterly

If you have been an employee for years and years, all of your tax liabilities may have been covered by your payroll tax deductions. The IRS likes it best that way, because then it gets money all year round. Face it: the easier it is to pay, the more likely you are to do it.

People who are self-employed or who have significant earnings from investments and day trading may generate more income than can be covered from payroll withholding. What you need to do is estimate your tax liability four times a year and then write a check for those amounts. (Otherwise, you could face a penalty at tax time.)

Estimated taxes are paid on Form 1040 ES and are due April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/tax-forms-and-deadlines-for-the-day-trader.html

Troubleshooting Your Wireless Network

If you can’t seem to load any Web pages, it’s time to troubleshoot your wireless network. This checklist can help you figure out why your wireless network is broken.

Things to look out for:

• Can your computer connect to the wireless router?

  
  



• Can you access the administrative Web page of your router?

  
  



• Does your computer get an IP address from the router? Right click on the wireless icon in your system tray and select Status (Windows XP), or Network and Sharing Center (Vista) to find your IP address.

  
  



• Are you connected to the wireless network? If the previous step indicates you aren’t, make sure that your computer’s wireless SSID and password are the same as what is on the access point.

  
  



• Are you within range of your access point? If your signal strength is low then consider relocating your router or computer closer to each other to improve the signal strength.

  
  



• Plug in using an Ethernet cable instead of wireless to see if you can access the Internet.

  
  



• Is the router plugged in to the wall and operating? Look for lights on the device. Also consider unplugging your router and plugging it back in.

  
  



• Can your router connect to the Internet?

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/troubleshooting-your-wireless-network.html

Office 2007 For Dummies

The new, big thing in Microsoft Office 2007 is the command ribbon that lets you access menus and accomplish tasks with speed and agility. You also have the usual assortment of keyboard shortcuts that save time and effort; plus, you can use the mouse in combination with keys and actions to do what you need to do.

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Keyboard Shortcuts for Microsoft Office 2007

Microsoft Office 2007 is full of timesaving keyboard shortcuts. Zip through components of Office 2007 — Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Access — by using handy shortcut keys from the following table. With little effort, you can open files, find content, edit that content, and more!

Function	Keystroke
Copy	Ctrl+C
Cut	Ctrl+X
Find	Ctrl+F
Go To	Ctrl+G
Help	F1
Hyperlink	Ctrl+K
New	Ctrl+N
Open	Ctrl+O
Paste	Ctrl+V
Print	Ctrl+P
Replace	Ctrl+H
Save	Ctrl+S
Select All	Ctrl+A
Spell Check	F7
Undo	Ctrl+Z
Redo	Ctrl+Y

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Microsoft Office 2007 Mouse Button Functions

With Microsoft Office 2007, your mouse takes on an active role in helping you navigate through all the Office 2007 programs. The mouse actions in this table work whether you’re using Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, or Outlook:

Mouse Button Used	Action	Purpose
Left mouse button	Click	Moves the cursor, highlights an object, pulls down a menu, or chooses a menu command
Left mouse button	Double-click	Highlights a word or edits an embedded object
Left mouse button	Triple-click	Highlights a paragraph
Left mouse button	Drag	Moves an object, resizes an object, highlights text, or highlights multiple objects
Wheel mouse button	Click	Automatically scrolls a document when you move the mouse up or down
Wheel mouse button	Roll	Scrolls a document up or down
Right mouse button	Right-click	Displays a shortcut pop-up menu

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How to Use Ribbon Tabs in Microsoft Office 2007 Programs

Microsoft Office 2007 boasts a new navigation tool — the command ribbon that runs through Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. Use the tabs on the ribbon in each program to work with and within files in every component. The following tables show the commands grouped under each ribbon tab for each of the four programs:

Microsoft Word 2007 Ribbon Tabs

Ribbon Tab Name	Command Groups
Home	Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles, and Editing
Insert	Shapes, Pages, Tables, Illustrations, Links, Header & Footer, Text, and Symbols
Page Layout	Themes, Page Setup, Page Background, Paragraph, and Arrange
References	Table of Contents, Footnotes, Citation & Bibliography, Captions, Index, and Table of Authorities
Mailings	Create, Start Mail Merge, Write & Insert Fields, Preview Results, and Finish
Review	Proofing, Comments, Tracking, Changes, Compare, and Protect
View	Document Views, Show/Hide, Zoom, and Window

Microsoft Excel 2007 Ribbon Tabs

Ribbon Tab Name	Command Groups
Home	Clipboard, Font, Alignment, Number, Styles, Cells, and Editing
Insert	Shapes, Tables, Illustrations, Charts, Links, and Text
Page Layout	Themes, Page Setup, Scale to Fit, Sheet Options, and Arrange
Formulas	Function Library, Named Cells, Formula Auditing, and Calculation
Data	Get External Data, Manage Connections, Sort & Filter, Data Tools, and Outline
Review	Proofing, Comments, and Changes
View	Workbook Views, Show/Hide, Zoom, and Window

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Ribbon Tabs

Ribbon Tab Name	Command Groups
Home	Clipboard, Slides, Font, Paragraph, WordArt Styles, and Editing
Insert	Shapes, Slides, Tables, Illustrations, Links, Text, and Media Clips
Design	Page Setup, Themes, Background, and Arrange
Animations	Preview, Animations, and Transition To This Slide
Slide Show	Start Slide Show, Set Up, and Monitors
Review	Proofing and Comments
View	Presentation Views, Show/Hide, Zoom, Color/Grayscale, and Window

Microsoft Access 2007 Ribbon Tabs

Ribbon Tab Name	Command Groups
Home	Views, Clipboard, Font, Rich Text, Records, Sort & Filter, Window, and Find
Create	Tables, Forms, Reports, and Other
External Data	Import, Export, Collect Data, and SharePoint Lists
Database Tools	Macro, Show/Hide, Analyze, Move Data, Database Tools, and Administrator
Datasheet (Only visible when you have a datasheet open)	Views, Fields and Columns, Data Type and Formatting, and Relationships

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dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/office-2007-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html

Coal Futures and Coal Companies as Investments

You can get access to the coal markets in two ways: one way is by trading coal futures, and the other is by investing in coal companies.

• Coal futures: Coal has an underlying futures contract that trades on a commodity exchange, in this case the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). The coal futures contract on the NYMEX tracks the price of the high quality Central Appalachian coal (CAPP), sometimes affectionately called the big sandy.

  
  

  The CAPP futures contract is the premium benchmark for coal prices in the United States. It trades under the ticker symbol QL and is tradable during all the calendar months of the current year, in addition to all calendar months in the subsequent three years.

  
  

  Most of the traders in this market represent large commercial interests that transact with each other, which means that you may not be able to get involved directly in this market without large capital reserves to compete with the commercial interests.

  
  



• Coal companies: One good way to invest in coal is by investing in a company that mines it. The following three companies are among the better options:

  
  
  
  

  • Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU): This is the largest coal company in the United States with approximately 10.2 billion short tons of coal reserves. The coal that Peabody produces is responsible for generating approximately 10 percent of the electricity in the United States.

    
    
  
  

  • Consol Energy (NYSE: CNX): Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Consol Energy has significant operations in the coal mines of Pennsylvania and the neighboring coal-rich states of West Virginia and Kentucky. As of 2006, it controlled 4.5 billion short tons of coal reserves, with operations in over 17 mines across the United States.

    
    
  
  

  • Arch Coal (NYSE: ACI): Smaller in size than Peabody or Consol, Arch Coal operates more than 20 mines on the continental United States and controls more than 3 billion short tons of reserves.

    
    
  
  
  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/coal-futures-and-coal-companies-as-investments.html

Time Single Activities to Bill for Time in QuickBooks 2012

Timing or recording individual activities is one of two methods that QuickBooks 2012 supplies for tracking the time spent that will be billed on an invoice as an item. If you want to record service activities as they occur, choose the Customers→Enter Time→Time/Enter Single Activity command.

QuickBooks displays the Time/Enter Single Activity window.

To time or record a single activity, record the activity date into the Date box. Use the Name box to identify the person performing the service. In the Customer:Job box, identify the customer or the job for which the service is being performed.

Select the appropriate service item from the Service Item drop-down list and the appropriate payroll item from the Payroll Item drop-down list. If you’re tracking classes, predictably, you can also use the Class drop-down list to classify the activity.

The Notes box should be used to record a brief appropriate description of the service. This description appears on the invoice, so be thoughtful about what you write.

After describing or providing this general information about the service, you have two ways to record the time spent on the service:

• Manually record time: You can manually record the time spent on an activity by using the Duration box to enter the time. If you spent 10 minutes, for example, enter 0:10 into the Duration box. If you spent 3 hours and 40 minutes, enter 3:40 into the Duration box.

  
  



• Have QuickBooks record the time: You can also have QuickBooks record the time that you spent on the activity. Just click the Start button in the Duration box when you start the activity, and click the Stop button when you stop the activity. If you want to pause the timer (while you take a phone call, for example) click the Pause button.

  
  

After you describe the activity you’re performing in the Time/Enter Single Activity window, click the Save & New or Save & Close button to save the activity information.

Verify that the Billable check box is selected. The Billable check box appears in the upper-right corner of the Time/Enter Single Activity window. By selecting the Billable box, you tell QuickBooks that it should keep this record of a billable activity for later inclusion on an invoice.

You can use the Previous and Next buttons that appear at the top of the Time/Enter Single Activity window to page back and forth through your records of activity timing. Note, too, that the Spelling button is also available on the Time/Enter Single Activity window.

You can, therefore, click the Spelling button to spell check the notes description that you enter — which is a good idea because this information will later appear on an invoice.

QuickBooks also allows your employees to enter their time directly. Choose the Customers→Enter Time→Let Employees Enter Their Time command to get information about how this web service works.

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/time-single-activities-to-bill-for-time-in-quickbo.html

Top Benefits of Unified Messaging

Unified messaging provides a number of benefits for users to manage their businesses with accessible, interfaced electronic communication systems, such as e-mail, voice, messenger services.

• A single inbox. Unified messaging can deliver all types of messaging and communication to a single inbox. The single inbox is easier for administrators to maintain, and provides flexibility for users to manage and interact with all of their communications.

  
  



• Efficient communication. Users can communicate more efficiently by having access to all communications at one time and being free to share, forward, or manage them in the way that's most convenient or effective for the given communication.

  
  



• Cost savings. Merging streamlines the communications administration and consolidates the infrastructure onto fewer physical servers, saving money for the enterprise.

  
  



• Access from anywhere. Unified messaging provides alternative methods of accessing communications. By merging e-mail, voice, and other communications, users can get voice messages in e-mail, have e-mail dictated over the phone, or access communications via the Web.

  
  

dummies

Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/top-benefits-of-unified-messaging.html

Archiving Your Palm Data

Your Palm device can hold only a fraction of the information your desktop computer can. To save space on the Palm device, clearing things out regularly is a good idea. The Palm device has a Purge function in the Date Book and To Do List that automatically gets rid of unneeded items and moves them to an archive file, if you want.

Viewing archived items

The Palm Desktop is the only place where you can open and view archived items. Even if you use another personal information manager, such as Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Organizer, to put items into your Palm device, you still need to look in the Palm Desktop to view your archived items.

These steps show you how to view your archived items on the Palm Desktop:

1. Choose the type of archived item you want to look at from the buttons on the left side of the screen (or from the View menu).

Calendar items are archived separately from items deleted from the Address Book, To Do List, or Memo Pad, so you need to open the part of the Palm Desktop that handles the type of item you want to see.

2. Choose File --> Open Archive from the menu bar.

The Open Archive dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Find those old, deleted files by opening an archive file.

3. Click the name of the archive file you want to view.

Usually, only one file appears on the archive list. If more than one archive file is listed and the archive you open doesn't contain the item you want, repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you find the archive containing the item you want.

4. Click OK.

The items in the archive you picked appear as a new list of items on your Palm Desktop.

If you're looking at the archive of items assigned to categories, the archive files are organized by category — personal, business, or other category.

Returning an archived item to your Palm device

Another benefit of keeping archive files is to help you get back items you accidentally delete. Don't be embarrassed — it happens to everybody.

To recover an item from an archive on the Palm Desktop, follow these steps:

1. Choose the type of archived item you want to recover from the buttons on the left side of the screen (or from the View menu).

Pick either Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, or Memo Pad.

2. Choose File --> Open Archive from the menu bar.

The Open Archive dialog box opens.

3. Click the name of the archive file you want to view.

The file you click is highlighted to show you selected it.

4. Click OK.

The items in the archive file you picked are listed on the Palm Desktop.

5. Click the item you want to have returned to your Palm device.

The item you click is highlighted to show you selected it.

6. Choose Edit --> Copy from the menu bar (or press Ctrl+C).

The item is copied to the Clipboard. Nothing happens on the screen.

7. Choose File --> Open Current.

Your collection of current items appears.

8. Choose Edit --> Paste (or press Ctrl+V).

The item appears as part of your collection of current items.

9. Place your Palm device in its cradle, and press the HotSync button on the cradle.

The HotSync dialog box opens and shows the progress of your synchronization.

The whole reason for archiving items is to save space on your Palm device — so don't load old items back on your Palm device unless you really need them.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/archiving-your-palm-data.html

How to Read an Auditor's Report

11 of 11 in Series:
The Essentials of Keeping Your Business Accounts

Your business's financial statement audit report can give your business a clean bill of health, or the auditor's report may state that your financial statements are misleading and should not be relied upon:

• The clean (unqualified) opinion: If the auditor finds no serious problems, the CPA firm gives your business’s financial statements an unqualified or clean opinion, which it expresses in a three-paragraph report.

  
  



• The qualified opinion: If the audit report is longer than three paragraphs, it’s never good news. For example, the auditor’s report may point out a flaw in the company’s financial statements but not a fatal flaw that would require an adverse opinion.

  
  



• The adverse opinion: In some cases, the auditor may see unmistakable signs that a business is in deep financial waters and may not be able to convince its creditors and lenders to give it time to work itself out of its present financial difficulties. If an auditor has serious concerns about whether the business is a going concern, these doubts are spelled out in the auditor’s report.

  
  

The threat of an adverse opinion almost always motivates a business to give way to the auditor and change its accounting or disclosure in order to avoid getting the kiss of death of an adverse opinion. An adverse audit opinion says that the financial statements of the business are misleading. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) does not tolerate adverse opinions by auditors of public businesses; it would suspend trading in a company's securities if the company received an adverse opinion from its CPA auditor.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-read-an-auditors-report.html

What Is Palm Sunday?

Christians observe Palm Sunday on the Sunday before Easter, celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The reason they call it Palm Sunday stems from the fact that when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, a large crowd of people in the city spread out palm branches on the ground before him as a sign of his kingship.

Throughout Jesus’ three-year ministry, he downplayed his role as Messiah and sometimes even told people whom he healed not to say anything about the miracle to others. Palm Sunday is the one exception in which his followers loudly proclaimed his glory to all.

Today, Christians often celebrate Palm Sunday in a joyous, triumphant manner during worship services, emphasizing the glory of Jesus Christ. Some churches spread palm branches at the front of the sanctuary as a way to commemorate the event. Some even take the time (often during church school) to walk a real-live donkey around town while waving palm fronds as their own "announcement" to the community about the coming of Jesus Christ.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-is-palm-sunday.html