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Ford's Comeback Lacks Momentum

General Motors Corp. is heading toward recovery. And Ford Motor Co. is expected to follow after. Though it is apparently exerting efforts, they still lack momentum to save the sputtering automaker.

Ford earlier announced its campaign involving zero-percent financing and $1,000 savings on range of brands. These strategies are aimed at increasing the February sales by 3.4 percent. But February sales turned out to be a frustration. But Mark Fields, the Ford Americas president, is still confident the automaker could still achieve its turnaround goals for the year.

The automaker received more bad marks on its latest internal report card. The report card was shared to ford?s employees following Fields' weekly Webcast. The report card reflects that the automaker?s February retail sales in the United States were worse than the company projected they would be a month ago.

The recovery plan require for the company to hold onto just over ten percent of the domestic retail market in February. Last month, it said that was improbable but it contended the company could hold the line at ten percent. Nevertheless, Ford only managed to claim a 9.8 percent share in February, missing the target by about 1,900 units.

The automaker blamed the results on weaker than expected sales of the Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle, Ford Mustang sports car and the F-series pickup. But with the new ad campaigns, executives are confident that sales will return to the right track. The ad campaign challenges consumers to compare Ford products to the product line of rival manufacturers.

Ford spokesman Oscar Suris said the numbers presented to employees only show part of the picture. This is not a comprehensive look at everything affecting the business, Suris said in an interview. There are other areas where we are ahead of schedule. Overall, we are where we expected to be at this point.

According to the report card, 39 percent of those surveyed said they had an excellent view of Ford. That's better than our domestic competitors, Suris said, though he said the company still has a ways to go before catching up with Japanese brands like Toyota. We don't want to stay there. The document also showed that financial weakness at many of Ford's suppliers continues to be a challenge.

During his webcast, Fields said improving brand favorability is a key objective of Ford's recovery plan. Fields also challenged employees to talk up the company's new products with everyone they know, saying word-of-mouth marketing can help change the way people look at Ford.

Ford is motivated to make a moving change this year to alleviate its standing. This change could be triggered by powerful campaigns, auto parts upgrade, and efficient work plan. The heat of the auto competition is getting hotter to test not just the performance of Gibson exhaust but the survival instinct of the automakers.

Jenny McLane is a 36 year old native of Iowa and has a knack for research on cars and anything and everything about it. She works full time as a Market Analyst for one of the leading car parts suppliers in the country today.

10 Big Mistakes Novice Real Estate Investors Make

Buying real estate is as popular as ever, and it seems pretty straightforward at first glace. With mortgage interest rates at all time lows and plenty of real estate to buy, many investors truly believe that they can do a bit of cosmetic work, accessorize a bit, and then put up the for rent or for sale sign. Unfortunately, it is not quite that easy and there are some common mistakes that can be avoided if one plans ahead and truly understands what he or she is getting into before investing.

Don't Fall In Love

The first rule of thumb when you are investing in real estate is that you cannot fall in love with any one property. When you are looking at real estate to buy for investment purposes you can't think like a homeowner, you must think like a business owner. Don't think about what you like about a home or a piece of real estate, think about how well it will sell or rent in the current market.

Not Exercising Due Diligence

When you invest in real estate you can't simply invest if the property looks good at face value. A very thorough inspection of the structure needs to be done as well as research on the local market. One must also look into the vacancy rates and average rents for homes or structures that are comparable. A diligent business owner will also look into how the neighborhood is zoned as well as any regulations that will apply to the rental property. You will also want to check into how many other rental properties are in the area and if they are comparable to the property you are looking at.

Forgetting the Rule about Time and Money

Many new investors forget that all home improvements are not as cheap and as straightforward and they hoped that they would be. The rule that most investor's use is that it will take twice as long and three times the money than you would think to ready a unit for rent or sale. Real estate isn't transformed over night, so one must plan accordingly. Failing to plan ahead for this can leave you in a real bind where you lose money because you don't have the resources to complete a project.

Believing You'll Secure the Lowest Mortgage Rates

Television can be very deceiving for those that are in the real estate investment business. The low mortgage rates are not offered for just anyone, they are for owner occupied homes, which are considered much less of a risk than a unit that is rented out. Homes that will not be owner occupied will experience mortgage rates that are 1.5 to 2% higher, which can make for a huge difference in monthly payments for the investor and his or her tenants. You also need to be aware of your credit, if you have terrible credit you won't have much luck getting a loan, but the better your credit is the better your rate will be.

Failing to Pre-Screen Tenants

Many new landlords are so anxious to get their new tenants moved in that they forget all about screening them to be sure that they have a relatively clean credit history, they are gainfully employed, and that they have a good rental history. While screening tenants can take a bit longer than you might like to wait, it's easier to get this done than to try to evict a tenant. It's always better to pre-screen than deal with the headaches later.

Breaking Your Own Rules

New investors often set business rules for themselves, and then occasionally they get a bit soft. If you have established rules about what day the rent is due, pet policies, waterbeds, or lawn care, stick with those rules. The minute you stop obeying your own rules you set your self up for disaster. If you stick to your rules and you refuse to break them no matter the situation, you will find that you are much more successful in a business sense.

Investing in Obscure Areas

Generally, it is not a good idea to invest in properties that you cannot visit regularly. Long distance real estate investments leave you out in the cold and you may have no idea what is going on in or around your property. It is a good rule of thumb to only invest in areas that you live.

Paying More than the Property Is Worth

New investors often do not do the proper research and end up paying more for a property than it is worth. When you are investing you have to think about yourself, even if that means that you have to low-ball the seller at first. Investing in real estate is all about getting the right price for you. You need to know that you can cover your mortgage and your expenses from a rental payment, so really consider what the local market will allow.

Failing to Look into the Competition

It's a good idea to look at the competition, especially if they are successful. Lower payments, exciting features, and more will often help fill rental units. Pay attention to what works in your area and duplicate it if possible.

Not Acquiring Enough Insurance

Being under insured is a common mistake of new real estate investors. You need to know that your insurance company will cover accidents on the property as well as damage due to fires or natural disasters.

As you can see, there are a lot of mistakes that you can make. Luckily, if you plan ahead and do not rush into real estate investment you can avoid a lot of these pitfalls, saving you a lot of time and money. Avoiding mistakes will help you become a much more successful real estate investor.

Andrew owns a website that offers useful guide on real estate business. Vist his website at: http://www.buy-and-sell-house-fast.com/ for more tips.

Basics That You Should Know About Prom Dresses

Fluffy, balloon-type, or layered long gowns coupled with hand gloves is included in the conventional prom dresses. Yet today, a line of formal, flair, elegantly designed long and short gowns are included in prom dresses. Styles like spaghetti strapped-styled, with plunging necklines, strapless, high-necked, cap- or short-sleeved, v-necked, square-necked, ornate, simple, and vintage can project the real you. There are those prom dresses which can truly convey your being sweet, sexy, innocent, seductive, frank, or your being straight-forward.

Prom Dresses Pointers

There are major points to consider. First, treat your prom dress with due importance. It?s the same with wedding gown where detail should be taken into considerations.

Whether tailor-made or you buy it from a mall, it is necessary to decide on your prom dress? fabric, shade, length, size, design, style, as well as the accessories and shoes to go along with it.

Everyone claims that size matters. The measurement for the waist, the bust and the hips must be given careful attention. Focus on every single detail of your prom dress.

Prom Dress Accessories

Christmas tree without decorations is just like a prom dress without accessories. It is dull-looking, bare, and displeasing to look at. But an over decorated prom dress seems to be distracting as well. Be moderate in every way from the jewelry to the hairstyle up to the hair accessories.

The jewelry must suit you and your prom dress. It must match the shape of your face, your skin tone, and the color of your prom dress. It?s best to settle for pearls as they can really look beautiful on almost anything.

Pearl cuff bracelets, pearl ring, pearl earrings, or diamond pendant in a necklace and diamond dangling earrings will surely stand out for spaghetti strapped prom dress style. The cap-or short-sleeved prom dress can be accented with some thin bracelets.

Same stone of earrings and bracelet in place of a wrist corsage is best for high-necked prom dress style. For a square-necked prom dress style, a beautiful necklace can go along with it. For v-shaped prom dresses, a set of pearl or diamond necklace and earrings will work. While for plunging prom dresses, keep your earrings simple and use a brooch on the neckline instead of a long necklace.

Prom Dress Hairstyle

One factor that will complement the design, accessories, and style of your prom dress is your hairstyle. Hairstyle can show off how beautiful your earrings and necklace are. Some simple hair accessories can also handle the fashion statement your project.

To become a real standout, you must consider the abovementioned pointers. This night is a once in a lifetime event so concert all your efforts as possible. Do your level best.

Have you checked this important prom dress guide? The one you should be reading before trying any prom dress. If not, dont be left out and most importantly save yourself from regret and embarassment. click here: http://UltimatePromdressSecrets.useful-tips.com/

Written by Jed Baguio
Original Location: Basics That You Should Know About Prom Dresses

Housing Bubble Cool Not Popped

Has the housing bubble finally burst? Or has it cooled down?

According to DataQuick Information Systems ?A total of 27,286 new and resale homes were sold in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties last month. That was up 10.3 percent from 24,748 for the month before, and down 11.7 percent from 30,886 for May a year ago.? Statistics like these may support that the real estate market?s bubble hasn?t necessarily popped, but has slowed down.

Other facts that DataQuick published, the move-up category of home sales, when homeowners literally move up from a 2 bedroom home to a 3 bedroom home, have slowed down. But the entry-level homes and mid-range home sales have not slowed down and those prices are still rising, but at a slower pace.

Foreclosures are showing a moderate increase in numbers which means this market could be easily tapped by home buyers and investors. There are a number of sites on the Internet which make it easy to access information on foreclosure properties, including PoliceAuctions.com , a site that allows it?s subscribing members to access over 2653 government auctions in its database which include residential and commercial properties. The site will also allow its members to access listings for thousands of foreclosure properties.

Trends culled from DataQuick support the idea that the real estate bubble hasn?t popped, but has cooled down. This cooling trend maybe more apparent in some areas, but otherwise the real estate market overall is still healthy.

How to completely rehab your home in 10 days!

Top 6 Significant Board Games

Descent, the board game, is not at all related to Descent the pc game. As a matter of fact this is an improved version of the Doom board game which belongs to Fantasy Flight Games' series of fantasy board games which include Lord of the Rings, War craft III, World of War craft and Rune bound.

In any case, we tried it and it felt like a merging between an MMO and a table top game - You have characters that kill hordes of monsters using brawn, magic and cunning. After playing the game for the first time, as we normally do we discuss the good and bad points of the game. This discussion led to the argument of which was the best board game ever.

Let me breakdown the list of what we came up with from the lowest to highest:

6. Psychologizer is like Fibs or Not only in the sense that the players are required to tell stories about their lives and it is up to the other players to try and psychoanalyze the others. This is a bit of a serious game but it is great for a small group who would like to get to know each other. I personally like this game because the first time I played it, I ended up being the girlfriend of one of the other players.

5. Junta is a fantastic game but results in the complete opposite effect of Psychologizer. The objective of the game is to be able to acquire complete power and wealth in a simulated banana republic. The problem lies in the fact that it is a no holds barred kind of game where in you can do anything to win the game - the more corrupt you are the higher the chances of you winning the game. I have personally seen friendships strained because of this game but as long as you are a good sport it is quite a lot of fun.

4. Chess is the oldest board game around whose original date cannot be fully deciphered as there are numerous variations of it in different cultures in ancient times. The variation that is being used now, however, dates back to the 15th century in Southern Europe. You may think that this is a corny choice but hey, this has been around for centuries, and its lasting power is definitely a testament to it being one of the best games in town.

3. Scrabble is a classic board game. Like Chess, Scrabble's enduring popularity is a testament to its success as a board game. It's not very active but it's intellectually stimulating.

2. Cranium is the one stop shop of board games that will definitely entertain a big group of friends. The categories include trivia, performance, language and the arts. The manner in which you answer the question as well requires a lot of innovation and ingenuity from the players. It is a fantastic game for a party and utilizes the multiple intelligence of each member of the team. I personally love the performance category.

1. Monopoly for me is the best board game. I have to say that I learned how to manage my finances because of Monopoly. It has also taught me how to be ambitious. And Most of all it is absolutely fun. Apart from these lessons it is absolutely fun. Oh how I love it when I own the Boardwalk and they just so happen to stop there. At least, the members of Ibeatyou.com agree with me as far as Monopoly being the best game is concerned.

Yes, I know that there are numerous board games out there that may be better than my list. I do not doubt it but these are the ones that are most significant to me. Why don't you give me your own lists?

Ceinwen Bennett was born in Los Angeles on September 21, 1980. She is a college dropout who decided to pursue her career in acting and theater. She initially entered an economics course in college but realized that her heart was not into it and immediately started auditioning for parts in plays, musicals, commercials and movies. She currently assists in children's dramatic workshops. She intends to eventually finish her studies and dreams of finishing it at the Julliard. She currently lives with her parents in Burbank, California. She shares all her thoughts and experiences in her personal blog

By Ceinwen Bennett