The Best Investors On The Planet Are US Senators

It's time to turn off Marketwatch.

The most successful investors on the planet aren't fund managers. They're not corporate insiders either. In fact, most people don't even know these guys invest at all. But their returns are truly spectacular.

Between 1993 and 1998, they outperformed the market by an average of 12%. Bear in mind, they didn't simply produce annual gains of 12% ... they beat the market by an average of 12%. In contrast, corporate insiders beat the market by 5%, while the typical US household trailed the market by 1.4%.

Who are these super investors?

US Senators.

Volumes have been written about the corruption and backdoor dealings of the US Congress. But as far as I know, only one study has ever focused on the Senate's stock picking abilities. And that study, performed by Alan Ziobrowski of Georgia State University, found that on average US Senators outperformed the market by an average of 12% from 1993-1998.

It's not difficult to see the reasoning here. Senators are privy to proposed tax legislation and other non-public information long before most investors. Figuring out which companies will benefit from this information isn't rocket science.

So what are Senators buying today?

I wish I could tell you. Last year's data hasn't been released yet. But the 2006 financial statements are available online at www.opensecrets.org. According to their documentation, the top ten stock holdings for US Senators in 2006 were:

Company # of Senators Who Own It

General Electric 21

Johnson & Johnson 20

Microsoft 16

Bank of America 15

Exxon Mobil 15

Proctor & Gamble 15

Pfizer 14

Home Depot 14

Intel 14

Pepsico 13

As you can see, more than one in three senators owned General Electric and Johnson & Johnson while one in four own Microsoft, Bank of America, Exxon Mobil, and Proctor & Gamble.

Looking at the size of these companies, it's tempting to say that Congress can't have much of an impact on their business. After all, even a $1 billion contract wouldn't add a tremendous amount to their revenues.

However, in the US the business/ politics relationship is rarely that obvious (Halliburton, of course being an exception). Instead, Congress tends to dish out its aid in the form of tax cuts and other backdoor dealings.

Consider the big oil companies, for example.

In February 2008, the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would remove $18 billion in tax breaks for big oil companies. On the face of it, the bill looked like the House was backing up their claims to crack down on big oil's profits.

That is, until you realize that the five largest US oil companies alone made over $123 billion last year... and one in ten members of the House own Exxon stock. Senate ownership for big oil is even higher.

Somehow I don't think this bill will make it past the Senate.

I mentioned last week that today investors have a once in a decade opportunity to load up on top quality blue chip businesses. Looking at the above table, it's clear US Senators-guys who outperform the market regularly- agree with me. I highly suggest buying now if you haven't already done so.

reference:ezinearticles.com

5 Star Hotel - What Does It Mean?

You can't travel very far without encountering some type of ratings for hotels and inns. But, since many establishments use different sets of guidelines, it's a challenge to know exactly how to compare hotels.

The star rating system was originally created in the USA by Mobil Travel Guides (often confused with AAA diamond ratings). It’s a very subjective way of measuring hotel quality. To understand it best, just look at it in a very general way with these guidelines:

• 1 star: Very basic, no-frills accommodation
• 2 star: Modest, comfortable, affordable
• 3 star: Nice styling, extra amenities
• 4 star: very nice lodging, many extras, very comfortable
• 5 star: A luxury hotel with everything

In many countries around the world, a 5 star hotel is a very luxurious hotel. Amenities could include room service, ballroom(s), pool, sauna, fitness center, spa, valet service, concierge, tour desk, restaurants, bar, and lots more.

For Europe: Quality will vary from country-to-country. Ratings are usually provided by an agency of some sort, and often ignore any ambience or charm the hotel may have.

There is no way to rate a 5 star hotel in New York or San Francisco as being exactly equal to one in London or Paris. European standards are different, with prices generally higher in most, but not all countries. Remember, you can always ask to see the room first, and decide for yourself if it lives up to its star rating!

reference:ezinearticles.com

I Want to Start a Mobile Oil Change Business

In the United States of America there are over 250 million cars and it makes sense if you want to start the business of your own that you would pick a business that has something to do with automobiles. But what kind of business can you get into where there is not too much competition in your town already?

You know, one business you might consider is a mobile oil change business, where you go to the customer’s home or office and change the oil in their personal car or the fleet of vehicles. Changing the oil on an automobile is not very difficult and as long as you are careful in the way you do it you will not even make a mass. To start a mobile oil change business you will need a pickup truck, van or small trailer to put the mobile oil change equipment on to.

Mobile oil change equipment generally cost just under $10,000 for a complete set up. Marketing of the Mobil oil change business is not very difficult because everyone knows they must change the oil in their cars every 3000 to 8000 miles. Many manufacturers and automakers require this in their manual and if you do not change the oil in the proper interval you will void the warranty.

There are certainly a lot of choices in the automobile industry for businesses to start, but mobile oil changing is one that is often overlooked, but extremely simple and easy to start. Perhaps you'll do a little searching on the Internet and see if it is right for you. Consider this in 2006.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Small Cap Stocks

Small cap stocks have been described as the 'best profit opportunity of our lifetime',
far out performing any other asset class by a huge margin.

But there is also a huge caveat here (Isn't there always?). All small caps are not alike.

While it is true that small cap stocks have outperformed their larger cap brethren to
the upside (occasionally, even during bear markets) they have also outperformed to the
downside. Even to the point of extinction!

Is there a way to increase the odds of success in taking advantage of the huge profit
potential present in the small cap stocks arena? I believe that there is.

But first, let's define our terms:

Small cap stocks are defined as the smallest 30% of market capitalization stocks traded
on the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ exchanges.

Small cap value stocks are defined as the top 30% of stocks with the highest book
to price ratios (within the small cap grouping) traded on the NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ
exchanges.

Why are small companies able to grow faster than larger companies?

Witness the Law of Diminishing Returns at work! It is possible for an enterprise
to reach a point that further capital investment yields less and less return on that
investment.

Can you visualize a company the size of an Exxon Mobil (XOM), for instance, with its
huge ($369 billion???) market capitalization growing its earnings at a 50% or higher rate
of growth per year?

A company like an Exxon would be doing well to achieve and maintain a 10% rate of growth,
yet many smaller companies can grow their earnings at a 50% or higher annual rate. Picture
a WWII PT boat running circles around a battleship!

There was a time, in past history, when the company that has evolved into the Exxon Mobil
of today did grow at a much faster rate but those days are long gone.

As Rupert Murdoch says, "The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore.
It will be the fast beating the slow."

To increase the odds for success in the investor's favor, limiting selection of small cap
stocks to the value category only, the investor is assured of not over paying in
price.

To further increase the odds for success, the investor can introduce a 'timing' element
into the strategy, through 'technical analysis', by the utilization of 'moving averages'.

For example, if a stock is trading above its 40 day moving average (40ma), and the 40ma is
above its 80 day moving average (80ma), the stock is in a rising trend which, clearly, is
always the best time to be buying stocks, is it not?

Finally, one must not ignore the risk vs. reward factor through proper trade management.

Determine in advance, before entry, under what conditions the trade will be 'kicked out'.

Through the judicious use of stop-loss orders, say 15% or 20% below entry, and/or if the
40ma crosses below the 80ma, whichever occurs first, would be a good rule to follow.

Risk can also, initially, be 'fixed' in place through the purchase of a put option, for
protective purposes, in combination with the purchase of stock.

Rather than purchasing the stock itself, purchasing a call option as a substitute for the
stock, introduces 'leverage' into the strategy along with the limitation of risk.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Small Business Non-Fiction Book Writing - The Title Matters if You Want to Sell Books

There are many non-fiction writers and authors out there trying to sell books; either self-published print books or the far more common eBook. One of the best categories for success is "How To" books and the of the second best categories is books on the subject of Small Business. Many authors find that when they combine these two categories together they can actually make money writing and selling books.

Of course, any veteran publisher, editor, or book seller will tell you that people really do judge a book by its cover and by its title. So, if you are considering writing Small Business "How To" books then you need to also practice writing catchy titles, and it is a little harder than you might think. It takes practice. Below are titles of books that I came up with while I was practicing. Read through them and see if you can think of better titles;

1. Adventures in Advertising for Advanced Entrepreneurs - Alternative Marketing, Promotion and Advertising to Advance Your Profits on a Budget

2. Business Ethics for Entrepreneurs - Secrets to Slamming the Competition, Making Excess Profits and Maintaining Your Ethical Responsibility

3. Bonsai in Blitz Marketing for Small Business - Never Trust Your Marketing to a Guerrilla - Learn the Secret Strategies of a Serial Entrepreneur

4. Direct-Mail Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs - Customizing your Marketing Mailings to Increase Profits and Retain New Customers

5. Online Internet Web Site Marketing Strategies - Market and Develop a Professional and Profitable Website on a Reasonable Budget

6. Small-Business Image and Presentation - Image is Everything, Discover All There is to Know About Your New Positive Business Image

7. Small-Business Networking Strategies - Your Success Hinges on Your Community Contacts - Learn the Secrets to Winning the Game

8. Starting a Boat Cleaning Business - Everything You Know to Become a Nautical Entrepreneur

9. Marketing a Boat Cleaning Company - Promoting, Public Relations and PR Strategies for a Profitable and Successful Business

10. Starting a Mobile Auto Detailing Business - Start-up Strategies for a Successful Car Detailing Company

11. Starting a Mobile Car Wash Business - Learn the Secrets of The Car Wash Guy with Over 30-years in the Industry

12. Marketing a Mobile Car Wash Company - Promoting, Public Relations and PR Strategies for a Profitable and Successful Business

13. Starting a Mobil Oil Change Business - Discover Secrets for a Successful Start-up, Equipment, Finances, Alliances, Vendors and Strategies

14. Starting a Mobil Truck Wash Business - Start-up Strategies to Get Your Company Rolling

15. Starting Your Own Detail Shop - Understanding the Strategies for a Successful Start-up with a Fixed Site Auto Detailing Company

16. How to Market a Coffee Shop - Competing With the Corporate Brands on a Shoestring Marketing Budget

17. Starting an Aircraft Cleaning Service - Just Plane Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Start-up to Take Off

18. Marketing Strategies for Car Washes - Tips and Tactics to Increase Profits and Keep Customers

Just because you can write a great how to book on a business topic, does not mean the book will sell. There are many self-publishers who have their garages full of books that they had printed with no-one willing to pay for them. Sometimes that title makes all the difference in the World. Think on it.

refrence:ezinearticles.com

Denver's Three Top Rated Hotels; The Monaco, The Brown Palace, and Loews

No matter where you want to stay in this great city, Denver hotels are there. Downtown Denver hotels are being built at a furious pace to host visitors to the lovely Convention Center. The majority of Denver hotels are clustered in the Downtown, Cherry Creek, and Tech Center areas.

The Monaco Hotel is a good choice for people who like staying in unique properties. The Hotel Monaco is a stylish hotel. This hotel is really lovely and we found the staff to be GREAT. They had a jack-of-all-trades employee to park your car, deliver your bags, and even make wonderful paninis for us within a half hour. Yes, the staff is young and "hip," but we found them to be very helpful and courteous.

As far as amenities in your room, they have aveda bath products, Starbucks coffee for the in-room coffee maker, complimentary wireless and high speed internet access, and a basket of convenient items for purchase that you may have forgotten: nail polish, sun screen, tweezers and much more.

The Brown Palace Hotel has set the standard for downtown Denver hotels for more than a century. The Brown Palace has long stood as the pride of downtown Denver hotels, embraced by the city as its own. This hotel is a AAA four-diamond and Mobil four-star service hotel. The Brown Palace Hotel is located at 321 17th Street Denver, Colorado 80202 (303) 297-3111. The Hotel is a Gilded Age landmark and a point of special pride for Denver residents. The Brown Palace has been operating since 1892 with a unique triangular shape to catch the Colorado sun. The Brown Palace is the pride of downtown Denver. The Hotel is a historical landmark in the town of Denver. Ever since Ike, Churchill, and other esteemed people have slept here the Brown Palace has been attracting the cities most prominent elite.

Denver's Mobil Four-Star and AAA Four-Diamond hotel, The Brown Palace is a national treasure. Experience the peak of high-end luxury from our select location in the heart of the Mile High City.

Another charming and upscale Hotel is the Loews at 41500 East Mississippi Avenue, 303-782-9300. All the rooms have minibars, high end phone with voice mail and speaker. There is modem access with dataports and high speed internet. They feature on command movies, a hairdryer, bathrobe, iron and ironing board, a safe and coffeemaker. They have a business center and butler and a well equipped gym. They even have pet sitting and walking services. It also is a four diamond hotel.

All three of these hotels are conveniently located in downtown Denver with easy access to the famed cities restaurants, spas, and boutiques, even skiing. You really couldn't go wrong with any of these fine hotels. So if you are visiting Denver Colorado check these places out, you'll be glad you did.

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Gas Prices Expose Rampant Capitalism

The outrageous payout to retiring Exxon-Mobil CEO Lee Raymond of 400 million dollars along with increasing gas prices points to the insanity of out-of-control capitalism.

Mr. Raymond will walk away with the staggering sum because he has led the company to, well, staggering profits. Exxon-Mobil reportedly took in about 36 billion dollars in profits the previous year. Thus, Ol' Ray "deserves" the payola.

Of course, in "real life," such a staggering amount of profit can only come by greed, deceit, and price-gouging. This has become the way for modern-day capitalism in America. The average American making his $50,000 or so a year can in no way relate to the outlandish sums of money being discussed. He is nothing more than a target for destruction. Be it at the job or at the pump, "Joe Sixpack" has become a meaningless fool paying for the outlandish luxury of the few.

There is now talk of cracking down on insane profits by oil companies. Anything is better than nothing. Taking at least some of that profit and re-distributing it back to lower prices is at least a start in the right direction. Let us not be fooled, though. Gas prices will stay high perhaps for good. America has sucked up so much oil over the years and can't get enough of gas-guzzling SUVs that it is time to pay the piper. Other nations like China and India are slowly becoming world powers and the need for energy follows such a pursuit. Thus, more and more people are looking for oil. More demand will mean higher prices-particularly if the same amount of oil is being found.

It is now pretty obvious when people are "left to their own devices," bad things often follow. Rampant capitalism is destroying America. Yes, it has done many good things. But that was also when there were checks and balances on that system along with a pride in being American. Now it is all about "screwing your fellow man;" not exactly religious in tone.

For those who "pray" to capitalism and look at 400 million dollar payouts as a good thing, remember this: Many of these alleged capitalists walking away with this kind of money are anything but capitalists. They are opportunists. When things are going well for them they speak of competition and the beauty of a capitalist system. However, when things go bad, like the airline industry, watch these same people suddenly become socialists looking for massive government handouts. Talk about a scam.

The "America Way" was built on a capitalist system with compassion for its workers and people. Now we have a sort of "Frankenstein capitalism" where India and China are viewed as alternatives to the American worker. When it is never enough, only bad things can happen.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Regular Automotive Oil in Motorcycles?

There is a lot of confusion about oil in motorcycles. Specially marketed "motorcycle oil" is a lot more expensive than oil sold for cars, but is it really safe to run car oil? Yes, just make sure it meets SG, SH, SJ, or SL service requirements. Generally, you are better off with a heavy-duty oil for motorcycles, such as 15w40, below is a list of oils known to work well in motorcycles:

1. Chevron Delo 400 15w40

2. Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15w40

3. Pennzoil Long-Life 15w40

4. Quaker State 4X4 Synthetic Blend 15w40

5. Shell Rotella-T 15w40 (my personal favorite)

6. SuperTech 2000 (WalMart) 15w40

7. Valvoline All Fleet 15w40

8. Castrol Syntec Blend Truck and 4X4 15w40

A really good choice HAS always been Mobil One 15w50, but recently they changed their formula from TriSynthetic to SuperSyn, which has additional friction modifiers, which may make it no longer a good choice for bikes. This is still up in the air, with people having mixed results, but I say, why risk it, try one of the other ones above!

Now, this may seem sketchy to you, and you're thinking, yea it may work, but will my bike die in a year? In the June 1996 Issue of Sport Rider Magazine, there was a report called, "100,000 mile Honda CBR900RR." The owner used regular Castrol GTX car oil, 20W50 in the summer, 10W40 in the winter, changed his oil every 4000 miles, only changed the oil filter EVERY OTHER time. When this bike had 100,000 miles on it, they dyno'd it up against an identical bike with only 6,722 miles on it, and the horsepower and torque curves were virtually identical! The magazine later did a follow up, with the same CBR at 200,000 miles and going strong, so as you can see, the oil had no affect on his bike.

So, you may wonder, "Why then, is motorcycle sooo much more money, if its the same stuff?"

Well, because they sell motorcycle oil in smaller quantities, more packaging, smaller orders, less sales, more cost per quart. Just recently, some of the major oil companies have caught on to this, and have started selling their own motorcycle oils in auto parts stores and even places like Wal Mart, and they are MUCH closer to the price of regular car oil, because once again, they are the massive companies, they move a lot more oil, and have less cost per quart. So, when you buy the really expensive motorcycle oil for your bike, what you are paying for, is not better oil, you're just paying for that companies costs. Get it? Good. Save your money for better things, like new parts!

reference:ezinearticles.com

The Oil Mongers are Raking It In

At this point in time in America, is there anything that will shock us, or are we a downtrodden people who don’t believe we can do anything about our problems? The American public, 300 million strong, must stand up and denounce the oil companies, which last year pulled in record profits from our pockets.

This is very telling, very corrupt, very unfair to the consumer, and very bad for the
economy. Or, should I say to the 99% of Americans who can’t afford anything
anymore. It was announced that in 2005, Wal-Mart was finally dethroned as the #1
moneymaker in the Fortune 500; Wal-Mart, the low-priced store that the 1% of the
people who control America’s money wouldn’t dare be seen inside.

Who was the number one moneymaker in 2005? Exxon-Mobil. Everyone keeps
asking why gas prices are not coming down. We hear every excuse imaginable, but
the fact of the matter is Exxon-Mobil raked in (I won’t say earned) $340 billion last
year (34 billion in profit). Now, and I must ask, as all Americans should: If oil prices have gone through
the roof, and continue to keep soaring, how did Exxon-Mobil raise their net intake
25.5% from 2004? If they had stabilized their prices in this time when people are
forced to choose between gasoline and basic necessities, and were content to keep
their 2004 status quo, then the prices we pay at the pump would be 25.5% less than
they are now.

The average gallon of gasoline is approximately $2.40 (after a huge jump the last
two weeks). Subtracting that 25.5% extra profit Exxon-Mobil made over 2004,
something they should have done to help America, our gas prices would average
$1.78 a gallon. Still too high, but much more manageable for the American family
and taxpayer.

We can’t just blame Exxon-Mobil; there are many oil companies that are gouging
the American people, ruining its economy, thus weakening our country, creating
crime and death, hunger, pain, and suffering. ChevronTexaco had an increase of
28% over 2004 making them the #4 company on the Fortune 500 list. If they cared
about the effect they had on our country and continued to enjoy the same profits as
in 2004, the price at their pumps (again based on $2.40 gallon) would be $1.72 a
gallon. The #6 company on the list this year is ConocoPhillip, which saw their
revenues skyrocket to an incredible 37% in 2005. Again, using the same formula as
above, their price would be reduced to $1.51. Compare these increases to other
Fortune 500 companies this year: Wal-Mart had a 9.5% increase, down from its
usual high teens increase in sales; GM’s revenues decreased ½%, while Ford rose
less than 3%; GE rose 3% while IBM dropped 5.4%. The airline, motor vehicles, and
building materials industry all lost money last year. Housing prices, which saw
record growth, has finally come to a halt and house prices are now slipping as
house taxes for each city and town are rising to pay for its multiple fuel needs.

One must realize that the way oil goes so does our economy. With prices of gas so
high, it affects every form of business, small and big. Many small businesses have
been put out of business because they can’t afford to do business any longer.
Airlines are dropping by the wayside, or driving up prices, or consolidating flights to
the inconvenience of the potential customers they rely on so as to stay in business.
From retail stores to restaurants (many going out of business) to tourism to
supermarkets, etc. etc. etc. prices have skyrocketed so these industries can pay
their suppliers the extra money they are being charged, and so forth and so forth,
down the line.

In this time of national crisis, the oil companies should take the lead and help end
this destructive pattern of greed before inflation spirals into another recession.
Fifteen straight increases in the Fed speaks volumes. George Bush and Dick Cheney
should regulate the oil companies, do something to rein in their price gouging. Why
isn’t this administration doing anything when they can do something about it? Why
is this failing administration avoiding this economic free-for-all for the rich, while
the middle class joins the lower class? Lest we forget: Bush and Cheney and so many
of their friends and politicos are in the oil business.

This is just more irrefutable proof that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Is this freedom? It sounds more like an executive branch of government, which has
expanded its powers for personal gain and revenge.

There is only one way out and that it to speak as one voice. Whether it be censure or
impeachment, or calling your congress people and demanding that something be
done, or voting for a just America at the polls in November, we still own this
country. If we do nothing, then we are allowing the money mongers to take control,
abuse us, and rake in whatever money we still have to our names.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Building a Business Plan Pro Forma for a Mobil Oil Change Business

It is wise to set the business plan no matter what type of business you are starting. If you buy a business plan book sometimes it is hard to find a sample business plan of a business which is similar in nature to the one you wish to start. For instance let's say you wish to run a Mobil oil change business; the chance of you finding a business plan sample that is similar will be difficult.

So then how do you build your business plan pro forma if you're going to start a Mobil oil change business and you want to put in the financials or the estimates? Here are some thought on that subject:

Most of this depends on the type of customer base. For instance most of our business is "Fleet Business" and while other competing companies generally do some fleets and some personal cars. As far as labor goes that is a major consideration for a business plan pro forma and here's some advice and thoughts on the subject:

Jiffy Lube has technicians and pays them about $8.00 per hour, Wal-Mart even less to start. A mobile service might need one or two technician helpers and one main truck manager Technician at $15.00 per hour. For fleet work, because you need more people to do a line of 10-50 trucks, buses or work vehicles.

Personal cars are tough, but corporate on-site oil changes for employees is popular, once per month in the corner of the lot, this is best done with two people, One clean cut and another worker. Wages vary by city - assume $10.00 per hour for one and $8.00 for the other, with some bonus incentives. Labor is tight and some areas that will not fly and the pay scale will go up accordingly.

Realize there is a shortage of Auto Techs in the US currently and it is about 145,000 and growing. The main truck manager will need a percentage share of the gross take if you are to keep him, otherwise someone will hire him away - sometimes customers try? Ouch.

For your Business Plan Pro Forma - Hard Costs include $3.00 filter, $4.00 oil for cars. For trucks it varies filters oil and fuel can run $30.00 sometimes, Oil $15.00. Then there are all the various size vehicles, LLVs (USPS), police cars, Bread Trucks, Street Sweepers, Buses, dump trucks, garbage trucks, 18-wheelers, Isuzu box trucks, etc. It all varies and depends on your account line up. I sincerely hope this helps you in designing your business plan.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Why Are Most Professors Liberal?-A Point of View

Professors by and large have reached high academic positions living in a world of books.
Most, almost certainly, have little or no experience with directly creating wealth.

The typical business start-up requires a capital investment, rent or purchase of a facility, and the hiring of at least several employees, just to get underway.

A successful businessman must have the leadership skills to command respect from his employees. To gain that respect, he must have the business savvy of his particular business and know how to use leadership skills that will result in productivity from his employees.

In businesses where grunt work is dominant, he often must set the example doing most of the grunt work, to keep some employees from believing the boss "can not do without them". Even after all this, the typical businessman has a very small margin for error.

In the case of professors, their goals are in the academic world. They support the forces that will give them their highest standard of living, once they become professors. Many professors enjoy six figure salaries.

It is hard to imagine most professors having the leadership skills to start a business from scratch and show the leadership skills necessary for success, to say nothing of first putting up the capital. They likely resent this, causing them to turn against business and generally against the great success of our capitalist system.

Of course, it's that very system that provides their comfortable lifestyle.

Democrats, are the party of higher government spending. The more the government takes from taxpayers, the bigger the pie for professors to go after. Professors are registered Democrats by a very wide margin, they support most of the liberal Democratic agenda.

A major part of that agenda, is to vilify business, especially using the term big business and to attack companies like Exxon Mobil. The dialogue gets twisted further, suggesting that such businesses somehow are recipients from taxpayers. In reality these companies are large contributors to taxpayers.

A blog recently reported that Mobil, in the third quarter of 2006 paid, income taxes of $7.68 billion, excise taxes of $7.76 billion, all other taxes of $10.79 billion, a total of over $26 billion, for just one quarter

If this is accurate, would this diminish the endless class warfare of the Left?

Liberal dialogue constantly suggests, and many people might believe, that subsidies and credits actually give payments to these businesses. They do not. What they actually do, is reduce the final payment. Mobil still forks over many billions in profitable years.

How else would the federal government alone, have wound up with over $300 billion dollars in tax payments from these companies, over each of the last two years?

Finally, this is not about whether or not professors make a serious contribution to the nation, nor is there any suggestion that their salaries should be higher or lower. The U.S. is considered to have the finest university system in the world. There certainly are many fine professors, no matter what their politics.

It is about the fact that the role of wealth creation and the positive contribution of business in America is not only downplayed on most campuses, it is vilified, indeed even badly distorted.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Why Are Most Professors Liberal?-A Point of View

Professors by and large have reached high academic positions living in a world of books.
Most, almost certainly, have little or no experience with directly creating wealth.

The typical business start-up requires a capital investment, rent or purchase of a facility, and the hiring of at least several employees, just to get underway.

A successful businessman must have the leadership skills to command respect from his employees. To gain that respect, he must have the business savvy of his particular business and know how to use leadership skills that will result in productivity from his employees.

In businesses where grunt work is dominant, he often must set the example doing most of the grunt work, to keep some employees from believing the boss "can not do without them". Even after all this, the typical businessman has a very small margin for error.

In the case of professors, their goals are in the academic world. They support the forces that will give them their highest standard of living, once they become professors. Many professors enjoy six figure salaries.

It is hard to imagine most professors having the leadership skills to start a business from scratch and show the leadership skills necessary for success, to say nothing of first putting up the capital. They likely resent this, causing them to turn against business and generally against the great success of our capitalist system.

Of course, it's that very system that provides their comfortable lifestyle.

Democrats, are the party of higher government spending. The more the government takes from taxpayers, the bigger the pie for professors to go after. Professors are registered Democrats by a very wide margin, they support most of the liberal Democratic agenda.

A major part of that agenda, is to vilify business, especially using the term big business and to attack companies like Exxon Mobil. The dialogue gets twisted further, suggesting that such businesses somehow are recipients from taxpayers. In reality these companies are large contributors to taxpayers.

A blog recently reported that Mobil, in the third quarter of 2006 paid, income taxes of $7.68 billion, excise taxes of $7.76 billion, all other taxes of $10.79 billion, a total of over $26 billion, for just one quarter

If this is accurate, would this diminish the endless class warfare of the Left?

Liberal dialogue constantly suggests, and many people might believe, that subsidies and credits actually give payments to these businesses. They do not. What they actually do, is reduce the final payment. Mobil still forks over many billions in profitable years.

How else would the federal government alone, have wound up with over $300 billion dollars in tax payments from these companies, over each of the last two years?

Finally, this is not about whether or not professors make a serious contribution to the nation, nor is there any suggestion that their salaries should be higher or lower. The U.S. is considered to have the finest university system in the world. There certainly are many fine professors, no matter what their politics.

It is about the fact that the role of wealth creation and the positive contribution of business in America is not only downplayed on most campuses, it is vilified, indeed even badly distorted.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Why Are Most Professors Liberal?-A Point of View

Professors by and large have reached high academic positions living in a world of books.
Most, almost certainly, have little or no experience with directly creating wealth.

The typical business start-up requires a capital investment, rent or purchase of a facility, and the hiring of at least several employees, just to get underway.

A successful businessman must have the leadership skills to command respect from his employees. To gain that respect, he must have the business savvy of his particular business and know how to use leadership skills that will result in productivity from his employees.

In businesses where grunt work is dominant, he often must set the example doing most of the grunt work, to keep some employees from believing the boss "can not do without them". Even after all this, the typical businessman has a very small margin for error.

In the case of professors, their goals are in the academic world. They support the forces that will give them their highest standard of living, once they become professors. Many professors enjoy six figure salaries.

It is hard to imagine most professors having the leadership skills to start a business from scratch and show the leadership skills necessary for success, to say nothing of first putting up the capital. They likely resent this, causing them to turn against business and generally against the great success of our capitalist system.

Of course, it's that very system that provides their comfortable lifestyle.

Democrats, are the party of higher government spending. The more the government takes from taxpayers, the bigger the pie for professors to go after. Professors are registered Democrats by a very wide margin, they support most of the liberal Democratic agenda.

A major part of that agenda, is to vilify business, especially using the term big business and to attack companies like Exxon Mobil. The dialogue gets twisted further, suggesting that such businesses somehow are recipients from taxpayers. In reality these companies are large contributors to taxpayers.

A blog recently reported that Mobil, in the third quarter of 2006 paid, income taxes of $7.68 billion, excise taxes of $7.76 billion, all other taxes of $10.79 billion, a total of over $26 billion, for just one quarter

If this is accurate, would this diminish the endless class warfare of the Left?

Liberal dialogue constantly suggests, and many people might believe, that subsidies and credits actually give payments to these businesses. They do not. What they actually do, is reduce the final payment. Mobil still forks over many billions in profitable years.

How else would the federal government alone, have wound up with over $300 billion dollars in tax payments from these companies, over each of the last two years?

Finally, this is not about whether or not professors make a serious contribution to the nation, nor is there any suggestion that their salaries should be higher or lower. The U.S. is considered to have the finest university system in the world. There certainly are many fine professors, no matter what their politics.

It is about the fact that the role of wealth creation and the positive contribution of business in America is not only downplayed on most campuses, it is vilified, indeed even badly distorted.

reference:ezinearticles.com

A Review Of the Mobile Real Estate Investment Group

If you are looking for some type of Investment Company there are plenty of places that you can look. They are all different and each one offers different benefits to its customers, finding the right one for you may be difficult. Mobile Real Estate Investment Group is completely and totally different of any other type of investment group you may have encountered in the past.

They offer seriously goal oriented services that will always be up to par. Investments such as Mobile Real Estate Investment Group has a very personal website that makes you feel like a friend. By taking your investments and moving them to invest with a company like this you are giving yourself more money in the future.

Who They Are

In visiting the site of Mobile Real Estate Investment Group it gives a lot of information about who they are and where they come from. Unlike many other companies in this industry they are a Non-Profit organization that was started in Mobile, AL. They started their company in 2005 and have a very steady customer based company.

They actually meet with each customer and discuss real estate opportunities around the area. Most of the members are involved with real estate in one way or another whether it's buying or selling. Although Investing in a company can be extremely risky this company offers sincere honesty and stands by their morals. The company is a strong willed based industry that wants to be committed to you.

What They Do

Mobile Real Estate Investment Group is providing you with the best investment opportunity available. If you are interested in making some extra money and learning more about the business or real estate this is the right place for you. Unlike many other companies in this industry they offer their customers a lot of information and services. They have many different plans and options to choose from. They offer experience from many different professionals in the field and other related fields as well. You are getting quality information straight from those who know best.

How You Make Money

Mobile Real Estate Investment Group allows you to deposit some of your money and make more money in the long run. You will be signing up for the company and watching your money grow. You will set up an account and receive log in information; and in no time be making money. All members have many more benefits than other users. Mobile Real Estate Investment Group has different interest rates from 30yr to even 1yr. The interest rates vary from 5.14% to 6.13%. Mobil Real Estate Investment Group offers 24/7 member support, they are very good and personable to their members.

What We've Heard

Mobil Real Estate Investment Groupe has a good amount of information on their website. Although they don't have much information about plans they offer they seem honest and fair. Mobil Real Estate Investment Group offers many different pages about what they can give you and how they can help you succeed. They have different information from qualified professionals and each one is willing and waiting to help you.

Although there are always risks involved when investing your money, especially with companies you don't know a lot about. There seem to be quite a few people involved with this program and they seem to be very close to their clients. This is a program you need to see for yourself.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Using Long Term Perspective to Drive Everyday Actions

As business leaders I think we all believe that we could generate amazing financial outcomes if we could simply get everyone to work together on the right things. In other words, what if everyone asked themselves continuously: "What can I do today to help the company achieve its long term goals?" This idea is supported by an important study in the field of human achievement. The noted sociologist Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard University performed a long-term study to determine how and why some people become financially independent when others don't. He discovered that the greatest determinant of a person's success was not demographics, education, or other variables; rather it was their ability to apply long term perspective to daily decisions.

Individual Focus

On an individual level, being the best at something, or even one of the best, takes a tremendous amount of time and effort. With only 24 hours in a day, to achieve greatness we invariably have to make important daily choices about what to do and what not to do. Take Lance Armstrong, arguably the best cyclist of all time. He was the US National Sprint Triathlon Champion in 1989 and 1990, but in the 1990s he gave up triathlons to focus on cycling. Then in 1998 he dedicated himself exclusively to the greatest cycling competition of all, the Tour de France. From then on he competed in only a handful of shorter races each year and, although he won a number of them, his purpose was not to win. It was to prepare himself so that he could dominate the Tour de France, which he did for the next seven years. Lance made choices each and every day about what to eat, how to train, and what races to enter on the basis of how well they supported his goal of winning that year's Tour de France.

Collective Focus

It's the same in business where optimal allocation of scarce resources is the name of the game. Granted, the challenge is bigger given the more complex environment and larger numbers of people, but it can be done. Consider the achievement of Mobil Oil's U.S. Refining and Distribution Division. In 1992 the company was last among its peers in sales growth and profitability. Yet less than three years later it had remade itself and moved into the number one spot. How? Mobil's leadership team kept the entire workforce focused on the company's long term goals and the path to achieving them.

Here's what they did. Faced with a higher cost of crude oil supplies, Mobil was unable to compete on price. So they crafted a strategy to attract drivers who were willing to pay a few more pennies at the pump in return for fast service and clean, well-stocked convenience stores. It was a smart strategy. But many smart strategies go nowhere. What made this one exceptional is that it was fully implemented. Mobil communicated the financial vision and strategy to everyone in the company so that each employee knew how their job supported it. Then they involved everyone in reviewing progress against the strategy and they rewarded everyone for reaching strategic milestones. In short, Mobil made strategy (i.e. long term perspective) part of everyone's job.

Just Do It

According to the Palladium Group, "85% of executive teams spend less than one hour per month discussing strategy," and "only 5% of the workforce understands the strategy." If that's the case, then how can our managers lead strategy execution and how can our workers contribute? As leaders we clearly owe it to ourselves, our workforce, our customers, and our shareholders to be different. Let's resolve to make long term perspective the guiding force in our everyday lives.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Comrade Hillary Warns Exxon Mobil

Hillary Clinton wasted little time telling the nation how she feels about profits, especially when those profits come from a favorite target of the left-Exxon Mobil.

Last week, Mobil announced it had earned $39.5 billion in 2006 making it the most profitable company in U.S. history.

There is probably much resentment among even clear thinking people when they hear this number all by itself.

If, however, many of those same people heard the full story including the hundreds of billions in taxes paid by the company, how much those taxes have to do with higher prices at the pump, the years when there was little or no profit for energy companies, the squeeze unnecessarily put on by the tree-huggers, adding further to higher prices and more dependency on foreign sources, it might lessen the resentment.

Taking this scenario in a different direction, are the benefits in hundreds of billions of dollars received by federal, state and local governments, from Mobil; the number of houses built, cars purchased and all goods consumed by Mobil's 83,700 employees, along with another huge sum of taxes paid by these
employees to all levels of government, again likely in the billions.

What we have is simply the capitalistic system at work. This, of course is not the way Hillary and those on the Left see it.

For those who want to accentuate the negative-most Leftist thinking is about finding negatives-there is the higher price at the pump and a suggestion of gouging.

For 20 years or so, congress and the Federal Energy Commission (FEC) have held many hearings with absolutely no findings of gouging.

We all dislike paying the higher pump price, but remember about 6 years ago we were paying as little as $.99 a gallon because worldwide demand was much less than it is now.

Prices were 2 to 3 times higher than ours in many countries then and they are still much higher now. On a comparative basis, pump prices have always been a bargain in the U.S.

What Is A Reasonable Return On Capital

Rayola Dougher, of the American Petroleum Institute, said "oil companies' earnings per dollar of sales are below, or in line with, those of other industries. Exxon Mobil made about 9.8 cents on every dollar of sales in 2005. In comparison, McDonald's Corp. earned 13.8 cents and Coca-Cola Co. earned 21.2 cents on every dollar of sales.

Oil companies charge consumers based on commodity prices set on international markets," Dougher said.

But last week, knowing what red meat she had for her audience-the Democratic National Committee-Hillary said:

"I want to take those profits and put them into an alternative energy fund that will begin to fund alternative smart energy alternatives that will actually begin to move us toward the direction of independence."

Notice Hillary did not say, take some of those profits. She seemed to have fire in her eyes at the thought of the government winding up with all those billions for some socialist program.

Recall, she wasted no time in going after 14% of the economy, soon after Bill Clinton’s election, attempting to nationalize health care.

Now, it seems, she has a great cause for stirring up the socialistic, profit hating, ACLU, Blame America/Hate America, U.N. loving, George Soros loving, Jihad Jane loving, crowd.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Samsung D500 Best Samsung Mobile Phone in Market

Samsung has produced some really good mobile phons in the recent times which helped in building its reputation amongst its clients. Let us try to look at Samsung D500 from the Samsung factory. It has been quite some time since it was launched in the market (in 2005). And surely, it has managed to gather the accolades of the consumers.

Samsung D500 is one of the few all time favourites of Samsung phones that are popular with the consumers till now. This device works on Tri-Band GSM network that makes it work in all over Europe, Asia and in some parts of America. So you can take it along in your far away trips. There are times when you urgently need to browse the Internet or check your e-mails but in dearth of a computer it seems impossible. Samsung D500 is one of those models that carries a WAP 2.0 browser which enables you to surf the net through this device. Catching up on your e-mails is also made possible through this handset.

If we look at the other specs of this device, we see that this slider phone has a1.3 Mega pixels camera with video and flash to give you the best image quality. The manufacturers have also magnanimously provided a good memory space in Samsung D500 that is worth 96 MB. Though there is a dearth of any card slot, but 96 MB looks comfortable for a normal mobile phone user.

There is nothing new to offer in the entertainment segment of Samsung D500. It has been equipped with a standard MP3 player that is of average quality. You can play songs or music of your choice through Samsung D500. Also this handset has a Bluetooth for easy data transfer at a high pace.

This is a low cost mobile phone that is attractive to look at and offers a good deal of features in the package. Therefore Samsung D500 has been able to win the trust and adulation of all the mobile phone users around the world.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Mobil Oil Change Business - To Buy a Franchise or Not to Buy a Franchise, That Is the Question

If you are thinking of going into the Mobil Oil Change Business - you may have asked yourself; Should I buy a franchise or not. After running a franchise company called The Oil Change Guys for many years, I had seen both pros and cons for franchisees who have bought into the concept. Not long ago, someone asked me:

What would be the advantages and disadvantages going with a franchise apposed to going at it your self?

Now first off you must realize, that there are not that many Mobil Oil Change franchises available on the market in the first place. There is only one mobile franchise company that comes to mind, that has any strong brand-name identity; Oil Butler. There are however, several fairly well-known business opportunities that sell Mobil oil change business packages.

A person can buy a Mobil Oil Change business opportunity and use whatever name they wish for their company, this would be good for an entrepreneurial type, who wishes to build a strong local brand in a community, or servicing fleet business in the region.

If one is to buy a Mobil Oil Change franchised outlet, typically they will pay a $20,000 franchise fee, which is a definite big upfront cost. Those that buy a business opportunity will be buying a trailer, or equipment that they can put inside of a pickup truck or van. The prices for Mobil oil change equipment amongst the business opportunity crowd is pretty competitive, so, there is no one gouging you on price.

Likewise, a franchise or cannot charge its franchisees too much money for the equipment or use of the brand-name, because this would put its franchisees at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace and the franchisee would have to recoup the initial startup costs, by charging more to its customers. There is strong demand in the sector, but there is also competition from fixed site locations and even Wal-Mart Auto Centers, where I get my oil changed.

Many Mobil Oil Change franchisors will tell you that they have fleet business available and contacts with large companies and this could start your business off at a fast pace. This is important because it takes a long time to build a serious customer base, without thoroughly blitzing the local market.

Building mobile oil change routes is very difficult, and to make money, these routes must be very efficient, and the customers must be very close together, especially considering the price of feel right now at three dollars per gallon. Additionally, in many markets, there is a quite a bit of traffic, and it cost a lot of labor to drive through that traffic to get to each customer.

So, if the routes are not tight, the costs of the operator will skyrocket due to labor and remember that automotive technicians are commanding a very high price right now in the market due to the shortage of auto mechanics. To make money in this business it is all about efficiency.

If someone is a very entrepreneurial driven individual then they may not like taking orders or having people tell them how to do things. If this is the case, then they will not like being in a franchise system. Theoretically, a franchise system has already made all the mistakes and the mistakes are built out of the business. So the franchised operator generally will go through a much quicker learning curve and thus, they will say if the money that they paid for the initial franchise fee.

One thing that many new Mobil oil change operators do not realize is that just because you sign up a customer does not necessarily mean that you will make a lot of money off of each one. This is because the average customer only changes the oil in their car every three months or 5000 miles.

The real money is not in the personal car market, but rather the fleet business market, where there are lots of trucks, buses or cars all lined up in a row. The mobile oil change business does not work well running like a pizza deliver service on call, unless properly grid out the city and that is a whole different type of business, but it can be done and it is fun to do.

Securing key accounts in fleet business is paramount and if a franchisor can help you do that quicker, then I would say they are worth every dollar. If they do not offer that type of marketing or assistance, then they may not actually be the great advantage that it would be franchise buyer might believe. If you know nothing about the business, then a franchisor generally has pretty good training, and many of the competitors who sell business opportunities do too, although, I have never attended any of them.

One other issue that is important to the Mobil Oil Change franchised sector, is that many franchisors have specific deals with certain oil companies, and you will be locked into using a certain type of oil. This is good for bulk purchases at a relatively low price, but problematic when you find a specific fleet customer that will only use a specific brand of oil in it is not the one that you are allowed to sell or carry. This can hurt sales, so ask such questions upfront.

So if you are thinking about buying a Mobil oil change business as a franchise or starting your own these are some the things that you will need to consider. If you have any additional questions, you need to seek an expert. There is a great book online that you can buy called Melric's Mobile Oil Change Guide. I hope this answers your question.

reference:ezinearticles.com

The Lowdown on the Citi Upromise Card

Citibank has partnered with Upromise, Inc. to produce a card that awards cardholders with fabulous rebates that will contribute towards a tax-advantage college savings program.

Through this reward program, cardholders get to earn a 1% rebate on general purchases, a 2% rebate on purchases from selected Exxon and Mobil stations, and a massive 10% rebate on selected grocery and drugstore items. Which parent would be able resist this offer? The minor downside is that each card is limited to a maximum of $300 rebates per year for the 1% rebate on general purchases. However, cardholders are allowed to earn unlimited rebates from the 2% savings at Exxon-Mobil and 10% savings from more than 7,000 selected items from grocery stores and drugstores.

The Citi Upromise Card has no annual fees but instead comes with a long-term introductory period of twelve-months where no interest is charged for purchases and balance transfers. Once this period is over, the still reasonably low regular APR kicks in. Nonetheless, this card imposes a minimum interest rate of 19.99% for cash advances regardless of how low the Prime Rate may drop.

Additionally, cardholders are also entitled to common platinum card benefits such as $1,000,000 in travel accident insurance, auto rental insurance and various other benefits that are usually associated with a platinum card. Moreover, there are also many other discounts offered to students for various products and services at participating merchants and retailers. On top of that, cardholders are eligible for more savings if they make purchases with other participating companies of the Upromise college savings program.

With the exception of the APR minimum rate on cash advances, the Citi Upromise Card is a well-designed card. Individuals, who plan to participate in the college savings plan and simultaneously take advantage of the long introductory period, shall benefit the most from utilizing the Citi Upromise Card.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Choosing Hell's Furry

What is global warming: Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes erratic weather changes. The climate changes are extreme, unpredictable; changes are elliptical in nature and include wind, snow, rain, heat or combination thereof and they are usually dramatic, abrupt and devastating.

Exxon Mobil Corp. spent hundred of thousands of dollars, Wall Street Journal and other leading newspapers supporting “the science is uncertain whether human-induced global warming is occurring”. Exxon Mobil financed work by a scientific cynic’s who have tried to challenge unsuccessfully; leading scientific consensus heat-trapping pollution is drastically altering the earth’s atmosphere. Exxon Mobil spends millions of dollars annually supporting “K” Street” lobbyist Competitive Enterprise Institute and other lobbyist groups aggressively pressuring state and federal lawmakers to oppose emission limits, standards or controls.

The Bush administration talking points are under attack for publicly regurgitating Exxon Mobil, position; “the science is uncertain whether human-induced global warming is occurring.” In 2004 Pentagon released a study Global Warming Effects on U.S. National Security forecast prediction “in a worst-case scenario, the study concluded, global warming could make large areas of the world uninhabitable and cause massive food and water shortages, sparking widespread migrations and wars.”

During 2006 election cycle George Bush unveiled his alternative to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol reducing greenhouse gases 30% by 2007. The Bush proposal offered businesses incentives too voluntarily reduce U.S. greenhouse emissions by approximately 4.5% over 10 years but his alternative were just normal political election year soft language musings- promise-em anything; take-em no where!

The United States has 4.6% of the world’s population and produces 25% of the worlds green house pollution; United States is largest single source green house emissions however all is not lost the People's Republic of China will have the dubious honor of surpassing the U.S. by 2009 green house emissions! Republicans and Democrats in lockstep with the Bush Administration, United States Congress made conscious, concreted efforts, perpetrated by "K" Street lobbyists; consented to sacrifices you, your family, United States and the Earth for benefit of corporate profits and Congressional Federal Power.

We can take action to slow global warming by reducing heat-trapping gases and reducing human population but we can’t stop it; that boat already sailed. Global warming is catastrophically reducing ocean life, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, increasing atmospheric C02.

Scientist’s radar altimetry confirms global warming is affecting polar glaciers – Glaciers everywhere in the world have been shrinking the last 50 years but shrinking glaciers has accelerated over the past 10 years; this is crucial signal of rapid global warming catastrophic environmental changes.

The State of Alaska is literally melting away; Alaska permafrost is a frozen layer of soil at variable depth’s found beneath approximately 80% Alaska’s surface; the permafrost supports most of the state's infrastructure which includes the Alaska pipeline and the permafrost is melting. We are all contributors to global warming however if we continue choosing hell’s furry 60% of the world’s population will become extinct.

reference:ezinearticles.com

History Iraq War

Iraq Invasion Judicious Public Rational

1. 2001-2003: ”Saddam Hussein developing weapons of mass destruction which would include atomic, biological, chemical warfare nuclear, biological, and chemical hydrogen bombs- Rice, Bush, Powell, Cheney confirmed would the world wait for the smoking gun in the form of mushroom cloud. No weapons were ever found.

2. 2003-2006: Overthrow of Baath Party government- analysts had warned the destruction of the Baath Party would lead to the destruction of the vast numbers of civil organizations and the inevitable destruction of Iraq; execution of Saddam Hussein hanged on December 31st, 2006. Civil unrest, ethnic cleansing and the Iraq war continues.

3. 2002-2007: Bush asserted links between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda, the Bush Administration focused extraordinary attention on alleged ties between Hussein and Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who Secretary of State Powell called a "collaborator of Osama bin Laden." Bush administration later admitted there were no links between Bin Ladens organization Al Qaeda and Iraq's president Saddam Hussein.

4. 2003-2004: Hussein government's human rights record. No question human rights violations occurred however United States does not usually go to war over 1988. Halabja poison gas attack on the Kurds this is the human rights violations Bush invoked; this is the no fly zone was created in the 1990’s after first Gulf War.

5. 2003-2007: The civil war insurgency expanded from end of 2003 to 2007; definition of an insurgency is an armed rebellion by any irregular armed force that rises up against an established authority, government, or administration. The Iraq civil war has continued between Sunni, Shiite, Kharijitis, Wahhabi, Ismailis, Ismaili Druze, Assassins Sufi, Baha'ism and the genocide will continue.

6. 2004-2006: Iraq elections promoting democracy in Iraq through western styled elections. Mesopotamia which was Iraq has 6000 year old recorded history and Iraq has never had western style elections until Bush’s assault on sovereign country.

7. 2001-2007: Oil- US troops to continue fighting in Iraq: "protection of the country's vast oil fields, which Bush said would otherwise fall under the control of terrorist extremists." Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell and BP will profit; In March 2001, the National Energy Policy Development Group (better known as Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force),which included Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell and BP executives recommended that the United States government support initiatives by Middle Eastern countries “to open up areas of their energy sectors to foreign investment.”

8. 2003-2007: One invasion of oil rich country later and a great deal of political engineering by the Bush administration this is exactly what the proposed Iraq oil law would achieve. The oil deal benefits Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell and BP but to the immense disadvantage of Iraq’s economy, democracy and sovereignty. The Iraq National Oil Company would have exclusive control of just 17 of Iraq’s- 80 known oil fields, leaving two-thirds of Iraq’s known and all of undiscovered oil fields would be completely control by Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell and BP.

Conclusion: Choosing Iraq War
Bush and his administration chose war for profit and oil. We are fighting a war for control of Iraq’s natural resource-oil. If Republican or Democrat’s are elected we will still be in Iraq; fighting and dying for the benefit of corporate profits and Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell and British Petroleum when Bush talks about winning he is talking about prize; preservation of oil companies’ interest in Iraq.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Trademark Issues in the Mobil Auto Business

There have always been trademark issues and lawsuits in the mobile auto service business. I know this because I own several such businesses. We first noticed a competitor in the Mobile Auto Detailing Business, which had a name "Mobile Auto Services" another "Mobile Oil Change" and still another "Mobile Car Care". Mobil Oil Company was marketing at the time their Gas Station Service Centers as "Mobil Auto-Services" "Mobil Car Care" and "Mobil Auto Care."

Mobile Oil even filed one case against a company in Mobile Alabama, which used the name Mobile in its Auto Service Business. These cases occur more often than you think. Many times infringers do it on purpose to get easier name recognition, while at other times it is just coincidence, either way as the World gets closer together you can bet the problem will become more prevalent and more serious.

If you don't think this is an issue, check out this case with Kellogg's "Tony the Tiger" and Mobil Oil Company's "Tiger Mart." I guess you have to ask yourself "Whoooose Great"

http://www.eura.com/steffen/jura/aktuelles/texte/tony_kellogs_vs_exxon_tiger.htm

Whether or not you agree with the verdicts in these trademark infringement cases, the company with the greatest dollars often is victorious. Speaking of Victorious...Victor's Secrets, an adult store, has won a case where Victoria Secret, a 4 Billion Dollar a year marketer of lingerie, was not entitled to seek a cease and desist from the Proprietor of Victor's Secret, whose real name was Bob or something like that.

In the case of McDonalds, they sue just about everyone with anything even closely resembling their name and they have so much case law now that they usually win everything, you might beat them but it would cost you $190,000 +, as was the most recent case where it went to a very high court and McDonalds won anyway.

We have seen previously in California where Oil Max was taken by a San Diego company and the former Oil Max mobile oil change company changed their name to Oil Maxx, with two X's; unfortunate, but true. In a Trademark case at the Federal Level this would not even be possible, first use has rights, but even a federal trademark must be defended otherwise you lose certain rights to it's use.

Now we see again Where Pitts Stop Mobile Oil Change is using a similar paint scheme to the Pitts Stop for this major C-Store Chain where some offices also have Oil Changing. If they are ever going to be in the same market one company will have to yield if both companies cannot agree, problem being that there is a good chance they will be direct competitors, in which case there could easily be a lawsuit. One company he fixed sites are based in Las Vegas and the other is based in Riverside CA that is fairly close and so far neither company is so big that it matters. In franchising such as in Mobil Service Stations, Brand Name means a lot. So to will it in the future as one or more of these companies might make it to a point where there is a confusion. In a down economy there is also a potential for one or more companies to go out of business thus abandoning any use of such a mark therefore making such an example of this type very irrelevant.

Before you go into an auto business or any business for that matter, check on the use of the names and pay attention, these issues are easy to fix before you start, but once you grow large the costs in loss of brand name recognition if you have to change the name could be in the millions, think about it. I know you will.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Brand Name Identity in the Oil Business

I submit to you that Brand Name Identity in the Oil Business is just a important today as it was when Mobil Oil and McDonalds were building their brands. Perhaps in the future it may even be more so. I have often seen others using our business name and sought either injunction or stern warning. As a matter of fact I am preparing a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission for using one of his Brand Names and Federal Trademark in their Key Words and Meta Tags on the Federal Website, to attract visitors; a lawsuit which would have enough case law behind it to slam down the Federal Trade Commission with the help of the US Patent and Trademark Office.

When picking a name or a company in the Oil Industry you might want to be cognizant of this fact. Usually things can be worked out and only one company is required to change their name or trade dress or perhaps a royalty agreement or non-compete with regards to specific markets can be reached. Check the case law with Mobil Oil Company before you negate the facts presented here in any topic of which might arise in Business Law Class at your University or even in conversation at the local Starbucks. Be sure anyone you do business with has a back-up plan in case of Trademark Infringement.

If you plan on buying a business opportunity or franchise make sure the seller has a trademark on the name. Make sure it is current and there are no disputes which might be cause for non-renewal. Think about it, changing the name once you start can cost you big time.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Mobile Oil Change Business - How Much Should I Spend for Equipment?

Perhaps you are considering going into the mobile change business and you are wondering how much you might expect to spend on equipment? First, you must realize there are many ways to operate a Mobil Oil Change business and you will have to decide how you plan operating or if you plan to buy a franchise or business opportunity to get into the Mobil Oil Change business.

If you buy a package from someone else, you may be paying more for equipment, because the franchise or requires a higher quality of equipment or the business opportunity company sees you as live bait without knowledge of the industry and charges you as much as possible.

You might also be buying extra things such as an Oil-Evac System, which can add money to the cost. Also depending on the volume of business that you will be doing, for instance, if 75% of your business is in fleet oil changing, then you will need larger storage tanks for the bulk oil and for the used oil. This will increase costs of the equipment, and the size of vehicle that you will need in order to do the services. For instance, you may need a one ton, Van or a much larger truck.

You can also put the equipment on a trailer, but you'll need a larger vehicle to tow that trailer, and you'll also need a trailer, which will also cost him money. Indeed, this very much changes the price. Recently, I was asked by someone interested in getting into the business:

What is the average price of starting your own mobile oil change company, this should include the Van, and all equipment?

Our company, The Oil Change Guys, does not sell equipment for Mobil Oil Change businesses to the public. We do make equipment for our own crews, but we no longer sell franchises in the United States of America, so you cannot buy one from us. However, there are many business opportunity companies that sell Mobil oil change equipment, and they are all quite competitive.

Generally, you can buy the minimal equipment for about $8,000 for a van set up or a trailer set up, if you buy everything yourself. If you buy everything from a business opportunity company, then you will be paying between $12,000 for about the same amount of equipment, but it will be exactly what you need, and it will work well together, as it is sold in a package. There are packages excluding the vehicle for upwards of $17,500 to $25,000.

There are a few franchise companies that have more exotic equipment, which comes as part of the franchise package, but realize, you will also be paying for customized branding, lettering and other changes to the equipment, which you cannot get anywhere else. Much of the changes that franchise companies offer is due to the fact that the equipment is based on their experience with all their franchised outlets.

Sometimes spending a little more for equipment to get the best equipment that is the most efficient will save you money in the long run, and that means you will make more money - each day. Some people who start Mobil oil change businesses start with one van, and they become the owner operator, and they are probably in the entire business for about $25,000. A franchise business might be as much as $40-$70000 or more. I have seen people go all out and spend $180K or more to get started with a couple or more units.

Please understand you're not going to get rich running just one Mobil oil change, unit and you'll need many more and grow your business quite large, which might take years. If you start out big and buy several Mobil oil change units or even 10 or more for a given city, you can easily be in the business for half a million dollars or more and building the business is not as easy as it looks. You will need a team of salespeople to build routes on a specific grid marketing campaign, and you'll have to target your fleet customers very carefully.

Not long ago, National Oil and Lubrication News did a story on the average capital costs that Mobil Oil C change companies spent. The survey was quite interesting, although problematic as there were too few companies surveyed, and it appeared they did not answer exactly honestly.

Probably because of their egos and the need to embellish, but after reading the survey and reading between the lines it looked to me as if the average, Mobil oil change company first starting out with one unit span between 20000 and $45,000 to get going. I hope this answers your question.

reference:ezinearticles.com

How Restaurants Are Rated

Mobil's rating system of restaurant consists of five different grades or ratings, each one which has its own set of criteria and expectations. A Mobil One-Star restaurant, for example, is a restaurant which provides an experience which is distinct through local flair, individual atmosphere or culinary specialty. A Mobil Two-Star restaurant is a restaurant which using a clean setting and efficient service to serve fresh food. Both value and family friendliness are considered in this category. A Mobil Three Star Restaurant is a restaurant which has good food, an enjoyable décor, and service which is both warm and skillful. A Mobil Four-Star restaurant is a restaurant which provides the most professional service, along with wonderful food and presentations which are distinctive in some way. Finally, a Mobil Five-Star restaurant is a restaurant which offers a flawless dining experience by providing service which is superlative, décor which is elegant, presentations which are detailed and exquisite, and food which is exceptional.

These criteria and expectations are meant to be a suggestion of what guests can expect to experience when visiting a restaurant of each caliber level. These recommendations are not the only limits set forth by each level, and they are not mandated individually. A restaurant establishment has to either meet or exceed all of the requirements for the previous star rating in order to advance to the next star rating. So for example, a Mobil Five-Star restaurant has to meet the expectations and criteria for a Four-Star restaurant, a Three-Star restaurant, a Two-Star restaurant and a One-Star restaurant before it can be a Five-Star restaurant.

One-star restaurants provide an experience which is distinctive either through individual atmosphere, local flair or culinary specialty. A one star restaurant's service is both efficient and cordial with servers who are attired neatly. The products that are offered by a one star restaurant are fresh and appetizing when displayed.

Two star restaurants serve food that is fresh in a setting which is clean. Service offered by a two-star restaurant is efficient and family friendly. Two-star restaurant guests will be able to find all of the characteristics of a one-star restaurant, in addition to some improved features and more professional décor.

Three-stair restaurants offer great food, service that is both warm and skillful, and décor which is enjoyable and family friendly. Guests at three-star restaurants can expect to find all of the characteristics of both a two-star restaurant and a one-star restaurant, in addition to more specific criteria for a much more professional restaurant.

Four-star restaurants provide service which is professional, presentations which are distinctive, and food which is delicious and wonderful. Guests in four-star restaurants can expect to find all of the criteria and characteristics of a three-star, two-star and one-star restaurant, with some improvements.

Finally, five star restaurants offer what may be considered a flawless dining experience by offering food that is exceptional, service which is superlative, décor and presentations which are exquisite and elegant, and a lot of attention to detail. Five-Star restaurant guests can expect all of the characteristics that mark a four-star restaurant, three star restaurant, two-star restaurant, and a one-star restaurant.

reference:ezinearticles.com

Private Carrier Exxon-Mobil On The Up and Up

Exxon Mobil is an industry leader in each of its central business divisions and as a company owns a vast array of propriety technologies. But did you know Exxon-Mobil was a strong Private Carrier? Exxon Mobil leads the industry on research and development spending at around $600 million a year. Exxon Mobil has been granted over 10,000 patents over the past ten years. With these patented advancements, Exxon Mobil is constantly aiming to increase productivity of its assets and employees as well as advance the industry and comfort of human society. One example is Exxon Mobil’s chemical division, which is constantly creating new catalysts so that fuel burns cleaner and more efficiently.

As a private carrier, Exxon Mobil conducts business in nearly 200 countries and territories around the world. It is composed of four major divisions: Technology, Chemical, Exploration & Production, and Refining & Marketing. The upstream business spans 40 countries, representing the world’s largest and richest producer of oil and gas. This portfolio includes long-term production in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, the Caspian Sea, and Africa. These proved reserves are the highest in the industry among non-governmental companies.

This puts Exxon Mobil in an excellent position to increase production and expand, and there are many locations that have been discovered and not yet developed. Resource rich areas such as West Africa, Qatar, and Russia guarantee that Exxon Mobil is rising beyond the top, with the start-up of over 30 new projects projected over the next few years. With one of the largest distribution networks in the world and such fast-growing prospects, Exxon Mobil is an excellent place to work and build a career.

reference:ezinearticles.com