Wildfires

Andrew Stratton asked:


In late October 2003 the state of California was slammed with the worst wildfire that it had experienced to that date. Twenty people where killed, and damage to local communities and infrastructure was extensive.

The wild fire extended from the Mexican boarder north to the suburbs of Los Angeles. Hundreds of thousands of acres of forest where destroyed. Local vegetation and animal life suffered very large losses and many communities where effected by the disaster. Thousands of different species where decimated by the fire. It is expected that certain of the larger species like elk, and deer, may take several years to repopulate. Even the local salmon stock feeding in the streams running through the burning acreage suffered losses from the fire.

Damage to the area was devastating. 20 people died including one of the fire fighters. Two thousand seven hundred homes and buildings where destroyed and many businesses had to close. This wildfire was to become the most expensive fire to ever hit the United States. Damage to phone lines, and local utilities caused major outages. People were displaced from their homes and many had to leave the state to find accommodation elsewhere during the clean-up period.

The social impact of this wild fire was a bit unexpected. The personal losses incurred by local residences and the tremendous losses to local wildlife resulted in a push by the United States federal government to pass the “Healthy Forests” bill which allocated seven hundred and sixty million dollars to the urban interface between urban cities and forest areas.

The economic impact of this wildfire was catastrophic. One and a quarter to two billion dollars in damages resulted from the fire, making it the most costly wildfire in American history. Losses to businesses and local municipalities amounted to millions of dollars in lost revenues, not to mention the cost of replacing or restoring lost information, and resulted in hardship for many local area residents. The logging industry, of course, took a major financial hit.

Not all natural disasters kill thousands of people, yet most will spread their effects over huge areas and cause massive damage to our fragile and over-used infrastructure. Telephone lines and utilities like electricity, water and even sewage are easily interrupted. Businesses are not able to operate without these simple services. Lost data means lost revenues. Even something as simple as a forest fire can have a huge social and economic influence on our lives. In this case it appears the best offense is a great defense. Always be prepared.



VERN

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


In this high-tech world of Ipods and Blackberries, more and more couples are enjoying the luxuries of meeting online. There are several advantages to online dating, especially for guys who aren’t crazy about the bar scene. In addition to being able to see what a girl looks like and find out a few vital statistics (is she a smoker and does she like dogs?), there are numerous free online dating sites that make it a cost-effective way to meet someone. However, it is just as easy to strike out online as it is in person, which is why many online daters turn to Brad Finsilver, The Date Mentor for help. If you don’t want to end up settling, you will need to follow Brad’s effective online dating tips, including this one: start with a fantastic profile.

No matter which dating service you subscribe to, there will probably be a text area where you have the opportunity to write a narrative profile or a background statement about yourself. Instead of writing the same generic things everyone else writes, such as “I like hiking, movies, and hanging out with my friends,” say something unique that highlights what a special individual you are. Still unsure what to write or what works? That’s where Brad Finsilver comes in.

Brad has perfected a technique to writing high-impact profiles that he uses in every online dating profile he produces for a client. This profile is custom-created following a one-on-one interview, and it will really help you stand out above and beyond the rest of the crowd. And because of the increasing popularity of online dating, to really tip the scales in your favor, it is essential that your profile does NOT blend in. If your profile lacks substance, she will assume you lack substance and click on to the next man. However, with a customized profile written by The Date Mentor, you are assured the number of “hits” from the kinds of women you want to date will increase.

If you are really motivated to meet the cream of the crop online, contact Brad Finsilver today. Follow each and every online dating tip he offers, and he will guide you to a successful Internet dating experience.



SERGIO

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


Before you rush out to have 50,000 brochures printed and all of your company vehicles wrapped in vinyl, you need to take a minute to ensure that your marketing materials are going to deliver the results you are looking for. While achieving maximum results is probably something that you won’t be able to do without the help of an experienced marketing professional, there are several things that you can to improve your own results.

Have your marketing materials professionally designed. Even though you and your family and friends may love the new brochure that you designed in Microsoft Word, chances are that it is not going to be as effective as a brochure from a professional graphic designer . As a result your return on investment will be lower.

Have your printed marketing materials produced in full color. Full color printing has been shown to significantly increase response rates compared to any other combination of colors and can be surprisingly affordable for even the smallest of businesses. Another benefit is that it makes your company appear larger and more established while improving your credibility.

Include a call to action in all of your marketing materials. The most beautifully designed brochure will deliver poor results if it doesn’t clearly tell your prospect what they need to do. Do you want them to call you? To visit your web site? To send you something? Tell them exactly what you want and when you want it and your results will improve dramatically.

Include your URL on all of your marketing materials. From your business cards to your vehicles and everything in between, your URL needs to be easily accessible in order to open up another opportunity to expose your company to your prospects and clients.

Ensure that your company’s image stands out from your competitors. No matter how much you love your biggest competitor’s color scheme or style of advertising, copying it will not work for you. Small businesses often try to emulate other companies with the mindset of ” if it works for them it will work for me ” which is not true and will hurt your business in the long run.



MARTIN

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


In the movie “Hitch,” Will Smith, dating guru, states: “Any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. He just needs the right broom.” That’s the same outlook real-life Date Mentor Brad Finsilver encourages his clients to have. As a professional dating and relationships coach, Brad Finsilver offers men dating advice and training on how to successfully approach women and begin a relationship, thereby giving them a broom.

One piece of advice The Date Mentor encourages all of his clients to remember is: “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” This is especially true to the world of dating, whether you are trying to meet someone online or in-person. If she doesn’t like your shoes or thinks you haven’t spent enough time with a bar of soap, you can forget about getting her phone number.

Dating is like a full-scale marketing campaign, and Brad Finsilver reminds his clients that the product they are trying to sell is themselves, which is why The Date Mentor offers Image Consulting. Clients work directly with Brad to enhance their image and become more appealing to women. However, the goal is never to change a man’s personality. Brad simply offers advice that increases his clients’ awareness of the personality and style traits women commonly look for. Then they work together to convey an image that incorporates these “style points” while still being true to oneself.

In addition to talking about your physical appearance and the clothes you wear, during an Image Consulting session with the Date Mentor, you and Brad will discuss how your body language can reinforce or destroy how you are perceived. Only 7 percent of what a person communicates is attributed to the words he or she says. Everything else is conveyed through body language or tone of voice. Therefore, it’s essential to be conscious of your entire body when approaching a woman.

Once a man completes an image consultation with Brad Finsilver, his level of self-esteem increases dramatically. A confident, self-assured man walking into a room can make any girl turn her head, which is why men should schedule an Image Consultation with The Date Mentor and follow his dating advice. When you become the best version of yourself, you have the broom you need to sweep any woman off her feet.



BRUNO

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


For a variety of reasons, it is possible that the total debt on your home may be more than what the home is worth. Most of the time, this isn’t a problem because time is the solution. Depending on how much you owe, just wait it out and the value of your home goes up.

Problem solved. Unfortunately, this could take years.

This solution does not work for everyone though, because some folks are stuck in a situation where they absolutely have to sell their house.

This can happen for many reasons, some good and some not so good: relocation, financial hardship, divorce, death, illness, or anything at all. The result is that you may have to move, but you can’t sell your house and make enough on the sale to pay the closing costs.

So what do you do?

One option is to do nothing and not make your mortgage payment. That’s a worst-case scenario because it impacts your credit rating more severely than anything else possibly can.

Another option is something called a “short sale.” This is when you fess up to the lender, let them know about your hardship and ask them to accept less money than you owe.

Of course, the lender doesn’t want to do that, but they also don’t want to pay all the costs of foreclosing on a home, repairing any defects, placing it on the market, and getting the best price they can in what may be a market already overstressed with excess inventory.

Lenders absolutely **** to foreclose, so they may be willing to consider a short sale.

Not always so don’t get your hopes up.

A short sale involves a lot of paperwork, time and effort and it is best if you have a real estate agent or someone knowledgeable to help guide you through the process and give moral support. A lot of stress is involved.

The first step is to contact the Loan Service Department of your lender. That number will be in the documentation you receive about making your payment. Use the phone and the mail. Keep copies.

The lender will ask you to submit a financial statement. They want to know that you really don’t have the financial assets to repay the loan after you sell the home.

That’s just the beginning, assuming they give a tentative agreement.

Your real estate agent still has to put the home on the market, find a buyer, and get a bona fide offer. Once that has been accomplished, you submit all contracts and paperwork to your lender for a decision. This takes a while because there are several decision makers involved.

Your lender isn’t usually your lender. They just service the loan for your actual lender, called the investor. Your paperwork is submitted to the investor for a decision.

Assuming you have mortgage insurance on the loan, they are another decision maker in the process. Mortgage insurance covers lenders in the case of loan defaults. That way they can justify making high LTV (loan-to-value) loans.

If the investor and the insurer both agree, your short sale is approved, and you can sell you home.

A short sale is basically a “forgiveness of debt.” That counts as income and you have to declare it to the IRS.



JACKSON

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


Is it full page newspaper or magazine ads? How about a banner or pay-per-click campaign? Could it be something else, like billboards, direct mail, email or even guerilla marketing? The short answer is that the best advertising is a combination of advertising mediums with a single message.

Media today is fragmented and is becoming even more fragmented each day. As a result, consumers rarely spend the enough time around one medium to receive the same repetition from your message that they would have just a few years ago. If you want to consistently reach them and convert them into revenue producing consumers, you’ll need to target them across multiple mediums. Keep in mind that there is a delicate balance in doing this. It is just as ineffective to spread your message across too many mediums as it is to focus on just one medium.

To get the best results on the kind of budget that many smaller businesses are working with, focus on 2 mediums that work well together and ensure that a similar message is used on each. An example would be a direct mail campaign in conjunction with an internet marketing campaign. A business with a larger budget may consider adding a third or even a fourth medium to their arsenal. Regardless of the number of mediums you end up utilizing, remember that your message has to be consistent across all of them to generate the kind of synergy that this program can generate.

If you’re handling your marketing on your own, take some time to think about how your prospects may conduct their average day. With that in mind you can come up with a starting point to determine an effective pair of advertising mediums. You should be aware of two things though.

1. You will still need to advertise on a consistent basis. You usually need to reach your prospects several times before they become a client/customer.

2. You should expect some trial and error. You are an expert in your industry — not in marketing. If you aren’t getting the results you want from your campaign, test slight changes and adjust accordingly.

If you’re putting your marketing in the hands of a marketing company, ensure that they have experience with the mediums that will be utilized. A search engine optimization firm probably won’t be able to handle your direct mail campaign, likewise, a graphic design firm probably won’t be able to handle your search engine optimization campaign. Unless the company you’re dealing with is a full-service marketing firm, you may have to deal with a few companies to get the services you need.



HENRY

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


The home buying season is quickly approaching and it’s time to think about ways to improve the “curb appeal” of your home. With all the recent activity in the real estate market and with long-term rates at near historic lows, it’s a buyers market. There is a surplus of homes available for sale on the market and home buyers can take their sweet time choosing which home they like best. That’s why you need to get a competitive edge over other home sellers in your area by making your home look better than the rest. There are six things you can do to your home to make it look more appealing to buyers that won’t cost you a fortune and could make the difference in your home being sold versus your neighbor’s.

Paint the House/Fence

A new coat of paint can go a long way to making your home look a bit newer. Bold colors can reflect your personal taste, so make sure you choose a neutral color that will appeal to the most number of people.

Clean the Yard

Take the time to clean up the yard. Rake the dead leaves and grass and put away any tools or equipment that may be lying around. If buyers see a mess in your yard, they’ll think twice about wanting to see the inside of the house as it may be an indication of what else may await them.

Plant New Flowers and Trees

Another easy and inexpensive way to improve the look of your home is to plant some new flowers and/or trees. Adding some new color can make a big difference in brightening up your home’s appearance and make it look more cheery to prospective buyers.

Enhance Your Walkway

You can boost your home’s look by adding a brick- or stone-paved walkway to the front of your house. Dress it up even more by adding some solar-powered walkway lights. They’ll make your home more inviting by adding more ambiance.

Replace Your Front Door

You may think it wouldn’t make a difference, but changing the front door can change the entire look of your home. Replace that stale and plain-looking door with a nice wooden one with a decorative, beveled window.

Add Window Treatments

They say windows can be the soul of your house, so it’s important to dress up your home by dressing up your windows. Add some decorative shutters to keep your home from looking plain and boring. Adorn them even further by adding some plant boxes. You’ll be amazed at how much a simple thing can improve your home’s appeal.

Home buying season is nearly here and it’s time to get a competitive edge over other home sellers by sprucing up the look of your home. Luckily, adding to your home’s curb appeal doesn’t have to set you back financially. Adding some color and a few adornments will go far in helping you sell your home faster.

© Quicken Loans



KELVIN

Lou Angeli asked:


Tuesday morning, firefighters said 89 new fires broke out overnigjht and dozens of others were burning throughout the country unchecked.

The firefight is difficult as poorly- equipped municipal firefighters muster citizens to serve on hand-to-hand bucket brigades in some places. France, Italy, Cyprus and Israel have sent firefighters, with aircraft coming from France and Italy, sources reported. As of this writing another 12 countries were sending reinforcements.

Blazes came within inches of destroying the museum at Olympia, housing famous classical sculptures such as Praxiteles’ Hermes. But air tankers, helicopters and scores of firefighters beat it back. 60 Firefighters and 6 engines remain on the scene in case the blaze flares up again.

“The destruction is of biblical proportions,” Nicholas Orphanos, a volunteer firefighter in the Peloponnese, told Reuters. “There are villages we want to go to (but) cannot because the roads are blocked. In 30 years, I have never seen such destruction.”

According to conservative estimates, 110 villages have been razed to the ground, six and a half million acres of farmland consumed, and countless acres of pine forest and olive groves reduced to cinders. “Much of Arcadia, in the central Peloponnese, a prime tourist attraction, is reminiscent of moonscape and thousands of rural Greeks fear financial ruin.” reported The Guardian.

On Monday, Prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos ordered an investigation into whether the fires could have been the work of terrorists. 33 people have already been arrested on suspicion of arson, including an elderly woman who was cooking outside her home.

With all of the unrelated, spontaneous outbreaks, one can accept the fact that these fires are arson in nature. But the real problem here isn’t terrorism, it is Greece’s inability to deal with large scale fires of this nature and magnitude. In a country whose landscape is much like that of California, there is no Forest Firefighting service, no incident command system and nothing even close to hot shot teams. Without the ability to build and maintain firebreaks, these massive blazes simply roll across the landscape, fed by hot, dry winds from the Middle Eastern deserts.

In 2003, the government appropriated 18 million Euros to revamp the Greek Fire Service. There were to be 735 new firefighting vehicles, new protective gear for firefighters, in addition to helicopters and fireboats. The idea was to place the Greek Fire Service on equal footing with the USA, UK, Sweden and Germany. But somehow that procurement came up short, and only 50 apparatus were actually delivered, all to Athens. Some claim that government’s investment was a ruse, simply to impress foreign visitors who attended the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.

In recent months, there have been complaints of inefficiency of the fire service in Greece. Average response times by fire units serving rural areas is 35 minutes – and remember, that’s the average. This is compounded by the fact that Greek government recently prohibited the use helicopters for the firefighting for fear that such operations would create additional power cuts, a common occurrence in rural Greece.

The problem of controlling the huge fires is a general lack of investment in firefighting equipment and personnel, reports the popular UK-based blog EU Referendum. “ In Greece,’ the blog reports, ‘investments happen only after the horse has bolted”.

And then there are the politics of natural disasters. In a move reminiscent of FEMA’s response to Katrina, government in Greece has firmly placed the blame on someone else – in this case the unseen terrorist. That’s understandable — if you’re an idiot. National elections are in 3 weeks, and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis would prefer to be viewed as a hero – not the one responsible for cutting funding for firefighters and firefighting.

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MARCEL

Wildfire Marketing Group asked:


Let’s say I wanted a cake. I really like the big fancy cakes you see at the bakery, but I can’t justify spending all that money on one. After all, it’s just a matter of mixing up a bunch of ingredients and cooking them, how hard can that be? So I think to myself, I’ll just make my own cake, it will be just as good, cheaper, and no one will know the difference.

So I get some flour, milk, eggs, sugar, water and a few other ingredients that I found in my pantry and start mixing them vigorously in a big bowl. How much of each? I don’t know. I just put in what I felt like putting in, because how important could it really be? It’s just a cake, right? Ok, so everything is mixed up pretty well but I feel like something else could be added, and why not? It’s my cake. Well, I like steak, which I just happen to have left over in the refrigerator, along with some tuna casserole, a half of a quesadilla and a handful of peanut butter cups, so I toss these into the mix and stir it some more. I like them all, so my cake should turn out great!

Now it’s time to bake my glorious cake. I set the oven to 250 degrees and toss my masterpiece in for about 30 minutes or so. In the mean time, I’m thinking to myself how it’s ludicrous that these bakeries charge so much money for something that is clearly so easy to do. Look at me, with not a single cooking class under my belt I’ve created my own recipe on the fly, and in less than an hour I will be enjoying my very own scrumptious cake.

It’s been about 30 minutes, so I take my cake out. I had totally forgotten that I had some friends coming over, but what a perfect opportunity to share my newly learned skill. So, plates in hand I start passing out my confectionary ambrosia to each of them. They each take a bite and inform me that if they hadn’t already eaten, that they would certainly stay and eat more of my wonderful cake.

Well, it’s been a good day. I saved some money and learned how to make my own cake, which I then shared with my friends. They loved it and they told me so.

In the real world, baking a cake can be a lot like graphic design. In my previous example, I chose a random list of ingredients, mixed them together and then cooked them, which is surprisingly similar to what happens when most people do their own graphic design. You see, graphic design isn’t just about knowing what to put in and why, it’s also about knowing what not to put in and why. It’s a delicate balancing act that takes years to master.

Graphic design, like baking accounting or just about any other skill, is something that you can do yourself, but you’re going to have to take the time to learn the skills necessary to be effective. As in the example above with our retched cake, simply going through the motions is not enough. The proof is in the results. You can show your marketing materials to your friends but most of them are just going to tell you what you want to hear. In business, the only opinion that really matters is that of your clients or customers, and they’ll let you know what they think with their wallets. While it may seem like it’s too expensive to invest in the services of a professional graphic designer, sometimes it can be too expensive not to.



VINCENT

Security Girl asked:


Well, it’s that time again. Spring is quickly moving into summer and people are beginning get out and about – especially in areas where the winter snow and ice is finally melted.

Being able to enjoy the nicer weather is always enjoyable, however being outdoors has its drawbacks, as well. One of the issues that we have to deal with is the rising crime rate. I am not saying this to put a damper on anyone’s outdoor excursions. I am saying this so that people become alert and aware of what is happening around them. It is important to stay safe, and one way to do this is to prepare in advance.

One of the tools that many people are using – including me – is pepper spray. Why pepper spray? Because it is non-lethal and it gives you time to get away from a dangerous person or situation quickly. The strongest and purest pepper spray available today is Wildfire Pepper Spray. It is the hottest and fastest reacting pepper spray on the market, because it is the purest around.

Because of its strength and purity, Wildfire Pepper Spray permeates the pores of the skin, closes the eyes and inhibits the respiratory system, starting a would-be attacker or intruder to cough. These three reactions combine to render the individual disoriented. They will definitely be distracted enough trying to deal with their symptoms, that they will no longer be worried about you. You will be long gone – and hopefully will have called the police so that they are on their way – while the individual is still trying to deal with the reaction to the spray.

Wildfire Pepper Spray comes in many sizes and containers. One that is excellent for times when you are out for a walk or jog or when you might be leaving the mall or a dimly lit parking area or ATM in the evening is the keychain model, which is compact, easy to use, effective and can fit in your hand, pocket or purse. Don’t be a victim. Prepare in advance and keep yourself safe with Wildfire Pepper Spray.



FIDEL