As a vendor, especially a newbie vendor, have you encountered such two problems: how to sell and how to accept payment? If you do business online and sell software or other items, offering clients the most convenient way to pay for their purchases is the key. However, obviously, the payment methods are diversified. Well, today we mainly concentrate on credit card payment online which is a preferred payment method for most online clients.

Why Use Credit Card Payment Online?

1. Fast and convenient: credit card transaction is processed within seconds once your customer enters the details on your checkout page. Unlike other payments, the funds are deposited instantly to vendor account.

2. International clients: credit card payment is tremendously convenient if your customers are overseas. So it is advisable that you should accept credit card payment so as not to lose potential clients.

Methods of Accepting Credit Card Payment

There are two ways you can adopt when accepting credit card payment online on your site.

1. Your Own Credit Card Merchant Account. It needs a bank that will enable you to open an account. For this, it has different requirements in different countries and regions.

2. A Third party Merchant. Actually there are numerous payment platforms such as PayPal, RegNow, ClickBank and many others, which are also called "payment gateways".

Third party merchant is generally simple to use when you do not know how much you can make from your products. Also if you want to test the water to see how things are, this may be a great way to begin. Besides, if you utilize a trustworthy third party merchant, your visitors might be more willing to purchase your goods online given that they trust that merchant.

How a Third Party Merchant Works?

Here just takes the PayPal for example:

1. Open a PayPal account if you don't have one.
2. Build Products on PayPal.
3. Set up Thank-you page on your website. So clients would immediately know their orders are successful.
4. Receive payment notification email. When the client pays, you'll receive an email notification telling you that the client's funds are now available in your account.
5. Manually generate and then send serial numbers or download links to your clients.

The process seems very simple, doesn’t it? Actually during the transaction, you should concentrate on the IPN scripts which are crucial for the reception of order information and any error will lead to incorrect information. Moreover, demands for PHP knowledge make it difficult for vendors who had mastered some PHP knowledge, let alone newbies. Then how to simplify the establishment of credit card payment online? Now Sale Management X, the best choice!

Sale Management X provides you with a handbook, step by step show you the procedure on how to receive credit card payment. Much easier, more convenient!

Additionally, as what I have written before, the Thank-you page and IPN settings are very complicated. However, now with Sale Management X, no worry anymore! At the same time it can automatically generate and send serial numbers or download links to your clients.

Furthermore, the powerful background features can easily make vendors count and check for the sales via customer name, registration email, order receipt, country and order time, etc. no matter daily, monthly or even yearly sales information.

If you are selling things on the Internet, you really have not much choice but to accept credit card payment online. Now Sale Management X automates the whole process for you. You probably don't know what you have missed until you try it out.

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Google’s AdSense is an attractive revenue making opportunity for small, medium and large web sites since a long time now but it’s against the rule of Google’s AdSense if you are running any website only for AdSense earning for which you need to include a few Affiliate links or sell your own product, too.

Googlehas a lot of forbidden practices when it comes to AdSense, and too many user are finding out they spoiled Google’s policies after the fact – because they never bothered to read the AdSense policies in the first phase.

Google AdSense is the Google program where you can host pay-per-click ads on your Website. When someone clicks an ad, you earn money. So if you are one of those people that don’t like the idea of paying for a site, this is an excellent way to earn your money back and then some.

How Much You Can Earn With AdSense?

The amount you’ll earn depends largely on the amount of targeted traffic you receive to your own site, how well the ads match your audience’s interests, the placement of the ads on your pages, and of course the amount you receive per click.

Ideally, you should create a site on a topic you know a lot about. That way you’ll have a much easier time creating a generous amount of content on that subject.

Determine a goal for what you want to earn using AdSense. Of course, you want to earn a lot, but make sure it’s realistic.

    Be realistic Forget about the fantasy story you read on internet about earning big money from Google. If you think of making a website and getting to be instant rich, it is likely to disappoint you. Imagine that if you build a small website with 100,000 page views per month with 0.5% CTR and 5c average payout, you will only get US$25 (100,000 x 0.5% x 0.5c). To achieve 100,000 page views a month, you possibly need 500-1000 users. By theory, your website can reach more than billions of internet users in the whole world, but there are also 100 millions of websites competing for users.
    Website promotion techniques especially search engine optimization and article marketing will bring more traffic to your site. You also need to have content that will attract the ads with the highest Pay Per Click (PPC) rate that are relevant to that content. Google is at least as interested as you are in having your ads perform well on your site and therefore provide the info you need to optimize your AdSense.
    Start building keyword-rich pages containing well researched, profitable keywords, and get lots of high quality links to your site. For example, if your site is about topics such as debt consolidation, web hosting or asbestos-related cancer, you’ll earn much more per click than if it’s about free things. On the other hand, if you concentrate only on top-paying keywords, you’ll face an awful lot of tough competition. What you want are keywords that are high in demand and low in supply, So do some careful keyword research before you build your pages.

How to Join AdSense:

Once you have pages ready for your website, go to http://adsense.google.com to apply.

When you are accepted, simply copy and paste the provided HTML code into any page that you’d like to show the ads. If you’ve done a good job of defining the content on your web pages, the ads that show should be relevant to the content of your page…increasing the chances of click-thrus by your visitors.

You can either display the ads vertically along side the page like Google does or in a banner-like formation horizontally across your pages. The placement is up to you. You can even customize the colors to match your site’s theme. Google AdSense allows you to specify up to 200 URLs for sites you want to bar from placing ads on your pages. The problem is that most times you won’t know the competitors are out there until their ads appear.

Google Money Making Tips on Succeeding:

    Create a website with your Don’t try to use a free web host because your site will likely have banners and pop-ups and get rejected because it looks unprofessional. A free web host will give you a website address like this:

http://www.thefreewebhost.com/yoursite/member1234/home.html instead of… http://www.yoursite.com Start by registering your own domain and then select a web host.

    Quality is the most important part of any web site. If your site does not contain the content of expected quality the visitor might not come back, if the main goal of your site is to make money with AdSense, be sure to choose a topic that you know a lot about so you can write lots and lots of content. A variety of size and shape ads for placing in your content are available. These can be text or image ads or both – you specify what you’ll allow. Ad units are full ads. Link units are simply a strip of text links that your visitors might want to click. Google allows you to put up to 3 Ad Units and 1 Link unit on each page of your Web site.
    Get traffic. Once your site is up and running you’ll need to learn how to get your site listed in the major search engines.
    Google AdSense for Search – This place a search box on your Web site. When a user enters a term and conducts a search, a search results page opens, that hosts more pay-per-click ads. You can customize the color scheme of the search results page to harmonize with your web site. Although Google doesn’t release exact details as to how they determine the ads to serve on a given page, they do say that it’s the text content of the page that matters, not the Meta tags.
    Google Referrals – You canmake money by referring visitors to use a Google product, like AdSense, AdWords, the Google Toolbar and other Google software. For example Google generates the code that you paste into the desired location on your web page. You can choose from a wide variety of buttons and text links of different colors. If someone goes to your site and clicks the link and signs up for an AdSense account, when that person earns a $100 from Google AdSense and receives a payout from Google, you’ll also receive $100 for referring them, if an ad dynamo happens to visit your site and uses your referral link, you can make money anyway!

Google AdSense Payments:

Google will not issue an AdSense payment until your earnings exceed $100. Unfortunately, there are loads of Google AdSense Forum entries about website operators who accumulated $90 or more in click through earnings only to get banned from Google and not get paid anything at all before they ever reached $100. This may be because Google doesn’t take a close look to see if you’re complying with their guidelines until it comes time to pay you.

Don’t's:

    Do not click your ads. If Google catches you, they will suspend your account and retain any earnings you might have. However, if you, by mistakes, click your ads for one or two times, Google will keep that earning but rather not to punish you as long as it doesn’t happen constantly.
    Google has a lot of restrictions on how the ads have to be displayed. One of the major reasons for account suspension is that webmasters tried to blur the ads and mislead others to think that it’s “content”. For simplicity, never attempt to use CSS to hide Google’s logo unless you’re authorized to do it.

Patience is key with Google. It can take a few months. Don’t create a hodgepodge site with topics on everything under the sun. Stay focused and make sure your site has an obvious theme.

Getting into Google is completely free and can bring in hundreds or even thousands of visitors per day. Then do the same with Yahoo, MSN, etc. All The Best!

By emarketinguide

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After going through this step-by-step tutorial, you should have a fully operational and fully automatic trading system.

As you continue working with your system, keep in mind the following:

• Always backtest until your system performs well with past data, then paper trade to make
sure your system performs well with current data. The market has two phases - trending and ranging - a
• nd very few trading systems handle both perfectly. Be sure to only trade in a market that your system can beat.
• Make changes one at a time so that you can pinpoint which aspects are improving your returns and which are hurting them.
• Keep it simple. Extremely complex trading systems are often fitted to work well with past data, but are incapable of adapting to new market conditions.
• Make sure that you know the strategy behind your trading system. As absurd as it sounds, many people develop their systems until they become so complex that they forget the underlying strategy.
• Don't over-optimize. Optimizing too much can lead to what is known as curve-fitting, which can reduce your trading system's effectiveness and ability to adapt.

Resources
Here are some trading applications worth checking out:
MetaTrader - http://www.metaquotes.net/
TradeStation - http://www.tradestation.com/
Tradecision - http://www.tradecision.com/
MetaStock - http://www.metastock.com/
AmiBroker - http://www.amibroker.com/
WealthLab - http://www.wealth-lab.com/
Comprehensive List - http://elitetrader.com/so/

Here are some community resources that can assist you:
Moneytec - http://www.moneytec.com/
StrategyBuilderFX - http://www.strategybuilderfx.com/
EliteTrader - http://www.elitetrader.com/

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By now you should have a design in hand as well as a basic idea of what the code looks like. In this section, we'll take a more in-depth look at how a program is created. After reading this section, you should be able to understand basic program structure and be able to convert your design to code!



An Overview

There are two basic parts to a program:



* Variables - These are items that hold data. This can be data that you collect from the user, or any other data.

* Statements - These form the core of the program. Statements manipulate the data to get results that can be converted to actions.



In addition to these core components, there are also several optional components:



* Functions - These are simply collections of related statements that can be used to perform a specific task. For example, a function telling you when to buy might include a statement to check whether you have enough money, a statement to determine whether it meets your criteria and a statement to place the order. A function combines these, allowing you to simply call on the function instead of rewriting these statements each time you want to buy.

* Arrays - These are simply data structures that hold similar data and enable you to access and manipulate the data more efficiently.



A Look at Variables

Variables are simply objects that you define to hold data. You may recall from the previous section that we used three variables: MATrendPeriod, MaCurrent and MaPrior. MATrendPeriod held a number that defined how many days we would use in our moving average calculation; MaCurrent held a number representing the current moving average; and MaPrior held a number representing the prior moving average.



Creating a Variable

You can use almost any name you want when naming a variable. The only exception is a list of ''restricted words'' that you are not allowed to use because the names are already used by other parts of the program. You can find your trading program's list of restricted words in the program's documentation. In general, names should describe the data being held. For example, notice that we used MaCurrent to define the current moving average.



After you have created a name, you must declare and define the variable. Declaring a variable tells the computer what type of data it is, and tells it to make space for that data. Defining the variable is where actual data is assigned, or added, to the variable. Let's take a look at these processes:



1. Declaring a Variable

In MetaTrader, variables are declared automatically when you assign information to them. In other programs, you may have to declare a variable, which is typically done using the following format:



;



The two types of data are numbers and text, but these are broken down into more groups like integers (whole numbers), double (large numbers), float (decimal numbers), string (text), and others depending on the program you are using. For example, the following code will declare numberOfDays as an integer:



Int numberOfDays;



2. Defining a Variable

After your variable has been declared, the computer has created space for it. Now, all you have to do is add actual data to that space. This can be done in two ways: you can either define a set amount, or you can perform a calculation to obtain a value, which you then assign to the variable.



In MetaTrader, you can add set data using the following format:



Defines: ();



In other programs, set data is often assigned simply using the equals sign:



= ;



If you want to perform a calculation to obtain data to assign to the variable, then you simply assign the variable to the calculation:



= ;



For example, to set a 20-day moving average in MetaTrader, we use the following code:



= iMA(20,MODE_SMA,0);



Note that the iMA(20,MODE_SMA,0) portion of the code is the calculation. The format for this calculation was developed by MetaTrader and will differ if you are using another trading program. To find these calculations, you must consult your trading program's documentation, which usually contains a list of all available calculations.



3. Using Variables

Once declared and defined, variables can be used anywhere else within the program to represent the data they contain. To do this, simple type the name of the variable in place of the data. For example, if MATrendPeriod contains the number of days we want a moving average calculated for, we can use it to replace the 20 in our example above:



= iMA(MATrendPeriod, MODE_SMA, 0);



There are two advantages to using variables as opposed to just the data: (1) you can change the data in one place, and (2) the result of an entire calculation can be contained within one variable.



A Look at Statements

Statements are the core of any program - they contain all of the commands that manipulate data to make decisions. Here we will take a look at several of the most common types of statements and how they can be used.



1. Comments

If you have designed a complex trading system, it may take a lot of code to implement your rules; therefore, it would be prudent to insert comments in your code to help yourself understand it in the future, and to help out anyone with whom you may share your code. Almost all trading applications share a similar method for creating comments:



Single Line Comments:



//



Multi-Line Comments:



/*



*/



2. The 'If' Statement

This is the statement you will use most when coding a trading system. This statement lets you create scenarios as we did in the design portion of this tutorial. You may have also noticed that this was the only statement we used in the example program we created. This type of statement is implemented using the following format:



Standard If/Then:



If Then ;



Standard If/Else:



If Then Else ;



So, for example:



If accountBalance <>

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Now that we have a design document in hand, we can look at how these rules are put into code that a computer can understand. In this section, we'll break down a section of code and look at it piece by piece. For this example, we will use MetaTrader's programming language MetaQuotes II to build a very simple moving average trading system.

Defines: MATrendPeriod(100);

Var:MaCurrent(0),MaPrior(0);


If Bars < 100 Then Exit;

If FreeMargin < 1000 then Exit;


maCurrent =iMA(MATrendPeriod,MODE_SMA,0);

maPrior =iMA(MATrendPeriod,MODE_SMA,1);


If maCurrent > maPrior then

{SetOrder(OP_BUY,Lots,Ask,3,0,Ask+TakeProfit*Point,RED); Exit;};


If maCurrent < maPrior then

{SetOrder(OP_SELL,Lots,Bid,3,0,Bid-TakeProfit*Point,RED); Exit;};

The If/Then Format
After taking a brief look at this code, you should recognize a few elements that we touched on in the design phase. For example, you should recognize the If/Then format that we used when constructing our design. To get a better understanding of this code, let's break it down and analyze each part:

Defines: MATrendPeriod(100);

Var: MaCurrent(0),MaPrior(0);

Here, we're simply defining the moving average that we are using by saying that we want it to be an average of the last 100 bars. The Defines function here lets us do that for any type of data we want. After that, we simply invent two variables (items which we create to hold data) MaCurrent(0) and MaPrior(0). These two variables will hold the data that we will set in a later step.

If Bars < 100 Then Exit;

If FreeMargin < 1000 then Exit;

Here we see the If/Then format that we used in the design phase put to work. These two statements tell the computer to exit if certain conditions aren't met. Let's translate these two commands into English:

If Bars < 100 Then Exit; à "If there are fewer than 100 bars (data points) on the chart, then exit the program without doing anything.''

If FreeMargin < 1000 then Exit; à "If my account has less than $1,000 in available funds, then exit the program without doing anything.''

You can translate any criteria you want into this format and put it at the beginning of your program in order to adapt to certain situations.

Buy and Sell Signals

maCurrent =iMA(MATrendPeriod,MODE_SMA,0);

maPrior =iMA(MATrendPeriod,MODE_SMA,1);

Now let's make use of the two variables we described above. Let's take these statements apart to see what they are doing:

maCurrent = à Here we are telling the computer to assign the following information to "maCurrent''.

iMA(MATrendPeriod,MODE_SMA,0); à Here we are using a simple statement, which uses the following basic format: Study(TimePeriod,Mode,Start).

Note that you can replace iMA with MACD, RSI or any other studies your trading system may be using. You can also replace the parameters to suit your own system.

If maCurrent > maPrior then

{SetOrder(OP_BUY,Lots,Ask,3,0,Ask+TakeProfit*Point,RED); Exit;};

Now we are getting somewhere! Here is the part of the code that tells the computer when to buy. Notice that we are making use again of the If/Then format that we used in the design document. Let's translate this to English to see what's happening:

If maCurrent > maPrior then { à "If the current Moving Average is greater than the prior Moving Average, then…''

SetOrder( à "Create an order entry to …''

OP_BUY,Lots,Ask,3,0,Ask+TakeProfit*Point,RED à "Buy my defined number of lots at the ask price plus my take profit point, and mark it as a red point on the chart.''

); à "End the order.''

Exit; à "Exit the trading strategy.''

}; à "End the If/Then statement.''




Note that the Take Profit Point is something that is defined by users when they add the trading system to their charts. Also notice that we are buying at the ask price and selling at the bid price - this is a key feature, especially when creating a system for stocks.

If maCurrent < maPrior then

{SetOrder(OP_SELL,Lots,Bid,3,0,Bid-TakeProfit*Point,RED); Exit;};

Finally, we have our code that tells the computer when to take a short position. Note that this statement is almost identical to the "buy'' statement, aside from the OP_SELL instead of OP_BUY as well as the usage of the bid price as opposed to the ask price.

Conclusion
And there you have it - the bare bones of what a trading system code looks like. Please note that the above code is not a complete trading system, as it does not include any commands to close open positions. Such additional aspects can be implemented using a format similar to the code we've shown.

In the next section of this tutorial, we will go into greater depth regarding the specific ways in which your trading system can be converted to code.

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LONDON - Renault has launched a Facebook game in an effort to target its super-mini Twingo model at younger, city-dwelling consumers.

Renault: implements Facebook campaign

In the Facebook app, created by Publicis Modem, the French manufacturer poses a series of questions about contemporary life in an attempt to engage male and female drivers between the ages of 20 and 35 years old.

Question include, "Ever added someone from school just to see what job they're doing now?" and, "Have you ever posted and deleted and then posted and deleted a comment on a friend's wall until you got it just right?".

Cristel Davila, Publicis Modem, said: "Facebook is both the embodiment of modern times and the perfect place to target our audience. From our side, it was crucial to get the questions and mechanics spot on, to ensure that this Twingo campaign had viral potential."

Separately, Renault is rolling out a new reality TV programme on its Renault TV platform. To promote the launch of its Mégane Coupé Cabriolet and Renault Wind coupé-roadster models, the marque is inviting consumers across Europe to audition to take part in a road trip. The show, entitled 'Very Good Trip', will screen in June and July.

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Nhà hàng mang tên Heart Attack Grill ở bang Arizona, Mỹ, chuyên phục vụ đồ ăn nhanh, trong đó có burger cỡ bự. Trước khi vào nhà hàng này, khách được cảnh báo bằng một tấm biển lớn đề chữ: "Nơi này không tốt cho sức khỏe của bạn".

Heart Attack Grill thường bị chỉ trích vì phục vụ đồ ăn quá thừa dinh dưỡng.

Tên của bánh burger ở đây được đặt tên giống các cuộc phẫu thuật tim. Loại bánh cỡ lớn nhất chứa tới 8.000 calo.

Những vị khách ăn hết một chiếc bánh cỡ to nhất được ưu tiên đưa ra xe hơi trên xe lăn.

Thực khách thì được mặc đồ giống như bệnh nhân.

"Chúng tôi có lẽ là nhà hàng thẳng thắn nhất nước Mỹ. Này anh, đồ ăn này có thể giết chết anh đấy", chủ nhà hàng tên Hon, đóng vai bác sĩ, cảnh báo.

Nhiều nhà hoạt động chỉ trích nhà hàng. Văn phòng chưởng lý bang Arizona còn dọa đóng cửa nhà hàng vì phản đối tiếp viên ở đây ăn mặc giống các nữ y tá.

Tuy vậy, cửa tiệm vẫn nổi tiếng tới mức chủ của nó tuần nào cũng phải trả lời phỏng vấn của báo chí, đài phát thanh từ khắp nơi trên thế giới.

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As social media usage continues to skyrocket, companies are trying to get up to speed on not only using these tools, but finding a way to successfully integrate them into their existing business strategies. At the Business-to-Business Forum, Sandy Carter, Vice President, SOA, BPM and WebSphere at IBM Corporation, will help attendees not only learn more about social media, but also how and when these tools should be added to a company’s existing marketing mix.

In this interview, Sandy gives us her take on the importance of social media for businesses, and some background on some of the topics she’ll be covering during her session at the B2B Forum in Boston:

Q - At the MarketingProfs B2B Forum, you'll be leading a session entitled Marketing 2.0: Integrating Social Media Into Your Marketing Mix. How important is it for a company to consider integrating social media into their existing marketing plan, or should they try to make social media separate from the company's other communication efforts?

A - I believe firmly that social media represents a new set of marketing tools. By integrating the Web 2.0 technologies into a marketing plan, you strengthen the plan overall to drive business. If you isolate your social media team, you will not see the results that you need. In fact, I think just as strong compelling value propositions are core to all marketing, social techniques and the use of Web 2.0 technology should be core to all integrated marketing going forward. (You can learn more about a formal methodology I recommend by visiting the site for my recent book, "The New Language of Marketing 2.0") For example, if you run in-person events today to drive your business, you can add in a Twitter drive to the event to increase registrations. You can generate customer loyalty—or fans—by having them tell their stories on blogs, or post pictures on Flickr. You can even use web 2.0 to help follow-up on the leads with enurturing or form an online community to supplement your in-person customer boards. The point is that the magic is in the marketing mix. Not the tools!

Q - You obviously work at a very large company. What special considerations do you think a large company faces in trying to use social media, that a small business for example, might not have to worry about?

A - Well, I think everything is a trade-off. There are some advantages that the small companies have and some that the big companies have. Since I work for a large company, I am envious at times at how fast a small company can experiment. This area is changing so rapidly and so many new tools are being added daily, that I think that being able to change on a dime is crucial or to add in a new tool without having to get tons of signoffs could make the difference in a first-mover advantage. But large companies have more resources. And that comes with an advantage as well.

However, the bottom line is I think the primary difference here is not in big or small. But the difference is in how close you are to your customers. The hair stylist I go to just recently used Facebook to increase the purchase of one of his services by 500%. Why? Because he used social media tools with his traditional customer retention methods. He understands what his customers are looking for and could add value. This is similar as to when IBM really listens to its customers and develops its next product by learning not only from its current customers, and focus groups, but by dialoguing in the blogs on product requirements and betas. The bottom line is do you know your goals and your differentiation well enough to use the tools appropriately?

Q - As you know, many companies are interested in learning more about social media. What do you think are some of the common misconceptions these companies have about social media?

A - Great question! I think there are a few! First, some companies believe that social media is a magic elixir. They don't realize that social media is just another set of tools to add to the marketing toolbox. Second, some companies focus on the coolness of social media. They get enamored with the tools themselves, and don't focus on what they are trying to do—drive business! And finally I think that companies don't realize that this is brand new. It is not what they studied in college and is bigger than marketing. It encompasses the business. Social technologies should be part of your market intelligence, your strategic delivery, your development cycle, your customer support, your marketing and your sales. It is a cultural change in how we create business.

Q - One of the biggest concerns about using social media, is finding a way to get measurable results. For the company that's wanting to find the ROI of their social media efforts, what should they be looking to track to tell if their social media initiatives are effective?

A - We are all already in the practice of tracking the effectiveness of all the elements of our marketing mix. So it is a great thing to measure the value of social media. I love what Dell did with its Twitter channel by using a special discount code to enable it to track the value. At IBM we add in Web 2.0 elements and measure the effectiveness—whether driving new opportunities or progressing current opportunity—over time. That said, think about the value of a relationship—it is hard to measure that personal relationship just as it is in measuring the online one ! Now even as I write this, IBM and MIT did try to estimate the value of the online connection. IBM Research and MIT's Sloan School of Management found that the average e-mail contact was worth $948 in revenue. To unearth that and other data, they used math formulas to analyze the email traffic, address book and buddy lists of 2600 IBM consultants over a year!

However, you can't measure everything and just because you can measure something doesn't mean that it is the right thing to be watching!

Q - Is social media right for every business?

A - I think that this question is the wrong one. The right one is—what is your overall goal for your company and its business model? What is your compelling value proposition that truly sets you apart? Then you can decide which social media tools to add to your overall company strategy and execution.

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A sculpture depicting the Maitreya Buddha to be displayed at an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City for the Buddha’s birthday Buddhist and other art works will be on show in Ho Chi Minh City from Sunday until next Friday for the 2553rd anniversary of the Buddha’s birth.

The profits from the exhibition of paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and decorated stones by local artists and monks will be given to 80 city workers with fatal diseases. As well as art to examine and buy, there will be poetry chanting, martial art demonstrations, and performances of cai luong (southern folk opera) and other music. La Pagoda in Go Vap District is the main organizer of the event at the HCMC Labor and Culture Palace, 55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, District 1. Reported by Ha Dinh Nguyen

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By Steve Schifferes Economics reporter, BBC News

Bank losses are even bigger than expected one year ago, the IMF says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned credit crunch losses could reach $4 trillion (£2.75tn), damaging the financial system for years to come.

It says that even if urgent action is taken to clean up the banking system, the process will be "slow and painful", delaying economic recovery.

Banks may need $1.7 trillion in additional capital, the IMF forecasts.

And it warns that the cost of the bail-out will severely hit UK government finances with its added debt burden.

The power to force banks to raise additional capital rests with national regulators, such as the FSA, not the IMF Robert Peston BBC Business Editor Read Robert's blog

But the IMF corrected its estimate of the cost to the UK of the bail-out from 13.4% of GDP, or £200bn, to 9.4% of GDP, or £130bn.

The Treasury confirmed that the chancellor will be making a "prudent" estimate of the cost of the bail-out in the Budget, but many commentators believe this will be around £60bn, or half the IMF estimate.

The US and Ireland will face even higher government bills for the bail-out, according to IMF estimates.

Rising bill

One year ago, the IMF estimated that total losses from the credit crunch would be $1tn, which has been exceeded, showing how rapidly the financial meltdown has escalated.

The IMF now says that banks are likely to lose $2.7tn, but other financial institutions such as insurance companies and pension funds are also coming under strain.

And it says that emerging market economies, which will need $1.8tn in refinancing next year, will be hard-hit by the collapse of cross-border lending. It predicts that there will be no net private lending at all to developing countries this year.

WHY $4TN LOSS MATTERS The banks' huge losses have made them reluctant to lend The lack of lending has pushed the world economy into a deep recession Government budgets are strained by the cost of the bail-outs, hitting taxpayers

The report comes as the IMF and World Bank are beginning their spring meeting in Washington, after receiving a promise of $750bn in fresh funds agreed at the G20 summit.

Policy response

The IMF's latest Global Stability Report says that the banking system has not yet been stabilised, despite the billions of dollars spent by governments.

But it warns that political support for further bank bail-outs is waning.

It says that there may be "a real risk that governments will be reluctant to allocate enough resources to solve the problem" because the public has become "disillusioned by what it perceives as abuse of taxpayer funds".

The situation is especially difficult in the US, where Congress appears reluctant to allocate additional bail-out funds above the $700bn approved last autumn despite the inclusion of another $750bn in President Obama's latest budget proposal.

Systemic risks remain high and the adverse feedback loop between the financial system and the real economy has yet to be arrested IMF

The US Treasury has instead proposed a private-public partnership to buy up troubled assets underwritten by loans from the Federal Reserve.

But the IMF comments that "uncertainty about political reactions may undermine the likelihood that the the private sector will constructively engage in finding orderly solution to financial stress".

Deeper recession

The IMF says that restoring the banking system so that it functions normally is likely to take several years, and this will make the recession longer and deeper than usual.

But it warns that if policies are unclear or not implemented forcefully and promptly, "the recovery process is even more delayed and the costs, in terms of taxpayer money and economic activity, are even greater".

It adds that the worldwide recession has deepened the financial crisis.

COST OF REBUILDING BANKS US banks: $275bn Eurozone banks: $725bn UK banks: $250bn Other European banks: $225bn Source: IMF, based on 6% capital/assets ratio

"Systemic risks remain high and the adverse feedback loop between the financial system and the real economy has yet to be arrested, despite the wide range of policy actions and some limited improvement in market functioning.

"Further effective government action - particularly geared toward cleansing balance sheets and strengthening institutions - will be required to stabilise the global financial system and to provide the foundation for a sustainable economic recovery."

On Wednesday, the IMF will present its world economic forecast.

It is expected to be the gloomiest for 60 years, with the world falling into a global recession, and an even sharper decline in output in the rich countries.

An earlier version of this story referred to an IMF estimate that the total cost of bailing out the UK banking system would add 13.4%, or about £200bn, to government debt. The IMF has since corrected this figure, and has returned to their earlier estimate that it would cost 9.4% of GDP, or about £130bn.

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Năm 1921, Guccio Gucci mở một công ty đồ da và một cửa hàng nhỏ bán các loại vali, túi xách bằng da tại quê hương mình, Florence. Với kinh nghiệm nhiều năm làm việc tại khách sạn Savoy ở London, ông say mê những sản phẩm tinh xảo, thẩm mỹ cao của những người quý tộc Anh và đã giới thiệu sự tinh tế này tại Italy, thông qua những sản phẩm bằng da có một không hai, được thiết kế và sản xuất nhờ bàn tay lành nghề và sự khéo léo của những người thợ thủ công vùng Tuscan.

Chỉ trong vòng vài năm, nhãn hiệu sản phẩm của Gucci đã có những thành công lớn, được nhiều khách hàng khó tính để ý. Các sản phẩm của Gucci tung ra thị trường gồm có túi, vali, găng tay, giầy và thắt lưng và dần trở thành những biểu tượng trong ngành thời trang, được đánh giá cao về tính thẩm mỹ và sự sáng tạo.

Đối mặt với việc thiếu nguyên liệu tiêu chuẩn trong những năm khó khăn dưới thời độc tài phát xít ở Italy, Gucci đã tự trở thành một công ty vừa sáng tạo sản phẩm vừa cung cấp nguyên liệu. Sản phẩm túi xách "Bamboo Bag" được giới thiệu, trở thành một trong những sản phẩm đặc trưng, tiêu biểu đầu tiên trong vô số sản phẩm của Gucci. Một sản phẩm được các thành viên Hoàng gia và những người nổi tiếng ưa chuộng. Sản phẩm này vẫn còn được sản xuất cho tới ngày nay.

Trong suốt những năm 50 của thế kỷ trước, dải băng trên nhãn hiệu của Gucci với ba sọc xanh lá cây - đỏ - xanh lá cây, lấy cảm hứng từ đai yên (ngựa), tiếp tục được ghi nhận là một sự thành công vang dội, được coi là một trong những dấu hiệu nhận biết thông dụng nhất của sản phẩm. Với các cửa hàng được mở ở Milan rồi New York, Gucci bắt đầu xây dựng hình ảnh toàn cầu của mình, là biểu tượng của một sản phẩm sang trọng và hiện đại. Guccio Gucci qua đời năm 1953 và con trai của ông, Aldo, Vasco, Ugo và Rodolfo đã theo bước cha mình.

Những năm 60 của thế kỷ trước, Gucci giới thiệu thêm nhiều sản phẩm mới, được coi là bước đột phá vào thời điểm đó. Những sản phẩm này trở thành những thiết kế nổi tiếng còn mãi với thời gian. Đệ nhất phu nhân Mỹ, Jackie Kennedy, khi đó đã sử dụng chiếc túi đeo vai Gucci, sản phẩm ngày nay có tên "Jackie O". Liz Taylor, Peter Sellers và Samuel Beckett dùng "Hobo Bag". Các sản phẩm của Gucci cũng góp mặt trong bộ sưu tập tại Viện nghiên cứu Trang phục thuộc Bảo tàng Nghệ thuật New York. Thời gian này, Gucci tiếp tục mở rộng hoạt động kinh doanh ra thế giới với những cửa hàng tiếp theo được mở ở London, Paris, Palm Beach và Beverly Hills (Mỹ). Giữa những năm 60, Gucci bắt đầu sử dụng logo là hai chữ "G" gắn liền nhau nổi tiếng.

Những năm tiếp theo, Gucci tiếp tục mở rộng ra bên ngoài biên giới Italy, theo đúng mong muốn của Aldo Gucci, người con trai đầu của ông Guccio Gucci, với mục tiêu mới là khu vực châu Á. Các cửa hàng tại Tokyo và Hong Kong ra đời trong khoảng thời gian này. Công ty cũng tăng cường phát triển những sản phẩm mới, thực hiện nhiều nghiên cứu trên những chất liệu mới, lạ và sang trọng, nhưng vẫn tuân theo những tiêu chí từ ngày đầu. Những bộ sưu tập cổ điển được thiết kế lại trong những hình dáng, màu sắc hiện đại. Nhiều sản phẩm mới cũng được giới thiệu.

Năm 1982, Gucci trở thành công ty đại chúng và quyền lãnh đạo được chuyển qua cho con trai của Rodolfo, Maurizio Gucci, người đang nắm giữ 50% cổ phần của Công ty. Năm 1984, Domenico De Sole sở thành Chủ tịch của Gucci America. Investcorp, một công ty đầu tư có trụ sở tại Bahrain, mua 50% cổ phần còn lại của Aldo Gucci và con cháu ông cuối những năm 80.

Gucci tiếp tục tạo tiếng tăm trên toàn cầu thông qua việc kết hợp truyền thống và hiện đại vào sản phẩm của mình. Tom Ford trở thành Giám đốc sáng tạo của Gucci năm 1994 và đem nhãn hiệu sang trọng này tiếp cận với những người nổi tiếng, các ngôi sao trong các lĩnh vực. Domenico De Sole được chỉ định làm Giám đốc điều hành năm 1995. Năm 1998, Gucci là "Công ty thành công nhất châu Âu" do Liên đoàn Báo chí Kinh doanh châu Âu bầu chọn, vì những thành công trong kinh doanh, về tầm nhìn chiến lược và hệ thống quản lý, điều hành hiệu quả. Năm 1999, Gucci "kết duyên" với Pinault-Printemps-Redoute và chuyển đổi từ công ty một nhãn hiệu, trở thành Tập đoàn sở hữu với nhiều nhãn hiệu.

After De Sole và Ford rời khỏi vị trí năm 2004, Mark Lee được chỉ định làm Chủ tịch kiêm Giám đốc điều hành Gucci năm 2005. Ngày nay, Giám đốc sáng tạo của Tập đoàn do Frida Giannini đảm nhiệm. Gucci tiếp tục khai thác hướng tận dụng những nét truyền thống. Gucci luôn được nhắc đến là thương hiệu và sản phẩm cao cấp hàng đầu trong lĩnh vực thời trang.

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South Korea-based Samsung Electronics, the world’s No. 2 mobile phone maker, will put a handset factory in northern Vietnam into operation this month, a company executive said.

Most of the factory’s products will be exported and Southeast Asian countries would be the first markets, the executive told TBKTSG Online. Earlier, the Vietnam News Agency had said the plant, located in Yen Phong Industrial Park in Bac Ninh Province, would initially produce 30 million handsets a year and step-by-step increase its annual production capacity to 100 million units. The agency also said the factory’s total investment capital was US$670 million. The investment is in line with Samsung’s efforts to cut costs to improve global price competitiveness and meet fast-growing demand in Southeast Asia. In addition to the company’s domestic handset plant in Gumi City, about 250 kilometers from Seoul, Samsung also runs handset facilities in China, India and Brazil. Source: Thanh Nien

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A project to construct 600 apartments for low-income earners underway in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said Tuesday that supporting agricultural production is vital for tackling the economic downturn, as it would affect industrial production and exports.

At a government session in Hanoi Tuesday, the Ministry of Planning and Investment reported a growth of 3.1 percent in the first quarter, much lower than last year’s 7.49 percent. Dung also instructed concerned agencies to prevent plant and animal diseases, and better manage agriculture production to avoid situations where farmers suffer losses from bumper crops. Farmers should make a 30 percent profit on their investment, he said. The Prime Minister also wanted low-interest or no-interest loans given to farmers for purchasing farming equipment, televisions and motorbikes, and to build houses. To boost industrial production, Dung said administrative procedures have to be simplified and the policy to apply peak-hour prices for electricity consumed by the sector reconsidered. The disbursement of official development assistance (ODA) and foreign direct investment (FDI) should be expedited and the government would issue more bonds to raise funds to meet the capital needs of the production and commerce sectors, he said. Dung hailed the management of the financial sector but recommended that the State Bank carefully consider its policy to maintain inflation at around 6 percent. Small- and medium-sized enterprises will also be offered a 4 percent interest subsidy on two-year loans taken for new investment projects. Social housing At the session Tuesday, the government discussed projects to construct more houses for workers and low-income earners, and dormitories for university students. Earlier, the government had approved a plan to build dormitories to accommodate 60 percent of total students nationwide by next year. The Construction Ministry reported that only around 20 percent of between 2.2 million and 2.5 million workers in industrial parks nationwide had stable accommodation. Meanwhile, only one third of nearly two million civil servants own a house. The ministry proposed an VND8 trillion (US$469.42 million) plan to build housing for university students, workers in industrial parks and low- income earners in urban areas by 2015. Under the proposal houses would be built and leased to low-income earners at favorable rents, or sold with the help of low-interest bank loans. The government has allowed the municipal administrations of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to start building this year projects to provide accommodation for 200,000 students by 2010 and the second quarter of 2011, construction Deputy Minister Nguyen Tran Nam said. More stimulus packages The Ministry of Planning and Investment is considering another stimulus package of VND20 trillion ($1.14 billion) to spur investment and consumption, Deputy Minister Cao Viet Sinh said at the press briefing. He said government bonds worth VND36 trillion ($2.1 billion) had been sold in 2008. Recently, Le Duc Thuy, chairman of the National Finance Supervision Committee, had called for further stimulus packages to prevent the economy from slowing down and help it recover soon. It is now using VND17 trillion ($970 million) from a stimulus package to provide a 4 percent interest subsidy on loans to companies that export, import or produce essential goods. An official from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said his ministry will propose a plan for not reducing state budget spending so that social welfare projects and other government activities have adequate funds. Reported by Bao Van – Xuan Toan

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Government defers income tax collection to spur spending

Vietnam would lose around VND1 trillion (US$57.3 million) every month if it waives income tax for five months, Deputy Minister of Finance Do Hoang Anh Tuan said The government will delay the collection of personal income tax until the end of May to help stimulate spending amid the global economic crisis.

Personal income including salaries, profit from real estate and stock transactions and other investment returns would not be taxed until May, the government said in a statement posted on its website Monday. The National Assembly will decide then if the payments will be waived completely or just delayed. The economy expanded 6.2 percent in 2008, the slowest pace in nine years, as the global recession cut demand for Vietnamese exports in the US and Japan. The government is targeting 6.5 percent growth for this year. The government said last month it would provide a 30 percent rebate on tax bills from the fourth quarter of last year onwards for small- and medium-sized firms, defined as those having less than VND10 billion (US$572,000) in capital or employing fewer than 300 workers. It will also cut value-added tax by half in February for products like coal, construction materials, engineering equipment used to make other products and automobile parts. The country would lose around VND1 trillion ($57.3 million) every month if it waives income tax for five months, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported on January 13, citing Deputy Minister of Finance Do Hoang Anh Tuan. Non-resident individuals would not have to pay tax on income from financial investments, transactions, copyright and franchising until May, Monday’s statement said. Source: Bloomberg

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Hanoians buy food for Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays at street shops. From the making of several dishes to visiting relatives, Tet traditions have undergone a transformation.

As the main part of her Tet celebrations, Nguyen Thu Ha is in touch with some travel agents so she can take her family to the beautiful coastal city of Nha Trang for a holiday. For Ha, choosing an attractive place for her family to visit is the most interesting part of Tet preparations. As the 37-year-old chief accountant of a bank in Hanoi, she puts in long hours – as many as 12 – at the office every day, and she reckons her break is well-deserved. “My family wants to make use of the occasion to relax after one year of hard work. In addition, my son could learn swimming,” Ha says. She knows there is a world of difference between the way she prepares for Tet and what her mother used to do during her childhood. “My mother used to struggle to make some delicious food and get some new clothes for us every Tet. Now, we don’t have to worry about food, since meat and fish, which were on the dining table only at family parties or Tet during my childhood, have become a common part of our daily meals.” Vietnam's strong economic development has seen the emergence of middle class and high-income groups of people that can afford a luxurious lifestyle, which has spilled over into how they welcome Tet. Most of these people, especially in big cities like Hanoi, Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh, no longer make the banh chung (square cakes made from glutinous rice, pork and green beans), lean pork paste and fruit jams during the Tet season. People choose blossoms trees in Hanoi to decorate their house during Tet Modernization means they have neither the time nor the inclination for such activities. Spending many hours at offices and factories leaves little time for cooking at home, and everything. Expensive imported items and locally-made food products that serve many budget levels are available in the market. From street vendors, groceries stores, and regional markets to plush upmarket trade centers, the options are plentiful if you have money. Already clogged with motorbikes and an increasing number of cars, streets in the cities are snarled on pre-Tet days as people rush to markets, supermarkets, trade centers and other shops. “The number of customers coming here during the Tet shopping season has increased many times over ordinary days. We have prepared more goods and mobilized more staff to serve them,” says Nguyet Anh, an employee of the Trang Tien Plaza in Hanoi. At a supermarket in the plaza, streams of customers with shopping carts loaded with foods, beverages, cosmetics and garments cram through its narrow doorways. “In my mother’s generation, cooking used to be one of their joys during Tet. Now, we don’t want to spend much time on it [cooking]. We want to spend Tet relaxing,” says nurse Nguyen Thi Hanh, 27, while choosing some semi-processed chicken. People today also spend more time decorating their houses with flowers and bonsai for Tet. Many have spent hundreds of dollars on bonsai plants and trees with beautiful shapes for the holiday, which falls on January 26 this year. People in the north have a tradition of displaying peach blossoms and kumquat trees while those in the south display ochna plants that bloom yellow flowers during Tet. This year, many people in the south have chosen peach blossoms and kumquat bonsai mainly grown in Hanoi and the northern provinces of Bac Giang and Hung Yen, as well as that of ochna plants grown in southern localities, says gardener Nguyen Duc Minh, as he waters trees pruned in the shapes of pyramids, dragons, phoenixes and even waterfalls. There are other changes in the way Tet is celebrated, including one indispensable activity, which is to visit relatives and not leave without eating or drinking. That custom is changing now. Instead of welcoming Tet at home, many people are choosing beaches, including Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc and Tuan Chau, while others prefer to travel abroad, mainly to regional countries like China, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Another Tet tradition that has changed a lot in recent years is the offering of gifts. Previously, Tet gifts were locally-produced wine bottles and boxes of jams as offerings to parents, relatives and bosses as a sign of affection and respect. Now, many people choose to buy expensive gifts for their superiors with some presents destined for officials worth thousands of dollars. Amidst all the changes, there is a constant. Every New Year is awaited with expectations and hopes of greater joy and prosperity in the coming year. Reported by Bao Anh

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'nổi' nhất năm 2008

Năm qua người tiêu dùng chứng kiến nhiều thay đổi lớn trên thị trường máy tính xách tay với một loạt sản phẩm xuất sắc ra đời, từ netbook cho tới dòng siêu mỏng nhẹ.

Thiết kế của HP Voodoo Envy 133 đủ quyến rũ để thu hút sự chú ý của người mua dù giống MacBook Air ở việc kiệm tính năng và giá cao: 2.350 USD cho một hệ thống dùng ổ cứng 80 GB tốc độ 4.200 vòng/phút, RAM 2 GB và chip Intel Core 2 Duo 1,6 GHz.

Samsung X460 14,1 inch mỏng, nhẹ (1,29 kg) và đa tính năng để người tiêu dùng hài lòng với mức giá 1.700 USD. Sản phẩm sử dụng chip Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 2,26 GHz, RAM 3 GB và đồ họa rời.

Dòng ThinkPad thường có giá cao nhờ sở hữu các đặc điểm "đẳng cấp" về bàn phím, khung máy và bộ phận bên trong. Tuy nhiên, Lenovo SL400 được coi là "lựa chọn hấp dẫn nhất" cho người muốn sở hữu một hệ thống mạnh mẽ nhưng chỉ có khoảng 650-840 USD với Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2,4 GHz, RAM 2 GB, ổ cứng 250 GB, ổ DVD-RW 8x Max 2 lớp và pin 9 cell.

Sony Vaio VGN-Z598U có giá khởi điểm 1.500 USD nhưng người sử dụng phải trả tới 4.450 USD nếu định mua "kiệt tác" tốc độ cao với hai ổ SSD 128 GB, Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 2,53 GHz, RAM 4 GB và đồ họa nVidia GeForce 9300M GS.

Apple MacBook Air là một "hiện tượng" trong thiết kế laptop bởi nó không chỉ mỏng mà còn có mang vẻ đẹp thanh lịch. Nhưng hệ thống chỉ có 1 cổng USB, thiếu ổ quang và để kết nối qua mạng Ethernet, người ta cần mua thêm adapter 29 USD ngoài giá khởi điểm 1.700 USD.

Acer Aspire One nằm trong số những netbook được ưa chuộng nhất với giá hấp dẫn: 350 USD. Sản phẩm hoạt động trên Windows XP này có màn hình 8,9 inch với bàn phím mượt, ổ cứng 120 GB, RAM 1 GB và đầu đọc thẻ 5 trong 1.

Asus N10Jc là máy tính trung gian giữa một netbook và laptop siêu di động. Nó vẫn sử dụng chip Intel Atom 1,6 GHz, RAM 1 GB như các netbook thông thường nhưng có ổ cứng 160 GB và đồ họa rời nVidia GeForce 9300M GS dù giá bị nâng lên 650 USD.

Mini 1000 là netbook thứ hai của HP với tính năng giống bao phiên bản khác: chip Intel Atom, hệ điều hành XP, RAM 1 GB và ổ cứng 60 GB. Tuy nhiên, bàn phím của Mini 1000 được xếp vào hàng xuất sắc. Giá khởi điểm: 400 USD.

Lenovo ThinkPad W700, hệ thống xứng đáng thay thế desktop, có màn hình 17 inch, tích hợp chip Core 2 Duo T9600 2,8 GHz, RAM 4 GB, Windows Vista Ultimate 64 bit và giá 4.000 USD hoặc thêm 1.000 USD nữa nếu sử dụng Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9300.

Apple MacBook Pro A1286 có kiểu dáng bóng bảy, màn hình rộng 15,4 inch đèn nền LED, hai chip đồ họa Nvidia 9400M và 9600M GT, bộ vi xử lý Intel Core 2 Duo 2,8 GHz và được bán ra thị trường từ 16/10 với giá khởi điểm 1.999 USD.

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