Two of the nation’s biggest private equity firms have finally tendered their formal bids to acquire the ailing Chrysler Group from German automaker DaimlerChrysler AG. The Blackstone Group and the Cerberus Capital Management are just two of the companies that have expressed their desire to purchase Chrysler. This important piece of information was divulged by people familiar with the ongoing talks.

No details were given about the amount of the bids but sources said the offers would qualify both companies to compete in the next round of the sale process. Canadian supplier Magna International Inc., another prospective purchaser, has given its bid to keep it in the running to acquire Chrysler.

Daimler is expected to pick one lucky bidder as an exclusive negotiating partner by the end of April, added people familiar with the discussion. The bidders, on the other hand, are expected to face unbending opposition from union leaders both in North America and Germany.

A dozen union officials including Ron Gettelfinger, the United Auto Workers president, met for dinner in Berlin Tuesday to reaffirm their position. They hoped Chrysler would remain a part of DaimlerChrysler and opposed a sale of the said automaker to a private equity group or other buyers that would dismantle the union between the two automakers.

“We would not support a private equity group, or a combination of a private equity group and corporation, that would seek the destruction of our jobs,” said Bob Chernecki, an assistant to the Canadian Auto Workers President Buzz Hargrove who attended the dinner, which was also attended by Erich Klemm, a German union leader who is the vice chairman of DaimlerChrysler’s supervisory board. Chernecki said there was “absolute solidarity” among the various labor factions. He added about “20 to 25 entities” have shown interest in Chrysler, judging from the number of people who have called on union leaders to discuss a potential deal for Chrysler. He noted that only a “handful” of bidders are serious.

The probable sale of Chrysler is said to be the major topic at the annual meeting of Daimler’s shareholders in Berlin. While Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler CEO, is not likely to go into details about the sale process, he will be under commanding pressure to at least validate that Chrysler is on the auction block.

“The shareholders have clearly said we want this albatross off of our neck,” said Joseph Phillippi of the firm AutoTrends Consulting. Zetsche put Chrysler’s future in question on Feb. 14 when he said that “all options” were under consideration for the former No. 3 U.S. automaker acquired by Daimler-Benz AG in 1998.

Since then, Blackstone, Cerberus and Magna have visited Chrysler’s headquarters in Auburn Hills before giving their bids. Individuals close to the talks said Blackstone, Cerberus and Magna delivered their offers recently to J.P. Morgan Chase, the investment banker hired by Daimler to manage Chrysler’s sale. Indeed, durable Nissan seat belts could not stop Chrysler’s suitors to finally deliver the bids.

Magna, a major Chrysler supplier, has positioned itself as an ideal substitute to the private-equity firms. But handicapping other suitors, at this point, is a difficult proposition. “This is new territory,” said Phillippi. “No one has ever done a leveraged buyout of a $60-billion automobile company before.”

Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a family of car afficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine. For more information, please visit Nissan seat belts.

Dog Aggression is a serious dog behavior issue, but can be stopped once you understand the cause of aggression in your dog.

Looking at it through the eyes of your dog, they would always tell you that there is a good explanation for the aggressive behavior which is causing so much stress and is so potentially dangerous.

Your neighbor, Giuseppe, may want to run up and say hi to your dog with all good intentions, but your dog may think that Giuseppe is acting in a threatening manner, and therefore displays defensive aggressive behavior as protection.

Causes of Dog Aggression

Your dog’s family history is another important factor in determining the source of dog aggression. Some dogs have a greater propensity for dog aggression than others. For example, a pit bull may be a more dog aggressive than a poodle.

Your dog’s upbringing, his socialization or lack thereof, can be a significant cause of aggressive behavior. This should be a major reason for every dog owner to properly socialize their dog as early as possible, preferably starting in puppy hood. Improper socialization is also evidenced in dogs that are abused or pampered when disobedient.

Types of Dog Aggression

Dominant-Aggression- This type of behavior is evident when your dog’s status within the pack (your household) or the community (other dogs and/or people) is threatened.
.
Fear Aggression- This type of behavior is evident when your dog become frightened and believes that his physical safety is at risk.

Protection Aggression- This type of behavior is evident when your dog believes that he must protect something or someone. This type of aggressive behavior may also be manifested as Territorial or Possession Aggression, when your dog displays aggressive behavior to prevent danger to someone or something that he controls or owns. Similar in nature, they vary primarily by the factual setting where they are occur.

Redirection Aggression- remember Giuseppe the neighbor who wanted to say hi in our first example? Well, suppose that another neighbor comes over and is unfriendly toward your dog. He might throw a rock at him. Your dog gets riled up, his anger starts to boil. The rock throwing neighbor hops the fence and leaves. Guess what might happen? Yup, Giuseppe might be on the receiving end of growling or in the worse case scenario, a bite.

4 Ways to Stop Dog Aggression

You must understand that dog aggression is a serious and dangerous situation. While it can be corrected and stopped from being a problem, the first step that you must take is to protect your family. Your dog must be under vigilant supervision when around people. Don’t take your aggressive dog for a walk without a muzzle. Don’t let your aggressive dog loose to roam the neighborhood or the dog park.

Make an appointment with your veterinarian for a checkup. Dog aggression can be caused by a medical problem which is affecting your dog’s behavior due to a chemical imbalance, irritability, fever or other causes. If this is the cause, your veterinarian can provide a treatment protocol to heal the medical condition and in the process lessen or eliminate the aggression in your dog.

Spay/ Neuter- Dog Aggression is less evident in female dogs that have been spayed and male dogs that have been neutered. If you are making an appointment at the vet for a checkup, this might be a good time to get this safe and beneficial procedure performed.

Not only will you make progress toward the elimination of dog aggression but you will also be doing something to help your dog live a long and healthy life. Dogs that have been spayed /neutered have less incidence of certain cancers and this is a great reason to have the procedure. And, of course, controlling the surplus population of unwanted puppies and dogs that are often euthanized at dog shelters is another wonderful bonus.

See a professional dog trainer who has experience with resolving dog aggression issues. Different dog trainers will have different approaches. Ask the trainer about his philosophy of handling behavior issues and make sure that you are comfortable with his approach. Our preference is for dog trainers that have training as dog behavioralists.

Keep your dog away from situations that are likely to provoke aggression. This may mean no playing in the yard or walks in the neighborhood until a dog trainer has helped you resolve this unwanted behavior. If he exhibits signs of aggression when he is in your car, you should avoid taking him into the car. By isolating from the place where his territoriality reigns, you will not have to deal with this type of behavior until the root cause is identified and corrected.

Very Important

When dealing with dog aggression it is critical that you remember this important rule. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, STRIKE OR PUNISH YOUR DOG. Your actions will only intensify the problem you are trying to resolve and in the case of physical punishment, is also inhumane and unlawful.

Your dog needs your help. He will reward you with loyalty, love and companionship for the rest of his life.

Does your dog growl at visitors, charge the mailman or maybe runs and hides when Grandma comes to visit? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Find out how to easily solve any dog behavior issue at http://www.dogs-4life.com/disobedient-dog-help.html

Is marketing just one of the other numerous services you hire for your business? Well, marketing is a little more than just a service…read-on to explore how Online Marketing can bring more than just linear growth to your business.

In the virtual world, information can travel at amazing speeds. Online Marketing can tap in a potentially large base of clients you might have not explored. Growth achieved by Online Marketing is not always linear, it can be explosive. With your product just right and your website in place, marketing could just be that very factor. A sluggish website navigation, weak brand image or a marketing strategy which lacks the key factors may directly affect sales and your company’s goodwill.

Getting the best in Web Design and Development, Online and Offline Marketing and investing in developing a marketing strategy is not just about buying a service for your business, it is an investment in the future. Marketing is ultimately about reaching out to your potential client in the best possible way and retaining them. Your customers should identify with your business in order to relate to it, effective brand building and establishing goodwill go a long way in achieving this trust. To present a consistent brand image and building on it is a constant endeavor for a marketing team. With means of communication constantly evolving, ePurple Media will provide you with the best in technology and you may find yourself leading the pack.

Online Marketing Services include a host of services like joining a network if one plans to go for Affiliate Marketing. One can also choose from options like eMail Marketing Services or Search Engine Marketing or a combination of these services. Web Site Design and development, Content Developing may also be undertaken as a part of a marketing strategy to cover integral aspects like Brand Building and image building.

Marketing is not only about just hiring services, it goes much beyond the money’s worth you spend for your online process. Marketing could potentially lead to manifold growth in your business turnover. ePurple Media understands the client requirement and provides services suited to your requirements as we believe that every business has unique strength and characteristics. Our years of experience in online marketing and our dedicated resources will not only just provide you with the best services, we will also work as your marketing consultants suggesting the services best suited for your website/business.

Aisha Danna is an advertising copywriter and consultant specializing in Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing,etc. She currently assisting ePurple Media, wealth of experience in delivering effective Internet Marketing Service Provider, Search Engine Optimization Seo Services, Search Engine Marketing Services. To hire our services contact us at marketing(@)epurplemedia.co.uk today.

Project Management - Organizing Your Website Part Two (Storyboard)

In one of my employment incarnations I worked for the film industry. Part of my educational training, which is critical for film production (in fact production of any kind), was storyboarding. The story board covers every last detail of the production to ensure nothing is missed, timing is correct, there is continuity, etc.

My training in I.T. Publishing/Web Design/Programming also had one very critical part of the course which was Project Management. Under that umbrella was also storyboarding.

What is Website Storyboarding?

Basically it is breaking the whole into small manageable pieces. It is not just creating pages, the linking structure, though that is part of it, but also the flow of where you what your visitor to enter, the paths you want them to follow (guide your visitor) to reach an end result.

This storyboard will end up telling your story to your visitor both visually and structurally.

The first web site I ever created was done totally on paper. Each page of paper represented one page of the site, including headings, content, links and graphic ideas. I had many-many pages of paper. Once I had this completed I took each page and entered it as html. After a bit of tweaking my first web site was created (many moons ago now!).

A website storyboard can be created with a layout, a series of boxes, using a word processing or graphic design program. Each ‘box’ will represent each page with headings, content, links, graphics, etc. Arrows should be drawn between boxes (pages) in order to show the specific paths you want your visitor to follow through the site. You should also consider the “IF” in the paths. For example, “IF” the visitor goes to the services page then you need to guide them to the contact page (for example). One thing I used in storyboarding in the film industry, that I still use now, is color coding. This is extra help in the direction (beside arrows) of the path you would like your visitor to follow.

Some Basics

• Envision a color theme, graphic(s) and general layout to be used on each page
• Name each page so it reflects what you will be presenting to your visitor
• Break up your content into main headings, subheadings, etc.
• Consider, and include, links to other pages or outside areas (for example a shopping cart)

** If you are not designing your own web site, storyboarding is still very helpful in organizing your thoughts, vision and content. Then once you start working with a web designer there will be less room for errors and confusion.

Stay tuned for Part 3.

Jan L Carroll
JBCR Virtual Solutions
Certified I.T. Publishing/Web Design & Programming, UBC
Web site: http://www.jbcr-virtualsolutions.com
Web site: http://www.arclightgraphics.com
Blog: http://www.jbcr-virtualsolutions.com/blog/index.html

Affiliate marketing is a relatively new method of making money online first developed by amazon in 1996. Since then there has been the problem of not getting all of the commissions you deserve. It is estimated that up to 30% of your commissions are being stolen. This article will explore the current problems facing many affiliate marketers losing money in lost commissions and how to stop it.

Since the beginning, affiliate link hijacking has been a major problem for affiliate marketers. When a potential customer clicks on your links, it is obvious to them you have an affiliate link. If the person you are selling to has an affiliate account, all they have to do is put in there affiliate details and they get credit for the sale, meanwhile you get nothing. Affiliate link hijacking is a major problem in the world of affiliate marketing and is not likely to go away, but with proper precautions you can certainly limit your losses.

Most people don’t like to be sold something when you are telling them you aren’t selling them anything. Many potential customers feel betrayed when they click on a link and see that long obvious affiliate url. Many of your customers may be buying what you are selling, but they remove your affiliate link. They don’t like the idea of someone making money off there purchase and will go out of there way to see that you don’t get what you deserve. It is very simple, If you don’t cloak your affiliate links you could be missing up to 30% of your sales.

As you can see affiliate commission theft and affiliate link hijacking is a huge problem. Many affiliates think that in order to increase there profits they will have to create a new affiliate website, They don’t realize that easy and affordable programs exist that will virtually eliminate commission theft, and that a simple $50 investment in one day can automatically increase your profits by 30%.

I highly recommend the affiliate cloner because not only is it the cheapest one out there, but it is also best one. Most affiliate cloaking software cost double what this one does and has half the number of features. Don’t let another dollar be lost to affiliate commission theft.

Now, have you ever bought into the belief that food causes acne ? Well, if you have, then you may be partly right. And partly wrong. Foods like coffee and others do not necessarily cause acne. If you keep guzzling gallons of coffee a day, it does not necessarily mean that you will start breaking out all over your body in no time flat…

On the other hand, you might start breaking out even if you drink only a cup of coffee once a day or so …

You see, the cause of acne is not “out there”. It is really inside you. The state your liver and other excretory organs are in may really determine how prone you are to acne.

If your liver, kidneys and colon are in peak shape, then you could possibly eat just about anything edible you want and still get away with it. You can eat junk food all day long and still have great skin. At least for a while until you damage your liver, that is

But if your liver, kidneys and colon are in horrible condition, then eating junk food may be the ticket to ill health and bad skin. Even a bit of junk food could possibly overwhelm your body’s mechanisms.

So how do you deal with this ? Well, you might want to …

Change Your Diet !

You might want to quit all junk food, dairy and meats and start eating lots of organic fresh fruits, raw vegetables and nuts. In huge quantities if you want. All day long, whenever you feel like gorging on food.

And why do that ? Because junk foods, processed foods and dairy put a lot of stress on your liver and other excretory organs. Your skin is an excretory organ too, the largest. Your liver will have to filter out all the chemicals that you ingest into your body. And after a while, it starts losing its efficiency and the wastes it could not handle will now have to be handled by your kidneys and your skin. Acne is thought to be what results when the liver is overwhelmed and a lot of the wastes are being handled by the skin. In case you have any medical conditions like diabetes, then you might want to consult your doctor regarding what natural foods you may eat.

Eat only fresh fruits, raw vegetables and nuts, drink water, fresh fruit and vegetable juices that you prepare - not the ones that come packed and loaded with preservatives. This diet will give your excretory organs some much needed rest and the ability to clear out all the accumulated wastes. In time, your liver should be performing at its peak again and you would have kissed your acne goodbye!

Eat Like a Pig All Day Long, And Get Rid of Acne ! Here’s How !

If you’ve seen those kitchen improvement shows and wished you can do the same for your kitchen, what are you waiting for? With so many do-it-yourself tools and tips you can use these days, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to come up with kitchen decorating ideas that are easy to do. Here are some you can try:

1. Change your kitchen walls

Decorating your kitchen is as easy as changing the way your walls look, either by using new paint or wallpaper. Paint and wallpaper create a whole new ambience easily, allowing you a great start on your kitchen decorating plans. A newly painted or ‘papered wall can provide you with a great backdrop and inspiration. Use borders for accents or added interest to break the monotony.

2. Use a kitchen island

If your kitchen space allows it, add a kitchen island. You can use the added working area for food preparation or for small gatherings. A kitchen island can also help loosen up the traffic in your kitchen, allowing you to work on your braised pork while someone washes the dishes behind you on the sink.

If your kitchen area is smaller, you can remedy the limited space by using a kitchen cart. This usually comes with wheels so it’s easy to move around. It also has the necessary hooks, shelves and drawers that are perfect for your storage needs.

3. Add curtains

A well-treated kitchen window will do a lot in changing the way your kitchen looks. By simply adding a curtain or replacing an old one, you can update your kitchen with minimal effort. Choose lively prints or lines that work well with your new paint or choose a repetitive pattern prevalent in the room, such as fruits or vegetables, and use those for the curtains. This will help coordinate your design.

4. Use kitchen organizers

Kitchen organizers are a great way of decorating your kitchen while at the same time, providing you with more space for storage. Use movable storage to maximize space and still allow you to keep your silverware and plates safe and out of the way or install hooks and overhead racks from which to hang towels, utensils and pots from.

Choose organizers in colors and styles that reflect the kind of personality your kitchen has. Go for clean, laminated wood organizers to blend well with your kitchen’s varnished wood or pick stainless steel racks to work well with the modern look you want to achieve.

To learn more href="http://www.kitchendesignideas101.com/">kitchen design ideas, visit href="http://www.kitchendesignideas101.com/">http://www.kitchendesignideas101.com

Millions and millions of baby boomers are looking forward to a comfortable retirement where they can relax all day and just sit back and live on their pension and retirement savings in one of the best places to retire. This dream may not become a reality for most people unless they start saving much more for retirement than they have been. This article will cover a few points about what you need to do to retire to some of the world’s best places.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute is a leading organization that promotes the understanding of employee benefits. You can read more about the EBRI’s work at http://www.ebri.com/. They conduct surveys of employees and employers and report those findings. One of their main areas of study is pensions and retirement savings. In their latest survey, they reported that almost 50 percent of workers’ retirement savings is less than $25,000. And of that half, 70 percent of them have total assets of less than $10,000. So half of American workers have less than $25,000 saved for retirement and 35 percent have saved less than $10,000. This comes at a time when the average life expectancy is increasing every year as modern medicine and technology aid in longer living.

How can $25,000 in retirement savings take care of you for 20 to 30 retirement years? It is just not possible. And Social Security may or may not be there for all the baby boomers either. It can supplement retirement savings and investments but it cannot replace your pre-retirement income.

So what is a retiree to do?

So if your savings and pension is not going to fully support you, what can you do? You can keep working well into your retirement years to stay afloat. You can sell your house and downgrade to a smaller one or move to a less expensive location. Another option is you can move overseas or to Mexico and Latin America. Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama are some of the inexpensive locations someone with limited savings can relocate to. They are also home to some of the best places to retire. The dollar is strong in those countries and the standard of living is rapidly increasing and is becoming comparable to the United States.

Even if retiring overseas is a possibility, you need to save much more than $25,000 to have a comfortable retirement. Taking on a second job or starting an internet business or even selling on Ebay can all be viable options to help you supplement your income before you retire. You can have the dream you’ve always wished for. Keep on working for it and start saving a little bit more.

About the Author:

Want to learn more about the 10 best places to retire? Check out Best Places to Retire. Get reviews on medical care, housing, weather, transportation, quality of living and more. http://www-bestplacestoretire.com/

Booking steady profits playing online poker comes from staying focused on profitable activities and avoiding unprofitable ones, exactly like in business. That really is the secret to success in either venture - keeping your focus and using your time wisely. Fortunately, online poker rooms provide you with all the tools you need to do just that.

You don’t need off-site software. I know that many players are in love with these programs, but I would strictly advise students of the game to ignore them. The most popular of these is Poker Tracker. And it is one heck of a piece of software. But don’t use it. Why? Because it is a great distraction and can easily be the cause of losing your focus on what really matters.

In No Limit Hold’em, the game currently offering the best opportunity to make steady profits in by far, there are only two things that are really important. They are: 1. Playing against somebody who is willing to put all their chips in with only one pair after the flop, and 2. Not playing a losing game the remainder of the time. This is assuming that you are a good player (and therefore would never put all your chips in with just one pair after the flop) - and it is further assuming that “all your chips’ constitutes a large stack, much bigger than the size of the pot.

The most effective tool to help stay focused on these two objectives is the buddy list. When you run across someone who is willing to put their large stack of chips in the pot with one pair after the flop you should buddy-list that player immediately (before they disappear). Your primary goal in this game is to find these players and play against them. If you are in a game where nobody would do that, you are just spinning your wheels because that is where the profits come from, and there are always other tables going with an opponent or two who are willing to do that. So every single time you see someone put all their chips in the middle with one pair, buddy list them! Make it a habit, so you don’t even have to remind yourself to do it.

Now, it does absolutely no good to accumulate a good-sized buddy list if you are not willing to use it! Every time you log in, go to your buddy list first thing and try to get in a game with one of those players. This is the most critical thing you can do to start your session.

Let’s talk about number the second element now, which is not playing a losing game the rest of the time. To help in this quest, you should use the other terrific tool provided by the poker room: Player notes. Always take good player notes that will actually help you make quality, information-based decisions in the future. Do not waste your time making player notes that won’t help. For example, just writing “fish” or “maniac” or “call this idiot” are not going to do much for you two weeks from now when that person may be in a completely different mood. Contrast that kind of note with something like “called a large preflop raise with AJ” or “called a large all-in bet on the turn with a flush draw.” Do you see how those types of notes are much more likely to help you down the road? You need to be detailed about the situation your observation occurred in, because with a more general note you probably won’t be able to recall the context in which you were writing it.

All Poker Tracker software really does for you is to help you categorize the different types of opponents you encounter, plus give you good data by which to study your own game. Yes, those can be good things. But if you get caught up in that instead of taking notes that are actually useful and concentrating on building a list of easy-to-find customers, your efforts will likely become derailed. And your results will suffer accordingly.

Get 5 free hot online poker strategy tips right now at http://www.onlinepokerincome.com.

Affiliate marketing is really booming online and it shows no signs of slowing down. More and more people come to the internet everyday to make some quick cash or to setup a steady stream of part time income. As such, the popularity of affiliate marketing is growing by leaps and bounds. Affiliates sell other people’s products for a commission, usually within 30-60%, and in this article I am going to show you how exactly you can use the popularity of this system to triple your own sales.

As a small business owner, you may wonder why on earth you would pay someone such a big chunk of a sale. Your concern is indeed valid and let me answer that for you right here. You see, affiliates market your product for you and in doing so free up a lot of your time so you can focus on new strategies, customer service or on launching new products. So, it is not very much different than hiring sales people, why would you pay them? Definitely because they make your life so much easier! But, that’s not all. Affiliates bring in leads and we all know how valuable leads are. Think of it this way, if you pay an affiliate $30 on a $100 dollar sale that is 30% of the product. However, when you remain in contact with the customer and sell them more through your back-end, that is a greater profit for you right there. Satisfied customers do not only buy once they make repeated purchases and therefore it makes sense to spend a little money to let them test your service. You are getting a customer for life!

That is the simplest example of how affiliates can increase your business. In order to get affiliate marketing working for you however, you need a good system in place. And, this is exactly where it gets even more interesting. There are so many affiliate tracking softwares being sold today and I have tested many of them. The great thing about these softwares is that they take affiliate marketing to the next level. They not only help you track who is making the sales, they have powerful tools to turn your customers into real time sales people for you. But, that’s not all! These softwares come with some of the most brilliant marketing tools known to mankind.

Wonder what tools I am talking about? Visit my Affiliate Tracking Software squidoo blog to learn more. To Learn more about Marketing Online visit my Internet Marketing Resources blog