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US GAAP Vs IFRS: What are the benefits and differences?

Apart from other countries, the United States has always followed its own way of doing things. For example, the US was the only country to have a uniform color for its currency; green. However, other countries color code their currency to differentiate their denominations. Our green-colored dollar bill originated in the 19th century and up until the 2000s, we are now beginning to see US bills with multi-colored ink. Until the 2000s, the United States was stuck in its own ways and comfortable with its constant green currency until they realized that printing with multicolor ink would help differentiate their notes; all while other countries recognized this much earlier. Just as the United States had its own way of presenting our currency, the same goes for setting our accounting standards. The US has followed Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP, as a means of presenting financial statements, while other countries follow International Financial Reporting Standards, or IFRS. Historically, the United States has been the most adamant in sticking to its own US GAAP, however, recently the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to the adoption and enforcement of IFRS in the US. The SEC has recognized the outpaced benefits associated with the use of equivalent accounting standards among all countries despite the differences between them.

As more and more companies are making the transition to a global economy, by adopting IFRS, all companies around the world will present financial statements on the same basis and rationale. This, in turn, will give US companies a competitive advantage over their foreign competitors, as the equivalent disclosure of companies’ financial performance will be more understandable and easier to compare for investors, companies and the general public. . As Professor David Albrecht points out, “If each country has a different set of financial standards, while multinational companies exist in different countries, it is difficult to compare the position of each company because there is no consistency. Consistency is a key factor in comparison of statements. IFRS will also make it easier for companies to initiate partnerships, implement cross-border acquisitions, and develop cooperative agreements with foreign entities. In addition, companies with subsidiaries in countries that require or allow IFRS may use one accounting language throughout the company. Companies may also need to convert to IFRS if they are subsidiaries of a foreign company that is required to use IFRS, or if they have a foreign investor that is required to use the international standard. Another apparent benefit of adopting this is that companies will have the advantage of raising their capital abroad. All of these advantages, plus many others, will greatly help a company’s position and overall performance in the global economy.

Although the change to IFRS will be beneficial to US companies, some people believe the change will put the US at a disadvantage because of the many differences between our current accounting principles and IFRS. To be clear, US GAAP is a codification of how CPA firms and corporations prepare and present their income, expenses, assets, and liabilities in their financial statements. It is not a single accounting rule, rather it is the accumulation of many rules on how to account for various transactions. When preparing financial statements using GAAP, most US corporations and other business entities use the many rules for reporting business transactions based on these various GAAP rules. The rules and procedures for reporting under GAAP are complex and have been developed over a long period of time. On the other hand, IFRS are considered a “principles-based” set of standards in the sense that they set out broad rules and dictate specific treatments.

There are specific differences in the two accounting standards. According to the IFRS website, the most significant difference between US GAAP and IFRS is that IFRS provides much less general detail. For example, its guidance regarding revenue recognition is considerably less extensive than US GAAP. IFRS also contain relatively few industry-specific instructions. Also, IFRS does not allow Last In First Out (LIFO); the only acceptable method of accounting for inventory is First In, First Out (FIFO). IFRS also uses a one-step method for impairment write-downs instead of the two-step method used with US GAAP, which makes write-downs more likely. The IFRS also does not allow debt for which there has been a covenant violation to be classified as non-current unless a waiver is obtained from the lender before the balance sheet date. To point out some other differences, US GAAP acquires intangible assets recognized at fair market value. By contrast, IFRS recognize intangible assets if it is probable that they will have future economic benefit and they are measured according to their reliability. In addition, US GAAP assigns costs to individual assets, whereas the initial measurement in IFRS is simply at cost (International Financial Reporting Standards).

From a general point of view, I think that US GAAP is calibrated to handle current financial situations and that IFRS is more oriented to focus on everything, leaning more towards a better financial future. I believe that despite these differences, the United States will benefit greatly when we adopt an international set of accounting procedures. Just as the US is now following other countries on currency differentiation, I think now is the right time to follow other countries and adopt internal accounting procedures.

Choosing how to search for condos for sale makes a big difference in what you find

When someone is shopping for any type of real estate, they’ll want to make sure they have a good selection to choose from. No one is going to want to buy the first property they come across. Searching for condos for sale is no different than searching for any other type of real estate other than location.

A real estate agent can show buyers what is for sale. They may be looking for ones in a certain area. The only difference with condos is that they may not have been built yet when they are sold.

There are many companies that sell them before building them. The buyer can customize some of the features that these have. There are many different types of things that can vary from condo to condo.

However, the general design will remain the same. This is something that includes the actual layout of the condo. As for paint colors, flooring, and appliances, these can be chosen by the person who buys that condo.

This can affect the price of them, but they will have what they want instead of settling for something someone else designed for them. They will have a new place to live and they will be the first to live there too. This can be exciting for a lot of people.

There are many different options that people will choose when buying a condo. The size of them is going to be very important as well. They have many different things that must be perfect for the buyer.

The location is another thing that people have to consider. They need to have many different options for each of them. There are many different opportunities that exist in each neighborhood, but many times, the location is chosen because of the job that a person has.

There are many of these condos that have heated parking garages and more as well. This is something that can be very beneficial in some areas. Garbage collection is also an added benefit of living in these communities.

Each place is going to offer something different for the renters. The landscaping that is done can be enjoyed by everyone who lives there as well. The grounds are maintained by the facility as well.

There are several other things that everyone can enjoy as well. Some of them will have shared pools and other activities. The location will determine how much they have in each of the communities.

When someone is choosing which condos they want to look at, they will often choose the ones that offer them the most comfort, as well as the most amenities they can take advantage of. They will also consider the location as a benefit or not. There are many things that are important to people when looking for a place to live.

Everyone has a different preference of what they like to have best. They have a lot of different things that will be beneficial to living in one of these communities, but they also have a lot of things that can make a person feel restricted in what they can and can’t do. Everyone has something different that they like and want to have in their living arrangements.

There are many different sizes and types of condos for sale around the world. However, finding the one that will best suit the person who will be buying will be a task. There are many options available, but not everyone likes all those features.

Email marketing is good for business

Email marketing has proven to be an important tool for good business development and the best option for online marketing today!

What is email marketing? This is a form of direct marketing that uses email as a medium to communicate commercial or fundraising messages. It is one of the fastest and most effective ways to market your products and services, yet inexpensive to use.

Most online entrepreneurs and yourself would like to have successful email marketing campaigns and attract more client sites. Before you reach the top, you have to start by:

1. It is good to know the areas of concern of your target audience:

Discover the topics your readers love and their feedback on your email marketing list. What are the most frequently asked questions? What do my viewers study frequently? If your dedicated emails have good content, then your email marketing results will be greatly improved. All of this will give you a clue as to which business they are most interested in and focus on that topic.

2. Provide feedback:

Select a format for your email marketing that allows your viewers to give you feedback. Whether they are positive or negative reactions, it is good for evaluations and adjustments and to improve on your posts. You will also know their interests.

3. Give Free Email Marketing Advice:

When you provide expert advice or good suggestions to your viewers, you’re giving them something to remember, appreciate, and act on. Providing brief highlights of reliable and truthful information from specific articles that relate to your topic of interest is another way to build trust. When they ask for advice, give it to them for free and refer them for more research on email marketing online.

4. Line up your database in order:

Get an organized contact registration system, updated with new activities and new market trends that will make email marketing easier for you.

5. Find the best email delivery service: that is professional and suitable for your business. Like ‘A Weber’ for example.

The more you research on email marketing, the more you’ll discover that newsletters are a much more effective form of advertising; with compelling content, which is good for business than print media. Please note the following points:

  • Email marketing requires you to distribute newsletters because they are an effective way to increase sales and attract customers to your business.
  • It’s a good communication tool that alerts customers to your product or service before the face-to-face sales conversation.
  • This requires a distribution of information about your product, an indication that you care about your customers. When messages are sent consistently throughout the year, you’re sure to make a good sale because you’ve shared information and also engaged your customer in your newsletter.
  • A professionally written newsletter should have sufficient and valuable content. This can be expert advice on how to use the product, updates on the latest trends in the market, and suggestions on something. This will often engage your target audience and drive more traffic and encourage them to subscribe to your website.
  • Before sending mass emails, be courteous and ask permission from your recipients even if they are your friends in the business. Some may not be interested in your product and will divert your emails to the spam folder.
  • For a good business, it is necessary that you use the right software for your large email lists.
  • Long newsletters and focusing on your competitors are bad for business. You know you can do better than that. Just focus and improve your brand over and over again, advertise it well and you will be successful in business.
  • With a newsletter, you need to build a great social network. There is no better interactive network than the Internet. An active social network is good for word of mouth marketing. In this community, messages are coordinated faster between them.

For more detailed information on email marketing and research, go online.

Email marketing with the use of newsletters is good for business. You can start advertising your products today using the tips above and success to you!

Practical tips for setting up a nursery for babies

It can be a little… not completely… overwhelming to start the process of setting up a new nursery. There are a multitude of products, styles, colors and prices and everything is so cute. Not to mention the fact that anything to do with babies is prime time marketing. Very often we are forced to believe that we must have or do this or that in order to do the best for our little ones.

Many parents will vouch for the fact that it’s all too easy to get carried away with the hype of baby products and clever sales techniques that would have us believe that babies require premium, elaborate, and quite stylish products. What really matters is that the products purchased for your little one’s room are safe and give you peace of mind as well as covering your needs and those of the baby. With this in order, you can have a lot of fun decorating and organizing an adorable nursery.

Read on to find out the essential aspects to take into account when preparing your baby’s room…

Safety, Space and Comfort first:

Australian Standards and New Zealand Standards – Please do your research to ensure that the products you will invest in meet current Australian and New Zealand standards and guidelines. While most reputable dealers will only stock standard-compliant items, you’d better be familiar with the standards and confident that what you’re buying is safe according to the best available guidance.

Space – Be clear about the space available in the baby’s room, as this will affect the size of furniture you can consider. Also consider space-saving furniture pieces, such as a combination dresser/drawer sets or changing tables that fit above the crib.

Paint – Make sure any paint used on furniture (including furniture you are considering repainting) is lead-free and non-toxic.

Plan the layout of the nursery: it is better to place cribs away from windows and shelves, and it is important to take into account the length of the cords of curtains and blinds. The cables must be shortened or eliminated entirely.

Room temperature – Investing in a room thermometer is a great idea to ensure that the room stays at the right temperature for the baby. If you heat the room before the baby goes to bed, make sure the heater is never left on when the baby is asleep in the room.

Power outlets: Make sure all power outlets in the room are childproof. The covers can be purchased from online and offline baby stores.

Some details for nursery furniture pieces:

Crib: The crib mattress should fit the crib exactly and should be firm and clean. Mobiles, toys, or bumpers should not be placed inside the crib, as they can restrict airflow, an important factor related to SIDS. You can always place a mobile above cost to entertain the baby.

Bedding: All bedding used in the crib must be free of ties, cords, and buttons that could cause strangulation or suffocation. Pillows, duvets and duvets should only be used for children over 12 months.

Changing time – It helps to have everything you need for a diaper change close by but out of your baby’s reach. You will want and need lotions, creams and, of course, diapers within easy reach, but not so close as to cause danger or distract your baby.

Toy Boxes – Ideal toy boxes are lightweight, have a non-removable lid, and are well ventilated. Make sure toy boxes are away from baby’s crib and preferably out of baby’s sight; it’s not helpful for the baby to peek into the toy box while you’re trying to get him to sleep.

Night Light or Lamp – The last thing you want to do in the middle of the night is wake baby with too much stimulation in the room. A lamp or dim light can be a great investment, allowing you to see what you are doing with minimal discomfort to the baby.

Fun things!

Setting up your baby’s room can also be a lot of fun. Since the nursery is a place to sleep, soft and calming colors are recommended and, especially if the gender of the child is unknown, neutral colors such as yellow and green are a good idea.

There are lots of beautiful templates and stickers available and many of them are themed – seaside and fairy scenes are just two examples. Consider painting walls or applying transfers with images that you like.

Nurseries can also be beautifully decorated with special family photos, toys, crafts, ornaments, and treasures. Don’t be afraid to paint your own pictures and display them in the nursery; these can be simple and add a personal touch to the room of the newest and most beloved family member.

Setting up a baby nursery is a special moment for any family. With the safety considerations listed above in mind, you can have fun with the process of creating a unique and special place for the smallest member of your family.

Foods to Avoid

Your body, like a bank account, requires regular deposits of healthy, nutritious, disease-fighting food. Your body can tolerate a few withdrawals here and there. A little junk food once in a while never killed anyone. But too many withdrawals will lead to health problems.

However, I am a firm believer that food is to be enjoyed. We just have to pick and choose which foods are worth it for our health and which are not. Nothing is really off limits. But to avoid a big hit to your health bank account, limit or avoid the following five foods.

Fast food and large restaurant

The main problem with restaurant meals these days is disgusting portion sizes. Consider the evolution of pizza. From a reasonably healthy, vegetable-rich, thin-crust pie of decades past, we’ve come to Pizza Hut Double Deep Pizza. Eat a couple of slices and you’ll be blowing your fat and calorie budget.

Be sure to enjoy your double deep pizza, because you’ll have to pay for it out of more than your wallet. At 1,200 calories, it will take you two hours of straight jogging to burn them off. And there’s nothing you can do to burn off a day and a half’s worth of saturated fat and nearly two days’ worth of sodium from that meal.

The other problem with restaurant dining is that most of us are notoriously bad at estimating how many calories are in the food we eat. Naturally, we underestimate. Add in the fact that most of us are notoriously bad at not eating everything in front of us. It’s a recipe for dietary disaster.

Unless you have iron discipline or train like an iron man triathlete, eating in restaurants more than once or twice a week is simply incompatible with good health and a healthy body weight.

fluffy coffee drinks

I call it the Starbucks effect. Our morning coffee has gone from a zero-calorie pick-me-up to a fat, calorie extravaganza with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate. Most people hold up the big (venti) Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème as the example of coffee gone crazy. It is true. This drink will set you back 670 calories and 22 grams of fat, or nearly a third of your daily intake.

But how many people drink this as their morning coffee drink? Even if you don’t splurge on the Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino, you’re probably doing more harm than you realize. Even a medium Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino Light Blended Beverage has 170 calories. Almost all of them are sugar. It is curious that the word “light” appears in the name of this drink.

You may remember from last week’s newsletter that drinking our calories creates a huge disconnect between the brain and the body. Our bodies do not register liquid calories very effectively. This means we don’t eat less to make up for those calories. Just like with soft drinks, if you’re taking in extra calories in a foamy coffee drink, your body doesn’t even know it!

I’d be willing to bet that at least part of the blame for our national obesity epidemic can be attributed to our habit of indulging in high-calorie coffee “drinks.”

“Excellent” Donuts, Muffins, and Bagels

Just like restaurant food and coffee drinks, donuts, muffins, and bagels pack a punch. Portions have become huge. These items provide far more calories and fat than most people realize.

The typical bagel today is six ounces. Before portion sizes exploded, bagels weighed two ounces. And that’s before the butter or cream cheese.

The muffins are even worse. In addition to increasing from three to six and a half ounces in recent years, they often contain trans fat. Trans fat really is as bad as it’s been made out to be. For every 2% increase in energy intake from trans fats, there is a 23% increase in cardiovascular risk.

If you love a muffin, consider it a dessert. If you enjoy a morning bagel, opt for whole grains. Make a mental note of how many calories you’re actually eating, too. Simply recognizing how much you’re actually consuming can go a long way toward making better choices throughout the rest of the day. And skip the coffee drink. Why double the damage?

White Pasta Sauce Dishes (Think Fettuccine Alfredo)

Yes, the much-maligned fettuccine Alfredo and similar creamy pasta dishes are back on the list. As with the three worst foods listed above, the sheer amount of calories and fat contained in these foods make them dietary disaster zones.

A typical restaurant serving of fettuccine Alfredo serves up around 1,200 calories and 75 grams of fat. Sixty-three percent of those fat grams are saturated fat.

The other problem with fettuccine Alfredo and similar pasta dishes is the company they keep. Add a couple of breadsticks. Add a glass of wine or a mixed drink. Enjoy the dessert. At this point, you will need to fast for the entire next day to balance the calories you ate at that meal.

“Diet” anything

The reason diet foods come under my scrutiny has nothing to do with what’s in them. It’s about what they don’t have. Diet foods are not the threat of calories and fat that most processed foods are. Aside from sodium, most diet foods aren’t big offenders. But they’re not much of anything else either.

Diet foods are missing more than just calories and fat. They just can’t give your body what it needs to function optimally. This is where we return to a central message that everyone who cares about health should hear.

Whole, unprocessed plant foods should be the foundation of our diet. If we want to avoid cancer, heart disease, obesity, chronic pain, and more, plant foods must cover three-quarters of our plate. This includes meals and snacks.

Diet foods are fine in a pinch, but they are not the source of disease-fighting nutrients that whole plant foods are. They do not contain the thousands of nutrients that only vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes (beans) can offer.

Not surprisingly, people who eat mainly plants do not need diet foods. They are, on average, much leaner than their non-plant-eating counterparts. You just can’t go overboard with the calories and fat when most of what goes into your mouth comes directly from a tree, vine, stem, bush, or from the ground!

The Future of Music Royalty Rights – Performing Rights Organizations and the Internet

Introduction

The face of music copyright law is changing rapidly. Through the Internet, users have access to literally billions of songs and playlists from all over the world and from all eras. Similarly, musicians and singers can post their latest work on social networking websites like MySpace or YouTube. Many popular artists today started out by being discovered on MySpace rather than the traditional record company route.

So, in light of all this, how do we keep track of the ownership rights of original works? How does the collection of royalties work on the internet? Traditionally, musicians and artists have protected their works by becoming members of organizations that mediate between the artist and broadcasters, such as radio or television stations.

These organizations are known as performing rights organizations or PROs for short. In the United States there are three main PROs that have been in charge of collecting and distributing royalties for musicians. These are: the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and the Society of European Stage Composers and Authors (SESAC).

ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are the big three when it comes to collecting royalties for public performances. One newcomer on the scene is SoundExchange, which governs the collection of royalties specifically through the digital transmission medium over the Internet. This article explores the interaction between traditional PROs and SoundExchange, and how royalties are now being collected for webcasts.

Traditional Royalties: Organization of Performing Rights

As you can see from the name, performing rights organizations deal with performance, especially the ones that are made publicly. What they do is collect royalties from parties using copyrighted works and distribute them to the copyright holder (usually the composer). Royalties are small fees charged each time a copyrighted song is played or performed. For example, if a TV station wants to use a song in one of their ads, the PRO will collect the station’s royalty fee and distribute it to the copyright holder.

Artists who want to collect royalties can sign up with a PRO, and can only sign up with one of the top three. This is a separate arrangement from the one made with a record company. The difference between a PRO and a record label is that the PRO’s deal with audience use of songs, while record labels deal with private performance rights (ie CD sales, etc.).

Therefore, PRO only focuses on performances such as live shows, broadcasts, restaurant uses, anything where the copyrighted work is presented to the public for commercial use. Also note that the PROs do not provide the copyright to the composition; copyright is obtained from the US Copyright Office.

There are differences between ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, and artists can register with one according to their musical needs. For example, BMI tends to focus on popular and commercial artists. SESAC is a newer PRO, has fewer artists on its roster, and tends to focus on artists that are new to the scene, like independent artists. However, the basic concept for all PROs is the same, which is copyright protection and royalty distribution.

How PROs Collect and Distribute Royalties: Using Tracking

In the past, it’s understandable that PROs had a difficult time keeping track of all cases where a song was used commercially for profit. Currently this has become easier due to digital technology. PROs track royalties through what is called “usage tracking.” Some PROs now assign each song a “fingerprint” that records every instance of commercial public use of a song against their database. This is crucial, especially with transmissions over the Internet.

PRO and webcasts

One of the main ways music copyright laws are changing is due to digital broadcasts. Two laws passed in the 1990s grant a performing right for sound recordings (not just live performances). These two laws are the “Digital Performance in Sound Recordings Act of 1995” and the “Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.” Together, these laws now require users of copyrighted sound recordings to pay the copyright owner for digital transmissions over the Internet. Digital broadcasts include media such as Internet radio and satellite radio.

There has been a lot of controversy about these acts, mainly because of the digital transmission fees they set. These royalty rates differ drastically from one medium to another. For example, Internet radio users would be charged 2.9 cents per hour per listener, while satellite radio users would be charged just 1.6 cents per hour. Users of traditional radio stations, also known as “terrestrial radio”, would not pay fees, since there is no digital transmission involved.

The important thing to remember regarding these two laws is this: they now classify sound recordings that are digitally recorded and transmitted as performance in themselves. That is, once a sound recording is transmitted digitally, it is considered a performance and royalties must be paid for the transmission.

In effect, this creates two licences: one for the musical composition itself and one for the recording that is transmitted digitally.

The Future of Royalties: Digital Streaming Royalties and SoundExchange

In response to the new category created by the two laws, a new form of PRO has been created that specifically collects and distributes royalties for digital broadcasts. This PRO is called SoundExchange.

SoundExchange was created in 2000 and operates as a PRO not-for-profit. Its activity is designated by the United States copyright office itself. In its early stages, SoundExchange was also subject to much criticism, again for the different rates between Internet rates and regular radio.

SoundExchange works in the same format as a traditional PRO, but it is different in several ways. First, the company collects and distributes royalties to all artists in accordance with statutory laws, even if the artists are not members (“featured artists”) of the company. That is, they monitor and collect royalties via internet transmission. firstand then contact the artist to distribute the royalties to them, whether they are featured or non-featured artists.

SoundExchange’s form of “usage tracking” consists of a log, which is basically a list of times a song has been streamed over the Internet. Musicians can look up the list of “works” on the company’s website to find out if they are owed royalties. Also note that once SoundExchange contacts the musician, you must register with them to collect royalties.

Second, as mentioned above, SoundExchange deals with a different copyright license than the three PROs (ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC). The three PROs cover the composition of the song – this mainly affects singer-songwriters and composers. SoundExchange covers the recording itself, and this mainly affects performers and artists.

So, for example, when Mariah Carey’s cover of the Journey Song “Open Arms” is played on regular terrestrial radio, songwriter Steve Perry receives royalties from his PRO while performer Mariah Carey receives nothing. However, when “Open Arms” is played via webcast or satellite radio, Perry still receives royalties from him, but Mariah Carey will also receive royalties from SoundExchange, because she is his recording that is reproduced on the Internet.

As you can see, in theory this is supposed to benefit both the composer and the artist. In fact, artists are encouraged to join both a traditional PRO and SoundExchange, in order to have full royalty coverage for their songs. However, one can see how this setup could lead to confusion and royalty disputes in the future.

Copyright Law: What Constitutes Infringement?

Traditionally, copyright infringement consisted of unauthorized actions spent Prayed reproduction of a copyrighted work, especially for commercial purposes. Usually this meant the unauthorized reproduction and sale of CDs, unauthorized sampling of music in a different song, or an unauthorized public performance of a copyrighted work.

However, since digital broadcasting laws now protect the recording itself, infringement also includes the unauthorized downloading, sharing, and streaming of protected music over the Internet. This includes mp3 and remains even after the demise of Napster and other music file sharing websites.

Other Webcasts: SoundExchange Partnership with MySpace

The next logical question in this discussion is whether other types of Internet transmissions are covered by digital transmission laws. Most of the music that is uploaded nowadays is done on a social networking site like MySpace or YouTube. In particular, the largest website of the social networking type for musicians is MySpace, which maintains a “MySpace Music” feature specifically for musicians posting their music online.

In January 2010, SoundExchange partners with MySpace. Specifically, the association’s main goal is to collect “lost” royalties from some 25,000 major, independent, and unsigned artists who posted their music on MySpace. In fact, SoundExchange has put down more than $14 million in escrow for royalties, which will be held while the company searches for and contacts artists who are owed royalties.

Previously, MySpace did not work with SoundExchange, and the new partnership represents an unprecedented and challenging project in the field of music copyright law. The partnership was announced at the MIDEM festival held in January 2010 in Cannes, France. MIDEM (Marché International du Disque et de l’Edition Musicale) is the largest trade fair for the music industry and is held annually.

Conclusion: How do I protect my works?

If you’re a songwriter or artist, or both, it’s good to double check what your rights are under each type of PRO. In addition, you should understand what the different types of webcasts are and how they affect your royalty rights. More information on how to sign up with one of the three main PROs or with SoundExchange can be found on their individual websites. Finally, if you have registered your musical compositions on MySpace Music, be sure to check for past due copyrights through SoundExchange.

If you have questions about your copyright and royalties, please contact an attorney who can explain your options. Using LegalMatch.com can help you find a lawyer for free.

Le Bilboquet is a terrific new addition to Dallas dining

New Yorkers have long enjoyed the always crowded but exquisite French bistro. the bilboquet on East 63rd Street near Madison on the Upper East Side. He has now come to Dallas, not in name only, but accompanied by his wonderfully gifted chef and some of his New York staff. He occupies that venerable space on Travis in the Knox/Henderson area that has long been dedicated to fine French cuisine, the late and much missed. The Ancient.

When I first saw the dazzling advertisement for those of bilboquet new opening in North Texas in the 2013 Restaurant Edition of modern luxury dallas (ranking it second of the “Five Most Exciting New Restaurants” in Dallas and giving it a breathless review), I didn’t make the New York connection and mistakenly read it as “The Library” French for “library” or sometimes even “bookseller”, or most memorably in the National Library of France” which is France’s equivalent of our National Archives in Washington.

No, this beautiful new Dallas gem of a restaurant, the bilboquet, It is named after that lovely French childhood game where you try to turn a ball into a string into a cup into a stick, a stick that has one end of the string attached to it. There is an American version of the game in which the string is replaced with a tough elastic band, making the moving ball much more difficult to catch in the cup. So that’s the meaning of bilboquet.

How the restaurant space has changed! And for the better! anyone i remember the ancient you will find inside the bilboquet unrecognizable. Gone are the gruesome images of ancient ancestors on the walls. The walls themselves, in fact, are gone. They have been opened up and replaced with large clear glass windows that allow for wonderful North Texas natural light. Tables are smaller (and perhaps too close together), and the average age of diners has dropped from 70 to 30. In short, everything you can remember about the place in Travis has been transformed, and much for the better.

The interior is as wonderfully classic as the food, and I was pleased to find bright white tablecloths, fresh-cut flowers on every table, and, of course, an unexpected bath of natural light. The chef from New York the bilbouquet, “Momo” Sow, has moved to Dallas with some of his key associates, and the results are spectacular. The food is solid Parisian bistro fare, with a suspicion of Momo’s great appreciation for novelle cuisine and his own distinctive multinational style, but always with a strong French accent.

My partner and I started with a light appetizer, crab and avocado salad, which was delicious and flavorful without being filling. The piece of crab meat fresh from the ocean, tossed with thinly sliced ​​spring onions, a hint of lemon in the whipped mayonnaise, and of course avocado and some greens – chopped lettuce and celery. It was like out of this world.

For the starter we both chose a dish of veal cooked in a light lemon sauce, veal chop with lemon, perhaps the most tender morsels of beef I’ve had in the last year, in a delicate sauce and served with a fresh salad and, of course, properly cooked French fries (I can’t bear to call them “french fries” than in America are usually cooked in vegetable oil, which makes them tasteless, even if they are supposedly “good for your heart”). It was nice to have the salad served with the main course, rather than before. The veal was simply excellent, because Momo understands that the most important thing to remember about tasty veal is what happens to it long before you start cooking it. Cutlets should be pounded until tender and melt in your mouth. They were magnificent.

For dessert we both had a superbly fresh Catalan cream that was clearly made minutes before it was served to us. Outstanding! Then, to wake us both up, my friend had a cappuccino and I had an espresso as we looked out at Highland Park’s elegant crowd of young men and women who seemed to be doing just fine. and happy to spend two or three hours having lunch. Trust funds are a wonderful invention and are not uncommon in Dallas. And they make for lovely diners.

The service was excellent and fast (our young waiter was a bright student finishing his first year at university). A lunch to remember, and to repeat for sure, and soon.

the bilboquet it’s at 4514 Travis Street between Knox and Armstrong. It’s often packed, especially for dinner, so you’ll definitely want to make a reservation by calling (469) 730-2937.

Visiting the I&M Channel

The Illinois and Michigan Canal originally ran a distance of 96 miles from Bridgeport on the Chicago River to LaSalle-Peru on the Illinois River. The I & M Canal opened transportation by ship from the Kankakee Illinois hospital on the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Construction began in 1836 after the Canal Commission obtained a grant of 280,000 acres of land from the national government. Financial backing for the project came largely from wealthy interests in the eastern US, as well as from English investors. When the panic of 1837 exhausted the funds for the project, it was temporarily abandoned.

The actual construction of the I & M Canal was done primarily by immigrants from Ireland who had previously worked on the construction of the Erie Canal. Pumps were used to pump water to fill the Canal, supplemented by water from the Calumet Feeder Canal and the DuPage River to the south. The work was dangerous and many workers died in accidents as there was no medical care in Momence Illinois. Irish workers were exploited and mistreated by the owners of the Canal company and generally looked down on by other residents. The total cost of the Canal was more than six million dollars. It was finally opened in 1848 by Chicago mayor James H. Woodworth. This canal made navigation possible through the Chicago Portage and helped establish the city of Chicago as the major transportation hub of the central United States in the decades before the arrival of the railroads.

The Canal was sixty feet wide and six feet deep, and had roads built along each of its edges to allow mules to be hitched to the barges they towed. At intervals along the route (spaced by the distance mules could pull a barge in a day), villages were built. The I & M Canal had 17 locks and 4 aqueducts to equalize the 140-foot elevation difference between Lake Michigan to the east and the Illinois River to the west. The I & M Canal carried both passengers and cargo from its opening in 1848 until the arrival of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, which ran parallel to the Canal, in 1853. The Canal was dredged in 1871 to deepen it in order to speed up the current and improve wastewater disposal. Communication via the Chicago River was a major factor in the growth of Chicago after its devastating fire in 1871. In addition, all of the city’s waste flowed through the river and was then dumped into Lake Michigan. Since the lake was the city’s main source of drinking water, this practice heavily contaminated the city’s water. After a major storm in 1885 caused flooding that washed river debris and polluted Chicago’s water, the alarmed Illinois legislature took action in 1889 to build canals and canals to divert the flow of rivers from Lake Michigan into place of towards him; and divert contaminated water downstream, where it would be diluted by the Des Plaines and Mississippi rivers.

Canal shipping peaked in 1882, although its Momence medical care facilities continued to be used until 1933. The I & M Canal was largely superseded by the larger Chicago Sanitary and Shipping Canal, which was It opened in 1900 and is still in use today. After it ceased operations in 1933, most of the original I & M Canal was filled in. Today there are eight remaining Illinois and Michigan Canal Locks and Towpath National Heritage Corridor parks, declared a National Landmark in 1964, that welcome visitors and attract many tourists from throughout the Midwest.

How brokers can spin new fiat rules

The brokerage industry fought the Labor Department’s new fiduciary rules every step of the way.

The battle seems to be over, and it ended in something of a draw. The brokerage industry may not like the new rules for retirement accounts, but it’s still free to do business as usual on taxable accounts. And many family investors remain as confused as ever about whether their broker has a conflict of interest.

These new rules address conflicts of interest for brokers and other financial professionals who provide retirement advice by requiring advisers to adhere to a fiduciary standard when managing assets in retirement accounts.

Many lay people are confused about what this means and what professionals have a fiduciary responsibility to their clients. In its simplest form, a fiduciary standard means that professionals subject to the standard must put the best interests of clients before their own benefits when offering financial advice or making investment decisions. For example, a trustee is not only required to offer appropriate investment options, but must take special care to avoid conflicts of interest whenever possible and disclose potential conflicts when they arise. The Investment Advisers Act of 1940 specifically defines the role of a trustee, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is tasked with enforcing the rule thoroughly.

Until the new rules went into effect, SEC-registered investment advisers were subject to this standard, but stockbrokers, insurance agents and other professionals who provide investment advice were not. Instead, they were subject to the less strict suitability rule. This rule requires brokers to make recommendations consistent with the best interests of the client, which means that they cannot recommend totally inappropriate investments. But they are not required to put their own interests below those of the client, which allows them to favor more expensive investments or trade more frequently to generate more commissions. They are also not required to disclose conflicts of interest.

The new rules hold brokers to the fiduciary standard that applies to RIAs, but only for retirement accounts. For taxable accounts, the eligibility rule still applies.

A highly publicized survey from a few years ago found that many people mistakenly believe that brokerage firm financial advisors are fiduciaries; 76 percent of those surveyed thought so. (1) The same survey suggested that most investors were unaware that different standards applied to investment brokers and registered investment advisers.

Many brokers will take advantage of their customers’ confusion, apathy, or both to put these mandatory changes in the best possible light. For example, a couple I know work with a broker at a major wealth management firm. The broker manages his portfolio, including retirement accounts, which means he’s subject to the new rules. He told his clients that the investments in their retirement accounts had been underperforming, so he would move the assets to better-performing and less-expensive alternatives.

I asked if the broker had mentioned any other reason for the change, since it seemed obvious to me that the broker was acting in response to the new Department of Labor regulations. No, they told me, he did not mention other reasons.

It’s not hard to see why a broker would prefer to informally present such a change as his own good idea. We all want to present our professional services in the best possible light and, of course, he would rather be the hero saving a client money than the villain forced to put the client’s interests first because the government said what he had been doing was already it is not legal. Not talking about the new regulations is not completely misleading; many customers may not be interested in a detailed explanation. And changes are required to be mentioned in written disclosures, however voluminous. But this does not help investors to better control the situation.

The incident highlights a real and ongoing problem in the world of personal finance, one that the new rules do not effectively address. For many consumers, it’s unclear which financial professionals are sitting on their side of the table and which are salespeople first and foremost. Everyone wants to appear useful; many of the terms and titles say little to consumers unless they dig deeper. “Financial advisor” can mean many different things, depending on who the advisor works for and what exact services the firm provides.

Department of Labor rules require committing to fiduciary standards, disclosing any potential conflicts of interest, and instituting policies that advise mitigating any conflicts that arise. But how many advisors will take the time to make sure clients read and understand the paperwork, instead of just marking the places where the client is required to sign what they assume is standard legalese?

For now, proactive clients will continue to be better served by asking their advisors, or potential advisors, directly if they are fiduciaries. In fact, it should be one of several questions, such as how often are investments monitored, what is the adviser’s underlying investment philosophy, and how does the adviser’s fee structure work? But the concern behind the new Labor Department rules is that many investors don’t know how to ask these questions in the first place.

While the new rules are useful, they are not enough to ensure that consumers can make the best possible decisions. Consumers need real education on what a fiduciary is, whether or not your advisor is, and why the distinction matters. We cannot reasonably expect non-fiduciary advisers to voluntarily provide such education if they are not required to do so.

Font:

1) Bloomberg, “‘Clueless’ Investors Think Brokers Are Fiats, Survey Says”

7 tips to increase sales using social networks

Social media has become a selling force for the marketing world and marketers are taking advantage of it. A recent survey shows that around 75% of buying and selling decisions are made through social media reviews in one form or another. Even the way we do business and maintain customer relationships has changed dramatically in recent years due to social media. The traditional way of selling both online and offline has changed from email marketing, networking, phone calls, and face-to-face discussions to almost complete selling on social media. That being said, it doesn’t mean that our traditional ways of selling are no longer good or in use, but rather that we make better use of them by combining social media selling data and experiments to increase sales using social media.

Increased sales through social media

Social selling is a simple yet tactical way to reach your audience based on their demographics and at the right time through the right source, based on the most popular social media channel your local or global audience is using on a certain moment. By using your networks correctly on LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter, and other social networks, you’ll be able to easily identify potential leads, then gain intelligence about your audience’s needs and challenges, and then leverage this insight. This valuable information will allow you to strike up a conversation that will give you the opportunity to email them, call them, or even meet them in person and present your offers. It’s no news that the power of social media helps marketers discover new sales opportunities and also develop existing business relationships that lead to increased sales through social media.

To be successful on social media, you need to plan properly, set a clear strategy, put in some time and work hard before you even think about being successful in social media sales. Below are some of the best tips every sales rep should follow to succeed on social media.

1. Defined your Brand or Products/Services

Before you even start anything on social media, you as an individual or group must first define your brand, products, and services. This means that how do you want to be seen as a brand? Is it that you have the best quality products with the lowest cost or do you offer the fastest and most efficient services within your niche? Do you want your audience to see you as the best team or group of experts in a particular field? everything has to be defined first. By doing this, you will determine how you want to be perceived in the eyes of your audience, and you will also know the correct social media font you will need to use.

2. Create and complete your social media profiles

After defining your brand and having a complete understanding of how you want to be perceived in the media among your audience and potential customers, the next thing you need to do is create attracted accounts on all the social media platforms within your reach. Be it Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and also create and update your LinkedIn profile. Connect your site to all of the social sites listed above and not to the LinkedIn company page. Make sure you don’t have prior information on those pages that could damage your brand and create controversy among your visitors and potential customers. These social media pages represent your brand, products, and services to a great extent and should be kept clean and filled with information that uniquely appeals to customers.

3. Identify your target audience and go after it

There are so many ways to search for your target audience on social media these days. You easily know them by what they like, their subscriptions, what they share and watch on a daily basis. Another way to find your audience is through LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great tool for this because it allows you to search for people based on their demographics, such as by their titles, regions, specific departments, companies, industries, and more. The same can be done with Twitter and now with updated Facebook posts to target a specific audience to increase engagement. You can also find your potential customers through your competitors’ fan pages and make attempts to empower them in ways I won’t discuss here. In case you need more information about it, please send an email or contact the administrator of this post.

4. Build your social network with your target audience

After you know who your target audience is on those social networks, start building your network with the people you know by inviting them to like and share your pages. Chances are good those people know who you want to sell to and be sure to add everyone from your past and present workplaces, your family and friends and encourage them to share your information among their friends. This will surely make your pages attract new members and thus the growth will continue. Make good use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ to start this process.

5. Identify the platforms your audience uses

Knowing the social media platforms your target audience is on regularly will go a long way in helping you target and drive them to your pages on the same social media channels. You need to understand where your target audience spends most of their time, discuss their challenges, and share information on topics that interest them. Once you identify those platforms, join the groups and subscribe to those platforms. There are chances that you will meet much of your target audience there and convert them into your fans and subscribers. You would do better if you spend more time on those social platforms where your audience spends most of their time. This will lead to more subscribers and leads that you would keep forever.

6. Increase sales using social networks

Learn and monitor your leads on those social media platforms

Some tools like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, and Google Alerts are just a great piece of software that can help you monitor in real time what your potential customers are talking about online, allowing you to quickly respond to them in a timely manner. Your target audience continually shares information on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and more, which send messages about what their needs and wants are. Sometimes even updating your profile can review what your needs are at once. Knowing all of this will give you a great idea of ​​what to create and how to target them based on their behavior on social media.

7. Offer objective and valuable content that impresses and engages your audience

Now that you’ve defined your brand, created and improved your social media profiles, identified your target audience and where they spend most of their time on social media platforms, you’ve started building your social network and started learning more about your target audience. The next challenge will be to start offering great information about your products, services and brand. This will help you build trust and establish yourself as an expert in a particular field. These days you need to share specific valuable information with your potential customers in the form of quality content using the different social media platforms they use and also make sure that this content is delivered to them at the right time and through the right source.