Facelift surgery is fast becoming one of the most popular procedures requested of plastic surgeons. Dr. Gutierrez's extensive training in facial analysis under world leaders in facial rejuvenation makes him one of a very few surgeons to incorporate traditional approaches with unique techniques to avoid that obvious post-facelift windblown look, repositioned hairline and earlobes. He has perfected a two-layered technique that places tension on the bottom tissue layers allowing a more gentle redraping of the skin thus creatinga more natural, youthful appearance.
Many areas of the face are improved: sagging, loose tissues of the mid-face, deep folds of loose skin at the sides of the nose and mouth, jowls or loss of definition of the jaw line, and excess fat or loose skin causing loss of definition and “hanging” of the tissues in the neck area.
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Dr. Gutierrez will discuss your areas of concern during the consultation and demonstrate the degree of correction you may be able to achieve in each area. A facelift does not stop the clock. It simply "resets" it. How long a facelift lasts depends on many factors including the inherent characteristics of your tissues. Also, people tend to age in “spurts” (look at Presidents before and after serving). If you are in, or entering, an aging cycle, your facelift will not last as long as someone who is not in such a cycle.
You'll notice some loosening within a few months following a facelift, but you may never regain the degree of your original aged appearance. On average, patients may request a less extensive tightening procedure in 7-10 years to maintain the best possible appearance.
A Facelift is often combined with other procedures for simultaneous correction of other areas of the face such as the forehead or eyelid regions. This gives you a balanced, more youthful appearance of the entire face.
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breast lift (mastopexy)
With the new advances in plastic surgery women now can enjoy the look and feel of being feminine, sensual and sexy again. I am referring to the facts that in the past women feared undergoing the breast lift surgery because of the ugly long permanent scars.
Many of the evolving breast lifts procedures offered today attempt to minimize the amount of scaring on the breast. Depending on your particular anatomy and goals, we can now offer a technique that is only performed by a handful of surgeons across the country. In this procedure we lift the breast with only a single scar that goes around the areola and therefore completely eliminates the other sometimes-disfiguring scars. The ability to offer these techniques will completely depend on your anatomy, skin quality, breast size and your surgeon’s experience.
Breast Implants & Augmentation Specialists offer a wide selection of breast lifts procedures tailored to meet the desires of any individual, while reducing the size and the visibility of scars.
The correct breast lift technique still depends on the individual anatomy as well as the sagginess of the breast. For the BEST breast lift choice for YOU, please contact us or email us your photos.
A Breast Lift can enhance your appearance and your-self confidence. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them during consultation.
Breast Lift Procedures
(a) The latest in breast lift techniques - learn about this new procedure.
(b) Circumareolar breast lifts with vicrly mesh with minimal scaring.
Many of the evolving breast lifts procedures offered today attempt to minimize the amount of scaring on the breast. Depending on your particular anatomy and goals, we can now offer a technique that is only performed by a handful of surgeons across the country. In this procedure we lift the breast with only a single scar that goes around the areola and therefore completely eliminates the other sometimes-disfiguring scars. The ability to offer these techniques will completely depend on your anatomy, skin quality, breast size and your surgeon’s experience.
Breast Implants & Augmentation Specialists offer a wide selection of breast lifts procedures tailored to meet the desires of any individual, while reducing the size and the visibility of scars.
The correct breast lift technique still depends on the individual anatomy as well as the sagginess of the breast. For the BEST breast lift choice for YOU, please contact us or email us your photos.
A Breast Lift can enhance your appearance and your-self confidence. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them during consultation.
Breast Lift Procedures
(a) The latest in breast lift techniques - learn about this new procedure.
(b) Circumareolar breast lifts with vicrly mesh with minimal scaring.
AR Rahman
Bio:
A.R. Rahman was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His father, R.K. Shektar, was a music composer himself for Malayalam-language Keralite cinema. Prior to his own career as a composer, he created a couple of rock groups like Nemesis Avenue. His instruments of choice are the harmonium, keyboard, piano, and guitar. The most notable instrument…
A.R. Rahman was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His father, R.K. Shektar, was a music composer himself for Malayalam-language Keralite cinema. Prior to his own career as a composer, he created a couple of rock groups like Nemesis Avenue. His instruments of choice are the harmonium, keyboard, piano, and guitar. The most notable instrument he uses is the synthesizer, which he says, was the "ideal combination of music and technology." This would prove to be major for his later success. In 1992, Rahman began his own music recording and mixing studio attached to the backyard of his house called the Panchathan Record Inn, which was developed into India's most advanced recording studio His first film score was done in 1992 for the film "Roja."
The 1993 Best Music Director Award at the India National Film Awards was the first of countless awards he would receive over his career. He would win the Best Music Director three more times, a record for that award. Some of his notable works since this movie are "Bombay," "Kannathil Muthamittal," "Dil Se," and "Guru." The movies he makes are primarily in Tamil and Hindi, but has also done scores for English and Japanese speaking movies.
A.R. Rahman’s musical style was groundbreaking for it involved elements of rock, funk, Tamil traditional folk, Western classical, reggae, and Carnatic music. He was a trailblazer for making music scores by improvising these genres in any given mix as well as incorporating new audio technology to his work. Rahman attached and opened a developed extension studio to his Panchathan Record Inn in 2005 called AM Studios in Kodambakkam, Chennai — considered to be the most developed, equipped and high tech studio in Asia.
In 2006, Rahman launched his own music label, KM Music. A.R. Rahman has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making him one of the highest selling artists in recorded music history. He has won the Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction 12 times, including a streak where he won the award every year from 1992 to 2000.
In total, he has won 23 Filmfare Awards. In 2009, he won the Golden Globe for Best Music Score for the movie "Slumdog Millionaire." Perhaps his greatest crowning achievement came on February 22, 2009, when he won 2 Academy Awards, one for Best Original Song and Best Original Music Score. A. R. Rahman is married to Saira Bano. The couple has three children, Khadijah, Rahima and Aman. Rahman is related to the southern Indian actor Rashin Rahman. Rahman is the uncle of composer G. V. Prakash Kumar.
He converted to Islam from Hinduism in 1989 along with his family after a personal experience with a Sufism teacher. With many more projects on the horizon, A.R. Rahman will continue to add to his amazing resume and has left an indelible mark on the film industry worldwide.
A.R. Rahman was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His father, R.K. Shektar, was a music composer himself for Malayalam-language Keralite cinema. Prior to his own career as a composer, he created a couple of rock groups like Nemesis Avenue. His instruments of choice are the harmonium, keyboard, piano, and guitar. The most notable instrument…
A.R. Rahman was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His father, R.K. Shektar, was a music composer himself for Malayalam-language Keralite cinema. Prior to his own career as a composer, he created a couple of rock groups like Nemesis Avenue. His instruments of choice are the harmonium, keyboard, piano, and guitar. The most notable instrument he uses is the synthesizer, which he says, was the "ideal combination of music and technology." This would prove to be major for his later success. In 1992, Rahman began his own music recording and mixing studio attached to the backyard of his house called the Panchathan Record Inn, which was developed into India's most advanced recording studio His first film score was done in 1992 for the film "Roja."
The 1993 Best Music Director Award at the India National Film Awards was the first of countless awards he would receive over his career. He would win the Best Music Director three more times, a record for that award. Some of his notable works since this movie are "Bombay," "Kannathil Muthamittal," "Dil Se," and "Guru." The movies he makes are primarily in Tamil and Hindi, but has also done scores for English and Japanese speaking movies.
A.R. Rahman’s musical style was groundbreaking for it involved elements of rock, funk, Tamil traditional folk, Western classical, reggae, and Carnatic music. He was a trailblazer for making music scores by improvising these genres in any given mix as well as incorporating new audio technology to his work. Rahman attached and opened a developed extension studio to his Panchathan Record Inn in 2005 called AM Studios in Kodambakkam, Chennai — considered to be the most developed, equipped and high tech studio in Asia.
In 2006, Rahman launched his own music label, KM Music. A.R. Rahman has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making him one of the highest selling artists in recorded music history. He has won the Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction 12 times, including a streak where he won the award every year from 1992 to 2000.
In total, he has won 23 Filmfare Awards. In 2009, he won the Golden Globe for Best Music Score for the movie "Slumdog Millionaire." Perhaps his greatest crowning achievement came on February 22, 2009, when he won 2 Academy Awards, one for Best Original Song and Best Original Music Score. A. R. Rahman is married to Saira Bano. The couple has three children, Khadijah, Rahima and Aman. Rahman is related to the southern Indian actor Rashin Rahman. Rahman is the uncle of composer G. V. Prakash Kumar.
He converted to Islam from Hinduism in 1989 along with his family after a personal experience with a Sufism teacher. With many more projects on the horizon, A.R. Rahman will continue to add to his amazing resume and has left an indelible mark on the film industry worldwide.
Film Review: 'What's Your Raashee?'
he Story:
'What's Your Raashee?' is a romantic comedy about a young man who needs to get hitched in ten days and finds love through sun signs.
'What's Your Raashee?' tells the story of a Chicagoan, Yogesh Patel (Harman Baweja), who returns to Mumbai with the false news of his ailing father. Instead, he's desperately called back home to free his family from utter ruin. In order to bail his family out of the financial mess, Yogesh must get married in ten days. If Yogesh meets the deadline, he will inherit his grandfather's estate and pay off all of his family loans. After lots of emotional blackmail and restless nights due to jetlag, Yogesh agrees to marriage without the acceptance of dowry.
One night, Yogesh is inspired by a book on astrology and decides to begin his bride hunt by meeting one girl from every raashee - sun sign. His parents give an ad in matrimonials and Yogesh gets 163 replies. Once his parents shortlist the girls, he sets out to find his dream girl by going on twelve different dates; they girls are - (Priyanka Chopra) - Anjali (Aries), Vishaka (Taurus), Kajal (Gemini), Hansa (Cancer), Mallika (Leo), Pooja (Virgo), Rajni (Libra), Nandini (Scorpio), Bhavna (Sagittarius), Jhankhana (Capricorn), Sanjana (Aquarius) and Chandrika (Pisces). He decides to meet two girls per day for six days, gives himself three days to make a decision and leaves the tenth day for marriage.
While all the girls are Gujarati from various parts of Mumbai - from Bhuleshwar to Vashi, and have strikingly different personalities and avatars, Yogesh is the only one who sees a resemblance between all of them. All of this confuses him further and makes it harder for him to make a final decision. With pressure from his parents and limited time, Yogesh goes into deep thought before taking the big step. But before you find out who he ties the knot with, there's a climax song featuring all twelve of his prospective brides.
The Cast:
Harman Baweja as Yogesh Patel - a popular DJ, he's a Gujarati bachelor from the University of Chicago who is desperately called back to Mumbai to save his debt-ridden family by getting married in ten days. He agrees to meet one girl from each of the 12 zodiac signs but can't figure out which one he actually loves.
Priyanka Chopra as:
Anjali - an Aries with a slouch, sports a Thai look, speaks with an accent ('Mon-dates, Toos-dates'), snorts while she laughs, tries her hand at cigarettes and likes to drink.
Vishakha - a Taurus, she's a vivacious Gujarati girl who enjoys classical music, must test the guy before marriage and sings 'Su Che' when she meets Yogesh.
Kajal - the bubble-blowing Gemini, she's a lanky street-clothed small-town college girl who loves hip-hop dancing and needs time to 'connect' with Yogesh.
Hansa - a Cancer, she's the teary-eyed middle-class virgin with traditional values who suffers from a heartbreak.
Mallika - an ambitious Leo, she's an easygoing girl who is a passionate modern dancer.
Pooja - a Virgo, she's the idealistic and sexy microbiologist from Kampala who wears yellow saris and is keen on trying new things. As a doctor, she expects Yogesh to support her in every one of her ventures.
Rajni - the Libra who is a modern businesswoman looking for a contract marriage to save her from an ongoing CBI enquiry.
Nandini - the Scorpio who is traditional by day and naughty by night, and aspires to become a supermodel.
Bhavna - an intelligent Sagittarius who's an astrologer with seductive charms and enjoys reading.
Jhankhana - a Capricorn, she's the surprisingly strong, unattractive schoolgirl who has inner beauty.
Sanjana - an Aquarius and die-hard romantic, she's the elegant and high society girl who has a fake American accent, knows how to mingle and is in love with an African man.
Chandrika - a psychotic Pisces who's obsessed with reincarnation and is convinced that she knows Yogesh from a previous birth.
The Crew:
Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala, Sunita Gowariker
Production House: Ashutosh Gowarikar Productions
Distributor: UTV Motion Pictures
Music Label: Sony Music
Screenplay: Ashutosh Gowarikar, Naushil Mehta
Story: Madhu Rye
Cinematography: Piyush Shah
Choreography: Chinni Prakash, Raju Khan, Rekha Chinni Prakash, Terrence Lewis
Music Director: Sohail Sen
Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
Cast: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Anjan Srivastava, Visshwa Badola, Rajesh Vivek, Dilip Joshi, Daya Shankar Pandey
What Worked:
All the praise goes to Priyanka Chopra for putting on twelve great acts! While some of her characters are simplistic, there's an edge to the characters like Rajni, Anjali and Vishakha.
Harman suits his endearing role and his bride hunt is what holds the film together, keeping you hooked.
Ashutosh Gowariker highlights the Gujarati community and you get to see a variety of them - from Jhaveris, to business tycoons and farmers to spice merchants.
What Didn't:
'What's Your Raashee?' is too long for being a light-hearted entertainer. What stretches it is the content within the screenplay; it's dry and the entire plot remains thin - pointless subplots (detective following a womanizing marriage broker and a stalker who hassles Yogesh's brother for a long running loan), repetitive scenes (Yogesh's date with each girl is followed by a song), and humdrum dialogue - all leading to a weak and copped-out climax. And as a musical, only four out of fourteen tracks are likeable.
Despite Priyanka's sincere performance, too many of her characters are unlikable and eventually you suffer from a Priyanka overload, since she's just too outrageous and quirky in characters like Kajal and Bhavna.
The Soundtrack:
Sohail Sen has composed a few nice songs for an otherwise dated and lifeless soundtrack. The best tracks are the romantic number 'Jao Na' and 'Chehre Jo Dekhe Hain,' both soulfully sung by Sohail himself. 'Su Chhe' sung by Bela Shende and Sohail Sen, and 'Aaja Lehrate' with vocals by Shaan, are catchy tracks.
Slated or Rated:
'What's Your Raashee?' is a lengthy but fun romantic urban comedy for the entire family. If you enjoy astrology, a variety of songs, lots of silliness, Gujarati culture, and are a big Priyanka Chopra fan, go for it!
'What's Your Raashee?' is a romantic comedy about a young man who needs to get hitched in ten days and finds love through sun signs.
'What's Your Raashee?' tells the story of a Chicagoan, Yogesh Patel (Harman Baweja), who returns to Mumbai with the false news of his ailing father. Instead, he's desperately called back home to free his family from utter ruin. In order to bail his family out of the financial mess, Yogesh must get married in ten days. If Yogesh meets the deadline, he will inherit his grandfather's estate and pay off all of his family loans. After lots of emotional blackmail and restless nights due to jetlag, Yogesh agrees to marriage without the acceptance of dowry.
One night, Yogesh is inspired by a book on astrology and decides to begin his bride hunt by meeting one girl from every raashee - sun sign. His parents give an ad in matrimonials and Yogesh gets 163 replies. Once his parents shortlist the girls, he sets out to find his dream girl by going on twelve different dates; they girls are - (Priyanka Chopra) - Anjali (Aries), Vishaka (Taurus), Kajal (Gemini), Hansa (Cancer), Mallika (Leo), Pooja (Virgo), Rajni (Libra), Nandini (Scorpio), Bhavna (Sagittarius), Jhankhana (Capricorn), Sanjana (Aquarius) and Chandrika (Pisces). He decides to meet two girls per day for six days, gives himself three days to make a decision and leaves the tenth day for marriage.
While all the girls are Gujarati from various parts of Mumbai - from Bhuleshwar to Vashi, and have strikingly different personalities and avatars, Yogesh is the only one who sees a resemblance between all of them. All of this confuses him further and makes it harder for him to make a final decision. With pressure from his parents and limited time, Yogesh goes into deep thought before taking the big step. But before you find out who he ties the knot with, there's a climax song featuring all twelve of his prospective brides.
The Cast:
Harman Baweja as Yogesh Patel - a popular DJ, he's a Gujarati bachelor from the University of Chicago who is desperately called back to Mumbai to save his debt-ridden family by getting married in ten days. He agrees to meet one girl from each of the 12 zodiac signs but can't figure out which one he actually loves.
Priyanka Chopra as:
Anjali - an Aries with a slouch, sports a Thai look, speaks with an accent ('Mon-dates, Toos-dates'), snorts while she laughs, tries her hand at cigarettes and likes to drink.
Vishakha - a Taurus, she's a vivacious Gujarati girl who enjoys classical music, must test the guy before marriage and sings 'Su Che' when she meets Yogesh.
Kajal - the bubble-blowing Gemini, she's a lanky street-clothed small-town college girl who loves hip-hop dancing and needs time to 'connect' with Yogesh.
Hansa - a Cancer, she's the teary-eyed middle-class virgin with traditional values who suffers from a heartbreak.
Mallika - an ambitious Leo, she's an easygoing girl who is a passionate modern dancer.
Pooja - a Virgo, she's the idealistic and sexy microbiologist from Kampala who wears yellow saris and is keen on trying new things. As a doctor, she expects Yogesh to support her in every one of her ventures.
Rajni - the Libra who is a modern businesswoman looking for a contract marriage to save her from an ongoing CBI enquiry.
Nandini - the Scorpio who is traditional by day and naughty by night, and aspires to become a supermodel.
Bhavna - an intelligent Sagittarius who's an astrologer with seductive charms and enjoys reading.
Jhankhana - a Capricorn, she's the surprisingly strong, unattractive schoolgirl who has inner beauty.
Sanjana - an Aquarius and die-hard romantic, she's the elegant and high society girl who has a fake American accent, knows how to mingle and is in love with an African man.
Chandrika - a psychotic Pisces who's obsessed with reincarnation and is convinced that she knows Yogesh from a previous birth.
The Crew:
Director: Ashutosh Gowarikar
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala, Sunita Gowariker
Production House: Ashutosh Gowarikar Productions
Distributor: UTV Motion Pictures
Music Label: Sony Music
Screenplay: Ashutosh Gowarikar, Naushil Mehta
Story: Madhu Rye
Cinematography: Piyush Shah
Choreography: Chinni Prakash, Raju Khan, Rekha Chinni Prakash, Terrence Lewis
Music Director: Sohail Sen
Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
Cast: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Anjan Srivastava, Visshwa Badola, Rajesh Vivek, Dilip Joshi, Daya Shankar Pandey
What Worked:
All the praise goes to Priyanka Chopra for putting on twelve great acts! While some of her characters are simplistic, there's an edge to the characters like Rajni, Anjali and Vishakha.
Harman suits his endearing role and his bride hunt is what holds the film together, keeping you hooked.
Ashutosh Gowariker highlights the Gujarati community and you get to see a variety of them - from Jhaveris, to business tycoons and farmers to spice merchants.
What Didn't:
'What's Your Raashee?' is too long for being a light-hearted entertainer. What stretches it is the content within the screenplay; it's dry and the entire plot remains thin - pointless subplots (detective following a womanizing marriage broker and a stalker who hassles Yogesh's brother for a long running loan), repetitive scenes (Yogesh's date with each girl is followed by a song), and humdrum dialogue - all leading to a weak and copped-out climax. And as a musical, only four out of fourteen tracks are likeable.
Despite Priyanka's sincere performance, too many of her characters are unlikable and eventually you suffer from a Priyanka overload, since she's just too outrageous and quirky in characters like Kajal and Bhavna.
The Soundtrack:
Sohail Sen has composed a few nice songs for an otherwise dated and lifeless soundtrack. The best tracks are the romantic number 'Jao Na' and 'Chehre Jo Dekhe Hain,' both soulfully sung by Sohail himself. 'Su Chhe' sung by Bela Shende and Sohail Sen, and 'Aaja Lehrate' with vocals by Shaan, are catchy tracks.
Slated or Rated:
'What's Your Raashee?' is a lengthy but fun romantic urban comedy for the entire family. If you enjoy astrology, a variety of songs, lots of silliness, Gujarati culture, and are a big Priyanka Chopra fan, go for it!
Egypt
Egypt
Main article: Egyptian pyramids
The ancient pyramids of Egypt
The most famous pyramids are the Egyptian pyramids — huge structures built of brick or stone, some of which are among the world's largest constructions. The age of the pyramids reached zenith at Giza in 2575-2150 B.C.[2] There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008.[3][4] The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest in the world. Until Lincoln Cathedral was built in 1400 AD, it was the tallest building in the world. The base is over 52,600 square meters in area. Egypt has the most pyramids in the world, with Sudan coming in at a close second.
It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one of the seven to survive into modern times. The Ancient Egyptians covered their faces with polished white limestone, though most of the stones used for the purpose have fallen or have been removed and used to build the mosques of Cairo.
[edit] Nubia
Main article: Nubian pyramids
Nubian pyramids were constructed (roughly 220 of them) at three sites in Nubia to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of Napata and Meroë. Kush pyramids also known as Nubian Pyramids were built after Egypt built its great pyramids. The Nubian pyramids were constructed at a steeper angle than Egyptian ones and were monuments to dead kings and queens.[5]
Pyramids were still being built in Nubia up to AD 300.
[edit] Greece
Pyramid of Hellinikon
Dotted throughout the landscape are remains of buildings that were described by ancient travelers as pyramids. They were first excavated by Americans and Germans in the early 1900s and the 1960s.
Pausanias, a Greek traveler in the second century AD described several of the structures as pyramids. One of these pyramids was located in Hellenikon (Ελληνικό in Greek), a village near Argos near the ancient ruins of Tiryns.[6] The story surrounding the monument was that it was built as a polyandria, a common grave, for those soldiers who had fallen in the struggle for the throne of Argos back in the 14th Century BC He described the structure as something that resembled a pyramid with the decorations of Argolic shields, showing the military connection to it. Another pyramid that Pausanias saw on his journeys was at Kenchreai, another polyandria dedicated to the Argives and Spartans who lost their lives at the Battle of Hysiai in 669 BC. Unfortunately neither of these structures remain fully intact today to test how closely they resembled the pyramids of Egypt nor is there any proof that they even resembled an Egyptian pyramid at all.
There are two surviving pyramid-like structures still available to study, one at Hellenikon and the other at Ligourion, a village near the ancient theatre Epidaurus. With these two pyramid’s base stones remaining, it is possible to determine that Grecian pyramids existed. These buildings were not constructed in the same manner as the pyramids in Egypt. The buildings at Hellenikon and Ligourion were no more than 70 meters tall and were surrounded by walls, with the base of the Helleniko pyramid being nine meters by 7 meters. The stone used to build the pyramids was limestone quarried locally and was cut to fit, not into freestanding blocks like the Great Pyramid of Giza. The base of the structures also differed from the Egyptian pyramids as they were rectangular, not square. This simple construction shape made it very difficult to make the top of the building come together in a point. As such, it makes more sense that these structures could have been peaked by a roof or platform.
There are no remains or graves in or near the structures. Instead, the rooms that the walls housed were made to be locked from the inside. This coupled with the platform roof, means that one of the functions these structures could have served was as watchtowers. Another possibility for the buildings is that they are shrines to heroes and soldiers of ancient times, but the lock on the inside makes no sense for such a purpose.
The dating of these ‘pyramids’ has been made from the pot shards excavated from the floor and on the grounds. The latest dates available from scientific dating have been estimated around the 5th and 4th centuries. There are many researchers who have given dates to the structures that pre-date the pyramids at Giza, but the method to obtain these dates was thermoluminescence of the stone.[citation needed] Normally this technique is used for dating pottery, but here researchers have used it to try to date stone flakes from the walls of the structures. This has created some debate about whether or not these ‘pyramids’ are actually older than Egypt, which is part of the Black Athena controversy.[citation needed] The basis for their use of thermoluminescence in order to date these structures is a new method of collecting samples for testing. Scientists from laboratories hired out by the recent excavators of the site, The Academy of Athens, say that they can use the electrons trapped on the inner surface of the stones to positively identify the date that the stones were quarried and put together.
The issue with this method is that they date the pyramids with a margin of error of up to over 700 years. This method dated the Helleniko pyramid to 2730 BC with an error factor of plus or minus 720 years. It also dated the Ligourio pyramid to 2260 BC with an error of plus or minus 714 years. Though these initial dates are indicative of these structures being built before the pyramid complex at Giza, it also means that they could have been built well after Khufu’s Great Pyramid was erected. Some archaeologists, however, have indicated that these samples may have been very select in their choice of which stones to sample. Further excavations of the site at Helleniko reveal that it was constructed on a previously existing structure, giving a possibility that the new methods of dating may be a misinterpretation.
Along with these five structures there are 14 more pyramid-like buildings, or their remains, scattered throughout the rest of the country side of Greece. These sites do not get as much attention as the two at Helleniko and Ligourio as they are the only ones mentioned in surviving accounts of ancient travelers.
[edit] China
Main article: Chinese pyramids
There are many square flat-topped mound tombs in China. The First Emperor of Qin (circa 221 BC) was buried under a large mound outside modern day Xi'an. In the following centuries about a dozen more Han Dynasty royals were also buried under flat-topped pyramidal earthworks.
[edit] Mesoamerica
Main article: Mesoamerican pyramids
Pyramid in the Mayan city of Chichen-Itza, Mexico
A number of Mesoamerican cultures also built pyramid-shaped structures. Mesoamerican pyramids were usually stepped, with temples on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid.
The largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. This pyramid is considered the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, and is still being excavated. The third largest pyramid in the world, the Pyramid of the Sun, is also located in Mexico. There is an unusual pyramid with a circular plan at the site of Cuicuilco, now inside Mexico City and mostly covered with lava from an ancient eruption of Xictli. Pyramids in Mexico were often used as places of human sacrifice.
[edit] North America
Many mound-building societies of ancient North America built large pyramidal earth structures known as platform mounds. Among the largest and best-known of these structures is Monk's Mound at the site of Cahokia, which has a base larger than that of the Great Pyramid at Giza. While the North American mounds' precise function is not known, they are believed to have played a central role in the mound-building people's religious life.
[edit] Roman Empire
Pyramid of Cestius in Rome
The 27-metre-high Pyramid of Cestius was built by the end of the first century BC and still exists today, close to the Porta San Paolo. Another one, named Meta Romuli, standing in the Ager Vaticanus (today's Borgo), was destroyed at the end of the 15th century.
There is also a Roman era pyramid built in Falicon, France.[7] There were many more pyramids built in France in this period.
[edit] Medieval Europe
Pyramids have occasionally been used in Christian architecture of the feudal era, e.g. as the tower of Oviedo's Gothic Cathedral of San Salvador. In some cases this leads to speculations on masonic or other symbolical intentions.
[edit] India
Detail of the main gopura (tower) of the Thanjavur Temple pyramid in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
Many giant granite temple pyramids were made in South India during the Chola Empire, many of which are still in religious use today. Examples of such pyramid temples include Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. However the largest temple pyramid in the area is Sri Rangam in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. The Brihadisvara Temple was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added as extensions to the site in 2004.[8]
[edit] Modern pyramids
Examples of modern pyramids are:
* The Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France, in the court of the Louvre Museum, is a 20.6 meter (about 70 foot) glass structure which acts as an entrance to the museum. It was designed by the American architect I. M. Pei and completed in 1989.
* The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, California, designed by William Pereira.
* The 32-story Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee (built in 1991) was the home court for the University of Memphis men's basketball program, and the National Basketball Association's Memphis Grizzlies until 2004.
* The Slovak radio building in Bratislava, Slovakia. This building is shaped like an inverted pyramid.
* The Walter Pyramid, home of the basketball and volleyball teams of the California State University, Long Beach, campus in California, United States, is an 18-story-tall blue pyramid.
* The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, United States, is a 30-story pyramid with light beaming from the top.
* The Summum Pyramid, a 3 story pyramid in Salt Lake City, Utah, used for instruction in the Summum philosophy and conducting rites associated with Modern Mummification.
* The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana, Kazakhstan.
* The Pyramids at Osho Commune in Pune, India (for meditation purposes).
* The three pyramids of Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas.
* The Co-Op Bank Pyramid or Stockport Pyramid in Stockport, England is a large pyramid-shaped office block in Stockport in England. (The surrounding part of the valley of the upper Mersey has sometimes been called the "Kings Valley" after the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.)
* The GoJa Music Hall in Prague.
* The Muttart Conservatory greenhouses in Edmonton, Alberta.
* The unfinished Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang.
* Small pyramids similar to those of the Louvre can be found outside the lobby of the Citicorp Building in Long Island City, Queens NY.
* The Pyramids of the City Stars Complex in Cairo, Egypt.
* Pyramid building belonging to 3DPLM Software Solutions, at Hinjwadi, Pune, India.[9]
* Triangle, a proposed skyscraper in Paris.
* The Steelcase pyramid.
* The Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid , a proposed project for construction of a massive pyramid over Tokyo Bay in Japan
Main article: Egyptian pyramids
The ancient pyramids of Egypt
The most famous pyramids are the Egyptian pyramids — huge structures built of brick or stone, some of which are among the world's largest constructions. The age of the pyramids reached zenith at Giza in 2575-2150 B.C.[2] There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008.[3][4] The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest in Egypt and one of the largest in the world. Until Lincoln Cathedral was built in 1400 AD, it was the tallest building in the world. The base is over 52,600 square meters in area. Egypt has the most pyramids in the world, with Sudan coming in at a close second.
It was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one of the seven to survive into modern times. The Ancient Egyptians covered their faces with polished white limestone, though most of the stones used for the purpose have fallen or have been removed and used to build the mosques of Cairo.
[edit] Nubia
Main article: Nubian pyramids
Nubian pyramids were constructed (roughly 220 of them) at three sites in Nubia to serve as tombs for the kings and queens of Napata and Meroë. Kush pyramids also known as Nubian Pyramids were built after Egypt built its great pyramids. The Nubian pyramids were constructed at a steeper angle than Egyptian ones and were monuments to dead kings and queens.[5]
Pyramids were still being built in Nubia up to AD 300.
[edit] Greece
Pyramid of Hellinikon
Dotted throughout the landscape are remains of buildings that were described by ancient travelers as pyramids. They were first excavated by Americans and Germans in the early 1900s and the 1960s.
Pausanias, a Greek traveler in the second century AD described several of the structures as pyramids. One of these pyramids was located in Hellenikon (Ελληνικό in Greek), a village near Argos near the ancient ruins of Tiryns.[6] The story surrounding the monument was that it was built as a polyandria, a common grave, for those soldiers who had fallen in the struggle for the throne of Argos back in the 14th Century BC He described the structure as something that resembled a pyramid with the decorations of Argolic shields, showing the military connection to it. Another pyramid that Pausanias saw on his journeys was at Kenchreai, another polyandria dedicated to the Argives and Spartans who lost their lives at the Battle of Hysiai in 669 BC. Unfortunately neither of these structures remain fully intact today to test how closely they resembled the pyramids of Egypt nor is there any proof that they even resembled an Egyptian pyramid at all.
There are two surviving pyramid-like structures still available to study, one at Hellenikon and the other at Ligourion, a village near the ancient theatre Epidaurus. With these two pyramid’s base stones remaining, it is possible to determine that Grecian pyramids existed. These buildings were not constructed in the same manner as the pyramids in Egypt. The buildings at Hellenikon and Ligourion were no more than 70 meters tall and were surrounded by walls, with the base of the Helleniko pyramid being nine meters by 7 meters. The stone used to build the pyramids was limestone quarried locally and was cut to fit, not into freestanding blocks like the Great Pyramid of Giza. The base of the structures also differed from the Egyptian pyramids as they were rectangular, not square. This simple construction shape made it very difficult to make the top of the building come together in a point. As such, it makes more sense that these structures could have been peaked by a roof or platform.
There are no remains or graves in or near the structures. Instead, the rooms that the walls housed were made to be locked from the inside. This coupled with the platform roof, means that one of the functions these structures could have served was as watchtowers. Another possibility for the buildings is that they are shrines to heroes and soldiers of ancient times, but the lock on the inside makes no sense for such a purpose.
The dating of these ‘pyramids’ has been made from the pot shards excavated from the floor and on the grounds. The latest dates available from scientific dating have been estimated around the 5th and 4th centuries. There are many researchers who have given dates to the structures that pre-date the pyramids at Giza, but the method to obtain these dates was thermoluminescence of the stone.[citation needed] Normally this technique is used for dating pottery, but here researchers have used it to try to date stone flakes from the walls of the structures. This has created some debate about whether or not these ‘pyramids’ are actually older than Egypt, which is part of the Black Athena controversy.[citation needed] The basis for their use of thermoluminescence in order to date these structures is a new method of collecting samples for testing. Scientists from laboratories hired out by the recent excavators of the site, The Academy of Athens, say that they can use the electrons trapped on the inner surface of the stones to positively identify the date that the stones were quarried and put together.
The issue with this method is that they date the pyramids with a margin of error of up to over 700 years. This method dated the Helleniko pyramid to 2730 BC with an error factor of plus or minus 720 years. It also dated the Ligourio pyramid to 2260 BC with an error of plus or minus 714 years. Though these initial dates are indicative of these structures being built before the pyramid complex at Giza, it also means that they could have been built well after Khufu’s Great Pyramid was erected. Some archaeologists, however, have indicated that these samples may have been very select in their choice of which stones to sample. Further excavations of the site at Helleniko reveal that it was constructed on a previously existing structure, giving a possibility that the new methods of dating may be a misinterpretation.
Along with these five structures there are 14 more pyramid-like buildings, or their remains, scattered throughout the rest of the country side of Greece. These sites do not get as much attention as the two at Helleniko and Ligourio as they are the only ones mentioned in surviving accounts of ancient travelers.
[edit] China
Main article: Chinese pyramids
There are many square flat-topped mound tombs in China. The First Emperor of Qin (circa 221 BC) was buried under a large mound outside modern day Xi'an. In the following centuries about a dozen more Han Dynasty royals were also buried under flat-topped pyramidal earthworks.
[edit] Mesoamerica
Main article: Mesoamerican pyramids
Pyramid in the Mayan city of Chichen-Itza, Mexico
A number of Mesoamerican cultures also built pyramid-shaped structures. Mesoamerican pyramids were usually stepped, with temples on top, more similar to the Mesopotamian ziggurat than the Egyptian pyramid.
The largest pyramid by volume is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. This pyramid is considered the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, and is still being excavated. The third largest pyramid in the world, the Pyramid of the Sun, is also located in Mexico. There is an unusual pyramid with a circular plan at the site of Cuicuilco, now inside Mexico City and mostly covered with lava from an ancient eruption of Xictli. Pyramids in Mexico were often used as places of human sacrifice.
[edit] North America
Many mound-building societies of ancient North America built large pyramidal earth structures known as platform mounds. Among the largest and best-known of these structures is Monk's Mound at the site of Cahokia, which has a base larger than that of the Great Pyramid at Giza. While the North American mounds' precise function is not known, they are believed to have played a central role in the mound-building people's religious life.
[edit] Roman Empire
Pyramid of Cestius in Rome
The 27-metre-high Pyramid of Cestius was built by the end of the first century BC and still exists today, close to the Porta San Paolo. Another one, named Meta Romuli, standing in the Ager Vaticanus (today's Borgo), was destroyed at the end of the 15th century.
There is also a Roman era pyramid built in Falicon, France.[7] There were many more pyramids built in France in this period.
[edit] Medieval Europe
Pyramids have occasionally been used in Christian architecture of the feudal era, e.g. as the tower of Oviedo's Gothic Cathedral of San Salvador. In some cases this leads to speculations on masonic or other symbolical intentions.
[edit] India
Detail of the main gopura (tower) of the Thanjavur Temple pyramid in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
Many giant granite temple pyramids were made in South India during the Chola Empire, many of which are still in religious use today. Examples of such pyramid temples include Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. However the largest temple pyramid in the area is Sri Rangam in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. The Brihadisvara Temple was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987; the Temple of Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram were added as extensions to the site in 2004.[8]
[edit] Modern pyramids
Examples of modern pyramids are:
* The Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France, in the court of the Louvre Museum, is a 20.6 meter (about 70 foot) glass structure which acts as an entrance to the museum. It was designed by the American architect I. M. Pei and completed in 1989.
* The Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, California, designed by William Pereira.
* The 32-story Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee (built in 1991) was the home court for the University of Memphis men's basketball program, and the National Basketball Association's Memphis Grizzlies until 2004.
* The Slovak radio building in Bratislava, Slovakia. This building is shaped like an inverted pyramid.
* The Walter Pyramid, home of the basketball and volleyball teams of the California State University, Long Beach, campus in California, United States, is an 18-story-tall blue pyramid.
* The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, United States, is a 30-story pyramid with light beaming from the top.
* The Summum Pyramid, a 3 story pyramid in Salt Lake City, Utah, used for instruction in the Summum philosophy and conducting rites associated with Modern Mummification.
* The Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in Astana, Kazakhstan.
* The Pyramids at Osho Commune in Pune, India (for meditation purposes).
* The three pyramids of Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas.
* The Co-Op Bank Pyramid or Stockport Pyramid in Stockport, England is a large pyramid-shaped office block in Stockport in England. (The surrounding part of the valley of the upper Mersey has sometimes been called the "Kings Valley" after the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.)
* The GoJa Music Hall in Prague.
* The Muttart Conservatory greenhouses in Edmonton, Alberta.
* The unfinished Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang.
* Small pyramids similar to those of the Louvre can be found outside the lobby of the Citicorp Building in Long Island City, Queens NY.
* The Pyramids of the City Stars Complex in Cairo, Egypt.
* Pyramid building belonging to 3DPLM Software Solutions, at Hinjwadi, Pune, India.[9]
* Triangle, a proposed skyscraper in Paris.
* The Steelcase pyramid.
* The Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid , a proposed project for construction of a massive pyramid over Tokyo Bay in Japan
pyramid
A pyramid is a building where the outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least four faces (base plus at least three triangular faces). The five-face square pyramid is a common version.
A pyramid's design, with the majority of the weight closer to the ground,[1] means that less material higher up on the pyramid will be pushing down from above: this distribution of weight allowed early civilizations to create stable monumental structures.
For thousands of years, the largest structures on Earth were pyramids: first the Red Pyramid in the Dashur Necropolis and then the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still remaining and still the tallest pyramid of all. The largest pyramid ever built, by volume, is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. This pyramid is still being excavated.
A pyramid's design, with the majority of the weight closer to the ground,[1] means that less material higher up on the pyramid will be pushing down from above: this distribution of weight allowed early civilizations to create stable monumental structures.
For thousands of years, the largest structures on Earth were pyramids: first the Red Pyramid in the Dashur Necropolis and then the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still remaining and still the tallest pyramid of all. The largest pyramid ever built, by volume, is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in the Mexican state of Puebla. This pyramid is still being excavated.
Jets-Titans Could Be a Rush to Judgment
By Eric Allen
Senior Managing Editor.
For the first time in 27 years, the New York Jets will begin an NFL weekend with the league’s No. 1 defense. And after yielding no offensive touchdowns during the franchise’s ninth 2-0 start, the Jets have a great opportunity to improve to 3-0 if their “D” keeps Titans RB Chris Johnson in check this "Throwback" afternoon at the Meadowlands.
“The speed is what makes him special,” said S Kerry Rhodes of the 5’11”, 204-pound Johnson. “He’s not a guy who’s going to kill you running the ball up the middle like a traditional running back. He can beat you out of the backfield, he can run the edge on you, he can line up at receiver, he can hurt you with kickoff and punt returns. He’s a very versatile guy — I think that’s his biggest asset.”
Week 3: Jets-Titans Release
Johnson has been a bright spot in the Titans’ disappointing 0-2 start. In last week’s 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans, he rushed 16 times for 197 yards with scoring runs of 57 and 90 yards. And he hauled in eight balls for 97 yards, taking one into the end zone from 69 yards out.
“You just have to be aware where he’s at and the type of runs that he has,” said DE Shaun Ellis. “We have to be patient in our run fits and don’t overcommit because he can reverse the whole field on you. You have to set the edge on him and make him run inside.”
Entering Week 3, the explosive Johnson is the AFC’s leading rusher with 254 yards and he’s averaging a ridiculous 8.2 yards per clip. The defending Super Bowl champion Steelers were able to slow him down in Week 1, holding him to 57 yards on 15 rushes. But the second-year player is a dynamic game-changer on an offense who still likes to pound the rock.
“Chris is just a football player with track speed," said Titans head coach Jeff Fisher. "He’s got speed and quickness, and he’s shown over a short period of time that if you get the ball in his hands in the right place, he can go the distance. That’s unfortunate for us and him that his performance last week has kind of gone by the wayside, kind of disappeared. Certainly, I doubt it disappeared in the Jets' defensive meeting room, but I think nationally our loss and the Texans win kind of overshadowed his achievements in that ballgame.”
The Jets’ defense has rightfully entered the national spotlight because they allowed nine combined points to the Texans (zero) and the Patriots. Head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine have assembled excellent game plans and the Jets have stuffed the run and brought the pressure on the quarterback. And they’ve also displayed perceived pressure and exotic overloads while receiving contributions from everyone.
“They make it creative and it’s unconventional,” Rhodes said of the attack. “Every week you know they’re going have some kind of overload blitz with the DBs. You’re excited to get the game plan every week and see what’s in store. It makes it exciting. Everyone has a place in this defense and everyone has a package, so it’s good.”
“You don’t know what we’re doing,” added Ellis. “That’s why it’s so great. You don’t know if the guys are really coming or they’re dropping.”
And the unit hasn’t lost a step when players have been out. OLB Calvin Pace, serving a suspension, will make his regular-season debut in Week 5 at Miami. Vernon Gholston started in his place against the Texans and performed adequately. When the Jets played a lot of nickel and dime packages against the Pats, Gholston’s snaps dramatically decreased but the defensive backs had a fantastic day. Darrelle Revis shut down Randy Moss and corners Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman stepped up when Lito Sheppard (quad) and Donald Strickland (ankle) went down.
“That’s the thing — so far no team has really gotten downfield on us,” Rhodes said. “If we just stay consistent on the back end, make plays and communicate, it’s going to be hard for teams to pass on us anyway. But I think teams will try to run the ball more and be more conservative.”
Tennessee bolstered its receiving corps for Kerry Collins in the off-season with the drafting of WR Kenny Britt, a Rutgers product, and TE Jared Cook along with the free agent signing of Nate Washington. But the Titans are a running football team and they’d like to get Johnson going.
“It’s going to be a between-the-lines game,” Ellis said. “They pride themselves on having a physical run game and we have to match that. We have to be geared up for the run this week.”
The 36-year-old Collins, never known for his mobility, can still make all the throws. But if the Jets contain Johnson and get a lead, they’ll have a stationary target to attack and that smells like organized chaos unleashed.
“They’re going to try to get the ball out of his hands quickly," Rhodes said. "He’s definitely not the most mobile guy in the world, so they’ll try to run the ball, get the ball out quick, some screens, just stuff to try to catch us off guard."
To this point, the Jets have kept their opponents discombobulated. We’ll see if Chris Johnson, seemingly faster than the speed of light, and the Titans have any answers.
Senior Managing Editor.
For the first time in 27 years, the New York Jets will begin an NFL weekend with the league’s No. 1 defense. And after yielding no offensive touchdowns during the franchise’s ninth 2-0 start, the Jets have a great opportunity to improve to 3-0 if their “D” keeps Titans RB Chris Johnson in check this "Throwback" afternoon at the Meadowlands.
“The speed is what makes him special,” said S Kerry Rhodes of the 5’11”, 204-pound Johnson. “He’s not a guy who’s going to kill you running the ball up the middle like a traditional running back. He can beat you out of the backfield, he can run the edge on you, he can line up at receiver, he can hurt you with kickoff and punt returns. He’s a very versatile guy — I think that’s his biggest asset.”
Week 3: Jets-Titans Release
Johnson has been a bright spot in the Titans’ disappointing 0-2 start. In last week’s 34-31 loss to the Houston Texans, he rushed 16 times for 197 yards with scoring runs of 57 and 90 yards. And he hauled in eight balls for 97 yards, taking one into the end zone from 69 yards out.
“You just have to be aware where he’s at and the type of runs that he has,” said DE Shaun Ellis. “We have to be patient in our run fits and don’t overcommit because he can reverse the whole field on you. You have to set the edge on him and make him run inside.”
Entering Week 3, the explosive Johnson is the AFC’s leading rusher with 254 yards and he’s averaging a ridiculous 8.2 yards per clip. The defending Super Bowl champion Steelers were able to slow him down in Week 1, holding him to 57 yards on 15 rushes. But the second-year player is a dynamic game-changer on an offense who still likes to pound the rock.
“Chris is just a football player with track speed," said Titans head coach Jeff Fisher. "He’s got speed and quickness, and he’s shown over a short period of time that if you get the ball in his hands in the right place, he can go the distance. That’s unfortunate for us and him that his performance last week has kind of gone by the wayside, kind of disappeared. Certainly, I doubt it disappeared in the Jets' defensive meeting room, but I think nationally our loss and the Texans win kind of overshadowed his achievements in that ballgame.”
The Jets’ defense has rightfully entered the national spotlight because they allowed nine combined points to the Texans (zero) and the Patriots. Head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Mike Pettine have assembled excellent game plans and the Jets have stuffed the run and brought the pressure on the quarterback. And they’ve also displayed perceived pressure and exotic overloads while receiving contributions from everyone.
“They make it creative and it’s unconventional,” Rhodes said of the attack. “Every week you know they’re going have some kind of overload blitz with the DBs. You’re excited to get the game plan every week and see what’s in store. It makes it exciting. Everyone has a place in this defense and everyone has a package, so it’s good.”
“You don’t know what we’re doing,” added Ellis. “That’s why it’s so great. You don’t know if the guys are really coming or they’re dropping.”
And the unit hasn’t lost a step when players have been out. OLB Calvin Pace, serving a suspension, will make his regular-season debut in Week 5 at Miami. Vernon Gholston started in his place against the Texans and performed adequately. When the Jets played a lot of nickel and dime packages against the Pats, Gholston’s snaps dramatically decreased but the defensive backs had a fantastic day. Darrelle Revis shut down Randy Moss and corners Dwight Lowery and Drew Coleman stepped up when Lito Sheppard (quad) and Donald Strickland (ankle) went down.
“That’s the thing — so far no team has really gotten downfield on us,” Rhodes said. “If we just stay consistent on the back end, make plays and communicate, it’s going to be hard for teams to pass on us anyway. But I think teams will try to run the ball more and be more conservative.”
Tennessee bolstered its receiving corps for Kerry Collins in the off-season with the drafting of WR Kenny Britt, a Rutgers product, and TE Jared Cook along with the free agent signing of Nate Washington. But the Titans are a running football team and they’d like to get Johnson going.
“It’s going to be a between-the-lines game,” Ellis said. “They pride themselves on having a physical run game and we have to match that. We have to be geared up for the run this week.”
The 36-year-old Collins, never known for his mobility, can still make all the throws. But if the Jets contain Johnson and get a lead, they’ll have a stationary target to attack and that smells like organized chaos unleashed.
“They’re going to try to get the ball out of his hands quickly," Rhodes said. "He’s definitely not the most mobile guy in the world, so they’ll try to run the ball, get the ball out quick, some screens, just stuff to try to catch us off guard."
To this point, the Jets have kept their opponents discombobulated. We’ll see if Chris Johnson, seemingly faster than the speed of light, and the Titans have any answers.
Nacarano Racks Up the Miles to Visit Camp
By Deb Handy
Distance may stop some fans from coming out to see the Jets training camp in Cortland, N.Y., but it doesn’t stop everyone.
Robert Nacarano, co-founder of the South Florida Jets Fan Club, traveled seven hours by plane to see the players get put through their paces during the first four days of camp.
Nacarano started on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, then connected with a flight to Ithaca, N.Y., which is just outside of Cortland. He was still able to catch the camp’s first seven practices.
“It was kind of a long day,” he said early this week about his trip out, where he ran into a bit of a delay with his flight from Newark to Ithaca, “but that’s why I came the day before, because the trip was so long and I want to get in as many sessions as I can.”
The South Florida Jets Fan Club was formed in 2003 by Nacarano and a few other loyal Jets fans, Steve K., Joe C. and Bill C., and is dedicated to the fans of the Jets in Florida. The club does a lot for its members, including holding raffle drawings each week to win various prizes throughout the season and giving fans the chance to meet up with other fans to enjoy Jets games together.
“Everybody is all dedicated down there,” he said about the club’s members. “I’m sure they’re looking forward for the season to start and so am I.
Nacarano said he initially was told he was the Jets fan who came the farthest distance to attend the opening of camp. He was later told by a Jets staffer that he had been beaten out by a fan from Texas traveling to see the camp.
“Then yesterday I found out he wasn’t really a Jets fan, so I got back in first place,” Nacarano said while laughing.
Monday was the avid Jets follower’s last day in central New York.
“Camp is great. It’s a lot of fun. People in Cortland are very friendly and the facility is great,” Nacarano said. “Rex Ryan is working them hard. I think he’ll do a good job as head coach.”
The Jets are now six days into camp and fans of the Green & White are not letting mileage or the few rainy days stand in the way of supporting their team.
Distance may stop some fans from coming out to see the Jets training camp in Cortland, N.Y., but it doesn’t stop everyone.
Robert Nacarano, co-founder of the South Florida Jets Fan Club, traveled seven hours by plane to see the players get put through their paces during the first four days of camp.
Nacarano started on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, then connected with a flight to Ithaca, N.Y., which is just outside of Cortland. He was still able to catch the camp’s first seven practices.
“It was kind of a long day,” he said early this week about his trip out, where he ran into a bit of a delay with his flight from Newark to Ithaca, “but that’s why I came the day before, because the trip was so long and I want to get in as many sessions as I can.”
The South Florida Jets Fan Club was formed in 2003 by Nacarano and a few other loyal Jets fans, Steve K., Joe C. and Bill C., and is dedicated to the fans of the Jets in Florida. The club does a lot for its members, including holding raffle drawings each week to win various prizes throughout the season and giving fans the chance to meet up with other fans to enjoy Jets games together.
“Everybody is all dedicated down there,” he said about the club’s members. “I’m sure they’re looking forward for the season to start and so am I.
Nacarano said he initially was told he was the Jets fan who came the farthest distance to attend the opening of camp. He was later told by a Jets staffer that he had been beaten out by a fan from Texas traveling to see the camp.
“Then yesterday I found out he wasn’t really a Jets fan, so I got back in first place,” Nacarano said while laughing.
Monday was the avid Jets follower’s last day in central New York.
“Camp is great. It’s a lot of fun. People in Cortland are very friendly and the facility is great,” Nacarano said. “Rex Ryan is working them hard. I think he’ll do a good job as head coach.”
The Jets are now six days into camp and fans of the Green & White are not letting mileage or the few rainy days stand in the way of supporting their team.
Causes
Causes
Heart failure can have any number of causes, or pathogeneses, but among the most common are heart attack and cardiomyopathy. A heart attack (myocardial infarction) can destroy part of the heart muscle, leaving so much tissue damaged or dead that the heart cannot function at full capacity. Cardiomyopathy, or weakening of the heart muscle, typically results from infection or disease of the heart, which leaves it unable to squeeze out enough blood with each beat.
Narrowed arteries restrict the flow of blood out of the heart, burdening the heart muscle with the task of pumping more blood through tighter passageways. Wear-and-tear on the overworked heart gradually erodes its ability to perform. Indeed, high blood pressure (hypertension) regardless of its cause most certainly contributes to heart failure: about 75 percent of heart failure patients have high blood pressure before heart failure is diagnosed, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).*
Infection or disease of the heart valves (valvular disease) and heart defects may also contribute to heart failure, but these are less common causes.
*American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2003 Update. Dallas, Tex.: American Heart Association; 2002.
Heart failure can have any number of causes, or pathogeneses, but among the most common are heart attack and cardiomyopathy. A heart attack (myocardial infarction) can destroy part of the heart muscle, leaving so much tissue damaged or dead that the heart cannot function at full capacity. Cardiomyopathy, or weakening of the heart muscle, typically results from infection or disease of the heart, which leaves it unable to squeeze out enough blood with each beat.
Narrowed arteries restrict the flow of blood out of the heart, burdening the heart muscle with the task of pumping more blood through tighter passageways. Wear-and-tear on the overworked heart gradually erodes its ability to perform. Indeed, high blood pressure (hypertension) regardless of its cause most certainly contributes to heart failure: about 75 percent of heart failure patients have high blood pressure before heart failure is diagnosed, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).*
Infection or disease of the heart valves (valvular disease) and heart defects may also contribute to heart failure, but these are less common causes.
*American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2003 Update. Dallas, Tex.: American Heart Association; 2002.
By Dr. William D. Medical Doctor
Do you take an iodine supplement?
The responses:
Yes, I take Iodoral, Lugol's, or SSKI
26 (12%)
Yes, I take potassium or sodium iodide
19 (9%)
Yes, I take kelp tablets or powder
64 (31%)
No, I rely on generous use of iodized salt
23 (11%)
No, I don't supplement iodine at all
66 (32%)
Isn't iodine something you put on cuts and scratches?
6 (2%)
I am heartened by the number of respondents taking iodine in some form. After all, iodine is an essential trace mineral. Without it and health suffers, often dramatically.
However, I am concerned by the percentage of people who don't supplement iodine at all: 32%. Interestingly, this is approximately the proportion of people who come to my office who also do not supplement iodine who are now showing goiters, or enlarged thyroid glands due to iodine deficiency. Goiters lead to hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels), followed by hyperactive nodules, not to mention undesirable effects like weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, constipation, intolerance to cold, higher LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and heart disease.
11% of respondents report using lots of iodized salt. This may or may not be sufficient to provide enough iodine to prevent goiter and allow normal thyroid function. The success of this strategy depends to a great extent on how often salt is purchased. Salt that sits on the shelf for more than a month is devoid of iodine, given iodine's volatility.
I am also favorably impressed by the number of people who take "serious" iodine supplements like Lugol's solution, Iodoral, or SSKI. Of course, people who read The Heart Scan Blog tend to be an unusually informed, healthy population. The 12% of people in the poll who take these forms of iodine does clearly not mean that 12% of the general population also takes them. But 12% is more than I would have predicted.
On the Track Your Plaque website, we are awaiting an interview with iodine expert, Dr. Lyn Patrick. I'm hoping for some juicy insights.
The responses:
Yes, I take Iodoral, Lugol's, or SSKI
26 (12%)
Yes, I take potassium or sodium iodide
19 (9%)
Yes, I take kelp tablets or powder
64 (31%)
No, I rely on generous use of iodized salt
23 (11%)
No, I don't supplement iodine at all
66 (32%)
Isn't iodine something you put on cuts and scratches?
6 (2%)
I am heartened by the number of respondents taking iodine in some form. After all, iodine is an essential trace mineral. Without it and health suffers, often dramatically.
However, I am concerned by the percentage of people who don't supplement iodine at all: 32%. Interestingly, this is approximately the proportion of people who come to my office who also do not supplement iodine who are now showing goiters, or enlarged thyroid glands due to iodine deficiency. Goiters lead to hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels), followed by hyperactive nodules, not to mention undesirable effects like weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, constipation, intolerance to cold, higher LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and heart disease.
11% of respondents report using lots of iodized salt. This may or may not be sufficient to provide enough iodine to prevent goiter and allow normal thyroid function. The success of this strategy depends to a great extent on how often salt is purchased. Salt that sits on the shelf for more than a month is devoid of iodine, given iodine's volatility.
I am also favorably impressed by the number of people who take "serious" iodine supplements like Lugol's solution, Iodoral, or SSKI. Of course, people who read The Heart Scan Blog tend to be an unusually informed, healthy population. The 12% of people in the poll who take these forms of iodine does clearly not mean that 12% of the general population also takes them. But 12% is more than I would have predicted.
On the Track Your Plaque website, we are awaiting an interview with iodine expert, Dr. Lyn Patrick. I'm hoping for some juicy insights.
Heart Disease
Did you know that an estimated 80,000,000 American adults have one or more types of Cardiovascular diseases? It is one of the most widespread diseases and killers in the United States. Now Chiquita, Fresh Express, and the American Heart Association have teamed up to spread the word about heart disease. The companies are joining the American Heart Association’s public awareness campaign, Go Red for Women, by donating 10 cents from each purchase of specially marked salad blends and Chiquita Fruit Bites to the American Heart Association during the month of February.
The campaign will also use Chiquita’s Fresh Funds, a consumer loyalty program started last year to encourage people to eat to more fresh fruits and vegetables by earning points for purchasing products. Products involved include Chiquita Fruit Bites varieties and Fresh Express salads and vegetables. You can support the program by signing up for the Fresh Funds program and donating your points to the American Heart Association where they will be doubled in the month of February. You can share your story with the Go Red for Women campaign and tell about your choice to live a healthy life. When you do this you will automatically receive 40 fresh funds points. Along with sharing your story, you can also upload your image, join their myspace group, and refer friends. This is a very worthy cause, and I strongly encourage everyone to sign up for the program and upload their pictures to help spread the word about the dangers of heart disease and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle
The campaign will also use Chiquita’s Fresh Funds, a consumer loyalty program started last year to encourage people to eat to more fresh fruits and vegetables by earning points for purchasing products. Products involved include Chiquita Fruit Bites varieties and Fresh Express salads and vegetables. You can support the program by signing up for the Fresh Funds program and donating your points to the American Heart Association where they will be doubled in the month of February. You can share your story with the Go Red for Women campaign and tell about your choice to live a healthy life. When you do this you will automatically receive 40 fresh funds points. Along with sharing your story, you can also upload your image, join their myspace group, and refer friends. This is a very worthy cause, and I strongly encourage everyone to sign up for the program and upload their pictures to help spread the word about the dangers of heart disease and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle
Heart disease is reversible
Dr. William D.
Medical Doctor
1) No. Heart disease is definitely not reversible.
2) Yes, in rare instances, like lightning striking twice.
3) Yes, of course it is! Let's talk about how to do it!
I predicted that few readers of this blog would respond. I also predicted that the few who did would respond with the first answer, Heart disease is definitely not reversible . After all, in nearly all medical practices, the only parameters routinely followed to track risk for heart disease are LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. A measure of the disease itself (i.e., coronary atherosclerotic plaque) is not followed. So how can your doctor actually tell whether heart disease is reversed or not? When I engage in this conversation with colleagues, it goes no farther than rolled eyes or a snort. In my experience, talking about reversal of heart disease is a wasted effort.
To my great surprise, this simple survey received a total of 177 responses. Even more surprising, 122 (69%) of respondents chose number 3, claiming that their doctor said that heart disease is reversible.
Overall results:
1--31 responses (17.5%)
2--24 responses (13.5%)
3--122 responses (69%)
Now wait a minute: Where is the disconnect? Why are doctors saying that heart disease is reversible, yet not following this concept in practice? Contrary to the survey results, I have yet to meet a patient who said their doctor was trying to reverse their heart disease. Of course, this may be a skewed population, but I find it hard to believe that the prevailing view is that heart disease is reversible.
Anyway, this simple survey cannot settle the why or how , nor can it suggest just how prevalent this opinion is.
I am encouraged by these results. If true, it means that the message that heart disease is a reversible process is spreading. It may be make-believe heart disease reversal as preached by Dr. Dean Ornish or claimed by statin drug manufacturers. It may be the hocus-pocus of practices like chelation, or scams like nattokinase. But perhaps the seed of this notion has been planted in the minds of the medical community.
I'd be interested in hearing from the respondents who reported that their doctor said heart disease is reversible. How exactly are they going about achieving reversal?
Medical Doctor
1) No. Heart disease is definitely not reversible.
2) Yes, in rare instances, like lightning striking twice.
3) Yes, of course it is! Let's talk about how to do it!
I predicted that few readers of this blog would respond. I also predicted that the few who did would respond with the first answer, Heart disease is definitely not reversible . After all, in nearly all medical practices, the only parameters routinely followed to track risk for heart disease are LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. A measure of the disease itself (i.e., coronary atherosclerotic plaque) is not followed. So how can your doctor actually tell whether heart disease is reversed or not? When I engage in this conversation with colleagues, it goes no farther than rolled eyes or a snort. In my experience, talking about reversal of heart disease is a wasted effort.
To my great surprise, this simple survey received a total of 177 responses. Even more surprising, 122 (69%) of respondents chose number 3, claiming that their doctor said that heart disease is reversible.
Overall results:
1--31 responses (17.5%)
2--24 responses (13.5%)
3--122 responses (69%)
Now wait a minute: Where is the disconnect? Why are doctors saying that heart disease is reversible, yet not following this concept in practice? Contrary to the survey results, I have yet to meet a patient who said their doctor was trying to reverse their heart disease. Of course, this may be a skewed population, but I find it hard to believe that the prevailing view is that heart disease is reversible.
Anyway, this simple survey cannot settle the why or how , nor can it suggest just how prevalent this opinion is.
I am encouraged by these results. If true, it means that the message that heart disease is a reversible process is spreading. It may be make-believe heart disease reversal as preached by Dr. Dean Ornish or claimed by statin drug manufacturers. It may be the hocus-pocus of practices like chelation, or scams like nattokinase. But perhaps the seed of this notion has been planted in the minds of the medical community.
I'd be interested in hearing from the respondents who reported that their doctor said heart disease is reversible. How exactly are they going about achieving reversal?
Heart
Left Side of the Heart
* The pulmonary vein empties oxygen-rich blood from the lungs into the left atrium of the heart.
* As the atrium contracts, blood flows from your left atrium into your left ventricle through the open mitral valve.
* When the ventricle is full, the mitral valve shuts. This prevents blood from flowing backward into the atrium while the ventricle contracts.
* As the ventricle contracts, blood leaves the heart through the aortic valve, into the aorta and to the body.
How Does Blood Flow Through Your Lungs?
Once blood travels through the pulmonic valve, it enters your lungs. This is called the pulmonary circulation. From your pulmonic valve, blood travels to the pulmonary artery to tiny capillary vessels in the lungs.
Here, oxygen travels from the tiny air sacs in the lungs, through the walls of the capillaries, into the blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, passes from the blood into the air sacs. Carbon dioxide leaves the body when you exhale. Once the blood is purified and oxygenated, it travels back to the left atrium through the pulmonary veins.
What Are the Coronary Arteries of the Heart?
Like all organs, your heart is made of tissue that requires a supply of oxygen and nutrients. Although its chambers are full of blood, the heart receives no nourishment from this blood. The heart receives its own supply of blood from a network of arteries, called the coronary arteries.
Two major coronary arteries branch off from the aorta near the point where the aorta and the left ventricle meet:
* Right coronary artery supplies the right atrium and right ventricle with blood. It branches into the posterior descending artery, which supplies the bottom portion of the left ventricle and back of the septum with blood.
* Left main coronary artery branches into the circumflex artery and the left anterior descending artery. The circumflex artery supplies blood to the left atrium, side and back of the left ventricle, and the left anterior descending artery supplies the front and bottom of the left ventricle and the front of the septum with blood.
These arteries and their branches supply all parts of the heart muscle with blood.
When the coronary arteries narrow to the point that blood flow to the heart muscle is limited (coronary artery disease), a network of tiny blood vessels in the heart that aren't usually open called collateral vessels may enlarge and become active. This allows blood to flow around the blocked artery to the heart muscle, protecting the heart tissue from injury.
How Does the Heart Beat?
The atria and ventricles work together, alternately contracting and relaxing to pump blood through your heart. The electrical system of your heart is the power source that makes this possible.
Your heartbeat is triggered by electrical impulses that travel down a special pathway through your heart.
* The impulse starts in a small bundle of specialized cells called the SA node (sinoatrial node), located in the right atrium. This node is known as the heart's natural pacemaker. The electrical activity spreads through the walls of the atria and causes them to contract.
* A cluster of cells in the center of the heart between the atria and ventricles, the AV node (atrioventricular node) is like a gate that slows the electrical signal before it enters the ventricles. This delay gives the atria time to contract before the ventricles do.
* The His-Purkinje network is a pathway of fibers that sends the impulse to the muscular walls of the ventricles, causing them to contract.
At rest, a normal heart beats around 50 to 99 times a minute. Exercise, emotions, fever, and some medications can cause your heart to beat faster, sometimes to well over 100 beats per minute.
* The pulmonary vein empties oxygen-rich blood from the lungs into the left atrium of the heart.
* As the atrium contracts, blood flows from your left atrium into your left ventricle through the open mitral valve.
* When the ventricle is full, the mitral valve shuts. This prevents blood from flowing backward into the atrium while the ventricle contracts.
* As the ventricle contracts, blood leaves the heart through the aortic valve, into the aorta and to the body.
How Does Blood Flow Through Your Lungs?
Once blood travels through the pulmonic valve, it enters your lungs. This is called the pulmonary circulation. From your pulmonic valve, blood travels to the pulmonary artery to tiny capillary vessels in the lungs.
Here, oxygen travels from the tiny air sacs in the lungs, through the walls of the capillaries, into the blood. At the same time, carbon dioxide, a waste product of metabolism, passes from the blood into the air sacs. Carbon dioxide leaves the body when you exhale. Once the blood is purified and oxygenated, it travels back to the left atrium through the pulmonary veins.
What Are the Coronary Arteries of the Heart?
Like all organs, your heart is made of tissue that requires a supply of oxygen and nutrients. Although its chambers are full of blood, the heart receives no nourishment from this blood. The heart receives its own supply of blood from a network of arteries, called the coronary arteries.
Two major coronary arteries branch off from the aorta near the point where the aorta and the left ventricle meet:
* Right coronary artery supplies the right atrium and right ventricle with blood. It branches into the posterior descending artery, which supplies the bottom portion of the left ventricle and back of the septum with blood.
* Left main coronary artery branches into the circumflex artery and the left anterior descending artery. The circumflex artery supplies blood to the left atrium, side and back of the left ventricle, and the left anterior descending artery supplies the front and bottom of the left ventricle and the front of the septum with blood.
These arteries and their branches supply all parts of the heart muscle with blood.
When the coronary arteries narrow to the point that blood flow to the heart muscle is limited (coronary artery disease), a network of tiny blood vessels in the heart that aren't usually open called collateral vessels may enlarge and become active. This allows blood to flow around the blocked artery to the heart muscle, protecting the heart tissue from injury.
How Does the Heart Beat?
The atria and ventricles work together, alternately contracting and relaxing to pump blood through your heart. The electrical system of your heart is the power source that makes this possible.
Your heartbeat is triggered by electrical impulses that travel down a special pathway through your heart.
* The impulse starts in a small bundle of specialized cells called the SA node (sinoatrial node), located in the right atrium. This node is known as the heart's natural pacemaker. The electrical activity spreads through the walls of the atria and causes them to contract.
* A cluster of cells in the center of the heart between the atria and ventricles, the AV node (atrioventricular node) is like a gate that slows the electrical signal before it enters the ventricles. This delay gives the atria time to contract before the ventricles do.
* The His-Purkinje network is a pathway of fibers that sends the impulse to the muscular walls of the ventricles, causing them to contract.
At rest, a normal heart beats around 50 to 99 times a minute. Exercise, emotions, fever, and some medications can cause your heart to beat faster, sometimes to well over 100 beats per minute.
How the Heart Works
Your heart is an amazing organ. It continuously pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body to sustain life. This fist-sized powerhouse beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times per day, pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, or about 2,000 gallons per day.
How Does Blood Travel Through the Heart?
As the heart beats, it pumps blood through a system of blood vessels, called the circulatory system. The vessels are elastic, muscular tubes that carry blood to every part of the body.
Blood is essential. In addition to carrying fresh oxygen from the lungs and nutrients to your body's tissues, it also takes the body's waste products, including carbon dioxide, away from the tissues. This is necessary to sustain life and promote the health of all the body's tissues.
There are three main types of blood vessels:
* Arteries. They begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body's tissues. They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood further from the heart and into organs.
* Capillaries. These are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins. Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and other waste products to pass to and from our organ's cells.
* Veins. These are blood vessels that take blood back to the heart; this blood has lower oxygen content) and is rich in waste products that are to be excreted or removed from the body. Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart. The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart.
This vast system of blood vessels -- arteries, veins, and capillaries -- is over 60,000 miles long. That's long enough to go around the world more than twice!
Blood flows continuously through your body's blood vessels. Your heart is the pump that makes it all possible.
Where Is Your Heart and What Does It Look Like?
The heart is located under the rib cage, to the left of your breastbone (sternum) and between your lungs.
Looking at the outside of the heart, you can see that the heart is made of muscle. The strong muscular walls contract (squeeze), pumping blood to the rest of the body. On the surface of the heart, there are coronary arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle itself. The major blood vessels that enter the heart are the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava, and the pulmonary veins.The pulmonary artery and the aorta exit the heart and carry oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.
How the Heart Works
(continued)
Where Is Your Heart and What Does It Look Like? continued...
On the inside, the heart is a four-chambered, hollow organ. It is divided into the left and right side by a muscular wall called the septum. The right and left sides of the heart are further divided into two top chambers called the atria, which receive blood from the veins, and two bottom chambers called ventricles, which pump blood into the arteries.
The atria and ventricles work together, contracting and relaxing to pump blood out of the heart. As blood leaves each chamber of the heart, it passes through a valve. There are four heart valves within the heart:
* Mitral valve
* Tricuspid valve
* Aortic valve
* Pulmonic valve (also called pulmonary valve)
The tricuspid and mitral valves lie between the atria and ventricles. The aortic and pulmonic valves lie between the ventricles and the major blood vessels leaving the heart.
The heart valves work the same way as one-way valves in the plumbing of your home. They prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction.
Each valve has a set of flaps, called leaflets or cusps. The mitral valve has two leaflets; the others have three. The leaflets are attached to and supported by a ring of tough, fibrous tissue called the annulus. The annulus helps to maintain the proper shape of the valve.
The leaflets of the mitral and tricuspid valves are also supported by tough, fibrous strings called chordae tendineae. These are similar to the strings supporting a parachute. They extend from the valve leaflets to small muscles, called papillary muscles, which are part of the inside walls of the ventricles.
How Does Blood Flow Through the Heart?
The right and left sides of the heart work together. The pattern described below is repeated over and over, causing blood to flow continuously to the heart, lungs, and body.
Right Side of the Heart
* Blood enters the heart through two large veins, the inferior and superior vena cava, emptying oxygen-poor blood from the body into the right atrium of the heart.
* As the atrium contracts, blood flows from your right atrium into your right ventricle through the open tricuspid valve.
* When the ventricle is full, the tricuspid valve shuts. This prevents blood from flowing backward into the atria while the ventricle contracts.
* As the ventricle contracts, blood leaves the heart through the pulmonic valve, into the pulmonary artery and to the lungs where it is oxygenated.
How Does Blood Travel Through the Heart?
As the heart beats, it pumps blood through a system of blood vessels, called the circulatory system. The vessels are elastic, muscular tubes that carry blood to every part of the body.
Blood is essential. In addition to carrying fresh oxygen from the lungs and nutrients to your body's tissues, it also takes the body's waste products, including carbon dioxide, away from the tissues. This is necessary to sustain life and promote the health of all the body's tissues.
There are three main types of blood vessels:
* Arteries. They begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body's tissues. They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood further from the heart and into organs.
* Capillaries. These are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins. Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and other waste products to pass to and from our organ's cells.
* Veins. These are blood vessels that take blood back to the heart; this blood has lower oxygen content) and is rich in waste products that are to be excreted or removed from the body. Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart. The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart.
This vast system of blood vessels -- arteries, veins, and capillaries -- is over 60,000 miles long. That's long enough to go around the world more than twice!
Blood flows continuously through your body's blood vessels. Your heart is the pump that makes it all possible.
Where Is Your Heart and What Does It Look Like?
The heart is located under the rib cage, to the left of your breastbone (sternum) and between your lungs.
Looking at the outside of the heart, you can see that the heart is made of muscle. The strong muscular walls contract (squeeze), pumping blood to the rest of the body. On the surface of the heart, there are coronary arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle itself. The major blood vessels that enter the heart are the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava, and the pulmonary veins.The pulmonary artery and the aorta exit the heart and carry oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.
How the Heart Works
(continued)
Where Is Your Heart and What Does It Look Like? continued...
On the inside, the heart is a four-chambered, hollow organ. It is divided into the left and right side by a muscular wall called the septum. The right and left sides of the heart are further divided into two top chambers called the atria, which receive blood from the veins, and two bottom chambers called ventricles, which pump blood into the arteries.
The atria and ventricles work together, contracting and relaxing to pump blood out of the heart. As blood leaves each chamber of the heart, it passes through a valve. There are four heart valves within the heart:
* Mitral valve
* Tricuspid valve
* Aortic valve
* Pulmonic valve (also called pulmonary valve)
The tricuspid and mitral valves lie between the atria and ventricles. The aortic and pulmonic valves lie between the ventricles and the major blood vessels leaving the heart.
The heart valves work the same way as one-way valves in the plumbing of your home. They prevent blood from flowing in the wrong direction.
Each valve has a set of flaps, called leaflets or cusps. The mitral valve has two leaflets; the others have three. The leaflets are attached to and supported by a ring of tough, fibrous tissue called the annulus. The annulus helps to maintain the proper shape of the valve.
The leaflets of the mitral and tricuspid valves are also supported by tough, fibrous strings called chordae tendineae. These are similar to the strings supporting a parachute. They extend from the valve leaflets to small muscles, called papillary muscles, which are part of the inside walls of the ventricles.
How Does Blood Flow Through the Heart?
The right and left sides of the heart work together. The pattern described below is repeated over and over, causing blood to flow continuously to the heart, lungs, and body.
Right Side of the Heart
* Blood enters the heart through two large veins, the inferior and superior vena cava, emptying oxygen-poor blood from the body into the right atrium of the heart.
* As the atrium contracts, blood flows from your right atrium into your right ventricle through the open tricuspid valve.
* When the ventricle is full, the tricuspid valve shuts. This prevents blood from flowing backward into the atria while the ventricle contracts.
* As the ventricle contracts, blood leaves the heart through the pulmonic valve, into the pulmonary artery and to the lungs where it is oxygenated.
Clinical Presentation
* Presentation is variable and depends on the infecting subspecies. Infection with T. b. rhodesiense is more acute clinically and progresses more rapidly than T. b. gambiense.
* Symptoms and signs of T. b. rhodesiense infection generally appear within 1–3 weeks of the infective bite. These may include high fever, a chancre at the site of the infective bite, skin rash, headache, myalgia, thrombocytopenia, and less commonly, splenomegaly, renal failure, or cardiac dysfunction. Central nervous system involvement can occur within the first month of infection.
* Symptoms of T. b. gambiense infection are nonspecific, and patients may remain paucisymptomatic for many months after infection. Symptoms and signs may include fever, headache, malaise, myalgia, facial edema, pruritus, lymphadenopathy, and weight loss. Central nervous system involvement occurs after months of infection and is characterized by somnolence, severe headache, and a wide range of neurologic manifestations, including mood disorders, behavior change, focal deficits, and endocrine disorders.
* Untreated HAT infection is eventually fatal.
* Symptoms and signs of T. b. rhodesiense infection generally appear within 1–3 weeks of the infective bite. These may include high fever, a chancre at the site of the infective bite, skin rash, headache, myalgia, thrombocytopenia, and less commonly, splenomegaly, renal failure, or cardiac dysfunction. Central nervous system involvement can occur within the first month of infection.
* Symptoms of T. b. gambiense infection are nonspecific, and patients may remain paucisymptomatic for many months after infection. Symptoms and signs may include fever, headache, malaise, myalgia, facial edema, pruritus, lymphadenopathy, and weight loss. Central nervous system involvement occurs after months of infection and is characterized by somnolence, severe headache, and a wide range of neurologic manifestations, including mood disorders, behavior change, focal deficits, and endocrine disorders.
* Untreated HAT infection is eventually fatal.
Risk for Travelers
* Infection of international travelers occurs but is rare. On average, a single case per year is reported among U.S. travelers.
* Most infections in U.S. travelers are caused by T. b. rhodesiense and are acquired in East Africa game parks.
* Tsetse flies inhabit rural areas, living in the woodlands and thickets of the savannah and the dense vegetation along streams. Less than 1% of flies are infected in a typical endemic area.
* Tsetse flies bite during daylight hours. Most bites that occur on the African savannah are quite painful, and travelers often recall the bite.
* Travelers to urban areas are not at risk.
* Most infections in U.S. travelers are caused by T. b. rhodesiense and are acquired in East Africa game parks.
* Tsetse flies inhabit rural areas, living in the woodlands and thickets of the savannah and the dense vegetation along streams. Less than 1% of flies are infected in a typical endemic area.
* Tsetse flies bite during daylight hours. Most bites that occur on the African savannah are quite painful, and travelers often recall the bite.
* Travelers to urban areas are not at risk.
Your Survival Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel
Every year more and more Americans are traveling internationally — for vacation, business, and volunteerism, and to visit friends and family. Whatever your reason for traveling, the information on this page will help you to be Proactive, Prepared, and Protected when it comes to your health—and the health of others—while you are traveling.
BE PROACTIVE!
Couple looking at computer screen
Take steps to anticipate any issues that could arise during your trip. The information in this section will help you plan for a safe and healthy trip.
* Learn about your destination.
* See a doctor before you travel.
* Think about your health status.
o Are you too sick to travel? (Recent illnesses, injuries, or surgeries)
o Do you have any special health needs? (Babies and small children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, people with weakened immune systems)
BE PREPARED!
Family walking through airport with luggage
No one wants to think about getting sick or hurt during a trip, but sometimes these things happen. You may not be able to prevent every illness or injury, but you can plan ahead to be able to deal with them.
* Pack smart.
* Plan ahead for illnesses or injuries during your trip.
* Know what to do if you become sick or injured on your trip.
* Know and share important information about your trip.
BE PROTECTED!
It is important to practice healthy behaviors during your trip and after you return home. This section outlines how you can protect yourself and others from illness during your trip.
* Pay attention to your health during your trip.
o Use sunscreen and insect repellent as directed.
o Be careful about food and water.
Hiker applying bug spray
o Try not to take risks with your health and safety.
o Limit alcohol intake, and do not drink alcohol and drive.
o Wear a seatbelt.
o Wear protective gear when doing adventure activities.
o Respect your host country and its people by following local laws and customs.
* Pay attention to your health when you come home.
BE PROACTIVE!
Couple looking at computer screen
Take steps to anticipate any issues that could arise during your trip. The information in this section will help you plan for a safe and healthy trip.
* Learn about your destination.
* See a doctor before you travel.
* Think about your health status.
o Are you too sick to travel? (Recent illnesses, injuries, or surgeries)
o Do you have any special health needs? (Babies and small children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, people with weakened immune systems)
BE PREPARED!
Family walking through airport with luggage
No one wants to think about getting sick or hurt during a trip, but sometimes these things happen. You may not be able to prevent every illness or injury, but you can plan ahead to be able to deal with them.
* Pack smart.
* Plan ahead for illnesses or injuries during your trip.
* Know what to do if you become sick or injured on your trip.
* Know and share important information about your trip.
BE PROTECTED!
It is important to practice healthy behaviors during your trip and after you return home. This section outlines how you can protect yourself and others from illness during your trip.
* Pay attention to your health during your trip.
o Use sunscreen and insect repellent as directed.
o Be careful about food and water.
Hiker applying bug spray
o Try not to take risks with your health and safety.
o Limit alcohol intake, and do not drink alcohol and drive.
o Wear a seatbelt.
o Wear protective gear when doing adventure activities.
o Respect your host country and its people by following local laws and customs.
* Pay attention to your health when you come home.
Do Credit Inquiries Hurt You?
At the end of each report will be a log of inquiries. An inquiry notation is made each time someone requests a copy of your credit file from that credit bureau. Any company that receives a copy of your credit profile will be listed under this inquiry Section of your report.
Lenders don't like to see a lot of inquiries on a credit report. Excessive inquiries can result in a credit denial as easily as bad credit. Thus, you will need to verify the type of inquires made and take steps to remove any unauthorized inquiries. Not all inquires are viewed negatively. In fact several types of inquires will not appear on any copy of your file except for the copy you
receive.
There are six origins of inquiries:
* Your Existing Creditors (okay)
Your existing creditors may do a periodic review of your account for many reasons. These inquiries are not viewed negatively.
* Yourself (okay)
A notation may be made each time you request a copy of your own file. This notation does not appear on the copy that goes to your potential lender and does not count against you.
* The Bureau (okay)
The bureau may compile mailing lists for its subscribers based on the criteria that the lender specifies. Your report may be reviewed as a candidate for a particular mailing list. Again, these internal inquiries do not appear on the copy that goes to your potential lenders and therefore do not reflect negatively.
* Potential Lenders (negative)
Lenders do not have to have your permission to obtain a copy of your credit file. The law only requires that they reasonably expect to use the information in a credit transaction. Any member of the bureau can obtain your file. All they need is a social security number or a name and address. You should be cautious about giving out any such information until you're serious about doing business.
* IRS (negative)
* Anyone who has a judgment against you (negative)
The most common inquiries are those by lenders with whom you have applied for credit. A banker will look at them in one of two ways. If they are recent, they are looked at as potential debt pending approval. Lenders have no way of knowing the status of these other pending applications and are likely to take the safest action by denying your application. If they are more than a couple of months old, it looks as if they turned you down. If there are several previous declines, the banker has to wonder why.
Although inquiries will remain on your file for up to 2 years, those in the last 6 months will count most heavily against you. Therefore, you should review the log to make certain that each inquiry was done with “permissible purpose” as explained in Section 604 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
The FCRA defines the “permissible purposes” for which consumer credit profiles can be provided to others. A credit report may be supplied if it's to be used for:
* credit granting considerations;
* review or collection of an account;
* employment considerations;
* insurance underwriting;
* application for a government license;
* with your written permission;
* in response to a court order;
* or a *FBI investigation.
*Changes to the FCRA, enacted in 1996, allow the FBI to access consumer credit reports in connection with an investigation of issues such as counterintelligence.
Unless someone fits these categories, they should not be viewing your credit file. Anyone who knowingly and willfully obtains a credit report under false pretenses may be fined under title 18, United States Code, and imprisoned up to two year.
Use letters to dispute any unauthorized inquiries into your credit file so that they can be deleted form your report. If you don't have a lot of items to dispute, go ahead and send your letter to the credit bureau. However, if you know you are going to be sending the bureau several letters on other items over the next few months, you should try to take care of this with the creditor who requested your file. If you can take care of it by having them contact the bureau directly and deleting the request, then it is just one less letter you will have to send to the bureau yourself.
Lenders don't like to see a lot of inquiries on a credit report. Excessive inquiries can result in a credit denial as easily as bad credit. Thus, you will need to verify the type of inquires made and take steps to remove any unauthorized inquiries. Not all inquires are viewed negatively. In fact several types of inquires will not appear on any copy of your file except for the copy you
receive.
There are six origins of inquiries:
* Your Existing Creditors (okay)
Your existing creditors may do a periodic review of your account for many reasons. These inquiries are not viewed negatively.
* Yourself (okay)
A notation may be made each time you request a copy of your own file. This notation does not appear on the copy that goes to your potential lender and does not count against you.
* The Bureau (okay)
The bureau may compile mailing lists for its subscribers based on the criteria that the lender specifies. Your report may be reviewed as a candidate for a particular mailing list. Again, these internal inquiries do not appear on the copy that goes to your potential lenders and therefore do not reflect negatively.
* Potential Lenders (negative)
Lenders do not have to have your permission to obtain a copy of your credit file. The law only requires that they reasonably expect to use the information in a credit transaction. Any member of the bureau can obtain your file. All they need is a social security number or a name and address. You should be cautious about giving out any such information until you're serious about doing business.
* IRS (negative)
* Anyone who has a judgment against you (negative)
The most common inquiries are those by lenders with whom you have applied for credit. A banker will look at them in one of two ways. If they are recent, they are looked at as potential debt pending approval. Lenders have no way of knowing the status of these other pending applications and are likely to take the safest action by denying your application. If they are more than a couple of months old, it looks as if they turned you down. If there are several previous declines, the banker has to wonder why.
Although inquiries will remain on your file for up to 2 years, those in the last 6 months will count most heavily against you. Therefore, you should review the log to make certain that each inquiry was done with “permissible purpose” as explained in Section 604 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
The FCRA defines the “permissible purposes” for which consumer credit profiles can be provided to others. A credit report may be supplied if it's to be used for:
* credit granting considerations;
* review or collection of an account;
* employment considerations;
* insurance underwriting;
* application for a government license;
* with your written permission;
* in response to a court order;
* or a *FBI investigation.
*Changes to the FCRA, enacted in 1996, allow the FBI to access consumer credit reports in connection with an investigation of issues such as counterintelligence.
Unless someone fits these categories, they should not be viewing your credit file. Anyone who knowingly and willfully obtains a credit report under false pretenses may be fined under title 18, United States Code, and imprisoned up to two year.
Use letters to dispute any unauthorized inquiries into your credit file so that they can be deleted form your report. If you don't have a lot of items to dispute, go ahead and send your letter to the credit bureau. However, if you know you are going to be sending the bureau several letters on other items over the next few months, you should try to take care of this with the creditor who requested your file. If you can take care of it by having them contact the bureau directly and deleting the request, then it is just one less letter you will have to send to the bureau yourself.
Negotiating with Creditors to Save Your Credit
While working to clear up your credit, in cases where your story conflicts with the reporting creditor, the bureau is going to side with the creditor--unless you have strong documentation of the error. The bureau will inform you that their reinvestigation is complete and if you disagree with the outcome, you can record a 100 word statement telling your side. You are a long way from done, however. Such a statement is to concede defeat. You still have a few more punches to throw.
These additional methods are disclosed with two assumptions: a) the reader is a person of integrity and would not use these methods to commit fraud, and b) the reader is working with very limited financial resources, and must get the maximum return in exchange for dispersing those resources to numerous creditors.
Vital Assessment of Your Situation
If you have a little cash to throw at your credit problems, you should be able to make good progress with negotiations. Negotiating with the original creditor creates a win-win situation where the creditor gets a good chunk of the principle back, and you get an improved reporting of the debt in your file, plus a reduced settlement in many cases.
NOTE: You must negotiate with the firm that reported the item on your credit file, be it a collection agency or the original creditor. Only they can change the reported status of the account. To negotiate with the collection agency is a waste of time unless they are the name on your file.
Negotiations will take some cash to accomplish, but the good thing is it's a permanent fix. And it is the most ethical if there is money still owed.
When evaluating your options and the firmness of your negotiations, there are several factors that you need to consider.
Accuracy and Proof
First, look at the accuracy of the information. If you can prove the information is incorrect with your documentation, then you can afford to be very firm in what you demand.
On the other hand, even if the information is incorrect, but you can not document that fact, then you must take basically the same negotiating position as you would if you were attempting to remove accurate, yet negative, information. That would be to posture yourself as an amicable, good person trying to overcome the aftermath of negative circumstances through negotiations. In other words, you are trying to go back and, to the best of your ability, historically undo a very difficult time in your life.
Type
Is the debt secured or unsecured?
If secured, that means that the creditor has possession of an asset, or title to an asset belonging to you. In matters such as this, you have less leverage--with the exception of disputing inaccurate information. But in situations where you are attempting to link the size and haste of your payoff to how the creditor will report it on your file, you have virtually no leverage. The creditor can just seize and sell your asset in most cases.
If the debt is unsecured, then it's a whole different ball game. Most consumers overestimate the risk involved with overdue debts. They worry about possible repercussions such as wage garnishment and property seizure by their creditors. The fact is very few creditors will push all the way to a garnishment on a small unsecured debt.
Garnishments and seizures are most often used as mental leverage to gain an emotional edge over the debtor using fear to help collect past due debt. The reality for creditors is they are expensive and time-consuming. Even if the creditor went all the way to recover the debt, they probably wouldn't be able to recover enough to offset their collection costs.
At the same time, you need to be aware that the creditor does have the right to pursue these remedies there are some risk of financial reprisals when a debt goes unpaid. It just doesn't happen very often.
U.S. bankruptcies are being filed in record numbers, and often for relatively small amounts of debt. Many consumers, strained by the fear of an unknown future, perceive bankruptcy as a way of relief.
These consumers are so intimidated by their creditors, that they flee to bankruptcy, even though bankruptcy can bring total financial devastation for at least the next ten years.
Size
Consider the size of the debt. The smaller the outstanding balance, the greater your odds for success because it becomes less cost effective for a creditor to pursue. Most creditors will not devote a lot of effort to collecting just a few hundred dollars.
However, if the amount is less than a few hundred dollars, a creditor may not even devote the effort to negotiate.
Age
You also must consider the age of the debt and its status. Eventually, a creditor will give up an attempt to collect on a debt, and in order to gain some financial benefit will write it off as a loss and take a tax deduction. This is referred to as a charge-off or a profit & loss.
If this is an old debt that was charged off by the creditor, it doesn't mean that you no longer owe the debt; it simply shows that they have given up hope of collecting it. The creditor may then collect on the debt themselves, sell or assign the debt to a collection agency, press for a judgment and garnishment, or temporarily ignore the debt. Most often this is the end of it.
However, a recent delinquency will be treated with urgency and pressure by the creditor. It is helpful for you to understand the motivation of the original creditor to settle.
If they turn the account over to their collection agency, there are certainly no guarantees that the amount will be collected; and even if it is, they will have to share it with the agency.
They may get considerably less than what you're offering now if you file bankruptcy. If they don't work with you, and you're in a critical situation, let them know that they are going to force you into bankruptcy.
If they take legal action and get a judgment, they risk getting nothing, or it may take years before they get a penny.
Most creditors would much rather have something guaranteed than pursue the expense of legal action with a risk of getting nothing. A few states won't even allow anyone to garnish wages which means they would have to wait until you sold a major asset and had to clear the title before they could enforce their judgment. This is referred to as a debtor's state, meaning the debtor is at an advantage. For this reason, and the daunting cost, the majority of creditors just charge off a bad account as a business loss after a few months in the hands of a third-party collection agency. They then report it on your credit as such and leave it at that.
Occasionally, a beginner in the collection agency industry may offer to purchase their charge-offs. So it is possible that an agency may call you after a year or even several years of silence. Realize then that they are not collecting on behalf of your original creditor; they simply took a gamble by purchasing a batch of old bad accounts dirt cheap to try to make some money.
Recent Payment History
It may sound strange at first, but if you have been paying your bills on time recently, the creditor will be less inclined to settle for less. The logic being that they are getting their money now anyway. If you have been chronically late and it looks like you could go belly-up any day now, then they will sense a real potential for loss and be much quicker to accept a reasonable offer.
This is by no means meant to imply that you should stop paying your bills so that your creditors will be more likely to settle with you. This is merely to help you access your negotiating position as affected by your most recent payment record.
Other Considerations
Other major considerations are things such as the laws of your state, as well as your prognosis of your ability to repay the debt at some point in the future. Will you have more money to put toward the problem in the near future, or is this as good a shot as you're likely to get?
The size of the creditor can make a difference also. Generally speaking, the smaller the company, the more open they are to negotiations.
Small Victories Add Up
An important point to remember is that you don't have to (and you won't) win them all. Just a portion agreeing to a settlement will allow you to turn things around. And the truth is that most types of unsecured accounts will change the way a debt is reported and treat a partial payment as a full settlement. This includes: department store cards, credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, collection accounts, student loans, amounts remaining after foreclosure or repossession, and bounced checks.
These additional methods are disclosed with two assumptions: a) the reader is a person of integrity and would not use these methods to commit fraud, and b) the reader is working with very limited financial resources, and must get the maximum return in exchange for dispersing those resources to numerous creditors.
Vital Assessment of Your Situation
If you have a little cash to throw at your credit problems, you should be able to make good progress with negotiations. Negotiating with the original creditor creates a win-win situation where the creditor gets a good chunk of the principle back, and you get an improved reporting of the debt in your file, plus a reduced settlement in many cases.
NOTE: You must negotiate with the firm that reported the item on your credit file, be it a collection agency or the original creditor. Only they can change the reported status of the account. To negotiate with the collection agency is a waste of time unless they are the name on your file.
Negotiations will take some cash to accomplish, but the good thing is it's a permanent fix. And it is the most ethical if there is money still owed.
When evaluating your options and the firmness of your negotiations, there are several factors that you need to consider.
Accuracy and Proof
First, look at the accuracy of the information. If you can prove the information is incorrect with your documentation, then you can afford to be very firm in what you demand.
On the other hand, even if the information is incorrect, but you can not document that fact, then you must take basically the same negotiating position as you would if you were attempting to remove accurate, yet negative, information. That would be to posture yourself as an amicable, good person trying to overcome the aftermath of negative circumstances through negotiations. In other words, you are trying to go back and, to the best of your ability, historically undo a very difficult time in your life.
Type
Is the debt secured or unsecured?
If secured, that means that the creditor has possession of an asset, or title to an asset belonging to you. In matters such as this, you have less leverage--with the exception of disputing inaccurate information. But in situations where you are attempting to link the size and haste of your payoff to how the creditor will report it on your file, you have virtually no leverage. The creditor can just seize and sell your asset in most cases.
If the debt is unsecured, then it's a whole different ball game. Most consumers overestimate the risk involved with overdue debts. They worry about possible repercussions such as wage garnishment and property seizure by their creditors. The fact is very few creditors will push all the way to a garnishment on a small unsecured debt.
Garnishments and seizures are most often used as mental leverage to gain an emotional edge over the debtor using fear to help collect past due debt. The reality for creditors is they are expensive and time-consuming. Even if the creditor went all the way to recover the debt, they probably wouldn't be able to recover enough to offset their collection costs.
At the same time, you need to be aware that the creditor does have the right to pursue these remedies there are some risk of financial reprisals when a debt goes unpaid. It just doesn't happen very often.
U.S. bankruptcies are being filed in record numbers, and often for relatively small amounts of debt. Many consumers, strained by the fear of an unknown future, perceive bankruptcy as a way of relief.
These consumers are so intimidated by their creditors, that they flee to bankruptcy, even though bankruptcy can bring total financial devastation for at least the next ten years.
Size
Consider the size of the debt. The smaller the outstanding balance, the greater your odds for success because it becomes less cost effective for a creditor to pursue. Most creditors will not devote a lot of effort to collecting just a few hundred dollars.
However, if the amount is less than a few hundred dollars, a creditor may not even devote the effort to negotiate.
Age
You also must consider the age of the debt and its status. Eventually, a creditor will give up an attempt to collect on a debt, and in order to gain some financial benefit will write it off as a loss and take a tax deduction. This is referred to as a charge-off or a profit & loss.
If this is an old debt that was charged off by the creditor, it doesn't mean that you no longer owe the debt; it simply shows that they have given up hope of collecting it. The creditor may then collect on the debt themselves, sell or assign the debt to a collection agency, press for a judgment and garnishment, or temporarily ignore the debt. Most often this is the end of it.
However, a recent delinquency will be treated with urgency and pressure by the creditor. It is helpful for you to understand the motivation of the original creditor to settle.
If they turn the account over to their collection agency, there are certainly no guarantees that the amount will be collected; and even if it is, they will have to share it with the agency.
They may get considerably less than what you're offering now if you file bankruptcy. If they don't work with you, and you're in a critical situation, let them know that they are going to force you into bankruptcy.
If they take legal action and get a judgment, they risk getting nothing, or it may take years before they get a penny.
Most creditors would much rather have something guaranteed than pursue the expense of legal action with a risk of getting nothing. A few states won't even allow anyone to garnish wages which means they would have to wait until you sold a major asset and had to clear the title before they could enforce their judgment. This is referred to as a debtor's state, meaning the debtor is at an advantage. For this reason, and the daunting cost, the majority of creditors just charge off a bad account as a business loss after a few months in the hands of a third-party collection agency. They then report it on your credit as such and leave it at that.
Occasionally, a beginner in the collection agency industry may offer to purchase their charge-offs. So it is possible that an agency may call you after a year or even several years of silence. Realize then that they are not collecting on behalf of your original creditor; they simply took a gamble by purchasing a batch of old bad accounts dirt cheap to try to make some money.
Recent Payment History
It may sound strange at first, but if you have been paying your bills on time recently, the creditor will be less inclined to settle for less. The logic being that they are getting their money now anyway. If you have been chronically late and it looks like you could go belly-up any day now, then they will sense a real potential for loss and be much quicker to accept a reasonable offer.
This is by no means meant to imply that you should stop paying your bills so that your creditors will be more likely to settle with you. This is merely to help you access your negotiating position as affected by your most recent payment record.
Other Considerations
Other major considerations are things such as the laws of your state, as well as your prognosis of your ability to repay the debt at some point in the future. Will you have more money to put toward the problem in the near future, or is this as good a shot as you're likely to get?
The size of the creditor can make a difference also. Generally speaking, the smaller the company, the more open they are to negotiations.
Small Victories Add Up
An important point to remember is that you don't have to (and you won't) win them all. Just a portion agreeing to a settlement will allow you to turn things around. And the truth is that most types of unsecured accounts will change the way a debt is reported and treat a partial payment as a full settlement. This includes: department store cards, credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, collection accounts, student loans, amounts remaining after foreclosure or repossession, and bounced checks.
What to Consider when Filing for Personal Bankruptcy
President Bush in April signed into law The Bankruptcy Abuse and Consumer Protection Act. This bill promises many changes to law, and will make it more difficult for the average person in financial trouble to have debts removed with bankruptcy. Recent social and economic changes indicate that those considering a bankruptcy should do so now, as the queue is getting longer.
It will be now be harder to file under Chapter 7 of the code, which allows the courts to wave consumer debt and give the debtor a new start. Filings posted will be tested and those who have a decent income it seems will have to file under a more strenuous Chapter 13, which demands repayment by installments and the assistance of a lawyer. Now looming, bankruptcy filings are not only higher than they were previously, but are also higher than expected. Acros the country, filings are substantially higher than last year, and some bankruptcy practitioners say that their business has increased dramatically.
To make it more confusing is another law, that requires credit card companies to establish a payment schedule that permits consumers to repay debts in amended installments. Since early year, most credit card providers have doubled their minimum payments. An average person with say $12,000 in credit card debt, will have approximate monthly payment increases from between $150 to $450, an increase most people can ill afford.
This increase in bankruptcy filings has overwhelmed bankruptcy lawyers, who face a burden of being liable for false information filed by clients once the new law takes effect. Certainly an unwelcome change. This additional liability, together with the additional tasks, has prompted many lawyers to raise fees subsstantally over the same time as last year.
What does this mean for bad debt? From here on, bankruptcy filings will be more confusing, complicated and costly. The system is already overloaded with bankruptcy cases. If you suspect you're in the bankruptcy category, you should move on it now. Waiting even another day could be too late.
About the author:
A contribution from Roy Barker owner and publisher of www.bankruptcy-aid.coma resource for attorneys and anyone seeking information.
It will be now be harder to file under Chapter 7 of the code, which allows the courts to wave consumer debt and give the debtor a new start. Filings posted will be tested and those who have a decent income it seems will have to file under a more strenuous Chapter 13, which demands repayment by installments and the assistance of a lawyer. Now looming, bankruptcy filings are not only higher than they were previously, but are also higher than expected. Acros the country, filings are substantially higher than last year, and some bankruptcy practitioners say that their business has increased dramatically.
To make it more confusing is another law, that requires credit card companies to establish a payment schedule that permits consumers to repay debts in amended installments. Since early year, most credit card providers have doubled their minimum payments. An average person with say $12,000 in credit card debt, will have approximate monthly payment increases from between $150 to $450, an increase most people can ill afford.
This increase in bankruptcy filings has overwhelmed bankruptcy lawyers, who face a burden of being liable for false information filed by clients once the new law takes effect. Certainly an unwelcome change. This additional liability, together with the additional tasks, has prompted many lawyers to raise fees subsstantally over the same time as last year.
What does this mean for bad debt? From here on, bankruptcy filings will be more confusing, complicated and costly. The system is already overloaded with bankruptcy cases. If you suspect you're in the bankruptcy category, you should move on it now. Waiting even another day could be too late.
About the author:
A contribution from Roy Barker owner and publisher of www.bankruptcy-aid.coma resource for attorneys and anyone seeking information.
Rampant Myths About Credit Reporting
Whether you realize it or not, there is a tremendous battle going on aimed at shaping your opinion. On one side you have the credit bureaus with a massive public relations campaign to discourage consumers from attempting to restore their credit by telling them it is impossible. They do this by limiting their acknowledgment to those methods strictly outlined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the dispute method and the consumer statement.
On the other side you have consumer rights groups pushing for more reform. And sometimes in the middle, but most often leaning toward the side of the bureaus, you have the Federal Trade Commission. If that weren't enough, you still have outside voices (attorneys and credit repair services) whose motives are purely financial and at time such motives and ignorance add more fog to an already cloudy landscape.
The result is a lot of conflicting and confusing information. It is very easy to get bogged down in this information glut. But you don't have to muddle in the mire. This article strives to shine a bright beam of truth to dissipate this fog of misinformation--so that you can begin pursuing a clear path, able to discern the good and the bad offered you from both sides.
As evidence of this ongoing credit war, consider these great myths about the credit reporting industry. Each of these statements below is false. Nonetheless, many consumers still believes that one or more may be true.
Myth: The information on a credit report cannot be changed.
Fact: Exactly the opposite is true. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that items be removed if they are not fully 100% accurate OR can not be verified within 30 days. Also, anything a creditor is responsible for reporting and confirming, a creditor can change.
Myth: Requests (inquiries) for credit reports can't hurt them.
Fact: At the end of each report will be a log of inquiries. An inquiry notation is made each time someone requests a copy of your credit file from that credit bureau. Any company that receives a copy of your credit profile will be listed under this inquiry section of your report.
Lenders don't like to see a lot of inquiries on a credit report. Excessive inquiries can result in a credit denial as easily as bad credit. But, not all inquires are viewed negatively.
Myth: When I pay off a delinquent account such as a charge-off or collection account, it will stop hurting my credit, because it will then be shown as paid."
Fact: As hard as it might be to believe, sometimes paying off a debt can actually hurt you. This is one of those occasions. These type of collection accounts are allowed to stay on your credit for a "maximum" of seven years.
However, this does not mean that you never pay these debts. While discussing negotiating with creditors covered in Chapter 4, you will read how to include in your negotiated settlement a provision for how it is to be reported. To not do so can severely hurt your chances of restoring your good credit.
Myth: Credit reporting agencies are empowered with governmental authority.
Fact: Absolutely Not! Rather, they must adhere to the government authorities and laws overseeing their operations. Credit bureaus are like any other business. They buy and sell products and services to turn a profit. No special authority exists.
Myth: Bankruptcy is a "Fresh Start."
Fact: Unfortunately, many attorneys don't clearly explain the devastating effects to one's credit when filing bankruptcy. This goes for all types of bankruptcy including Chapter 13, also referred to as the wage earner plan.
Bankruptcy is not a clean slate. Every account included in the bankruptcy will be so noted in your credit file. Additionally, there will be a court record generated that will also be added. Avoid bankruptcy if at all possible. The time table and the odds of completing credit restoration are greatly extended due to the number of negative entries that are associated with such filings.
Myth: Some types of credit information (such as bankruptcies, judgments and foreclosures) are impossible to remove.
Fact: Although it is true that some types of information can be more difficult than others to remove, each of these negative entries have been removed thousands of times, using a multitude of creative methods.
Myth: Credit repair is too complicated to do myself. I would have to hire an attorney.
Fact: In some cases involving a stubborn situation, an attorney can be of great assistance. An attorney can also help with clarifying the finer points of your state's laws. However, you can accomplish most if not all of the legal and negotiation-based methods in this report yourself by becoming familiar with your federally given rights and how to enforce them, as well as other creative methods employed by consumers.
Myth: It is illegal to have truthful information removed from your credit report.
Fact: Congress has already set the precedent by making special provisions for the removal of correct information from individuals' credit files by fulfilling certain criteria. Congress realizes that dangling that carrot in front of college students encourages repayment of defaulted student loans. It should come as no surprise that creditors in other financial markets are hip to this. Let's face it; congress had to get the idea from somewhere. Right?
If you need more proof, read section 609(c)(2)(E) of the NEW Fair Credit Reporting Act that President Clinton signed in September of '96.
"...a consumer reporting agency is not required to remove accurate derogatory information from a consumer's file, unless the information is outdated under section 605 or cannot be verified."
Notice the wording above, "is not required to remove." It is very interesting that the law does not say that accurate information "can not" be removed, but only that the credit bureau is not required to. Now, there is law that says a creditor can not knowingly add wrong information to someone's file, but the subject of removing accurate information is mysteriously avoided. The truth is the FTC and the bureaus themselves spend a lot of money trying to convince consumers otherwise. Why? Lobbyists and money of course! It makes more work for the credit bureaus, thus increasing their labor costs. Bureaus save millions of dollars a year by convincing consumers that the consumer is virtually powerless. But congress worded things to leave the door open, and in at least one case drafted law allowing for it, specifically.
Fortunately, creditors make their profits by collecting from their customers, not reporting negative credit information. Many creditors, though, have an agreement with the credit bureaus that they will not allow a negative listing to be deleted upon settlement. Larger creditors, such as huge credit card companies or banks will require more pressure before they will agree to delete a negative listing, but virtually every creditor will give in with the right amount of convincing. Every creditor who reports to the credit bureaus can also change the information they report. In most credit organizations, there are several managers with the authority to make changes on the credit report.
Bottom Line: Anything a creditor is responsible for reporting and confirming, a creditor can change.
On the other side you have consumer rights groups pushing for more reform. And sometimes in the middle, but most often leaning toward the side of the bureaus, you have the Federal Trade Commission. If that weren't enough, you still have outside voices (attorneys and credit repair services) whose motives are purely financial and at time such motives and ignorance add more fog to an already cloudy landscape.
The result is a lot of conflicting and confusing information. It is very easy to get bogged down in this information glut. But you don't have to muddle in the mire. This article strives to shine a bright beam of truth to dissipate this fog of misinformation--so that you can begin pursuing a clear path, able to discern the good and the bad offered you from both sides.
As evidence of this ongoing credit war, consider these great myths about the credit reporting industry. Each of these statements below is false. Nonetheless, many consumers still believes that one or more may be true.
Myth: The information on a credit report cannot be changed.
Fact: Exactly the opposite is true. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that items be removed if they are not fully 100% accurate OR can not be verified within 30 days. Also, anything a creditor is responsible for reporting and confirming, a creditor can change.
Myth: Requests (inquiries) for credit reports can't hurt them.
Fact: At the end of each report will be a log of inquiries. An inquiry notation is made each time someone requests a copy of your credit file from that credit bureau. Any company that receives a copy of your credit profile will be listed under this inquiry section of your report.
Lenders don't like to see a lot of inquiries on a credit report. Excessive inquiries can result in a credit denial as easily as bad credit. But, not all inquires are viewed negatively.
Myth: When I pay off a delinquent account such as a charge-off or collection account, it will stop hurting my credit, because it will then be shown as paid."
Fact: As hard as it might be to believe, sometimes paying off a debt can actually hurt you. This is one of those occasions. These type of collection accounts are allowed to stay on your credit for a "maximum" of seven years.
However, this does not mean that you never pay these debts. While discussing negotiating with creditors covered in Chapter 4, you will read how to include in your negotiated settlement a provision for how it is to be reported. To not do so can severely hurt your chances of restoring your good credit.
Myth: Credit reporting agencies are empowered with governmental authority.
Fact: Absolutely Not! Rather, they must adhere to the government authorities and laws overseeing their operations. Credit bureaus are like any other business. They buy and sell products and services to turn a profit. No special authority exists.
Myth: Bankruptcy is a "Fresh Start."
Fact: Unfortunately, many attorneys don't clearly explain the devastating effects to one's credit when filing bankruptcy. This goes for all types of bankruptcy including Chapter 13, also referred to as the wage earner plan.
Bankruptcy is not a clean slate. Every account included in the bankruptcy will be so noted in your credit file. Additionally, there will be a court record generated that will also be added. Avoid bankruptcy if at all possible. The time table and the odds of completing credit restoration are greatly extended due to the number of negative entries that are associated with such filings.
Myth: Some types of credit information (such as bankruptcies, judgments and foreclosures) are impossible to remove.
Fact: Although it is true that some types of information can be more difficult than others to remove, each of these negative entries have been removed thousands of times, using a multitude of creative methods.
Myth: Credit repair is too complicated to do myself. I would have to hire an attorney.
Fact: In some cases involving a stubborn situation, an attorney can be of great assistance. An attorney can also help with clarifying the finer points of your state's laws. However, you can accomplish most if not all of the legal and negotiation-based methods in this report yourself by becoming familiar with your federally given rights and how to enforce them, as well as other creative methods employed by consumers.
Myth: It is illegal to have truthful information removed from your credit report.
Fact: Congress has already set the precedent by making special provisions for the removal of correct information from individuals' credit files by fulfilling certain criteria. Congress realizes that dangling that carrot in front of college students encourages repayment of defaulted student loans. It should come as no surprise that creditors in other financial markets are hip to this. Let's face it; congress had to get the idea from somewhere. Right?
If you need more proof, read section 609(c)(2)(E) of the NEW Fair Credit Reporting Act that President Clinton signed in September of '96.
"...a consumer reporting agency is not required to remove accurate derogatory information from a consumer's file, unless the information is outdated under section 605 or cannot be verified."
Notice the wording above, "is not required to remove." It is very interesting that the law does not say that accurate information "can not" be removed, but only that the credit bureau is not required to. Now, there is law that says a creditor can not knowingly add wrong information to someone's file, but the subject of removing accurate information is mysteriously avoided. The truth is the FTC and the bureaus themselves spend a lot of money trying to convince consumers otherwise. Why? Lobbyists and money of course! It makes more work for the credit bureaus, thus increasing their labor costs. Bureaus save millions of dollars a year by convincing consumers that the consumer is virtually powerless. But congress worded things to leave the door open, and in at least one case drafted law allowing for it, specifically.
Fortunately, creditors make their profits by collecting from their customers, not reporting negative credit information. Many creditors, though, have an agreement with the credit bureaus that they will not allow a negative listing to be deleted upon settlement. Larger creditors, such as huge credit card companies or banks will require more pressure before they will agree to delete a negative listing, but virtually every creditor will give in with the right amount of convincing. Every creditor who reports to the credit bureaus can also change the information they report. In most credit organizations, there are several managers with the authority to make changes on the credit report.
Bottom Line: Anything a creditor is responsible for reporting and confirming, a creditor can change.
The right to safety
The consumers' right to safety means that products they purchase must be safe for their intended use, must include thorough and explicit directions for proper use, and must be tested by the manufacturer to ensure product quality and reliability. Business firms should also be aware that consumers and the government have been winning an increasing number of product-liability lawsuits against sellers of defective products. Moreover, the amount of the awards in these suits has been steadily increasing. Yet another major reason for improving product safety is the consumer's demand for safe products. People will simply stop buying a product they believe is unsafe or unreliable.
- The right to be informed
The right to be informed means that consumers must have access to complete information about a product before they buy it. Detailed information about ingredients and nutrition must be provided on food containers, information about fabrics and laundering methods must be attached to clothing and lenders must disclose the true cost of borrowing the money they make available to costumers who purchase merchandise on credit. In addition, manufacturers must inform consumers about the potential dangers of using their products.
- The right to choose
The right to choose means that consumers have a choice of products, offered by different manufacturers and sellers, to satisfy a particular need. The government has done its part by encouraging competition through anti trust legislation. Competition and the resulting freedom of choice provide additional benefits for costumers by reducing prices
- The right to be heard
The forth right means that someone will listen and take appropriate action when costumers complain. In fact, corporate management teams begun listening to consumer complains after the end of World War II when competition begun again to increase. Today, businesses are listening even more attentively and many larger firms have consumer relations departments that can be easily contacted via toll-free phone numbers. Actually, one of the services every consumer today expects to receive from the companies he or she selects to purchase things from is consumer support.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Consumer Information, Employment, and Business
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathon_Hardcastle
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-4-Consumer-Rights&id=316766
- The right to be informed
The right to be informed means that consumers must have access to complete information about a product before they buy it. Detailed information about ingredients and nutrition must be provided on food containers, information about fabrics and laundering methods must be attached to clothing and lenders must disclose the true cost of borrowing the money they make available to costumers who purchase merchandise on credit. In addition, manufacturers must inform consumers about the potential dangers of using their products.
- The right to choose
The right to choose means that consumers have a choice of products, offered by different manufacturers and sellers, to satisfy a particular need. The government has done its part by encouraging competition through anti trust legislation. Competition and the resulting freedom of choice provide additional benefits for costumers by reducing prices
- The right to be heard
The forth right means that someone will listen and take appropriate action when costumers complain. In fact, corporate management teams begun listening to consumer complains after the end of World War II when competition begun again to increase. Today, businesses are listening even more attentively and many larger firms have consumer relations departments that can be easily contacted via toll-free phone numbers. Actually, one of the services every consumer today expects to receive from the companies he or she selects to purchase things from is consumer support.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Consumer Information, Employment, and Business
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathon_Hardcastle
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-4-Consumer-Rights&id=316766
Federal loans can involve private lenders
There are currently two federal loan programs: the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), whereby loans are issued by a private lender, insured by the federal government in case of borrower default, and the Federal Direct Loan Program (DL), whereby loans are issued directly by the federal government.
Both types are considered "federal" loans, even though the FFELP involves private lenders. Within both FFELP and DL, there are Stafford loans for undergraduates and graduates; Grad PLUS loans for graduates (which can be taken in addition to Stafford); and Parent PLUS loans. (A third type of federal loan, the Perkins, is supplied by the government and administered through colleges.)
Nearly identical terms, but different levels of support
From the borrower’s perspective, there are no substantial differences between FFELP and DL loan terms. Both require the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually; both require no credit check; both have the same annual caps on the amount you can borrow; both have nearly the same interest rate set by Congress (Parent PLUS loans in the FFELP have a slightly higher rate than in DL); and both offer practically the same repayment options, with some very slight variation.
FFELP borrowers typically receive additional debt management support and counseling from federally funded nonprofits, such as American Student Assistance, that service FFELP but not DL. So how do you choose a federal loan program? Well, you, the borrower, don’t; typically, individual colleges select which program to participate in (a small amount of schools offer both).
Both types are considered "federal" loans, even though the FFELP involves private lenders. Within both FFELP and DL, there are Stafford loans for undergraduates and graduates; Grad PLUS loans for graduates (which can be taken in addition to Stafford); and Parent PLUS loans. (A third type of federal loan, the Perkins, is supplied by the government and administered through colleges.)
Nearly identical terms, but different levels of support
From the borrower’s perspective, there are no substantial differences between FFELP and DL loan terms. Both require the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually; both require no credit check; both have the same annual caps on the amount you can borrow; both have nearly the same interest rate set by Congress (Parent PLUS loans in the FFELP have a slightly higher rate than in DL); and both offer practically the same repayment options, with some very slight variation.
FFELP borrowers typically receive additional debt management support and counseling from federally funded nonprofits, such as American Student Assistance, that service FFELP but not DL. So how do you choose a federal loan program? Well, you, the borrower, don’t; typically, individual colleges select which program to participate in (a small amount of schools offer both).
How will the new rates affect consolidation loans
Since the drop in rates is slight, it only will have a muted effect on borrowers who choose to consolidate their education loans.
For borrowers interested in consolidating their Stafford loans in the grace period or in deferment, they can do so at the same 2.875 percent currently in effect, according to Sallie Mae, one of the country's largest providers of education funding.
If the Stafford loans are currently in repayment, borrowers can consolidate at a lower rate – 3.375 percent – than the one on tap now.
PLUS loans, meanwhile, can be consolidated at 4.25 percent, the same rate now on the books.
When should I consolidate?
Normally, you need to time your consolidation to occur before July 1 if rates are set to rise thereafter.
But that's not really a concern this year, since none of the consolidation rates going into effect July 1 will be higher than those currently in effect. So there's no rush.
The only exception is if you graduated in December and your grace period is about to run out, Kantrowitz said. Since the grace period consolidation rate is always lower than the repayment rate, it may make sense to lock that lower rate in now.
But if you have Stafford loans in repayment you might wish to wait until after July 1 since the consolidation rate will be down a bit. But some lenders may give you the most advantageous rate available – either pre- or post-July 1. Sallie Mae is one, so long as the company has your signed application in hand by June 30.
And unlike some lenders, Sallie Mae will also allow recent grads to consolidate at the best rate available this year without forfeiting their grace period.
(For more, check the company's site dedicated to loan consolidation – SmartLoan.com.)
If all your loans are with one lender, you have to consolidate with that lender. If you have loans from more than one lender you're free to consolidate with any lender. So pick the one offering you the best deal. (Here's a loan-comparison calculator that can help.)
Anyone who thinks consolidation would be advantageous should certainly do so in the next 12 months. Rates will stay low until June 2005, but they aren't likely to stay low beyond that.
"A year from now (rates) are definitely going to go up," Kantrowitz said. "You want to consolidate before next year in any case."
Editor's note: This article, originally published May 11, has been updated. Top of page
For borrowers interested in consolidating their Stafford loans in the grace period or in deferment, they can do so at the same 2.875 percent currently in effect, according to Sallie Mae, one of the country's largest providers of education funding.
If the Stafford loans are currently in repayment, borrowers can consolidate at a lower rate – 3.375 percent – than the one on tap now.
PLUS loans, meanwhile, can be consolidated at 4.25 percent, the same rate now on the books.
When should I consolidate?
Normally, you need to time your consolidation to occur before July 1 if rates are set to rise thereafter.
But that's not really a concern this year, since none of the consolidation rates going into effect July 1 will be higher than those currently in effect. So there's no rush.
The only exception is if you graduated in December and your grace period is about to run out, Kantrowitz said. Since the grace period consolidation rate is always lower than the repayment rate, it may make sense to lock that lower rate in now.
But if you have Stafford loans in repayment you might wish to wait until after July 1 since the consolidation rate will be down a bit. But some lenders may give you the most advantageous rate available – either pre- or post-July 1. Sallie Mae is one, so long as the company has your signed application in hand by June 30.
And unlike some lenders, Sallie Mae will also allow recent grads to consolidate at the best rate available this year without forfeiting their grace period.
(For more, check the company's site dedicated to loan consolidation – SmartLoan.com.)
If all your loans are with one lender, you have to consolidate with that lender. If you have loans from more than one lender you're free to consolidate with any lender. So pick the one offering you the best deal. (Here's a loan-comparison calculator that can help.)
Anyone who thinks consolidation would be advantageous should certainly do so in the next 12 months. Rates will stay low until June 2005, but they aren't likely to stay low beyond that.
"A year from now (rates) are definitely going to go up," Kantrowitz said. "You want to consolidate before next year in any case."
Editor's note: This article, originally published May 11, has been updated. Top of page
Higher rates? Not on student loans
Higher rates? Not on student loans
Rates on some education loans will fall to record lows. Here's what you need to know.
May 26, 2004: 10:08 AM EDT
By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money senior writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Many Fed watchers anticipate a rate hike by summer and a gradual rising of rates in areas that directly affect consumers. But in at least one rate-sensitive area, interest rates will be setting yet another record low.
Interest rates for federally guaranteed, variable-rate student loans that were issued after July 1,1998 will drop 0.05 percent, based on the results of Monday's auction of the 91-day Treasury bill to which the rates are tied.
So, for the period beginning July 1 through June 30 of next year, Stafford loan rates will drop to 2.77 percent from the current rate of 2.82 percent for those borrowers still in school, in their grace periods (that is, within 6 months after graduation) or in deferment. For borrowers in the repayment phase, their rate will drop to 3.37 percent from 3.42 percent.
Rates on Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), meanwhile, will fall to 4.17 percent from today's 4.22 percent.
Rates on some education loans will fall to record lows. Here's what you need to know.
May 26, 2004: 10:08 AM EDT
By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money senior writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Many Fed watchers anticipate a rate hike by summer and a gradual rising of rates in areas that directly affect consumers. But in at least one rate-sensitive area, interest rates will be setting yet another record low.
Interest rates for federally guaranteed, variable-rate student loans that were issued after July 1,1998 will drop 0.05 percent, based on the results of Monday's auction of the 91-day Treasury bill to which the rates are tied.
So, for the period beginning July 1 through June 30 of next year, Stafford loan rates will drop to 2.77 percent from the current rate of 2.82 percent for those borrowers still in school, in their grace periods (that is, within 6 months after graduation) or in deferment. For borrowers in the repayment phase, their rate will drop to 3.37 percent from 3.42 percent.
Rates on Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), meanwhile, will fall to 4.17 percent from today's 4.22 percent.
Analyze while trading Forex
Analyze while trading Forex
The things to know about Forex Comprehending all the intricacies of the basics behind an investment, and understanding behind the major market trading, is the right way to go about trading Forex. Skilled technical analysis and good money management skills are the basic essentials to trade well. Analyze the market and create a position, establishing rational stop loss and profit taking levels.
With MarketForex, an investor has the facility to change their trade orders as many times as they want, either as a stop loss order or as a limit order. Currency markets are highly unpredictable and tentative in nature, as any currency can fluctuate to becoming very expensive or very cheap in relation to other.
There is always a momentous risk in any Forex or currency deal, and thats the shortcomings of being a Forex Broker. At MarketForex, our expertise and tools link to the world's Forex trading floors, getting you the lowest foreign currency rates with the prospects of making a transaction.
The things to know about Forex Comprehending all the intricacies of the basics behind an investment, and understanding behind the major market trading, is the right way to go about trading Forex. Skilled technical analysis and good money management skills are the basic essentials to trade well. Analyze the market and create a position, establishing rational stop loss and profit taking levels.
With MarketForex, an investor has the facility to change their trade orders as many times as they want, either as a stop loss order or as a limit order. Currency markets are highly unpredictable and tentative in nature, as any currency can fluctuate to becoming very expensive or very cheap in relation to other.
There is always a momentous risk in any Forex or currency deal, and thats the shortcomings of being a Forex Broker. At MarketForex, our expertise and tools link to the world's Forex trading floors, getting you the lowest foreign currency rates with the prospects of making a transaction.
24 hours open market
24 hours open market
The biggest advantage of the Forex market over the Equity trading is that of a 24 hours open market. Active 5 days a week, Forex market gives its traders what Equity trading does not. Equity trading is restricted to regular business hours, making Forex, the only incessantly moving trading platform.
Being a 24 hour trading market, there is always some investors, somewhere in the world who are dynamically trading foreign currencies. This also enables these investors to react to any breaking news of the market, immediately
The biggest advantage of the Forex market over the Equity trading is that of a 24 hours open market. Active 5 days a week, Forex market gives its traders what Equity trading does not. Equity trading is restricted to regular business hours, making Forex, the only incessantly moving trading platform.
Being a 24 hour trading market, there is always some investors, somewhere in the world who are dynamically trading foreign currencies. This also enables these investors to react to any breaking news of the market, immediately
Forex vs. Futures
Forex vs. Futures
Being the largest financial market in the world, Foreign Exchange market deals in the business of trading of the world's various currencies, with more than $1.5 trillion changing hands every day. Futures, on the other hand, deals in contracts to buy or sell a foreign currency on a specific date in the future, the price for which is set today.
In other words, futures are the same as forward exchange deals, which are tailor made to the customer requirements and needs for the amount of funds and due date of deal.
There are plenty benefits of Forex over currency futures trading, especially with the difference between the two regarding their target audience, transactions fees and liquidity, as given below:
24-Hour Market
Currency market is a 24-hour market, unlike most of the futures exchanges, allowing its traders to react to the immediate news happenings by trading immediately. This facility cannot be availed with the futures market which only operates during business hours and not for 24 hours a day.
Superior liquidity
Forex markets hold unmatched liquidity as compared to currency futures. Especially with $1.5 trillion changing hands daily, Forex is the largest and most liquid market in the world. It can absorb a large trading volume and the transaction sizes are huge too, in comparison to any other market. Futures market, on the other hand, is a $30 billion market per day which provides only limited liquidity with a lesser trading volume.
Forex uses simple and easy price quotes
While the currency futures trading and price quotes have added complications of time factor and interest rates between various currencies, the Forex markets require no such adjustments of future calculations and consideration for the interest rate of future deals.
Forex trading is commission free
Futures trading contracts get along with them, trading costs, exchange fees and clearance fees which eat up most of the trader's profits. But this is not the case with Forex trading because here, the trader deals directly with the market through online exchange, thus saving the brokerage fees. Although, there is always an initiating cost to any trading being done, which is revealed in the bid/ask spread, present in all types of trading, be it Forex, Futures or Equities.
High execution quality and speed
It is only with Forex trading that a trader can experience high execution quality and speed because of its high trading ratio as compared to any other market. The reason why futures market does not offer rapid execution or price is due to the lesser volume of trading and liquidity and definitely due to uncertainty during normal market conditions, as the trading prices on market orders is far from certain. Read as to what makes the Forex currency to move
Being the largest financial market in the world, Foreign Exchange market deals in the business of trading of the world's various currencies, with more than $1.5 trillion changing hands every day. Futures, on the other hand, deals in contracts to buy or sell a foreign currency on a specific date in the future, the price for which is set today.
In other words, futures are the same as forward exchange deals, which are tailor made to the customer requirements and needs for the amount of funds and due date of deal.
There are plenty benefits of Forex over currency futures trading, especially with the difference between the two regarding their target audience, transactions fees and liquidity, as given below:
24-Hour Market
Currency market is a 24-hour market, unlike most of the futures exchanges, allowing its traders to react to the immediate news happenings by trading immediately. This facility cannot be availed with the futures market which only operates during business hours and not for 24 hours a day.
Superior liquidity
Forex markets hold unmatched liquidity as compared to currency futures. Especially with $1.5 trillion changing hands daily, Forex is the largest and most liquid market in the world. It can absorb a large trading volume and the transaction sizes are huge too, in comparison to any other market. Futures market, on the other hand, is a $30 billion market per day which provides only limited liquidity with a lesser trading volume.
Forex uses simple and easy price quotes
While the currency futures trading and price quotes have added complications of time factor and interest rates between various currencies, the Forex markets require no such adjustments of future calculations and consideration for the interest rate of future deals.
Forex trading is commission free
Futures trading contracts get along with them, trading costs, exchange fees and clearance fees which eat up most of the trader's profits. But this is not the case with Forex trading because here, the trader deals directly with the market through online exchange, thus saving the brokerage fees. Although, there is always an initiating cost to any trading being done, which is revealed in the bid/ask spread, present in all types of trading, be it Forex, Futures or Equities.
High execution quality and speed
It is only with Forex trading that a trader can experience high execution quality and speed because of its high trading ratio as compared to any other market. The reason why futures market does not offer rapid execution or price is due to the lesser volume of trading and liquidity and definitely due to uncertainty during normal market conditions, as the trading prices on market orders is far from certain. Read as to what makes the Forex currency to move
Why choose MarketForex?
Why choose MarketForex?
MarketForex was set up by trading professionals and expert software developers with the main aim of discovering and comprehending the needs and requirements of its traders and investors, since the very beginning of their trading deal. Providing you with secure, user friendly Forex trading software, MarketForex offers the best currency trading technology with reliable and steady customer feedback services.
Live Real-Time quotes
At MarketForex, we believe in employing superior and sophisticated technologies, enabling us to offer updated quotes every second. We also give you the option of keeping a check on your positions in real time, 24 hours a day, enabling you to make a deal based on real-time information.
100:1 Leverage
The high leverage available with MarketForex is one of the main advantages which only a Forex trader avails, and not the ones dealing in futures and stocks. At over $1.2 trillion a day, it is the unparalleled size of the Forex market which enables us to offer such high leverage. This also means the increase in the amount of its transactions per day, leading to superior liquidity. By offering you higher leverage of 100:1, we are giving you more buying power than what you normally have as it increases your total return on investment.
Personal account management
At MarketForex, we are available for you 24x7 via phone, e-mails, or through the online chat. Your own Account Service Manager will be appointed to handle and work closely with you. We will also provide you with appropriate background information you require on any issues regarding the Forex market, through seminars, trainings, chat and telephone and technical support.
Stability and Reliability
MarketForex was set up by trading professionals and expert software developers with the main aim of discovering and comprehending the needs and requirements of its traders and investors, since the very beginning of their trading deal. Providing you with secure, user friendly Forex trading software, MarketForex offers the best currency trading technology with reliable and steady customer feedback services.
Live Real-Time quotes
At MarketForex, we believe in employing superior and sophisticated technologies, enabling us to offer updated quotes every second. We also give you the option of keeping a check on your positions in real time, 24 hours a day, enabling you to make a deal based on real-time information.
100:1 Leverage
The high leverage available with MarketForex is one of the main advantages which only a Forex trader avails, and not the ones dealing in futures and stocks. At over $1.2 trillion a day, it is the unparalleled size of the Forex market which enables us to offer such high leverage. This also means the increase in the amount of its transactions per day, leading to superior liquidity. By offering you higher leverage of 100:1, we are giving you more buying power than what you normally have as it increases your total return on investment.
Personal account management
At MarketForex, we are available for you 24x7 via phone, e-mails, or through the online chat. Your own Account Service Manager will be appointed to handle and work closely with you. We will also provide you with appropriate background information you require on any issues regarding the Forex market, through seminars, trainings, chat and telephone and technical support.
Stability and Reliability
Why opt for Forex trading?
Why opt for Forex trading?
With more than $1.5 trillion USD being traded daily, the foreign exchange market has managed to become the world's largest financial market, over the last three decades. With the large minimum deal sizes and rigid financial requirements, the Forex market, till recently, was not explored by the common trader or individual investor. But now the average investors can also engage in Forex trading. Some of the advantages of Forex trading are as follows:
24 hours trading
Forex gives its traders a 24 hour trading opportunity. Being a Forex trader, you can trade 24 hours a day from Sunday 5:00 pm (ET) to Friday 4:30 pm. This gives traders an opportunity to trade according to their convenience, going by their own schedule and also a chance to react instantly to any breaking news of the markets.
High levels of liquidity
Also, acting as a huge attraction is the high liquidity. With almost 90% of all the currency transactions consisting of 7 major currency pairs, helps these currencies display price stability, smooth trends, narrow spreads and high levels of liquidity. This liquidity mainly comes from the banks which offer cash flow to companies, investors and market players.
No commission
With "free of commission" trading, Forex trade lets you keep 100% of your trading profits. This makes Forex trading even more attractive as a business opportunity, especially for those who want to deal on a regular basis.
Steady trading prospects
The market is constantly moving and since Forex trading involves buying and selling of currencies, so traders can easily operate in a rising or falling market. This is because, there are always trading prospects, whether a currency is rising or deteriorating in relation to another currency. So there is always profit potential in the Forex market, whether it's a rising one or a falling one.
Along with these major advantages, the Forex market also has some other merits such as, Forex trading gives its traders, an opportunity to bigger profits as returns on their invested money. Also, since the market is open 24 hours a day, 5.5 days a week, it gives the investors can make their deals anytime they want to.
With such superior speed of the market, and fine liquidity, even the largest of transactions are conducted within a few seconds. You can study the Advantages and Disadvantages of Forex Trading as well on our website.
With more than $1.5 trillion USD being traded daily, the foreign exchange market has managed to become the world's largest financial market, over the last three decades. With the large minimum deal sizes and rigid financial requirements, the Forex market, till recently, was not explored by the common trader or individual investor. But now the average investors can also engage in Forex trading. Some of the advantages of Forex trading are as follows:
24 hours trading
Forex gives its traders a 24 hour trading opportunity. Being a Forex trader, you can trade 24 hours a day from Sunday 5:00 pm (ET) to Friday 4:30 pm. This gives traders an opportunity to trade according to their convenience, going by their own schedule and also a chance to react instantly to any breaking news of the markets.
High levels of liquidity
Also, acting as a huge attraction is the high liquidity. With almost 90% of all the currency transactions consisting of 7 major currency pairs, helps these currencies display price stability, smooth trends, narrow spreads and high levels of liquidity. This liquidity mainly comes from the banks which offer cash flow to companies, investors and market players.
No commission
With "free of commission" trading, Forex trade lets you keep 100% of your trading profits. This makes Forex trading even more attractive as a business opportunity, especially for those who want to deal on a regular basis.
Steady trading prospects
The market is constantly moving and since Forex trading involves buying and selling of currencies, so traders can easily operate in a rising or falling market. This is because, there are always trading prospects, whether a currency is rising or deteriorating in relation to another currency. So there is always profit potential in the Forex market, whether it's a rising one or a falling one.
Along with these major advantages, the Forex market also has some other merits such as, Forex trading gives its traders, an opportunity to bigger profits as returns on their invested money. Also, since the market is open 24 hours a day, 5.5 days a week, it gives the investors can make their deals anytime they want to.
With such superior speed of the market, and fine liquidity, even the largest of transactions are conducted within a few seconds. You can study the Advantages and Disadvantages of Forex Trading as well on our website.
What is Forex?
What is Forex?
The largest financial market in the world, Foreign Exchange market, Forex or FX market, all the terms are used to describe the business of trading of the world's various currencies, with more than $2 trillion changing hands every day. Being an international foreign exchange market, Forex is a market where money is sold and bought freely. FOREX was launched in the 1970s, to become the biggest liquid financial market today, dealing in more than hundred times the daily trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
FOREX is a perfect market to invest in, as it is free from any external control and free competition. Mostly, all Forex trading are tentative and unlike the stock market trading, the Forex market is not conducted by a central exchange, but on the "interbank" market, which is thought of as an OTC (over the counter) market. The trading takes place between the two dealers, either over the telephone or through Internet, all over the world. The major trading centers are the ones at Sydney, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo and New York, making Forex a 24-hour market.
Forex Trading requires the employing fundamental as well as technical analyses. These analysis help a trader to foresee and determine the development in the price trends of currencies, based on which, he attempts to predict market changes and make profits. Fundamental analysis can be said to use techniques to analyze the value of a state's currency with the help of its economic indicators, quality markets and political events and associations. Political stability also influences the exchange rate at Forex. Its not just that Forex Trading is intutive, rather its technical
While Technical analysis engages the study of patterns of price trends and movements, making it easier for the trader to predict the path of the future developments in the Forex market. The primary data for a technical analysis are values, be it the highest or the lowest values, the price of opening and closing in a definite period of time, and the amount of transactions taking place. Any factor, be it economic, political or psychological, having little or some influence on the value or the price, has already been measured by the market to be included in the price. We offer some very useful Tips for New Forex Traders
The largest financial market in the world, Foreign Exchange market, Forex or FX market, all the terms are used to describe the business of trading of the world's various currencies, with more than $2 trillion changing hands every day. Being an international foreign exchange market, Forex is a market where money is sold and bought freely. FOREX was launched in the 1970s, to become the biggest liquid financial market today, dealing in more than hundred times the daily trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
FOREX is a perfect market to invest in, as it is free from any external control and free competition. Mostly, all Forex trading are tentative and unlike the stock market trading, the Forex market is not conducted by a central exchange, but on the "interbank" market, which is thought of as an OTC (over the counter) market. The trading takes place between the two dealers, either over the telephone or through Internet, all over the world. The major trading centers are the ones at Sydney, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo and New York, making Forex a 24-hour market.
Forex Trading requires the employing fundamental as well as technical analyses. These analysis help a trader to foresee and determine the development in the price trends of currencies, based on which, he attempts to predict market changes and make profits. Fundamental analysis can be said to use techniques to analyze the value of a state's currency with the help of its economic indicators, quality markets and political events and associations. Political stability also influences the exchange rate at Forex. Its not just that Forex Trading is intutive, rather its technical
While Technical analysis engages the study of patterns of price trends and movements, making it easier for the trader to predict the path of the future developments in the Forex market. The primary data for a technical analysis are values, be it the highest or the lowest values, the price of opening and closing in a definite period of time, and the amount of transactions taking place. Any factor, be it economic, political or psychological, having little or some influence on the value or the price, has already been measured by the market to be included in the price. We offer some very useful Tips for New Forex Traders
