Introduction To Identity Theft

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Identity theft is no longer an unusual occurrence. It is rapidly evolving and is quickly becoming a socio-economic inevitability. Identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar crime. It is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of your personal identifying information such as your Social Security number or driver's license number and uses them for their own personal gain. Identity pirates can gather all sorts of confidential information about you by prowling the Web. They begin with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. Once they have this information, identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name.

An Identity thief can take your personal information from your mail box or your home. Identity theft is bad enough but right now it is also pretty much of a cottage industry relying primarily on techniques like dumpster diving. Identity theft laws and crack-downs, while improving, are definitely not where they should be. It's hard to pin down, because each law enforcement agency may classify ID theft differently--it can involve credit card fraud, Internet fraud, or mail theft, among other crimes.

Detecting Identity Theft & Credit Card Fraud

A key way to detect fraudulent accounts is through credit monitoring / reports. Review your credit information regularly (free annual reports are available from the Credit Reporting Bureaus) Visit your bank's, credit card issuer's or biller's web site(s) frequently to monitor regular account activity. Victims of identity theft don't normally know they've been victimized until:They are contacted by a collection agency over past due accounts they never knew they had; significant charges may show up on a credit card bill for purchases they never made; a lender tries to repossess a car they didn't know they owned; or they are contacted by the police after a crime is committed in their name. It is important to resolve fraud promptly, minimizing losses and protecting your credit record. You should ask your financial provider about zero-liability guarantees against fraud and dedicated resources to help you resolve and recover from any potential losses. Some banks will work with you if you have an account at their bank. If you are a Victim of theft, promptly notify your financial providers, begin monitoring your accounts more frequently, and place an "alert" at all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion). when someone uses your name, Social Security number, credit card number or some other piece of your personal information to apply for a credit card, make unauthorized purchases, gain access to your bank accounts or obtain loans under your name.

Problems On The Internet

Schemes known as "phishing'' use e-mail messages to lure unwitting consumers to Web sites masquerading as home pages of trusted banks and credit card issuers, corporate security specialists say. Online visitors are then induced to reveal passwords as well as bank account, Social Security and credit card numbers. The crimes ranged from the theft of a credit card number to more elaborate identity thefts used to secure loans.

Thieves have turned toward the theft of information, and specifically personal information, because with an assumed identity criminals can purchase goods and services at will using someone else's credit..

Social Security Issues

Do you use your Social Security number for identification. The identity thief uses key pieces of your information such as Social Security and driver's license numbers to obtain credit, merchandise and services in your name. Almost 50 percent of students have had grades posted by Social Security number. While there are many ways to get a Social Security Number on someone, most criminals start with a phone book. They may use your name and Social Security number to get government benefits. Theives may get a job using your Social Security number.

A new Social Security number may not resolve your identity theft problems, and may actually create new problems. Even if the old credit information is not associated with your new Social Security number, the absence of any credit history under your new Social Security number may make it more difficult for you to get credit. And finally, there's no guarantee that a new Social Security number wouldn't also be misused by an identity thief.

Fighting Back

Each of these actions places you at risk of being a victim of identity theft because each requires you to share personal information such as your bank and credit card account numbers, your Social Security number, or your name, address, and phone number.

Based on the latest findings, the Better Business Bureau, Wells Fargo, Visa and CheckFree have issued the following tips for consumers to protect themselves against financial identity fraud: Prevent access to your personal information
Replace paper bills, statements and checks with Internet (paperless) versions
Consider moving to an electronic bill payment service, such as your bank or biller's web site,
Stop sending signed paper checks through the mail.

Many of the most vicious cases, say analysts, involve corporate insiders who hijack sensitive personal information from corporate databases in order to begin picking people's pockets. Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

Be aware of how information is stolen and what you can do to protect yours, monitor your personal information to uncover any problems quickly, and know what to do when you suspect your identity has been stolen. They can steal your wallet or purse, or convince you to give out personal information. In short, any piece of paper you no longer need that contains personal information. Do you use your personal computer to buy merchandise or purchase tickets for travel, concerts, or other services. This is the same personal information that identity thieves use to commit fraud. Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways.

Fixing The Damage

Victims are spending more time to resolve identity fraud cases, which has increased from 33 hours in 2003 to 40 hours in 2006. Typically, victims don't have to pay debts incurred by another person, however that's not the point, the time, the stress, and the many sleepless nights you have to go through to clean up your record that really hurts most victims. It can take months and even years to undo the damage inflicted on the reputation of the victims and the stressful trail of destruction that takes its toll.

Prevention Is The Best Remedy

Experts say that the solution to preventing identity theft is a simple, three-step process:
Curb the use of the Social Security number as a unique identifier for business use, a measure that has been introduced in Congress and defeated several times over the past decade
Force credit-granting agencies to require more identifiers and shore up their credit card policies
Restrict all selling of personal information by credit bureaus, state and federal agencies, and marketing firms.

Preventing identity theft is not as hard as it may seem. From a personal perspective, make sure that you take advantage of technologies that enhance your security and privacy when you use the Internet, such as digital signatures, data encryption, and "anonymity" services. Companies and their management need to be more aware of how they're putting their customers at risk.

Obviously, identity theft is not only of great concern for the individual affected, but by the financial institutions that are deceived by this practice. According to the FBI, Identity Theft is the fasting growing crime in the US. And it is is costing an estimated $6 Billion.

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Binomial Probability Distributions with Microsoft Excel

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A binomial distribution describes the outcome of a multi-step experiment, consisting of
n identical trials, where each trial ends in either a success or a failure and the probability of
a success p does not change from trial to trial. This useful statistical analysis can be performed relatively easily using Microsoft Excel using the Excel BINOMDIST, CRITBINOM and NEGBINOMDIST functions.

Note, however, that when making binomial probability calculations, the trials must also be independent so that success in one trial does not affect the probability of success in another trial. The binomial random variable x is the number of successes observed in n trials.

If samples are not replaced, and therefore the outcome of one trial changes the probability of success in another trial, you need to use the hypergeometric probability distribution Excel function.

Using Excel's BINOMDIST Function

For example, if you flip a coin n times and "heads" is called a success, then the random variable
x would be the number of heads observed in n flips. It could take the values 1,2,3,...,n with different probabilities.

The BINOMDIST function uses the following syntax:

=BINOMDIST(x,n,p,cumulative)

If you want to find the probability of exactly x successes, enter FALSE as the fourth (cumulative) argument. If you want to find the probability of x or fewer successes, enter TRUE as the fourth argument.

For example, if you were to flip a fair coin 20 times and wanted to find the probability of it turning up "heads" exactly 10 times, the function looks like this:

=BINOMDIST(10,20,0.5,FALSE)

The function returns the value 0.176197052. If you wanted to find the probability of getting
10 or fewer heads, you replace the FALSE with TRUE, and the function returns the value 0.588098526.

Using Excel's CRITBINOM Function

The acceptance criterion function, CRITBINOM, is used for quality control of a production process. You use this function to find the maximum number of defective items that a person can find in a lot and still allow acceptance of the lot. Inspectors should accept the lot if they find this number or fewer defective items and reject the lot if they find more defective items.

To determine the acceptance criterion, you need to know the number of items in the lot, the probability of accepting each item, and the producer's allowable risk (alpha) for rejecting an acceptable lot.

The CRITBINOM function uses the following syntax:

=CRITBINOM (trials, probability_s, alpha)

where trials is the number of trials, probability's is the probability of a success on each trial,
and alpha is the criterion value. Probability's and alpha are both between 0 and 1.

Using Excel's NEGBINOMDIST Function

If the number of successes is fixed in a binomial distribution and you want to find the number of trials, use the NEGBINOMDIST function. This function returns the probability that there will be a certain number of failures before the threshold number of successes, given the constant probability of a success.

For example, if you need to find 20 straight 2 by 4s from a stack, and you know the probability that a board in the stack is straight is 0.2 (20%), you can use the NEGBINOMDIST to find that there is about a 2% probability that you will reject 75 boards before finding all 20 straight ones.

The NEGBINOMDIST function uses the following syntax:

=NEGBINOMDIST (number failures, number successes, probability of success)

For this example, the function looks like this:

=negbinomdist (75, 20, 0.2)

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Changing Money's Handling of Data Entry and Editing

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Money provides a neat set of data entry and data editing rules. For example, if Money
can guess what you are typing into a field, Money will automatically complete the bit
of information you are typing. If you select a field that includes a drop-down list-
such as the Category field-Money automatically drops the list for you. Money also
provides other data entry and data editing tools, too, such as the ability to automatically
insert the decimal point in the Amount field.

Although Money's initial setup reflects the date editing and entry options that work
best, you can change most of these options. To do so, choose the Tools menu's
Options command. When Money displays the Options dialog box, click the Editing
tab.

NOTE The initial Entry Options and Confirmation Options settings are probably those
you want to use. To safely and successfully make changes to these settings, work
with Money for a while before deciding whether one or more of its data entry
or data editing conventions doesn't work well for your specific situation.

Setting Entry Options

The Entry Options box has check boxes that allow you to control the way in which
Money handles data entry.

Selecting the Use AutoComplete check box, for example, tells Money to determine
what you are typing as you are typing it. For example, if you're typing a business name
in the Payee field of the account register, after you have typed three or four characters,
Money compares what you typed with a list of past payee names. If Money detects
a match, it completes the entry for you.

Selecting the Automatically Drop Down Category Lists check box tells Money to
automatically open the Category list box when you select the Category field.

Selecting the Automatically Insert Decimal Point In Amount Field check box tells
Money to automatically insert a decimal point two digits from the right into every value
you enter in an Amount field. For example, with this option set, if you enter the value
123 in the field, Money inserts a decimal point so that the amount actually recorded
is 1.23.

Selecting the Use Enter Key To Move Between Fields check box allows you to press
the Enter key to move from one field to the next.

Selecting the Automatically Create A New Transaction After Creating One In Transaction
Entry Forms check box tells Money to automatically create a new transaction
in the account register after you create one using a transaction entry form.
Selecting the Use Transaction Entry Forms To Enter Or Edit Register Transactions
check box tells Money that you want to use the transaction entry forms that appear
at the bottom of the account register window to enter and edit data. (You don't have
to use transaction entry forms, however; you can enter and edit data directly using the
account registers.)

Selecting the Always Start A New Transaction When Selecting A Transaction Form
check box tells Money that every time you select the transaction form, you want Money
to assume that you are starting on a new transaction.

Selecting the Keyboard Shortcuts For Quicken Users check box tells Money that you
want Quicken shortcuts to work in Money. (You might want to turn on this feature
if you have been a previous user of Quicken.)

Setting Confirmation Options

The Confirmation Options box has four check boxes that also work in a self-explanatory
manner.

Selecting the Confirm Changes To Transactions check box tells Money to display a
confirmation message box that lets you confirm or reject changes to transactions.
Selecting the Confirm New Payees check box tells Money to ask you to confirm that
you're entering a new payee any time you do. (If you wanted to restrict the number of
94 Ask the Expert Guide to Microsoft Money 2001 - Electronic Edition
payees listed on the Payee Names list, you might select this check box. By selecting
this check box, you are much less likely to need several different versions of the same
payee name.)

Selecting the Display A Warning When Changing Reconciled Transactions check box
tells Money to display a warning message box whenever you begin to make a change
to a reconciled transaction. Typically, you don't make changes to reconciled transactions
because they are transactions that have already cleared a bank or cleared your
online brokerage account.

Selecting the Display A Warning When Using Duplicate Check Numbers check box
tells Money to display a warning message box whenever you attempt to reuse a check
number.

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Binomial Probability Distributions with Microsoft Excel

Image : http://www.flickr.com

A binomial distribution describes the outcome of a multi-step experiment, consisting of
n identical trials, where each trial ends in either a success or a failure and the probability of
a success p does not change from trial to trial. This useful statistical analysis can be performed relatively easily using Microsoft Excel using the Excel BINOMDIST, CRITBINOM and NEGBINOMDIST functions.

Note, however, that when making binomial probability calculations, the trials must also be independent so that success in one trial does not affect the probability of success in another trial. The binomial random variable x is the number of successes observed in n trials.

If samples are not replaced, and therefore the outcome of one trial changes the probability of success in another trial, you need to use the hypergeometric probability distribution Excel function.

Using Excel's BINOMDIST Function

For example, if you flip a coin n times and "heads" is called a success, then the random variable
x would be the number of heads observed in n flips. It could take the values 1,2,3,...,n with different probabilities.

The BINOMDIST function uses the following syntax:

=BINOMDIST(x,n,p,cumulative)

If you want to find the probability of exactly x successes, enter FALSE as the fourth (cumulative) argument. If you want to find the probability of x or fewer successes, enter TRUE as the fourth argument.

For example, if you were to flip a fair coin 20 times and wanted to find the probability of it turning up "heads" exactly 10 times, the function looks like this:

=BINOMDIST(10,20,0.5,FALSE)

The function returns the value 0.176197052. If you wanted to find the probability of getting
10 or fewer heads, you replace the FALSE with TRUE, and the function returns the value 0.588098526.

Using Excel's CRITBINOM Function

The acceptance criterion function, CRITBINOM, is used for quality control of a production process. You use this function to find the maximum number of defective items that a person can find in a lot and still allow acceptance of the lot. Inspectors should accept the lot if they find this number or fewer defective items and reject the lot if they find more defective items.

To determine the acceptance criterion, you need to know the number of items in the lot, the probability of accepting each item, and the producer's allowable risk (alpha) for rejecting an acceptable lot.

The CRITBINOM function uses the following syntax:

=CRITBINOM (trials, probability_s, alpha)

where trials is the number of trials, probability's is the probability of a success on each trial,
and alpha is the criterion value. Probability's and alpha are both between 0 and 1.

Using Excel's NEGBINOMDIST Function

If the number of successes is fixed in a binomial distribution and you want to find the number of trials, use the NEGBINOMDIST function. This function returns the probability that there will be a certain number of failures before the threshold number of successes, given the constant probability of a success.

For example, if you need to find 20 straight 2 by 4s from a stack, and you know the probability that a board in the stack is straight is 0.2 (20%), you can use the NEGBINOMDIST to find that there is about a 2% probability that you will reject 75 boards before finding all 20 straight ones.

The NEGBINOMDIST function uses the following syntax:

=NEGBINOMDIST (number failures, number successes, probability of success)

For this example, the function looks like this:

=negbinomdist (75, 20, 0.2)

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Changing Money's Handling of Data Entry and Editing

Image : http://www.flickr.com

Money provides a neat set of data entry and data editing rules. For example, if Money
can guess what you are typing into a field, Money will automatically complete the bit
of information you are typing. If you select a field that includes a drop-down list-
such as the Category field-Money automatically drops the list for you. Money also
provides other data entry and data editing tools, too, such as the ability to automatically
insert the decimal point in the Amount field.

Although Money's initial setup reflects the date editing and entry options that work
best, you can change most of these options. To do so, choose the Tools menu's
Options command. When Money displays the Options dialog box, click the Editing
tab.

NOTE The initial Entry Options and Confirmation Options settings are probably those
you want to use. To safely and successfully make changes to these settings, work
with Money for a while before deciding whether one or more of its data entry
or data editing conventions doesn't work well for your specific situation.

Setting Entry Options

The Entry Options box has check boxes that allow you to control the way in which
Money handles data entry.

Selecting the Use AutoComplete check box, for example, tells Money to determine
what you are typing as you are typing it. For example, if you're typing a business name
in the Payee field of the account register, after you have typed three or four characters,
Money compares what you typed with a list of past payee names. If Money detects
a match, it completes the entry for you.

Selecting the Automatically Drop Down Category Lists check box tells Money to
automatically open the Category list box when you select the Category field.

Selecting the Automatically Insert Decimal Point In Amount Field check box tells
Money to automatically insert a decimal point two digits from the right into every value
you enter in an Amount field. For example, with this option set, if you enter the value
123 in the field, Money inserts a decimal point so that the amount actually recorded
is 1.23.

Selecting the Use Enter Key To Move Between Fields check box allows you to press
the Enter key to move from one field to the next.

Selecting the Automatically Create A New Transaction After Creating One In Transaction
Entry Forms check box tells Money to automatically create a new transaction
in the account register after you create one using a transaction entry form.
Selecting the Use Transaction Entry Forms To Enter Or Edit Register Transactions
check box tells Money that you want to use the transaction entry forms that appear
at the bottom of the account register window to enter and edit data. (You don't have
to use transaction entry forms, however; you can enter and edit data directly using the
account registers.)

Selecting the Always Start A New Transaction When Selecting A Transaction Form
check box tells Money that every time you select the transaction form, you want Money
to assume that you are starting on a new transaction.

Selecting the Keyboard Shortcuts For Quicken Users check box tells Money that you
want Quicken shortcuts to work in Money. (You might want to turn on this feature
if you have been a previous user of Quicken.)

Setting Confirmation Options

The Confirmation Options box has four check boxes that also work in a self-explanatory
manner.

Selecting the Confirm Changes To Transactions check box tells Money to display a
confirmation message box that lets you confirm or reject changes to transactions.
Selecting the Confirm New Payees check box tells Money to ask you to confirm that
you're entering a new payee any time you do. (If you wanted to restrict the number of
94 Ask the Expert Guide to Microsoft Money 2001 - Electronic Edition
payees listed on the Payee Names list, you might select this check box. By selecting
this check box, you are much less likely to need several different versions of the same
payee name.)

Selecting the Display A Warning When Changing Reconciled Transactions check box
tells Money to display a warning message box whenever you begin to make a change
to a reconciled transaction. Typically, you don't make changes to reconciled transactions
because they are transactions that have already cleared a bank or cleared your
online brokerage account.

Selecting the Display A Warning When Using Duplicate Check Numbers check box
tells Money to display a warning message box whenever you attempt to reuse a check
number.

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Scientific probability distributions with Microsoft Excel

Image : http://www.flickr.com

A binomial distribution describes the result of a multi-step experiment, consisting
n identical trials, where each attempt ends either in success or failure and the probability of
p is a success does not change from experiment to experiment. This is a useful statistical analysis can be done relatively easily using Microsoft Excel using the Excel BINOMDIST, CRITBINOM and NEGBINOMDIST functions.

Note, however, that for the manufacture of binomial probability theory, the test should alsobe independent, so the success of a procedure does not affect the probability of success in another trial. Binomial random variable x is the number of successes observed in animal studies No

When samples are not replaced and thus the result of a process to change the probability of success in another job, you must use the hypergeometric probability distribution function in Excel.

BINOMDIST using the Excel function

For example, if you're an n times and "heads"as a success, then the random variable
x is the number of animals observed in n tosses. You can take the values 1,2,3 ,..., n with different probabilities.

BINOMDIST uses the following syntax:

BINOMDIST = (x, n, p, cumulative)

If you find the probability of exactly x successes, enter false data, as the fourth () returns a cumulative basis. If you find the probability of x or less success, to give TRUE as the fourth argument.

For example, if yousaw a coin 20 times and wanted the chance that I get "heads" exactly 10 times Flip found, the function is similar to the following:

= BINOMDIST (10,20,0.5, FALSE)

The function returns the value 0.176197052. If you find that the probability
10 or less heads, you replace the FALSE with TRUE, and the function returns the value 0.588098526.

Using the Excel function CRITBINOM

The adoption of the objective function, CRITBINOM is used for quality controlproduction process. Use this function to the maximum number of defective products, which are to find a person in a game and still allow for the acceptance of the lot. Inspectors should accept the lot if you can find this number or fewer defective parts and reject the lot if you want to find items you worse.

To determine the criterion of acceptability is necessary to know the number of elements in the crowd, the probability of accepting each item, and acceptable risk of producers' (alpha) for rejecting anacceptable amount.

CRITBINOM function uses the following syntax:

= CRITBINOM (studies probability_s, alpha)

experiments in which the number of attempts, the probability is the probability of success for each subject,
and alpha-value is the criterion. Probability and alpha are both between 0 and 1

NEGBINOMDIST using the Excel function

If the number of successes in a binomial distribution company and want to find the number of attempts to use the NEGBINOMDISTFunction. This function returns the probability that a certain number of failures before the number of critical success as the probability of success constant.

For example, if you) are up 20 2 directly by 4s from a stack, and you know the probability that a card in the stack is only 0.2 (is 20%, you can use to determine that NEGBINOMDIST is a 2% probability that you reject 75 boards before the search, even after all 20

TheNEGBINOMDIST function uses the following syntax:

NEGBINOMDIST = (number of errors, the number of successes, the probability of success)

In this example, the function is similar to the following:

NEGBINOMDIST = (75, 20, 0.2)

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Binomial Probability Distributions with Microsoft Excel

Image : http://www.flickr.com

A binomial distribution describes the outcome of a multi-step experiment, consisting of
n identical trials, where each trial ends in either a success or a failure and the probability of
a success p does not change from trial to trial. This useful statistical analysis can be performed relatively easily using Microsoft Excel using the Excel BINOMDIST, CRITBINOM and NEGBINOMDIST functions.

Note, however, that when making binomial probability calculations, the trials must also be independent so that success in one trial does not affect the probability of success in another trial. The binomial random variable x is the number of successes observed in n trials.

If samples are not replaced, and therefore the outcome of one trial changes the probability of success in another trial, you need to use the hypergeometric probability distribution Excel function.

Using Excel's BINOMDIST Function

For example, if you flip a coin n times and "heads" is called a success, then the random variable
x would be the number of heads observed in n flips. It could take the values 1,2,3,...,n with different probabilities.

The BINOMDIST function uses the following syntax:

=BINOMDIST(x,n,p,cumulative)

If you want to find the probability of exactly x successes, enter FALSE as the fourth (cumulative) argument. If you want to find the probability of x or fewer successes, enter TRUE as the fourth argument.

For example, if you were to flip a fair coin 20 times and wanted to find the probability of it turning up "heads" exactly 10 times, the function looks like this:

=BINOMDIST(10,20,0.5,FALSE)

The function returns the value 0.176197052. If you wanted to find the probability of getting
10 or fewer heads, you replace the FALSE with TRUE, and the function returns the value 0.588098526.

Using Excel's CRITBINOM Function

The acceptance criterion function, CRITBINOM, is used for quality control of a production process. You use this function to find the maximum number of defective items that a person can find in a lot and still allow acceptance of the lot. Inspectors should accept the lot if they find this number or fewer defective items and reject the lot if they find more defective items.

To determine the acceptance criterion, you need to know the number of items in the lot, the probability of accepting each item, and the producer's allowable risk (alpha) for rejecting an acceptable lot.

The CRITBINOM function uses the following syntax:

=CRITBINOM (trials, probability_s, alpha)

where trials is the number of trials, probability's is the probability of a success on each trial,
and alpha is the criterion value. Probability's and alpha are both between 0 and 1.

Using Excel's NEGBINOMDIST Function

If the number of successes is fixed in a binomial distribution and you want to find the number of trials, use the NEGBINOMDIST function. This function returns the probability that there will be a certain number of failures before the threshold number of successes, given the constant probability of a success.

For example, if you need to find 20 straight 2 by 4s from a stack, and you know the probability that a board in the stack is straight is 0.2 (20%), you can use the NEGBINOMDIST to find that there is about a 2% probability that you will reject 75 boards before finding all 20 straight ones.

The NEGBINOMDIST function uses the following syntax:

=NEGBINOMDIST (number failures, number successes, probability of success)

For this example, the function looks like this:

=negbinomdist (75, 20, 0.2)

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Loan Modification Vs FHA - Hope For Homeowners Program - Comparative Analysis!

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Current Housing Market Status:

In the last 3 or 4 years, a large number of homeowners have been trying to complete a "loan workout" with their current mortgage lender to lower the interest rate and improve the terms of their loan. Many lenders have chosen not to accept any new terms, rather, let the property go into foreclosure.

Because lenders have an overwhelming number of properties in foreclosure, they are starting to accept loan modifications via their loss mitigation departments. The time is ripe for consumers (who own homes) to take action and request that their loans be modified towards better terms and a lower interest rate they can afford, if they have high interest rate sub-prime loans or are at risk for foreclosure.

Since, the rate of foreclosures is increasing, everyday, the federal government, congress and the president have approved and signed a new bill which will allow homeowners to take advantage of a new "FHA - Hope for Homeowners Program" designed to save more than 400,000 homeowners from foreclosure. This program will go "live" on October 1st, 2008.

The new FHA loan program will assist homeowners who are currently in foreclosure, close to foreclosure or those who have high interest rate mortgage loans like those called sub-prime loans. The program is different than a loan modification in several ways.

The following is a bulleted layout of the deference's between completing a loan modification and getting approved to do a FHA -Hope for Homeowners program.

Loan Modification:

1. You can recast your current loan into different terms, with the hope to benefit from a lower interest rate, which is fixed rather than an adjustable interest rate.

2. The costs of the loan modification are rolled on the "back-end" of the loan, which will increase the amount of money you owe.

3. The loss mitigation department may choose to keep the amount (that you own on your loan) higher than your current home value. Or they may choose to lower that amount, some, but not as much as it could be to make your new payment comfortable in the long term. This could mean that you may be in financial jeopardy, in the future.

4. It's a fact, what cause your current lender to be interested in keeping your loan on their books are the servicing rights. They make money servicing your loan over the term of the amortization schedule. The problem is that many lenders have filed for bankruptcy or just got out of the business (due to poor credits markets) and the servicing rights have been sold to other investors. This often causes a strain, since; the servicer does not actually have your loan documents at their facility, so they rely on others to get your original loan information to them for review. This process can cause the loan modification workout to be slow, in many cases. Timing is very important, since, homeowners are not knowledgeable in the process and they often wait to late to get the loan modification process started. It is important to communicate with your current lender and get the loan modification process stated, months before your home goes to foreclosure sale.

5. If your request for a loan modification is rejected, you may want to try it again in a few months, since; some lenders don't document the loan modification attempt you made. They are often motivated by changes in the housing market and their intent changes as more and more loans go into default. It does not hurt to try again. It is smart to work with a loan modification specialist, a seasoned loan officer or an attorney who specializes in real estate, mortgage lending and loan modifications. They understand how to speak to loss mitigation department, personnel and can get a general idea of the mood and trends of your lenders loss mitigation department.

6. Many loan modification specialist work together with attorney firms to get the loss mitigation departments to act in a timely manner. Those same attorney firms work with the loan modification specialist to make sure the original loan documents are not fraud ridden. This is a good approach, yet it can cost the homeowner additional money, since both the loan modification specialist and the attorney need to be paid for their services.

7. Homeowners are required to pay the loan modification specialists and attorneys for the services, provided. Many homeowners think that the cost will be included in the new loan amount, but this is not the case. Logically, lenders are already loosing money when they agree to modify the loan terms and conditions for the homeowner, so, you can bet that they will not agree to "package" the costs of doing the loan modification into the new loan. That cost is paid by the homeowner, directly to the loan modification specialist and/or the attorney. The cost can range between $995.00 and $, 5000.00; as an average. Many loan modification specialist, senior loan officers and attorney firms can work out a payment plan, yet, many require at least 1/2 upfront before they start the loan workout. Understand, there is no guarantee that your loan modification or loan workout will be accepted. You will still have to pay your representation your agreed amount. A large percentage of loan modifications and workouts are accepted. So, it's a good bet, since, most people do not want to loose their homes to foreclosure.

8. Loss mitigation representatives, (most often) do not require you to pay for a new appraisal. Instead, they have your representative provide census track data, a BPO (broker price opinion) or a print out of valuation from title company market sales data. 9. If you are in foreclosure and costs have been incurred from posting your foreclosure sales data, attorney fees, title costs or other costs; you could be liable for those costs, if our current lender requires it (as a requirement to the loan modification).

10. Loss mitigation departments may choose to approve you for a new loan which is (another adjustable or tiered -fixed loan). Be careful. Do your homework or "talk-it-over" with your representation.

FHA- Hope for Homeowners Program:

1. The federal housing administration (FHA) has required that all homeowners who become approved for this program accept a 30 year fixed rate program. No other loan types will be accepted. You can only qualify for this program.

2. FHA will loan up to 90% of the current value of your property. This means that if you purchased your property for a higher purchase price and currently have a loan amount higher than what the value of the property is presently, you can become approved to do a loan amount at 90% of what your current house is worth.

3. If you have more than a 1st trust deed lien (subordinate liens) on your property and your property value has severely, diminished; your current lenders may take the loss when you get approved under the "Hope for Homeowners Program". Usually, the subordinate lenders loose, unless they purchase the primary lien. Most do not purchase the 1st trust deed lien. So, the subordinate lender takes a loose on their investment.

4. FHA's goal is to keep as many homeowners in their homes. They understand that it would be better to do a loan for a homeowner rather than have that property go into foreclosure, be place into the retail real estate marketplace, causing a further degrading of the housing market.

5. The FHA underwriting guidelines are currently more liberal than any other loan guidelines in the current market. FHA is more forgiving in their approach to mortgage lending.

6. The FHA underwriting guidelines have not been disclosed. As October, 1st, 2008 approaches, lenders, processors and underwriters will have a more clear idea as to what is required to get a loan approval.

7. Homeowners will (probably) be required to pay for a new FHA appraisal, as a condition for loan approval and closing. Underwriting guidelines will determine if this is true. The average costs for an FHA appraisal is ranges, $300 - $450.

8. Income to debt ratios will be determined and posted in the underwriting guidelines. Consult your loan modification specialist or loan officer.

9. The loan servicing companies that service, sub-prime loans will (probably) be more inclined to accept a loan modification, since they will want to transfer the lien to FHA, rather than keep it on their books. They have taken huge losses and have an overwhelming desire to get rid if their current problems. Have patience with these lenders, since, they do not keep your actual loan documents at their facilities. They will have to request them. Many loss mitigation personnel are stressed and will want to make a determination as to your file, fast. This is an advantage to you! Work closely with your loan officer to get the items needed for loan submission.

10. If you live in a heavily populated area like Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Miami, etc., you will more than likely have a higher percentage of success with a loss mitigation department. This is because there are more homes in foreclosure in concentrated housing areas.

11. Even though we have not seen the FHA underwriter guidelines, (since they have not been delivered to the underwriters) they will be available on or before October, 1st, 2008. We can expect that the guidelines will probably focus on a person ability to make the new housing payment and not the persons credit score. We call this "ability to pay"!

12. If you're, FHA -"Hope for Homeowners Program" loan application is accepted by FHA; your current lender will still have to accept the condition which FHA places on the loan. This means that your current lender may to take a loss in equity by accepting the FHA loan buyout, offered.

13. The good news is that your current lender (already) understands that they will take a loss in equity, if the property goes into foreclosure. If they don't accept the FHA buyout, they may have to place your foreclosed property into the retail sales marketplace. This means that they may have to pay a Realtor up to 6% commission, wait for the property to be purchased, incur additional holding cost, pay a gardener, electricity and water bills. All the while, they realize that the property will probably be reduced in value even more as additional foreclosure properties come on to the marketplace. This is not a rosy situation for them, so, most will realize that it would be better to sell the loan to FHA and take less of a financial loss.

14. The main benefit to your current lender in accepting the terms of a FHA buyout is that under the FHA guidelines, they can benefit from a portion of any equity gain in the property for up to 5 years, at the time FHA buys the loan. If the homeowner chooses to sell the home within the 5 year period after the close of the new FHA loan; the lender can participate in a percentage of any equity gain. This single condition will cause many lenders to accept the FHA loan buyout. Ask your loan officer for information regarding lender participation in an equity gains.

15. Many lenders are fully; "FHA approved lenders" and will require that your loan be recast within the FHA loan department of your current lender. Therefore, ask your loan officer if your current lender (note holder) is FHA licensed. This will save you time and headaches, since; many loan officers will try to do the loan on your behalf without determining if your current lender wants the new FHA loan on their own books. This may be a condition for an FHA loan approval, by your current lender. If our current lender is already an approved lender, they might as well sell the loan to FHA, direct, correct?

16. Third party cost like, attorney fees, loss mitigation fees, foreclosure posting fees, etc., will be absorbed by your current lender under the FHA - Hope for Homeowners Program. You will not incur these fees under the program. The lender will take this loss, too.

17. As part of the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008, 1st time homebuyers are encouraged to purchase homes between April, 2008 and July 2009. They can receive up to $7500 dollars in tax credits from the federal government. This program has been established to speed up the housing recovery by getting people to purchase homes. Additionally, it will cause home sellers to purchase homes, as well, since they are often "move up" buyers. This program is part of the overall attempt to correct the bad housing market.

18. Credit Score vs. Your Ability to Make the Payment: These two factors will be outlined in the underwriting guidelines. I would expect that the ability to pay will override the credit score issue, since, most people having problems making their housing payments, already, have degraded credit scores. Consult your loan officer for details.

Summary:

Loan Modification:

Consumers, now have several options to preserve home ownership. If one option does not work try the other. Remember, time is of the essence, so act promptly to give your self time to use one or both options.

1. Loan modification is a good option for many, if your have proper representation and get a favorable deal. 2. You will have to pay the costs for this type of loan modification. 3. You will not have to pay for an appraisal, in most cases.

Visit this site for more information: http://www.LoanModificationContacts.com

FHA - Hope for Homeowners Program:

1. This program may be a better deal for you, if your lender is no longer in business (sub-prime lenders and prime lenders). It can still be a great benefit to you if your lender is still in business and wants to remove some bad assets from their books (understanding) you might become one of those bad assets. Your loan officer can provide this information for you.

2. Since, FHA will go to 90% of the current value of your property; you can be the real winner. This simple fact means that you will have a better opportunity to qualify under a 30 year fixed loan and your housing payment will be more affordable, then what you are currently paying.

3. You will most likely, be required to pay for an appraisal. Ask your loan officer about this, since; the underwriting guidelines have not come out, yet.

4. You may or may not have to pay for the closing cost to procure the loan. It has not been determined, who actually pays for the closing costs. It will be in the underwriting guidelines, when they come out. Ask your loan officer.

5. Credit Score vs. Ability to Pay: Underwriting guidelines will determine these two factors. FHA underwriters will probably be more forgiving and weight their approval on your ability to make the monthly housing payment. We will have to wait for the underwriting guidelines. Ask your loan officer about these two factors.

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Seven Reasons To Consider Working At A Small CPA Firm

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Let me start by admitting that if you're an accountant in training, you should definitely consider working for a large firm. Two or three (or more) years working for a large international or national firm give your resume an extra burnish. You will probably receive a higher salary and more training. Plus, your stint at a large firm can be another personal pedigree--equivalent to a degree from a well-known top-tier university.

In spite of the big advantages that the big firms offer, however, let me suggest that you should also consider working at a small local firm. And I count at least seven, super-compelling reasons.

Reason #1: Close to Home Work Location

Many small firms locate in suburban areas. Which means that rather than commuting into some central business district during rush hour, you may only be traveling a few miles in light traffic to get a small firm office.

If you like the hustle and bustle of the city, sure, you may want an urban practice location. And maybe you've considered the hours you'll spend trapped in traffic or riding the bus and the time isn't significant. For many of us, however, the time and money cost of a long commute represents a big liability.

Reason #2: Less Overtime

The Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants annually publishes a survey that tallies a bunch of interesting statistics on accounting firms. One of the things that survey shows is people work more overtime at the larger firms. (By the way, be sure to look at this survey if you can get a copy from a professor or at the library. The survey provides tons of useful information.)

But back to the subject of overtime. Don't fool yourself. Working sixty hours a week through tax or audit season burns you out. Do you really want to sign up for that grind?

Tangential aside: At small firms, you may work a bit of overtime during tax season, but you'll also often find that during the off-season, the workload lightens considerably. Often, people may not even work a full, forty-hour week.

Reason #3: Minimal Business Travel or No Business Travel

Small firms almost always serve local business clients--which means you probably won't have much or any business travel. And you certainly shouldn't find yourself assigned to some other out-of-state location for weeks or months.

No kidding: I left Arthur Andersen twenty-five years ago when the office managing partner told me that I was being reassigned from Seattle to Chicago for a two-year-long firm project. It sure didn't seem like that was a good choice for my marriage...

Nothing quite saps the fun of work if after spending the week working long hours, you spend the weekend in airport security lines, on overcrowded flights, and doing your laundry.

Reason #4: More Family Friendly Environment

OK, reason #4 is sort of a combination of reasons #1, #2 and #3, but think about the sort of firm where the partners have said, "Hey, we want to work close to home...don't want to work a bunch of overtime... and sure as heck don't want to travel a bunch..."

Are you really surprised that such a small firm environment is more family friendly? If in all the obvious, big ways the firm has constructed a family friendly work environment you can be pretty certain that the firm will also be family friendly in a bunch of small ways, too.

A small firm will more easily allow you to pick up a sick kid from school or schedule time off to coach little league. I guarantee it.

Reason #5: More Client Contact

Large firms operate with a leveraged structure, which typically means that staff accountants and senior accountants work for managers, managers work for partners, and then partners hobnob and schmooze and sell to clients.

The good part of leverage? Leverage makes it possible to serve large clients and work on large projects. And that's cool.

The bad part of leverage? The structure also means that most of the professionals in firm have little or no client contact. In fact, in many large firms, accountants may have to wait years before they actually sit down with a client. And that's tragic. Client contact makes the work more fun. And client contact provides context for the work.

In comparison, in a small firm, an accountant may have client contact as soon as he or she acquires professional competency. If you're mature and technically competent, in fact, a small firm setting may mean that you have client contact a few days or weeks after starting work. Seriously.

Reason #6: Services Provided to Decision-makers

Another subtle yet significant difference between a small firm and a large firm concerns who the CPA works with. In a small firm serving small clients, the CPA very likely works directly for and with the owner. In a large firm serving large clients, the CPA very likely works with mid-level managers.

That's also too bad. The entrepreneurial owner of, say, a $2M, $5M or $20M business will almost surely be a very intriguing person.

Not to pick on accountants, but let's face it. That entrepreneur will probably be way more entertaining than, well, the manager of the accounts payable department or the divisional controller of some huge distribution company.

Close contact with the decision maker will also mean that you're often working on strategic and important tactical problems and opportunities. That's not going to be true if you're working with, as I say, an accounting manager several layers deep in the organizational chart. Sorry.

Reason #7: Realistic Chance of Partnership

And one final reason to consider a small firm: A small firm should provide a more realistic opportunity for sharing in the firm's ownership. In fact, if you've got good technical skills and good people skills, you are a shoo-in. Absolutely.

Let's face it: Large firms, by design, rely on pyramidal staffing. The firm can't promote every qualified candidate to the next level of the organization. Each partner keeps three or five or ten other people busy and billable.

In comparison, a small firm using a flat organizational structure could, theoretically, promote everyone to partner. A partner only needs to keep him or herself busy.

What's more, inevitably, a small accounting firm's owners will want to sell out at retirement. And that means that the firm's staff should automatically have an opportunity to buy into or acquire the practice.

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Commercial Diving Jobs - Oil Companies Need Divers For Offshore Exploration Projects

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Oil. A word that makes you think of plenty of things. War. Greed. Power. Money. Deepwater diving. That's right, diving. It may not be your first association with the big oil companies, but it is a place where divers can launch lucrative careers. A place where you can push the limits and do what you love to do - dive.

Commercial diving jobs for oil companies are possibly the best means to a big paycheck as a diver. Imagine diving every day in some of the most remote locations on the entire planet - Alaska, the Black Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Red Sea, and anywhere else that oil hides offshore beneath the surface of the Earth.

When you work as a diver for the oil industry you need to have strong diving skills. And to make the big bucks you need to be a fully certified commercial diver. That means attending a commercial diving school where you will learn the mandatory skills to begin a career as a commercial diver.

You need to feel 100% confident in everything that you do underwater. Any mistake can be costly, even fatal. When you work for the oil industry you will be diving in extreme conditions. Depth, penetration, darkness, cold, currents, bottom time, even underwater welding will become part of your daily routine. Every single day will be completely different - with new challenges, new adventures, and new locations.

So what is the life of an oil diver like? How do I get started in this sweet career? How much will I make? Is it hard to find work? Is this the career for me? These are all questions that you most likely are pondering right now. Well let's start at the beginning...

To get started diving for the oil industry, you need more than a basic open-water diver certification The International Marine Contractors Association website has lots of information about such training programs. A commercial diving school will teach you the complex skills of gas mixing, depth diving, and underwater construction. More notably, you'll learn to dive using surface supplied air instead of SCUBA.

The next step is to find a job. Usually this can be done by searching the big oil company's employment pages or by searching Google. Next apply for a job. If your skills are top notch and you have a solid background, you'll be hired. Be ready to jet set off to some remote oil rig and be prepared to travel again to your next gig. You may be in Alaska one week welding a pillar at 100 meters and the next week be exploring for oil in the South Pacific.

Traveling on the oil company's dollar is one perk of working in this industry. Another is your paycheck. Often entry-level dive jobs pay between $900 and $1,500 a week. And with more experience, you can earn upwards of $80,000 annually - an awesome salary for doing what you love - diving. Not to mention that you are always traveling, never having to settle down in a little cubicle with a window down the hall.

As for finding work, yes it is difficult, but not if you have the skills and willingness to search out the work and to go where it is. Many commercial divers in the oil industry burn out quickly due to the long hours and adrenaline pumping work. But a few years of heart pumping underwater work is a pretty great gig. If you are qualified, the jobs will come, but always be sure to look for your next job even when you are on you are happily employed. It seems that once you are in the system, the work is steady, exciting, and there is plenty of it.

If you are interested in traveling the world, being underwater, getting paid ridiculous amounts of money for your work, and are ready for the adrenaline pumping risks of this exciting career, then you should seriously consider diving jobs in the oil industry.

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Password Recovery on the Cisco ASA Security Appliance

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In this article, I'll explain how to perform a password "reset" on your Cisco ASA security appliance. The more commonly used term for this procedure is "password recovery" which is left over from the days when you could actually view passwords in configuration files in plain text. Today, such passwords are encrypted and not actually recoverable. Instead, you will gain access to the appliance via the console port and reset the password(s) to known values.

This procedure requires physical access to the device. You will power-cycle your appliance by unplugging it at the power strip and plugging it back in. You will then interrupt the boot process and change the configuration register value to prevent the appliance from reading its stored configuration at boot. Since the device ignores its saved configuration on boot, you are able to access its configuration modes without passwords. Once you're in configuration mode, you will load the saved configuration from flash memory, change the passwords to a known value, change the configuration register value to tell the device to load its saved configuration on boot, and reload the device.

Caution: As with all configuration procedures, these procedures should be tested in a laboratory environment prior to usage in a production environment to ensure suitability for your situation.

The following steps were designed using a Cisco ASA 5505 Security Appliance. They are not appropriate for a Cisco PIX Firewall appliance.

1. Power-cycle your security appliance by removing and re-inserting the power plug at the power strip.

2. When prompted, press Esc to interrupt the boot process and enter ROM Monitor mode. You should immediately see a rommon prompt (rommon #0>).

3. At the rommon prompt, enter the confreg command to view the current configuration register setting: rommon #0>confreg

4. The current configuration register should be the default of 0x01 (it will actually display as 0x00000001). The security appliance will ask if you want to make changes to the configuration register. Answer no when prompted.

5. You must change the configuration register to 0x41, which tells the appliance to ignore its saved (startup) configuration upon boot: rommon #1>confreg 0x41

6. Reset the appliance with the boot command: rommon #2>boot

7. Notice that the security appliance ignores its startup configuration during the boot process. When it finishes booting, you should see a generic User Mode prompt: ciscoasa>

8. Enter the enable command to enter Privileged Mode. When the appliance prompts you for a password, simply press (at this point, the password is blank): ciscoasa>enable Password: ciscoasa#

9. Copy the startup configuration file into the running configuration with the following command: ciscoasa#copy startup-config running-config Destination filename [running-config]?

10. The previously saved configuration is now the active configuration, but since the security appliance is already in Privileged Mode, privileged access is not disabled. Next, in configuration mode, enter the following command to change the Privileged Mode password to a known value (in this case, we'll use the password system): asa#conf t asa(config)#enable password system

11. While still in Configuration Mode, reset the configuration register to the default of 0x01 to force the security appliance to read its startup configuration on boot: asa(config)#config-register 0x01

12. Use the following commands to view the configuration register setting: asa(config)#exit asa#show version

13. At bottom of the output of the show version command, you should see the following statement: Configuration register is 0x41 (will be 0x1 at next reload)

14. Save the current configuration with the copy run start command to make the above changes persistent: asa#copy run start Source filename [running-config]

15. Reload the security appliance: asa# reload System config has been modified. Save? [Y]es/[N]o:yes

Cryptochecksum: e87f1433 54896e6b 4e21d072 d71a9cbf

2149 bytes copied in 1.480 secs (2149 bytes/sec) Proceed with reload? [confirm]

When your security appliance reloads, you should be able to use your newly reset password to enter privileged mode.

Copyright (c) 2007 Don R. Crawley

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Casino Dealer Jobs - How to Become a Dealer in Las Vegas

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Unlike many other jobs offered at Las Vegas casinos, if you want to become a dealer, you need to complete a course at Dealers' school before you can start work. Many schools in the Las Vegas area offer courses, and some casinos will provide this training to new hires. The course is not a lengthy one; you can expect to finish your training in six weeks or less.

Some dealer schools offer job placement assistance and tips on preparing for interviews in the gaming industry. If so, be sure to take advantage of the help offered. You want to project the right kind of image if you want to get hired by a Las Vegas casino as a dealer.

One Las Vegas dealer job available is that of craps dealer. Working the craps table takes four people. One person, the box attendant, is responsible for supervising the progress of the game. This individual is also responsible for making decisions about whether a particular roll of the dice was a valid one or not. Another person, known as the stick, is the one who pushes the dice toward the player before a roll.

Two craps dealers are located at the other end of the table and are responsible for handling cash and providing players with chips. They make pay the winning players and collect the money the less fortunate players bet in the game.

To be a successful craps dealer, you must be able to think on your feet. This is a fast-paced game and you need to have a clear head to follow the action. Your hourly rate of pay won't be very high; you can expect to make between $6.00 and $9.00 per hour. Most of the money made by craps dealers is attributed to tips from players. An outgoing person who is able to make a connection with players is likely to do well at this type of work.

You may also be interested in finding work as a poker dealer. Once again, you will be expected to take a course to get the necessary skills before applying for employment. The course you choose should cover such topics as handling cards, techniques for dealing cards, game rules, how to control the table, and how to interact with players.

Blackjack dealers in Las Vegas also need to have completed a special course before getting hired. The course should cover the rules of the game as well as how to deal from a single deck or a double deck. Shuffling machines should also be covered, since this piece of equipment is often used in casinos. You will be shown how to cut the cards, the proper technique for laying out the cards, and how to make payoffs to winners. Being able to control the game is also part of the job, so you will want to make sure that this important topic is covered in your course.

Your first job after finishing your dealer training course may be at one of the smaller casinos. You need to have a certain amount of experience before you will be considered ready for employment at one of the larger gaming establishments. These positions will probably be more lucrative for you, since much of your income will come from tips.

If you are an outgoing person who likes to see people enjoying themselves, becoming a dealer in Las Vegas may be a good job choice for you. Whether you work in this capacity for a short time or make it a long-term career, you are certain to find it a memorable experience.

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SQL Administrator Skills Required to Support Microsoft Great Plains

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Microsoft Great Plains is becoming more and more popular and we see new purchases among midsize and large corporations, where, in our opinion, Microsoft SQL Server DB administrator position is a must. If you are database administrator and you are part of the decision making team, purchasing Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains for your corporation, we would like to set your expectation on the level of SQL knowledge, skills and experience needed to support Microsoft Great Plains in-house

o Data querying. Microsoft Great Plains has decent ReportWriter, which allows users to create and modify existing reports, however the recommended tool, and you will soon understand that if you need really challenging reports (Sales Commissions, Bill of Lading, Sales Order Status with Purchasing info, Regional Sales, etc.) - you need to deploy Crystal Reports or Crystal Enterprise. Crystal Report itself is usually based on the view or stored procedure. So - you should expect to be familiar with Great Plains tables architecture and be capable to create select statement with multiple joins and unions

o Data Repair. You should be ready to save GP table prior to data repair: select * into SOP10100_Copy from SOP10100 and then use update statement to fix incorrect values. If you need to load SOP10100 back from the backup table - first drop DEX_ROW_ID column and then use: insert into SOP10100 select * from SOP10100_Copy.

o Backup and Restore. Great Plains has DYNAMICS database which stores system info, such as users, security, companies, etc. and each company has its own database. You should be able to restore mostly company databases from the backup. This seems to be trivial routine.

o Technical Support. When you have issues with posting or need help from Microsoft Business Solutions Technical Support, you place case through customer source and you should expect the technician provide you with SQL scripts to fix your data.

o Some Useful Scripts. You need to be able to delete locked user: delete activity where userid='TOM', also very popular is batch recovery script, you need to unlock the batch in SY00500 table: Posting Definition Master

o Do not expect. Replications (except probably snapshot) - it adds GUID column and then Great Plains Dexterity runtime can not upgrade the modified tables. Referential Integrity is not used, Varchar or NVarchar are not used - the reason is - Dexterity architecture, which was initially designed with database independence in mind. Logins and access management - Great Plains uses its own security, which is translated into SQL logins with encrypted password.

o Moving Great Plains on the new SQL Server. It is often confusing for the DB Admin. Besides physical move through backups or detach/attach DB you need special scripts to transfer GP security and users logins, these scripts are available through MBS tech support or feel free to call you MBS partner.

o Advanced Techniques. If you need to notify your GP users on the specific event in GP - such as invoice was paid, you can deploy SQL emailing: xp_send_mail. This procedure could be called in the trigger for the apply payments table.

o Data Integration. XML inbound and outbound streams for the integration stored procedures is becoming defacto standard. Also you should be familiar with heterogeneous SQL queries: OPENROWSET and linked server conceptions.

Happy implementing! You can always appeal to us to help you with your system. Give as a call 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

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Are Funeral Escorts Real Cops?

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Did you ever think funeral escorts for civilian funerals were real cops? They wear uniforms that make them look like cops and drive simulated police motorcycles. Well, here are some possibilities:

they might be police officers, if the city can spare their time;they might be peace officers picking up a little extra money on their day off; or they might be off-duty firefighters earning extra cash.

On the other hand, these motorcycle riders may be full-time funeral escorts, not peace officers at all. Such professional funeral service aides generally display compassion, skill, and a first-class knowledge of what is required to keep a funeral procession together and moving safely through the dense traffic of a metropolitan area. They are also the individuals who hand out the funeral stickers for cars permitted to be in the procession after the funeral service.

One point to consider is, if the back of the funeral sticker contains badly misspelled or blatantly wrong words in its description of the applicable state law, that may be a good indication of the quality of escort personnel they hire, too. (Careless inattention to detail.) Perhaps reason enough for those in the procession not to use the services of that particular mortuary, when a need arises in their own families.

Certified Funeral Escorts

Thankfully, some funeral escort services, such as Golden Gate Funeral Escorts in the San Francisco Bay area, guarantee that their fully trained escorts will be certified and courteous, and will behave in a dignified manner. However, an unfortunate percentage of other funeral escorts seem to have a chip on their shoulders, and it can show in unprofessional behavior. These people are rude and surly, cursing and unnerving drivers who are part of the funeral procession, and terrifying regular motorists who stray into their path.

At a time when family and friends are grieving the loss of a loved one, the last people they need to encounter on the way to the cemetery are mouthy, apparent dropouts from a police academy. Such individuals relish their opportunity to order other people around, and may well have failed the required psychological screening for the academy in the first place.

A Dangerous Assignment

At times, it's not difficult to understand why funeral escorts develop an attitude they would not otherwise display, if they thought before they yelled at drivers in the procession. The job of funeral escort is actually a rather dangerous assignment: about two dozen funeral escorts have been killed on the job, due to being struck by inattentive or uncaring motorists. For this reason some cities, such as Seattle, may no longer allow their firefighters to work as funeral escorts in "off" hours. Still, in spite of the adverse aspects of the job, there is room for improvement in the public image some funeral cops display.

© 2006 Shirley Ann Parker

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