How Do I BLOG?

  How do I know if I need a BLOG? What is a Blog anyway?

I know what a website is, but what is a blog? A blog is a new version of a website. It has the ability to transform each and every day and allow visitors to interact with it. Let's go back to websites for just a minute.

Website = a group of one page or more that have static content. They take advanced skills to put together and are complex to update and maintain. Most of the time the content remains the same upon each visit to it. People visit once to read content rarely to return again. Websites are Stagnant Water

BUT

Blog = a modern website. It has the ability to transform each and every day with new content. Blogs are very simple and easy to update. There is usually a header and a side bar that remain constant with the center content changing with updates. Articles written can be linked back to the main thought. This helps bring traffic to your page. People continue to come back to see what is new. Blogs are babbling brooks.

Blogs are dynamic and have fast setup ... websites are static and slow

How do I know if I need a blog?

A blog can be used by anyone delivering a message. I know you are saying to yourself, I don't have a message to share. My answer to you is ~ yes you do, you might not know it yet but stick with me and I will show you how you can benefit from blogging.

Blogs can help Churches and other non-profit organizations get the message out, blogs can help those of us who sell something (make-up, Jewelry, real estate, sell on Etsy or eBay), blogs can help companies who provide services (computer repair, hair stylists, or landscapers). Blogs have even helped my son, Nick, become a better writer. I believe a blog should be used by everyone.

Blogs have multiple areas that help Google find you easier. A subset leads back to the master blog and tells Google you are important. The subsets strengthen the main page.

To answer a few questions I have received and responded to about blogging keep reading.

How do I know a blog will help my church? A church would use a blog like this... Instead of a website (stagnant water) a church would write on a blog. They would have their header on the top (telling which church they are and maybe a phone number etc) the side could have sermon hours etc, and the middle would contain moving content.

They would discuss what was talked about during the previous sermon for those folks who could not be present. They might discuss plans for the future on another blog and link back to the master blog, enforcing and strengthening the blog in the eyes of Google. Fundraisers could quickly and easily be added and shared. People would be inclined to return to see what was new; to feel connected in some way and to feel part of the church as a whole.

Blogs get readers coming back.

How do I know a blog will help me as a Real Estate Professional?

You sell real estate. In the past you sent out post cards telling people in the neighborhood that you just sold a house where they live and that you would gladly list theirs for sale too. These color postcards you mail out are expensive to print and mail. Plus, you have no guarantee they are being delivered to the person capable of agreeing to the sale. They may actually get delivered to a renter or not arrive at all. This is hit or miss advertising.

On the other hand, you could set up a blog telling about you as a real estate professional in the city you reside. This narrows the searches down in Google when someone is looking for house buying or selling. They can look up this "I want to sell my house in Loxahatchee Florida. You have a greater chance of being seen labeling yourself specifically. Each blog you write can direct back to your master blog about you. No matter what blog they read or share, they will always have your contact information. Another example, you may write about the housing market in Loxahatchee or you may write about houses you have for sale that are 3 bedroom and 3,000 sq feet. One more example could be: a blog about open houses you will be conducting in the area.

What about your jewelry or make-up business ~ how can a blog help you? Well, as it stands now you connect with people you know and try to get them involved in having a party. They invite their friends and family to attend. You then set up a time to meet these people, show them what you have to offer (your message) and hope to make a sale. This involves bringing products with you to talk about, share, and show. In return you offer the hostess something: a free gift or credit to use towards products.

Think about this... you set up a blog. This blog helps you connect with people in your area and abroad. You can write about specials you are having via separate blogs that connect back to your master blog. You can show pictures or videos of items and explain each one. Jewelry items shown on your blog can attach to an online order form allowing people not local to purchase. People in the area can contact you via a form to set up a party too.

How do I use a blog for family communication? Another group of people who could benefit from blogging is a family. I love scrap-booking and keep albums with my daughter and son as they grow. The only way for it to be seen is for someone to visit my house. My friends and family not local would have no way to hear or see what is happening with us. A family blog would start with who is in the family, ages of everyone, and any other information necessary to start a family bond. The subset blogs (blogs that connect back to the master blog) could talk about Thanksgiving plays at school, the Mother's Day tea party, kindergarten graduation, and any other family event you want to share with the family. Pictures and video would make a great addition to the written content.

There is a misconception that you have to be a guru to have a blog. A blog can be managed by anyone and is a way to convey a message. Maybe you have a special way to grow orchids or braid hair. If you have an interest in it, someone else does too. Share it. Don't be afraid to express your knowledge and take massive action. Your message could be as simple as telling a community you exist and update them about happenings to the big fundraiser your school or organization. It could also be a way to connect with your family and friends and to update them about what is happening on the home front. If you have a passion for something share it with the world through a blog.

This is what I hear a lot of; how Do I Blog? When you first start out creating a blog, it's hard to imagine that it can become an Empire. Most of us have these dreams of running an Empire blog, but with so many obstacles to go through, over and under and around. One would believe that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Dreams keep us alive and keep us going and striving for what we want. A strong desire to achieve and a hatred for failure keeps us piercing forward to grab trophy reward.

Running a blog can be a satisfying experience especially if it's a blog that teaches. But before we can go about teaching we need to figure out just how to build it and what platform were going to be on. Let's look at a few things that we need to discuss in order to build our Empire blog.

Domain Registration

Most people would like to have a blog that has a dot com name rather than the name of the actual provider i.e., WordPress, Blog, etc. This is where domain name registration comes in at, you simply register a domain for about $12 bucks a year and reroute (DNS) that domain name to your hosting company. For those that don't know what (DNS) is; Domain Name System is the way the distributed naming system for computers and services. It translates IP Addresses with domain names.

Website Hosting

You can actually run a blog from an entirely free service and never have to worry about hosting your blog. However, it's a sense of professionalism and trust in blogs that are hosted with their own dot com name and running from an independently hosted servicer. I would recommend getting a hosting company to host your blog, one that is friendly for your blogging platform. If this is not your area of expertise, there are video tutorials that will help you through the process step-by-step.

Free Platforms Like WordPress

Again I can see you asking; how do I blog? Well, there are a few free blogging platforms on the Internet like blogger, Tumblr, blog, Jux, WordPress, Posterous Spaces and Weebly. Some are better than others and to pick one is usually a matter of your personal preference. However, I've used a couple of them and would most definitely recommend WordPress because of its versatility and functionality. There are a few sites that are offering video tutorials that tells you everything you need to know about WordPress from set up, themes, plug-ins, affiliate marketing and much, so I wouldn't worry to much about knowing what to do here.

Use Headlines Effectively

Imagine writing the best article you ever wrote in your life, only to have absolutely no one read it. Most of us never really think that the title is that important. We usually relate the title to something that has to do with the article and by far, that is the way to go. However, you need to make it compelling enough for your reader so that they will actually click on it to engage in your article. Before you formulate your headline, do a keyword search to find out how many competing websites are targeting those keywords; you can use phrase like "How Do I Blog?" Try to look for fewer websites that are actually targeted your phrase. If you have 900 million websites targeting a particular keyword or phrase, it's extremely hard if not impossible, being new at blogging that you're actually going to move up to the top of any search engine.

Have a Great Blog Design

When you first design your website, try to make an appealing website because you want people to not only read your content but indulge in the appearance of your website as well. I've been to some websites that look horrible and it doesn't take me long to move on to another website. Most websites that are disgusting in appearance only holes a person's interest for three seconds or so. Not a lot of time to read any content so you get the drift at this point don't you?

Leverage Social Media

Social media is a very big deal these days, just look at the young kids walking around with their cell phones crossing the street looking down and never look up. Most of them are texting or chatting on Facebook or some other social network media. When you start targeting Facebook and other social network media such as Pin, Tweeter, LinkedIn and others. Try not to just overwhelm them with all sorts of marketing. Remember, most of these people are your friends and family and they going to simply ignore your post. A post here and there of interest will get them moving along the way, and it will also get them to like your website and start promoting it on their wall.

Identify Your Niche

Discover what your interest are and what you would enjoy writing about. This is nothing worse than having to write about something you can't stand. If you choose a topic that you don't enjoy, you're not going to write very much, and as a matter of fact, you're going to fizzle out in about three months. A blog is nothing more than a diary and needs continuous updates. For some of us, we were little kids and we had a little diary that every day we would write something in it. Well, your blog is nothing more than just that. Except for, you can choose to write things in it every day or every week but whatever schedule you put yourself on, make sure it's consistent.

Keyword Research

Now that you found your passion it's time for you to do some Keyword Research. There's really no point in writing without targeting keywords that people are not searching on. Use a search engine like Google and target a particular word. Google has a keyword tool that you can use to target particular words or phrases. These will tell you just how many people are searching on those keywords. From there, you need to determine how many websites actually have those keywords. It's not very hard to do from this point all you need to do is put your keyword or phrase in quotes and that will tell you just how many websites actually have those keywords. Find keywords that average around 50,000 searches per month which is a little over 1600 searches a day on that particular keyword. If you only get 10% traffic to your website, that's 166 potential customers per day; that's a great start.

Link Building

No links, no visibility. It's great to write good content and wish that everyone will just find it. But the truth is, you must have authority websites link to your site in order for your reading to find you. The way to go about doing this is to find yourself some good article directories and start writing to become an expert in your niche. You can also use other blog sites that do not restrict the links and link back to your own website or article. To find yourself high ranking article websites just type in Google "high ranking article directories" and it should come back with a list of the top 50 article directories. This will give you a good starter as you sort your order by page ranking so that you know which ones rank at the top. Pick yourself a good starting point like let's say, five ranking. Anybody under five you will just ignore and use any authority website that has a ranking of five or above.

Blog Comment

This may not seem like a big deal but blog comments go a long way to link back to your website. If you align yourself with a good high ranking blog that permits you to enter your signature as a blog link back to your site, then you're in business. As you become more of an expert on that blog, people will start to follow those links right back to your site. Not only that, the search engines will also follow those links and you will get a higher ranking on the search engines. So every chance you get try to increase your blog comments.

List Building

A Weber seems to be the big honcho an email responding services. I believe they cost around $19 a month or something along those lines. However, an email list is extremely crucial to your blog. There's nothing better than having an email list of subscribers that are interested in exactly what you have to offer. Once you become an authority in your area, your subscribers are interested in what you have to say and the offers you make to them. Now, don't always put out something that cost them money you have to give them good free stuff as well. The problem here is setting up an auto responder that has substance. Again, you can't just spew all out junk, you generally have to offer something of value, like let's say a free e-book or some educational information that has to do with your blog.

Ping

Pinging Servers actually promote your blog; they create list of a variety of blogs that have new material. Blog search engines can provide fresh results very quickly by polling only the newly-updated blogs. WordPress actually comes with a ping service as a default. However, there are tons more that you can actually load to your WordPress blog and have it ping every time your blog has been updated.

Social Bookmark Links

Social bookmarks are great services that offer bookmark sharing. The service is merely save the bookmark and share that as a resource. There are some services that allow for treating of bookmarks and this helps to get the word out.

AdSense and ClickBank Ads

Although when you first start your blog it's usually not a good idea to plaster a ton of advertisements all around it. Most readers get sick and tired of a tone of advertisements anyway. However, you may want to at least look into Google AdSense as a way of getting paid for allowing advertisements on your website when your traffic starts to grow to maybe 5000 users a day. Now, click bank is something that you could use in your current articles. So when you first start up and write an article about something; let's say, electronics. You may want to pick a particular electronic and then link to your affiliate link which goes to ClickBank so that when your reader clicks on that to get more information and they purchase a product you received some type of commission.

Learn About Marketing

Anyone can put up a blog, but not everyone knows how to market it. This is key and this is the truth, you need to learn how to market your blog. There are a lot of things to learn and a lot of phrases you hear on the Internet about search engine optimization, keyword marketing, article marketing, lead generation and much more. All of these terms are pertinent to the growth of your blog and you need to know something about them. Granted, a lot of these things can be extremely overwhelming but you should have a fairly decent grasp on each of them. Especially if you're going to be running the blog by yourself.

Fix Broken Pages

Go through each and every one of your pages to check for broken links. Broken links can definitely send a bad signal to the search engines and that would be catastrophic. What you can do is look at your web hosting reports. These reports have pages that people have visited, search engine keywords used, linked pages and also your error reporting; broken links. This would be a great place to start because sometimes, you can miss links easily. If you find that there is a page or something that is not working correctly you can always put in a refresh page to send them to a root directory or somewhere else that's not broken.

Spam

Don't forget about protecting your blog. Although we'd love to think that everybody on the Internet is about business and finding good content and enjoying your website. Unfortunately, that's not the case and there are some serious head cases out there. When we generally create our blog we concentrate so much on the look of it and its content along with the marketing, which we sometimes forget that spammers are out there looking to post hideous links. Make sure you have a reputable spam filter that will catch most of the reply Post that are inappropriate for your blog.

In my first week that my blog was up and running, someone already tried to spam my website with a link that went to an inappropriate site. The comment was something like, this is a very nice website with a link to their inappropriate site. The best way to defeat this is to not permit replies to be automatically posted so that you can check out the post for appropriateness before approving.

Blacklist

Blacklist are another useful tool to help control bad words in your replies. This is another area we need to perk up on and learn all about the word you do not want on your blog. There are several services that already use an array of blacklist terms and variations of foul words https://shitskatemag.com/. You can get them from places like Google and Facebook along with a number of other large organizations that deal with this type of stuff on a regular basis. It would be a good idea to learn from their experience.

Impact Of Technology In Banking

In the world of banking and finance nothing stands still. The biggest change of all is in the, scope of the business of banking. Banking in its traditional from is concerned with the acceptance of deposits from the customers, the lending of surplus of deposited money to suitable customers who wish to borrow and transmission of funds. Apart from traditional business, banks now a days provide a wide range of services to satisfy the financial and non financial needs of all types of customers from the smallest account holder to the largest company and in some cases of non customers. The range of services offered differs from bank to bank depending mainly on the type and size of the bank.

RESERVE BANK'S EARLY INITIATIVES

As a central bank in a developing country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has adopted development of the banking and financial market as one of its prime objectives. "Institutional development" was the hallmark of this approach from 1950s to 1970s. In the 1980s, the Reserve Bank focused on "improvements in the productivity" of the banking sector. Being convinced that technology is the key for improving in productivity, the Reserve Bank took several initiatives to popularize usage of technology by banks in India.

Periodically, almost once in five years since the early 1980s, the Reserve Bank appointed committees and working Groups to deliberate on and recommend the appropriate use of technology by banks give the circumstances and the need. These committees are as follows:

-Rangarajan committee -1 in early 1980s.

-Rangarajan committee -11 in late 1980s.

-Saraf working group in early 1990s.

-Vasudevan working group in late 1990s.

-Barman working group in early 2000s.

Based on the recommendations of these committees and working groups, the Reserve Bank issued suitable guidelines for the banks. In the 1980s, usage of technology for the back office operations of the banks predominated the scene. It was in the form of accounting of transactions and collection of MIS. In the inter-bank payment systems, it was in the form of clearing and settlement using the MICR technology.

Two momentous decisions of the Reserve Bank in the 1990s changed the scenario for ever there are:

a) The prescription of compulsory usage of technology in full measure by the new private sector banks as a precondition of the license and

b) The establishment of an exclusive research institute for banking technology institute for development and Research in Banking Technology.

As the new private sector banks came on the scene as technology-savvy banks and offered several innovative products at the front office for the customers based on technology, the demonstration effect caught on the reset of the banks. Multi channel offerings like machine based (ATMs and pc-Banking), card based (credit/Debit/Smart cards), Communication based (Tele-Banking and Internet Banking) ushered in Anytime and Anywhere Banking by the banks in India. The IDRBT has been instrumental in establishing a safe and secure, state of the art communication backbone in the from of the Indian Financial NETwork (INFINET) as a closed user group exclusively for the banking and financial sector in India.

CHANGING FACE OF BANKING SERVICES

Liberalization brought several changes to Indian service industry. Probably Indian banking industry learnt a tremendous lesson. Pre-liberalization, all we did at a bank was deposit and withdraw money. Service standards were pathetic, but all we could do was grin and bear it. Post-liberalization, the tables have turned. It's a consumer oriented market there.

Technology is revolutionizing every field of human endeavor and activity. One of them is introduction of information technology into capital market. The internet banking is changing the banking industry and is having the major effects on banking relationship. Web is more important for retail financial services than for many other industries.

Retail banking in India is maturing with time, several products, which further could be customized. Most happening sector is housing loan, which is witnessing a cut-throat competition. The home loans are very popular as they help you to realize your most cherished dream. Interest rates are coming down and market has seen some innovative products as well. Other retail banking products are personal loan, education loan and vehicles loan. Almost every bank and financial institution is offering these products, but it is essential to understand the different aspects of these loan products, which are not mentioned in their colored advertisements.

PLASTIC MONEY

Plastic money was a delicious gift to Indian market. Giving respite from carrying too much cash. Now several new features added to plastic money to make it more attractive. It works on formula purchase now repay later. There are different facts of plastic money credit card is synonyms of all.

Credit card is a financial instrument, which can be used more than once to borrow money or buy products and services on credit. Banks, retail stores and other businesses generally issue these. On the basis of their credit limit, they are of different kinds like classic, gold or silver.

Charged cards-these too carry almost same features as credit cards. The fundamental difference is you can not defer payments charged generally have higher credit limits or some times no credit limits.

Debit cards-this card is may be characterized as accountholder's mobile ATM, for this you have to have account with any bank offering credit card.

Over the years, the banking sector in India has seen a no. of changes. Most of the banks have begun to take an innovative approach towards banking with the objective of creating more value for customers and consequently, the banks. Some of the significant changes in the banking sector are discussed below.

MOBILE BANKING

Taking advantages of the booming market for mobile phones and cellular services, several banks have introduced mobile banking which allows customers to perform banking transactions using their mobile phones. For instances HDFC has introduced SMS services. Mobile banking has been especially targeted at people who travel frequently and to keep track of their banking transaction.

RURAL BANKING

One of the innovative scheme to be launched in rural banking was the KISAN CREDIT CARD (KCC) SCHMME started in fiscal 1998-1999 by NABARD. KCC mode it easier for framers to purchase important agricultural inputs. In addition to regular agricultural loans, banks to offer several other products geared to the needs of the rural people.

Private sector Banks also realized the potential in rural market. In the early 2000's ICICI bank began setting up internet kiosks in rural Tamilnadu along with ATM machines.

NRI SERVICES

With a substantial number of Indians having relatives abroad, banks have begun to offer service that allows expatriate Indians to send money more conveniently to relatives India which is one of the major improvements in money transfer.

E-BANKING

E-Banking is becoming increasingly popular among retail banking customers. E-Banking helps in cutting costs by providing cheaper and faster ways of delivering products to customers. It also helps the customer to choose the time, place and method by which he wants to use the services and gives effect to multichannel delivery of service by the bank. This E-Banking is driven by twin engine of "customer-pull and Bank-push".

CONCLUSION

Technology has been one of the most important factors for the development of mankind. Information and communication technology is the major advent in the field of technology which is used for access, process, storage and dissemination of information electronically. Banking industry is fast growing with the use of technology in the from of ATMs, on-line banking, Telephone banking, Mobile banking etc., plastic card is one of the banking products that cater to the needs of retail segment has seen its number grow in geometric progression in recent years. This growth has been strongly supported by the development of in the field of technology, without which this could not have been possible of course it will change our lifestyle in coming years.

In an April 7 article in The London Telegraph titled "The G20 Moves the World a Step Closer to a Global Currency," Ambrose Evans-Pritchard wrote:

"A single clause in Point 19 of the communiqué issued by the G20 leaders amounts to revolution in the global financial order.

"'We have agreed to support a general SDR allocation which will inject $250bn (£170bn) into the world economy and increase global liquidity,' it said. SDRs are Special Drawing Rights, a synthetic paper currency issued by the International Monetary Fund that has lain dormant for half a century.

"In effect, the G20 leaders have activated the IMF's power to create money and begin global 'quantitative easing'. In doing so, they are putting a de facto world currency into play. It is outside the control of any sovereign body. Conspiracy theorists will love it."

Indeed they will. The article is subtitled, "The world is a step closer to a global currency, backed by a global central bank, running monetary policy for all humanity." Which naturally raises the question, who or what will serve as this global central bank, cloaked with the power to issue the global currency and police monetary policy for all humanity? When the world's central bankers met in Washington last September, they discussed what body might be in a position to serve in that awesome and fearful role. A former governor of the Bank of England stated:

"[T]he answer might already be staring us in the face, in the form of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). . . . The IMF tends to couch its warnings about economic problems in very diplomatic language, but the BIS is more independent and much better placed to deal with this if it is given the power to do so."1

And if the vision of a global currency outside government control does not set off conspiracy theorists, putting the BIS in charge of it surely will. The BIS has been scandal-ridden ever since it was branded with pro-Nazi leanings in the 1930s. Founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1930, the BIS has been called "the most exclusive, secretive, and powerful supranational club in the world." Charles Higham wrote in his book Trading with the Enemy that by the late 1930s, the BIS had assumed an openly pro-Nazi bias, a theme that was expanded on in a BBC Timewatch film titled "Banking with Hitler" broadcast in 1998.2 In 1944, the American government backed a resolution at the Bretton-Woods Conference calling for the liquidation of the BIS, following Czech accusations that it was laundering gold stolen by the Nazis from occupied Europe; but the central bankers succeeded in quietly snuffing out the American resolution.3

In Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time (1966), Dr. Carroll Quigley revealed the key role played in global finance by the BIS behind the scenes. Dr. Quigley was Professor of History at Georgetown University, where he was President Bill Clinton's mentor. He was also an insider, groomed by the powerful clique he called "the international bankers." His credibility is heightened by the fact that he actually espoused their goals. He wrote:

"I know of the operations of this network because I have studied it for twenty years and was permitted for two years, in the early 1960's, to examine its papers and secret records. I have no aversion to it or to most of its aims and have, for much of my life, been close to it and to many of its instruments. . . . [I]n general my chief difference of opinion is that it wishes to remain unknown, and I believe its role in history is significant enough to be known."

Quigley wrote of this international banking network:

"[T]he powers of financial capitalism had another far-reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole. This system was to be controlled in a feudalist fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert, by secret agreements arrived at in frequent private meetings and conferences. The apex of the system was to be the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, a private bank owned and controlled by the world's central banks which were themselves private corporations."

The key to their success, said Quigley, was that the international bankers would control and manipulate the money system of a nation while letting it appear to be controlled by the government. The statement echoed one made in the eighteenth century by the patriarch of what would become the most powerful banking dynasty in the world. Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild famously said in 1791:

"Allow me to issue and control a nation's currency, and I care not who makes its laws."

Mayer's five sons were sent to the major capitals of Europe - London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin and Naples - with the mission of establishing a banking system that would be outside government control. The economic and political systems of nations would be controlled not by citizens but by bankers, for the benefit of bankers. Eventually, a privately-owned "central bank" was established in nearly every country; and this central banking system has now gained control over the economies of the world https://www.todo1services.com/. Central banks have the authority to print money in their respective countries, and it is from these banks that governments must borrow money to pay their debts and fund their operations. The result is a global economy in which not only industry but government itself runs on "credit" (or debt) created by a banking monopoly headed by a network of private central banks; and at the top of this network is the BIS, the "central bank of central banks" in Basel.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN

For many years the BIS kept a very low profile, operating behind the scenes in an abandoned hotel. It was here that decisions were reached to devalue or defend currencies, fix the price of gold, regulate offshore banking, and raise or lower short-term interest rates. In 1977, however, the BIS gave up its anonymity in exchange for more efficient headquarters. The new building has been described as "an eighteen story-high circular skyscraper that rises above the medieval city like some misplaced nuclear reactor." It quickly became known as the "Tower of Basel." Today the BIS has governmental immunity, pays no taxes, and has its own private police force.4 It is, as Mayer Rothschild envisioned, above the law.

The BIS is now composed of 55 member nations, but the club that meets regularly in Basel is a much smaller group; and even within it, there is a hierarchy. In a 1983 article in Harper's Magazine called "Ruling the World of Money," Edward Jay Epstein wrote that where the real business gets done is in "a sort of inner club made up of the half dozen or so powerful central bankers who find themselves more or less in the same monetary boat" - those from Germany, the United States, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and England. Epstein said:

"The prime value, which also seems to demarcate the inner club from the rest of the BIS members, is the firm belief that central banks should act independently of their home governments. . . . A second and closely related belief of the inner club is that politicians should not be trusted to decide the fate of the international monetary system."

In 1974, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision was created by the central bank Governors of the Group of Ten nations (now expanded to twenty). The BIS provides the twelve-member Secretariat for the Committee. The Committee, in turn, sets the rules for banking globally, including capital requirements and reserve controls. In a 2003 article titled "The Bank for International Settlements Calls for Global Currency," Joan Veon wrote:

"The BIS is where all of the world's central banks meet to analyze the global economy and determine what course of action they will take next to put more money in their pockets, since they control the amount of money in circulation and how much interest they are going to charge governments and banks for borrowing from them. . . .

"When you understand that the BIS pulls the strings of the world's monetary system, you then understand that they have the ability to create a financial boom or bust in a country. If that country is not doing what the money lenders want, then all they have to do is sell its currency."5

THE CONTROVERSIAL BASEL ACCORDS

The power of the BIS to make or break economies was demonstrated in 1988, when it issued a Basel Accord raising bank capital requirements from 6% to 8%. By then, Japan had emerged as the world's largest creditor; but Japan's banks were less well capitalized than other major international banks. Raising the capital requirement forced them to cut back on lending, creating a recession in Japan like that suffered in the U.S. today. Property prices fell and loans went into default as the security for them shriveled up. A downward spiral followed, ending with the total bankruptcy of the banks. The banks had to be nationalized, although that word was not used in order to avoid criticism.6

Among other collateral damage produced by the Basel Accords was a spate of suicides among Indian farmers unable to get loans. The BIS capital adequacy standards required loans to private borrowers to be "risk-weighted," with the degree of risk determined by private rating agencies; and farmers and small business owners could not afford the agencies' fees. Banks therefore assigned 100 percent risk to the loans, and then resisted extending credit to these "high-risk" borrowers because more capital was required to cover the loans. When the conscience of the nation was aroused by the Indian suicides, the government, lamenting the neglect of farmers by commercial banks, established a policy of ending the "financial exclusion" of the weak; but this step had little real effect on lending practices, due largely to the strictures imposed by the BIS from abroad.7

Similar complaints have come from Korea. An article in the December 12, 2008 Korea Times titled "BIS Calls Trigger Vicious Cycle" described how Korean entrepreneurs with good collateral cannot get operational loans from Korean banks, at a time when the economic downturn requires increased investment and easier credit:

"'The Bank of Korea has provided more than 35 trillion won to banks since September when the global financial crisis went full throttle,' said a Seoul analyst, who declined to be named. 'But the effect is not seen at all with the banks keeping the liquidity in their safes. They simply don't lend and one of the biggest reasons is to keep the BIS ratio high enough to survive,' he said. . . .

"Chang Ha-joon, an economics professor at Cambridge University, concurs with the analyst. 'What banks do for their own interests, or to improve the BIS ratio, is against the interests of the whole society. This is a bad idea,' Chang said in a recent telephone interview with Korea Times."

In a May 2002 article in The Asia Times titled "Global Economy: The BIS vs. National Banks," economist Henry C K Liu observed that the Basel Accords have forced national banking systems "to march to the same tune, designed to serve the needs of highly sophisticated global financial markets, regardless of the developmental needs of their national economies." He wrote:

"[N]ational banking systems are suddenly thrown into the rigid arms of the Basel Capital Accord sponsored by the Bank of International Settlement (BIS), or to face the penalty of usurious risk premium in securing international interbank loans. . . . National policies suddenly are subjected to profit incentives of private financial institutions, all members of a hierarchical system controlled and directed from the money center banks in New York. The result is to force national banking systems to privatize . . . .

"BIS regulations serve only the single purpose of strengthening the international private banking system, even at the peril of national economies. . . . The IMF and the international banks regulated by the BIS are a team: the international banks lend recklessly to borrowers in emerging economies to create a foreign currency debt crisis, the IMF arrives as a carrier of monetary virus in the name of sound monetary policy, then the international banks come as vulture investors in the name of financial rescue to acquire national banks deemed capital inadequate and insolvent by the BIS."

Ironically, noted Liu, developing countries with their own natural resources did not actually need the foreign investment that trapped them in debt to outsiders:

"Applying the State Theory of Money [which assumes that a sovereign nation has the power to issue its own money], any government can fund with its own currency all its domestic developmental needs to maintain full employment without inflation."

When governments fall into the trap of accepting loans in foreign currencies, however, they become "debtor nations" subject to IMF and BIS regulation. They are forced to divert their production to exports, just to earn the foreign currency necessary to pay the interest on their loans. National banks deemed "capital inadequate" have to deal with strictures comparable to the "conditionalities" imposed by the IMF on debtor nations: "escalating capital requirement, loan writeoffs and liquidation, and restructuring through selloffs, layoffs, downsizing, cost-cutting and freeze on capital spending." Liu wrote:

"Reversing the logic that a sound banking system should lead to full employment and developmental growth, BIS regulations demand high unemployment and developmental degradation in national economies as the fair price for a sound global private banking system."

THE LAST DOMINO TO FALL?

While banks in developing nations were being penalized for falling short of the BIS capital requirements, large international banks managed to escape the rules, although they actually carried enormous risk because of their derivative exposure. The mega-banks succeeded in avoiding the Basel rules by separating the "risk" of default out from the loans and selling it off to investors, using a form of derivative known as "credit default swaps."

However, it was not in the game plan that U.S. banks should escape the BIS net. When they managed to sidestep the first Basel Accord, a second set of rules was imposed known as Basel II. The new rules were established in 2004, but they were not levied on U.S. banks until November 2007, the month after the Dow passed 14,000 to reach its all-time high. It has been all downhill from there. Basel II had the same effect on U.S. banks that Basel I had on Japanese banks: they have been struggling ever since to survive.8

Basel II requires banks to adjust the value of their marketable securities to the "market price" of the security, a rule called "mark to market."9 The rule has theoretical merit, but the problem is timing: it was imposed ex post facto, after the banks already had the hard-to-market assets on their books. Lenders that had been considered sufficiently well capitalized to make new loans suddenly found they were insolvent. At least, they would have been insolvent if they had tried to sell their assets, an assumption required by the new rule. Financial analyst John Berlau complained:

"The crisis is often called a 'market failure,' and the term 'mark-to-market' seems to reinforce that. But the mark-to-market rules are profoundly anti-market and hinder the free-market function of price discovery. . . . In this case, the accounting rules fail to allow the market players to hold on to an asset if they don't like what the market is currently fetching, an important market action that affects price discovery in areas from agriculture to antiques."10

Imposing the mark-to-market rule on U.S. banks caused an instant credit freeze, which proceeded to take down the economies not only of the U.S. but of countries worldwide. In early April 2009, the mark-to-market rule was finally softened by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); but critics said the modification did not go far enough, and it was done in response to pressure from politicians and bankers, not out of any fundamental change of heart or policies by the BIS.

Empowerment and Equality and Your Finances

The slogan "girl power" has been used for decades to encourage and celebrate female empowerment, independence, and confidence. The term used most often relates to sports and employment; however, new studies are showing that women need to exert their girl power when it comes to finances and financial planning.

A recent study released by UBS shows that 58% of women worldwide defer long-term financial decisions to their spouses. This study included nearly 3,700 high-net-worth married women, widows and divorcees in nine countries. The results of the study showed that 85% of women were responsible for the day-to-day finances; just not the long-term.

What is really interesting is the generational span of this survey and, most notably, the generation most likely to allow someone else to control their decisions: millennials! Millennials are a generation well known for promoting equality and empowerment. Unfortunately, the survey results indicate the helicopter-style parenting millennials were raised with, where someone else is always ensuring their well-being, has bled into the financial realm. Fifty-nine percent of millennial women aged 20 - 34 are more likely to allow their spouse to take the lead compared to 55% of women over 50. The general excuse from the younger women is they have "more urgent responsibilities than investing and financial planning". Even more contradictory to the equality movement is they "believe their spouses know more about long-term finances than they do".

The challenge this arrangement poses is the lack of preparation and understanding should a life event such as death or divorce occur. The report noted that 74% of the widowed and divorced women it surveyed reported "discovering negative financial surprises after a divorce or death of their spouse." Hindsight resulted in 74% of these respondents wishing they had been more involved in long-term financial decisions while they were married, rather than trying to navigate them while coping with such significant life changes."

The ideal solution is for both partners in a relationship to be aware of both the short- and long-term aspects of their finances. Whether you are married, engaged, common-law or committed, financial planning is another part of creating a responsible long-lasting arrangement between two parties. In this age, knowledge really is power. So be powerful, take control of your money.

Hillary Clinton almost wrested the Democratic nomination for president last year. In endorsing Barack Obama she spoke of being unable "to shatter that highest hardest glass ceiling this time [but] thanks to you it's got about 18 million cracks." Clinton did for women what Barack Obama did for blacks. Women were no longer content to remain second class citizens; playing second fiddle to males and acting submissive to them.

Just as significantly as Clinton being a woman was the fact she had flaws . . . more than a few. It was her complexity that made her so compelling. She was someone women could identify with, not the perfect female heroine with the sizzling body and glowing personality. Women saw a lot of themselves in Hillary Clinton and supported her despite her failings.

Adolescent girls now more than ever need literary protagonists they can identify with - warts and all. Too often females are secondary characters (significant, yet subordinate). The Harry Potter series revolves around, well, Harry Potter (ironically proving a woman can create compelling male characters).

Adolescent girls, so confident in elementary school, face an identity crisis and a battering to their self-esteem beginning in middle school. As an educator for 28 years I'm the first to admit teachers are often to blame (girls aren't as capable in math and the sciences far too many teachers believe. It's rubbish, but that's what pre-teen and teenage girls are taught to believe). Parents aren't as involved as they should be so adolescent girls don't get encouragement from the home.

Girls at this age need to read about others like themselves. They need to read about other girls who lack self-confidence, are full of contradictions, are childish, headstrong, selfish, jealous and bitchy. They need to see, too, that these same literary characters can be confident, inspiring, compassionate yet strong. They need role models who are able to make almost impossible choices and live with the consequences; female protagonists who can lead and accomplish as much or more than their male counterparts.

Teens have to read about girls who get knocked down, bloodied and battered, yet get up to fight another day. They need literary protagonists they can say, "That could be me. I'm not a freak. Others have the same self-doubts and insecurities as I have. I'm not alone . . . and I can prevail."

Girls need strong-willed and flawed literary role models to shatter stereotypes that hold them back. Boys protect girls. They strut their stuff when their girl is challenged or endangered. Women couldn't fight in wars until recently and even now can't fight in combat units. Girls are nurses (not even doctors, for the most part) in relative safety behind the lines helping to patch up the wounded.

And we can't ignore the double standard when it comes to sexuality. A girl who is sexually active is a slut or "easy." Yet, sexually active boys are studs. On the other hand a girl who doesn't let her boyfriend get to second or third base (much less home) is a tease. Is it any wonder girls are confused? Sexually, regardless how an adolescent girl responds she faces negative connotations, yet for boys to be aggressive is "manly."

Where are literary role models to counteract these stereotypes? Far too few exist. And with the vast number of heroic males literature only reinforces stereotypes males have of females and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Boys lead and protect. Girls follow.

Authors need to follow the example of Hillary Clinton and provide flawed, complex yet heroic female protagonists https://veracup.co/blogs/blog-vera. We need female characters who refuse to submit to their male counterparts. Female characters adolescents can identify with.