In order to determine how much house you can afford most lenders use pretty much the same calculations. They take your income into account along with all of your current ongoing payments and how much down payment you will be making in order to come up with a figure.

There are some slight differences from lender to lender. Some will allow you to make a monthly house payment of up to 33 percent of your monthly income while others will allow as little as 25%. Typical is between 28 and 30 percent.

They also limit how much you may have in total ongoing monthly payments. That number includes your house payment, auto payments, credit card minimum payments, furniture payments, student loans and anything else that won’t be paid off within a few months. That number is typically no more than 36% of your monthly income so you can see that only a few debts can dramatically reduce what a lender will loan you.

In most cases you will also need some kind of a down payment. Lenders want you to have something to lose in your house if you stop making payments. It is possible to get 0% down payment loans which are typically guaranteed by the government if you are a veteran or a first time home buyer but these loans result in complications that don’t often occur with normal loans. For example, the seller may be required to pay a huge amount of money to the lender for loan insurance or they may have to make repairs to their home that wouldn’t be required with a normal loan. For loans not insured by the government (normal loans) a lender will require between 5% and 20% of the selling price as a down payment. Most loans made with less than 20% down will require you to buy mortgage insurance.

Of course, your credit rating is also a consideration for a lender. You may be able to afford a $500,000 house based on your income, expenses and down payment but if your credit is damaged a lender will either refuse to make any loan at all, be willing to lend you less than you qualify for or may require a larger down payment.

So if you are planning to purchase a house sometime in the future, take a look at your finances today. If you are paying more than 8% of your income for regular monthly payments (not counting rent or a current mortgage), perhaps you could eliminate some of those bills before you are ready to buy a house. If you have only a small or no down payment in your savings you could start saving today. If you have no credit or bad credit you could work on improving that situation now.

But now you most likely want to just see how much house you can afford, right? Use our calculator below to determine that and play around with the numbers to see how a larger down payment or lower monthly bills might change the amount of house you can afford!

Are you one of the many Americans having financial difficulties due to a drop in income? Have you lost a large percentage of equity in your home? If so you may want to know how to get a mortgage loan modification.

A mortgage loan modification is where your lender agrees to change the terms of your loan in order to reduce your monthly payments. This might be accomplished by reducing the amount you owe but more commonly either results in a reduction in your interest rate or extending the amount of time you have to pay off your home.

A reduction from a 6% loan to a 4% loan on a loan balance of $200,000 for example would reduce your interest by $333.33 per month. Extending the remaining length of your mortgage from say 18 years to 30 years would reduce your monthly payment by several hundred dollars more!

So why would a lender be willing to make these changes? Well first of all, if your interest rate is higher than the current going rate your lender knows that you could go refinance elsewhere. Secondly, if your financial situation is bad enough that the loan might end out in foreclosure, the lender could lose a lot of money.

In order to get a mortgage loan modification you will need to convince your lender that it is in their best interest to give you one. You will need to prove that your finances are such that you can’t continue paying the same amount monthly. It is unlikely that they will take your word for it so you will need to bring proof. You will also need to show that if they modify your loan you will be able to make the new lower payments. Otherwise, why should they bother?

You should be able to show evidence of your current family income and all of your regular monthly expenses. Lenders typically want to see at least one month of income so don’t just bring your last pay stub. If you have copies of your old tax returns bring them. Two or three years worth is not excessive. If you recently changed jobs and that resulted in a significantly lower income, bring pay stubs or 1040 forms showing your old income. If the lender sees that you lost a higher paying job but got another shortly thereafter they are more likely to modify your loan. It shows that you are doing your best.

Don’t forget to bring proof of every single regular monthly expense. That $40 cell phone bill might be what gets you over the fence for approval. Remember that the lender will be less likely to do a loan modification if they feel that you can continue making your current payments. If you have any other big bills that aren’t billed monthly bring proof of them too. For example, if someone in your family has an ongoing health problem and that results in large medical expenses several times per year the lender needs to know about it.

If you have not been paying other creditors in order to continue making your mortgage payments bring proof. The lender may see that in the year since you lost your higher paying job you’ve continued making mortgage payments so why should they modify your mortgage? Showing that you have not been able to pay other creditors is proof that you need a lower house payment. Any proof of why you fell behind on any payments, mortgage or otherwise, is important especially if the reason is something beyond your control such as being laid off from work or unexpected expenses such as a medical problem.

So be sure to bring information for auto payments, credit cards, furniture payments, insurance payments, medical bills, student loans, utilities and any others. Don’t forget to bring proof of other income either such as child support payments, rental income, dividends, 401K balances, etc. Loan officers are experienced at what they do and will be asking you for such things.

When you contact your lender you may get forwarded to a collection person. Their job is to get you to continue paying your current payment or to send in money to get back up to date with your current payments. They have no power to modify you mortgage so you will need to insist on speaking to someone who has that power. Typically this is called the “Loss Mitigation” department. Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary to hire an attorney before those people will speak to you. Also unfortunate is the fact that if you have struggled to continue making payments, you are less likely to get to one of them. Be insistent that you can no longer make your current payment and if you still can’t get someone in loss mitigation then you may have to get a lawyer.

If the lender won’t consider modifying your loan and you truly can’t make your current payment don’t give up! After you have missed a payment call again and attempt to convince them to modify your loan. They may be more willing to listen if you are behind on payments. Don’t stop making payment simply to get the lender to listen to reason but if you can’t make payments keep trying to get your loan modified.

Undoubtedly many of you will disagree with our list below of the 25 best Christmas songs of all time. While researching this article we were amazed by the huge number of tunes that have been composed for the Christmas holiday season. We decided to stick to the more well known songs and of course it’s just our opinion. If you think we missed and obvious choice or included a song that doesn’t belong in the top 25 we would love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Anyway, here’s our list:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – First heard in the 1944 Movie, “Meet Me in St. Louis”. Sung by Judy Garland.

O Holy Night – Written in 1847.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Written in 1934.

Jingle Bell Rock – First recorded in 1957 by Bobby Helms.

Little Drummer Boy – Written in 1941 by Katherine K. Davis.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Written in 1939 by Robert L. May. Became a hit sung by Gene Autry in 1949.

White Christmas – First heard in the 1942 movie, “Holiday Inn”. Sung by Bing Crosby, it sold 50 million records.

All I Want for Christmas is You – Written by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff. Sung by Carey and released in 1994.

The 12 Days of Christmas – Composer and date unknown. Historical records show it being popular as early as the 1500s!

Jingle Bells – Was copyrighted in 1857 under the title, “One Horse Open Sleigh”.

Silent Night – Believed to have been composed in German in 1816 under the title, “Stille Nacht”.

Joy to the World – Written by Isaac Watts. First published in 1719. Based on Psalm 98 in the Bible.

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear – Written by Unitarian Pastor Edmund Sears in 1849.

Frosty the Snowman – Became a top 10 hit in 1950. Performed by Gene Autry after the great success he had with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The song inspired numerous TV specials.

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – Written by Randy Brooks and first performed by Elmo and Patsy Trigg in 1979.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. Released that same year on the Christmas album recorded by Andy Williams.

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Written by Johnny Marks in 1958 and recorded that same year by Brenda Lee. It became a hit single two years later.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Author and date composed unknown but historically mentioned at least back to the 1400s.

We Three Kings – Written by the Reverend John Henry Hopkins Jr., possibly in 1857 although it didn’t appear in print until 1863. Written specifically for a Christmas pageant at New York’s General Theological Seminary.

Silver Bells – Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for the 1951 movie, “The Lemon Drop Kid”. Performed in that movie by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Written by Charles Wesley. First published in 1739.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Written by Tommie Connor and performed by Jimmy Boyd in 1952, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts!

O Come All Ye Faithful – It’s unclear whether the composer was John of Reading in the 1200s or Francis Wade in the 1700s. It was originally written in Latin and is still often performed in that language.

Up on the House Top – Written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864. It was first recorded by Gene Autry in 1952.

Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry actually wrote this one himself along with Oakley Haldeman! Autry got the idea for the song while riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles, California while the crowds yelled, “Here comes Santa Claus”.

There have been many comic book/television masked heroes introduced to the world such as Batman, Batgirl, Iron Man, Spiderman and the Green Hornet. The Green Hornet was first introduced as a children’s radio program for Detroit station WXYZ in January 1936. While the Green Hornet has been slightly altered since its introduction, in the majority of version its alter ego goes by the name of Britt Reid.

A Look At Green Hornet’s Alter Ego: Britt Reid

Who is Britt Reid? He is a young, wealthy and highly respected Daily Sentinel newspaper publisher. Reid is about public service, which is why at night he wears a mask and becomes the Green Hornet, who is a vigilante crime fighter. The Green Hornet does have a sidekick who goes by the name Kato. He also wears a mask and drives the duo’s technologically advanced vehicle dubbed “Black Beauty”. The Green Hornet battles the criminal element in the city by infiltrating the groups, leaving behind evidence and criminals for police to find and nab.

From Radio To Movies: The Adaptation Of The Green Hornet

Now, the Green Hornet was modified into two movie serials:

- 1940 The Green Hornet
- 1941 The Green Hornet Strikes Again

Now, the first adaptation had 13 chapters while its predecessor had a couple more for a total of 15. In every serial, the pair were linked to one huge criminal syndicate that ended up utterly defeated in the finale. The radio version had several factions that worked entirely independent from one another.

The Introduction Of The Green Hornet Comic Books

Bear in mind that in December 1940, the Green Hornet comic book made newsstands. Fran Striker wrote the series while Helnit Comics published it under the title Green Hornet Comics. It ran for just six issues.

Beginning at issue number seven, Harvey Comics took over and published an additional 41 issues. In issue 34, the title was modified to Green Hornet Fights Crime and, with issue 44, it was changed to Green Hornet, Racket Buster. He was also featured in War Victory Comics in 1942. Here, he assisted in encouraging Americans about the war that wasn’t going well at that time. He also made appearances in All-New Comics issues 13 and 14 in 1946 with a cover shoot on issue 13.

A Move To The Small Screen and Big Screen

The television network ABC created the Green Hornet television series, which aired from 1966 to 1967 and starred Van Williams. Williams played both the publisher and masked hero. Bruce Lee was his sidekick Kato.

With the help of the Green Hornet and his other accomplishments, Lee rose to international stardom and became the United States’ first naturalized citizens from China. Lee not only became an actor; he was also a film producer, film director, screenwriter and philosopher. He also founded the Jeer Kune Do martial arts. During the 1970s, he starred in five movies that kick-started the martial arts film industry.

A little irony about Lee’s success and his Kato role: it’s mostly responsible for the attention the TV series got in later years. In the live action 1960s Batman TV series, both the Green Hornet and Kato made appearances as anti-heroes during episodes Batman’s Satisfaction and A Piece of the Action, which were in the series’ second season. For 14 issues in 1989, the Green Hornet showed up in NOW Comics, with another 40 issues between 1991 and 1995.

Since the 1990s, a film version for the masked hero was thrown about by both Miramax and Universal Pictures. However, it would be Sony Pictures that would release the action-comedy Green Hornet on Jan. 14, 2011. It starred Seth Rogen who co-wrote the film script with the help of Evan Goldberg. The film took Britt Reid’s character a different direction by portraying him as a drunken playboy who takes life more seriously after his father dies. The cast of the movie includes:

Jay Chou – Kato
Cameron Diaz – Lenore Case
Christoph Waltz – Chudnofsky
Edward James Olmos – Mike Axford

It’s true that the Green Hornet doesn’t have the same exposure or following as the other popular crimefighters such as Spiderman and Batman. However, the Hornet’s legend is likely to continue far off into the future.

The Green Hornet is a U.S. comic book, radio and TV hero behind a mask who made his debut on a children’s radio program on January 31, 1936, on WXYZ, the same local Detroit station that originated The Lone Ranger. Although the character has been slightly modified over the years, in the majority of his versions Britt Reid, a young, rich and respected newspaper publisher and owner of the Daily Sentinel was the secret identity of the Green Hornet. He is all about public service so at night he donned a mask and became the Green Hornet, a vigilante crime-figher. He is accompanied by his confidant and sidekick, Kato, who also wears a mask and pilots their futuristic and technological automobile, the “Black Beauty”. In his role as the Green Hornet, Reid poses as a crook in order to penetrate and then fight underworld elements, leaving evil-doers behind for the police along with the evidence necessary to convict them.

The Green Hornet appeared in two serials in movie theaters: The Green Hornet in 1940 and The Green Hornet Strikes Again in 1941! The Green Hornet had a total of 13 installments while The Green Hornet Strikes Again! lasted a bit longer at 15 chapters, with the Green Hornet and Kato foiling a different crime in every chapter. The radio program had presented the duo as fighting numerous different criminal organizations but in each of the film serials they battled just one syndicate until they ultimately defeated it in the final episode.

Green Hornet comic books also appeared on news stands in December of 1940. A series, titled Green Hornet Comics, was published by Helnit Comics, written by Fran Striker and ran for six issues. Harvey Comics took over beginning with issue number seven and published another forty-one issues! The title was changed to Green Hornet Fights Crime as of issue number 34, and Green Hornet, Racket Buster with issue number 44. The Green Hornet was also featured in a public-service issue of War Victory Comics in 1942 where he helped encourage Americans whose war wasn’t going too well. He also appeared in issues thirteen and fourteen of All-New Comics in 1946 and even appeared on the cover of number thirteen!

The Green Hornet also appeared as a U.S. TV show that aired on the ABC TV network. It was broadcast during the 1966–1967 TV season with actor Van Williams starring as both the Britt Reid and the Green Hornet, with Bruce Lee co-starring as his sidekick Kato. Lee became an international icon due to his numerous accomplishments and the fact that he was one of the first naturalized U.S. citizens from China to find fame in America. Lee was a philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement. He starred in five movies that brought martial arts films to the U.S. in the 1970s. Ironically, Lee’s sidekick role and later fame on the big screen is most responsible for the attention that the TV series received in later years. The Green Hornet and Kato also appeared as anti-heroes in the second season of the live-action 1960s Batman TV series, in the two part episodes “A Piece of the Action” and “Batman’s Satisfaction”. The Green Hornet also appeared in NOW Comics for fourteen issues in 1989 and another forty between 1991 and 1995.

A movie version of the Green Hornet has been given serious consideration begining in the 1990s, with Miramax and Universal Pictures both wanting to produce a movie. Finally, Sony Pictures, a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, succeeded in bringing a comedy-action Green Hornet film to the big screen on January 14, 2011, starring Seth Rogen who penned the script along with Evan Goldberg. The movie added a new, never before mentioned concept to the story showing Britt Reid as a drunken playboy who only got serious about life after the death of his father. Jay Chou also starred in the film as Kato along with a megastar cast including Edward James Olmos, Chrisotph Waltz and Cameron Diaz.

While the Green Hornet has not had the attention that fellow crimefighters like Batman and Spiderman, his legend has endured and will most likely continue into the future!

Many people think most about how to improve their lives when a new year is approaching. Everyone wants to make different changes in life but one thing is clear … all of the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions on everyone’s list are things that they feel will make them happier.

The three main categories that appear over and over again on everyone’s lists are changes involving improvement in health, finances and personal relationships. It makes perfect sense that true happiness requires a healthy body, freedom from financial concerns and other people with whom you can share your life.

Most of us have room for improvement in more than one of these general categories. If that’s so in your case then you should probably have more than one New Year’s Resolution. Rather than deciding to get in such great shape that you can run a marathon next year, why not plan to exercise thirty minutes per day and also improve the relationship with a loved one? True happiness requires at least a moderate success in each of the three categories. Being the most fit person on Earth won’t make you happy if you are sitting home alone or if you’re dealing with debt collectors. The smart thing to do when making resolutions is to set reasonable goals in all three areas. Then once you’ve accomplished those goals you can always set further ones.

The number one New Year’s Resolution in the developed nations today is to lose weight. If that’s your goal, first ask yourself why that is important to you. Just being thinner won’t necessarily make you happier. If you want to feel better and increase your endurance, that’s a great reason! If you think that being thinner will increase your chances of finding love, that might be helpful but it also might not. Being aware of why you want to achieve a goal can be very useful in deciding how much effort to put into that goal. And remember that if it took you five years to gain the weight, you shouldn’t expect to take it off in a month. Would it be the end of the world if it took a full year to be fit for the rest of your life?

The number two New Year’s Resolution is often to quit smoking. All you have to do is visit an old age home and see the elderly people with persistent coughs and unable to survive without an oxygen bottle to know that quitting is just common sense. It’s not always an easy goal to achieve. Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug! Many people who have quit failed several times before they were successful. You shouldn’t use that as an excuse to give up but also don’t give up just because you failed the first time. Smoking can interfere with all three main categories of happiness. Some employers won’t hire you. Some potential mates won’t have you. You are far less likely to be healthy. ‘Nuff said!

The third most common New Year’s Resolution is another health-related issue. Getting more exercise is important for decreasing your chances of getting so many life-ending illnesses. When your heart, lungs and muscles work more efficiently you feel great! You’ll look better! You’ll feel better! You’ll most likely live longer! You’ll work harder and probably earn more money! You’ll play harder in your free time! While exercise seems like a lot of work at first, you actually get to the point where it’s enjoyable in a very short amount of time. A minimum effort of only 30 minutes per day of vigorous exercise is all you need. It won’t reduce your time for other things because fit people require less sleep. Play racquetball with the boss and you might also improve your finances. Or play tennis with a family member, frien or an appealing potential mate to also improve your relationships. Walk a treadmill while watching television. Make exercise fun and you’ll stick with it for life.

Several further New Year’s Resolutions involve improving one’s financial situation. Learning a new career or saving money or getting out of debt are often mentioned. During hard economic times simply getting a job is often at the top of some people’s list. This is an area where many people over-emphasize the increase in happiness that they’ll receive. Obviously, you must have enough money to afford a safe place to live, decent food, dependable transportation, clothing and all of the other things neccesary for a decent life. But do you need a bigger boat to be happy? Or a bigger house? Or the best restaurants when you dine out? These things are nice but not necessary. They are likely to increase happiness but they usually also come at a cost. Do you have to work 70 hour weeks to afford that bigger boat? That could be taking time away from getting healthy or from building personal relationships. On your deathbed will you be more likely to remember those great times on the boat or the picnics with your family? Or the evenings at home with friends. So there’s nothing wrong with wanting more money and things but when you set those types of goals don’t forget about the other things that make you happy!

In fact, another common New Year’s Resolution is spending more quality time with family and friends. When is the last time you asked a loved one what their day was like? Do you have friends that you know would be there for you in a pinch? Are you involved in a fully committed relationship or one that’s lost its juice? Find common interests with your family members and set dates to do those things with them. Ask your mate out on a romantic date and leave the kids with Grandma. Help a good friend with a problem in their life.

Unfortunately, some of us have really serious problems. A common New Year’s resolution is to stop abusing alcohol or a drug. Addictions are especially important to defeat as they nearly always destroy all chances of happiness in all three main categories. If you are addicted to something, understand that you almost certainly won’t be able to solve these types of problems by yourself. We’re all human … no one is perfect. Swallow your pride and ask for help! Not sometime next year. Do it today! You’re never so deep in that hole that you can’t pull yourself out with help. If you don’t know what to do, ask a loved one, a friend or a cop if necessary to refer you to someone who can help you. There’s a rainbow at the end of every storm but you have to take action.

One New Year’s Resolution that isn’t made nearly often enough is to help someone who is less fortunate than yourself or someone in need. You don’t need money to do this. The lonely old man who sits on his porch alone all day might love it if you’d just take 15 minutes once in a while to talk to him. He might appreciate it if you’d take him along to the grocery store when you’re going anyway. Spend an evening each month serving food at the local homeless shelter. Call the numbers on bingo night at the old folks’ home. If you’ve got limited financial resources, donate those canned goods from the pantry that your family won’t eat. Drop a dollar in the Salvation Army bucket during the holidays. It’s only a dollar and others are hungry! When you pass that donation site by it makes you feel bad or resentful. When you drop one dollar in there you’ll feel good about it! Isn’t that worth a buck? If you’re more fortunate do a little more. Some charities can feed dozens of people in poor nations for a 25 dollar per month premium. Happiness given to others comes back several times over! It really does!

Other miscellaneous New Year’s Resolutions include falling in love, learning something new, stopping procrastination and getting organized. All of these desires can greatly improve your happiness but remember to be reasonable in setting goals and don’t concentrate so heavily on one thing that you ignore everything else.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for visiting our “What Are the Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions” post!

EBay allows sellers and buyers worldwide to make transactions in a virtual environment. This method allows users to sell on eBay a few items that would normally be sold at garage sales for most likely a lower price because the number of potential buyers is much larger. Experienced sellers can also use eBay to resell wholesale products by creating an eBay store or simply at auction. Success rates will improve by learning how to sell on eBay.

First, a new user of eBay must register as a seller with them by providing a valid name, address and phone number, as well as establishing preferred payment options. PayPal provides convenience, processing speed and confidentiality; however, varied circumstances may require other payment options. For example, you may want to accept money orders for those customers who don’t have a bank account. Of course, you don’t ship your items to such customers until their money order has cleared your account. Just be sure to state that policy in your listings.

Sellers are encouraged to make a few purchases before attempting to sell on eBay. Buying items from eBay will help new users become familiar with the format and experience. It will also allow the new seller to receive some feedback from completed purchases. The feedback system can help bolster the credibility of the seller. This is a very important point, perhaps the most important one in becoming a successful eBay seller. You want to do everything in your power to prevent bad feedback. More than one or two percent of your buyers or sellers complaining about you could hurt your sales dramatically. Don’t make promises you can’t deliver. If it might take a day or two to ship an item don’t promise expedited delivery. If your item is used don’t say that it is brand new. That might help you make that one sale but the negative feedback you will receive will cost you many more.

After establishing an account and becoming familiar with the environment, determine what to sell on eBay. Common items include used electronics, computers, collectibles, and uniquely crafted items. EBay can also be used to promote products for a physical store, in order to expand the customer base of a product or business. Some businesses solely operate online, selling wholesale products on eBay. Hand made items do very well if they are either useful or unique in function or appearance.

It is important to be familiar with the rules that eBay has defined; failing to follow the rules by selling forbidden or restricted items can result in account suspension or termination. Products most likely to sell on eBay include a complete description that specifies the weight and measurements to determine shipping costs. Noteworthy information about the product should be stated clearly, especially any defects or flaws. Remember, negative feedback from disgruntled buyers can impact future sales. If you think that you have found some “trick” that will bring more buyers to your listing than it deserves, you are probably wrong. It’s most likely been tried many times before and eBay is looking for it. Honesty is without a doubt the best possible policy.

Include a descriptive title that uses key words relevant to the product; searching for similar products helps with developing the description. Pictures add to the description and help to instill confidence in a potential buyer. Use correct grammar and spelling as well as proper terminology to refer to the product; buyers are more likely to purchase from a seller who seems knowledgeable and informed about the product listed.

Products can be set at a fixed price, or products can be sold through an online auction with a minimum bid and a deadline. An auction can be useful for items that have an uncertain value or a value that fluctuates rapidly. However, if a seller has a price in mind for a product, a fixed price may be more suitable. You can also elect to do both. List some of your items at a fixed price and others at an auction. On auctions you can also list a price that you will accept immediately which is higher than the minimum bid. For example, your item starts bidding at one dollar. You have a minimum guarantee of three dollars before you will let the item go but you could also list a buy it right away price of five dollars. If a customer doesn’t want to mess with watching the auction throughout its run and possibly lose the item, they may prefer to skip the one dollar minimum bid and be sure they will get it for five bucks. As you can see, there are many options on how to sell on eBay.

When all options are completed, the seller must submit the product in order for it to become available to buyers. The seller should then monitor the listing for questions and answer them promptly, in order to avoid missed opportunities. Answwering questions from buyers quickly will result in fewer negative reviews from disgruntled buyers and also get more sales from satisfied customers. Once the item has sold, the seller must still process the sale and obtain feedback to ensure buyer satisfaction.

Processing the sale includes verifying the payment was received and shipping the product. The seller should package the product well to ensure it arrives intact, and ship it via the agreed upon method. The seller should follow up with the buyer and answer any questions, including providing tracking to ensure the package arrives. In fact, it’s highly recommended to email the buyer and let them know that their item has been shipped. Also advisable is to add a note to that email about how you want them to be satisfied with their purchase and to let you know if the package doesn’t arrive on time or if they are unsatisfied in any way. Once any questions are resolved, the seller should request that the buyer leave feedback on eBay to add to future credibility. Continuing to sell on eBay successfully will increase positive feedback and ensure success.

Hopefully you have found this post useful in determining how to sell on eBay. If you follow these guidelines you will have few problems with buyers or with the staff at eBay. Congratulations on your decision to become an online entrepreneur!

FTP is an acronym for “File Transfer Protocol”. In simple terms, it’s a standard of ways to do things that allows different types of computers and those using different operating systems to send files to each other over the internet.

Before FTP, computer users had to use relatively complex techniques in order to transfer files from one system to another. Different computers and operating systems were not designed to work together. If you wanted to transfer a file, you had to tell each computer how to work with the other one using command line codes. This severly limited file sharing to the very computer literate only.

The ftp protocol was first offered to ARPANET users in 1971 (read more about ARPANET in our article, “Who created the Internet?”). While it did greatly improve the ability to transfer files, it was still not very intuitive, requiring some technical knowledge in its use. By 1973, many changes to the protocol took place and it became much easier to use.

Further improvements have been made since then and, today, FTP can be used to transfer files between computers by simply selecting the file on one computers hard drive, selecting the destination folder on the other computers hard drive, and clicking a transfer button!

The development of links on the internets made this transfer even more available those with little or no technical knowledge of computers. When you click on a link, your web browser uses FTP to transfer the file to your computer with no additional action needed by you!

Thank you for visiting our “What Does FTP Stand For?” page!

Do you have old wood floors in your home that are scratched or the finish is worn out? You can in many cases make those old floors magnificent again! This is often a repair that can be done by a handy non-professional. You may want to consider hiring a professional, however, if your wood needs more than basic refinishing. Are there areas that need major repair? Termite damage or bleach stains? It is possible to hire an expert to fix just those problems and then refinish your wood floor yourself.

The first of our wood floor refinishing tips is to make sure you have everything you need before you begin the job. Nothing kills the feeling of accomplishment on a home repair like having to stop six times to run to the home center for something. Here’s a basic list of what you’ll need:

1. A large, wide push broom (for the main floor)
2. A regular upright straw broom (for corners)
3. A shop vacuum
4. Several dust masks
5. Plastic sheeting to block doorways and keep sawdust out of other rooms/areas
6. Ten to fifteen rags
7. Paint thinner, small can
8. Workman’s gloves
9. A floor sander and edger if necessary (Orbital sander preferred, drum sanders are hard to control)
10. Sandpaper that fits the rental sander (Grits 36, 60, 80, and 100). Ask if they take back unused sandpaper!
11. Wood Stain
12. Brushes
13. Rollers with handle that’s long enough to prevent bending over
14. A finish of either floor wax (less refinishing/more upkeep) or polyurethane (most popular)

Ask an employee at the place where you are renting the sanders how much sandpaper, stain, and finish you’ll need. You will, of course, have to know how many square feet of wood floor you are refinishing and approximately how much wood you’ll be removing. If they can’t answer your question, you may want to consider doing business with someone else. You may need expert advice half way through the job!

Once you have all of the supplies that will be needed, the next step is to clear everything out of the room or area where you’ll be refinishing your wood floor. Remember that there will be sawdust in the air so you might even want to remove pictures, mirrors, and other items from the walls. It typically pays to cover the openings to adjacent rooms with plastic sheeting in order to confine the dust to the area where you’ll be working.

Now you’re ready for our actual wood floor refinishing tips! You will certainly want to get the floor ready for sanding by removing any carpeting, removing carpet tacks and strips, and making sure that anything sticking out of the floor (like nails or staples) are either pulled out or pounded down below the point where you intend to sand. Otherwise, you will rip up the expensive sandpaper!

Insert the coarsest grit of sandpaper onto your orbital sander. The lower the grit number is, the more coarse the sandpaper. So if you bought grits–—36, 60, 80, 100 as recommended above, you start with #36. Always move the sander in the same direction as the grain in the wood. Never sand against the grain when refinishing a wood floor. Pushing and pulling tends to work better than swinging the sander from side to side. Keep the sander moving. If you concentrate too long in one area, your floor may end out concave in areas. If you do accidentally put a gouge in your wood floor, use long strokes of the sander until it eventually evens out. And don’t forget to use those filter masks! Your lungs are worth more than a new floor!

Once any big nicks or gouges have been removed and your wood floor looks reasonably even, vacuum up all of the sawdust and change to the next size sandpaper (#60). This time will require much less sanding. You are simply making the floor a bit smoother rather than removing imperfections in the floor.

Then vacuum again and change to #80 sandpaper … vacuum and change to #100 sandpaper … and the sanding of the main floor is complete!

If the orbital sander you rented didn’t refinish the floor’s surface all of the way to the edge of the floor, you now have to follow the identical sanding procedure with your edge sander. Start with #36, vacuum, change to #6, vacuum, etc. The final vacuuming is very important as you want a perfectly clean surface before you apply a stain or a clear finish. You should also use a rag after vacuuming that is first soaked with water, wrung as dry as possible, and then soaked with paint thinner and wrung until wet but not dripping.

Before you begin actually applying a finish to your wood floor, there are two additional things to consider. Floor finishes create hazardous fumes so you need to open window and doors if necessary to get adequate ventilation. You also have to consider whether you want to stain your floor or you want to maintain a more natural look. In both cases you will still have to apply a finish coat.

If you decide to stain your wood floor, first try a small area in an unseen corner of a closet or in the most unseen location possible. Stain dries to its final hue in less than 15 minutes so you’ll be sure that you like the finished product. Once your happy with the stain finish, use a brush to apply a first coat if you want a darker finish or with a rag if you want a lighter finish. If you use a brush you should still go over it with a rag to just smooth everything out and avoid dark and light spots. Whether using a rag or brush, be sure to apply the stain in long strokes with the grain. Never apply stain or final finishes against the grain!

You may have to apply a second coat of stain to achieve the look you want for your wood floor. Sometimes you only need to touch up the lighter spots. Of course, you should let the first coat dry completely before applying the second coat.

Whether your wood floor refinishing included applying a stain or you just want a natural look, you still have to apply a finish coat of floor wax or clear polyurethane. Be sure to stir, not shake, the polyurethane as shaking it will create bubbles that will dry in place on your floor! Again, only apply your finish “with” the grain. If you feel that the floor needs a second coat, wait at least 3 hours before applying it and be gentle walking on the floor. Polyurethane dries very slowly so you will have to wait at least 10 hours and as long as 72 hours before allowing normal “traffic” on the floor or moving rugs and furniture back into the room or area after the final coat.

Refinishing your wood floor is a lot of work but if you have a decent foundation with no wood rot or other major problems, wood floor refinishing is a relatively cheap way to add a beautiful detail to your home that is easy to maintain!

Thank you for visiting our Wood Floor Refinishing Tips post!

In order to understand why the sky is blue, you must first learn a bit about the properties of light. While the light from the Sun or an artificial source such as a light bulb may look white, it’s actually composed of many colors. A rainbow displays those colors by splitting the light through water droplets in the air. All of those colors, when combined, appear to be white.

You’ve probably heard the term “light wave”. Each of the colors that make up the white light have a different wavelength. It’s not necessary that you totally understand this in order to understand why the sky is blue. Just so you know that the different colors have different properties (wavelengths).

Waves can be affected by the world around them. Light waves can be reflected. That’s why you can see your “reflection” in a mirror. Light waves are reflected off your face, then reflected off the mirror’s surface, and then back to your eyes and you see yourself!

Waves can also be absorbed. Light waves can be absorbed by the gas molecules in Earth’s atmosphere. We mentioned earlier that the different colors in light have different wavelengths. Some wavelengths are absorbed by the atmosphere better than others. Therefore, some of the colors pass through the atmosphere (sky) and some are absorbed.

The color whose wavelength is most readily absorbed just happens to be blue! The other colors of sunlight pass straight through the atmosphere and illuminate the surface of the Earth and everything on it. The blue light, however, after being absorbed by the gas molecules, re-radiates away from them in all directions. So when you look at the sky, it is literally “shining with blue light”.

To put it in very simple terms … the sky is blue because it absorbs the blue light from the Sun while letting the other colors pass through.

So what makes a sunset look red or orange? Is the atmosphere absorbing orange lightwaves? The answer is no. The same effect that causes the sky to be blue causes a sunset to appear red or orange. Let’s look at how that occurs.

When you look at a sunset, you’re not looking at the sky … you’re looking at the Sun. You’re seeing the light waves that are least absorbed by the molecules in the atmosphere. The ones that pass through and make it to your eyes. The color that is least absorbed just happens to be red. As the Sun gets lower and lower in the sky, its light passes through more and more of the atmosphere before reaching your eyes. That results in not only more and more of the blue light being absorbed … the molecules start absorbing more and more of the other colors too. If you see the sunset in the flatlands where its light is passing through a maximum amount of atmosphere, all of the lightwaves are being absorbed more and more than the red ones. That’s why the color of the sunset changes as it gets lower in the sky!

Thank you for visiting our Why Is The Sky Blue post!

Veterans Day actually began on November 11, 1919 but was called “Armistice Day”. The word “Armistice” means “a suspension of hostilities by agreement between the opponents” and referred, in this case, to the end of World War I. On May 13, 1938 Armistice Day became a legal Federal holiday dedicated to the idea of world peace and also became an occasion to honor the veterans who served in World War I.

On May 26, 1954 President Eisenhower signed a bill declaring that Armistice Day be expanded to honor all U.S. Veterans, not just those from World War I. In November of the same year Congress officially amended that bill by changing the word “Armistice” to “Veterans” and we still honor the service of all U.S. Veterans on Veterans Day each year.

Veterans Day is celebrated each year on November 11th unless that day falls on a weekend. If it’s a Sunday, we celebrate it on the 12th (Monday). If it falls on a Saturday, it can either be held on Saturday or the 10th (the preceding Friday).

While the name of the holiday is often written as “Veteran’s Day” (with an apostrophe), that is not the official spelling which contains no apostrophe. That makes sense if you consider that the holiday is not technically the Veteran’s day. It is a day for all of us to honor and thank Veterans for their service to us. For risking (and giving) their lives for our freedom.

Many countries have a moment of silence at 11:00 AM on November 11th as the Armistice of World War I was signed on November 11th at 11:00 AM (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month)!

Thank you for visiting our Why Do We Celebrate Veterans Day post!