personal finance books

One of the problems I’ve always had with online eBook readers is that they just doesn’t have the same look and feel of a real book or magazine. When you hold a book in your hands, you can grip the corner of the page and curl it back just as your finishing the last few words on the page, and then quickly toss the page over to the next page so you can continue without pause. This is part of the experience of reading, and it’s something that is very hard to give up as you transition to the digital medium of the Internet.

Luckily, there are eBook reader devices that now incorporate an animated sort of “page turning.” Those features are awesome, but they don’t help you much when you’re trying to read an eBook on your computer when you’re not mobile. This is why I was very excited to discover an awesome desktop eBook reader called MartView.

MartView is a unique digital reader application for Windows (Mac version available soon) that recreates this “authentic” reading experience. Using this reader, you can also read regular PDF documents as well, such as a free PDF eBook download. You can slowly or quickly turn or bend pages, scroll through documents using a variety of methods and orientations, and much more.

MartView Makes Reading Digital Documents Enjoyable

What I love about the free MartView eBook reader is the design that’s very easy on the eyes, and the functionality that really does make you feel like you have ultimate control over the motion of the book and the flow of your reading. Once you download and install the application, it looks like this.

Normally, the top menu bar is hidden, but when you bring your mouse near the top of the screen, it drops down. There are a lot of cool options available for how you’d like to navigate through your eBook. You can simply flip through (my favorite), or you can opt for the standard horizontal or vertical slide formats of typical PDF readers.

In the image below, I’ve grabbed hold of the lower right corner of the page and I’m turning the page in the example eBook. This shows the page in mid-flip, but you can actually hold it there as you would with a normal book. You can put it back if you want, or continue on to the next page. It’s a very cool feeling to have so much control over the motion of the page, and the shading and animation really makes it feel like you’re looking at a real book.

Changing views is as easy as clicking on the drop-down menu bar. Here, I’ve instantly changed the navigation to the vertical slide option. In this format you can use the scroll-bar (or your mouse scroll) to scroll up and down the entire eBook.

Another very cool view is the “thumbnails” view. Rather than sifting through a table of contents to find the page that you’re looking for, why not browse a thumbnail of all pages of the eBook? This makes it very easy to find diagrams or images that you want to refer back to but don’t remember the exact page.

You can use the MartView reader as a standalone PDF or eBook reader, but it also has the ability to connect through your Internet connection and download from the huge library of free eBooks at the MartView website. You don’t need an account, all you need to do is install the reader and you can start downloading free eBooks.

You can also create and upload your own eBooks and store them on the MartView library.

You can create and upload an eBook to the MartView library from a PDF eBook, from a collection of your own personal images, or from an archived collection of images and share your eBook with the entire community.

The upload process is really simple and fast. Just select the file, give it a title that you’ll remember easily (and a good category), and upload it to MartView.

The coolest part of MartView, in my opinion, is the library. I love free reading material, and the volumes of free content that you’ll find at MartView is seemingly unlimited. There are entire collections of online magazines, sorted into categories like Business & Finance, Computers & Tech and a lot more.

Of course, you aren’t limited to downloading and reading MartView eBooks only. You can open up any PDF on your computer or that you download from any other PDF-based eBook site using your MartView reader. Here, I opened a free download of A Tale of Two Cities.

You’ll notice that the shading and appearance gives your PDF document the look and feel of a real book. Just start paging through and enjoy your reading experience!

As with many good things, there’s a downside. I did notice that MartView is a dog when it comes to memory consumption. It’s best used with all other applications shut down and devoting the entire screen to the reading experience. Unless you have some massive memory, I wouldn’t advise trying to accomplish much else with your computer while running MartView.

With that said, I really like the software and plan to use it whenever I have some free time to sit back and enjoy an e-magazine or a free eBook.

Gabriel Schoenfeld's Necessary Secrets: National Security, the Media and the Rule of Law is published today. I read Schoenfeld's book in galley proof. It is an important and (to borrow an adjective) necessary book. At our invitation, Schoenfeld has prepared a post for Power Line readers adapted from the book's preface. Schoenfeld writes:

I am a New Yorker who was in Manhattan on the morning of September 11, 2001. Like millions of others here, I saw the destruction wrought by al Qaeda firsthand, saw the dust-covered survivors trudging northward, breathed the smoke from the smoldering rubble and felt it sting my eyes. That afternoon, after the trek home to my family in Brooklyn, seven miles from ground zero, I found a layer of ash on my car. What was in the ash? Along with pulverized concrete, glass, and steel, did it contain the remains of firefighters and office workers turned to dust? That was just one of the many questions coursing through my brain on the evening of the day that war came to my city. I was again in Manhattan on March 11, 2004, the day that Islamic terrorists bombed the Madrid transit system, killing 191 people and maiming more than 1,700. And I was in Manhattan once again on July 7, 2005, when suicide bombers struck the London transit system, killing 52 and wounding hundreds. Like millions of others, I ride the New York City subways daily. So do two of my three daughters.

It was in light of this history and these circumstances, a personal history and personal circumstances in no way unique to me, that I was incensed by the publication in the New York Times of a series of stories in 2005 and 2006 compromising some of the secret counterterrorism programs that the U.S. government had initiated to avert a repetition of such terrible catastrophes. But along with outrage, I was intensely curious about the legal regime that permitted, or appeared to permit, this kind of tell-all-and-damn-the-consequences journalism. This book is an outgrowth of my impassioned curiosity.

The disclosure of wartime secrets and the role of the press in protecting or disclosing them is a subject both important and complex, pitting our most cherished values against one another and bringing key institutions of democratic governance into collision. In exploring this terrain I have been drawn into the broader task of constructing a counternarrative to the standard history of free expression in America, which, as I have discovered, has ossified into orthodoxy. Its adherents have fallen into the trap described by Herbert Butterfield in The Whig Interpretation of History, in which the historian stands on the summit of the present and peers down upon the past to affirm and reaffirm his own political convictions, a mode of mountaineering that obscures a proper view of history's slopes.

Although my attempt at historical correction leaves me sharply critical of the recent conduct of the New York Times and the First Amendment absolutism that underpins it, my book is not intended as a prosecutor's brief. The problem of governmental secrecy has become a burning issue in American political life and cries out for historically informed analysis. It is my hope that a fuller understanding of our past can help us skirt some self-imposed perils and return us to a proper balance between the exigencies of national defense and the blessings of our cherished liberty.

Here let me reiterate what I wrote last week about Schoenfeld's book. Schoenfeld's book does something that, to my knowledge, hasn't been done before. It provides an unexpurgated account of the media's disclosure of highly classified national security information, some of which -- such as the James Risen/Eric Lichtblau New York Times story blowing the NSA al-Qaeda eavesdropping program, and the Risen/Lichtblau story blowing the SWIFT terrorist finance tracking program -- has violated the espionage laws of the United States and done great damage to American national security. Unfortunately, such acts of espionage will land you a Pulitzer Prize rather than time in the clink.

Alarmed into reflection and research by Risen and Lichtblau, Schoenfeld investigates the conflict between free expression and national security in American history. The standard legal history presents an unfolding story of unfettered freedom; Schoenfeld finds the standard legal history wanting. Schoenfeld is a model of tact in formulating the problem with the standard legal history: "Major histories of First Amendment law prefer overwhelmingly to argue by omission, with the result that they conceal as much as they reveal."

Schoenfeld cites Geoffrey Stone's Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism as a prime purveyor of the standard legal history that he now seeks to revise. Stone is the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago Law School.

Schoenfeld notes that Stone's book has been hailed as "a masterpiece of constitutional history" by no less a figure than Elena Kagan. "Yet this 'comprehensive' tome," Schoenfeld writes, "fails even to mention episodes that cut against its thesis, such as the so-called Black Chamber affair in the 1930s, the nearly catastrophic Chicago Tribune leaks during World War II, and an array of cases from Marchetti to Snepp in which the federal government has gone to court, successfully, to rein in the printing presses to protect national security secrecy in times of both war and peace." Among other things, Schoenfeld's book thus fills in some large holes in the standard history.

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It is the holiday season again. You are scurrying around, trying to make sure that you have bought gifts for everyone on your list. You are worrying about what is the right gift for each person. Almost everyone, including you, that is shopping right now is forgetting one important person to buy for, one person not on their list... themselves! What better time to invest in something for yourself than Christmas? It is a great time to gift yourself with some items to help you save money, to get your finances in order, and to relieve a little of your financial stresses.

One nice gift for yourself is a receipt organizer. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to get your rebates or refunds without the right receipts. Don't spend hours every year searching through desk drawers or piles of papers for your charitable-gift receipts, medical bills, and any other tax-related documents that you might need. Also, it is easier to see how much you are spending if all of your receipts are in one place.

Another great gift for yourself is personal finance software. This software can help you create charts showing where you are spending your money. Many of the softwares available allow you to set up automatic bill reminders, which will save you money on late fees. Take a financial inventory to see what you owe and to where or whom. Set up a home budget goal and future financial goals using this software. This software can help you get peace of mind about your future personal finances.

One of the most important gifts that you can give yourself is knowledge. Educate yourself on finances and investing your money wisely. The more you know about your finances and how to invest your money, the more likely you will be to have financial stability. Knowing how to save money and how to invest that money can be the most important knowledge you can have for your future finances. There are many websites and books available, some for free, with which to educate yourself. Sign up for free financial newsletters that will give you good advice and tips on a variety of things.

So, do not forget yourself this holiday season. Take your personal finances in hand today to ensure that you have many more happy holidays to come. Let some of the stress slide off of your shoulders as you give yourself a great gift for your future... personal financial security.

Breaking <b>news</b>: Arizona Diamondbacks recall outfielder Cole <b>...</b>

The former Oregon State and West Linn High School star batted .256 during his first stint with the Diamondbacks earlier this season.

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The bias remains up in crude oil and news out of China that the country plans to allow more flexibility in its exchange rate is just more fuel for an already.

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UK UK Banks - George Osborne will on Tuesday announce a GBP 3bln tax on banks while promising lower taxes for other businesses. In his first budget, the.

I Franchise

Building a blockbuster franchise is one of the hardest things in the game industry. Epic Games has done so twice with its Unreal first-person shooter franchise and its Gears of War third-person shooter games. Not many companies can boast the same.

We’re going to zero in on this topic at our GamesBeat@GDC conference on March 10 at the Game Developers Conference. Meanwhile, check out the video below to see how Capps answers my questions about how to build a blockbuster hit that keeps on delivering over time. I caught up with Capps on the red carpet at the Interactive Achievement Awards at the Dice Summit in Las Vegas.

Previous Story: iPad purchase plans sluggish, AdMob survey finds

In January we heard that a planned big screen treatment of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta character starring Angelina Jolie was finally moving forward. It was surprising, given that Jolie's involvement was originally announced in April 2009 and nothing was heard after that.

Now we learn that Jolie is a primary reason there's been any movement at all on the project, thanks to an interview Cornwell gave to the Los Angeles Times. "When Angelina came out of left field last year, I was floored," she said. " had pithy things to say about what she wanted to do. She was direct and goal-oriented."

Fox 2000's plan all along has been to frame the theatrical treatment as an origin story. In the books, Scarpetta is a tough-as-nails, middle-aged medical examiner. In the movie, Jolie would play a younger Scarpetta, just starting out in her career, and the action would be set in the present day (the books start in the '80s).

For her part, Cornwell has no problem with the change. "I can understand why the studio doesn't want to launch her as someone's who's my age," she said. "In the books, she's further along as a character, at the height of her career. In the screenplay, we bring her back to a time before that, when she's just charting her course, and trying to break the glass ceiling. She sees what society might consider her female traits -- intuition, compassion, instinct -- as a weakness in the real world. Yet that is where her power lies. Her evolution is into accepting that."

Personally, I think Jolie is due for a franchise to call her own. She's a strong performer who hasn't really been given enough of an opportunity to stretch herself. "Tomb Raider" was a start, but those movies weren't really designed to give her space. While I can certainly see a Scarpetta flick being similarly framed as a popcorn blockbuster, I think the long-established background for the character will work to Jolie's advantage. Time will tell of course, but it's good to see that January's movement was more than an illusion.

Have you read any of the Scarpetta books? Is Jolie right for the character? Are you okay with the origin/contemporized setting angle?

It only makes sense that when the economy is down more people begin to consider the option of becoming an entrepreneur, starting their own business and blazing their own path for their future. Running your own business can be fun and self-satisfying if you crave the freedom to make your own decisions.

Oftentimes, those who are considering entrepreneurship, look into purchasing a franchise as some consider it somewhat "safer" than going out and starting your own company and brand. However, becoming a franchisee is not completely devoid of risk.

Before getting into a checklist of what you should consider before purchasing, here's brief primer on how the franchise system works. First, understand the language. If you are the one buying the franchise, you are the franchisee. You are buying your business from a franchisor. You are essentially buying the right to operate that company's business at a location. Thus, they've already established a product and a brand for you to sell. You just have to go out and sell it. If you become a franchisee, you are then obviously required to follow rules as determined by the franchisor. Additionally, you will be required to pay royalties to the franchisor on a regular schedule (because, remember, you're selling someone else's product and they are giving you the right to do so). You will also probably have to pay a one-time fee in order to acquire the franchise.

To determine if buying a franchise is right for you, here are some questions and actions you should take prior to signing any paperwork.

What is the Cost?
Find out what the initial cost will be to purchase a franchise and then also ask what the ongoing fee (royalties) is to continue to operate the franchise. In some cases, you may not have to pay the upfront one-time fee all in cash. You may have the option of financing a portion of it, but then you will be paying interest on that loan. So, you have to then ask yourself if you will be able to pay back that loan plus the interest accrued.

Owning a franchise is not cheap, and in some cases the startup costs are much higher than starting up your own business.

What Do these Fees Pay For?
Ask the franchisor what your one-time fee covers. In most cases, it allows you the right to use the company's brand and other types of marketing or training guidelines already established by the company. Make sure you ask! Like anything else, there are always exclusions or possible hidden fees.

With respect to the ongoing royalty fees, you will have to pay, those fees also cover certain services that the franchisor is supposed to provide you. The problem is that the Federal Trade Commission has said that even if the franchisor does not provide you with what is promised, you may still have to cough up the royalty fees for the length of the agreement you sign. So, you may want to ask other franchise operators about their experience with the company and whether they are satisfied with the support services. Within the disclosure document (I discuss later on) that you receive from the franchisor, you will receive a list of contact information of all franchisees. Call around. Are they happy?

Are There Any Other Costs to Consider?
Well, frankly, yes. Upon discussing with the franchisor what exactly your fees will cover, you may find that advertising is not included. Think about your local Subway or the like where you see handwritten signs advertising a special deal. Then you go two cities over, and that same deal is nowhere to be found.
You will have to pay costs to keep your business running and to also pay for things like advertising or to pay to take the cut on discounts if you need to get more customer foot traffic into your operation.

Personal Checklist
So, do you think you have what it takes to be a business owner rather than the one taking orders from a boss? You have to carefully consider this, because most people just jump into the business without thinking and two years later, they are floundering. Can you afford all the costs listed above? What skills do you have that you think will be an asset to your business? These seem like overly simplistic questions, but they are practical things to consider before forking down $20,000 or more to start something you may not have the stomach to finish.

You need to be willing to put in the time and effort. Just because you are buying something pre-established, it doesn't mean that you can get away working a 9 to 5 Monday through Friday. Accept the fact that you may not get rich quick or ever and that you may not be able to take another vacation for a very long time.

Also, while some might find this surprising, ask yourself what you want to do after the franchise. Meaning, how are you going to get out of the business and how will you support yourself afterward. Having a good game plan that anticipates what could go wrong, is smart business.

I Don't Know What I Want
Well, let's say you've decided you want to be a franchisee; you just don't know what type of business to get into. Rather than saying a specific company, after looking at what the market is in demand for, decide what industry (rather than company) would have the most potential for success. Because the market has become saturated with generic chains, maybe niche restaurants or the like is the answer? Or, maybe it's not. You have to decide on a product that you think will sell and that you can stomach being a cheerleader for with a customer.

Know Thy Market
Just as in the case of starting your own business, you do market research to make sure whatever market you are entering has an appetite for the business. Likewise, you need to make sure whatever demographic you are pandering to, will be interested in your product.

Figure out what types of companies have saturated the market. You don't have to look too hard to figure that out either. Three years ago, everyone thought a coffeehouse was the hot commodity and you couldn't get away with seeing one at every other corner. But today, the market for that product is oversaturated, and now you see companies pulling back and stores closing. Don't get into a business just because the brand is exposed and well known. A brand won't determine how well you do on the streets.

The Recession
Like anyone wants to hear anymore about the recession - I know. But, when evaluating what franchise to go after, think about what will happen with the next downturn. The economy operates in cycles. You could open a franchise in a period of expansion, only to find a few years later that the economy is contracting. Selecting a business that you think can weather the inevitable ups and downs is crucial.

Business that do not offer necessities or cater to a more select or higher income bracket, can sometimes be dicey moves. While everyone says customers can be loyal to the right brand, that's not always the case. Look at something like the teen/twenty-something demographic. The minute the fast-fashion, discount retailers (such as a Forever 21 or an H&M) came in, the higher-priced stuff wasn't so easy to digest for a lot of shoppers.

Read the Contract
The Franchisor Disclosure Document is something every franchisor will give to you for you to study. If they don't give you one, run away. This document is something required by the FTC. Within this disclosure you will find all information about the franchise (executives information, litigation information), contacts (including the contact information of other franchisees) and a copy of the actual franchise contract. Read everything and don't let anyone rush you into signing anything. And if you don't understand something, ask or look it up yourself.

Visit the Operation
Hello, this is an obvious one. Before buying into a company, look at their web site. Do they present a brand and product that you can get behind? If you were a customer, would this advertising scheme be appealing to you? Additionally, what does the store look like?

And, when you visit the actual franchisor, look at it is a two-way job interview. They may be evaluating you on whether or not they want you to sell their product, but you are also evaluating them to make sure you want to work with these people.

I know this list of considerations sounds as though it may be outlining the negatives, but a true entrepreneur is thorough in his or her homework. Carefully consider what could go wrong to make the best investment decision and then plough forward believing in yourself. Sometimes, that's all it takes.

Building a blockbuster franchise is one of the hardest things in the game industry. Epic Games has done so twice with its Unreal first-person shooter franchise and its Gears of War third-person shooter games. Not many companies can boast the same.

We’re going to zero in on this topic at our GamesBeat@GDC conference on March 10 at the Game Developers Conference. Meanwhile, check out the video below to see how Capps answers my questions about how to build a blockbuster hit that keeps on delivering over time. I caught up with Capps on the red carpet at the Interactive Achievement Awards at the Dice Summit in Las Vegas.

Previous Story: iPad purchase plans sluggish, AdMob survey finds

In January we heard that a planned big screen treatment of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta character starring Angelina Jolie was finally moving forward. It was surprising, given that Jolie's involvement was originally announced in April 2009 and nothing was heard after that.

Now we learn that Jolie is a primary reason there's been any movement at all on the project, thanks to an interview Cornwell gave to the Los Angeles Times. "When Angelina came out of left field last year, I was floored," she said. " had pithy things to say about what she wanted to do. She was direct and goal-oriented."

Fox 2000's plan all along has been to frame the theatrical treatment as an origin story. In the books, Scarpetta is a tough-as-nails, middle-aged medical examiner. In the movie, Jolie would play a younger Scarpetta, just starting out in her career, and the action would be set in the present day (the books start in the '80s).

For her part, Cornwell has no problem with the change. "I can understand why the studio doesn't want to launch her as someone's who's my age," she said. "In the books, she's further along as a character, at the height of her career. In the screenplay, we bring her back to a time before that, when she's just charting her course, and trying to break the glass ceiling. She sees what society might consider her female traits -- intuition, compassion, instinct -- as a weakness in the real world. Yet that is where her power lies. Her evolution is into accepting that."

Personally, I think Jolie is due for a franchise to call her own. She's a strong performer who hasn't really been given enough of an opportunity to stretch herself. "Tomb Raider" was a start, but those movies weren't really designed to give her space. While I can certainly see a Scarpetta flick being similarly framed as a popcorn blockbuster, I think the long-established background for the character will work to Jolie's advantage. Time will tell of course, but it's good to see that January's movement was more than an illusion.

Have you read any of the Scarpetta books? Is Jolie right for the character? Are you okay with the origin/contemporized setting angle?

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Best Investments Online

Take a look at these day trading systems and ask yourself if they sound too good to be true: investing in penny stocks and Forex market. I guess you have to find out for yourself.

As we are still inside the recession and the U.S. employment rate is still hovering around 10%, we need to think about where to invest the money we still have left so we do not get caught with nothing. Although the thought of investing during a recession may seem like a bad idea, if you research and have realistic financial goals in mind, investing can be a cushion to fall back on.

Obviously knowing how to choose when and where to invest is difficult, so keep these concepts in mind before day trading, financial investing, or buying stocks online:

1. At first, get a stockbroker because they can give you advice on financial planning. A discount broker offers a reduced fee for making transaction with a reduction in services. Obviously, stock brokers are not free, but their guidance is invaluable.

2. Should you invest in stocks or in funds? Mutual funds allow professional management of your investment and you gain the advantage of automatic diversification. It is so very important to diversify because if one company type is no longer making a profit, another company might gain strength. However since both companies are in your mutual fund portfolio, the struggling company is offset by the stronger company's performance. We have read too many stories about people putting all of their eggs in a basket and losing their life's savings.

3. The key is to balance optimism with realism, which is a learned trait. You must know what your ultimate goals are and how much money you will be spending to read those goals. Too many people want get rich quick schemes. A financial planner will discuss the risks and your goals with you so you will understand how much you can safely afford to invest lose. So many people still believe that you can walk into a brokerage firm and walk away a millionaire in less than a month, it just does not happen like that in real life. Take some time to educate yourself.

With our current economy struggling so much, and the news agencies adding to the panic, you can still be in control of you financial planning and survive the recession by growing and planning your nest egg. Once you feel comfortable with the stock market or mutual fund process with your stock broker, you may feel comfortable to do some day trading on your own. As long as you have realistic goals in sight and are responsible, you should do fine.

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