Good parts make a good product, this is true for any product. To produce a fine luxury vehicle. Luxury vehicles tend to have many extra details that make them great. Little things like heated seats, leather seats and steering wheel mounted controls. This trend has recently carried over to the best digital camcorders. Recently DVD camcorders with many different features have been out selling the standard, basic Mini DV camcorders. But does technology really make the newer models the best digital camcorders?

The way your images are recorded is a main feature to consider when trying to decide between the best digital camcorders. The standard MiniDV units do offer great video and ease of editing but they still use mini tapes that will wear out over time. DVD models store images directly onto DVD, which should last forever. Min DV can be transferred to DVD but requires extra time and software to accomplish.

Another very important consideration to keep in mind when comparing the best digital camcorders is the weight and size of the unit. Weight will have a large impact on how much you use your camera. After all no one wants to heave a heavy camcorder with them on a hiking or camping trip. Although smaller is easier to use smaller camcorders often have inferior lenses, less features and smaller controls when compared to larger models.

The size of the screen should also be taken into consideration when choosing between the best digital camcorders. A bigger screen makes seeing what you are filming much easier then a smaller screen. Playback will also be much more enjoyable on a larger camcorder screen. Although it seems even the larger models have very small screens and finding a screen you feel is large enough on todays best digital camcorders may be challenging.

Some smaller details you may want to look for in your camcorder are a microphone that has the ability to link to an external mic or one that has an audio zoom. Although many of the best digital camcorders on the market will have the ability to film in low light some may not. Some models may not have the sensitive lens required but may have built in LED illumination to assist with low light filming. So if this is important to you make sure you ask if your model has low light filming ability.

In order to choose the best digital camcorder the unit features play an important role. However always make sure the unit feels good in you hand and feels well built!

Want to learn more about the Best Digital Camcorders Then you NEED to visit our Best Digital Camcorders Library today!

Recommend : Camcorder Reviews

goodtimes – sideroom party last night- premiered my newest creation – the skaterobot

this thing is 8ft tall made form broken skateboard decks held together by screws- with a vhs tv head that play skate videos- haha. sweet yo

Liam Moore2010

BREAK SKATEBOARDS

YO, blues.went to see avatar,my shirt got cut from the final film- Norm wears it, but its covered by over shirts, and didnt make the c.g. cuts. – oh well. guess its back to the drawing board. for all my peeps that never make it.

sharpen your pencils

BREAKCITY

WANTED:  Tireless workers with great people skills and thick skin. Background in sales or telemarketing preferred. Average salary: $31,000 + commission. Contact: Your local collection agency.

With debt delinquency increasing and 15.4 million Americans unemployed, one sector of the job market is booming: debt collection.

“Employment in our industry is at an all time high,” said Karolyn Rubin, president of ACA International, a trade group of 3,200 credit and collection companies. Illinois has the fifth highest number of members, 132. “We do see a trend in employment increase across the board in our industry because the amount of receivables has been on increase.”

With credit card issuers reporting record delinquency rates around 4 percent, according to Fitch Inc.’s Prime Credit Card Delinquency Index, and average credit card debt of $5,612 in the third quarter, Chicago-based credit reporting agency TransUnion LLC says the demand for collectors will not fade away anytime soon, even with the recovery underway.

“For every dollar of credit lent, there’s another to be collected,” said Rubin.

According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, in 2008 credit intermediation and related services placed tenth in the number of new hires in the Chicago area, with an average of 5,913 employees per quarter.  Average quarterly employment for the industry in Chicago was 113,998, the department reported. It projects that jobs for bill collectors will increase more than 16 percent by 2016.

Even before the recession, the debt collection industry directly or indirectly employed more than 420,000 people nationally with an estimated payroll of close to $16 billion, according to the most recent data available, a 2007 study by the Minneapolis-based ACA International.

“We’ve seen certain industries picking up over the last year,” said Melissa Goldberg, manager of temporary employment agency Kelly Services Inc.’s Loop branch. ”We’ve gained new customers that are picking up workers, such as mortgage companies, debt consolidators, and loan processors.”

“No question, that would be one area of the economy that goes up in a recession,” said John Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based outplacement consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas Inc.  “People are struggling with debt or going bankrupt. Counselors, analysts and technicians would be in greater natural demand. There are always sectors that are counter-cyclical.”

Katie Korrison, a regional manager overseeing Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana for employment agency AppleOne Inc., says that job increases in financial services are arising from accounts receivables departments of local businesses as well as debt collection firms.

Today’s debt collectors come from a variety of educational and social backgrounds, according to Rubin of ACA International. Most have college degrees, she added.

“There’s a horrible misconception that our employee pool is heartless and don’t care,” said Rubin. “That’s the polar opposite of what a professional collector feels and [how one] conducts themselves.”

Rubin said agencies search for employees who have outstanding interpersonal skills and a history in telemarketing or sales. Over-aggressiveness, she said, is a trait that would prevent an applicant from getting a job.

An average debt collector earns about $31,000 per year, plus commission.

This recession may have made the job a bit more desirable.

“People are struggling and are willing to take on work to make ends meet,” said Challenger.

While most debt collection agencies are now hiring, the industry hasn’t escaped the recession unscathed.

Almost 30 percent of collectors, debt buyers and collection law firms reported laying off workers in the first quarter of 2009, according to a recent report by Kaulkin Ginsberg, an advisory firm for accounts receivable management companies.

Rubin said that the turnover rate tends to be high in her field, with most employees averaging four years or less. But those recent layoffs in the industry have more to do with dire financial straits, she added.

“Our industry does better when there are opportunities to collect,” said Rubin. “However, the collectability is much less in the recession. When employment comes back into the fold and consumers have the money, we work better.”

Rubin said she has seen a trend in her office of people being able to arrange payment plans, a sign that personal finances may be improving.

With the holidays and year-end around the corner, some folks may actually make more payments on their debts. Rubin said holidays and tax-refund times typically allow people to pay off debts with new bonuses, checks or refunds.

That’s good news for the individual as well as Rubin and her fellow debt collectors.

“Right now, we’re in a state of triage,” said Rubin. “But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Fans of Splinter Cell will be happy to hear that Ubisoft have just announced a Limited Collectors Edition for Conviction,set to contain:

A Sam Fisher statue
Steel book case
Infiltration Mode: eliminate all enemies without being detected
Shadow Armour
Early access to 3 weapons: the sc300,SR2 and MP5
Splinter Cell Conviction soundtrack

So far pricing has not been mentioned,however it’s not going to be cheap considering the content.

Splinter Cell Conviction hit’s store shelves on 26th of Febuary.

ART PATRONS BANK COLLECTORS 

How has the 500-year-old tradition of art patronage by banks changed, particularly after the events of 2008? Why do banks collect art? Will they continue to collect after the Financial Crisis and if they do will their reasons for collecting change? Razia Iqbal asks art advisors and staff of banks including Deutsche Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland in a Wise Buddha production made for BBC Radio 4. 

Anish Kapoor, Turning the World Upside Down III, Deutsche Bank Collection

Art has been bought by banks for all kinds of reasons over the centuries. In the Middle Ages art patronage helped banking families wash away the sin of usury and gain social status.  In more recent times art was bought to decorate boardrooms and for investment. Pre-recession banks came full circle and art collections were actively used for image management again. The events of 2008 have now created a double pull for banks with art collections: should they sell which would help their image of prudent fiscal management or should they keep and share their collections with the public who now own many of them.  Iqbal’s programme hints at intriguing echos: there may no longer be a need to atone for Christian guilt but corporate guilt is perhaps another matter. The podcast is no longer accessible but here are some snippets. 

Bank collectors buying wider range of media 

Alex Heath, Managing Director of Independent Art Consultants which sources art for Barclays Bank amongst others says that the type of works which banks are interested in buying have changed in the recent past. “It is now less about straight painting and prints” and more about bringing “variety into the workplace”‘ with other media. 

Art now part of marketing mix 

In the past many banks bought works for decorating public spaces and board room he explains and over time the pieces accumulated into collections. More recently though he says that art is used consciously as part of the marketing mix. He describes how, in his work with clients, the marketing department or agency is his first port of call where he will ask “‘What do you want to say about the bank?” and from there he will generate art ideas which will complement the marketing message. 

Deutsche Bank recognised by peers 

Asked if he thinks that banks are cautious in their purchasing decisions, favouring traditional over contemporary works, he explains that there are banks which are taking leading positions as collectors of contemporary art and particularly singles out Deutsche Bank as “‘doing very well” at this. 

Art for staff, art to stimulate intellectual curiosity 

Alistair Hicks adviser to Deutsche Bank, which has a collection of over 56,00o pieces, shows Iqbal some of the works in the Deutsche Bank lobby, corridors and board rooms and explains the bank does not buy for investment.  Deutsche Bank’s primary purpose in buying art which began in the 1970s as an initiative called “Art in the Workplace” is to stimulate the intellect of its staff. “A good banker has to be curious about what is going on in the world and artists play a leading role in expressing current ideas”. 

In the lobby an early spot painting by Damien Hirst is reflected in an Anish Kapoor sculpture called “‘Turning the World Upside Down”‘. Iqbal is invited by Hicks to come around and inside the “almost spiritual” sculpture to experience its echo effect. Artwork is so intimately integrated into the environment of the office that boardroom are named after artists and Kapoor’s sculpture, affectionately known as ’The Silver Ball’, has been adopted as a meeting point “We are in the Freud room. Meet you at the Silver Ball in 5″.

Art atones for sin 

Banks have traditionally been patrons of the arts with the first significant example occurring in Italy in the 1300’s when a banker commissioned a chapel containing religious artworks to atone for the sins of the family who had gained their wealth as bankers at a time when money-lending with interest was regarded as sinful by Chrisitians. 

Art for social status 

Iqbal explains that the Medicis in the fifteenth century, developed the concept of patronage considerably but used art not to atone for the family’s sins but rather to elevate its status. Artworks funded by gains from the prosperous Medici bank became a means to help the family gain public prominence, access and power and eventually noble status. 

What will banks do with art collections after the Financial Crisis? 

In an interview with the management of the Royal Bank of Scotland which since the Financial Crisis 2008, is now almost entirely public-owned, Iqbal learns about their strategy for the Barclays art collection going forward.  

Acknowledging that the trust of the public has been lost and taxpayer money needs to be refunded, the art collection strategy of RBS comprises three parts: art of historical importance will be retained, loaned out and made accessible to the public, some art will be retained for decorative purposes and the strategy towards the remaining part of the collection is to become “net sellers”. 

Though the reasons why banks buy art may change over time, Iqbal points out that banks’ tradition of collecting art stretches back over 500 years so probably won’t change any time soon. Do you agree? Leave your thoughts below. 

Related posts: 

• Deutsche Bank signs 5 year lead sponsorship deal with Hong Kong art fair - Dec 09
• The Power 100: Curators up and artists down in ArtReview’s annual list – Dec 09
• Art loans can offer liquidity to your collection – Nov 09
• Which museums are collecting Chinese contemporary art? New database just released – Nov 09
• Louis Vuitton, the fine art of branding – Passion for Creation review – July 09

OUR TOP TEN AFFORDABLE GIFT IDEAS FOR ART LOVERS THIS XMAS 

KCE

A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away) I started collecting magnets from my travels.  I went with magnets mainly because they are the cheapest thing in the gift store, except for post cards, and I collect those too.  Here is my collection.  I wish I was smart enough to collect Christmas Ornaments like my friend does.  She has the coolest tree every year and I’m so jealous of it.  Does anyone else out there collect magnets?

Here are my local and international travel magnets.  The picture doesn’t do justice to my bah relief Paris magnets, darn it!

These are my “nature” magnets.

And, the Superheros.  Sadly, we don’t have Spider Man.  Why not?

Last week was the launch of our liquidation sale.  I don’t want you to miss on this because once these bags are sold out, we’re closing Star50.

So to keep things fresh and exciting for the next twelve days, all bags are $20.
We’re calling it The 12 for 20 Deal.

For the next twelve (12) days, all our in-stock product is $20.00. No joke, just good gifting.

Crazy, huh– What a steal!  All bags for twenty bucks.

And that’s not all:  If you purchase five (5) bags, you’ll be entered to win our best seller, The Colorado Lodge Tote.  I’ll tell you a secret:  I’ve kept two just for this reason so if  you want a chance to take home 6 bags for yourself, friends and family, get moving to www.star50bags.com and make that purchase. [Please use Code: 12420 at checkout to be entered into the drawing]

I wanted to make sure that you got this before everyone else does.

Until midnight, December 22nd,  you can purchase all in-stock bags for $20 each and if you make a $100 purchase, your name will be entered for our holiday giveaway bag, The Colorado Lodge tote, using Code: 12420 at checkout.

Its my way of saying THANKS to all you Starlets out there who read our newsletter, commented on my sporadic blog and just plain supported me throughout the years..  Check us out at http://www.star50bags.com
————————————————————————————————————————
Pick, Wear and Give a Star50 bag this holiday season before we close.
————————————————————————————————————————

Be the one to own a unique handbag that tells a great story and keep the secret that you purchased it for only twenty bucks.

P.S. This deal is too good to pass up so hurry to www.star50bags.com and stock up on some good lookin’ bags.

P.S.S.  Drawing for the Colorado Tote will be held on December 22nd at 10pm, MST.  Winner  will be notified by email.

so I get home today and taped to the front door of the building I live in is a notice of a lawsuit. my stomach turned, my heart stopped beating and I was made very aware of the fact that I wasn’t breathing. I am still trying to get my mind wrapped around it, I’m being sued by a credit card company. when I looked at the paper all I could see were the words “this is an attempt to collect a debt.” the first thing that popped into my stupid, irresponsible, tiny brain was “oh,  I hope my landlord didn’t see this!” really? is that really what I first thought? did I really care about whether someone had seen it or not? how about the fact that I’m being sued by a credit card company? why wasn’t the first thing that popped into my head “oh no! my credit score?!” you wanna know why? it’s because all I think about is image. I care about what people think so instead of telling my friends “no you guys, I can’t make it out tonight.” I go out and spend $60 on a mediocre meal that I could have made myself, probably better and for a lot less. this is bad, my priorities are all screwed up, I have to restructure my thinking, only then will I be able to gain financial freedom.

my first step was to admit that I’m in debt, and while I knew a round about number, I wasn’t completely 100% sure. so, the first thing I did when I got home was to get all my unopened mail together and check my balances. yes, unopened mail, I used every method imaginable not to deal with my financial issues but now that they’re [quite literally] knocking on my door, I have to just deal with it head on.

The Damage:

CC numero un: $5,777

CC numero dos: $1,220

CC numero three: $988.34

CC numero cuatro: $699.48

CC cinco: $540

CC 6: $482

CC 7: $408.76

CC 8: $245.57

CC 9: 200

grand total: $10,561.15

if I wanted to pay this off in a year (which is what I want) I would have to pay $881 per month.

ok, let me digest this right now because I’ve only ever listed the cards by names and have never stopped to realize just how many credit cards I have. or had since they’re all in collections right now. except the one that is sitting on an attorney’s desk waiting for me to deal with in Civil Court!! argh! what have I done to myself? ignoring it just made this problem explode and now everyone in my building knows that I don’t pay my bills!

right now I’m dealing with a lot of emotions. I’m embarrassed because I’m so broke. I’m angry that I allowed this to get so bad that I’m actually being sued and I’m sad because it’s freaking sad! and I’m scared because it’s scary to owe so much money and not really know how I can pay it off. but I can, and I’m going to.

my next step will be to call each and every creditor and try to work out a payment plan, and see if they can knock a few bucks off as well. I hope this works you guys. positive thoughts.

                                          YESSAH- BIO PIC FOR YA FACE- CITY

The last few weeks has been crazy for ANY retail store browsing, however I found this Snow Day Sally at Toys R Us and thought it to be pretty nifty. At first glance I thought the dome surrounding the car was an actual globe you hang on the tree, but after further inspection I realized the only thing that you can hang on the tree is a cardboard insert inside the packaging. mehh

I nabbed this off ebay. It is a cool SEMA giveaway car similar to Choro Q’s, however it doesn’t have the cool pull back option. it is fitted with a keychain end and also included a sema X Eneos raffle ticket card. pretty cool for 99 cents nontheless.

District Collectors

There are 32 District  Collectors  office in Tamil Nadu

With the release of Infinity Wards’ newest game, Modern Warfare 2, MadCatz was granted permission to make a controller for it. They came out with one for both the Xbox 360 and the Play Station 3. Too bad it’s one of the worst controllers I think I have ever used. When looking at it, you would think it’s perfect, but it really isn’t. The controller feels like it’s made for either a little kid or someone with very small hands. I was quite disappointed when I got it and began to play. Although the “Combat Buttons” was a very good idea,I wonder if they had consumers test it to find the right position . With its cool neon lights under each joy stick, authentic gun grips on the sides and braided cord, this controller makes  a good collector’s item. I do not advise getting this controller however unless it’s for a person with small hands or you are a collector.

Got any Ideas for future posts? Email me.

By now your most likely drooling over the picture above,which is,as you may of guessed,the Mass Effect 2 Collectors Edition which is set to contain:

A whopping 3 discs: (2 game discs and one bonus content DVD)

Comic Book

Hardback Art Book

Exclusive in-game armour and weapon,inspired by Collector technology

Cerberus Network Membership Card – Once enrolled you will have access to exclusive in-game content and updates via an in-game feed

BUT WAIT!

3 discs? yes thats right,Bioware Community Manager Chris Priestly states on the official forums that Mass Effect 2 will be shipping on 2 discs,making it one of the few xbox 360 games to ever need 2 discs.

360 owners will have to perform a single disc swap mid-game,however Chris Priestly states:

“Even though there is a disc swap, it occurs at a carefully planned place in the game (that does not interfere with gameplay) and is done once,” Priestly said. “You do not swap back and forth. One swap and then done.”

The first time I used the word “rubbish” in the US caused a few split-second confused looks, which smoothed out into grins. Apparently, I’m supposed to say “trash” instead. True, “rubbish” or even “garbage” do sound a little more over-the-top, but I think it’s pretty nifty how even such a simple noun can have different derivatives within English.

In downtown Chicago, there’s about one rubbish bin/trash can on every corner of a street, and two or three more along the same block. And it’s pleasantly clean, too, unlike the alleyways of Hong Kong or New York. But in recent years, I’ve noticed a trend – an increase in the number of rubbish bins usually means a decrease in litter and filth, no matter where you go. Well, population density of the area plus size of given area also factor in as well, but in general, people are pretty good about keeping their trash off the streets. I’ve also noticed that open-lidded bins are usually kept cleaner than lidded ones, but tend to smell more, while lidded bins keep the smell in, but the area around the openings is … well, let’s just say you don’t want to know what kind of slime has rubbed off onto the lid.

Recycling bins are even better. As long as the stuff actually gets recycled – I once read an article on how a neighbourhood in Hong Kong thought they were being good citizens and helping the environment by sorting their recyclables, but it turned out that the garbage collectors just dumped it all into the landfill with the rest of the rubbish. Hm. That’s why I really admire places like California where they offer people an incentive to recycle.

It is a wise decision for your business to sell its non-performing receivables. Besides money in the bank, the A/R’s of a business become its most liquid asset. The problem arises when servicing your receivables internally – particularly when it has distressed accounts — it can be a costly drain the financial and human resources of a company. When a company sells their non-performing receivables to Collect America Commercial Services it ensures their company will realize the value of its distressed receivables, now and avoid any more risk at a substantially reduced servicing cost.

By selling your distressed A/R’s your company will improve cash flow.

• Reduce charge-offs
  Income from the sale of receivables is used to offset gross charge-offs in a given sales period. Managing the timing of a portfolio sale allows you to smooth your reported net charge-off figure.
• Re-deploy capital
  Proceeds from the sale of a portfolio is reinvested in earning assets, further enhancing net income.
• Improve earnings predictability
  Eliminating the uncertainties and high costs associated with collection makes predicting earnings far easier.
• Enhance company valuation
  A stead, predictable earnings stream almost always leads analysts to enhance their valuation of a company.
• Satisfy bank requirements
  Unsecured borrowers can sell receivables to meet the liquidity requirements of a bank loan.

Utilize your people resources more productively and effectively.

• Allow management more time to focus on the core business
  Selling portions of your receivables to CACSI eliminates the need to watch and audit recovery efforts, whether by an internal staff or collection agency. Managers are also relieved of burdens associated with hiring and training collection staff. Bottom line: managers have more time to focus on managing the core business.
• Enhance the effectiveness of your internal collection staff
  Selling your distressed receivables to CACSI relieves your collection staff of time spent on the most difficult to convert receivables and allows them to focus their efforts where recovery opportunities are greatest.

Realize higher recoveries.

• Collect America Commercial Services is dynamic and offers more options

As a commercial debt buyer and collection agency, we are able to deal with debtors on a case-by-case basis, without being bound by predetermined rules. We have greater flexibility to set up payments plans and to offer discounted pay-offs. This flexibility almost always leads to higher recovery rates.

• Distressed debt collection as a principal is our specialty
  Collect America Commercial Services is the leader in acquiring and liquidating distressed receivables. Unlike most buyers, collection agencies, and attorneys, as the principal buyer of debt CACSI has the ability and experience to generate greater recoveries in less time.

Preserve your company’s image.

• Poorly executed collection work by an internal staff or a third-party collection agency can cause severe damage to a company’s image. CACSI uses a full range of collection approaches that results in the debtors being rehabilitated and often times returning to our clients as customer.

BossBid.com Online Store Retailers Get Real Time Price Comparison Alerts

Long Beach, CA—December 2, 2009— As we head into what should be the busiest retail season during a down economy, BossBid.com, the price comparison site that always reveals the lowest prices first for auction sites like eBay, Amazon, Overstock and uBid, is now offering online stores for retailers seeking an affordable solution.

“At this time in our nation’s economy, we are proud to give small businesses a boost with a cost-effective, solid online retail presence,” said H. Sumako, BossBid.com’s President.

The BossBid.com new online stores include:

* A Visa/MasterCard account for less than most people pay for hosting – the lowest price for an online merchant account and shopping cart combo (O.A.C. – certain conditions apply)
* Real-time price comparison alerts – so store owners know when competitors such as eBay and Amazon are offering lower prices on the same product
* An easy-to-use interface allowing retailers unlimited changes to product descriptions and images
* The opportunity for further promotion of BossBid.com stores through our BossBid community forum

For more information, please contact info@BossBid.com or call (562) 596-3800.

About BossBid.com
BossBid.com was inspired by artist and private collector H. Sumako, who tired of the time he wasted in online auction sites, clicking through dozens of pages at a time, trying to find the lowest prices on items. He partnered with computer scientist, Dr. John Lake, who created the algorithms that give BossBid.com its unique buying/selling functionality – showing the lowest prices always, for online retail products.

Media Contact:
Denise Dorman
Publicist
WriteBrain Media
Phone: 630.845.4694
Email: denise@writebrainmedia.com
Twitter.com/writebrainmedia

THE POWER STRUCTURES OF THE ART WORLD

What a difference a year makes. Last month, ArtReview magazine released its annual list of the one hundred most powerful people in art (see list here). ArtReview’s introduction to the list outlines that the financial crisis of 2008 caused a lot of big shifts in the art world and the list is a reflection of these changes: a third of last year’s entries, both artists and collectors, have fallen off the list and been replaced by newcomers. For instance, Director of MoMA Glen Lowry was not even on the list last year, and this year he enters the chart at number two. The magazine praises the likes of Lowry for being part of a new generation in the art world that they describe as follows:

“…percolating up from the middle ranks is a new generation of highly networked, flexible, globetrotting curators – men and women at the very centre of a new way of working.”

Curators top the list while artists have less clout and websites have more

Overall, it was curators who had one of the strongest presence on the list, with Swiss curator and writer Hans Ulrich Obrist at the top of the list and Sir Nicholas Serto, the director of the Tate Gallery, at third. Artists, by contrast, did not have such a strong presence in the top ten: the first artist on the list was not until American Golden Lion Winner Bruce Nauman at number ten.

The Independent newspaper goes so far as to suggest it is “The Year of the Curator”, which suggests that curators have a stronger influence in shaping what we know about art than the artists who create it. A change in the system of endorsement was also reflected by the increase in webmasters included on the list. It seems that technology now also plays a significant part in disseminating notions of what “art” is.

Professions in the list: 2008 vs. 2009

Questions of power

So who gets to be on the list and how they do they get there? ArtReview explains that its entrants are ranked as follows:

” [It is] a combination of influence over the production of art internationally, sheer financial clout (although in these times that’s no longer such a big factor) and activity in the previous 12 months – criteria which encompass artists, of course, as well as collectors, gallerists and curators.”

That said, it still remains ambiguous as to what exactly it takes in order to get a mention in the Power 100. For example, how does ArtReview compare the merits of two entirely different professions? How do they rank success when success in the art world is often based solely on a system of endorsement? In other words: how is power in art defined? Perhaps future lists will provide us with more answers to such questions, or at least continue to prompt us to reflect on who really is in charge of the art world.

• Iran Inside Out review round up – 56 artist survey show in New York described as mesmerising, a privilege- September 2009
  
• Embedding the Bed in Public Space – interview Hong Kong artist and ParaSite director Tim Li- August 2009
  
• Is there a new way to sell art? Vitamin Creative Space China experiments – New York Times- May 2009
• Indian art consultancy threatens to sue US-based internet platform Ning- October 2009
• Crowd-funding – the internet stimulates new ways to raise funds for art projects- August 2009

Subscribe to Art Radar Asia for more market and auction house news

RM/KCE

Michelle Dunn collects on the good fortune of self-employment
By Helen Graves / Boston Herald
Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Debtors and collectors alike have a compassionate ear in Michelle Dunn – a factor that contributes to her stature as debt collection industry spokesperson.

For debtors, Dunn would offer options and supply hope for getting out of debt.

For collectors, she started the American Credit & Collections Association 11 years ago to help them start and grow their agencies.

For both, Dunn represents the ability to turn a bad situation into a positive outcome. And in the process, she is working to improve the reputation of the debt collector.

“Part of my mission statement is to change the perception held by the general public about debt collectors,” Dunn says. “We’re here to help business owners.”

Dunn certainly understands the position of the debtor. Growing up in poverty, she vowed she would have a better life.

Constantly put down at home, sexually abused by a family member, pregnant but giving up the baby at 17, left by her parents when they moved that same year, Dunn still possessed the wherewithal to pull herself above her circumstances.

Once she was old enough to realize how others lived, Dunn says, she focused on having a happy life.

“I came to the conclusion early on that education was going to be the thing that would get me out of my situation,” she says. “I wanted to live in a real house, have nice clothes because I only had hand-me-downs, own a nice car, and the only way to do that was to be educated.”

Always on the honor roll, Dunn, however, quit high school when she was pregnant and worked two jobs, hoping to keep the baby. After she lost her apartment and was told she couldn’t come home, she gave the baby up for adoption.

“I was homeless for a while, sleeping in the back seats of abandoned cars, under bridges, in the woods or anywhere I could find,” she says. “I worked at Wendy’s before, during and after my pregnancy and met someone there whose parents let me stay in their basement.”

With a glimmer of stability, Dunn was able to return to high school, graduate and go on to community college while she worked a full-time job and a part-time job.

A stubborn streak got her beyond the lack of faith shown to her while growing up. “I had all the adults in my life telling me that I was stupid, that no one would ever marry me, and, for some reason,” she says, “I thought, when you tell me not to do something, I’m going to do it. I’m grateful I was that way. I have turned my life completely around.”

Dunn’s first job after graduation was as an accounts receivable clerk, her introduction to collections. She spent the next 10 years as a credit manager at different companies until starting her own agency in Plymouth, N.H., in 1998, the impetus a divorce and the desire for flexibility to be with her two children.

Dunn stayed at her latest credit manager job until generating enough income with the agency to fully step out on her own.

The rare woman in collections, Dunn was told by male agency owners that she wouldn’t survive. “Of course, then I’m going to do it and do it well,” she says.

Nor did naysayer agency owners want to help Dunn as a mentor, seeing her nonetheless as potential competition. Researching as much as she could to figure out how to start her M.A.D. Collection Agency, Dunn began posting what she discovered, partly for herself to have in one place, but also to share with others on the web. The American Credit & Collections Association was born out of a desire to provide support. The association quickly caught on.

Over the past 11 years, Dunn has helped entrepreneurs, many of them women, start and grow their agencies. She holds webinars and an annual live meeting for members, and every day hosts a discussion group with other collectors.

To build up her agency, Dunn joined the local chamber of commerce and Rotary, and went door to door to businesses seeking out clients. For those that already used a collection agency, she offered to take the accounts their agency couldn’t collect and collected on them herself.

Part of Dunn’s success in dealing with debtors was having been there herself. She always provided two solutions, such as a payment plan, and let people choose the option that fit them best.

“As a collector, you’re calling someone who has no money and asking them to send you money,” Dunn explains, “but if you can listen to what they say – everyone tells a specific situation – and if you have compassion and let them know that you understand and offer solutions to their problem, they appreciate that and don’t feel as badly as when they got the initial call.”

Dunn was soon asked to speak on collections and capitalized on those opportunities to publicize herself and the agency.

“I had a marketing plan like any business,” she says. “I was writing press releases and getting notice in the local media, which expanded to industry trade magazines and other newspapers,” she says.

Featured in Ladies Home Journal and on NPR, Dunn was becoming an industry spokesperson. Since then, she has appeared in Forbes.com, Smart Money Magazine and on CNN and MSNBC, to name a few. She has been named one of the Top 5 Women in Collections in 2007 and 2008 and among the Top 50 Most Influential Collection Professionals of 2007.

“Becoming an industry spokesperson happened gradually,” she says. “I always said yes and accepted an offer to speak or to write an article. I followed my marketing plan and that created the snowball effect.”

Dunn ran her agency for eight years, growing it to five on board and $4 million in placed debt. Then she sold it. “It was getting big and I found myself in the position of having to be there every day,” she says. “I was looking for more flexibility.”

Today, Dunn is writing and publishing books as Never Dunn Publishing as well as writing columns for nine publications. Her push is to become syndicated.

The topics she chooses for in her books and articles reflect the questions she’s asked. “It gives me great pleasure and pride to help someone be successful and be their own boss, so they can know what it’s like to have the freedom of being self-employed,” Dunn says.

She’s also proud that her children no know nothing of the type of childhood she endured. “I have a rich life,” she says.

Disney has Re- Released CARS on Blu Ray now with added content, 4 discs (one Blu Ray Disk,One DVD disk, 1 With Exclusive content , and one for a digital copy download), As well as 2 exclusive diecast cast CARS exclusive to this BLU RAY release. You get a Gold Cruisin McQueen and a Ransburg Rescue Squad Mater.

And the little story behind them from the back of the packaging:

Target has gained some more exclusive packaging for the Piston Cup Racers. There are 3 newer 4 packs out. One includes Fiber Fuel and Spare Mint, another has Trunk Fresh and View Zeen, and another I can’t remember the assortment. In these newer 4 packs will be integrated “Lenticular” CARS as you will se in the 2nd 4 pack. a nice tough for those that hadn’t caught these in the singles market or packaged launchers. I think the window box packaging really makes these sets.

The Lenticular set: