chao's clips tagged article

In Search Of The Relevancy Figure

chao — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 18:22:07 -0000

In Search Of The Relevancy Figure

By Danny Sullivan, Editor-In-Chief
December 5, 2002

Last month, Inktomi rolled out the latest version of the search engine it provides to partners such as MSN. But is Inktomi's "Web Search 9" better than previous incarnations? Indeed, is it better than its major crawler-based competitors, Google, AllTheWeb, Teoma and AltaVista?

Goa, India - A New Generation of Pilgrims Hits India's Hippie Trail - New York Times

chao — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:13:30 -0000

Clipped by chao to Visit GOA

WHEN TO GO

The season surrounding the summer monsoon, basically November to May, is the best time to visit Goa. The week between Christmas and New Year's is very popular — especially for the Anjuna rave scene — and hotel rates typically double or even triple. A visa, obtained in advance, is required for United States citizens.

GETTING THERE

There are no direct flights from the United States to Goa. The best option is to fly to Mumbai and get a connecting flight to Dabolim Airport in Goa. Air India was offering round-trip fares from Kennedy Airport in New York to Mumbai for $1,041, including taxes and fees, for this month. Several discount Indian airlines operate between Mumbai and Goa, including Air Deccan (www.airdeccan.net), Spicejet (www.spicejet.com) and Jet Airways (www.jetairways.com).

GETTING AROUND

Hiring a prepaid taxi at Dabolim Airport (located in the city of Vasco da Gama) is the easiest way to reach Calangute, Baga and Anjuna, which are about 45 minutes north. The taxi counter (0832-254-1235) is just outside the baggage claim area and a bit to the left, on a traffic island. Expect to pay 640 rupees ($14.35, at 50 rupees to the dollar) to these destinations.

As for addresses, most hotels, restaurants and shops don't have numbered street addresses as such, so always carry the most detailed map you can find. Taxi drivers can often (but not always) find places with only a name and a village.

WHERE TO STAY

Palacete Rodrigues, Mazal Vaddo, Anjuna, 91-832-227-3358. A centuries-old Portuguese mansion transformed into a guesthouse. A little dilapidated, but the staff is friendly. Doubles from 850 rupees. The lone air-conditioned room, a twin, is 950 rupees a night.

Guru Guesthouse, Anjuna Beach, 91-832-227-3319. Backpackers, bohemians and barflies will like this no-frills dirt-cheap hotel, which has a meditation area and an adjacent bar with sublime views of the Arabian Sea. Rooms from 250 rupees.

Pousada Tauma, Porba Vaddo, Calangute, 91-832-227-9061, www.pousada-tauma.com. This cluster of red templelike stone buildings is the fanciest boutique hotel in the Baga-Calangute strip. Guests can dip in the sprawling pool, undergo ancient ayurvedic treatments in the spa and dine on tasty local Goan cuisine in the highly regarded Copper Pot restaurant. Standard rooms cost 130 euros ($159 at $1.23 to the euro) to 370 euros a night ($453) depending on the season.

WHERE TO EAT

Martha's Breakfast, 907, Monteiro Vaddo, Anjuna, 91-832-227-3365, is a shady patio serving robust and cheap meals that almost make taking your morning antimalaria drugs a pleasure. Offerings include American pancakes (65 rupees), banana porridge (45 rupees) and fruit lassis (from 35 rupees).

Hanuman Bar and Restaurant, North Anjuna Beach, 91-832-309-0442. The eclectic menu at this laid-back beach restaurant includes Indian, Chinese and even Israeli dishes. A meal for two, with drinks, will rarely run more than 400 rupees.

Britto's, Baga Beach, Bardez, Goa, 91-832-227-7331. A very mellow oceanside restaurant with a lovely view of the sea serves everything from full English breakfasts (180 rupees) to Indian curries and tikkas (80 to 140 rupees) to fresh seafood (300 to 700 rupees), notably pomfret, kingfish and tiger prawns (from 300 to 700 rupees).

Sublime Bistro, Baga River, 91-982-248-4051, showcases the skills of its chef and co-owner, Chris Agha Bee, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America. A daily shopper for produce at the markets in Mapusa and Calangute, he serves up dishes like crab-prawn cakes and grilled marlin on lentils in mustard sauce. A three-course meal for two costs around 1,200 rupees.

WHERE TO PARTY

Paradiso, North Anjuna Beach. Cover charge is 200 rupees.

Tito's, Tito's Lane, Baga, 91-832-227-9895. Cover charge, 300 rupees.

Mambo's, Tito's Lane, Baga, 91-832-227-9895. Cover charge, 200 to 300 rupees.

WSJ.com - Green Thumb

chao — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 04:44:57 -0000

Clipped by chao to deposit my cash in the highest yielding fdic-insured investments

With at least two Wall Street chief investment strategists currently advising clients to park a full quarter of their money in cash, it's an excellent time to review your options. Here's how they stack up:

Savings Accounts. The old-fashioned passbook account has moved to the Internet. HSBCdirect.com, ingdirect.com, and EmigrantDirect.com generally vie for supremacy here, playing a cat-and-mouse game of one-upmanship with occasional special sales thrown in to confuse matters further. Right now, HSBC has the edge, with an annual percentage yield (APY) of 4.80% on both new and current deposits. That rate is only good until April 30 though; after that, the bank says the new one will be "competitive." Emigrant's rate is 4.5% and doesn't have an expiration date.

Here's a strategy some investors use: Link savings accounts to lower-interest checking accounts at a local bank and transfer money back and forth online. The goal is to maximize the money earned by keeping as little money as possible in the checking account without bouncing a check.

Checking Accounts. If you want a one-account solution, consider the humble checking account. Bank of Internet USA has a 3.15% APY. EverBank offers even more if you keep more than $25,000 there.

As with any checking account, it's imperative to ask about any required account minimums, all fees and whether there are any restrictions on how often you can transfer money in or out to other institutions.

Money-Market Accounts. There are three main kinds. First, there are the ones that banks themselves offer. They, like CDs and checking and savings accounts, are guaranteed up to at least $100,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in the event of a bank meltdown. Bank MMAs may offer better rates than regular checking accounts, even though the MMAs often offer bank-like ATM access and check-writing privileges. The catch is that with these MMAs, you're allowed only a certain number of some types of transactions each month.

The other two money-market vehicles are mutual funds; one type gives out tax-free yields while the other one is taxable. These are not FDIC-insured, though it's extremely rare for one to get into trouble. Rates are ranked on iMoneyNet.com. These funds are useful if you want to temporarily park dividends and proceeds from stock or mutual-fund sales before deploying the money elsewhere.

Brokerage Accounts. Until recently, most brokerage firms automatically "swept" cash into a high-yielding money-market account. Many, however, have started diverting the money into much lower-yielding accounts. Call your brokerage firm and ask where your cash gets parked and whether you can reset the sweeper to put your spare money someplace better.

Certificates of Deposit. These offer the best yields of all for the patient. Commit your money for six months (there are harsh penalties if you yank it out sooner), and you could earn an APY of 5%. Millennium Bank in Reston, Va. offers that rate to anyone, not just locals (Bankrate ranks CD's too and all listed banks offer them nationwide). The State Bank of India, which has an FDIC-insured outpost in New York City, is currently third on the charts at 4.94%.

Credit Card Goodies

chao — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 20:42:38 -0000

Clipped by chao to find the best credit card rewards

Details on the Cards I Use

One of the things I've learned over the years is that these programs definitely do change. I started out with the GE Rewards MasterCard. I then moved to a US West 2% uncapped card (shows how long I've been playing this game!). Then Discover Private Issue... Then I moved to the American Express CashBack card... and now I've actually got a Delta SkyMiles card (that I didn't pay for, through a special promotion at the time) with double points for certain purchases.

Here is the list of what I'm currently using, in order of preference, and why I use them:

American Express Cash Rebate Card - 1.5% cashback uncapped. This card is no longer available, but the Blue Cash from Amex is 1.5% until you spend $50K. I use this card for everything EXCEPT gas, groceries, and drugstores
Citi Dividend Platinum Select - used because of the 5% on everyday purchases. I put all gas, grocery, and drugstore purchases on this card to maximize the 5% cash rebate.
Chase Cash Plus® Rewards Visa® Card - Same as the Citi Platinum Card but used once I hit the limit on the Citi card OR if someone only takes Visa.
Discover Platinum Restaurant - carry for all restaurant purchases to get a 5% discount on all eating out! (Unfortunately, Discover has recently stopped offering this card to new or switching customers. As of this date, they are still grandfathering those that have already switched.)

American Express Cash Rebate Card

The American Express Cash Rebate Card used to be the Optima Rebate card. The rebate is an annual rebate equal to the following percentage of your annual level of purchases: .25% for the first $2,000, .5% for the next $3,000, and 1.5% in excess of $5,000. If your account is carrying a balance, you will receive an additional .5% rebate for that billing period.

Too bad you can't actually get this card anymore - it's been superceeded by BlueCash by American Express.

Amex CashBack
Dollars	Rebate	Dollar Value
0-$2,000	0.25%	$5.00
$2,001-$5,000	0.5%	$15.00
$5,001-no limit	1.5%	(1.5% of Total-$5K)
TOTAL/MAX		$20+(Total-5000)*.015

Blue Cash from American Express
Dollars	Rebate	Dollar Value
0-$6,500	1.0%	$65.00
$6,500-$50,000	1.5%	$652.50
TOTAL/MAX		$717.50

Note that this can vary due to the "everyday" purchase clause.

Comparison and Analysis

Click to go to the Card Comparison Charts!.

If you charge a lot of money, Amex Cashback is your first choice for any expense - charitable donations, groceries, gas, dry cleaning, taxes, mortage payments - anything you can possible get on the card.

One other subject that should be mentioned is anniversary dates and how that plays with your rebate. GE Rewards was based on a July 1-June 30 cycle, so if you start charging up the card in May, you are, in effect, wasting money. Discover Card, on the other hand, works on an anniversary system, where the year period starts immediately when you get the card, so there is no real downside to getting started with it. Fleet is on a calendar year.

YOUR MONEY; Gift Horses To Consider: Credit Cards That Reward

chao — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 18:49:38 -0000

Clipped by chao to find the best credit card rewards

BUSINESS/FINANCIAL DESK | December 31, 2005

YOUR MONEY; Gift Horses To Consider: Credit Cards That Reward

By DAMON DARLIN
The cash-back reward card is the hottest segment of the credit card industry, and it' s time to look this gift horse in the mouth.