USEFUL LINKS
1. RAILWAYS -
www.irctc.co.in
2. AIRWAYS -
www.yatra.com
www.makemytrip.com
www.easemytrip.com
3. JOBS -
www.naukri.com
www.monster.com
www.timesjobs.com
www.jobsahead.com
4. MAIL -
www.gmail.com
www.mail.yahoo.com
www.rediffmail.com
5. social networking
www.facebook.com
www.orkut.com
www.linkedin.com
www.fropper.com
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
FINANCIAL TERMS
Business Financial Terms and Ratios Definitions
Acid test
A stern measure of a company's ability to pay its short term debts, in that stock is excluded from asset value. (liquid assets/current liabilities) Also referred to as the Quick Ratio.
Assets
Anything owned by the company having a monetary value; eg, 'fixed' assets like buildings, plant and machinery, vehicles (these are not assets if rentedand not owned) and potentially including intangibles like trade marks and brand names, and 'current' assets, such as stock, debtors and cash.
Asset Turnover
Measure of operational efficiency - shows how much revenue is produced per £ of assets available to the business. (sales revenue/total assets less current liabilities)
Balance Sheet
The Balance Sheet is one of the three essential measurement reports for the performance and health of a company along with the Profit and Loss Account and the Cashflow Statement. The Balance Sheet is a 'snapshot' in time of who owns what in the company, and what assets and debts represent the value of the company. (It can only ever nbe a snapshot because the picture is always changing.) The Balance Sheet is where to look for information about short-term and long-term debts, gearing (the ratio of debt to equity), reserves, stock values (materials and finsished goods), capital assets, cash on hand, along with the value of shareholders' funds. The term 'balance sheet' is derived from the simple purpose of detailing where the money came from, and where it is now. The balance sheet equation is fundamentally: (where the money came from) Capital + Liabilities = Assets (where the money is now). Hence the term 'double entry' - for every change on one side of the balance sheet, so there must be a corresponding change on the other side - it must always balance. The Balance Sheet does not show how much profit the company is making (the P&L does this), although pervious years' retained profits will add to the company's reserves, which are shown in the balance sheet.
Budget
In a financial planning context the word 'budget' (as a noun) strictly speaking means an amount of money that is planned to spend on a particularly activity or resource, usually over a trading year, although budgets apply to shorter and longer periods. An overall organizational plan therefore contains the budgets within it for all the different departments and costs held by them. The verb 'to budget' means to calculate and set a budget, although in a looser context it also means to be careful with money and find reductions (effectively by setting a lower budgeted level of expenditure). The word budget is also more loosely used by many people to mean the whole plan. In which context a budget means the same as a plan. For example in the UK the Government's annual plan is called 'The Budget'. A 'forecast' in certain contexts means the same as a budget - either a planned individual activity/resource cost, or a whole business/ corporate/organizational plan. A 'forecast' more commonly (and precisely in my view) means a prediction of performance - costs and/or revenues, or other data such as headcount, % performance, etc., especially when the 'forecast' is made during the trading period, and normally after the plan or 'budget' has been approved. In simple terms: budget = plan or a cost element within a plan; forecast = updated budget or plan. The verb forms are also used, meaning the act of calculating the budget or forecast.
Capital Employed
The value of all resources available to the company, typically comprising share capital, retained profits and reserves, long-term loans and deferred taxation. Viewed from the other side of the balance sheet, capital employed comprises fixed assets, investments and the net investment in working capital (current assets less current liabilities). In other words: the total long-term funds invested in or lent to the business and used by it in carrying out its operations.
Cashflow
The movement of cash in and out of a business from day-to-day direct trading and other non-trading or indirect effects, such as capital expenditure, tax and dividend payments.
Cashflow Statement
One of the three essential reporting and measurement systems for any company. The cashflow statement provides a third perspective alongside the Profit and Loss account and Balance Sheet. The Cashflow statement shows the movement and availability of cash through and to the business over a given period, certainly for a trading year, and often also monthly and cumulatively. The availability of cash in a company that is necessary to meet payments to suppliers, staff and other creditors is essential for any business to survive, and so the reliable forecasting and reporting of cash movement and availability is crucial.
cost of debt ratio (average cost of debt ratio)
Despite the different variations used for this term (cost of debt, cost of debt ratio, average cost of debt ratio, etc) the term normally and simply refers to the interest expense over a given period as a percentage of the average outstanding debt over the same period, ie., cost of interest divided by average outstanding debt.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
The directly attributable costs of products or services sold, (usually materials, labour, and direct production costs). Sales less COGS = gross profit. Effetively the same as cost of sales (COS) see below for fuller explanation.
Cost of Sales (COS)
Commonly arrived at via the formula: opening stock + stock purchased - closing stock.
Cost of sales is the value, at cost, of the goods or services sold during the period in question, usually the financial year, as shown in a Profit and Loss Account (P&L). In all accounts, particularly the P&L (trading account) it's important that costs are attributed reliably to the relevant revenues, or the report is distorted and potentially meaningless. To use simply the total value of stock purchases during the period in question would not produce the correct and relevant figure, as some product sold was already held in stock before the period began, and some product bought during the period remains unsold at the end of it. Some stock held before the period often remains unsold at the end of it too. The formula is the most logical way of calculating the value at cost of all goods sold, irrespective of when the stock was purchased. The value of the stock attributable to the sales in the period (cost of sales) is the total of what we started with in stock (opening stock), and what we purchased (stock purchases), minus what stock we have left over at the end of the period (closing stock).
Current Assets
Cash and anything that is expected to be converted into cash within twelve months of the balance sheet date.
Current Ratio
The relationship between current assets and current liabilities, indicating the liquidity of a business, ie its ability to meet its short-term obligations. Also referred to as the Liquidity Ratio.
Current Liabilities
Money owed by the business that is generally due for payment within 12 months of balance sheet date. Examples: creditors, bank overdraft, taxation.
Depreciation
The apportionment of cost of a (usually large) capital item over an agreed period, (based on life expectancy or obsolescence), for example, a piece of equipment costing £10k having a life of five years might be depreciated over five years at a cost of £2k per year. (In which case the P&L would show a depreciation cost of £2k per year; the balance sheet would show an asset value of £8k at the end of year one, reducing by £2k per year; and the cashflow statement would show all £10k being used to pay for it in year one.)
Dividend
A dividend is a payment made per share, to a company's shareholders by a company, based on the profits of the year, but not necessarily all of the profits, arrived at by the directors and voted at the company's annual general meeting. A company can choose to pay a dividend from reserves following a loss-making year, and conversely a company can choose to pay no dividend after a profit-making year, depending on what is believed to be in the best interests of the company. Keeping shareholders happy and committed to their investment is always an issue in deciding dividend payments. Along with the increase in value of a stock or share, the annual dividend provides the shareholder with a return on the shareholding investment.
Earnings Before..
There are several 'Earnings Before..' ratios and acronyms: EBT = Earnings Before Taxes; EBIT = Earnings Before Interest and Taxes; EBIAT = Earnings Before Interest after Taxes; EBITD = Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Depreciation; and EBITDA = Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. (Earnings = operating and non-operating profits (eg interest, dividends received from other investments). Depreciation is the non-cash charge to the balance sheet which is made in writing off an asset over a period. Amortisation is the payment of a loan in instalments.
Fixed Assets
Assets held for use by the business rather than for sale or conversion into cash, eg, fixtures and fittings, equipment, buildings.
Fixed cost
A cost which does not vary with changing sales or production volumes, eg, building lease costs, permanent staff wages, rates, depreciation of capital items.
FOB - 'Free on Board'
The FOB (Free On Board) abbreviation is an import/export term relating to the point at which responsibility for goods passes from seller (exporter) to buyer (importer). It's in this listing because it's commonly misunderstood and also has potentially significant financial implications. FOB meant originally (and depending on the context stills generally means) that the seller is liable for the goods and is responsible for all costs of transport, insurance, etc., until and including the goods being loaded at the (nominated FOB) port. An importing buyer would typically ask for the FOB price, (which is now now often linked to a port name, eg., FOB Hamburg or FOB Vancouver), knowing that this price is 'free' or inclusive of all costs and liabilities of getting the goods from the seller to the port and on board the craft or vessel. Logically FOB also meant and still means that the seller is liable for any loss or damage up to the point that the goods are loaded onto the vessel at the FOB port, and that thereafter the buyer assumes responsibility for the goods and the costs of transport and the liability. From the seller's point of view an FOB price must therefore include/recover his costs of transport from factory or warehouse, insurance and loading, because the seller is unable to charge these costs as extras once the FOB price has been stated. The FOB expression originates particularly from the meaning that the buyer is free of liability and costs of transport up to the point that the goods are loaded on board the ship. In modern times FOB also applies to freight for export by aircraft from airports. In recent years the term has come to be used in slightly different ways, even to the extent that other interpretations are placed on the acronym, most commonly 'Freight On Board', which is technically incorrect. While technically incorrect also, terms such as 'FOB Destination' have entered into common use, meaning that the insurance liability and costs of transportation and responsibility for the goods are the seller's until the goods are delivered to the buyer's stipulated delivery destination. If in doubt ask exactly what the other person means by FOB because the applications have broadened. While liability and responsibility for goods passes from seller to buyer at the point that goods are agreed to be FOB, the FOB principle does not correlate to payment terms, which is a matter for separate negotiation. FOB is a mechanism for agreeing price and transport responsibility, not for agreeing payment terms. In summary: FOB (Free On Board), used alone, originally meant that the transportation cost and liability for exported goods was with the seller until the goods were loaded onto the ship (at the port of exportation); nowadays FOB (Free On Board or the distorted interpretation 'Freight On Board') has a wider usage - the principle is the same, ie., seller has liability for goods, insurance and costs of transport until the goods are loaded (or delivered), but the point at which goods are 'FOB' is no longer likely to be just the port of export - it can be any place that it suits the buyer to stipulate. So, if you are an exporter, beware of buyers stipulating 'FOB destination' - it means the exporter is liable for the goods and pays transport costs up until delivery to the customer.
Gearing
The ratio of debt to equity, usually the relationship between long-term borrowings and shareholders' funds.
Goodwill
Any surplus money paid to acquire a company that exceeds its net tangible assets value.
Gross Profit
Sales less cost of goods or services sold. Also referred to as gross profit margin, or gross profit, and often abbreviated to simply 'margin'. See also 'net profit'.
Initial Public Offering (ipo)
An Initial Public Offering (IPO being the Stock Exchange and corporate acronym) is the first sale of privately owned equity (stock or shares) in a company via the issue of shares to the public and other investing institutions. In other words an IPO is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs typically involve small, young companies raising capital to finance growth. For investors IPO's can risky as it is difficult to predict the value of the stock (shares) when they open for trading. An IPO is effectively 'going public' or 'taking a company public'.
Letters of Credit
These mechanisms are used by exporters and importers, and usually provided by the importing company's bank to the exporter to safeguard the contractual expectations and particularly financial exposure of the exporter of the goods or services. (Also called 'export letters of credit, and 'import letters of credit'.)
When an exporter agrees to supply a customer in another country, the exporter needs to know that the goods will be paid for.
The common system, which has been in use for many years, is for the customer's bank to issue a 'letter of credit' at the request of the buyer, to the seller. The letter of credit essentially guarantees that the bank will pay the seller's invoice (using the customer's money of course) provided the goods or services are supplied in accordance with the terms stipulated in the letter, which should obviously reflect the agreement between the seller and buyer. This gives the supplier an assurance that their invoice will be paid, beyond any other assurances or contracts made with the customer. Letters of credit are often complex documents that require careful drafting to protect the interests of buyer and seller. The customer's bank charges a fee to issue a letter of credit, and the customer pays this cost.
The seller should also approve the wording of the buyer's letter of credit, and often should seek professional advice and guarantees to this effect from their own financial services provider.
In short, a letter of credit is a guarantee from the issuing bank's to the seller that if compliant documents are presented by the seller to the buyer's bank, then the buyer's bank will pay the seller the amount due. The 'compliance' of the seller's documentation covers not only the goods or services supplied, but also the timescales involved, method for, format of and place at which the documents are presented. It is common for exporters to experience delays in obtaining payment against letters of credit because they have either failed to understand the terms within the letter of credit, failed to meet the terms, or both. It is important therefore for sellers to understand all aspects of letters of credit and to ensure letters of credit are properly drafted, checked, approved and their conditions met. It is also important for sellers to use appropriate professional services to validate the authenticity of any unknown bank issuing a letter of credit.
letters of guarantee
There are many types of letters of guarantee. These types of letters of guarantee are concerned with providing safeguards to buyers that suppliers will meet their obligations or vice-versa, and are issued by the supplier's or customer's bank depending on which party seeks the guarantee. While a letter of credit essentially guarantees payment to the exporter, a letter of guarantee provides safeguard that other aspects of the supplier's or customer's obligations will be met. The supplier's or customer's bank is effectively giving a direct guarantee on behalf of the supplier or customer that the supplier's or customer's obligations will be met, and in the event of the supplier's or customer's failure to meet obligations to the other party then the bank undertakes the responsibility for those obligations.
Typical obligations covered by letters of guarantee are concerned with:
• Tender Guarantees (Bid Bonds) - whereby the bank assures the buyer that the supplier will not refuse a contract if awarded.
• Performance Guarantee - This guarantees that the goods or services are delivered in accordance with contract terms and timescales.
• Advance Payment Guarantee - This guarantees that any advance payment received by the supplier will be used by the supplier in accordance with the terms of contract between seller and buyer.
There are other types of letters of guarantee, including obligations concerning customs and tax, etc, and as with letters of credit, these are complex documents with extremely serious implications. For this reasons suppliers and customers alike must check and obtain necessary validation of any issued letters of guarantee.
Liabilities
General term for what the business owes. Liabilities are long-term loans of the type used to finance the business and short-term debts or money owing as a result of trading activities to date . Long term liabilities, along with Share Capital and Reserves make up one side of the balance sheet equation showing where the money came from. The other side of the balance sheet will show Current Liabilities along with various Assets, showing where the money is now.
Liquidity Ratio
Indicates the company's ability to pay its short term debts, by measuring the relationship between current assets (ie those which can be turned into cash) against the short-term debt value. (current assets/current liabilities) Also referred to as the Current Ratio.
Net Assets (also called total net assets)
Total assets (fixed and current) less current liabilities and long-term liabilities that have not been capitalised (eg, short-term loans).
Net Current Assets
Current Assets less Current Liabilities.
Net Present Value (npv)
NPV is a significant measurement in business investment decisions. NPV is essentially a measurement of all future cashflow (revenues minus costs, also referred to as net benefits) that will be derived from a particular investment (whether in the form of a project, a new product line, a proposition, or an entire business), minus the cost of the investment. Logically if a proposition has a positive NPV then it is profitable and is worthy of consideration. If negative then it's unprofitable and should not be pursued. While there are many other factors besides a positive NPV which influence investment decisions; NPV provides a consistent method of comparing propositions and investment opportunities from a simple capital/investment/profit perspective. There are different and complex ways to construct NPV formulae, largely due to the interpretation of the 'discount rate' used in the calculations to enable future values to be shown as a present value. Corporations generally develop their own rules for NPV calculations, including discount rate. NPV is not easy to understand for non-financial people - wikipedia seems to provide a good detailed explanation if you need one.
Net Profit
Net profit can mean different things so it always needs clarifying. Net strictly means 'after all deductions' (as opposed to just certain deductions used to arrive at a gross profit or margin). Net profit normally refers to profit after deduction of all operating expenses, notably after deduction of fixed costs or fixed overheads. This contrasts with the term 'gross profit' which normally refers to the difference between sales and direct cost of product or service sold (also referred to as gross margin or gross profit margin) and certainly before the deduction of operating costs or overheads. Net profit normally refers to the profit figure before deduction of corporation tax, in which case the term is often extended to 'net profit before tax' or PBT.
Opening/Closing Stock
See explanation under Cost of Sales.
P/E Ratio (price per earnings)
The P/E ratio is an important indicator as to how the investing market views the health, performance, prospects and investment risk of a public company listed on a stock exchange (a listed company). The P/E ratio is also a highly complex concept - it's a guide to use alongside other indicators, not an absolute measure to rely on by itself. The P/E ratio is arrived at by dividing the stock or share price by the earnings per share (profit after tax and interest divided by the number of ordinary shares in issue). As earnings per share are a yearly total, the P/E ratio is also an expression of how many years it will take for earnings to cover the stock price investment. P/E ratios are best viewed over time so that they can be seen as a trend. A steadily increasing P/E ratio is seen by the investors as increasingly speculative (high risk) because it takes longer for earnings to cover the stock price. Obviously whenever the stock price changes, so does the P/E ratio. More meaningful P/E analysis is conducted by looking at earnings over a period of several years. P/E ratios should also be compared over time, with other company's P/E ratios in the same market sector, and with the market as a whole. Step by step, to calculate the P/E ratio:
1. Establish total profit after tax and interest for the past year.
2. Divide this by the number of shares issued.
3. This gives you the earnings per share.
4. Divide the price of the stock or share by the earnings per share.
5. This gives the Price/Earnings or P/E ratio.
Profit and Loss Account (P&L)
One of the three principal business reporting and measuring tools (along with the balance sheet and cashflow statement). The P&L is essentially a trading account for a period, usually a year, but also can be monthly and cumulative. It shows profit performance, which often has little to do with cash, stocks and assets (which must be viewed from a separate perspective using balance sheet and cashflow statement). The P&L typically shows sales revenues, cost of sales/cost of goods sold, generally a gross profit margin (sometimes called 'contribution'), fixed overheads and or operating expenses, and then a profit before tax figure (PBT). A fully detailed P&L can be highly complex, but only because of all the weird and wonderful policies and conventions that the company employs. Basically the P&L shows how well the company has performed in its trading activities.
Overhead
An expense that cannot be attributed to any one single part of the company's activities.
Quick Ratio
Same as the Acid Test. The relationship between current assets readily convertible into cash (usually current assets less stock) and current liabilities. A sterner test of liquidity.
Reserves
The accumulated and retained difference between profits and losses year on year since the company's formation.
Restricted Funds
These are funds used by an organisation that are restricted or earmarked by a donor for a specific purpose, which can be extremely specific or quite broad, eg., endowment or pensions investment; research (in the case of donations to a charity or research organisation); or a particular project with agreed terms of reference and outputs such as to meet the criteria or terms of the donation or award or grant. The source of restricted funds can be from government, foundations and trusts, grant-awarding bodies, philanthropic organisations, private donations, bequests from wills, etc. The practical implication is that restricted funds are ring-fenced and must not be used for any other than their designated purpose, which may also entail specific reporting and timescales, with which the organisation using the funds must comply. A glaring example of misuse of restricted funds would be when Maxwell spent Mirror Group pension funds on Mirror Group development.
Return on Capital Employed (ROCE)
A fundamental financial performance measure. A percentage figure representing profit before interest against the money that is invested in the business. (profit before interest and tax, divided by capital employed, x 100 to produce percentage figure.)
Return on Investment
Another fundamental financial and business performance measure. This term means different things to different people (often depending on perspective and what is actually being judged) so it's important to clarify understanding if interpretation has serious implications. Many business managers and owners use the term in a general sense as a means of assessing the merit of an investment or business decision. 'Return' generally means profit before tax, but clarify this with the person using the term - profit depends on various circumstances, not least the accounting conventions used in the business. In this sense most CEO's and business owners regard ROI as the ultimate measure of any business or any business proposition, after all it's what most business is aimed at producing - maximum return on investment, otherise you might as well put your money in a bank savings account. Strictly speaking Return On Investment is defined as:
Profits derived as a proportion of and directly attributable to cost or 'book value' of an asset, liability or activity, net of depreciation.
In simple terms this the profit made from an investment. The 'investment' could be the value of a whole business (in which case the value is generally regarded as the company's total assets minus intangible assets, such as goodwill, trademarks, etc and liabilities, such as debt. N.B. A company's book value might be higher or lower than its market value); or the investment could relate to a part of a business, a new product, a new factory, a new piece of plant, or any activity or asset with a cost attached to it.
The main point is that the term seeks to define the profit made from a business investment or business decision. Bear in mind that costs and profits can be ongoing and accumulating for several years, which needs to be taken into account when arriving at the correct figures.
Share Capital
The balance sheet nominal value paid into the company by shareholders at the time(s) shares were issued.
Shareholders' Funds
A measure of the shareholders' total interest in the company represented by the total share capital plus reserves.
T/T (telegraphic transfer)
Interntional banking payment method: a telegraphic transfer payment, commonly used/required for import/export trade, between a bank and an overseas party enabling transfer of local or foreign currency by telegraph, cable or telex. Also called a cable transfer. The terminology dates from times when such communications were literally 'wired' - before wireless communications technology.
Variable Cost
A cost which varies with sales or operational volumes, eg materials, fuel, commission payments.
Working Capital
Current assets less current liabilities, representing the required investment, continually circulating, to finance stock, debtors, and work in progress.
Acid test
A stern measure of a company's ability to pay its short term debts, in that stock is excluded from asset value. (liquid assets/current liabilities) Also referred to as the Quick Ratio.
Assets
Anything owned by the company having a monetary value; eg, 'fixed' assets like buildings, plant and machinery, vehicles (these are not assets if rentedand not owned) and potentially including intangibles like trade marks and brand names, and 'current' assets, such as stock, debtors and cash.
Asset Turnover
Measure of operational efficiency - shows how much revenue is produced per £ of assets available to the business. (sales revenue/total assets less current liabilities)
Balance Sheet
The Balance Sheet is one of the three essential measurement reports for the performance and health of a company along with the Profit and Loss Account and the Cashflow Statement. The Balance Sheet is a 'snapshot' in time of who owns what in the company, and what assets and debts represent the value of the company. (It can only ever nbe a snapshot because the picture is always changing.) The Balance Sheet is where to look for information about short-term and long-term debts, gearing (the ratio of debt to equity), reserves, stock values (materials and finsished goods), capital assets, cash on hand, along with the value of shareholders' funds. The term 'balance sheet' is derived from the simple purpose of detailing where the money came from, and where it is now. The balance sheet equation is fundamentally: (where the money came from) Capital + Liabilities = Assets (where the money is now). Hence the term 'double entry' - for every change on one side of the balance sheet, so there must be a corresponding change on the other side - it must always balance. The Balance Sheet does not show how much profit the company is making (the P&L does this), although pervious years' retained profits will add to the company's reserves, which are shown in the balance sheet.
Budget
In a financial planning context the word 'budget' (as a noun) strictly speaking means an amount of money that is planned to spend on a particularly activity or resource, usually over a trading year, although budgets apply to shorter and longer periods. An overall organizational plan therefore contains the budgets within it for all the different departments and costs held by them. The verb 'to budget' means to calculate and set a budget, although in a looser context it also means to be careful with money and find reductions (effectively by setting a lower budgeted level of expenditure). The word budget is also more loosely used by many people to mean the whole plan. In which context a budget means the same as a plan. For example in the UK the Government's annual plan is called 'The Budget'. A 'forecast' in certain contexts means the same as a budget - either a planned individual activity/resource cost, or a whole business/ corporate/organizational plan. A 'forecast' more commonly (and precisely in my view) means a prediction of performance - costs and/or revenues, or other data such as headcount, % performance, etc., especially when the 'forecast' is made during the trading period, and normally after the plan or 'budget' has been approved. In simple terms: budget = plan or a cost element within a plan; forecast = updated budget or plan. The verb forms are also used, meaning the act of calculating the budget or forecast.
Capital Employed
The value of all resources available to the company, typically comprising share capital, retained profits and reserves, long-term loans and deferred taxation. Viewed from the other side of the balance sheet, capital employed comprises fixed assets, investments and the net investment in working capital (current assets less current liabilities). In other words: the total long-term funds invested in or lent to the business and used by it in carrying out its operations.
Cashflow
The movement of cash in and out of a business from day-to-day direct trading and other non-trading or indirect effects, such as capital expenditure, tax and dividend payments.
Cashflow Statement
One of the three essential reporting and measurement systems for any company. The cashflow statement provides a third perspective alongside the Profit and Loss account and Balance Sheet. The Cashflow statement shows the movement and availability of cash through and to the business over a given period, certainly for a trading year, and often also monthly and cumulatively. The availability of cash in a company that is necessary to meet payments to suppliers, staff and other creditors is essential for any business to survive, and so the reliable forecasting and reporting of cash movement and availability is crucial.
cost of debt ratio (average cost of debt ratio)
Despite the different variations used for this term (cost of debt, cost of debt ratio, average cost of debt ratio, etc) the term normally and simply refers to the interest expense over a given period as a percentage of the average outstanding debt over the same period, ie., cost of interest divided by average outstanding debt.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
The directly attributable costs of products or services sold, (usually materials, labour, and direct production costs). Sales less COGS = gross profit. Effetively the same as cost of sales (COS) see below for fuller explanation.
Cost of Sales (COS)
Commonly arrived at via the formula: opening stock + stock purchased - closing stock.
Cost of sales is the value, at cost, of the goods or services sold during the period in question, usually the financial year, as shown in a Profit and Loss Account (P&L). In all accounts, particularly the P&L (trading account) it's important that costs are attributed reliably to the relevant revenues, or the report is distorted and potentially meaningless. To use simply the total value of stock purchases during the period in question would not produce the correct and relevant figure, as some product sold was already held in stock before the period began, and some product bought during the period remains unsold at the end of it. Some stock held before the period often remains unsold at the end of it too. The formula is the most logical way of calculating the value at cost of all goods sold, irrespective of when the stock was purchased. The value of the stock attributable to the sales in the period (cost of sales) is the total of what we started with in stock (opening stock), and what we purchased (stock purchases), minus what stock we have left over at the end of the period (closing stock).
Current Assets
Cash and anything that is expected to be converted into cash within twelve months of the balance sheet date.
Current Ratio
The relationship between current assets and current liabilities, indicating the liquidity of a business, ie its ability to meet its short-term obligations. Also referred to as the Liquidity Ratio.
Current Liabilities
Money owed by the business that is generally due for payment within 12 months of balance sheet date. Examples: creditors, bank overdraft, taxation.
Depreciation
The apportionment of cost of a (usually large) capital item over an agreed period, (based on life expectancy or obsolescence), for example, a piece of equipment costing £10k having a life of five years might be depreciated over five years at a cost of £2k per year. (In which case the P&L would show a depreciation cost of £2k per year; the balance sheet would show an asset value of £8k at the end of year one, reducing by £2k per year; and the cashflow statement would show all £10k being used to pay for it in year one.)
Dividend
A dividend is a payment made per share, to a company's shareholders by a company, based on the profits of the year, but not necessarily all of the profits, arrived at by the directors and voted at the company's annual general meeting. A company can choose to pay a dividend from reserves following a loss-making year, and conversely a company can choose to pay no dividend after a profit-making year, depending on what is believed to be in the best interests of the company. Keeping shareholders happy and committed to their investment is always an issue in deciding dividend payments. Along with the increase in value of a stock or share, the annual dividend provides the shareholder with a return on the shareholding investment.
Earnings Before..
There are several 'Earnings Before..' ratios and acronyms: EBT = Earnings Before Taxes; EBIT = Earnings Before Interest and Taxes; EBIAT = Earnings Before Interest after Taxes; EBITD = Earnings Before Interest, Taxes and Depreciation; and EBITDA = Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. (Earnings = operating and non-operating profits (eg interest, dividends received from other investments). Depreciation is the non-cash charge to the balance sheet which is made in writing off an asset over a period. Amortisation is the payment of a loan in instalments.
Fixed Assets
Assets held for use by the business rather than for sale or conversion into cash, eg, fixtures and fittings, equipment, buildings.
Fixed cost
A cost which does not vary with changing sales or production volumes, eg, building lease costs, permanent staff wages, rates, depreciation of capital items.
FOB - 'Free on Board'
The FOB (Free On Board) abbreviation is an import/export term relating to the point at which responsibility for goods passes from seller (exporter) to buyer (importer). It's in this listing because it's commonly misunderstood and also has potentially significant financial implications. FOB meant originally (and depending on the context stills generally means) that the seller is liable for the goods and is responsible for all costs of transport, insurance, etc., until and including the goods being loaded at the (nominated FOB) port. An importing buyer would typically ask for the FOB price, (which is now now often linked to a port name, eg., FOB Hamburg or FOB Vancouver), knowing that this price is 'free' or inclusive of all costs and liabilities of getting the goods from the seller to the port and on board the craft or vessel. Logically FOB also meant and still means that the seller is liable for any loss or damage up to the point that the goods are loaded onto the vessel at the FOB port, and that thereafter the buyer assumes responsibility for the goods and the costs of transport and the liability. From the seller's point of view an FOB price must therefore include/recover his costs of transport from factory or warehouse, insurance and loading, because the seller is unable to charge these costs as extras once the FOB price has been stated. The FOB expression originates particularly from the meaning that the buyer is free of liability and costs of transport up to the point that the goods are loaded on board the ship. In modern times FOB also applies to freight for export by aircraft from airports. In recent years the term has come to be used in slightly different ways, even to the extent that other interpretations are placed on the acronym, most commonly 'Freight On Board', which is technically incorrect. While technically incorrect also, terms such as 'FOB Destination' have entered into common use, meaning that the insurance liability and costs of transportation and responsibility for the goods are the seller's until the goods are delivered to the buyer's stipulated delivery destination. If in doubt ask exactly what the other person means by FOB because the applications have broadened. While liability and responsibility for goods passes from seller to buyer at the point that goods are agreed to be FOB, the FOB principle does not correlate to payment terms, which is a matter for separate negotiation. FOB is a mechanism for agreeing price and transport responsibility, not for agreeing payment terms. In summary: FOB (Free On Board), used alone, originally meant that the transportation cost and liability for exported goods was with the seller until the goods were loaded onto the ship (at the port of exportation); nowadays FOB (Free On Board or the distorted interpretation 'Freight On Board') has a wider usage - the principle is the same, ie., seller has liability for goods, insurance and costs of transport until the goods are loaded (or delivered), but the point at which goods are 'FOB' is no longer likely to be just the port of export - it can be any place that it suits the buyer to stipulate. So, if you are an exporter, beware of buyers stipulating 'FOB destination' - it means the exporter is liable for the goods and pays transport costs up until delivery to the customer.
Gearing
The ratio of debt to equity, usually the relationship between long-term borrowings and shareholders' funds.
Goodwill
Any surplus money paid to acquire a company that exceeds its net tangible assets value.
Gross Profit
Sales less cost of goods or services sold. Also referred to as gross profit margin, or gross profit, and often abbreviated to simply 'margin'. See also 'net profit'.
Initial Public Offering (ipo)
An Initial Public Offering (IPO being the Stock Exchange and corporate acronym) is the first sale of privately owned equity (stock or shares) in a company via the issue of shares to the public and other investing institutions. In other words an IPO is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs typically involve small, young companies raising capital to finance growth. For investors IPO's can risky as it is difficult to predict the value of the stock (shares) when they open for trading. An IPO is effectively 'going public' or 'taking a company public'.
Letters of Credit
These mechanisms are used by exporters and importers, and usually provided by the importing company's bank to the exporter to safeguard the contractual expectations and particularly financial exposure of the exporter of the goods or services. (Also called 'export letters of credit, and 'import letters of credit'.)
When an exporter agrees to supply a customer in another country, the exporter needs to know that the goods will be paid for.
The common system, which has been in use for many years, is for the customer's bank to issue a 'letter of credit' at the request of the buyer, to the seller. The letter of credit essentially guarantees that the bank will pay the seller's invoice (using the customer's money of course) provided the goods or services are supplied in accordance with the terms stipulated in the letter, which should obviously reflect the agreement between the seller and buyer. This gives the supplier an assurance that their invoice will be paid, beyond any other assurances or contracts made with the customer. Letters of credit are often complex documents that require careful drafting to protect the interests of buyer and seller. The customer's bank charges a fee to issue a letter of credit, and the customer pays this cost.
The seller should also approve the wording of the buyer's letter of credit, and often should seek professional advice and guarantees to this effect from their own financial services provider.
In short, a letter of credit is a guarantee from the issuing bank's to the seller that if compliant documents are presented by the seller to the buyer's bank, then the buyer's bank will pay the seller the amount due. The 'compliance' of the seller's documentation covers not only the goods or services supplied, but also the timescales involved, method for, format of and place at which the documents are presented. It is common for exporters to experience delays in obtaining payment against letters of credit because they have either failed to understand the terms within the letter of credit, failed to meet the terms, or both. It is important therefore for sellers to understand all aspects of letters of credit and to ensure letters of credit are properly drafted, checked, approved and their conditions met. It is also important for sellers to use appropriate professional services to validate the authenticity of any unknown bank issuing a letter of credit.
letters of guarantee
There are many types of letters of guarantee. These types of letters of guarantee are concerned with providing safeguards to buyers that suppliers will meet their obligations or vice-versa, and are issued by the supplier's or customer's bank depending on which party seeks the guarantee. While a letter of credit essentially guarantees payment to the exporter, a letter of guarantee provides safeguard that other aspects of the supplier's or customer's obligations will be met. The supplier's or customer's bank is effectively giving a direct guarantee on behalf of the supplier or customer that the supplier's or customer's obligations will be met, and in the event of the supplier's or customer's failure to meet obligations to the other party then the bank undertakes the responsibility for those obligations.
Typical obligations covered by letters of guarantee are concerned with:
• Tender Guarantees (Bid Bonds) - whereby the bank assures the buyer that the supplier will not refuse a contract if awarded.
• Performance Guarantee - This guarantees that the goods or services are delivered in accordance with contract terms and timescales.
• Advance Payment Guarantee - This guarantees that any advance payment received by the supplier will be used by the supplier in accordance with the terms of contract between seller and buyer.
There are other types of letters of guarantee, including obligations concerning customs and tax, etc, and as with letters of credit, these are complex documents with extremely serious implications. For this reasons suppliers and customers alike must check and obtain necessary validation of any issued letters of guarantee.
Liabilities
General term for what the business owes. Liabilities are long-term loans of the type used to finance the business and short-term debts or money owing as a result of trading activities to date . Long term liabilities, along with Share Capital and Reserves make up one side of the balance sheet equation showing where the money came from. The other side of the balance sheet will show Current Liabilities along with various Assets, showing where the money is now.
Liquidity Ratio
Indicates the company's ability to pay its short term debts, by measuring the relationship between current assets (ie those which can be turned into cash) against the short-term debt value. (current assets/current liabilities) Also referred to as the Current Ratio.
Net Assets (also called total net assets)
Total assets (fixed and current) less current liabilities and long-term liabilities that have not been capitalised (eg, short-term loans).
Net Current Assets
Current Assets less Current Liabilities.
Net Present Value (npv)
NPV is a significant measurement in business investment decisions. NPV is essentially a measurement of all future cashflow (revenues minus costs, also referred to as net benefits) that will be derived from a particular investment (whether in the form of a project, a new product line, a proposition, or an entire business), minus the cost of the investment. Logically if a proposition has a positive NPV then it is profitable and is worthy of consideration. If negative then it's unprofitable and should not be pursued. While there are many other factors besides a positive NPV which influence investment decisions; NPV provides a consistent method of comparing propositions and investment opportunities from a simple capital/investment/profit perspective. There are different and complex ways to construct NPV formulae, largely due to the interpretation of the 'discount rate' used in the calculations to enable future values to be shown as a present value. Corporations generally develop their own rules for NPV calculations, including discount rate. NPV is not easy to understand for non-financial people - wikipedia seems to provide a good detailed explanation if you need one.
Net Profit
Net profit can mean different things so it always needs clarifying. Net strictly means 'after all deductions' (as opposed to just certain deductions used to arrive at a gross profit or margin). Net profit normally refers to profit after deduction of all operating expenses, notably after deduction of fixed costs or fixed overheads. This contrasts with the term 'gross profit' which normally refers to the difference between sales and direct cost of product or service sold (also referred to as gross margin or gross profit margin) and certainly before the deduction of operating costs or overheads. Net profit normally refers to the profit figure before deduction of corporation tax, in which case the term is often extended to 'net profit before tax' or PBT.
Opening/Closing Stock
See explanation under Cost of Sales.
P/E Ratio (price per earnings)
The P/E ratio is an important indicator as to how the investing market views the health, performance, prospects and investment risk of a public company listed on a stock exchange (a listed company). The P/E ratio is also a highly complex concept - it's a guide to use alongside other indicators, not an absolute measure to rely on by itself. The P/E ratio is arrived at by dividing the stock or share price by the earnings per share (profit after tax and interest divided by the number of ordinary shares in issue). As earnings per share are a yearly total, the P/E ratio is also an expression of how many years it will take for earnings to cover the stock price investment. P/E ratios are best viewed over time so that they can be seen as a trend. A steadily increasing P/E ratio is seen by the investors as increasingly speculative (high risk) because it takes longer for earnings to cover the stock price. Obviously whenever the stock price changes, so does the P/E ratio. More meaningful P/E analysis is conducted by looking at earnings over a period of several years. P/E ratios should also be compared over time, with other company's P/E ratios in the same market sector, and with the market as a whole. Step by step, to calculate the P/E ratio:
1. Establish total profit after tax and interest for the past year.
2. Divide this by the number of shares issued.
3. This gives you the earnings per share.
4. Divide the price of the stock or share by the earnings per share.
5. This gives the Price/Earnings or P/E ratio.
Profit and Loss Account (P&L)
One of the three principal business reporting and measuring tools (along with the balance sheet and cashflow statement). The P&L is essentially a trading account for a period, usually a year, but also can be monthly and cumulative. It shows profit performance, which often has little to do with cash, stocks and assets (which must be viewed from a separate perspective using balance sheet and cashflow statement). The P&L typically shows sales revenues, cost of sales/cost of goods sold, generally a gross profit margin (sometimes called 'contribution'), fixed overheads and or operating expenses, and then a profit before tax figure (PBT). A fully detailed P&L can be highly complex, but only because of all the weird and wonderful policies and conventions that the company employs. Basically the P&L shows how well the company has performed in its trading activities.
Overhead
An expense that cannot be attributed to any one single part of the company's activities.
Quick Ratio
Same as the Acid Test. The relationship between current assets readily convertible into cash (usually current assets less stock) and current liabilities. A sterner test of liquidity.
Reserves
The accumulated and retained difference between profits and losses year on year since the company's formation.
Restricted Funds
These are funds used by an organisation that are restricted or earmarked by a donor for a specific purpose, which can be extremely specific or quite broad, eg., endowment or pensions investment; research (in the case of donations to a charity or research organisation); or a particular project with agreed terms of reference and outputs such as to meet the criteria or terms of the donation or award or grant. The source of restricted funds can be from government, foundations and trusts, grant-awarding bodies, philanthropic organisations, private donations, bequests from wills, etc. The practical implication is that restricted funds are ring-fenced and must not be used for any other than their designated purpose, which may also entail specific reporting and timescales, with which the organisation using the funds must comply. A glaring example of misuse of restricted funds would be when Maxwell spent Mirror Group pension funds on Mirror Group development.
Return on Capital Employed (ROCE)
A fundamental financial performance measure. A percentage figure representing profit before interest against the money that is invested in the business. (profit before interest and tax, divided by capital employed, x 100 to produce percentage figure.)
Return on Investment
Another fundamental financial and business performance measure. This term means different things to different people (often depending on perspective and what is actually being judged) so it's important to clarify understanding if interpretation has serious implications. Many business managers and owners use the term in a general sense as a means of assessing the merit of an investment or business decision. 'Return' generally means profit before tax, but clarify this with the person using the term - profit depends on various circumstances, not least the accounting conventions used in the business. In this sense most CEO's and business owners regard ROI as the ultimate measure of any business or any business proposition, after all it's what most business is aimed at producing - maximum return on investment, otherise you might as well put your money in a bank savings account. Strictly speaking Return On Investment is defined as:
Profits derived as a proportion of and directly attributable to cost or 'book value' of an asset, liability or activity, net of depreciation.
In simple terms this the profit made from an investment. The 'investment' could be the value of a whole business (in which case the value is generally regarded as the company's total assets minus intangible assets, such as goodwill, trademarks, etc and liabilities, such as debt. N.B. A company's book value might be higher or lower than its market value); or the investment could relate to a part of a business, a new product, a new factory, a new piece of plant, or any activity or asset with a cost attached to it.
The main point is that the term seeks to define the profit made from a business investment or business decision. Bear in mind that costs and profits can be ongoing and accumulating for several years, which needs to be taken into account when arriving at the correct figures.
Share Capital
The balance sheet nominal value paid into the company by shareholders at the time(s) shares were issued.
Shareholders' Funds
A measure of the shareholders' total interest in the company represented by the total share capital plus reserves.
T/T (telegraphic transfer)
Interntional banking payment method: a telegraphic transfer payment, commonly used/required for import/export trade, between a bank and an overseas party enabling transfer of local or foreign currency by telegraph, cable or telex. Also called a cable transfer. The terminology dates from times when such communications were literally 'wired' - before wireless communications technology.
Variable Cost
A cost which varies with sales or operational volumes, eg materials, fuel, commission payments.
Working Capital
Current assets less current liabilities, representing the required investment, continually circulating, to finance stock, debtors, and work in progress.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
TOP 100 WEBSITES
# Website Summary
1 Yahoo! Yahoo is your Online Free Treasure Room! An outstanding search engine (especially for "official" websites), it also provides a cornucopia of free services: free email, maps, Yellow Pages, games, shopping, news, finance, sports, live chat -- the list just goes on and on and on! By far (in our opinion), Yahoo is the best site on the Web!
2 Google We believe Google is simply the best tool on the Web for finding just about anything (except possibly "official" websites). It is screamingly fast, sleek, streamlined, and as comprehensive as a search tool can be.
3 Amazon.com Amazon is nothing less than a revolution in how the world shops. It is a huge step forward in the achievement of an ideal competitive market. It is user-friendly, vast, and reliable.
4 About.com About.com breaks up the Web into major subject areas with a volunteer human host for each of them. It helps you sift out the wheat from the chaff on an enormous range of subjects.
5 Bartleby.com Much of the greatest literature in the history of humankind will be found in full text form (and free of charge) at this amazing site. In addition, many useful reference tools are here (also free!)
6 Google Groups Formerly "DejaNews", Google Groups is a glorious experiment in free speech! This oceanic database of over 800 million posted "Usenet" messages from people all over the globe constitutes the largest bulletin board in the history of the world! It's fully searchable, and you can post your own messages free of charge. (Tip: don't use your primary email address in your posts! To avoid spam, use a temporary email address.)
7 Google News A bold endeavor in online journalism, Google News provides you hundreds of news sources (typically) for each of the major stories of the day. Just find the story that interests you on the main page, and you will see something like "227 related" or "535 related" just beneath it. Click this to see the extensive range of news sources available for the story you are after! (Its database of past news is also searchable.)
8 CNN For fast-breaking news and responsible journalism, it's hard to beat CNN. And the text content at this site is mostly free!
9 EBay Ebay is the world's biggest, longest-running garage sale, as well as its most extensive auction house. Buy, sell, browse, bid, and be amazed at what you find at this wonderful site!
10 Download.com If you love software treasure-hunting, Download.com is the site for you! This massive and well-rounded collection of shareware (try-before-you-buy) and freeware (totally free software) is fully searchable and sortable. And there's no wait for a package in the mail: download it NOW, install it, and take it for a test drive!
11 Craigslist.org Craigslist.org is a daring bulletin board system directed toward the major cities in the US, Canada, the UK, and (soon) other countries. The magical distinction of Craigslist is its use of anonymous email forwarding: your email address is invisible to the public. A pointer (which expires after several days) forwards all responses to you. Visit Craigslist if you want to sell or buy something, if you want to meet new people (romantically or otherwise), if you want to look for a job, or if you want to share your ideas. Almost all of its features are totally free, except job listings for employers.
12 Reference.com Your inner-librarian will be delighted! Here you will find (free of charge) Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Atlases, and an assortment of other helpful resources.
13 Wikipedia.org One of the most remarkable online encyclopedias on the Web! All the content is free, in the public domain, and quotable. Wikipedia is maintained by an army of volunteers. Even so, its content remains of very high quality. Wikipedia is a good example of how the Web can function at is best! Be sure to visit whenever you have any question that an encyclopedia might help you answer. You might be surprised how often Wikipedia will come through for you!
14 Beliefnet.com Beliefnet.com is an online community for people who practice spirituality in just about any tradition in the world. The emphasis here is on mutual respect and tolerance. Free inquiry and exchange of ideas is invited. Secular (non-religious) philosophies and ideas are also welcome. Also, sacred texts from the world's great religions will be found referenced at this site.
15 Anywho Anywho is a great online phone book and people-finder sponsored by AT&T. Use the Yellow Pages for businesses, the White Pages for people, and the Reverse Lookup if all you have is a phone number.
16 Weather.com Enter your Zip Code and see the weather predictions for the next ten days (scroll down), courtesy of The Weather Channel. It's easy and it's free!
17 Search.com Search.com is an outstanding example of a "metasearch engine": a web search tool that employs over 1,000 search engines running in parallel to help you find what you are looking for.
18 Hotmail.com MSN's Hotmail.com provides you with totally free email, pure and simple!
19 NIH.gov The National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has created this clearinghouse of information on all matters related to your physical well-being. You'll find drug information (MEDLINEplus), disease & symptom documentation, health recommendations, summaries on every major system of the human body, and much more at this excellent site.
20 CNET.com CNET.com (the parent site of Download.com) is a technophile's oasis! If you are looking for desktop computers, laptops, printers, peripherals, software cell phones, cameras, or just about any other kind of gadgetry, be sure to take advantage of CNET's reviews and price comparison features. This free site can save you hundred or thousands of dollars, depending on your needs
21 London Books The London Review of Books is a respected journal for those who enjoy reading the best books in the world! At times, the reviews themselves rise to the level of great literature.
22 Refdesk.com You could spend tens and tens of hours browsing the huge catalogue of useful websites at Refdesk.com. You'll find newspapers, photo databases, reference tools, trivia, quotes, self-help advice, search engines, and much, much more at this virtual goldmine of the Web.
23 MayoClinic.com Simply put, the Mayo Clinic is one of the greatest hospitals and medical research centers on Planet Earth. In that tradition, the Mayo Clinic provides this excellent website devoted to the promotion of human health.
24 GuideStar.org If you give some of your time, money, and energy to help the disadvantaged of the world, you would probably like to know that your contributions are put to good use. GuideStar.org provides extensive information on nearly all major charitable organizations. It will help you "heal the world" responsibly. 25 FirstGov.gov The official portal of the Federal Government of the United States, FirstGov.gov puts you in touch with your elected officials and the agencies and people they govern. Lots of good information here.
26 BBC.com The BBC has long been the standard for international journalism. At this site, you can watch, listen, and read live and recorded content from the BBC. (Be sure to catch the hourly World News Update!) But don’t stop with the news! Be sure to browse the History, Science, Society, and other categories to find rich content of unusually high quality. You could browse this site for many weeks without exhausting its abundant resources!
27 IMDB.com The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is a movie-lover's paradise! Discover every movie your favorite actor/actress has been in, discover every actress/actor in your favorite movie! All the facts about all the films will be found here.
28 Expedia.com Expedia.com makes travel very easy and about as cheap as it can be. Your one stop shop for low-cost air travel, hotels, rental cars, and tour packages!
29 Slate.com MSN's Slate is one of the premier online magazines. You'll find news, ideas, reviews, and much more here.
30 Nutrition.gov Nutrition.gov provides authoritative information about health and nutrition. You will also find the USDA's National Nutrient Database here, which will allow you to evaluate your diet with more knowledge than ever before!
31 Altmedicine.com Alternative medicine has found its voice on the web at Altmedicine.com! Having received praise from many sources (including the prestigious medical journal "The Lancet"), Altmedicine.com explores the best information from many sources on alternative approaches to human health.
32 Citysearch.com When you need to get to know a city fast, Citysearch.com should be your first stop! You'll find information and reviews of restaurants, hotels, places to see, shopping, services, and much more about major American (and some international) cities at this site.
33 Monster.com Need a job? Visit Monster.com, an enormous database & job listing site for employers and employees to be!
34 Vote-Smart.org Enter your Zip Code and find links to your Congresspersons, your President, and your state representatives! Project Vote Smart will help you become an informed and effective voter.
35 Sciam.com The online manifestaton of Scientific American magazine, Sciam.com presents clear, intelligent writing on the most important scientific discoveries, initiatives, and controversies of our time. Much of the content is free. And you can search past issues!
36 ESPN.com If you love sports, sports history, or sports statistics, ESPN.com is the site for you!
37 Encarta.com MSN's online encyclopedia Encarta gives you fast, free access to an amazing range of facts. Much of the content is free, but some requires membership.
38 Findlaw.com Findlaw.com provides a fantastic set of tools for anyone interested in American Law. Widely used by legal professionals, it can also be used profitably by laymen. Learn the facts about the laws that govern you from this excellent site!
39 Nature.com One of the world's premier scientific journals, Nature, provides much of its content online (and much of it free!) Check out subject areas on Chemistry, Physics, Microbiology, Medicine and much more at this fantastic site!
40 USA Today local Though it's not quite a substitute for your favorite local paper, USA Today's "States" news will give you a summary of the major events in all 50 states of the Union.
41 AllPosters.com Who would have thought that one of the best selections of fine art prints online would be available at a poster shop?! Allposters.com is almost like an online museum: but a museum at which you can buy what you see (at reasonable prices). Not only fine art, but movie and concert posters and many other things framable will be found here!
42 Time.com Time magazine is one most respected news magazines on earth. And much of its content is available free here!
43 Mapquest.com Get clear, printable maps, driving directions, addresses of businesses, and much more at Mapquest.com
44 Abebooks.com Find your favorite old or out-of-print books at this wonderful site!
45 Allmusic.com From Beethoven to the Beatles and beyond, you'll find Allmusic.com a treasure-trove of musical knowledge.
46 MedlinePlus.gov The National Institutes of Health maintains MedlinePlus for those interested in reliable information on prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Even so, you'll find many other valuable health-related resources here.
47 Open Directory As modest as it appears, the Open Directory is a true powerhouse in web-searching! It provides search data to many of the most widely-used search engines, and it itself is a first rate directory of the best of the Web. 48 LOC.gov The Library of Congress is gradually making more and more of its collosal store of resources available on the web. Its website should afford you many happy hours of browsing.
49 Windows Media Online Radio is here, and MSN's Windows Media is one of the finest sites available devoted to it!
50 UComics.com Your favorite comics may be online, and they may be here! The latest contributions from Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, Doonesbury, Cathy, Ziggy, and many others will be found at this easy-to-use site.
51 InfoPlease.com A first-rate online almanac, atlas, dictionary, & encylcopedia, all rolled into one!
52 Alexa.com What's good is not always popular, and what's popular is not always good, but on the Internet, popularity and quality go are found together often enough. Alexa.com helps you find the most frequently visited sites in many categories.
53 Museums When you're too busy to visit museums in person, you can visit them online! This fantastic guide to online museums is a great place to start.
54 UN.org The homepage of the United Nations presents a rich collection of information about the state of humankind on Planet Earth. Practical strategies for making this world a better place are laid out in substantial detail here.
55 Sacred Texts The Internet Sacred Text Archive presents the scriptures of the world's great spiritual traditions. You'll find sacred writings from Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and many others here (along with a few curious entries!)
56 ArtForum.com Artforum is one of the world's most widely read journals devoted to the fine arts. Be sure to check out there "Museum Finder" when you visit!
57 WebMD.com Get sound medical information and tips on a healthy lifestyle from this respected site.
58 VLIB.org The WWW Virtual Library relies on a consortium of experts around the world to present the richest content available on the Web in a broad range of subject areas.
59 MoneyCentral MSN's MoneyCentral will help you make intelligent decisions about investing, taxes, loans, retirement, and all things financial.
60 Classmates.com Wouldn't you love to track down some of your old school friends? Or maybe a favorite teacher who made a difference in your life? This is the place to start. Basic access is free, premium access is modestly priced.
61 Europa.eu.int The Hompage of the European Union is home to a vast collection of information about all aspects of European government. The EU's goals and strategies for achieving them are discussed in detail.
62 Yahoo! Groups Nowhere is it easier to start your own discussion group or bulletin board about just about anything! Within minutes and with no cost, you can have your special subject humming with lively (and often scrappy) discussion. Free speech rules!
63 NY Rev Books This foremost literary journal is surprisingly generous with its content: access the full content of each edition online. Remarkable.
64 Jokes.com Not only will you find jokes in abundance here, but each joke has a running rating from site visitors! Be forewarned, not all these jokes are in good taste!
65 Priceline.com Name the price you're willing to pay for airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, vacations, or cruises. There's no guarantee your offer will be accepted, but if it is, you will save some serious money!
66 RottenTomatoes Which movie should you see this weekend? Rottentomatoes.com lets you read the opinions of over 100 critics (for most movies) to help you decide. The "Cream of the Crop" critics list may include your favorite critic. The popular "TomatoMeter" gives you a running average of the critics ratings for each film.
67 IPL.org The Internet Public Library, based at the University of Michigan, may be the next best thing to having a University library attached to your house! In some ways, it may be even better.
68 AceFitness.com We all know we should exercise, but what exercises are best for us? The American Council on Exercise describes exercises that are safe and effective for those wishing to stay in shape.
69 Quicken.com The home of Quicken financial software, this site also provides free tools to help you plan and manage your assets.
70 Andante.com This celebrated classical music magazine is available online, much of the content free. Paying members will enjoy an extensive collection of additional resources.
71 Pauling Nutrition What does the latest research say about vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, and other nutrients? The Micronutrient Information Center of the Linus Pauling Institute provides detailed and well-documented information on all these. (Incidentally, Linus Pauling was the only person in history to win two Nobel Prizes!)
72 PCmag.com PC Magazine has long been a favorite read of computer and technology enthusiasts. For hardware and software reviews, as well as tips for improving your computing experience, be sure to visit this site!
73 Times of London Yes, you have to subscribe for access, but it's worth it to read the Times of London online.
74 Federal Jobs The FedWorld Federal Job Search engine might land you in a new job quicker than you had thought possible! It's free to use, and user-friendly.
75 IHT.com One of the world's finest newspapers, the International Herald Tribune is also one of the few online newspapers that doesn't require registration to read, free or otherwise! (Let's hope it stays that way!)
76 Online Books Over 20,000 free books on the Web, many of them classics! Search by author, title, subject, century, or just browse for fun.
77 Pogo.com Play Chess, Checkers, card games, or work Crosswords online at Pogo.com, a free website maintained by Electronic Arts!
78 BizRate.com BizRate.com may be "the largest, fastest, and most accurate shopping search engine on the Web". Save money and find top quality at this site.
79 Billboard.com Billboard Magazine has chronicled the world of popular music and entertainment since its founding in 1894! (Yes, that's 1894, not 1994!) Much of the information at this site is free.
80 Translation
81 Give.org Most of us would like to donate money, time, energy, or ideas to help the least advantaged people of the world. But it is a challenge to ensure that our donations are used effectively and responsibly. Give.org, a service of the Better Business Bureau, evaluates major charities and provides reports on how responsibly they do their work.
82 Mathworld "The Web's most extensive mathematics resource" will help you remember all the algebra, geometry, trig, statistics, calculus, and diffie-Q that you left behind years ago! And you'll probably learn a lot you never knew along the way.
83 WebRing.org Webrings are like pearl necklaces of websites on related topics. Webring.org helps you find the webring that you'd like to browse or insert your own website into.
84 Career Builder CareerBuilder.com employs its network of more than 130 local newspapers to help employ YOU! If you're looking for work, do stop by!
85 411.com 411.com is a combined online Yellow Pages, White Pages, People Finder, and more!
86 Epinions.com This site exists to help people make intelligent buying decisions. It is a compendium of reviews from thousands of people on thousands of different products. A good site to visit before any major purchase.
87 Spiritual Journals The Religious Studies Web Guide is an enormous collection of links to major journals in theology and spiritual philosophy.
88 ALdaily.com Arts & Letters Daily is a favorite stop for those who love thinking, literature, and dazzling ideas. It's always fresh and always relevant.
89 Nolopress.com The homepage of Nolo Press, the pioneers of do-it-yourself law, is also a rich source of free legal information.
90 Classical.net Classical music lovers of all different levels of experience and sublety will love this site devoted to the history and ideas of great western music.
91 Blogger Create your own "blog" to express your ideas to the world and invite responses. This service is high quality, and it's free!
92 NYTimes.com The New York Times online does require (free) registration, but it is well worth that small investment of time. Keep up on events that shape the world by visiting often.
93 Earthcam.com Live online cameras are all over the world in fascinating and often unlikely places. Look through many windows on the world LIVE at Earthcam.com!
94 BBB.org The Better Business Bureau is online and ready to help in the continuing struggle against shoddy business practices.
95 intelihealth Harvard Medical School's respository of consumer health information will be found at this excellent site, along with many user-friendly articles on health, disease, drugs, and the human body.
96 LiveJournal.com Keep a journal online about anything at all! And browse the journals of others. Livejournal.com is one of the most popular "blogging" sites, and with very good reason.
97 BBC Faith The "Religion & Ethics" site of the BBC sets the world's great spiritual traditions side by side and provides extensive information on each of them.
98 ArtsJournal This "daily digest of arts, culture, and ideas" is sure to provide stimulation for aesthetes and intellectuals.
99 TicketMaster The purpose of ticketmaster.com is simple: get the tickets you want easily, in advance, and at a reasonable cost.
100 Gutenberg.net Project Gutenberg presents a collection of over 15,000 electronic books ("ebooks") available for free download! Most are older literary works in the public domain, many of the considered classics. An amazing and useful monument to the volunteer labor of thousands of participants!
1 Yahoo! Yahoo is your Online Free Treasure Room! An outstanding search engine (especially for "official" websites), it also provides a cornucopia of free services: free email, maps, Yellow Pages, games, shopping, news, finance, sports, live chat -- the list just goes on and on and on! By far (in our opinion), Yahoo is the best site on the Web!
2 Google We believe Google is simply the best tool on the Web for finding just about anything (except possibly "official" websites). It is screamingly fast, sleek, streamlined, and as comprehensive as a search tool can be.
3 Amazon.com Amazon is nothing less than a revolution in how the world shops. It is a huge step forward in the achievement of an ideal competitive market. It is user-friendly, vast, and reliable.
4 About.com About.com breaks up the Web into major subject areas with a volunteer human host for each of them. It helps you sift out the wheat from the chaff on an enormous range of subjects.
5 Bartleby.com Much of the greatest literature in the history of humankind will be found in full text form (and free of charge) at this amazing site. In addition, many useful reference tools are here (also free!)
6 Google Groups Formerly "DejaNews", Google Groups is a glorious experiment in free speech! This oceanic database of over 800 million posted "Usenet" messages from people all over the globe constitutes the largest bulletin board in the history of the world! It's fully searchable, and you can post your own messages free of charge. (Tip: don't use your primary email address in your posts! To avoid spam, use a temporary email address.)
7 Google News A bold endeavor in online journalism, Google News provides you hundreds of news sources (typically) for each of the major stories of the day. Just find the story that interests you on the main page, and you will see something like "227 related" or "535 related" just beneath it. Click this to see the extensive range of news sources available for the story you are after! (Its database of past news is also searchable.)
8 CNN For fast-breaking news and responsible journalism, it's hard to beat CNN. And the text content at this site is mostly free!
9 EBay Ebay is the world's biggest, longest-running garage sale, as well as its most extensive auction house. Buy, sell, browse, bid, and be amazed at what you find at this wonderful site!
10 Download.com If you love software treasure-hunting, Download.com is the site for you! This massive and well-rounded collection of shareware (try-before-you-buy) and freeware (totally free software) is fully searchable and sortable. And there's no wait for a package in the mail: download it NOW, install it, and take it for a test drive!
11 Craigslist.org Craigslist.org is a daring bulletin board system directed toward the major cities in the US, Canada, the UK, and (soon) other countries. The magical distinction of Craigslist is its use of anonymous email forwarding: your email address is invisible to the public. A pointer (which expires after several days) forwards all responses to you. Visit Craigslist if you want to sell or buy something, if you want to meet new people (romantically or otherwise), if you want to look for a job, or if you want to share your ideas. Almost all of its features are totally free, except job listings for employers.
12 Reference.com Your inner-librarian will be delighted! Here you will find (free of charge) Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Almanacs, Atlases, and an assortment of other helpful resources.
13 Wikipedia.org One of the most remarkable online encyclopedias on the Web! All the content is free, in the public domain, and quotable. Wikipedia is maintained by an army of volunteers. Even so, its content remains of very high quality. Wikipedia is a good example of how the Web can function at is best! Be sure to visit whenever you have any question that an encyclopedia might help you answer. You might be surprised how often Wikipedia will come through for you!
14 Beliefnet.com Beliefnet.com is an online community for people who practice spirituality in just about any tradition in the world. The emphasis here is on mutual respect and tolerance. Free inquiry and exchange of ideas is invited. Secular (non-religious) philosophies and ideas are also welcome. Also, sacred texts from the world's great religions will be found referenced at this site.
15 Anywho Anywho is a great online phone book and people-finder sponsored by AT&T. Use the Yellow Pages for businesses, the White Pages for people, and the Reverse Lookup if all you have is a phone number.
16 Weather.com Enter your Zip Code and see the weather predictions for the next ten days (scroll down), courtesy of The Weather Channel. It's easy and it's free!
17 Search.com Search.com is an outstanding example of a "metasearch engine": a web search tool that employs over 1,000 search engines running in parallel to help you find what you are looking for.
18 Hotmail.com MSN's Hotmail.com provides you with totally free email, pure and simple!
19 NIH.gov The National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has created this clearinghouse of information on all matters related to your physical well-being. You'll find drug information (MEDLINEplus), disease & symptom documentation, health recommendations, summaries on every major system of the human body, and much more at this excellent site.
20 CNET.com CNET.com (the parent site of Download.com) is a technophile's oasis! If you are looking for desktop computers, laptops, printers, peripherals, software cell phones, cameras, or just about any other kind of gadgetry, be sure to take advantage of CNET's reviews and price comparison features. This free site can save you hundred or thousands of dollars, depending on your needs
21 London Books The London Review of Books is a respected journal for those who enjoy reading the best books in the world! At times, the reviews themselves rise to the level of great literature.
22 Refdesk.com You could spend tens and tens of hours browsing the huge catalogue of useful websites at Refdesk.com. You'll find newspapers, photo databases, reference tools, trivia, quotes, self-help advice, search engines, and much, much more at this virtual goldmine of the Web.
23 MayoClinic.com Simply put, the Mayo Clinic is one of the greatest hospitals and medical research centers on Planet Earth. In that tradition, the Mayo Clinic provides this excellent website devoted to the promotion of human health.
24 GuideStar.org If you give some of your time, money, and energy to help the disadvantaged of the world, you would probably like to know that your contributions are put to good use. GuideStar.org provides extensive information on nearly all major charitable organizations. It will help you "heal the world" responsibly. 25 FirstGov.gov The official portal of the Federal Government of the United States, FirstGov.gov puts you in touch with your elected officials and the agencies and people they govern. Lots of good information here.
26 BBC.com The BBC has long been the standard for international journalism. At this site, you can watch, listen, and read live and recorded content from the BBC. (Be sure to catch the hourly World News Update!) But don’t stop with the news! Be sure to browse the History, Science, Society, and other categories to find rich content of unusually high quality. You could browse this site for many weeks without exhausting its abundant resources!
27 IMDB.com The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is a movie-lover's paradise! Discover every movie your favorite actor/actress has been in, discover every actress/actor in your favorite movie! All the facts about all the films will be found here.
28 Expedia.com Expedia.com makes travel very easy and about as cheap as it can be. Your one stop shop for low-cost air travel, hotels, rental cars, and tour packages!
29 Slate.com MSN's Slate is one of the premier online magazines. You'll find news, ideas, reviews, and much more here.
30 Nutrition.gov Nutrition.gov provides authoritative information about health and nutrition. You will also find the USDA's National Nutrient Database here, which will allow you to evaluate your diet with more knowledge than ever before!
31 Altmedicine.com Alternative medicine has found its voice on the web at Altmedicine.com! Having received praise from many sources (including the prestigious medical journal "The Lancet"), Altmedicine.com explores the best information from many sources on alternative approaches to human health.
32 Citysearch.com When you need to get to know a city fast, Citysearch.com should be your first stop! You'll find information and reviews of restaurants, hotels, places to see, shopping, services, and much more about major American (and some international) cities at this site.
33 Monster.com Need a job? Visit Monster.com, an enormous database & job listing site for employers and employees to be!
34 Vote-Smart.org Enter your Zip Code and find links to your Congresspersons, your President, and your state representatives! Project Vote Smart will help you become an informed and effective voter.
35 Sciam.com The online manifestaton of Scientific American magazine, Sciam.com presents clear, intelligent writing on the most important scientific discoveries, initiatives, and controversies of our time. Much of the content is free. And you can search past issues!
36 ESPN.com If you love sports, sports history, or sports statistics, ESPN.com is the site for you!
37 Encarta.com MSN's online encyclopedia Encarta gives you fast, free access to an amazing range of facts. Much of the content is free, but some requires membership.
38 Findlaw.com Findlaw.com provides a fantastic set of tools for anyone interested in American Law. Widely used by legal professionals, it can also be used profitably by laymen. Learn the facts about the laws that govern you from this excellent site!
39 Nature.com One of the world's premier scientific journals, Nature, provides much of its content online (and much of it free!) Check out subject areas on Chemistry, Physics, Microbiology, Medicine and much more at this fantastic site!
40 USA Today local Though it's not quite a substitute for your favorite local paper, USA Today's "States" news will give you a summary of the major events in all 50 states of the Union.
41 AllPosters.com Who would have thought that one of the best selections of fine art prints online would be available at a poster shop?! Allposters.com is almost like an online museum: but a museum at which you can buy what you see (at reasonable prices). Not only fine art, but movie and concert posters and many other things framable will be found here!
42 Time.com Time magazine is one most respected news magazines on earth. And much of its content is available free here!
43 Mapquest.com Get clear, printable maps, driving directions, addresses of businesses, and much more at Mapquest.com
44 Abebooks.com Find your favorite old or out-of-print books at this wonderful site!
45 Allmusic.com From Beethoven to the Beatles and beyond, you'll find Allmusic.com a treasure-trove of musical knowledge.
46 MedlinePlus.gov The National Institutes of Health maintains MedlinePlus for those interested in reliable information on prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Even so, you'll find many other valuable health-related resources here.
47 Open Directory As modest as it appears, the Open Directory is a true powerhouse in web-searching! It provides search data to many of the most widely-used search engines, and it itself is a first rate directory of the best of the Web. 48 LOC.gov The Library of Congress is gradually making more and more of its collosal store of resources available on the web. Its website should afford you many happy hours of browsing.
49 Windows Media Online Radio is here, and MSN's Windows Media is one of the finest sites available devoted to it!
50 UComics.com Your favorite comics may be online, and they may be here! The latest contributions from Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, Doonesbury, Cathy, Ziggy, and many others will be found at this easy-to-use site.
51 InfoPlease.com A first-rate online almanac, atlas, dictionary, & encylcopedia, all rolled into one!
52 Alexa.com What's good is not always popular, and what's popular is not always good, but on the Internet, popularity and quality go are found together often enough. Alexa.com helps you find the most frequently visited sites in many categories.
53 Museums When you're too busy to visit museums in person, you can visit them online! This fantastic guide to online museums is a great place to start.
54 UN.org The homepage of the United Nations presents a rich collection of information about the state of humankind on Planet Earth. Practical strategies for making this world a better place are laid out in substantial detail here.
55 Sacred Texts The Internet Sacred Text Archive presents the scriptures of the world's great spiritual traditions. You'll find sacred writings from Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, and many others here (along with a few curious entries!)
56 ArtForum.com Artforum is one of the world's most widely read journals devoted to the fine arts. Be sure to check out there "Museum Finder" when you visit!
57 WebMD.com Get sound medical information and tips on a healthy lifestyle from this respected site.
58 VLIB.org The WWW Virtual Library relies on a consortium of experts around the world to present the richest content available on the Web in a broad range of subject areas.
59 MoneyCentral MSN's MoneyCentral will help you make intelligent decisions about investing, taxes, loans, retirement, and all things financial.
60 Classmates.com Wouldn't you love to track down some of your old school friends? Or maybe a favorite teacher who made a difference in your life? This is the place to start. Basic access is free, premium access is modestly priced.
61 Europa.eu.int The Hompage of the European Union is home to a vast collection of information about all aspects of European government. The EU's goals and strategies for achieving them are discussed in detail.
62 Yahoo! Groups Nowhere is it easier to start your own discussion group or bulletin board about just about anything! Within minutes and with no cost, you can have your special subject humming with lively (and often scrappy) discussion. Free speech rules!
63 NY Rev Books This foremost literary journal is surprisingly generous with its content: access the full content of each edition online. Remarkable.
64 Jokes.com Not only will you find jokes in abundance here, but each joke has a running rating from site visitors! Be forewarned, not all these jokes are in good taste!
65 Priceline.com Name the price you're willing to pay for airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, vacations, or cruises. There's no guarantee your offer will be accepted, but if it is, you will save some serious money!
66 RottenTomatoes Which movie should you see this weekend? Rottentomatoes.com lets you read the opinions of over 100 critics (for most movies) to help you decide. The "Cream of the Crop" critics list may include your favorite critic. The popular "TomatoMeter" gives you a running average of the critics ratings for each film.
67 IPL.org The Internet Public Library, based at the University of Michigan, may be the next best thing to having a University library attached to your house! In some ways, it may be even better.
68 AceFitness.com We all know we should exercise, but what exercises are best for us? The American Council on Exercise describes exercises that are safe and effective for those wishing to stay in shape.
69 Quicken.com The home of Quicken financial software, this site also provides free tools to help you plan and manage your assets.
70 Andante.com This celebrated classical music magazine is available online, much of the content free. Paying members will enjoy an extensive collection of additional resources.
71 Pauling Nutrition What does the latest research say about vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, and other nutrients? The Micronutrient Information Center of the Linus Pauling Institute provides detailed and well-documented information on all these. (Incidentally, Linus Pauling was the only person in history to win two Nobel Prizes!)
72 PCmag.com PC Magazine has long been a favorite read of computer and technology enthusiasts. For hardware and software reviews, as well as tips for improving your computing experience, be sure to visit this site!
73 Times of London Yes, you have to subscribe for access, but it's worth it to read the Times of London online.
74 Federal Jobs The FedWorld Federal Job Search engine might land you in a new job quicker than you had thought possible! It's free to use, and user-friendly.
75 IHT.com One of the world's finest newspapers, the International Herald Tribune is also one of the few online newspapers that doesn't require registration to read, free or otherwise! (Let's hope it stays that way!)
76 Online Books Over 20,000 free books on the Web, many of them classics! Search by author, title, subject, century, or just browse for fun.
77 Pogo.com Play Chess, Checkers, card games, or work Crosswords online at Pogo.com, a free website maintained by Electronic Arts!
78 BizRate.com BizRate.com may be "the largest, fastest, and most accurate shopping search engine on the Web". Save money and find top quality at this site.
79 Billboard.com Billboard Magazine has chronicled the world of popular music and entertainment since its founding in 1894! (Yes, that's 1894, not 1994!) Much of the information at this site is free.
80 Translation
81 Give.org Most of us would like to donate money, time, energy, or ideas to help the least advantaged people of the world. But it is a challenge to ensure that our donations are used effectively and responsibly. Give.org, a service of the Better Business Bureau, evaluates major charities and provides reports on how responsibly they do their work.
82 Mathworld "The Web's most extensive mathematics resource" will help you remember all the algebra, geometry, trig, statistics, calculus, and diffie-Q that you left behind years ago! And you'll probably learn a lot you never knew along the way.
83 WebRing.org Webrings are like pearl necklaces of websites on related topics. Webring.org helps you find the webring that you'd like to browse or insert your own website into.
84 Career Builder CareerBuilder.com employs its network of more than 130 local newspapers to help employ YOU! If you're looking for work, do stop by!
85 411.com 411.com is a combined online Yellow Pages, White Pages, People Finder, and more!
86 Epinions.com This site exists to help people make intelligent buying decisions. It is a compendium of reviews from thousands of people on thousands of different products. A good site to visit before any major purchase.
87 Spiritual Journals The Religious Studies Web Guide is an enormous collection of links to major journals in theology and spiritual philosophy.
88 ALdaily.com Arts & Letters Daily is a favorite stop for those who love thinking, literature, and dazzling ideas. It's always fresh and always relevant.
89 Nolopress.com The homepage of Nolo Press, the pioneers of do-it-yourself law, is also a rich source of free legal information.
90 Classical.net Classical music lovers of all different levels of experience and sublety will love this site devoted to the history and ideas of great western music.
91 Blogger Create your own "blog" to express your ideas to the world and invite responses. This service is high quality, and it's free!
92 NYTimes.com The New York Times online does require (free) registration, but it is well worth that small investment of time. Keep up on events that shape the world by visiting often.
93 Earthcam.com Live online cameras are all over the world in fascinating and often unlikely places. Look through many windows on the world LIVE at Earthcam.com!
94 BBB.org The Better Business Bureau is online and ready to help in the continuing struggle against shoddy business practices.
95 intelihealth Harvard Medical School's respository of consumer health information will be found at this excellent site, along with many user-friendly articles on health, disease, drugs, and the human body.
96 LiveJournal.com Keep a journal online about anything at all! And browse the journals of others. Livejournal.com is one of the most popular "blogging" sites, and with very good reason.
97 BBC Faith The "Religion & Ethics" site of the BBC sets the world's great spiritual traditions side by side and provides extensive information on each of them.
98 ArtsJournal This "daily digest of arts, culture, and ideas" is sure to provide stimulation for aesthetes and intellectuals.
99 TicketMaster The purpose of ticketmaster.com is simple: get the tickets you want easily, in advance, and at a reasonable cost.
100 Gutenberg.net Project Gutenberg presents a collection of over 15,000 electronic books ("ebooks") available for free download! Most are older literary works in the public domain, many of the considered classics. An amazing and useful monument to the volunteer labor of thousands of participants!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
50 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW
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The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.
Beetles taste like apples, wasps like pine nuts, and worms like fried bacon.
Of all the words in the English language, the word 'set' has the most definitions!
What is called a "French kiss" in the English speaking world is known as an "English kiss" in France.
"Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
"Rhythm" is the longest English word without a vowel.
In 1386, a pig in France was executed by public hanging for the murder of a child
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off!
Human thigh bones are stronger than concrete.
You can't kill yourself by holding your breath
There is a city called Rome on every continent.
It's against the law to have a pet dog in Iceland!
Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day!
Horatio Nelson, one of England's most illustrious admirals was throughout his life, never able to find a cure for his sea-sickness.
The skeleton of Jeremy Bentham is present at all important meetings of the University of London
Right handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people
Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, everytime you breathe!
The elephant is the only mammal that can't jump!
One quarter of the bones in your body, are in your feet!
Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different!
The first known transfusion of blood was performed as early as 1667, when Jean-Baptiste, transfused two pints of blood from a sheep to a young man
Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails!
Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin!
The present population of 5 billion plus people of the world is predicted to become 15 billion by 2080.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, and had only ONE testicle.
Honey is the only food that does not spoil.
Honey found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs has been tasted by archaeologists and found edible.
Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th."
Coca-Cola would be green if colouring weren’t added to it.
On average a hedgehog's heart beats 300 times a minute.
More people are killed each year from bees than from snakes.
The average lead pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 English words.
More people are allergic to cow's milk than any other food.
Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.
The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at all times!
The six official languages of the United Nations are: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.
Earth is the only planet not named after a god.
It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a church in Nebraska, USA.
You're born with 300 bones, but by the time you become an adult, you only have 206.
Some worms will eat themselves if they can't find any food!
Dolphins sleep with one eye open!
It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open
The worlds oldest piece of chewing gum is 9000 years old!
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds
Queen Elizabeth I regarded herself as a paragon of cleanliness. She declared that she bathed once every three months, whether she needed it or not
Slugs have 4 noses.
Owls are the only birds who can see the colour blue.
A man named Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 69 years!
A giraffe can clean its ears with its 21-inch tongue!
The average person laughs 10 times a day!
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain
CHUTKULAY
1. Ek train bohot time baad chali.
Muslim kehta: Ya Ali bla tali.
Hindu kehta: Jai Bajrang Bali.
Funny Sardar kehta: Arre Ali aur Bali, train apni nahi, saath vali chali !!!
2. Santa : I tried your number so many times, it always said 'Switched Off'!"
Banta : Nahi Pape, it's my HELLO TUNE!
3. Daku Mangal Singh Banta Ke Ghar Mein Ghus Ayaa..
Daku : Sona kahan hai, Jaldi Bataao..!
Banta : Pura Ghar Khali Hai Malko, Jithe Marzi So Jao!
4. Santa : Kaisi Sabzi Banai Hai, Bilkul Gobar Jaisa Swad Hai !
Jasmeet : Hey bhagwan! Na Jane Inhone Kya-Kya Kha Ke Dekha Hua Hai.
Gobar Ka Swad Bhi Pata Hai..!
5. Banta : Praji, Jab Main Paida Hua Tha To Military Walon Ne 21 Topein Chalayeen Thi.
Santa : Kamaal Hai ! Sab Ka Nishana Kayse Chook Gaya ..?
6. Santa meets his friend Bunta
Santa : A & B, A & B, A & B, A & B, A & B...!
Bunta : Oye, Iska Matlab ?
Santa : Kuch Nahin Yaar, I Mean Long Time No C..!
7. Phone Ki Ganti Baji.
Santa : Phone Mere Liye Ho To Kehna Mein Ghar Pe Nahin Hoon.
Jasmeet : Wo Ghar Pe Hain.
Santa : Maine Mana Kiya Tha Ke...
Jasmeet : Phone Mere Liye Tha!
8. Santa : Aapne Nurse Bahut Changi Rakhi Hai, Uska Haath Lagtey Hi Mein Theek Ho Gaya.
Doctor: Jaanta Hoon, Thappad Ki Awaaz Mujhe Bhi Sunai Di Thi.
9. Santa : Oh Yaar Main Badi Mushkil Mein Hoon...
Meri Biwi Mujhse Ek Pappi Ka Ek Rupeya Leti Hai..!
Banta : Oh Yaar Tu Bada Lucky Hai, Auron Se To Woh 5 Rupye Leti Hai.
10. Santa : Yaar! Main Apna Purse Ghar Bhool Aaya, Mainu 1000 Rs Chahide Si.
Banta : Dost Hi Dost De Kam Aunda Hai, Le 10 Rs, Riksha Kar Te Purse Le Aa.
11. Banta : Wo Ladki Deaf Lagti Hai. Main Kuch Kehta Hoon, Woh Kuch Aur Hi Bolti Hai.
Santa : Kaise?
Banta : Maine Kaha I Luv U, To Woh Boli 'Maine Kal Hi Naye Sandal kharide hain'
12. A crow shits on Banta. Preeto gives tissue paper to him.
Banta: Koi Fhayda Nahin, Kauwa Toh Udd Gaya ..!
13. Santa : When I get mad at you,you never fight back.How do you control your anger?
Jasmeet : I clean the toilet bowl.
Santa : How does that help?
Jasmeet : I use your toothbrush!
14. Sardar & his wife buy coffee in a shop.
Sardar says... Drink quickly..... .
Wife asks why...
sardar says hot coffee Rs5 and cold coffee Rs10
15. A teacher told all students in a class to write an essay on a cricket
match. All were busy writing except one Sardarji. He wrote "DUE TO RAIN, NO MATCH!"
Muslim kehta: Ya Ali bla tali.
Hindu kehta: Jai Bajrang Bali.
Funny Sardar kehta: Arre Ali aur Bali, train apni nahi, saath vali chali !!!
2. Santa : I tried your number so many times, it always said 'Switched Off'!"
Banta : Nahi Pape, it's my HELLO TUNE!
3. Daku Mangal Singh Banta Ke Ghar Mein Ghus Ayaa..
Daku : Sona kahan hai, Jaldi Bataao..!
Banta : Pura Ghar Khali Hai Malko, Jithe Marzi So Jao!
4. Santa : Kaisi Sabzi Banai Hai, Bilkul Gobar Jaisa Swad Hai !
Jasmeet : Hey bhagwan! Na Jane Inhone Kya-Kya Kha Ke Dekha Hua Hai.
Gobar Ka Swad Bhi Pata Hai..!
5. Banta : Praji, Jab Main Paida Hua Tha To Military Walon Ne 21 Topein Chalayeen Thi.
Santa : Kamaal Hai ! Sab Ka Nishana Kayse Chook Gaya ..?
6. Santa meets his friend Bunta
Santa : A & B, A & B, A & B, A & B, A & B...!
Bunta : Oye, Iska Matlab ?
Santa : Kuch Nahin Yaar, I Mean Long Time No C..!
7. Phone Ki Ganti Baji.
Santa : Phone Mere Liye Ho To Kehna Mein Ghar Pe Nahin Hoon.
Jasmeet : Wo Ghar Pe Hain.
Santa : Maine Mana Kiya Tha Ke...
Jasmeet : Phone Mere Liye Tha!
8. Santa : Aapne Nurse Bahut Changi Rakhi Hai, Uska Haath Lagtey Hi Mein Theek Ho Gaya.
Doctor: Jaanta Hoon, Thappad Ki Awaaz Mujhe Bhi Sunai Di Thi.
9. Santa : Oh Yaar Main Badi Mushkil Mein Hoon...
Meri Biwi Mujhse Ek Pappi Ka Ek Rupeya Leti Hai..!
Banta : Oh Yaar Tu Bada Lucky Hai, Auron Se To Woh 5 Rupye Leti Hai.
10. Santa : Yaar! Main Apna Purse Ghar Bhool Aaya, Mainu 1000 Rs Chahide Si.
Banta : Dost Hi Dost De Kam Aunda Hai, Le 10 Rs, Riksha Kar Te Purse Le Aa.
11. Banta : Wo Ladki Deaf Lagti Hai. Main Kuch Kehta Hoon, Woh Kuch Aur Hi Bolti Hai.
Santa : Kaise?
Banta : Maine Kaha I Luv U, To Woh Boli 'Maine Kal Hi Naye Sandal kharide hain'
12. A crow shits on Banta. Preeto gives tissue paper to him.
Banta: Koi Fhayda Nahin, Kauwa Toh Udd Gaya ..!
13. Santa : When I get mad at you,you never fight back.How do you control your anger?
Jasmeet : I clean the toilet bowl.
Santa : How does that help?
Jasmeet : I use your toothbrush!
14. Sardar & his wife buy coffee in a shop.
Sardar says... Drink quickly..... .
Wife asks why...
sardar says hot coffee Rs5 and cold coffee Rs10
15. A teacher told all students in a class to write an essay on a cricket
match. All were busy writing except one Sardarji. He wrote "DUE TO RAIN, NO MATCH!"
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