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Worldwide Holidays for December 2008

1st December

Independence Day: Portugal, Ukraine.

National Day: Central African Republic.

National Day: Romania.

2nd December

National Day: United Arab Emirates.

Republic Day: Laos.

5th December

Discovery Day: Haiti.

King's Birthday: Thailand.

St. Nicholas Day: Netherlands.

6th December

Independence Day: Finland.

St. Nicholas Day: Germany.

7th December

National Day: Ivory Coast.

Pearl Harbor Day: United States of America.

8th December

Immaculate Conception: Argentina, Austria, Chile, Colombia, Italy, Malta, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Seychelles, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela.

9th December

Independence Day: Tanzania.

10th December

Constitution Day: Thailand.

Foundation Day: Angola.

Human Rights Day: Guinea.

Settlers' Day: Namibia.

11th December

National Day: Burkina Faso.

12th December

Independence Day: Kenya.

13th December

Republic Day: Malta.

16th December

Constitution Day: Nepal.

Day of the Vow: South Africa.

National Day: Bahrain.

Victory Day: Bangladesh.

17th December

National Day: Bhutan.

18th December

Republic Day: Niger.

21st December

Independence Day: Kazakhstan.

Hanukkah (Festival of Lights): Jewish Holiday Begins at Sunset

23rd December

Emperor's Birthday: Japan.

Victory Day: Egypt.

24th December

Christmas Eve.

25th December

Christmas Day: Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Merry Christmas

26th December

Boxing Day: Australia, Bonaire, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom.

Goodwill Day: South Africa.

Independence Day: Slovenia.

St. Stephen's Day: Spain.

29th December

Hanukkah (Festival of Lights): Jewish Holiday Ends at Sunset

30th December

Proclamation Day: Australia, South Africa.

Republic Day: Madagascar.

Rizal Day: Philippines.

31st December

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Behavior-Based Internet Advertising - Who Is Watching You? By Scott Buresh             Have you ever been surfing the web and come upon Internet advertising that provides a direct solution for something that you've been researching lately? Did you think that it might be related to your computer cookies, or did you chalk it up to serendipity? The fact is, it almost certainly wasn't a coincidence. Behavior-based Internet advertising is a relatively new and very powerful way for advertisers to get their message in front of potential buyers that they know to be qualified. The question is, how do they know that the surfer is qualified? The advertisers know this because the Internet advertising network is tracking the surfers' online activity. With tracking, advertisers know what sites you like. They know what searches you make. They have profiled you, and, unlike in real life, profiling on the web is AOK -- so far. Check Your Computer for Cookies Before we get into the legal issues involved, perhaps a further definition of the technology is in order. Most (but not all) behavioral Internet advertising is based on computer "cookies." These computer cookies are tiny files that are placed on your machine when you visit certain websites. In the simplest form, you go to a web page. An advertiser has a blank spot, or placeholder, for a banner ad. But instead of serving up just any banner ad, the advertiser parses through your computer for cookies to discover your likes and dislikes, and then you are fed Internet advertising based on your online behavior. For some people, this is no big deal. They like Internet advertising to be targeted toward them, and they don't mind computer cookies. For others, it's a little Orwellian and creepy. This leads us to the great debate. Opt-in or Opt-out? One big question to be resolved is whether ultimately this type of Internet advertising will be "opt-in" (meaning that a user has to sign up in order to receive targeted ads) or "opt-out" (meaning that a user will receive targeted ads unless they specifically ask not to). It shouldn't surprise anyone to know which side the advertisers are on. If governmental regulators eventually require that all Internet advertising be "opt-in", the industry will be severely restricted. My guess is that it would relegate behavior-based Internet advertising to a fringe player in the online marketing world. The privacy advocates, naturally, are on the other side of the fence. The vast majority of people assume that their online activity is not being tracked, they say. Why should they have to take a specific action in order to remove computer cookies and to not be tracked and profiled? A Do Not Track List? Recently, a group of nine consumer advocate groups proposed the idea of a "Do Not Track" list for Internet advertising, which would work in a similar fashion as the "Do Not Call" list works today. Naturally, this is an "Opt-out" scenario, but because of the attention that the formation of such a list would bring, it may be a suitable compromise between advertiser and advocate.     Adland Digest Sponsor Message Be a sponsor. Place your ad here. (Spot II)   How to Prevent Being Tracked It is fairly easy to prevent being tracked by advertisers. You simply prevent your machine from accepting computer cookies. Go to START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL and click on INTERNET OPTIONS then the PRIVACY tab. (Note that these instructions assume you are working with a Windows XP system. The procedure will be similar, however, for other operating systems.) Slide the bar all the way to the top to where it says "Block All Cookies." However, you should be aware that this change may limit your Internet experience. Some websites will not display properly (or at all) if you do not accept computer cookies. In my experience, at least one of the top five search engines will not work at all. Other engines have limited functionality when you block Internet advertising. Even if you do manage to turn off your computer cookies, don't rest easy just yet. The Newest Technology Recently, it was announced that a Silicon Valley startup named NebuAd has created a new technology that does not require computer cookies. Under the NebuAd model, the company teams up directly with service providers and installs equipment directly at their facilities that allows them to track the behavior of individuals on the web, even if their machine does not accept computer cookies. This, of course, requires Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to embrace the new technology; naturally, they are given a piece of the Internet advertising revenue that is generated. Whether or not any of the major players embrace this technology will probably depend largely on public outcry, or lack thereof. Of course, if this does become the newest behavioral targeting standard, we will return again to the question of "Opt-in" or "Opt-out." Conclusion The future of this approach to Internet advertising is unclear, and will depend largely on public education and reaction. Will people see value in receiving targeted ads, even if it means that somewhere there is an "anonymous" profile of them sitting on a server? Will they feel outraged and push for a total ban? It's hard to say. Will this new approach be the death of the Internet as we know it? Probably not. But it should at least be interesting.   About the Author: C) Medium Blue 2007 Scott Buresh is the founder of Medium Blue, a search engine optimization company. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including MarketingProfs, ZDNet, SiteProNews, WebProNews, DarwinMag, ISEDB.com, and Search Engine Guide. Medium Blue has local and national clients, including Boston Scientific, Cirronet, and DS Waters, and was recently named the number one search engine optimization company in the world by PromotionWorld. Visit MediumBlue.com to request a custom SEO guarantee based on your goals and your data. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Buresh   Adland Digest Sponsor Message   Be a sponsor. Place your ad here. (Spot III)    Getting Back on Top of Things By Michael Angier Time is the "gold" of the twenty-first century. No matter how much money we make, we can't buy any more time. It can't be stored, traded or even managed. All we can do is manage events. The feeling of "not enough time" and trying to manage all those events seems to cause stress for most people. Recently I wasn't feeling as motivated as I usually do. I first chalked it up to being fatigued by some big projects, but I wasn't quite convinced that this was the cause. But then I was invited to attend a seminar by David Allen, the author of "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity". David has been called the "personal productivity guru" by Fast Company--"One of the most influential thinkers on productivity". I agree. What I realized was that even as goal-driven and value-directed as I am, I wasn't feeling on top of the hundreds of projects and thousands of details, tasks, responsibilities and commitments. Like my editor used to say, I was "being nibbled to death by ducks." The result was a scattering of my energies and a dissipation of my focus. David's book was just what I needed. Even though I haven't completed my reorganization, I already feel a new freedom--a new energy and vitality. His recommendations make sense. They're practical, they're easy to implement and they work. David even offers a flow chart to decide upon and handle all the things that come our way. It was a real eye-opener. I consider myself a pretty organized guy. I have some great systems that have supported me through the years. But I learned a LOT and found this book to be the best I've seen on productivity. I found nothing I could argue with. David believes that unless we have systems or recording and corralling all the "stuff" in our lives, we prevent our mind from real thinking--from being truly creative. If our mind is cluttered with remembering things, we cannot do our best. Our ability to be productive is directly pro-portional to our ability to relax. David's "do it, defer it or drop it" rule is just one of the many simple habits he recommends to transform the way you work. My recommendation: get the book. Read it and put its wisdom to work for you. It could very well be one of the best investments you make-- not only in your productivity but in your serenity as well. How can you put a price on having less stress and more productivity?   About the Author: Michael Angier, founder of SuccessNet.org, recently released the New SuccessNet Resource Book--the Top Must-Have Tools, Products, Services and Resources for Running Your Business Effectively This $27 eBook can be yours now at no-cost. And most of the over 100 resources are FREE to access and use. Order at no-cost from http://SuccessNet.org/resources/ http://MySuccessNet.com
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